Sagada is love. And just like love, it comes with a few sacrifices. For starters, going to Sagada takes almost 12 hours of road trip. The high roads zigzagging through mountain sides and cliffs certainly don't help especially for acrophobic. But taking risks and being brave are all part of a journey toward having a great experience and adventure. Here are the things I love about Sagada.. 1....

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I imagined Caleruega to be completely serene and peaceful - a haven of sorts for people looking for quiet. The blogs I read about the place never failed to talk about how subdued and enchanting the whole surrounding is. Although I always take everything with a grain of salt, I was simply sold hook line and sinker with the idea that it could possibly be the best place...

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I was on my way to Central Station, where my friend and I planned to meet, when he asked me what kind of afternoon it was. He was running late, perhaps on the fence what attire would suit best. Looking at the Manila skyline, I responded that it wasn't very gloomy - hot but not scorching (apparently not the best time to wear tyvek suits). The subtext of...

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"ARE WE THERE YET? AREN'T WE GETTING OFF?" P asked impatiently as the bus gently swerved to the left and made a graceful halt in the middle of a small terminal in Maria Aurora, a town in Aurora province, a few miles north of Manila. A couple of passengers hurriedly got off the bus, carrying their stuff - big boxes and sacks of goods, probably pasalubong for their...

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If these films didn't make you feel inspired to hit the road, I'm not sure what would. 1. Into the Wild [2007] Right after graduating from college, a young man (Emile Hirsch) decides to leave everything behind and heads to Alaska where he lives in isolation. Source: Google Images Favorite scene: 2. Motorcycle Diaries [2004] Based on Che Guevarra's memoir, the film chronicles the adventures of two young...

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I CLOSED MY EYES AND CAUGHT the smell of summer wafting through the air. A May breeze, gentle and warm, swelling up like a piece of wild fruit bursting with colors, its tiny seeds exploding with aroma. It's a perfectly beautiful Friday afternoon in El Nido - the light of the sun hammered down to its heart's content. Sitting at the edge of the beach, Bong (our tour...

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With arms and legs flapping against the sand, an act reminiscent of that peculiar scene in Stephen Chbosky's film adaptation of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" which involved Charlie getting high while helplessly lying on the ground covered with snow, M blurted out a quintessential question I've been meaning to ask - "Have you ever dreamed about doing this everyday? This, spending all day and night on...

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"Why would you be scared of something that's completely safe?" I challenged a colleague who was shrieking with excitement when we were discussing about possible activities we'd be doing in Boracay. Parasailing was one of the top choices. The conversation happened in January, back when we were planning a summer getaway. "Ehhhhh, we'll be extremely high up. Can you imagine looking down when you're several feet up? What...

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The sea is heaving. The waves, restless and angry, threaten to upturn our outrigger boat manned by two young Hambil locals. The boat creaks as it bobs over a deep blue bayou that stretches out to the treacherous Tablas Strait in the west. For nearly about an hour, my heart is in my throat. Sailing to Boracay from Tablas, Romblon when the waves are rough can be a...

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Traveling to Sibuyan, Romblon requires patience, time and long ferry ride. It's physically taxing but it's worth it. 1. They have an island called Cresta de Gallo that's uninhabited and beautiful, with white-sand beach and rich marine life. ...

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When I think about Philippine geography - there are two things that come to mind. One is the unique map of our archipelago, and the other is Yoyoy Villame's Philippine Geography song. The melody is a little funny but its lyrics offer a primer on geography. It's probably too kitschy for your taste so you hardly recognize the song. Well, it goes something like this. From the north...

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It was a lovely day. The sun's out. The sky's bright and clear. The sea was calm. What could possibly go wrong? The boat ride from Sta. Fe in Tablas to Carabao Island doesn't take more than an hour. This I know too well because I've taken the same trip a year ago when I went to San Jose with a friend. The only difference was we took...

