July 18, 2018 by findingbackroads

Surprise! New blog name!

Yes, I have changed my blog name!

My original blog name was Sandier Pastures, a name I picked when I started blogging when we moved to Dubai from Japan in 2007. I was happily blogging for eleven years and used the handle @sandierpastures in my social media accounts. Everyone who knows me connects that name automatically to me that PR people started addressing their emails to me as “Dear Sandie”.

I started blogging using Sandier Pastures without thinking of anything at that time. That at one point in time, we could move somewhere where there’s no sand.

TIP TO NEW BLOGGERS: Pick a blog name that is not restrictive either by your location or your life situation. Also, pick a blog name that’s easier to understand.

I struggled a bit with my old blog name, with even some people wondering, “is it English?” Sandier Pastures was born from a play of the idiomatic expression, “greener pastures” which means a better life or situation than what is now. Most people move abroad to work for better opportunities, however, our main intention of crossing over to the desert land of the UAE was to experience living abroad as an expat family and for my daughter (then 3) and husband to be able to learn English. Thus, our pasture wasn’t really greener, just sandier.

It’s been half a year since we moved out of Dubai and relocated to Japan. It made me cringe every time I use my blog name and social media handles. I don’t know if my followers/blog reader felt the same but I know I had to change it. To be honest, I had a hard time choosing a new blog name. I had some brilliant ideas but then the domain would not be available or very expensive or the Instagram/Twitter is already taken.

WHY “FINDING BACKROADS”?

Because I love backroads?

A backroad is defined as a little-used secondary road, especially one through a rural or sparsely populated area. I chose this new blog name (and URL to boot, thankfully it’s available) because we live in a place with so many backroads right now and more so, “finding backroads” reflects how I travel; how my family travels.

A few days ago, my husband and I were looking for this certain shrine. A few minutes into the drive, he said, “do you want to take that backroad over there?” And I realize, we do this a lot. We don’t just from Point A to B. Most of the time, we find backroads to discover off the beaten path tracks, often without anybody there, just the way we like it.

WHERE THIS BLOG IS GOING

Blogging has been quite challenging right now, time wise. But I think I couldn’t quit writing just yet. I’d be updating this blog every chance I get to share stories, discovering backroads and showing you another side of Japan that you may not know. (Yes, there are rice paddies in Japan and there are places where the streets are dark at 8 pm)

I am going to explore this new home of ours, my husband’s hometown and hope to share the Japan that we love to anyone wishing to visit through my new project called Travel with Grace!

Please subscribe to get first hand information when I launch the project soon!

June 25, 2018January 31, 2022 by findingbackroads

Take a look at another side of Japan

Today I looked out of our bedroom window and realized, it’s been exactly one year since we visited this countryside. Tokamachi. My husband’s hometown. The place he grew up. And though we’ve visited a few times in the past, I could never get tired of the view, be it in summer or in winter or spring and maybe fall (we will yet to experience fall soon!).

Last year when I was here with the kids, it didn’t occur to me that we’d be moving back to Japan. Much more, live here. Not at all. We stayed for less than a week but we loved all the green fields that extended as far as our eyes can see, the laid back and slow life and even embraced the noise of the frogs at night like it’s white noise lulling us to sleep.

The place we lived before, Dubai, is hideous by June, weather wise. That’s the time of the year when the kids couldn’t even go out or stay out for longer periods of time during day time due to the heat so we weren’t looking forward to going back soon. Summer in Japan is the other way around – it’s perfect from May when all the snow has melted and everything comes alive!

Little did we know that a year after, we’d end up living here, experiencing our third season (we arrived in the middle of winter!) and raising the kids here.

WHERE IS TOKAMACHI?

Tokamachi City is located in southern Niigata Prefecture, along the coast of the Sea of Japan. Though it’s a ‘city’, it’s far from being the big city in Japan that you might imagine. Five regions make up Tokamachi City and most of the area is covered by lush green forests, rice fields and suffering from huge population decline so most towns are sleepy towns, literally.

With the Shinano River flowing through the center, the city consists of a basin and surrounding hilly and mountainous areas. It is the heart of Japan’s snow country with three to four meters of snow each winter. Rice is cultivated widely in the city, a production area of well-known Uonuma Koshihikari rice.

It is about 240 kilometers from Tokyo and accessible by bullet train from Tokyo to Echigo-Yuzawa and the local Hokuhoku line from Echigo-Yuzawa station. You can reach Tokamachi City in two hours from Tokyo.

