Sojourn in Saudi Arabia

My sister and I finally arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at around 7am local time. Waiting for outside was our parents and brother. I was very much excited for the trip as we would all be together again after more than 2 years. Of course, it would also be another chance to practice travel photography.

Sarawat Mosque, Jeddah

Saudi Arabia is bordered by the Red Sea on its west. Before traveling to the holy places, I was able to visit the beaches it had to offer. Obhur, is the place to be. The area holds a number of beach resorts w/ nice rooms if you would like to stay there over-night. You can rent a boat if you would like to go scuba diving or snorkeling. The following photos are from 2 different resorts: Reem Riviera and Silver Sands.

Enjoying life's simple pleasures at Silver Sands Resort

The Red Sea beckons, Reem Riviera Resort

Pathway to cafe, Reem Riviera Resort

Lifeguard missing? Silver Sands Resort

As a Muslim, I consider my vacation in the kingdom as a blessing. I was fortunate enough to visit the holy places namely Makkah and Madinah. After a few days in Jeddah, we visited Makkah first as it was only a 30-40min drive away. I didn't bring my DSLR to Makkah becuase it wasn't aloud inside the Masjid al-Haram. I got goosebumps when I entered the holy mosque. It was very beautiful inside and too see so many people of different color and race was just overwhelming. For those who are not aware, Makkah is where the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was born. The Masjid al-Haram is considered to be the house of Allah (SWT).

Taken along the highway from Jeddah to Madinah

After a week, we visited Madinah which is about 400km away from Jeddah. We left Jeddah late in the afternoon and arrived at Madinah at almost 7pm, just in time for the Maghrib prayer. Madinah is 2nd holiest place for muslims as it where prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) fled when his death was ordered. Madinah is where Islam first flourished, where the first mosque was built.

Masjid Quba, first mosque ever built.

Madinah is also the location of the prophet's mosque or Al-Masjid al-Nabawi. The tomb of prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is inside this mosque.

Al-Masjid al-Nabawi, Madinah

Following are more photos of Madinah. Enjoy!

Masjid al-Qiblatain

Hey Mr. Arab Man! (an arab vendor taking a break)

Mount Sala Mosque

One of the 7 old mosques in Madinah.

The meeting of new and old.

Vrooom!!!

Compared to other guys, I have lesser knowledge about cars. I hope it doesn't make me a lesser man. To explain, let me just say that I spent my teen-age days away from my father so I didn't get the chance to learn about it much. Oh yes, I don't know how to drive well also. Cut me some slack, there wasn't any car to practice on. Anyway, a car show here in the Philippines is an event where I would say 3 groups of people converge for sure. 1.) the car owners who know every little detail about horsepower and stuff like that, 2.) models, (professionals and aspiring) because cars and women just look so right together. With these 2 on the list, we arrive at 3.) photographers (professionals and hobbyists) who are in a trigger happy mode to shoot. If you're still a baby in photography, (I consider myself a grade school) I'd recommend going to one of these because it's like hitting multiple birds with one stone. That's right, not just 2 birds, multiple. You can practice your macro photography by shooting parts of the engine, wheels, interior etc. You can practice still life by shooting those incredible parked machines. Sometimes if you're lucky and there's a race, you can try action photography. Lastly, a handful of models would help you attune your portraiture. So for the last car show I attended, a P20 entrance is certainly not bad.

The event name is Hot Summer Nights 4 and it started with a lateral drifting competition. A big thanks to Wiki for the following definition: Drifting refers to a driving technique and to a motorsport where the driver intentionally over steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed. A car is drifting when the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle prior to the corner apex, and the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn (e.g. car is turning left, wheels are pointed right or vice versa), and the driver is controlling these factors. So what's lateral drifting? Beats me, it may simple mean race.

The interior of the Nissan 350z

A Ferrari. Who needs to know the model anyway?

The event showcased a variety of top vehicles. There was a Nissan 350z which could be seen in the Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift movie. There was a Ferrari which doesn't need any description, the name itself is already a legend. Undying classics were also there like the '77 Toyota Celica. 4x4 vehicles w/ mad car paints also caught my eyes and a whole lot more. At the end of the day, I just wondered - will I ever hit the jackpot in the lottery?