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After 12 months, I was back again in Looc Fish Sanctuary. This time with colleagues from Manila. Except for a few interesting species of fish that lurked under the floating raft and the view of stranded ship in the distance, nothing much has changed.  No, we can't make it. Yes, we can. I was chanting these lines in my head on our way to Looc aboard a knotty...

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Dodging the risk of getting mainstream as far as creating my top 15 blog list is concerned, I initially crossed a few outstanding travel sites off my poll. A rather unfair move because most of those blogs deserve a spot in the Top 15 but they've been at the top of the totem pole for quite some time now so excluding them from my list won't even hurt...

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HAVING WOKEN UP QUITE EARLY the day before, getting up right after the break of dawn the next day had become a relatively easy affair for most of us. No one whined as we packed our stuff and hit the shower one by one (two toilets for the eight of us, no hot water). Jarold, the jeepney that took us to San Fernando two days ago, was going...

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"THAT LEDGE DOESN'T LOOK high enough," I thought to myself while looking at the 35-40 feet diving platform where young boys jumped off bravely, doing various stunts mid-air before hitting the water below. From afar, at least where I was standing that time, it didn't look scarily high but once I got to the top, with the clear water a few feet below, I found myself weak in...

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[Mt. Guiting-Guiting in the background] THE SUN WAS HALF-HIDDEN BEHIND a bank of grey clouds when we emerged from the ankle-deep stream to find a small clearing before us with the intimidating panorama of Mt. Guiting-Guiting in the distance. The famous mountain refused to reveal herself to us, always veiled in mist and fog which never quite left her. Like an elusive but proud maiden, she only let...

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Precariously perched atop a crowded jeepney on a beautiful Saturday morning, we traversed our way from the sleepy town of Cantingas to the scenic village of Espana in Sibuyan, Romblon toploading style. [Local teenager helping my friends to get on top] Getting to the roof of the vehicle already full to the brim, so to speak, was no mean feat as we had to scramble our way up,...

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"One loves the sunset when one is sad," said the Little Prince in Antoine de Saint Exupéry's most beloved story. If that were true, then we might be as well a bunch of sad, emotional and sorrowful souls who simply happened to be in a pretty lonely place on a peculiar afternoon waiting for the dying sun. Could be very poetic if that was the case. But we...

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There is a small island sitting off the coast of Sibuyan in Romblon. It's called "Cresta de Gallo." We went there one summer and I was incredibly stunned by its beauty. Without sounding biased, I can say that it's one of the best islands I've seen. The photos don't lie, it's really a looker. The scenic sand bar of Cresta de Gallo Getting to the island is not...

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My stomach groaned in disagreement when the group decided to take lunch in Cresta de Gallo, a small island off the coast of San Fernando, Sibuyan, Romblon. Well, I had no problem per se with having lunch in Cresta de Gallo. It's just that I felt like someone or something had been intent on taking my lunch away! Lunch had been pretty much elusive that day. En route...

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"So this is how you go home?" K, one of my friends, asked me as we were huddled in one crowded section of the busy terminal in Batangas Port. By how, she meant the stress and hassle involved in the trip. I nodded to confirm while looking around, trying to find vacant seats for the eight of us. Beads of sweat started to form on my temple; my...

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OUR HOST, MON, GREETS US with a rather flamboyant and disturbing display of his guy part thinly veiled by his scandalous pekpek shorts. The heat in Iba, Zambales - probably around 32 (°C) - hardly bothers us; it is Mon's bold attire that instantly gets us preoccupied. He waits for us by the side of the road so we are able to spot him easily as we traipse...

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A trip can be highly memorable in a lot of ways and for different reasons. Oftentimes, we all want to remember only the good things that happened in our journey - those moments that make us a proud and better traveler but too often we encounter situations that are uncomfortable, downright embarrassing or just plain awkward. We try to sweep them under the rug and rarely talk about...

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There's a little island called Magalawa off the coast of Palauig in Zambales. It features a nice white sand beach that runs 7 kilometers around its shore.  It's not very far from Manila so it can be an ideal weekend destination for those who are looking for a quick escape this summer. ...