WHAT IS IN TOKAMACHI?

Clean, unpolluted air.

Delicious water from the mountains.

Vast green spaces.

Fresh food from nearby farms.

Slower pace of life.

Stars in the night.

Fireflies in the garden.

Warm and friendly locals.

While travelers tend to be drawn to Japan’s major cities, there’s much to be savored in its quiet countryside, where a different, deeper kind of beauty awaits. We have only one regret moving here. And that is, why we didn’t do it sooner.

Are you ready to explore more of Japan than the heavily congested cities full of tourists? Come visit our countryside, you will get to see less buildings and more serene shrines and temples. Less people and more natural landscapes. Afraid to get lost physically and in translation (because yes, it does happen if you don’t know the local language)? I’m happy to help! I’ll write more details about it soon.

As per statistics, the number of foreigners who visited Japan in 2017 has reached to almost 30 million, with most flocking to its vibrant capital city, Tokyo. The big city of Tokyo is great and overflowing with things to do, but there’s so much to Japan beyond the busy Shibuya crossing.

Have you been to Japan? If you’ve been to Tokyo, did my photos make you want to visit the countryside next time?

June 4, 2018 by findingbackroads

Spring comes to our new home

The promise of spring’s arrival is enough to get anyone through the bitter winter.

People who visit this area called, “snow country” in Niigata prefecture would think it will take a year for all the snow to melt. And I can’t blame them, I mean look at this. This picture was taken last February, in the middle of winter and nope, we weren’t having a super snow storm because when it snows in this part of Japan, it is always super snow storm.

Fortunately, there are four seasons in Japan so there is no such thing as one full year of winter though every winter day you may feel like it. At one point or another, all the snow will have to melt, paving way for another phase of life, the spring season.

I love spring. I think it’s one of life’s mystery, one of Earth’s miracles. For me spring is a time of renewal. I love to watch the gardens around me as the daffodils and tulips and cherry blossoms (!) start to show their beauty. It is such a miracle that this can happen each year. The sun gets stronger and you really begin to feel its warmth against your face.

Things begin to come alive. Or they just simply BEGIN. The fiscal year in Japan starts in April. This is when the new school year start and new college graduates start working. This spring is definitely a new beginning for us – Benjamin attending first grade at the elementary school.

When I was living in Dubai, I was perfectly ok without experiencing the seasons. It was so convenient to be able to wear the same type of clothes everyday all throughout the year. And also not suffer from pollen allergy in spring time. I lived in Japan for 10+ years before moving to Dubai so I thought, I’ve had my fill of spring, I won’t miss it. However, I didn’t realize how much I loved and longed for the seasons once we moved back to Japan.

We arrived and started our life here in the beginning of the year, in the middle of winter and then now everything is becoming alive and green.

Spring is also the time we finally change the tires in our car from studless snow tires to normal ones. Benjamin gets to help do it, only because he really, really wanted to do it so he is in charge of turning the screws as if he knows what he’s doing. Oh boys and cars.

Speaking of seasons, when we moved here in the middle of winter, I was worried the kids would hate me. That they’d utter the word ‘Dubai’ (our previous home and where they grew up) every single winter day. But surprisingly, not only did they welcome the change, one of them actually LOVES winter. Weird, I know but in the eyes of a child, everything is fresh and new, it seems.

It’s the kids first experience of the spring season and it may be the warmer weather, or the greens outside or the fact that even if it’s April or May, they can actually play outside. In Dubai, they start to get lesser and lesser time outdoors in these months due to the heat.

Looking at the smiles on their faces, I am confident to say that our move to Japan was a great decision, at least, for them. They get to know their grandparents better (we live with them), they get to know about the culture and heritage that’s part of who they are and then they get to experience the changing of the seasons (and lots of outdoor time).

Do you live in a place with four seasons? Which one is your favorite?

March 15, 2018February 3, 2022 by findingbackroads

Starting a new life in Niigata

For the past two months, this is the view that greets me every morning when I wake up and open the curtains.

If you saw the photos I recently posted on my Instagram account during our move to Japan, specifically in Niigata prefecture, you would tell me I’ve gone crazy. And I’m going to tell you, you’re not alone in telling me that.

Yes, we traded the year round sunshine (and skyscrapers and heat!) of Dubai to this.

The peaceful, rural, countryside living over the big city life.

