Breathtaking Unadulterated Sceneries in Catanduanes.

I thought I would showcase Ces Valeza Aguilar's photos of Catanduanes. Ces is my first and only wedding Goddaughter. She has a knack at taking pictures, which deserves recognition. The picture above is of Alcantara Resort located in Marilima, Virac, Catanduanes. I stayed in this resort the first time I took my whole family in Catanduanes. It was a beautiful and quiet place. On a clear day, we were able to see the magnificent "Mayon Volcano."


This is the famous Puraran Beach, internationally known for surfing. Awesome place!

The Marilima Beach, Marilima, Virac taken at sunset.

These last photos were taken by Dave T. The photo above is of Viga bay located in the northern part of Catanduanes. As small as Catanduanes is, it is ironic that I haven't circled the whole island and I may do just that on our forthcoming trip, hopefully. And it is coming soon...yeheey!

Beatiful Tokyo Falls located in Pandan, Catanduanes. This is another awesome place I have yet to see. So many beautiful places to visit, so little time.

Our Memorable Cruising Days

My family used to enjoy spring vacation aboard a cruise ship. At first, I was apprehensive about the idea because I felt that it was not family friendly. I was wrong, of course. It was actually one of the best places to take the family. My husband would take advantage of cruise special discounts and would bring the kids along free so we ended up paying for two people only: my husband and I. What a deal!

No doubt, kids loved it! I loved it! Dad loved it! We got to enjoy feeling like a queen, king, and princess for a week. No dishes to do, no bed to make, no cleaning to do. Food was awesome! Lobsters, sword fish, tenderloin, filet mignon, sushi, pizza 24 hours, fresh tropical fruits, cakes, chocolates, etc. And the fun part was I got to dress up two nights a week. It felt good to be glamorous occasionally, and to be serenaded by good-looking crew.

After I indulged myself, I usually looked forward to the state-of-the-art fitness center. I stayed there for about 2 hours to burn the calories and to get ready for another big meal in the evening. I pushed aside dieting for a week. We followed the cruise ship motto, "Eat, live, and love!" Cruise activities were endless: aerobics, yoga, lounges, enjoy a day excursion in a private island, snorkeling, scuba diving, or shopping the entire day.

The kids enjoyed the cruise ship activities designed mainly for the children while dad and I got to savor private moments. Kids liked the generous pampering and the attention that they received from the waiters who were mostly Filipinos. Whatever the kids asked, the waiter granted. One time, the waiter asked one of my daughters what she wanted for dessert. My daughter said, "Nothing." "Okay, I will be right back" the waiter replied. A few minutes later, he came back with a plate that had the word "nothing" written on it using chocolate syrup. Corny eh?

Flashback..Mt Rainier Trip

Crab fat, anyone? Caught it myself.
Breathtaking Mt. Rainier, WA., taken with a Sony Cybershot 3.2 mega pixels
Close up of Mt Rainier

Last summer, we went to Seattle for my husband's side family reunion. The reunion was held in Packwood, WA, which is in close proximity to the beautiful Mt. Rainier. We were excited visiting WA. again since we once lived there before coming to AZ. Before we headed to the reunion, we spent a whole week of fun and adventure in Seattle. We went crabbing and fishing in an island in WA., the highlight of our trip. We brought ring traps and baits for the crabs. Once we secured the bait in the trap, we submerged it in the water. That easy! The trap was fastened to a rope, which we then tied around a sturdy post. We made sure that we checked the trap every half an hour. The most exciting part of crabbing is the pulling of the trap especially if it is loaded. The trick is to reel it in as fast as possilbe so the crabs have a slim chance of escaping. Hurry! Hurry! my friend would scream. We probably caught 10 crabs (combination of dungeness and rock crabs). As soon as we got home, we wasted no time boiling all 10 for 15 to 20 minutes. Then came the next fun part...feasting. I chose the biggest one and cracked the shell open. Juices squirted out! I was so excited to see the white-yellow fat inside the back of the shell. See picture above. It tasted so heavenly. What a delicacy!

Then we headed to Packwood for the family reunion. On our way over, we noticed that the cherries and blueberries were in abundance. We pulled in to the blueberry farm. I wasted no time helping myself to fresh, sweet, mouth-watering, little round fruits off the display. I probably had my fill from nibbling here and there. The owner didn't seem to mind..hehe. Nothing can really beat fresh fruits...they were delightful. We bought one flat and gorged on it everyday.

When the reunion was over, we drove to Mt. Rainier. We took a hike and went as near as possible to the top. It was breathtaking! There were many interesting things to see along the way. Took those 2 pictures above.