1977 Toyota Celica's engine

Lancer Evolution 10

Local celebrity Ryan Agoncillo is known to be an avid fan and supporter of motorsports

Oh yes, I didn't forget to take photos of the models. Here are some of them:

Graduation

On a sunny Monday noon, the plane touched down in Lumbia Airport, Cagayan de Oro City. As I stepped out of the plane, I said to myself finally, I'm back to celebrate something: my sister's graduation from college. My last 2 trips home were because of the deaths of my grandfathers from both sides. May Allah (s.w.t.) bless their souls. I took the regular 2 hour drive from Cagayan de Oro to Marawi and when I arrived, I was warmly greeted by my relatives. I don't know if my relatives know this but all of them have these certain smiles which make sorrow and agony untraceable on their faces. It seems like they are always happy and that is why whenever I'm there, I can feel the welcome and comfort even though most of my years were not spent there.

The days that followed were all about the graduation. My father unfortunately couldn't attend due to work matters and of course, international tickets are not a joke. I attended the ceremonies with my mom where I had the opportunity to observe how MSU is doing in today's time. It was pleasant to know that this year had the most number of graduates as I believe that one of the primary reasons why Mindanao is being left out is due to lack of education, especially in the college level. May these graduates find their places in this world and help rebuild the once glorious Mindanao.

With the busy days I had there I didn't get the chance to properly congratulate my sister so I hope this would suffice - Minnie, everyone knows that I'm not much on words and I don't talk much so first of all, please forgive me for my short-comings because I know there's a lot. Please know that as an older brother, I am very proud at what you've accomplished already at such a young age. I'm sure Dad and Mom would have loved to witness how you have developed into what you are now. Countless are the times I have wished that we were all having dinner at the same table, discussing how things went during the day. Life has its reasons. Lastly, chase your dreams but always be grounded in your faith which is Islam. Alhamdulillah and congratulations!

Sharing some shots from the 3 week vacation:

My mom and a cousin who also graduated.

Dimaporo Gymnasium where the graduation was held.

Oval ground of Mindanao State University

I just had to take another shot of Lake Lanao.

16th Philippine Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

As a kid, I was very much fond of those old photo albums that had hot air balloons on the cover. Their colors and height always amused me. That is why when I learned that another Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (HAB) was coming, I was very ecstatic. The Digital Photographers Philippines (DPP) website had a raffle promo wherein they would make some Photographer Passes available for purchase. Yes, for purchase as nothing seems to be free these days. In fairness to them, it wasn't their event anyway as it was mainly a Caltex/Chevron one. I won't mention the price, but the package was a good deal since the pass included a souvenir shirt and 500php Caltex gas card.

I signed up and luckily, my name was chosen. The event was going to be held in Clark Airfield, Pampanga. The pass which I had won and purchased was for 2/11/11 which was a Friday. However, since I was going alone via public transport I figured that a weekend trip would be better since Fridays are known for ruthless traffic in Manila. I went online in DPP to see if I could trade my pass for either a Saturday or Sunday and bingo, there was one willing to trade his Sunday pass for a Friday one.

On February 13, 2011, I got up around 2:00am and took a cold shower, packed my stuff and headed out to the Victory Bus terminal in Pasay City. Finally, the Wayfarer's first mini-adventure for 2011. I left Manila bound for Dau Terminal at around 3:30am. Based upon my calculation, it was enough for me to get there on-time to capture the first light of the day. I arrived at Dau Terminal at around 4:45 which wasn't bad. It was a cold morning a the wind was a bit too strong for my taste. From there I took a van going to Clark Airfield along with other tourists. After getting off the van, the wind was still strong and I got worried that weather would not cooperate. When I reached the entrance for the photographers, the sky became a bit visible and to my dismay, I could already tell that it was going to be an overcast morning.

At the distance, you could already see the sunlight peaking between the clouds. I was not blessed with the clear sky as I was hoping for but what can I do? Sometimes as a photographer, you just have to deal with what's there in front of you. As soon as the guards let us in, I rushed to the field and snapped my camera like a mad man. A mistake to some extent because I had so little time to fix my composition. I guess I was really worried for the little sunlight available to me that I sacrificed the composition and timing of the shots I made. Light is important in photography but composition is not be left out. So, here are some the photos I took and I do hope that you enjoy them.

