The best tattoo. Simply indelible. I got inked/tattoed by Apo Whang-Od.

 My first solo travel on 28 November 2019 to Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga, Apayao - Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines to get indelibly inked by the best tattoo artist, 103-year old indigenous tattoo master (the only one remaining of the "headhunting" Butbut tribe) known as Apo Whang-od. Apo Whang-od manually used a wooden stick as "hammer" to drive a grapefruit thorn embedded in a stick with a mixture of soot and coconut oil and water with repetitive and constant blows. Fresh wet wipes is used to wipe of blood and clean the skin. 

-Extremely graphic: Video contains scenes with blood on tattoed arm. - No translation for vernacular language/local indigenous dialect used. - Grapefruit thorn used in the tattoo session is non-shareable. Buy your own grapefruit thorn only locally sold in Buscalan.

Apo Whang-od's signature tattoo signature is composed of three dots.  I was quite lucky that day, it was a Thursday that less than 30 tourists/backpackers who were in Buscalan village to obtain Apo Whang-od's signature tattoo.  My guide Manang Lydia talked to Apo Whang-Od after I received my signature tattoo and Apo Whang-Od chose a design which she saw fitting my personality.  Apo Whang-Od gave me the traveller tattoo and took about 40 minutes plus of tattoo session.

When you visit Apo Whang-Od I suggest as a gift is coconut virgin oil since that will help and heal those she embeds tattoo.  From what I read in Buscalan is a tattoo session guideline as follows:

 - Follow your guide's advise.
- Be quiet.  Silence is golden and observe this since Apo Whang-Od needs it to concentrate to her craft.

- Do not block Apo Whang-Od's natural light.
- Avoid profanity.
- Don't be rude.
- Communicate.
- Ask first for permission before taking photos.

My First YouTube Unboxing video feat. Xiaomi Mijia MI SPHERE 4K 360 video camera

 

 My First YouTube Unboxing video

feat. Xiaomi Mijia MI SPHERE "4K" 360 video camera

(This is not a paid endorsement.)

After a long "blog hibernation", guess what, I'm back.  Well, I'll just keep it short and simple to start things up with a technology unboxing of a 360 video camera which I will be using to document meaningful content for my upcoming travel blogs.

The products below are what I unboxed as follows:

360 Camera, Xiaomi Mijia Mi Dual-Lens Sphere Action Cam WiFi Waterproof Panoramic Camera 3.5K HD Video Recording 23.88MP Photos with Sony Image Senor and Stabilizer

SanDisk 128GB Extreme MicroSDXC UHS-I Memory Card with Adapter - C10, U3, V30, 4K, A2, Micro SD - SDSQXA1-128G-GN6MA


I am also looking forward to making an in depth review of this 360 camera.  

Thanks for taking time to visit.  Come back soon.

(This is not a paid endorsement.)

Starbucks Dot Com Store Is Going Away

(This is not a paid endorsement.)

It's official after October 1st 2017, Store.Starbucks.Com is officially closing its virtual shop and thus, you will no longer be able to order Starbucks products/merchandise via the web. 

"We hope our products have brightened your day and warmed your cup. Store.Starbucks.com is going away, but you can still find your favorite coffee and merchandise at your local Starbuck's stores."

Store.Starbucks.com products/merchandise will no longer be available online are as follows:

Coffee, tea, syrups, drinkware, brewing, gift sets & bundles, fan collection, equipment, and accessories (espresso makers, coffee presses, pour-overs, grinders, teapots and tea kettles, drinkware, etc.,

DRINKWARE

Brushed Silver & Orange Stainless Steel Tumbler

12 fl oz

Orange Stainless Steel Tumbler

16 fl oz

Brushed Silver & Blue Stainless Steel Tumbler

20 fl oz

DRINKWARE COLD CUPS

Matte Black Pattern Cold Cup

24 fl oz

Cable Knit Sweater Glass Cold Cup

20 fl oz

Olive Green Stainless Steel Cold Cup

16 fl oz

COLD CUPS TUMBLERS AND TRAVEL MUGS

Stainless Steel Master Vacuum Mug - Matte Black

STANLEY®

18 fl oz

Stainless Steel Master Vacuum Bottle - Matte Black

STANLEY®

25 fl oz

Stainless Steel Master Vacuum Bottle - Matte Black

STANLEY®

1.4 quart

TUMBLERS AND TRAVEL MUGS WATER BOTTLES

Golden Siren Anniversary Collection Two-Piece Stainless Steel Navy Blue Water Bottle

