Stars @ BHS/Watery World-Wednesday

 Dazzling stars installed around Bonifacio High Street and in the fountain area.  

These brilliant lights add to the festive mood at this al fresco-styled mall.

 Christmas songs filled the air---although the wind was warm and humidity high.

We lingered at the fountain area to catch some cool night breezes and was captivated by these glittering stars like they were real heavenly bodies.

Linking to Watery World-Wednesday

Diving in Subic Bay/OWT & WW

From the second floor terrace of the beach-house at Edgewater, I noticed this boat anchored not far away from the pier. Em told me scuba divers frequent the area.  This area of Subic Bay is a marine sanctuary where commercial fishing is not allowed.  Aside from the rich marine life, there are also ship wrecks here--either from the Spanish-American War in 1898 or the World War II.

Subic Bay is part of Luzon Sea at the west coast of Luzon, the biggest island in the Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay.  The shores were formerly the site of a major US Navy facility, now the location of an industrial and commercial area known as the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Linking to Our World-Tuesday and Watery Wednesday

Wet, Wet, Wet/OWT and WW

Summer has officially arrived and it's been sizzling hot in Metro Manila.  Last week, the hottest day in 2012 was recorded at 34.4 degrees Celsius.  And expect hotter days [and nights] in the coming months, according to the weather bureau.  

On Sunday afternoon, Fritz and I drove to High Street to cool down and look what we found!

Kids frolicking at the fountain.  They were absolutely having a great time.
Some parents screamed and ran after their children but kids just wanted to get wet.  I heard a dad telling his two boys that the car seat would get wet and the younger boy reasoned that he would sit on the floor. *LOL*

A mom was trying to convince her daughter that the water was dirty, "It's from the toilet," she said.  "But it doesn't smell, Mom!" rolled her eyes and ran to join other kids at the fountain.  Parents looked on helplessly as their kids get soaked, they didn't expect that a Sunday stroll at the mall would end up in a shower party.

Children were fun to watch, they danced in the water with total abandon.  I'm sure the adults watching wished they could join in, too.  I nudged Fritz towards the fountain but he hates to get his paws wet.:p

"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained on water." ~ Loran Eisely

@ Bonifacio High Street, Global City

Linking to Our World - Tuesday and Watery Wednesday

Fountain @ Bag of Beans/Watery Wednesday

Like water, be gentle and strong.  Be gentle enough to follow the natural paths of the earth, and strong enough to rise up and reshape the world. ~ Brenda Peterson

Linking to Watery Wednesday

By the bay/Watery Wednesday

Wildflowers by the bay

@ Edgewater, Subic Freeport 

Linking to Watery Wednesday

Kamana Sanctuary/OWT & WW

We were driving around Subic one Sunday afternoon when M asked if we wanted to go to Kamana Sanctuary.  I relished being just a passenger that weekend and told M to just take us anywhere she wanted to go.  

Kamana Sanctuary is a fairly new resort in Subic Freeport, nestled between a rainforest and Nabasan Bay, and overlooking Grande Island and Subic mountains.

There was only a short stretch of beach so the main attraction here must be the eternity pool.  The casitas (rooms on stilts) looked interesting.  We wanted to see the rooms but we were told at the reception that the resort was fully-booked.  We chilled by the pool, sipped fresh fruit shakes, enjoyed the cool breezes and the view.

There is a spa here but I guess it's not open just yet.  I am actually more interested in the spa than the pool or the beach.  This is not my kind of beach resort.  Besides, their room rates are expensive.  I'd rather go to an island and sleep under the stars.:p

However, I'd say this resort is a good weekend getaway...just a short, easy 2-hour drive from Manila and there are lots of things to do in Subic.  And according to M, Kamana Sanctuary serves good food---that's a plus in  my book.:p

Kamana Sanctuary is inside the Subic Freeport, a former US naval base.  Subic Freeport is about 2 hours from Manila via SCTEx.

with my girlfriend, Maria

Linking to Our World-Tuesday and Watery Wednesday

Reflection/Watery Wednesday

In reflecting on the times of my life, it occurs to me that the difficult, arduous experiences always pass, or at least wane to a tolerable level.  On the other hand, thankfully, the positive, uplifting aspects of my life journey seem to hold strong and steady throughout, as long as I appreciate and nurture them.  

~ David Weatherford

Taken from Edgewater, Subic Freeport 

January 29, 2012

Linking to Watery Wednesday

Edgewater [OWT and WW]

A friend and her husband recently bought a beach-front property at Edgewater in Subic Freeport.  I was invited to spend the weekend with another friend, BL. These photos were taken in front of the beach house--it's overlooking a small cove in Subic Bay.

Edgewater is a cluster of privately-owned villas inside the former US naval base.  Across the bay is the Subic mountain range.

Linking to Our World Tuesday and Watery Wednesday

Quiet Cove/Watery Wednesday

A quiet cove in Punta Bulata.  

No man should go through life  without once experiencing healthy, even bored solitude in the wilderness, finding himself depending solely on himself and thereby learning his true and hidden strength.  ~ Jack Kerouac

 

Get virtually wet at Watery Wednesday

Drive-by in Calamianes/Watery Wednesday

Drive-by shots of limestone mountains and islands in Calamianes while were in an outrigger boat. Most of the islands are uninhibited, some are privately-owned.

Calamian Group of Islands, northern Palawan

Linking to Watery Wednesday

Intramuros Fountain/Watery Wednesday

A fountain at a small courtyard in Intramuros, the oldest and a historic district in Manila.

Linking to Watery Wednesday

Coron Island: Atwayan Beach (part 2)/OWT and WW

More photos of Atwayan Beach in Coron Island.  Atwayan is a short strip of white sand in one of the coves in Coron Island.  We snorkeled in the nearby coral garden, had lunch here and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Linking to Our World Tuesday and Watery Wednesday