Resty Uy bagged the top prize in the popular sights category plus a free trip to Singapore. He submitted a dramatic shot of a tsinelas (slippers) being illuminated by the setting sun in Coron, Palawan.

Karen Gonzalez emerged winner in the travelogue category with a series of shots capturing the vivacity of young people in Iloilo. They’re shown performing in a festival, leaping for joy and wading through the sea using their tsinelas which is the central object in the contest.

Michelle Salen topped the people category with her moving photo of a young boy joining the funeral march for the late President Cory Aquino. For this, Michelle wins a free trip to Bangkok. All the other winners also won Canon cameras and a Load Warrior from the Travel Club.

Next time you travel, practice Photography 101, especially those creative shots. Who knows, it can be a rewarding activity for you. I certainly hope Cebu Pacific continues this contest for next year:)

Our trip to Coron, Palawan last September would prove to be one of the most memorable ever, especially for this blogger who is Little Miss Afraid of Plane Rides I really should know better than ride a propeller plane on bad weather, but there was simply the inescapable lure of Coron beckoning me and the hubby on our planned second honeymoon.

Our plane wasn’t even half-full when we left NAIA Terminal 2 that morning. I felt comforted by a group of giggling college students who were having the time of their lives taking group pictures before the flight. Like us, they were excited because this was their first trip to Coron too. I would see the same college students holding the motion discomfort bags 30 minutes later, when it became evident that the plane ride was far from being pleasant.

On the other hand, Mr. Z – who’s used to riding helicopters- considered it normal, even though at one point he commented: “I don’t know why they’re flying into the clouds, when they should be over the clouds.”

I distract myself by talking to the stewardess:

Me: Miss, have you been in a flight this,ehrmm, turbulent?
FA: Yes ma’am.
Me: Oh well, what flight was it?
FA: In an Airbus.
Me: Oh. So why hasn’t the pilot spoken since the flight started?
(and before Miss FA can answer me, the pilot is finally overheard on the PA system)

Pilot: Ladies and gentlemen, we are now approaching Busuanga Airport. Please expect light to moderate turbulence before we land…..

WAAAHHH!

I was quite relieved to hear we were about to land, but even the landing itself was hard and rough. I even thought “nosedive” was the more appropriate word. To cut a long story short, we arrived in one piece in Coron, bumps and all. God bless this beast…..

In fairness, I also talked to a PAL Express commuter that day and she also said that their flight was rough. I was quite in a daze when we landed in Busuanga Airport which was still a good 45-minute van ride to Coron proper. In due time, I would think it was all worth it because Coron was beautiful!

I made sure to have my tsinelas (slippers) taken in the different sceneries. Just in case anybody’s wondering, Cebu Pacific has its ongoing Wandering Juan photo contest discussed in this previous post. Just take a photo of “interesting sights and people” featuring a pair of slippers in a Cebu Pacific destination of your choice, and upload the photos to the official contest website.

I believe the contest deadline is nearing now. Registration of entries is from July 1, 2009 to October 31, 2009. Fifteen finalists will be announced from November 2-16, and these will be posted on the contest website for online voting from November 20-December 20, 2009. Tabulation of online votes and the judging of the finalists will be on December 21-22. Free trips and irresistible road warrior gadgets are at stake for the winners.

Am not sure if I want to join myself, as the present batch of pictures uploaded to the Wandering Juan photo gallery are already uber-creative. But I’d like to lend my support to this project, being a Cebu Pacific traveller – bumps or no bumps!

Just got this from the mail a few hours ago. Just goes to prove how top budget airline Cebu Pacific knows their marketing, despite the flight delays, LOL. They have launched the Wandering Juan Photo Contest in time for the lean travelling months of July to October. Get your pics taken in your location of choice, and have a chance to win free round trip tickets for two to Cebu Pacific international destinations, namely Singapore, Bangkok and Kota Kinabalu.

Highlights of the contest mechanics are the following:

1. Local (Filipino) and foreign travellers are eligible to join, for as long as they bought their CebuPac tickets from July 1 to Oct. 31, 2009.

2. Entries should fall under any of these categories:

- Photos of landmarks and other sceneries, with a caption of no more than six sentences.

- Photos of local residents, with a description of the person (including name and occupation) or a memorable quote from the person not exceeding six sentences.

- Travelogue with a series of five photographs that tell a story. It must come with a one-sentence caption.

Entries for all categories should feature a pair of tsinelas (flip-flops or slippers), which may range from Havaianas to Havanas, LOL. For photo samples, view the gallery in the official contest website.

This should be interesting. Hope the contest website doesn’t break down from the weight of all the entries. We know how Filipinos love to take photos during their trips, hehehe. I really don’t know the connection between slippers and Cebu Pacific, but that’s the motif they’ve chosen anyway. In all my recent trips, I’ve worn my favorite, super-soft sandals from Ipanema… so yes, that’s relevant