Jana and I spent a few days in the Philippines a couple of weeks ago to be with family and to accomplish some tasks. After having been in Dubai for 4 years, there was a lot of catching up in terms of responsibilities and planning for the future. What was once a travel for travel (or travel [...]
Philippines
Cebu Trip: Snorkelling at Tuble Marine Sanctuary in Moalboal

My friend, Edwin, was negotiating with boatmen in Moalboal, Cebu, while Doi, Gael, and I, set up a table for lunch. Arriving from the night before, we stayed in Basdaku/White Beach in order to spend a day of snorkelling in the Tuble Marine Sanctuary. Tuble Marine Sanctuary Moalboal, Cebu September 05, 2011 Swimming in Moalboal [...]
5 Luxury Hotels to Stay in Boracay Island, Philippines

Boracay, despite the crowd, is still a great destination to have some sun and sand while you travel to the Philippines. With its powdery sands and pristine water and various beach activities, you can definitely do a lot of fun things in this island. As this is a touristy area, you have plenty of options [...]
Zamboanga City Highlights: Things to Do, Places to Visit

I spent 9 days in Zamboanga City. I visited my girlfriend’s hometown and also toured the area in the process. I was a little worried in the beginning because I left on the day that Typhoon Pablo entered the Philippines. However, Zamboanga was one of the few destinations where scheduled flights still pushed through. For [...]
Shooting Trees at Microtel Inn & Suites Luisita in Tarlac

After a fun afternoon of Go Kart racing in Tarlac’s Kart City, we spent the night in Microtel Inn & Suites Luisita. It was an adrenaline-packed day, like all the other days of our Lakbay Norte 3 familiarization tour. I immediately hit the sack which made me wake up early the next day. Shooting Trees [...]
White Water Rafting at Chico River in Kalinga

We arrived from a long bus ride from Nueva Ecija to Las Palmas Hotel and Resort in Tuguegarao. Travel time took about 9 hours so we spent the night inside the Lakbay Norte 3 shuttle to rest. Afterwards, we headed to our assigned rooms so we could get ready for another adventure prepared for us. [...]
Our Melting Pot Hostel in Makati, Philippines

I was in Manila last week and I was searching for backpacker lodges in the area since my friend’s place (where I normally crash) was unavailable. I was planning to stay in backpacker hostels in Malate but I found it a bit far from the metro. Good thing I was referred by Dong Ho to Our [...]
Cagayan de Oro Trip: Whitewater Rafting Adventure with a Family

I travelled to Cagayan de Oro because of an assignment and I spent my weekend there alone. The previous weekend, I went to Siargao by myself, too. I’m starting to embrace the notion of flying solo and it’s not really that much of a big deal for me anymore. I still prefer travelling with friends [...]
Zamboanga Trip: Gorgeous Merloquet Falls

The day before I left Zamboanga, I was able to visit the gorgeous Merloquet Waterfalls in Barangay Sibulao. This was one of the main highlights during my trip to this side of Mindanao known as Asia’s Latin Cty. Merloquet Waterfalls in Zamboanga December 9, 2012 Merloquet Falls in Zamboanga I initially thought there were only [...]
Fun Dive at Apo Island in Negros Oriental

During a trip to Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, I brought Jana to Apo Island for a fun day at the beach and some snorkelling. However, when we arrived at the island, the marine sanctuary was closed due to earthquakes and typhoons that affected the area. They had to close it to let the coral reefs recover. [...]
Sunrise in Malapascua Island Cebu

It’s been a year since I first visited the island of Malapascua in Cebu. Up to now, I haven’t written a good blog entry about it sans for the time when I was able to jump off a 50-foot cliff – read article here. I don’t think I’ll be able to write a better account [...]
Cebu: Afternoon in Basdako White Beach, Moalboal

After Kawasan Falls, we went back to the main road in order to hail a bus. We were to find a place to eat in the town proper as it was already lunch time. We would be heading to another tourist place in Badian for an afternoon hangout session in Basdako (White Beach), Moalboal. Basdako [...]
Cebu: Revisiting Kawasan Falls

From the Sunday morning market in Mantalongon, Dalaguete, we were able to hire two motorbikes (habal-habal) to Kawasan Falls in Badian. It’s faster than having to ride back to the Dalaguete intersection and wait for a bus. We tried to haggle, but we still paid around 150 Php per person for the motorbike ride. Mantalongon to [...]
Cebu: Mantolongon Sunday Morning Market

Waking up in the morning at the barangay hall in Mantalongon, Cebu, we hurriedly took our turns in the bathroom to fix ourselves. Even if I was a little tired from the trek to Osmena Peak, I still had a good night’s sleep especially when I didn’t have to pay much (50 Php) for a sleeping [...]
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