Still a bit wasted from my five-day (err, six-day? I left SG at 1:00 this morning) trip to Singapore, but looking over my photos it looks like I had a great time! Check these out:

Having teh at the Takashimaya food court

Ya Kun Kaya Toast

Yep.

(more…)

I heard that the wake park in Nuvali has finally opened, making the sport of wakeboarding and wakeskating more accessible to Manila residents who used to get their fix driving to Lago de Oro or flying to Camsur.

Although I’ve tried wakeboarding twice in my life, I don’t have a great knack for the sport. I enjoy watching more.

That’s why I had such a great time last year when I covered the Ultimate Wake Championship at CWC for Onesport Magazine. I thought I’d posted about this trip, but apparently I’d only posted about the disastrous bus ride we took to get to Camsur.

Media Pass!

The Ultimate Wake Championship 2011 was a season-culminating event for international pro wakeboarders and wakeskaters. Unlike previous events held at CWC, this was exclusively for the pros, so we got to see some really high-quality tricks in the air and on the water.

Sorry for not getting great photos of the tricks. I was the writer on this expedition, after all.   (more…)

A story in tweets.

Great day… Following an awful night.

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

After 6 years coming to this island, that was the first time someone offered me something other than drinks & got upset when I refused.

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

Even worse, when I wanted to pull my friends from the situation, she told me it was my fault they were there. I say, So what?

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

Everyone’s got the right to say no anytime anywhere. I may be a buzzkill but at least I didn’t let myself get forced to do something illegal

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

After the druggie got in my face, I wanted to call the police on them so bad. You would too if you faced that kind of abuse. Pinepersonal eh

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

I guess I expected better from everyone.

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

Ang sarap nyo i-blind item sa Fashion Pulis. Yun lang.

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

If that’s what it means to hang out with the celeb crowd, forget it! I’m going to stick w/ better people. They’re the real cool kids.

— Noelle De Guzman (@noelledeg) April 21, 2012

Even though my surfing has been in stops and starts (I pop up at Club Manila East only every 6 months, and haven’t been on an ocean surfing trip in ages), it’s one of the things I try to do every opportunity I get — if I have a companion to come with me.

And that’s the problem: I’ve got a great freelance schedule, but everyone else is tied down to a 9-to-5. So any time I look for a travel companion, they all have work.

But I don’t think anybody could refuse a free trip to Bali, though. I mean, it’s BALI, one of Asia’s top beach and surfing destinations. This year, Aloha Boardsports’ Surf Bound: Bali is sending one lucky winner and a companion on a paid three-day getaway!

For every P2500 worth of products purchased from Aloha Boardsports stores, you’ll be entitled to one raffle entry. The lucky winner will receive a paid surf trip for two to Bali, Indonesia, inclusive of airfare courtesy of Air Asia, accommodations, and products from RVCA, Billabong, Dakine, Von Zipper and Sony.

Surf Bound: Bali prizes

Even if you don’t get the grand prize, three winners will also be chosen to win a Sony NEX-5N digital camera, a pair of Von Zipper eyewear, and P5000 worth of gift certificates from Aloha Boardsports and Billabong. The grand raffle draw will be held on June 4, 2012 at Aloha Boardsports Mall of Asia.

If you’ve been thinking about refreshing your beach staple wardrobe this year, this could be a win-win situation. For more details, visit the Aloha Boardsports Facebook page or AlohaBoardsports.com

I'm surf-bound to Bali!

my old travel blog header image

Driving within the city, the challenge is to avoid traffic and accidents and get to my destination in a reasonable amount of time. Long drives out of town, the challenge is to stay awake and not get lost!

Last February I had the opportunity to be a support crew driver at the Bataan Death March Ultramarathon 160. We took my car, so I was driving when we left Metro Manila at 12 midnight, arrived in Mariveles, Bataan at 3am, and supported our runner until 11am. This meant I was in the driver’s seat for 11 hours (!!!). We then drove to San Fernando, Pampanga to check in at our hotel, which meant another hour of driving. If I wanted to, I could probably drive to Camsur myself next time I feel the need to wakeboard.

(I’m going to fly off on a tangent and tell a story about the last time I was on a bus back from Camsur. It was after the Camsur Marathon where I had been invited as a media guest, and I had a return flight to Manila. Unfortunately a storm hit the Bicol region and my flight was cancelled. Tessa Prieto-Valdes was in the party and arranged for a van ride instead for those who needed to go home. Buti na lang I chose to get on the van; others who took a chance that there would be return flights or bus rides the next day had to wait out the storm for two more days!)

So, the other weekend was my first solo long drive. I attended a triathlon camp at Pico de Loro in Nasugbu, Batangas and decided to drive there the day before so I’d have enough rest going into the tri weekend.

I printed out directions from Google Maps and thought they’d get me there, but unfortunately they only took me as far as Nasugbu public market! Thank God for the foresight to download the BlackBerry app for Google Maps; I was able to use it with my Globe BBMax subscription to get real-time location and directions to Pico de Loro. Sure there were big directional signs every so often on the highway, but it was nice having a safety blanket.

Coming home I also drove alone and decided to make a stop at Bag of Beans in Tagaytay City. Even though the cafe was on the only road I could take to get into Tagaytay, I turned on Google Maps so I could find out how long it would take me to get there. I wanted to be back in Manila at a certain time, so if it took too long to get to Bag of Beans I would have just skipped the stop. As it turns out, I had just enough time to get a cup of hot chocolate and some sylvannas for take-out. Just the right thing to keep me awake on my long drive back home.

I’m excited that I can now drive myself that far. Where will my little car take me this year?