20 fl oz

Siren Scales Anniversary Collection Two-Piece Stainless Steel Teal Water Bottle

20 fl oz

Plum Stainless Steel Water Bottle

20 fl oz

WATER BOTTLES CUPS AND MUGS

White Starbucks® Coffee Company Handle Mug

12 fl oz

Black Starbucks® Coffee Company Handle Mug

12 fl oz

White & Taupe Handle Mug

16 fl oz

SHOP ALL CUPS AND MUGS STARBUCKS® LOCAL COLLECTION

Washington, D.C. Double Wall Traveler

12 fl oz

Florida Double Wall Traveler

12 fl oz

Indiana Double Wall Traveler

12 fl oz

STARBUCKS® LOCAL COLLECTION 

COFFEE MAKERS

Verismo® V Brewer

H.A.N.D. Coffee Carafe Set TOAST LIVING®

300 ml

Pour-Over Cone - Onyx

STARBUCKS RESERVE™

Pour-Over Cone - Onyx

COFFEE MAKERS ESPRESSO MAKERS

Verismo® V Brewer

ESPRESSO MAKERS COFFEE PRESSES

ESPRO® Press

18 fl oz

Stainless Steel Coffee Press - Matte Black

STARBUCKS®

8 cup

Stainless Steel Travel Coffee Press

STANLEY® + STARBUCKS®

16 fl oz

COFFEE PRESSES POUR-OVERS

H.A.N.D. Coffee Carafe Set TOAST LIVING®

300 ml

Pour-Over Cone - Onyx

STARBUCKS RESERVE™

POUR-OVERS GRINDERS

Hand Grinder

RHINOWARE®

GRINDERS TEAPOTS AND TEA KETTLES

Stagg Pour-Over Kettle - Matte Black FELLOW®

1 liter

TEAPOTS AND TEA KETTLES ACCESSORIES

Stagg Pour-Over Kettle - Matte Black FELLOW®

Stainless Steel Classic Vacuum Growler & Adventure Stacking Tumblers Set STANLEY®

