Bohol Vacation: Part IV

After the 2-day road trip, we had to wake up quite early the next day. When I mean early, I mean early… we had to be on the port around sunrise. For someone who wakes up late in the day and loves his bed (I sleep until after lunch or thereabouts) I wasn’t really keen on doing anything so early in the morning. The only consolation I had was that it was a short drive to the port and that the sunrise was beautiful. A bonus was that we quickly got into the boat and got settled in.

golden sunrise


setting off


So what was so important about getting on a boat so early you may ask. Dolphin watching of course! Our spotters went around in circles looking for the dolphins, and we spent most of the morning going back and forth looking for them. We found none. It was drizzling, no dolphins and not enough sleep… it was not a good sign, our spirits where going down at this point. We dropped anchor on one of the islands to grab some chow, which was surprisingly delicious given the price we paid for it. The locals were very hospitable and we started chatting about the dolphins and conversing in very rudimentary bisaya which was fun actually. After snorkeling and enjoying the beach, we headed back to the boat for our second part of the dolphin “hunt”.

old watchtower


the girls


the boys


Still we found no dolphins and it actually started to rain again. I was pretty disappointed at this point and didn’t even bother trying to help spot dolphins. Then somehow, nearing the port, someone spotted something… then a plethora of activity on the part of the boatmen. That was it! Dolphins, finally! As we came in closer they would stick out their tails as if to taunt us, and some would even jump over the water! We stayed with them as long as we could before heading back to the port. And despite the rain falling down on us on the boat, we were just glad to see them dolphins, I really didn’t care.

doplhins

a day of ruins

You may want to read Socs’ entry about our little road trip first.... and maybe stop there. She's got great pictures and a nice way of putting things in writing, what you will find below is a pathetic attempt to re-live the experience. You have been warned...

So we headed off from the hotel a bit later than planned and I managed to get on to the highway without causing a massive pileup nor leaving a trail of angry Cypriot drivers in my wake.

I was a bit apprehensive about getting lost in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country, but that was what this trip was all about. Good thing I had a pretty good navigator and we got to our first destination without any incidents.

First stop on our list was Kurion and it was huge! I think it was a village of some sort a very long time ago. There were ruins of houses, a theater, a gladiator’s house, public baths, a church or temple of some sort and a whole lot of ruin-like collection of stones. We got caught up in taking pictures of some little detail here and there, and the vast beauty of the place. I was really attracted to the bits and pieces of ruins lying wherever, the trees and the little yellow flowers growing in patches over the green expanse. Very nice. Socs found a nice view of the opposite cliff, and we spent a fair amount of time sitting on a stone in awe of the sight and feeling the cool breeze.

fallen


down to earth


unseen beauties


group pics


perfect place to sit down


Our initial plan (if you could call it that) was to eat at Paphos (our final and actual destination), but being too engrossed in the ruins of Kurion and me getting hungry every few hours, we decided to grab something to eat at a small restaurant nearby.

al fresco


Then we were off to the Sanctuary of Apollo. Now this place wasn’t as huge as Kurion but it was equally enthralling. The main attraction for me was the restored portion of the Temple of Apollo. It was massive, and to think it was just a corner of the original.

ooohhh


Temple of Apollo


Socs and me


We continued on to Aphrodite’s Rock, but before we got there I decided to pull over after a bend. It was a gut feel that it could be a nice place to stop and take pictures, besides I was tired of Socs seeing all the scenery while I was concentrating on driving hehehe. And I was right on the money. That particular stretch of road had some pretty scenic spots, and we stopped a couple of times to get a few more snapshots. (Unfortunately my camera's battery conked out before we left the Temple of Apollo, will get Socs' camera for some of the pics I took)

Paphos was a few more minutes away so we pushed on and we arrived at around quarter to five in the afternoon. In this part of the world, 5pm is a bit late. The sun was about to set (which was unfortunately uneventful) and most of the tourist attractions would’ve closed down. So we simply grabbed a bite (well I did, Socs just had coffee) and headed back. Although we weren't exactly able to do what we set out to do, we had a great day nonetheles.

I'd rather walk

This weekend, Socs and I plan to visit the city of Paphos on the western side of Cyprus. Oh, did I mention that I am in Cyprus? Well, there you go....

Given that it is around 150kms away from Nicosia where we are located, we decided to rent a car. After a few days of research and comparing prices, I was able to get us a Renault Clio. We initially wanted a Smart car to stick to the European motif, but alas it was not available (maybe next week though hehehe).

An online reservation, a few emails, and a phone call later the car was delivered to us in the hotel. Unfortunately, I forgot nearly all of my documents on hand at the office... particularly my driver's license. I had to go back, get the stuff and signed for the keys to the car.

