Albay in Google Earth

In the most recent Google Earth update last month, several towns and one city in the province of Albay now have high-resolution satellite imagery. These newly high-res areas include Ligao City, Guinobatan, Oas, Libon, Tiwi, Manito, Jovellar and Malinao. Camalig is also on high resolution but is partly hidden by clouds.

Among Albay's municipalities and cities, only Rapu-Rapu, parts of Polangui, and Pio Duran remain in low resolution. Legazpi City and Daraga first went high-res back in June 2006. The city of Tabaco and the towns of Sto. Domingo, Bacacay and Malilipot followed suit a few months later.

Browsing Google Earth is one of my favorite time wasters. Exploring both familiar and unfamiliar places through satellite imagery is what I call Google Earth sightseeing. It certainly provides a different perspective of the world around us. A great blog about Google Earth sightseeing is Vista Pinas, which features Filipino sights as seen from satellite images found in Google Earth and Google Maps.

Here are some screen grabs (click to enlarge) of newly high-res areas in Albay. Screen shots won't do justice, though. The best way to view these satellite images is through Google Earth.

Ligao City

Guinobatan

Manito

Jovellar

Tiwi

Maligayang ika-110 Araw ng Kalayaan, Pilipinas!

Photo by marbleplaty

Waiting for 'The Echo'

Now that post-production work on 'The Echo' has wrapped up according to director Yam Laranas' blog, I can't wait for the official release date of this film. They have already released the teaser poster last month as well as some stills and so far it looks great.

The anticipation is further heightened by two positive initial reviews of the Echo so far. Todd Brown of twitchfilm.net, in the first review of the film, takes note of the impressive cinematography and sound design. Beyond Hollywood describes 'The Echo' as "... many things - both art-house and commercial, both subtle and shocking — but one thing it certainly is — it’s a gem of a ghost story".

I loved 'Sigaw' when I saw it for the first time last year that I even blogged about it. I hope 'The Echo' will succeed in the cutthroat world of Hollywood and becomes another triumph of Pinoy talent in the international scene.

Update [06.13.08]:

The teaser trailer for 'The Echo' has just been released. Check it out:

Escape to Santa Magdalena

Day Two of our Sorsogon escapade initially didn’t look promising. Because of the typhoon brewing hundreds of miles out in the Philippine Sea (which also induced the thunderstorms of the previous day) we decided to give up our expedition to Tikling and Calintaan Islands, and opted for a jaunt in the beaches of Santa Magdalena instead. From among the many beaches in the town, we chose Olango Beach in Brgy. San Rafael.

After a butt-numbing 1-hr tricycle trip from Bulan to Santa Magdalena, we arrived at the beach just before lunch. We promptly feasted on our baon of inihaw na buraw (grilled mackerel..told you we couldn’t get enough of this. haha), sugpo (large shrimps) simmered in Sprite and garlic and ensaladang talong at kamatis (Eggplant and Tomato Salad) - both cooked by the harlequin vampire. Although we were all eating with bare hands while crouched on the sand under an abandoned cottage, it was a lunch fit for a king!
Olango beach is like a two-tone paradise - the sand is a mixture of golden and black, and the water is a blend of green and aquamarine. Because of the storm, large waves crashed relentlessly on the sandy shores, the force of which easily caught us off-guard and rolled us around like rag-dolls. We had a great time just rollicking in the sand and bobbing up and down with the waves while perched on a toy flotation device. The water was clean and crystal-clear. The clarity actually made it look deceptively shallow, but it was in fact a good 10-15 feet deep just a few meters off the shore.

We tried going to the off-shore reef to view the corals and probably ‘harvest’ some latô or edible seaweeds but the current was strong and it was getting late in the afternoon. Besides, because Santa Magdalena is quite far, we had to do an ‘Amazing Race’ run to the port of nearby Matnog town– the southernmost tip of Luzon - to catch the Samar-Manila bus that will get us back home. I guess Talie must have been thinking about us at that very minute because, whaddyaknow, up came a pink bus to take us home. Haha.
Even though we weren’t able to reach our goal of stepping foot on Tikling and Calintaan, our short but sweet Sorsogon escapade was well worth the time and aching muscles. I can’t wait to go back.

Check out some more snapshots from Olango:

To the ‘Moon’ and Back

I have always loved getting on the road and discovering new places away from the monotony of the familiar. That’s why I try to seize every chance that comes my way to go to places I’ve never been to. Often, even in the least well-known of destinations, there awaits a wealth of experiences. Last Saturday, our gang of misfits (Yona, Leonel, Peach, BT and Lyn) literally went to the ‘moon’.

Nope, not Earth’s satellite but the town of Bulan in Sorsogon (the Bicolano word for the moon is bulan). The trip almost didn’t push through because of last-minute hitches but our gung-ho group could not be stopped. With the goal of venturing into the treacherous San Bernardino Strait and on to the unspoiled Tikling and Calintaan Islands in Matnog, we journeyed on to Bulan, our first stop, even as a thunderstorm threatened. We arrived at Bulan early Saturday evening and trooped right away to the ancestral house of Yona’s mom.

Bulan is a surprisingly charming town with wide, well-lighted streets laid out in an orderly grid pattern. The place is very clean and tidy -- no wonder Bulan was feted as one of the cleanest and greenest local government units. The town feels like it is in the threshold of urbanization but still holds on to the leisurely and unhurried pace of provincial life. There’s even a quaint seaside park complete with hole-in-the-wall restos, promenades and cottages.

But what is definitely memorable about Bulan is the food. Because it is a coastal town facing the teeming fishing grounds of the Ticao Pass, Bulan is rich in marine products especially fresh seafood. At dinner, we couldn’t get enough of the huge steamed kasag (crabs) and inihaw na buraw (grilled mackerel) that Yona’s aunt prepared for us. The seafood was so good that the bulalo and chop suey (with shrimps) were all but ignored. We must have eaten too much kasag and buraw because we were pretty much stoned for the rest of the night. Haha.

We capped the night with a few beers and calamares at Sabang Resort, Bulan’s seaside park and a round of videoke back at Yona’s place. We all had a great time in Bulan and I definitely want to go back even if only for the seafood! :-)

Here are some more snapshots from Bulan: