Ferdz Decena

Cebu Pacific Air at Camiguin Mambajao Airport It was more than 5 years ago when I last set foot at the “Island Borne of Fire”, commonly known as Camiguin . When Cebu Pacific Air invited a few bloggers for a familiarization tour of the island, I was glad to be included. It was an opportune time to see what has changed through out the years. Cebu Pacific Air launched their Camiguin flights from their Cebu Hub last April 15, 2013. This familiarization tour of the island hopes to promote the island’s tourism and awareness of the easy flight access to the Camiguin via Cebu Pacific Air.

Shooting at Mt Tapyas Coron with Pacsafe Camsafe Venture V16 (Photo by Oggie Ramos The camera bag I bring on a trip is dependent on what gear I would bring or the type of photography I would be doing. For casual street photography, I would eventually bring something like the PacSafe Camsafe Venture V12 Sling Bag . But on my recent trip to Coron Palawan, I knew I would be bringing a lot more, like my MacBook, a larger selection of lenses, some reading materials, notebooks, a water bottle and probably a few quick snacks since I would be staying longer and shooting a wider variety of subjects. I was fortunate to have the PacSafe Camsafe Venture V16 Slingpack for me to try out on that week long trip to Coron, PacSafe’s new camera bag geared for the active traveler.

Action Asia Magazine May-June 2013 Issue Check out the latest, Action Asia Magazine May-June 2013 issue , as the favorite magazine for the adventure travel and action sports lifestyle comes with a free Philippines supplement. The Philippines supplement features some stunning imagery to entice readers to visit the Philippines. It also features articles on outdoor activities and destinations just outside Manila, a gallery of fantastic underwater scenery, Chip Childers (who I had the pleasure working with a couple times before) have a story on selected beaches in the country and there’s the “Baywatching” article on kayaking El Nido’s Bacuit Bay. I was fortunate enough to be part of the supplement lending a few images to  Gideon Lacso’s  ( the Pinoy Mountaineer ) article  “Halsema: Highway to adventure”  which talks about the adventures to one of my favorite destinations, the Cordillera’s.

GoHotels Puerto Princesa at Night By this time, I have been familiar with GoHotels brand of accommodation. I’ve stayed in their Mandaluyong and Dumaguete branches already and their staple character remains – the no frills yet comfortable rooms painted with the freshly colored green and orange, windsor beds, memory foam, rain shower, Cable TV, complimentary wifi, within mall vicinity and good value rates. These are all there on their GoHotels Puerto Princesa Palawan branch as well, the difference is in the location and the personal service.

The iPearl mCover Hard Shell Case There are laptops but there are Apple MacBooks. The people at Apple took pains to create this simple yet sleek looking design. Not to sound like a fan boy but people pay also for the design aside from the functionality. While it looks fashionably good out there and bare, MacBooks can easily get scratched. For a guy like me who likes to rough it out when I travel and slip the MacBook on my backpack sleeve, my MacBook does need an extra protection. I decided to use a shell case for that extra layer of protection and looking around for some options I decided to try the iPearl mCover Hard Shell . After more than a month of using it, here’s what I can share.

Zest Air at Kota Kinabalu Terminal 2 airport It took me almost 8 years to return to Kota Kinabalu , Sabah, Malaysia. Definitely, one of the memorable destinations I have been to as it was my first out of the country travel and we climbed Gunung Kinabalu as well. It was fortunate that I got invited to Zest Air’s inaugural flight to Kota Kinabalu from Metro Manila yesterday and I was able to see what developments the capital city of Sabah has gone through out the years. I won’t be climbing Mt Kinabalu again this time but we made a round of the city and got some fun water activities at Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park .

Camiguin Trip Journal Opener Just a sweet and short post for you guys. If ever you’re flying Cebu Pacific Air this month of May 2013, do check out the latest issue Smile Magazine . Got a couple of Camiguin shots there. The big one is the opener for the Trip Journal section. So don’t forget to check the front pocket of your seats when on board!

My broken Panasonic Lumix FT3 from Pixel Pro I am not new to underwater photography. For many years I’ve had the Canon AE-1, an underwater film camera which I’ve used reliably for more than 5 years. Last year, I’ve also had a rugged Sony Experia Active mobile phone which has gone through many abuse on land and underwater. When I knew I would be staying in Palawan for a while, I decided to get a dedicated underwater cam which I’ll use mainly for snorkeling. After much thought and research, I decided to get the Panasonic Lumix FT3 last Mid November 2012 at my nearby camera shop, Pixel Pro in Megamall . I was quite confident with the purchase when I flew to Palawan, not knowing I would go through an ordeal of a product not up delivering as promised and poor after sales service from the store.