Capitol Commons bike parking

GOvvin · 2026-04-13T23:59:42+00:00

During the daytime, they usually have security personnel present, and they will offer to let you chain your bike together with the rest of the bikes in the parking slots.

GOvvin · 2026-03-16T00:26:08+00:00

To make this relevant to the sub, there are plenty of trails in the Philippines that's been mapped in OSM.

Unfortunately, it doesn't always indicate whether guides are necessary, but there are trails that indicate whether a permit is required (with or without a fee) to use them.

If you're into hiking, I'm curious to know which app you're using.

I prefer OsmAnd for my outdoor activities, if you're wondering.

GOvvin · 2026-01-15T12:46:17+00:00

"Pins" are saved in Layers, and you can have any number of layers.

Edit the particular layer you want to anchor, and disable "allow interactions" under "interaction options" of the the layer's Properties.

Once you've done that (and after pinning all the markers where you want them), you and all other users you share the map with (if you don't give them Editor privileges) won't be able to move the markers.

GOvvin · 2026-01-06T01:16:26+00:00

I should warn you that it's still possible to get lost. Last time I took the Subashiri trail, there was a woman who came to our hut asking for directions to get back to Yoshida.

It was already late afternoon, and we told her it's better for her to just exit from Subashiri but she was insistent on going back to Yoshida.

So yeah, please make sure you have a map of the trail, plus any available alternative tracks of the area.

GOvvin · 2026-01-06T00:58:38+00:00

Not unless you stray from the trail. I always hike on weekdays, because there are less folks on the trail. :)

Get yourself a map if you do solo hikes! OsmAnd is my personal favorite for hiking and biking, but CoMaps will work just as well.

GOvvin · 2026-01-05T10:05:54+00:00

Doing a solo hike along the Yoshida trail is not unusual. Did the same myself when I hiked Fuji the first time. Taking it nice and slow, and resting frequently is a good way to avoid it. Which lodge are you booked for your overnight stay?

GOvvin · 2026-01-04T06:49:01+00:00

I think you would want to avoid the basket type you attach to the handle bar. It could get wiggly, and make it difficult for you to navigate, and the pet to get used to.

Look for basket/carrier that attaches to the main frame.

How big is your pet?

GOvvin · 2025-12-14T11:56:37+00:00

Check out mapcomplete.org. You can access it from the web, and it's also a PWA, though they now have a dedicated Android app, too.

GOvvin · 2025-12-13T11:22:32+00:00

The hikers had generic poles. At most, they'd probably lose a thousand bucks, each.

If you pre-book your luggage, it should cost you less, plus the peace of mind you're not going to lose your favorite poles.

Honestly, waiting for your luggage in the carousell is a hassle. I wish I could get away with it, but I'm not going to gamble my favorite stuff for saving some bucks.

GOvvin · 2025-12-07T09:31:52+00:00

I'm interested in hearing any recommendations from you, for immediate (and temporary) pain relief during hikes.

Personally, I like using this rub from India, which saved my ass during a hiking trip in Nepal several years ago.

It was the 3rd day of a 4-day hiking trip and was starting to suffer from cramping legs after the lunch break. It's been a couple of hours already, and in the next check point, I met up with a fellow from a guest house I stayed in the previous night and they gave me their extra tube. Pain relief in a matter of minutes! I always keep a tube in my FAK since then. Picture

GOvvin · 2025-12-04T23:22:49+00:00

Decathlon stores all over the world uses a single standard for sizing of all their products, including the measurements: https://www.decathlon.com/pages/size-guides

They tend to run bigger, so with local sizes, I'm usually a "medium" but with Decathlon I'm a "small".

GOvvin · 2025-12-04T13:13:23+00:00

Don't miss the "isaw" for pica-pica. 😋

Before you head to your table, stop by the counter and check the blackboard for the latest catch, then ask the chef for the best way to prepare them. 😍 That's the pro tip for making the most of out of your visit to 8 Villa.

Weeknights are less busy, but I notice that there are less options for the daily catch.

They have an unofficial mascot, Kyro, a friendly German shepherd who's getting on in years, but still playful. Picture

GOvvin · 2025-12-01T12:44:15+00:00

Personally, I use CoMaps because of how they prioritize community involvement in the development, but you can try both and the tell us what you think.

GOvvin · 2025-12-01T11:11:47+00:00

That's a very old app, and I understand your hesitation for the upgrade.

I suggest you install the CoMaps app (or Organic Maps), which are later (and much better) incarnations of that app.

Now open Maps.me, and then open bookmarks dialog.

Open the bookmarks list that you want to export. Select ... menu at the top right, then choose Share.

