One more trip to Baguio

Over the long MLK weekend, I made what is likely to be my last trip up to the US residence in Baguio.  Its always a great long weekend just hanging out in the historic residence and running the wooded trails.  This time I finally summited Mt. Ulap, one of the near by peaks in the Cordillera.  Gonna miss trips up to the mountains and eating under MacArthur's gaze. 

Heading up Mt. Ulap

And then back to the residence

Zambales

Winter in the Philippines is a real hardship.  As everyone is posting snow photos and screenshots of their iphone's thermometers, winter is an ideal time for island hopping and beach glamping since the temps have finally cooled off a bit and the rains are more or less gone.  We headed to the west coast of Luzon to Zambales, an area that was impacted a lot after the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in the 1990s.  The sand is said to still continue volcanic ash from the eruption, giving it a slight blackened look.  We spent the day cove and island hopping before driving farther up the coast to glamp at a resort with beach tents.

Closing out 2016: Pintabuo and the Farm

After surviving the typhoon and a few days at work, it time to see another natural disaster risk in one of the world's most at risk countries.  I made a return trip to Mt. Pinatubo, site of a terrible eruption in the 1990's that was recently reported to have dropped global temperatures by over a degree.  Today the volcano is a lot calmer and makes a nice (but long) day trip from Manila that involves leaving at 3AM, riding in old 4x4s and then hiking to the crater lake.  Not a bad 2nd to last day of 2016.

Following a disappointing Michigan loss to cap of a season - we headed to the Farm for a quiet new years eve and relaxing start to 2017.

Boxing Day Typhoon

The ride over to Puerto Galera was great - sunset views and smooth waters, but that changed quickly a couple days later when Typhoon Nock-Ten passed through the Verde Island Passage where Sabang Beach is located.   Our hotel sustained a fair bit of damage due to its native-materials construction, proximity to the coast and vast number of trees on the property that became projectiles when the typhoon winds came through.  We got stuck for an additional day since all boat crossings were cancelled by the coast guard, but were able to make it back to Manila the day after the typhoon.