Zip-line adventure in Antipolo

I often dream of flying even when I was a kid. Yesterday, I lived the dream. I flew 30 feet high, 106 meters far, for about 15 seconds; all this happened while I was wide awake and screaming on the top of my lungs.

Thanks to the inventors of the pulley system, without them the zip-line would not be possible. The zip-line is a combination of a pulley system on a cable attached to an incline. Zip-lines are chiefly used to traverse forest canopies. These days, the zip-line is becoming a popular outdoor recreational activity for adventurers and tourists alike.

How to apply for a Philippine e-Passport

(Update July 8, 2010: According to a source who applied for a passport on July 7, the appointment system is no longer implemented. The passport application is back to the old, disorderly, first come first served scheme. Oh my, what happened!)

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I finally got my Philippine e-Passport. Now, I’m ready to see more of the world.

The Philippine e-Passport is processed and issued by the Office of Consular Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA-OCA) at the Aseana Business Park in Macapagal Avenue, Parañaque City. On March 8, 2010, the DFA-OCA moved to its new building and at the same time implementing the DFA Passport Appointment System. Unlike before when applicants can come to DFA any day, the appointment system now requires applicants to set an appointment before going to DFA.

Applying for a Philippine e-Passport is easier now. Take it from someone who has experienced waiting in line for almost six hours at the previous site of the DFA-OCA in Roxas Boulevard, Pasig City. The new DFA-OCA office and appointment system is a lot better than the old one. No more waiting in a basketball court. No more vendors of unreasonably priced ink for thumb marking, ball pens and staples (even a single staple has an equivalent cost). No intimidating fixers aggressively trying to get you in their trap. I was finished with the whole application process two hours after I arrived at the DFA.

Bewitched by bats at the Bat Highway in Subic

I am not a fan of Batman or any bats for that matter. But seeing the bats in flight at the Bat Highway in Subic, Olongapo changed how I felt about these direful little creatures. 

The Subic Bay Protected Area’s virgin forest is inhabited by the largest and the smallest fruit bats in the world. At the Bat Kingdom forest reserve, tourists can observe fruit bats hanging upside down from trees waiting for the full moon to rise before turning into vampires.