Why here and not Tokyo? Because we have decided to live more simply and not run around like headless chickens to get into packed trains every morning. That’s why I have declined offers of work in metropolitan Tokyo – I feel I am too old to handle the pressure of the daily commute and the work that pays more that would naturally mean work is more. We wanted to get the kids closer to nature and closer to their grandparents while they’re still around.

(This is where their father was born and raised until he moved out for college in the big city.)

You see all white in my photos because we moved to Japan after 11 years in Dubai in the middle of winter and settled in one of Japan’s snowiest areas where from December to March, cold Siberian air streaming south and east across the relatively warm waters of the Sea of Japan generate bands of clouds that dump snow over the mountains on the western part of Japan’s main island of Honshu.

(All these snow is too much? No baby, this is just the start. Pic taken a few days after we arrived in mid-January 2018)

Parts of Niigata Prefecture receive up to 8 meters (26.25 ft) of snow; the prefectural average is 5.78 meters (almost 19 ft). The city of Tsunan (next city to us) sometimes can get 10 meters (32.8 ft) of snow, literally covering the entire town if not for the very efficient snow clearing trucks that run regularly 24/7! Snow is so much that residents in most villages in Niigata prefecture must enter homes through special second-story entrances, including the in-laws’ house where we live now.

I’ve been to Tokamachi city in Niigata prefecture many times before, even in winter time but never stayed long enough to see how this small rural beauty which is evergreen in summer turn into a sprawling white wonderland in winter. The amount of snow is no joke but the resilience of the people living here echoes the life lesson, “this too shall pass”.

During January and February, they’ll be days where it snows like it would snow forever, no ending in sight. There will be mornings where we wake up to a 50 centimeters of snow and our car buried in white stuff – something I miss about living in Dubai is that you can easily get on your car and speed away, no snow to rake out in ‘winter’.

To be honest, I tried so hard not to end up living here because of the images about the dreadful images playing in my mind. But my husband said, how will you know if we don’t try? Surprisingly, I am not hating life here at all. I mean, not right now (maybe because I didn’t have to drive through the snow storms to work yet?). Snow storms can be dark and gloomy and dangerous and the most inconvenient thing is that, here, life goes on. Schools or work have not been suspended so far because of a snow storm. Like, ever, my mother in-law says.

When it snows, it’s kind of depressing but when the sun peeks out after a storm, it makes you think the snow storm that passed was just a bad nightmare. (And when it snows again, you’d wonder if the great sunshiny weather was just a wonderful dream…)

Beautiful, no? Snow is definitely beautiful to look at, in the photos. But to live with it, is another thing.

Luckily, there is no such thing as a whole year of winter. (even if my son wishes so!)

It’s almost spring as I write this. I’ve put off blogging for a while though I had the time (I am not working yet!) – I was busy cleaning, arranging things and renovating an almost 50 year old house, turning over corners that have been untouched for at least twenty years!

August 17, 2016February 3, 2022 by findingbackroads

Bohol Countryside Tour in one day

Philippines, Travels
Bohol, countryside, Family, history, nature, Philippines, summer, Tagbilaran, trip, vacation
2 Comments

After our tour of Panglao island and our wonderful time at one of Bohol’s finest resorts, The Bellevue Bohol, next up on our itinerary is the not to be missed “countryside tour” of the island. We moved to Bohol island’s capital city of Tagbilaran after checking out from our Panglao island accommodation, staying at a simple, boutique hotel near the city center, had lunch and rested the whole afternoon.

It was pouring that afternoon, which is totally normal since July is the start of the monsoon season in the Philippines. Thankfully, we did not have anything planned out that day, maybe just to go out to a mall to buy souvenirs and Bohol’s famous delicacy, the Kalamay.

To be honest, I was a bit anxious – will it rain like this the next day when we do the countryside tour? I surely hope not!

When morning came, luckily, the sun was out and prayers do help – it did not rain the whole day!

The van from the travel and tours company recommended by the Bohol Tourism office and guide, (she’s licensed by Philippine Department of Tourism) arrived on time just before 9 am. We’re ready for our countryside tour!

Related post: Bohol Travel Guide

Here are the places we visited. The Bohol countryside tour can be covered in one full day, however, if you would like to see and experience much more like the zip lines at Loboc or the hanging bridges at various parts of the island, you might need an extra day.