Take note that we are in Europe (Cyprus is part of the EU), and that people here drive on the wrong side of the road... I mean the left side, hehehe. I initially didn't want to take it out of it's parking space, but it was just by the roadside and I wanted it parked in the hotel basement. So I got in, geared myself up and joined the traffic. I managed to piss someone off right at that moment. Damn! And considering that it was a narrow side street! I just didn't see him.

It feels weird driving on the right side of the car, then trying to keep on the left side of the road! I had to consciously tell myself to LOOK RIGHT and STAY ON THE LEFT! It was nerve wracking, I circled the block to get a feel of it first before going to the basement parking.

But it was blocked by a visitor, so I went on for a little road trip just to get a feel for how driving Euro style is. The damn streets were friggin' narrow! And a whole lot of them where one-way streets. I got lost at some point, tried looking for a city map in the compartment and found none. I had a decent idea of my bearing so I stuck with my instincts and found a familiar road.

It took me around 30 mins of wandering around before I got back to the hotel and found my sacred parking slot. It's gonna be exciting tomorrow when I try to leave the city, get into the highway and get around in an unfamiliar city.... then come back. Jeez....

fit as a warrior

I have finished the 15-day training just as 2006 started, and I must say that I am feeling great. The first week was pure hell though. My arms hurt so much, I couldn't lift them past my shoulders. They were so pumped, it was painful just to stretch them. Imagine the pain I went through getting dressed, or putting on my backpack. I felt and looked bigger, but I was having doubts if it were real muscle mass or just water retention or the muscles were just full of blood. I didn't dare step on the weighting scale and dissappoint myself if i didn't gain anything.

After the first week everything subsided, I felt less of the pump during the day. I thought that was it... the mass I "gained" was not muscle. I didn't feel any bigger or heavier. On the weighting scale, I slid the weights to the right. Up to 100lbs. Then 120lbs. 125lbs. Then 130lbs, that can't be right I was 125lbs before. 135lbs, no shit? Finally, 137lbs.

137lbs! I gained a whopping 12lbs in 2 weeks. That shot my motivation through the roof! I couldn't wait to go to the gym after work hehehe.

I continued my routine (until my trip to Cyprus) and although I haven't gained more weight in the past week, I do feel stronger and bigger. And some people did notice it, which makes me feel great. I know that all that I've been doing had been for something, that there are results and it is being validated.

I though of posting a picture of my new found physique but that would be too narcissistic, even for me. I am currently in a bet with some officemates and I am targetting 150lbs by April.

Then maybe by then I will post a pic. Hehehe

2005 in review

The previous year did not start out good. Well, it just plain sucked. A very good friend of mine died. I find it difficult to define that time, that moment when you were told that he was gone. I just couldn't believe it, and it made me wonder what kind of year it would be with this kind of event.

Luckily (if you can say that), work took my mind off it most of the time. It was a very busy time for me at work. My responsibilites started to shift towards being a designer rather that a developer, and I had an opportunity to work as a pseudo-team lead on a small demo project.

Then came another opportunity, travel. As soon as I found out about it, I volunteered for the Pakistan project. And so I got to work on-site and got valuable work experience. As luck would have it, I was resourced to the Singapore project at the end of my 2 month stint in Pakistan. It was looking pretty good in terms of my career.

Then my grandfather died. 2 deaths in a year, could you imagine? At this point, mortality was becoming a constant companion. So when I found out that my coach in college had had a mild stroke, I had to give him my support and drop by the hospital. Thank God he is now recovering from it and that it wasn't too serious.

After all that happenings, I had to have a nice vacation. And gratefully, my friend invited me to Bohol for a whole week. (Watch out for the remaining blog entries of this event).

Pre christmas season, I was asked by my boss if I was willing to travel for yet another project. It was the Abu Dhabi project and they needed someone to fly ASAP. They say that Abu Dhabi is a nice place to visit, and I do think that it would be a nice experience to visit the sand dunes and go on a desert safari, but I respectfully declined given reasons of my own. Although I did mention that I was willing to go to the Cyprus project (I found out that they needed another designer over there).

I also started going to the gym more regularly and more seriously during this time. I still have to update you guys on that later on.

Christmas and New Year's day came and went with a lot of nothing. Just didn't feel the spirit this year. Overall, 2005 was not too bad considering. The highs where high and the lows the lowest I have been, I imagine. But such is life I guess.... and 2005 showed me that. I think I have a much better perception of life now, and going into 2006 I am looking forward to whatever comes.

running out of time

I have tons of stuff to do and no time to do it. Work is kind of piling up on me and I fear I am not giving it the attention it needs and that I might miss something important and screw it up. No, I am not a workaholic... that deserves another blog entry if you want an explanation.

Speaking of blog entries, I am way way way behind on things I want to share. Part 3 of the Bohol experience is on hold, I haven't had an update on my just finished 15-day training and a planned year-end report.

Oh well, off to work for me...