Tumblers Set 5 piece

Adventure Stainless Steel Growler

STANLEY®

64 fl oz

Coffee Products 

WHOLE BEAN AND GROUND

Anniversary Blend STARBUCKS®

1 lb - Whole Bean

East Timor Tatamailau STARBUCKS®

1 lb - Whole Bean

House Blend STARBUCKS®

1 lb - Whole Bean

Organic Yukon Blend® STARBUCKS®

1 lb - Whole Bean

Vietnam Da Lat STARBUCKS RESERVE®

8.8 oz - Whole Bean

Costa Rica La Candelilla STARBUCKS RESERVE®

8.8 oz - Whole Bean

WHOLE BEAN AND GROUND

VERISMO® PODS

Anniversary Blend Brewed Coffee Verismo® Pods

STARBUCKS®

Veranda Blend® Brewed Coffee Verismo® Pods

STARBUCKS®

Colombia Nariño Espresso Verismo® Pods

Caffè Verona® Brewed Coffee Verismo® Pods

STARBUCKS®

ICED COFFEE & COLD BREW

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe® Espresso Verismo® Pods

Ethiopia Bitta Farm STARBUCKS RESERVE®

8.8 oz - Whole Bean

East Timor Tatamailau

STARBUCKS®

ICED COFFEE & COLD BREW

STARBUCKS RESERVE® COFFEE

Vietnam Da Lat STARBUCKS RESERVE®

8.8 oz - Whole Bean

Costa Rica La Candelilla STARBUCKS RESERVE®

8.8 oz - Whole Bean

Ethiopia Bitta Farm STARBUCKS RESERVE®

8.8 oz - Whole Bean

WHOLE BEAN AND GROUND

Anniversary Blend STARBUCKS®

1 lb - Whole Bean

East Timor Tatamailau STARBUCKS®

1 lb - Whole Bean

House Blend STARBUCKS®

1 lb - Whole Bean

Organic Yukon Blend® STARBUCKS®

1 lb - Whole Bean

Vietnam Da Lat STARBUCKS RESERVE®

8.8 oz - Whole Bean

Costa Rica La Candelilla STARBUCKS RESERVE®

8.8 oz - Whole Bean

Anniversary Blend Brewed Coffee Verismo® Pods

STARBUCKS®

Veranda Blend® Brewed Coffee Verismo® Pods

STARBUCKS®

Colombia Nariño Espresso Verismo® Pods

Caffè Verona® Brewed Coffee Verismo® Pods

STARBUCKS®

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe® Espresso Verismo® Pods

Ethiopia Bitta Farm

STARBUCKS RESERVE®

8.8 oz - Whole Bean

East Timor Tatamailau

STARBUCKS®

1 lb - Whole Bean

ICED COFFEE & COLD BREW

STARBUCKS RESERVE® COFFEE

Vietnam Da Lat STARBUCKS RESERVE®

8.8 oz - Whole Bean

Costa Rica La Candelilla STARBUCKS RESERVE®

8.8 oz - Whole Bean

Ethiopia Bitta Farm STARBUCKS RESERVE®

8.8 oz - Whole Bean

TAZO®

Iced Blushberry Black™ Filterbag Tea

STARBUCKS® Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix

Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa Mix STARBUCKS®

(This is not a paid endorsement.)

Site Newness Contributes To A Better Blog

Hi guys! Humbly, newness is the new black and so I've decided to give my humble blog site a non-invasive "botox" shot (laughs).

I personally dig the absence of clutter and I love the minimalism which is one factor that made me decide for this neat/clean aesthetic blog change make-over. At the end of the day, there is no substitute to quality content and structure follows strategy. 'Nuff said and moving forward.

HEADERS

The MENU section (horizontal) is straightforward as follows: 

HOME

DESTINATIONS- blog listing by location based in  North Luzon, Philippines; 

BLOG CONTESTS - lists all my blog post starting from the latest blog post and the last blog post that I've made since I started blogging;

PHOTOGRAPHY- lists featured photography topics;

TECHNOLOGY- blog listing dealing with "rocket science";

ABOUT - that's about the blog and myself;

PRIVACY POLICY;

TERMS & CONDITIONS; and

CONTACT US. 

Underneathe the Menu section is my social media links

and lastly the SEARCH (the blog contents).

With this "new look", you can now immediately get a "heads-up" of the featured blogs based on the label/category I chose for the day/week to display. 

The automated slider automatically plays only once for you and once it's done and you still haven't selected a blog to view, you can use the manual sliders (left/right) to navigate.

Before I have a dynamic featured section but it was very small and I've tried to make the thumbnail images bigger but to no avail. This time around you guys get a featured section which is visually bigger and won't require magnifying glasses (laughs).  

Furthermore, there's a navigation for you to READ MORE for each blog post and social media icons if you want to share the blog to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Google Plus.

And don't be shy, just leave some comments in the comments link (once activated/clicked- a pop-up will be activated for you to add what's on your mind.)

You can also navigate/cycle through OLDER POSTS button.

SIDEBAR

"Sidebar" - Well, it's definitely a 100% non-alcoholic beverage section (laughs).

About Me-  with a shameless mugshot;

Social Media links- Buttons to follow AvianQuest (same as what's up in the Headers section);

RSS Feed (Subscribe via Email) - It's 100% SPAM FREE. Why not give it a try;

Popular Posts- are determined by reader's choice of blogs; 

Pinterest - acts as a "sandwich spread" between my Popular Posts and Recent Posts; 

Recent Posts- my fresh blog posts; and lastly

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE - or related posts now appears to blog posts which are similarly tagged/classified.   

FOOTER

Blog Archive - blogs per month since I started February this year;

Labels - specific categories of my blog posts;  

Pages - is an equivalent to Menu section but this one is presented vertically. Although, this does not include sub-menu listing; and

DISCONTINUED

The following are blog features which were removed/discontinued:

Floating Back To Top Button - I removed my third party plug-in since my blog template has a built-in code.

Pace - a third party plug-in which automatically show a progress bar when the page is loading.

Google Translate 

BAD BACKLINKS - I applied Google disavow and now they're all gone.

Till next blog. 

La Union Coastal Travel Destinations

This is a humble attempt to get you a quick guide to San Fernando City, La Union's premier coastal travel destinations.