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(Warning: This post is loaded with photos) Boracay. Beautiful sunset, white-sand beach and crazy parties. For many, it's the ultimate summer destination. Recipient of multiple awards for being one of the world's best beaches, Boracay draws thousands of tourists from around the globe every day. It never fails to amaze even the most jaded traveler, but the commercialization as an effect of its rise to fame puts some...

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Travel quotes don't only inspire, they also provide great insights that help even the most seasoned traveler widen his perspective on traveling. Memorable ones are a thing of beauty that's timeless, rings true and hits close to home. Here are some of my favorite travel quotes. They inspire me in more ways than one. I hope they will inspire the traveler in you too. Have a safe and...

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I like to romanticize my journey home (I wrote a post about it here). Going back to the place I grew up has always been a nostalgic affair for me. After leaving our house in the province more than a decade ago to pursue my college education in Manila, the once-in-a-year trip back to my hometown has since become a sojourn and a moment of escape from the...

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Every summer, Looc celebrates the town fiesta with Talabukon Festival as one of its main highlights. Usually held during the third week of April, the festival coincides with a week-long celebration that honors St. Joseph, the town's patron saint. The festival is a commemoration of some sort to a local legend about a giant who once saved the inhabitants of the town from the marauding Moros. The unlikely...

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By now, through a series of posts and photos, I think I have established the fact that I absolutely love El Nido and that it's a beautiful place with dramatic limestone cliffs and pristine beaches. If I were given a chance to spend a paid month-long vacation in a local destination, I'd definitely go for El Nido. It's my kind of town - laid-back, quiet and gorgeous beyond...

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The first thing you'll notice in El Nido is the abundance of foreign tourists. They're literally all over the place. The chance of not seeing a foreigner when you're in El Nido is close to none. Whether you're walking down the beach in Bacuit Bay, or having a stroll along Calle Hama or Rizal, you're bound to meet and see White people, that's for sure. So if you're...

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I met Den at a friend's wedding in Lopez, Quezon late last year. He traveled to the town solo, which wasn't a problem with him since he likes hitting the road all by himself. He could have joined us on the way back to Manila but he preferred taking the bus alone so he went off with only his bag and phone for company. Den is no stranger...

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I was finally losing consciousness after what seemed like hours of tossing and bouncing when the door burst open, revealing a group of drunk travelers who barged inside the room unannounced, chuckling and talking in high volume oblivious to the fact that it's very late at night and people were actually sleeping, or at least trying to. I pretended I didn't hear anything but their intrusive presence made...

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Okay. So it's the month of love and your heart is broken. The timing couldn't have been more dramatic. I mean it's fine to have your heart broken on some random days of the year but certainly not this month, right? Just the thought of spending Valentine's Day all alone is downright sad and simply depressing. Ah... what are you going to do on the 14th, eh? Telling...

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I prefer staying at hostels when I go out of town alone because I don't really feel comfortable sleeping inside the hotel room without any living company. My previous solo escapades forced me to spend a night or two inside a room all by myself. First was during my solo trip in Legazpi and the second was when I went solo in Boracay. Both stays were possibly the...

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When D, a traveler I met in El Nido, told me he wanted to see the Manila Chinese Cemetery, I wasn't sure I was ready to jump on board. Seemed like a sad, creepy site but after doing some online research about the place, my curiosity suddenly got tickled. D's flight back to Amsterdam was scheduled at around 12 midnight so he had a few hours to spare. He...

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Ipil Beach was dominated by young and energetic holidaymakers that lazy afternoon. You could see them having swell time by simply lazing on the sand, reading books and listening to music. I think our arrival on the island might have momentarily disturbed their reverie. Like beavers peeking out from their lodge, they looked at us with faint interest and once the engine had died, they went back to...

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One of the guides had to drag me literally by pulling my life vest so I could keep up with my companions who were miles ahead of me. We were to see a nice little spring in Cadlao Island. I was the last one to leave the boat because I had to leave my DSLR after being advised that it's not safe to bring it along. The rest...

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