Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya (April 11-21, 2011)

After arriving from Northern Samar, I joined the Geology 170 Class in Nueva Vizcaya, which I first visited March 29-31 for reconnaissance fieldwork with another faculty from NIGS. The area which we mapped for the class is situated north of the Caraballo Mountains at an elevation exceeding 700m. This makes the area a bit cold in the morning (almost zero visibility due to fog) and cool during daytime which makes it easy and bearable for the students and faculty. The town of Kasibu is known for its vast citrus plantations (which I was not actually expecting) which are sold locally for ~25 pesos/kilo!

We were in Kasibu for geologic field mapping but I won't talk about the rocks found in the area. Alright, I will just mention the caves in the area which were part of the Sta. Fe Limestone/Formation. The presence of these caves in the area made it possible for Kasibu to host the 2011 Cave Congress that was sponsored by the National Cave Committee, which I am a member of.

As you all probably know, I am a birdwatcher so this trip to Kasibu made it possible for me to observe birds in the area for the first time. I was able to observe at least 4 lifers: Scarlet Minivet, Yellowish White-Eye, Blue-headed Fantail and Rufous-bellied Eagle. There were a lot of insects too, not to mention the amazing flowers that I have been using as photography subjects since 2004.

Biri Island, Northern Samar (April 2-7, 2011)

I and colleagues from the National Institute of Geological Sciences (UP Diliman) went to Allen and Biri Island, Northern Samar from April 2-7, 2011 to conduct mapping and sampling of a rarely-occurring rock that was "discovered" in April 2010. We spent 2 days in Allen (stayed in a hotel courtesy of Mayor Suan) and another 2 days in Biri Island before going to Catarman where we waited for our flight (Cebu Pacific) going back to Manila.

There are two options of going to Biri Island: plane or bus.

For those who want to take the plane, you can either take the plane to Calbayog or Catarman, which are just 1 to 1.5 hours away from the town of Lavezares, which is the jump-off point to Biri. The plane schedule, however, is limited so you have to plan your schedule well. Flights are also cancelled from time to time because of bad weather conditions, so be sure you are prepared to spend additional days in the island. One can also take the plane to Tacloban (Leyte), although this would be an additional 5 to 6 hours land travel to Catarman/Lavezares. One good thing about this option is being able to cross the San Juanico Bridge which is the longest bridge in the Philippines.

For those who seek the ultimate travel adventure, one can take the bus from Manila to Matnog in Sorsogon (~10 hours), take the roro boat to Allen, Northern Samar across the San Bernardino Strait (~1.5 hours) and take a tricycle to Lavezares. In choosing this option, one is rewarded (if you are lucky) majestic views of active volcanoes like Banahaw, Iriga, Mayon and Bulusan.

This trip to Biri Island is my 4th since I first visited the Island in January 2010. In fact, a 5th visit is already scheduled this coming July with friends from college.

UP Los Banos

After a very busy summer and after the postponement of our trip to Ilocos which we have been planning the past two months, I decided to go to UP Los Banos to relax a bit and contemplate on what I have done the past school year. It's been a very "busy" vacation for me, waking up at 5 am and walking for kilometers to do some birdwatching and photography.

dormancy

it's been a very busy semester for me, teaching 2 major subjects and doing some projects that mostly involve microscopy work . . . .

2011 adventures officially started

The first two weeks of January had been a very busy time for me. I don't have any teaching duties so I decided to spend my weekends visiting places with historical and geological importance. My first adventure happened last january 8, when I, along with my college friends, visited the old churches in the western part of Laguna. The 2nd adventure happened last january 15 when I and my brother went to Mt. Pinatubo. Details of the trips to follow.

happy new year to all!!!

will be back in a while . . . .

haven't posted anything in the past 2 months because of busy schedule. . . . . .

Yamagata September 2010

It's been 4 years since I obtained my PhD from Hokkaido University, so I am very excited (and at the same time anxious) of going back to Japan, which was my home from 2003-2006. I went back to Japan to attend the 13th International Nannoplankton Association Conference in Yamagata. This is the first time the conference was held in Asia so the Filipino nannopaleontologists came in full force: my masters adviser in UP, Dr. Alyssa Peleo-Alampay and 2 graduate (MS) students, Adrian Fernandez and Deborah Tangunan.

Midway during the conference, we visited Yamadera, which are temples/shrines along the slopes of a mountain, with nice views of the valley below. My PhD adviser and supervisor in Hokkaido University (Prof. Okada), acted as our tour guide.