As a final note, I would like to say that experiencing something like this becomes more beautiful when shared. I was there looking at the spectacular colors with absolutely no one to talk to. I do like the thought of being a lone adventurer but when you're there at that perfect moment, sometimes the magic just fades away easily when you're all by yourself. Thanks DPP and Caltex/Chevron. Cheers everyone!

Coron, Palawan

I was very much looking forward to my Coron trip with my high school friends. First, it was going to be a time to relax with some of the closest people in my life. Second, the destination was going to be a new discovery. Lastly, it was an opportunity to shoot. I enjoy taking photos of the sea and its wonders as I've been inlove with it since I was a little boy. I hope that these photos give justice to Coron's beauty. The first highlight of the trip was Kayangan Lake. I could say that this would be my favorite of all the places Coron has to offer. After docking on the island, we followed a mountain trail that leads to the actual lake. At the midpoint of the climb, it offered a perfect vantage point for a perfect scenery. I have seen this type of photo before but I just had to have one that I can call my own.




After that, we continued with the descent and finally reached the lake. The blue lake is surrounded by limestone cliffs and it was breathtaking. We swam our hearts out and had photos underwater. Thanks 2ts for bringing your camera by the way. This is also where we had our lunch. The next part of the trip was the Twin Lagoon. The reason behind the name is that it's like 2 separate salt-water lakes which is separated by a cliff that has a narrow opening. We also enjoyed this part but this was also very tiring. Life vest is a must because the boat would anchor on one side and you would have to swim through the narrow opening to get to the other side. I know it's easier to swim without a life vest but considering the distance that you would have to cover, it's better to be safe.





Our next stop was Banol Beach. This time, we simply had fun by the shore and enjoyed the crystal clear water. This also where we had our merienda. Suman (rice cake) with coke baby.


Banana Beach was our next stop and this is where we spent our 2nd night. It was about an hour and a half boat ride from Banol Beach. If you're tired from the busy and stressful life that Manila brings everyday, I would recommend you spend some time in Banana Beach. It doesn't have the amenities of a 5-star hotel, but it's a quiet place where you can really relax and just listen to sound of the waves. On daytime, you can simply chill on a hammock and kill time. Electricity is not always available but the cottages are equipped with solar panels so that you can charge your iPods or cellphones. Yes, Globe and Smart signal is available on the island and the people are very friendly. On nightime, I would also suggest that you bring mosquito repellent lotions as the rooms are not air conditioned. The residents on the island were very friendly as well.








The following day, we were scheduled to go back to the main town of Coron. Before that, we stopped by at Malcapuya Island which is about a 15 minute boat ride from Banana Beach. I wasn't able to take any photos here as we had to stop away from the the shore due to shallow waters. I hope a panoramic view of the island will do.


Upon arriving in the main town, we went straight to the hotel to leave our baggages. We then proceeded the viewing deck of Mt. Tapyas. To reach the peak, you would have to conquer a total of (I hope my memory serves me right) 724 steps. Kayangan Lake was easy. This was a serious challenge and I am happy to say I did survive. People have different opinions about Mt. Tapyas. Some will say the climb is worth it and some would disagree. I could say it was worth the experience as the view of Coron was stunning. It's just too bad that we arrived late and I only managed to take a couple of shots.

The Magic Is Here

My cousins came here to Manila to have some little vacation. A day that was supposedly to be spent in the mall ended up in Enchanted Kingdom in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. EK, as it is fondly called, was opened in 1996 if my memory serves me right and it is the closest thing we have to Disneyland. I've been to EK countless times and the magic is still there. That is why for this time around, my goal in EK was not to experience the magic again, but to share it. To find the child in all of us again perhaps? Here are some photos I took. As what the wizard says before each ride starts: "Thank you and enjoy the ride."

Flying Fiesta
Patuyo ride. I usually ride this after getting soaked and wet in Rio Grande.

Jungle Log Jam

A quick and wet ride.

Space Shuttle
It has been featured in the news several times due to malfunctioning wherein the train would get stuck in the middle of the ride. Regardless, people still line up for it. Adrenaline rush baby.