Malumpati Spring Resort in Pandan Antique: Undiscovered Haven

Pandan, Antique is such an idyllic tourist spot which deserves a separate blog entry. In this way, I can also share the beautiful pictures of the tourist spots we visited. Pandan is a municipality of Antique with a total of 34 barangays. Based on my observation, livelihood is from arts and crafts, fishing and farming. Again, I would like to thank our hostess in our Pandan, Antique tour, our dear Accountant - Ms. Marnie for welcoming us in their ancestral home.

while in the van going to Pandan

Scenery on the way to Pandan

It took us around 30 to 45 minutes from Caticlan port to reach Ms. Marnie's place in Pandan. We ate breakfast and prepared for our tour at Malumpati Spring Resort and visit at Phaidon Beach Resort. We rented out a van because each area was quite far from the other. There were tricycles available, and perhaps can be rented out as well. It took us about another 30-45 minutes to reach Malumpati Spring Resort. It was a mixture of rough and smooth road. When we got to the place, we paid the PHP 10 per person entrance fee, and cottage rental was not more than PHP 100 if I remembered correctly. There were sari-sari stores in the area just in case you did not bring food. There were also souvenir shops right at the entrance of Malumpati Spring but, on our way to the spring, there was this place where abaca products are woven as bags, rags, carpets, trays, and other handmade merchandises. 

Meanwhile, we had our hearty picnic lunch at Malumpati Spring. After that, we just enjoyed dipping into the crystal clear, cold water. . .

view of Malumpati Spring

This is the deepest spot of the spring. Children and other visitors enjoyed jumping off the dive board.

That's me - the trying hard photographer hehe :)

People swimming in shallow waters

The bridge connecting the entrance going to the cottages on the other side of the place

I have so much to say about Malumpati Spring but, it will not be enough to describe this striking piece of heaven. Another unexpected highlight of our Pandan tour was meeting an SK Chairman candidate, Dex Lumawig (who is Ms. Marnie's neighbor). Since it was election time, you can hear campaign propaganda in almost every corner of the road. I think campaign strategies are more evident in the provinces. So, the group memorized this jingle for Dex Lumawig, and we were joking around if we can meet him in person. True enough, he was just right at the other side of the street! Haha! So, we grabbed the opportunity to take a group photo with him. I really hope he wins in Pandan because he seems really cool --- just plain and simple.

SK Chairman candidate Dex Lumawig (blue shirt) at the center and our crazy group

after the whole day tour at Pandan

Indeed, Malumpati Spring is an undiscovered haven. If you want a more relaxed and unique tour of the Visayas region, you can try roaming around using our itinerary. :)

Antique-Boracay Escapade

Finally, I can update my blog after an unforgettable backpacker's trip with my office friends. Last April 18 to 21, we experienced our much-awaited trip to Boracay. Initially, we were only aiming to set foot at Boracay but, one of our colleagues volunteered to tour us around her hometown since she will be going on vacation on the same dates. So, our Boracay escapade was upgraded into Antique-Boracay route. Here are the details of our tour. . .


Day 00 - April 18 (Friday)

At 5pm right on the dot, we all stepped out of our offices and headed to Batangas port to make it on time for the 9pm departure. However, due to the large volume of 2go passengers, our ETD was delayed, and we were able to leave the port at around past 10pm (I cannot remember exactly). It was my second time to ride 2go, but I was shocked that couples, families, group of students and all sorts of people filled up the waiting area at Batangas port. The good thing about sailing during summer is that the sea was calmer as compared to sailing to Boracay way back November 2012. Our tickets were priced at PHP 2000, round trip Batangas-Caticlan-Batangas with tourist accommodation plus one (1) complimentary meal. Linens and beddings at the vessel were also free provided that you have a valid ID. Otherwise, you'll have to deposit PHP 100. 


Day 01 - April 19 (Friday)

Between 7am to 8am, we finally arrived at Caticlan port. We were supposed to take the CERES Bus Liner going to Pandan, Antique but we opted to rent out a van since we were a group of 10. So, the van rental from Caticlan port to Pandan Antique cost us Php 100 per person. Unfortunately, the van didn't have a functional aircon so, we got a bit frustrated because the temperature this summer season seems to be the hottest, ever! But, the lovely view, serene surroundings and fresh air compensated for our disappointment. After 30-45 minutes, we finally arrived at Ms. Marnie's (our host) place in Pandan, Antique. 