1. Tarsier Sanctuary at Corella

When you say “Bohol”, the tarsier automatically comes to mind. The Philippine tarsier, the world’s smallest primate is endemic to Bohol island (though there are some sighting in the islands of Samar and Mindanao). Tarsiers are small with very large eyes, elongated hind legs and feet, a thin tail and long fingers.

Tarsiers are arboreal (tree living) and jump through the trees to catch their food, which is mainly insect based, although can include lizards, snakes and birds. They are nocturnal (active at night) although some species may move around in the daytime.

Photo:outcast85/Shutterstock

Oh my God, how cute is this? Or am I weird for thinking Tarsiers are cute?

Before, tours at the Tarsier Sanctuary included touching these animals but not any more. Tarsiers are very shy creatures and do not like human contact. Our guide says, you can’t keep them in a cage as they’ll commit suicide. They’d rather die than be captured and kept. So intense.

The most noticeable thing about tarsiers are their eyes. They have the largest eyes relative to body size of any mammal. And their heads can turn to almost 360 degrees just like owls.

The Tarsier Sanctuary is a “sanctuary” for a reason. The majority of Tarsier species are now endangered or threatened, and some are designated critically endangered. They only breed once a year and gestation period lasts up to six months and a female can only bear one young every birth.

When we entered the sanctuary, which is a mini forest, there are guides who, in whispers, show us the way where a tarsier is resting (it’s daytime, they’re either sleeping or just chilling out). Guests are not supposed to make any noise and camera flash is a total no no.

In the above photo, Benjamin (almost 5 years old) looks extremely excited. He is, but we’ve been instructed to be quiet as not to scare the animals in their natural habitat. Tarsiers are very shy animals that prefer to stay away from human contact. Heck they are so solitary, they don’t even get close to other tarsiers. It is said that territory wise, it’s one Tarsier per hectare* of land.

*1 hectare = 2.5 acres = 10,000 square meters

The specific needs for tarsiers in both habitat and prey make captive breeding programs essentially impossible, and only around 50 percent of tarsiers put in captivity are able to survive. Habitat conservation is their only hope.

2. Chocolate Hills, Carmen

The Chocolate Hills of Bohol is nothing like any other geographical wonder you’ll see. Conical mounds, almost identical, rising from the Earth, sprawled across a lush green landscape 50 square kilometers wide. It is located in the middle of Bohol island.

HOW TO GET THERE

From the Tagbilaran port, you ride a tricycle to the bus terminal in Dao. At the terminal, you ride a bus/van headed to Carmen. The travel time is 45 minutes to one hour. The bus will stop at the Chocolate Hills. (Or you can also hire a van from travel and tours companies for a private tour)

The hills are not huge; the highest one barely reaches 120 meters in height. Even so, most hills are between 30 and 50 meters. There is one main hill with an observation deck at the top. Be prepared to climb 200+ steps. We were there around 11 am and it was hot and humid. The climb was exhausting but the view from the top made it all worth it.

I’m so lucky to be travelling with my brother who helped me with Benjamin so I can take photos without worrying he’d fall or something. And Uncle Jay also carried him at some point, especially when we climbed up.

This extraordinary landscape is unique to this small island. It is said that there are 1,776 of these hills sprawled in 50 square kilometers.

MORE THAN A THOUSAND OF THESE HILLS. Let that sink in in your system for a while.

What a wonderful, mysterious planet we live in. The hills looked almost artificial with the uncanny symmetry that it’s hard to believe they are a product of erosion and time.

The observation deck at the top is still undergoing lots of construction/restoration after the devastating earthquake that struck the island a couple of years ago.

Mystery still surrounds how the Chocolate Hills were formed. One of the more popular local legends is that long ago, two giants fought for days, hurling earth and stones at one another, until they fell exhausted, friends once more, into each other’s arms.

What it really is: The Chocolate Hills are thought to have been formed as uplifted marine limestone was cracked by tectonic movements and then weathered away by water and wind.

At the climb down, Benjamin wanted to see the other side. The hills are not too visible from here but I guess if you live and grew up in the desert, the massive greenery right in front of your eyes could get you a little excited, yes?

It was hot and humid at the top, alright but I spent the next few minutes in silent awe, watching the rolling white clouds against the mounds of earth. Here’s an aerial view of the area. (Photo not mine.)

Photo credit

By the way, the name “Chocolate Hills” comes from the brown color the sun-burnt cogon grass transforms during the summer months.

3. Bilar man-made forest

The plan was to have lunch at Loboc river aboard one of those floating restaurants. To get there, we passed by Bilar man-made forest.