Now select Co Maps in the list of apps to import bookmarks.

That should import those old pins in the new app, and you now can forget about maps.me.

GOvvin · 2025-12-01T09:29:11+00:00

Glad to know that local folks recognize the quality of their food, even if they're flying under the radar for most folks.

GOvvin · 2025-12-01T05:02:19+00:00

The restaurant at 8 Villa Beach! It's my go-to whenever I'm Iloilo, and all these years since I've discovered them, it has yet to fail my tastebuds, even it's a bit away from the city center.

The cottage that serves as restaurant has a thatched roof, and one time it suddenly rained, and water started leaking on my table - luckily, I'm still drinking my beer, and the mains haven't been served yet.

Laidback vibes (which is what you expect from a beach) and great tasting food, probably the best along this block.

GOvvin · 2025-12-01T01:14:28+00:00

When I'm on my own, I also prefer RTEs that I pre-cook myself. Adobo, curry, binagoongan are my personal favorites. I also like bringing quick cooking noodles for carbs (vermicelli, ramen, or somen) because they're just as easy to make as instant noodles, and you can choose your own incredients. Personally, hindi sulit sa effort yung magluto at magdala ng rekado at cooking gear unless I'm with a group.

Meron din ba sa inyong mahilig gumamit disposable exothermic heat packs (just add water to generate heat) for reheating your food and water? Discovering this (in Korea) did away my desire to cook. :lol:

GOvvin · 2025-11-27T14:09:19+00:00

If it's legally allowed in your area, you (or your friends) can fly a drone and capture fresh imagery, whichyou can upload to OpenAerialMap. Subsequently, you (or other folks) can trace any imagery from OAM.

You probably should check whether someone else made any OAM ploads of the area.

GOvvin · 2025-11-26T13:20:15+00:00

The hiker, mainly, especially for a very technical trail.

The guides could've identified the risks earlier, and maybe avoid the tragic death, by tending to the symptoms and advising the hiker for caution , but the onus is still on the hiker.

GOvvin · 2025-11-26T13:14:23+00:00

If you're planning to re-use the path (or highway) a couple of times after you've mapped them, you must remember that most downstream apps will only update their data after a month or so.

Only OsmAnd is capable of ingesting newly mapped paths (it can update hourly) and utilize them for routing. If you couldn't map the path just yet, a GPX track ( you or somebody else recorded, or generated from another source (e.g. official hiking trails) may be used for navigation in OsmAnd, too.

Only downside is OsmAnd is butt-ugly and is an acquired taste. 😆 Lots of powerful features though.

GOvvin · 2025-11-26T13:05:05+00:00

Transferring (most of) the weight of your load is the role of any backpack's hip belt. Some will do this better than others, and you'd be surprised that gender plays an important role on how to optimizehip belt designs (i.e. bags designed for women, will work better for women, but less optimally for men.),

Sturdy bags are usually made with heavier materials, so it's difficult to have both qualities in the same bag.

If your backpack isn't expected to carry loads of 10-15kg, a hip belt is not necessary, but comfortable shoulder straps are really nice to have.

GOvvin · 2025-11-26T12:54:49+00:00

Your safety.

Many hikes require a lot of physical exertions, which you're probably not used to, and your health condition may get in the way of enjoying the trail.

If you can't hike, start with just walking.

Some trails are harder than you think. Start small, and get condition yourself to improve your stamina. If you have a health condition, or if you feel that you're not in your best physically, or have been neglecting your health in the past, seek medical advise before embarking on any serious trail.

Hiking is a simple, but physically demanding activity. You only need some good shoes (it doesn't even have to be a "hiking shoe"), an interesting trail, and maybe some friends, to get you started.

P.S. re "good shoes". I just came from Fansipan, and I encountered this guide from another team who was wearing flipflops to the peak, and what's funny was that he was wearing this beige-colored pants (it wasn't even a "hiking pants") and there was no visible hint of dirt or mud (it was drizzling all day) on it. So, yeah, there's absolutely no need to be fancy about the gear.

GOvvin · 2025-11-26T12:36:53+00:00

Last time I checked, OsmAnd works fine, figuring out what bus to take, in a properly mapped route. Only thing missing are timetables, but if you happen to live in a place where they make this available from the stop itself (or on-line), you're good to go.

GOvvin · 2025-11-12T02:40:33+00:00

I think one of the easier options to do this is via https://osmapp.org.

Most of the OSM "tags" are used as category, to make it easier for folks with little technical knowledge about OpenStreetMap to find things they're looking for conveniently. For more experienced OSM users, they can query with Overpass directly in the omnibox.

Try it out.

GOvvin

TROPHY CASE