Active Lifestyle in Nuvali

Wakeboarding on a Monday holiday

Life in Nuvali Philippines,

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After three years of saying, \”I want to wakeboard\” in Nuvali, I finally decided to just do it!

We went on the Monday morning of the recent long weekend (thank you, National Heroes Day).

Blessing for the day: slightly overcast sky so we got semi-shielded from the sun. What gave us not-so-happy vibes: the line at the beginner lake was too long! We only got two attempts each, and waited over an hour for each round. Our advice: go early mornings on weekdays. Avoid holidays and weekends (includes Fridays).
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Just the same, it was AWESOME!

It wasn\’t as hard as I thought it would be.
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And I\’m super proud of myself for being able to stand on my first try! I didn\’t make it all the way to the end, but I know that with a little more training, it will happen.
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All smiles despite the \”bitin\” session — next time we will go on a non-peak day!
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Greens and Patches: a tree nursery in Nuvali

Life in Nuvali Philippines

Took a wrong turn while biking two weeks ago and found our way to Nuvali\’s community nursery, Greens and Patches.

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We got to explore a bit of the nursery itself, which had rows of trees with matching labels, just like the fruit tree area at the Manila Seedling bank along EDSA.

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The rest of the area was closed, but the caretakers/gardeners told us they just need a go signal from Nuvali management to let visitors in. If you\’re looking to visit, drop by the Evoliving Center for a pass beforehand. Other areas of interest include a vegetable maze, an herb garden, even a pond. I was curious to see the vertical garden… maybe next time.

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I would assume the area is accessible to light vehicles via the dirt road in between Elaro and Montecito in Nuvali Central. Just know that the road is not paved (i.e. it\’s just compressed soil), so best to go on a dry day.

New Zealand a la Nuvali

Life in Nuvali Philippines

Been getting to know the bike trails in Nuvali…and so far, my favorite is still the New Zealand trail in Nuvali South.

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It\’s a scenic, easy roll up, roll down trail across the Miriam College site all the way to the back of Venare.

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We thought weekends would be especially crowded at the trail but we were greeted by slow traffic even on a weekday morning:

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I\’ve been charged by a cow in Batanes, so I know better than to startle a grazing herd.  It took about 10 minutes and a gentle \”excuse me\” for them to let us pass.  😛

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I hope they keep this trail open and develop other parts of Nuvali first… it really is a gift to have this just five minutes away!

Biking in Nuvali – my first trail

Life in Nuvali Philippines

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Had my first morning trail ride in Nuvali yesterday — was happy to discover a whole new world right under my nose!

A friend came to visit so we could go biking, which I took as doing 10K rounds around the village. Ten minutes into the ride and we reached the edge of Avida Settings, saw Elaro across the street, and casually decided to head for the Bird Sanctuary (neither of us had been there before).

Little did we know we\’d end up on an actual bike trail, and 2 hours later reach Venare via the uphill path behind Montecito.
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Was an adventure of a morning, what with both of us being first timers on any trail.

We entered the soil path between Elaro and Montecito and followed the signs that pointed to the bird sanctuary.
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Yoga and dance in Nuvali – free classes ongoing

Life in Nuvali Philippines

Nuvali friends, we will soon have our very own yoga studio/healing space/juice bar so close to our homes!

I went to check out the site last Saturday — it\’s going to be located right above Yellow Cab in Solenad 1:

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Classes will start in March or April, but the good news is that they are already conducting free sessions every Tuesday morning at the Monochrome, the new events place right by the lake.

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I met Oudine Santos, one of the owners of Breathe, a few weeks back and her fitness vibe instantly rubbed off on me. That same day I took my bike out for a ride and definitively jumpstarted my fitness comeback.   Oudine was all warm and inviting about the Tuesday classes, so I was eager to give it a go this week.

It was Session#3, and my first attempt at Zumba. Until now my muscles are still (happily) complaining from the work out, but I\’d gladly do it again!

Was a great morning, what with this to greet us along with the happy smiles of about 25 participants:
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Side note: It really is such a gift to live within 5 minutes of this.

Also noted the juice bar component of Breathe, and as a raw food advocate, am mighty excited about this!
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Looking forward to next Tuesday\’s Yin Yoga, a less active form of yoga that involves prolonged stretching. My introduction to yoga was at a 3-day retreat in Palawan in 2011, where I learned that there are actually a number of different yoga practices.   Yin Yoga was one of those that I found enjoyable (we were holding our stretches by the beach!).  It \”targets the connective tissues, such as the ligaments, bones, and even the joints of the body.\”

Oudine gave a brief on the various yoga styles they\’ll be offering (Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin Yoga), and said they will eventually also offer other forms of dance, kids yoga, kids dance and pre natal and Sivananda yoga. You may email her at breatheph@gmail.com for more info.

Meanwhile, here\’s the list of yoga/dance packages for those interested to enroll already:

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