This spot is a favourite stop for tourists going to and/or from the Chocolate Hills in Carmen town. You’ll see a lot of cars parked on the road side and people taking photos or just stop and breathe in fresh mountain air. You can also see tourists taking risky shots, like in the middle of the highway. It’s extremely dangerous as so many buses, trucks and private vehicles appear out of nowhere with ample speed. Don’t do it if you’re there!

This man-made forest is a forest with mahogany trees planted by the government in order to restore green spaces damaged by excessive logging. This 2 kilometer stretch of densely planted Mahogany trees is located in the border of Loboc and Bilar towns.

That’s my father, by the way, in the picture.

4. River cruise + lunch, Loboc

We arrived at Loboc just in time for lunch at midday and our guide led us through the docking area whre the Village Floating Resto & Cruises boat awaits. There are a lot of floating restaurants available but this was the one we used.

The river cruise with buffet lunch was priced at PHP450 per person, as of this writing.

When the cruise started, the views were nothing short of enchanting. I fell for it. Hard. Because, who wouldn’t? I thanked God the weather was clear and good, making the cruise so much more wonderful and everywhere you look is just lush green trees and the blue sky.

Buffet lunch is served on these floating restaurants but I tell you, when you go on Loboc river cruise, you do not go for the food (me, at least, that what I feel). Imagine having lunch while cruising slowly down a this calm, scenic river.

That said, food aboard the floating restaurant we were in was great. We loved it. I wasn’t expecting very much from the buffet at all but actually was good – plenty of choice and delicious. There were several boats cruising along the river but ours was full, which meant it is better than the others.

The cruise will last for an hour and will make a few stops along the way. First stop is at the river choir station where the locals serenade the guest with traditional Visayan songs. They will also perform a “Tinikling” dance, a traditional dance in the Philippines. There is no fee to watch the show but, it’s very much appreciated to give a tip.

What a gorgeous, verdant river! The unspoiled greenery meant one thing; there is a very healthy ecosystem that is preserved in this part of Loboc River. Also, our guide said there are absolutely NO factories of any kind in Bohol island. The fresh air will vouch for that.

The Loboc River Cruise was my favorite part of the countryside tour that I am going to write a separate post why.

5. Blood compact site, Tagbilaran

On our way back to Tagbilaran City, we stopped at the Sandugo or Blood Compact Shrine monument, a landmark at the site of the first international treaty of friendship between Spaniards and Filipinos.

This site will be meaningful to those who recognize the significance of this historical event. I remember my history class – the ruler of the native people of Bohol, Datu Sikatuna, and the Spanish explorer, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, sealed their peace treaty in the tradition of the native people – sandugo, or blood compact in March 16, 1565.

I explained to my kids that these people, when they were alive hundreds of years ago, poured some of their blood into a cup filled with liquor and drank it to seal a friendship or treaty. “Sandugo” is a Visayan word which means “one blood”

There wasn’t much to see. It’s just a really a monument, my daughter said but I told her: imagine standing on the same ground where the blood compact happened.

Then she thought they were suddenly cool for standing on such a historical site!

The monument, with the bronze statues of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, Rajah Sikatuna and several other witnesses, was a masterpiece of the Boholano sculptor and National Artist for Sculpture, Napoleon Abueva.

Behind the monument is a magnificent view of Bohol Sea.

That concludes our Bohol countryside tour. We still had plenty of time to catch the ship leaving at 7 pm from Tagbilaran port to take us home to Mindanao island.

There are several travel and tours offering this countryside tour and it’s not really easy to say which one is good. It requires research and scouring the internet and weighing so many factors: price, inclusions, positive reviews, etc. We did the safest way – by contacting the Bohol Tourism office. They recommended Travel Village and Tours who picked us up at our hotel in Tagbilaran. This travel and tours company was fab and made our tour of Bohol memorable and worry-free with a very professional local guide, very cautious driver, clean van. Ms. Cecille, our guide was jolly, warm and all knowing about everything in the tour and had interesting stories to tell. She can even speak a little Japanese!

If you’re going to visit Bohol island in the Philippines for the beaches (mainly that’s what most tourists do), please spare at least a day to do the countryside tour before you go back to your concrete jungle in the big city. You won’t regret it. And there’s one thing I can guarantee you: you would be dreaming about this unspoiled piece of land for days.

Finding Backroads

Get out of the tourist trail

Tag / countryside