Category: Philippines

  • Lakbay Norte Day 6: Subic, Hacienda Luisita and Clark

    This morning we woke up at White Rock Resort in Subic, tonight we’re sleeping at the Holiday Inn at Clark, Pampanga. Lighthouse Beach Cleanup It was another very early morning, starting with a 6am check out. We had a brief tour of the resort before heading out to the Lighthouse Marina for our breakfast. We…

  • Lakbay Norte Day 5: Pangasinan and Zambales

    We woke up bright and early in Alaminos, Pangasinan, excited for our morning trip to the Hundred Islands. As with the previous evenings, we’re sleeping in a different place tonight: Subic Bay. Hundred Islands in Alaminos, Pangasinan

  • Lakbay Norte Day 4: Benguet and Pangasinan

    My alarm woke me up from a deep slumber at our room at The Manor. Tonight’s accommodation is somewhere in Alaminos, Pangasinan. Today started out relatively late at 7:30am. We were actually supposed to be waiting at the lobby already, but everybody seemed to have enjoyed their sleep last night, so by 7:30, we were…

  • Lakbay Norte Day 3: Ilocos Norte, La Union and Baguio

    Today, I woke for early check out from our hotel in Laoag, and now I’m writing this from my bed at The Manor in Baguio. It was a very active Day 3: sand boarding on the dunes of Ilocos Norte, followed by surfing at La Union. The 4×4 and sandboarding adventure was supposed to be…

  • Lakbay Norte Day 2: Cagayan and Ilocos Norte

    Today, I woke up in Tuguegarao again. Tonight though, I’ll be sleeping in Laoag, Ilocos Norte. Our call time this morning was at 5:30am and everybody in the group made sure (or at least tried their hardest) to get some much needed sleep. We started the day with a hearty Cagayan breakfast at Director Bless…

  • Lakbay Norte Day 1: Tugegarao

    Today, I woke up in Tuguegarao. Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat It was Day 1 of Lakbay Norte, a Northern Philippines familiarization tour spearheaded by the Northern Philippines Visitors Bureau in cooperation with the visitors bureau of the provinces and cities we are visiting. Together with writers and photographers from major dailies, inflight…

  • Binondo Food Wok Map

    Finally, a comprehensive map of Manila’s Chinatown! I remember my first trip to Binondo (the one that I can remember anyway). It was late at night and we were driving around this strange new place, guided by friend’s boyfriend who live in the neighborhood. I have absolutely no idea where we are, except that we…

  • Statue Spotting in Marikina

    Despite the fact that Marikina City is literally just behind my college, I’ve never really explored the city. I can count the number of times I went there, and often it’s to work on some class projects at my classmate’s house or to go to the bazaar by the riverbanks (after graduation). Last Sunday, I…

  • All systems go for the Space Shuttle Max

    After months of closure, Enchanted Kingdom’s iconic ride, the Space Shuttle has been re-opened last Saturday to a huge crowd. There wasn’t any major changes in the track, except for a new paint job. The big change was the new cars that “give riders a greater feeling of space, as the body is more open,…