Book now for the Pinoy Mountaineer Mount Kinabalu Expedition 2012!

Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia is one of the tallest peaks in Southeast Asia, rising at 4,095 meters. It is also considered one of the region's most important natural wonders and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After the success of this year's climb, PinoyMountaineer.com is pleased to announce its second annual expedition to this premiere hiking destination from April 13 to 16, 2012. In partnership with Ivan About Town, we have forged an agreement with a very reliable adventure company with presence in both the Philippines and Malaysia. This Mt. Kinabalu expedition is designed for participants to truly appreciate Mt. Kinabalu by staying at the park for two nights and experience Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia by staying at a four-star hotel prior to the climb.


Only thirty (30) slots for Laban Rata are available at the moment. Considering the interest in Mt. Kinabalu, these are bound to be taken quickly. So highly-interested parties are enjoined to reserve slots as soon as possible by emailing expeditions@pinoymountaineer.com.

Cost and Inclusions
The cost of the Mt. Kinabalu Expedition is Php23,000, which will include: three nights accommodation, airport transfers, all meals as stated in the itinerary, transportation to and from Kinabalu Park HQ, climbing permits, mountain guide, climbing certificate, entrance fees and climb support including orientations in Manila.

Note that air tickets, airport taxes, terminal fees, tips for mountain guides and other gratuities, porter fees, personal expenses, mountain gear and equipment are not included in the package. Blue Cross Climbing Insurance is also available on request.


Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival at Kota Kinabalu. Check-in at Promenade Hotel Kota Kinabalu
Meals on own account

Day 2 (B/L/D)
0600 Breakfast at hotel
0700 Take private transportation from KK to Mt. Kinabalu Park HQ
0800 ETA Park HQ; present booking; secure permit
0830 Take service to Timpohon gate jumpoff (packed lunch)
1400 Arrival at Laban Rata guesthouse; rest
1700 Take buffet dinner
1900 Assault preparations
2000 Sleep early

Day 3 (B/L/D)
0200 Wake up / Early breakfast at Laban Rata
0230 Start summit assault
0600 Arrival at Mt. Kinabalu summit (4095 MASL)
0730 Start descent
0930 Back at Laban Rata;
1300 ETA Kinabalu Park HQ; buffet lunch at Balsam Cafe
1500 Transfer to Mesilau; stay at Bishop's Head Resthouse
1800 Dinner at Bishop's Head Resthouse

Day 4 (B)
Breakfast at Hotel. Transfer to Kota Kinabalu for flight to Manila


Reservations and Inquiries
To receive further details and to place reservations, e-mail expeditions@pinoymountaineer.com. Please include the following information:

Name:
Age:
Address:
Contact Number:
Contact Person and Number (in case of emergency):
Passport Number:
Passport Issue and Expiry Dates:
Dietary Restrictions:
Medical Concerns (if any):

Related Entries
Low's Peak of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah (4,095 MASL)
Kinabalu Park & trekking up Mount Kinabalu in Sabah

Guam: Farm visits and Maila Ta Fan Boka food trip!

What a great way to start the morning with a panoramic view of Tumon Bay! We had a welcome breakfast hosted by the Guam Visitors Bureau at Toh-Lee Restaurant of Hotel Nikko Guam to start the Maila Ta Fan Boka 2011 social media food tour. The restaurant is at the 16th floor of the hotel and glass windows offer visitors a scenic meal.



On one side of the restaurant, there was a demonstration on how to make a tortilla which of course goes with the kelaguen. This time, they served us Spam Kelaguen. Spam is quite popular both in Guam and Hawaii. They do know their Spam in these islands!



From Tumon, we motored to Talofofo to visit Cristian's Mango Farm. We do have a lot of mangoes in the Philippines. But there are a lot of varieties present in Guam. We were welcomed with some frozen mango which was a refreshing proposition on a really hot and humid day. There was also a demonstration on how to graft mango trees to speed up the fruit bearing process.


Our next stop for the day was Hamomoto Fruit World in Yona. Although almost all the fruits at the farm in available here in the Philippines, I was impressed with how they presented the farm, complete with a trolley tour of the grounds and its large collection of fruit trees.



Lunch was also at the farm. And we were served even more kinds of kelaguen. This time, there was also Beef Kelaguen on the table which I particularly enjoyed because of the really soft and tender meat. After the tour, we were served fresh lemon lime juice and fruits from the farm which included Star Fruit (Balimbing), Belimbi (Kamias) and Mountain Apple (Macopa). We were also asked to try something quite peculiar, coconut meat served with soy sauce and wasabi. The hard coconut meat actually tried mimick squid meat.




The last farm stop for the day was the Hydroponic Lettuce Farm. We were shown where the really good quality greens on the island are produced. The best part is we got to try the lettuce fresh from the farm!



For me, the highlight of the day was the visit to the Muna Home in Mangilao where we got to watch cooking demonstrations and savor local Chamoru cuisine. Earlier in the day, we were asked to randomly pick a recipe we would cook that night. And the Philippine delegation got Lechen Biringhenas (Grilled Eggplant in coconut Milk).



Among the dishes served to us included (1) Tinaktak (Beef with Coconut Milk), (2) Golai Appan Lemai (Breadfruit boiled in Coconut Milk), (3) Tininun Bariya (BBQ Ribs), (4) Tininun Mannok (BBQ Chicken), Hineksa Agaga (Red Rice), and Kelaguen Mannok. Everyone was raving about the Hotnon Babui (Roasted Pig)! It was a very meaningful dinner at the Muna Home which is known for its cooking tradition. There's nothing better than a home-cooked Chamoru meal.



Before the night ended, a group of local youths presented traditional Chamorro dances. We went back to our hotel. But the night wasn't over since we were scheduled to watch the magic and acrobatics show at SandCastle. No photos allowed though. But it was good!

Note: This familiarization tour of Guam, USA was organized by the Guam Visitors Bureau in cooperation with Continental Airlines.

Laguna: 150th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal celebrated in Calamba, Laguna

The 150th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal was celebrated in Calamba, Laguna yesterday beginning with rites at the Rizal Shrine, followed by the unveiling of the tallest Rizal statue in the world in front of the City Hall of Calamba, Laguna. What happened in Calamba was quite amazing. The rain stopped right before the ceremonies were slated to begin. And everything went according to plan. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief as President Benigno Aquino III arrived at the Rizal Shrine to lead the rites.



Congratulations to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and the Technical Working Group for a job well done! For more photos from the Rizal@150 / Rizal Sesquicentennial Ceremonies yesterday, visit Ivan About Town in Facebook.

Note: A special thank you goes to Ford for lending me their Ford Fiesta Sport the past few days. Very reliable car as I traveled to the different Rizal events in Calamba. Too bad I'm returning it tomorrow! I was quite impressed with many of the features of the car, particularly the Bluetooth handsfree mobile phone sync with the car and voice commands for both the phone and radio.