I went to DFA earlier today to finish my passport application. It just took me 25 minutes to finish everything. DFA's process has never been a problem to me. Everything went smoothly and I didn't expect it to be that fast for a government agency. KUDOS to DFA for such a very impressive improvement with their process.
After my business with DFA, I decided to head directly to the Bureau of Immigration to submit my final clearance from DOST. I know the address but I don't know how to get there, so I just follow my instinct (as always) in going there. I took a bus going to Lawton but I alighted in Quirino Ave coz I was thinking that it might be too far if I'll drop off at the Lawton station. I took another jeep in Mabini and eventually I arrived at the place safe and sound. Can't believe my eyes that this agency is so chaotic! There are so many foreigners and locals as well who wants to migrate. I went to the information center directly and asked for assistance on where to go and whom to talk to about my business. They pointed me to different rooms and people, all in all, everything is a mess... a very BIG mess!!! They're not as organize as DFA. The staff especially the man assigned at window 17 is so BASTOS!!!
I just hope that BI should at least make room for improvements when it comes to their process.
Another bad experience for me... this is Gilbert once again and you've been synchronized.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
My "Sagad Ah!" Trip
I would say that the April 1-4 travel was the best travel I've had in my entire life. I enjoyed most of my stay in the Ifugao region together with my new found friends. It was the first time that I was able to join the Lakbayees group and t'was my first to visit the northern region (farther than Baguio I mean…) of the Philippines.
I was able to see the majestic sceneries of the famous Banaue Rice Terraces. The view is really breathtaking and jaw-dropping. It’s the living legacy of our ancestors that until now, the new generations were able to preserve. I’m just sad to see that some parts of the rice fields were being used as a residence of the locals now.
After a few hours of stay in Banaue, we then moved on to our next destination, Sagada. It took us at least 4 hours to reach the place. Sagada is known for its picturesque nature, grandiose mountains, unbelievable hanging coffins, underground caves, inviting falls and they also have their own rice terraces, which you will see up-close when you go to Bomod-ok falls. Sagada is worth to be called the Shangri-la of the Philippines. You can do so many things when you’re in Sagada; like a 4-hour hike to Mt. Ampacao, trekking in the rice fields going to the ice-cold Bomod-ok falls, spelunking at the Sumaguing underground cave, sunrise viewing at Kiltepan and visiting the hanging coffins at the Echo Valley. You should never miss their delicious delicacies as well. Most of the visitors want to try the infamous yoghurt from Yoghurt House (as the name implies.☻) but unfortunately, they really lack manners and good customer service. We’ve been to that place twice and we’ve been treated badly by the staff, twice as well. It was not a good experience for us first timers to be treated that way. One of our colleagues blurted out that the yoghurt is not that good at all. He said, “Para ka lang naman palang kumain ng panis na Nestle cream.” I would suggest, that instead of Yoghurt house, why not try Lemon Pie House where they serve freshly-baked Blueberry pie, Egg pie and Lemon pie matching with an aromatic Sagada brewed coffee. The service is superb, the staff is so friendly and accommodating and the place is cozy.
On the last day of our tour, we tried catching the sunrise in Kiltepan but due to the heavy fog that day, the sun is nowhere to be seen. We just enjoyed the view instead, took some pictures, took a little hike and finally went back to the guesthouse to prepare for our departure. We took off from the place at around 11AM and went our way directly to Cordillera of the Mountain Province, where we were able to reach the highest point of the country’s highway system. From there, we went straight to Baguio as the last pit stop of the tour.
In totality, the tour is really one of a kind. It brought me closer to our roots and culture and made me proud that our country has more than it can give to the world.
This tour has been made possible through the efforts of our organizer, Miss Mira Donna Belialba. Also, we would like thank our tourguides, Mr. Gareth Likigan, Erik Son (its his FB name), Edwin and Lester, who patiently helped us in everything.
To all Lakbayees, thank you for this once in a lifetime experience!!! More travels for us!!!!
I was able to see the majestic sceneries of the famous Banaue Rice Terraces. The view is really breathtaking and jaw-dropping. It’s the living legacy of our ancestors that until now, the new generations were able to preserve. I’m just sad to see that some parts of the rice fields were being used as a residence of the locals now.
After a few hours of stay in Banaue, we then moved on to our next destination, Sagada. It took us at least 4 hours to reach the place. Sagada is known for its picturesque nature, grandiose mountains, unbelievable hanging coffins, underground caves, inviting falls and they also have their own rice terraces, which you will see up-close when you go to Bomod-ok falls. Sagada is worth to be called the Shangri-la of the Philippines. You can do so many things when you’re in Sagada; like a 4-hour hike to Mt. Ampacao, trekking in the rice fields going to the ice-cold Bomod-ok falls, spelunking at the Sumaguing underground cave, sunrise viewing at Kiltepan and visiting the hanging coffins at the Echo Valley. You should never miss their delicious delicacies as well. Most of the visitors want to try the infamous yoghurt from Yoghurt House (as the name implies.☻) but unfortunately, they really lack manners and good customer service. We’ve been to that place twice and we’ve been treated badly by the staff, twice as well. It was not a good experience for us first timers to be treated that way. One of our colleagues blurted out that the yoghurt is not that good at all. He said, “Para ka lang naman palang kumain ng panis na Nestle cream.” I would suggest, that instead of Yoghurt house, why not try Lemon Pie House where they serve freshly-baked Blueberry pie, Egg pie and Lemon pie matching with an aromatic Sagada brewed coffee. The service is superb, the staff is so friendly and accommodating and the place is cozy.
On the last day of our tour, we tried catching the sunrise in Kiltepan but due to the heavy fog that day, the sun is nowhere to be seen. We just enjoyed the view instead, took some pictures, took a little hike and finally went back to the guesthouse to prepare for our departure. We took off from the place at around 11AM and went our way directly to Cordillera of the Mountain Province, where we were able to reach the highest point of the country’s highway system. From there, we went straight to Baguio as the last pit stop of the tour.
In totality, the tour is really one of a kind. It brought me closer to our roots and culture and made me proud that our country has more than it can give to the world.
This tour has been made possible through the efforts of our organizer, Miss Mira Donna Belialba. Also, we would like thank our tourguides, Mr. Gareth Likigan, Erik Son (its his FB name), Edwin and Lester, who patiently helped us in everything.
To all Lakbayees, thank you for this once in a lifetime experience!!! More travels for us!!!!
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