Travel
So excited to finally be able to share this with you all: "Time on Earth" is my first time-lapse film in five years. But more than that, it's a personal meditation on --- and a highlight reel of --- thirty years spent on planet Earth, with footage shot over seven years in ten countries.
Read MoreEnjoying a quiet moment in the beautiful pine forest trail of Mt. Ugo. (Photo: Justin Monteron)
Though much lesser-known than Mt. Pulag, the more difficult Mt. Ugo trek should count itself as one of the great world-class treks of the Philippines.
Last January, I was finally able to do the two-day traverse of Mt. Ugo with Trail Adventours. This is the part 2 of my photo diary of the trek. Missed part 1? Check it out here.
The actual distance of the trek is around 30km over two days (12km on day 1, 18 km on day 2), but the actual distance we ended up covering was over 40km.
Though much lesser-known than Mt. Pulag, the more difficult Mt. Ugo trek should count itself as one of the great world-class treks of the Philippines.
Last January, I was finally able to do the two-day traverse of Mt. Ugo with Trail Adventours, which had been long recommended to me as a trek of outstanding beauty. I had actually won not one, but two free day hikes from Trail Ad during the Muni Meetup: Travel & Truth, and decided to combine them into a weekend.
The actual distance of the trek is around 30km over two days (12km on day 1, 18 km on day 2), but the actual distance we ended up covering was over 40km.
Put together this new video of a short trip last year covering Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, and Tokyo, inspired by JetStar Japan's recent announcement of up to 18 new flights between Manila and Japan.
Some of the sights featured in the video include: Tokyo Skytree, Osaka Aquarium, Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, Shin-Kobe Ropeway, Umeda Sky Building and Shinsaibashi Shopping Street in Osaka, Nara Park (where you can feed the deer), and Tsukiji Fish Market and Ginza in Tokyo.
JetStar Japan is going to operate up to seven direct flights a week from Manila to Narita Airport in Tokyo and Chubu Airport in Nagoya starting March 15 and April 1, respectively. Four flights a week between Osaka and Manila start on April 7, to go alongside Jetstar Asia’s existing flights between the two cities.
Two things worth noting for me: they have an extensive network of domestic flights in Japan, which should make transit easier, and they have a lowest fare guarantee: their website states that "if you find a published internet airfare from another airline that is lower than the lowest available comparable Jetstar fare on Jetstar.com, on the same route for a comparable time, we will beat that fare by 10%." Very cool.
Regular fares from Manila to Narita or Nagoya will start from P4,448, while flights to Osaka will start from P4,248. However, according to ads I'm seeing on Facebook lately, they'll be offering slightly lower fares of P4,048 and P3,848 for until the end of the month. Go over to their site and try booking if you like and let me know how it goes. :) As for me, I should be planning a major photo trip to Hokkaido soon!
Hallooooo
I'm also giving away this plushie of JetStar's mascot Jetta to a lucky reader! Open to anyone residing in the Philippines. Simply:
1. Share this post on Facebook and tag my page so I can see it.
2. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on Facebook on Feb. 28, 2016.
That's it!
Quick video rundown of the lightweight night/landscape photography setup I use for long treks on mountains in the Philippines.
Finally back to blogging! Today, I’m sharing a quick rundown of my minimalist night/landscape photography setup that I use for demanding hikes on Philippine mountains. When you’re hiking all day long, even the tiniest bit of extra weight can bring misery, not to mention the fact that how you carry the weight makes all the difference.
Here’s a more or less complete picture of all the camera gear I currently bring when hiking:
MeFoto RoadTrip Tripod
Hoya 77mm Variable ND Filter
B+W 77mm Circular Polarizer
Varavon Battery Pack for A7 series
Powerbank
Black Diamond Spot 130 lumens headlamp
Lens cloth
Sony A7RII
Samyang (Rokinon) EF 24mm f/1.4
Commlite Canon EF to Sony E adapter
Generic Sony IR remote
25 centavo coin for screwing in tripod plates
GoPro charger cable
GoPro Hero 3+ Black Edition
Joby Gorillapod Video
Spare battery for GoPro
Sony and Wasabi Power NP-FW50 batteries for A7R II
Wasabi Power A7R II charger
Not in picture: Lowepro Inverse 100 AW Camera Beltpack -Black
This is still missing some stuff that I’m saving up for (e.g., Professional ND and graduated ND filters with corresponding filter holder, a Sony 16-35 f/4 lens, etc.), but this has gotten the job done for me pretty well.
That’s it for today, will be posting more information and tutorials from here on in! Have a great weekend and happy travels.
In this age of rampant ogling at everyone else's happier-than-me Instagram travel accounts, the allure of independent travel is stronger than ever. But if you've never traveled outside the confines of the conventional touristy package tour before, the number of things you need to worry about to get started on this road can be intimidating, even discouraging. The Internet is full of resources, but scattered over so many places that it's hard to know where to start.
Enter the good people of Penroads, who recently sent me a link to their wonderful free e-book called Travel Deeply, Do It Cheaply. It's the kind of guide I wish I'd written as a follow-up to what is still my most popular blog post where I talk about my experience with the life-changing impact of "traveling deeply."
It's beautifully designed, and it covers all your bases from booking cheap flights, budgeting apps, to packing tips, travel insurance, and food safety. And best of all, it's free forever. Read cover to cover, it won't take you half an hour to finish it.
So what are you waiting for? Download a copy for your computer, tablet, or e-reader and get going!
Follow up reads for when you're ready to go deeper into traveling deeply:
The essential "philosophy" of traveling deeply: Vagabonding
The paradigm-shifting read on creating freedom for yourself: The Four-Hour Work Week
Notes:
Penroads is a social travel platform that helps people find travel partners. I am not affiliated with them in any way nor have used their service as yet. They simply e-mailed me this book asking me to share and I loved it, being impressed as much by the design and information as with their sincerity and passion.
I'm excited to finally be able to share this adventure with you guys: an unforgettable road trip across nearly the entire north-northwestern coast of Spain. This video, "La Ruta de La Costa" ("The Route of the Coast") contains the highlights of a trip full of breathtaking sights and spontaneous detours.
Read MoreMy spontaneous trip to the Sierra Madre in Quezon last weekend in search of a good shot of the Milky Way shot with my friend, director/cinematographer Dustin Uy, was a success! I'll detail more about the trip and how we shot the images in a future post, but for now, I'd like to share this edit of footage I shot on the trip with everyone, featuring my first attempts at astro time-lapse photography.
Me as I line up another Milky Way shot. Photograph by Dustin Uy.
Seeing all the jaw-dropping imagery shared everyday on the Internet, it's become my ambition over the next few years to create an expansive film composed of stunning imagery from all over the Philippines, in places both known and unknown. The video above is sort of a teaser edit of what that film might look and feel like.
Best in full 2K with good headphones or speakers! Thanks for watching!
I'm on a personal mission: to proclaim all the reasons backpackers going to South East Asia should make the trip down to my country, the Philippines. After my first time experiencing the Malasimbo Music & Arts Festival, I found another solid one.
Lot of bloggers have already written about Malasimbo, so I'll get right to the point: this one is aimed at foreign backpackers building their itineraries for next summer in South East Asia.
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The classic view of Yosemite at Tunnel View.
Admit it: If, like me, you’re not from the USA, you probably know Yosemite either as a Mac OS or a cartoon character. And you might pronounce it “yos-e-MIGHT” instead of “yos-em-it-EE.”
Yosemite National Park is actually one of America's most treasured landmarks and has been the inspiration for countless artists and great men and women.
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