GETTING THERE 

Travelling by land from Manila to San Fernando City, La Union would be around 4 hours and 17 minutes (278 km) via R-8, North Luzon West Expressway/R-8, and MacArthur Highway/Manila North Road and another 14 minutes (350 m) from Partas Bus Terminal to Urbiztondo Road, a total of 4 hours and 31 minutes. Partas Bus ply direct trips with bus fare costing $USD 10.22 or PHPesos 524.00 from Metro Manila (NCR- Pasay City to San Juan, San Fernando, La Union) at 12 a.m. (first trip) and 5 a.m. (2nd trip). If your ingress is from Metro Manila (NCR- Cubao to San Juan, San Fernando, La Union) at 1 a.m. (first trip) and 6 a.m. (2nd trip).

At Partas Bus Terminal San Fernando City, La Union, Region I, Philippines.

If you're so pressed for time and catching the sunset is a major priority, once you're at  Partas Bus Terminal (San Fernando City, La Union), just add 4 minutes (350 m), immediately head via MacArthur Highway/Manila North Road toward Andres Bonifacio Street and you will reach this coastal spot to take beautiful sundown images at Sea and Sky Hotel and Restaurant. (This is not a paid endorsement.)The image above is an urban coastal scene during a glorious dusk afterglow. 

SAN JUAN 

Urbiztondo Beach

San Juan is considered to be the Surfing Capital North Luzon, Philippines.

From a travel reference point using Partas Bus Terminal, onwards take a short ride of around 10 mins (5.2 kilometers) via the MacArthur Highway/Manila North Road which will bring you to Urbiztondo Road, San Fernando, La Union, Region I, Philippines.

One summer coastal dawn at barangay Urbiztondo, San Juan, San Fernando, La Union, Region I, Philippines as I find myself taking this early golden hour morning scenery.

Coral reefs and coastal surf without surfers around. Definitely laid back Urbiztondo sea shore view conducive to a meditative vibe.

SURFING

The surfing lifestyle is the breath of life in San Juan, La Union. Foreigners and locals alike have marked Urbiztondo Beach as a cool choice surfing spot to learn surfing and surf your heart's desire. Urbiztondo beach is where the confluence of locals/foreign surfing enthusiasts/professionals converge with the South Sea Swell which usually begins its peak season in the months covering July to October and the North Sea Swell which starts from November until March. 

By far one of the coolest straightforward surfing video of coastal San Juan, San Fernando, La Union, Region I, Philippines. I'll give this a thumbs-up! 

Surfing is not determined much by age but by skill and determination to learn. In this image,  a young local just successfully escaped the white waters.

Surfing is a livelihood in the Philippines. Urbiztondo beach in San Juan, La Union is a haven for learning surfing and practicing surfing sport.

The tide is high!

Check it the San Juan La Union swell

What rule in photography says that you can't shoot birds with just a 50mm lens? There is none and you can wing it! 

There are times that composition is claustrophobic and finds its origins "within the box" and still delivers unexpected good results.

SAN JUAN 

San Juan Beach

The fastest route to Awesome Hotel is about 20 minutes (8.2 km) via San Fernando By-Pass Rd and MacArthur Highway/Manila North Road.

PORO POINT

15 min (6.1 km) via Pennsylvania Ave/San Fernando Port Rd Barangay Canaoay.

Here's a link to a blog post about Poro Point Hidden Coastal Gem 

To get to Thunderbird Resort & Casino, the fastest time is 15 minutes (5.2 km) via Pennsylvania Avenue/San Fernando Port Road and Mabini Street from Partas Bus Station. (This is not a paid endorsement.)

The fastest route to Aureo is a 12 minutes ride (3.6 km) via Mabini Street from Partas Bus Station.

LUNA

The last town of La Union, Philippines is Luna which is named after Juan Luna y Novicio (October better known as Juan Luna who was a Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recognized Philippine artists. Luna is composed of 40 barangays (districts). 

DARIGAYOS BEACH

The town of Luna hosts Darigayos beach which another surfing destination and would have to be the most consistent break around. 

The fastest route to get to Darigayos Beach is around 43 minutes (25.2 km) starting from the Partas Bus Terminal in San Fernando City, La Union via Bacnotan - Luna - Balaoan Road and MacArthur Highway/Manila North Road.

At the end of the day, La Union is one travel destination which is highly sought after by surfers, tourists and locals. 

Till next blog.