After eating breakfast, we geared up for our first stop which is the Malumpati Spring (check out another blog entry here). Known for its very cool flowing waters, Malumpati Spring can be considered a haven for tourists who are looking for a different Visayan escapade. We rented out a cottage which was less than a Php 100 and paid for the entrance fee which was Php 10 per person. After the sumptuous lunch prepared by Ms. Marnie's caretakers, everybody dipped into the cold refreshing water of Malumpati Spring Resort. We were able to try out the balsa for Php 50 per hour rental fee. According to Ms. Marnie, the Malumpati Spring has been featured in several local travel shows. We were lucky to have witnessed its beauty before everybody else flocks there once the place becomes very popular and commercialized. 

Next stop is at Phaidon Beach Resort. It took us about 30 minutes of travel time from Malumpati Spring to the beach resort. Since we only visited the resort for swimming at the beach and cottage rental, we paid Php 60 per person for the entrance fee. They say that it was the other side of Boracay because the place is quite exclusive and no stressful crowd. We had a beautiful beach all to ourselves. 


Day 02 - April 20 (Saturday)

We got up early in the morning to finally visit the ever famous tourist attraction, Boracay. Ms. Marnie referred us to her friend who had two available rooms in his house that can accommodate all ten of us. It was not a beach front property, but it was nearby the church and plaza and 2-minute walking distance to the beach at Station 1. It cost us Php 4000 for the two rooms, overnight stay. Very cheap, but it was literally a room --- with beds that can fit in 5 people for each room, air-condition and that's it. 

It was my 3rd time to visit Boracay, but I consider every experience unique because it was with different groups/friends. So, we took the usual routine of lounging on the beach, visited D' Talipapa for cheap souvenir finds, seafood shopping and "paluto." Food was more affordable this way than eat at fancy restaurants by the beach, considering that we have a limited budget. So meal allotment per person did not exceed Php 300 (paluto plus the seafood that we bought).

At night, we witnessed a beach party courtesy of the Nestea Beach Volley Tournament. People flocked in the area near Station 1 but, after some time we finally doze off in our little room to recharge for our 6am departure at Caticlan port.


Day 03 - April 21 (Sunday)

Our ETD from Caticlan port was 6am but, again it was delayed, and we left between 9am to 10am. We arrived at Batangas port around 8pm and off we went to our respective homes. 

More details of our Antique and Boracay escapade in additional blog entries....

What to do: Rescheduled Skype Interview

This is actually an update of my previous post about my recent oDesk interview experience. After the first video chat interview over Skype, I was turned over for another video chat interview with the owner of the company who is based in Canada. The conversation went okay as I gave him a background of what I do and what I like to do as well as my long term goals. After that, he explained that it will be the first time that they will hire an academic researcher so, they will need someone who has access to online databases and university library which is actually my advantage over the other candidates. The owner also suggested a few management books that I might want to read about because I'll be writing articles similar to those printed in Harvard Business Review magazine. The work sounds promising, and I thought it was something I can engage in for a long time if in case I really need to leave my full-time job. He even asked how much I was earning in my full-time job though he said it was just out of curiosity. Although, deep inside I think he was assessing that if the project goes well then, they can pay me full time thus, matching the rate with how much I was earning currently. At the end of the interview, I was left with some assignments:


1. to email my curriculum vitae

2. to send him a list of online databases I have access

3. to list down management reference books dated 2010 onwards which are available in our university library


After that, I'll be scheduled for another round of interview so we can have more to talk about that is related to management or more like "getting down to the real business." So, I did my assignments and set another date for the second round of interview which I had to do online through a link that was sent to me. There were two major incidents which made me think thoroughly and left me in a dilemma. 

First, the skype interview kept on being rescheduled. I made major adjustments just to make it on time as we were on a different timezone. Even though I had my fair share of confusion with the timezone and missing out on the original schedule (just one time), I think to reschedule an interview which has been hanging for 2 consecutive weeks was way too over for me. The excitement about the potential project was there. It was actually something I was very interested in and something I am passionate about so, I was hoping that it was going to push through.

Second, the company owner sounds like a bit skeptical on how updated the university libraries here in the Philippines are. According to him, I may have access to online databases and reference books, but he needs updated materials (as if assuming that we just depend on second-hand books from western countries). I would have bragged about how updated our university library is but, I know it would mean nothing to him (unless he personally witnesses the newly built Henry Sy Hall Building in Taft) and I didn't want to lose this opportunity arguing about this stuff.

In the end, I decided just to let it go. Despite being told that I have great potential, our schedule just does not always seem to agree. On my end, it was a bit difficult because I already invested a lot of effort to adjust to his schedule. So, more than three (3) times of rescheduled interview is too frustrating. Lastly, if he tends to underestimate the educational system (or at least the capability of our schools to update the library materials), he might treat my work output in the same way. It was quite sad but, that's just how odesk application works.

Nevertheless, my online job hunting goes on....

Photo credit