February + some recent published work
Published work on AsianTraveler magazine’s Island Life issue: Batanes, Mactan, Guimaras, Boracay, Zubuchon + Crimson Resort and Abaca Resort and Spa.
Posted in Destinations • April 12, 2014
Recent Posts
WithLocals: A new travel experience comes to the Philippines
WithLocals is an online service connecting travelers to Asia with local people offering eats, tours, and activities. Currently offered in seven Asian countries, the travel initiative is expanding to the Philippines this summer.
Posted in Travel experiences • April 11, 2014
Smokey Mountain: A day in Manila’s slums
At Barangay 105 in Tondo, Manila, one can find a lot of things: recyclables, charcoal, and a community of people trying to survive every day in the middle of it all.
Posted in Asia, Luzon, Metro Manila, Philippines, Travel experiences, Travel Photography • April 2, 2014
Faces of Batanes
The winds and the seas have perfected the Ivatans of Batanes. This is our retelling of their stories.
Coming home
There are places you will never be prepared for, no matter how long you’ve been traveling. Itbayat in Batanes, Philippines is probably one of them.
The Center Suites: No-fuss, good-value hotel in Cebu City
Located along Escario St. in Cebu City, The Center Suites is perfect for those who want a central location in Cebu province’s capital city.
London’s Best Green Spaces
Spring is on its way, and in order to get through the misery of the storms and the current chilly weather, it’s nice to look forward to days spent in the sunshine outside. Why not start planning a trip somewhere over the Easter period to enjoy new scenery and the great outdoors when the temperature […]
Posted in Guest Posts • February 23, 2014
A different kind of diving
Coin divers — there’s a lot to be learned from them, and they might not even know it.
Posted in Asia, Batangas, Destinations, Luzon, Philippines, Postcards, Travel Photography • January 30, 2014
Taipei Walkabout: Shilin Night Market
Taipei’s way of welcome was a chockfull of fried things on sticks or bowls, most of which we knew nothing about. We had no problem about it though, since they were both cheap and tasty, two characteristics that are always welcome in our books. Apparently, Taiwan has this love affair with night markets; a quick […]
Orlando for Adrenaline Junkies
Co-operative travel holidays will bring you the best of Orlando’s thrilling trips!
Posted in Guest Posts • January 23, 2014
Drenched tales from El Nido
So how is El Nido, that fabled place north of Palawan, when it decides to rain? First, it doesn’t, and you are hopeful. After all, you did sit through the eternity that it took to reach this place. You’ve read all there is to read online about it. Everyone wants to be here. Everyone who’s […]
Posted in Asia, Destinations, Life's A Beach, Luzon, Palawan, Philippines, Travel experiences, Underwater • January 21, 2014
Ode to the cold
Just how cold is it in Baguio at this time of the year?
Encounters in Sabtang
This post does not contain tips on what to see, what to do, what to eat in Sabtang, Batanes. Or it probably does, depending on how you look at it.
Malapascua: A long way away
We got front seats in a non-airconditioned bus, and we had a road to Malapascua that stretched for another five-and-a-half hours.
Snapshots from Albay: Pinamuntugan Island and Bacacay
Pinamuntugan Island in Bacacay, Albay is the humbler neighbor of Cagraray Island, home to Misibis Bay. Imagine a starfish-and-sea-urchin-laden seabed, volcanic rocks, golden sand, and Mt. Mayon in the distance.
On happiness
Traveling teaches you many things, one of which is to find happiness in the simplest of things.
Honeymoon in Barbados
Barbados holiday activities for couples on honeymoon
Posted in Guest Posts • November 26, 2013
Where to stay in Boracay: MNL Beach Hostel
When Owen and I learned that MNL Boutique Hostel in Makati is branching out to—wait for it—Boracay Island, we couldn’t wait to visit. First of all, their growth was very impressive—Maica, Celina, and Gonz are opening hostel no. 2 less than a year after the first one. We know next to nothing about the hospitality […]
Boracay on the cheap
Tips on traveling cheap in Boracay Island, Philippines
Photo prints for sale for Typhoon Yolanda survivors
Friends, we have this idea and we hope you help us make it a reality for our fellow Pinoys who are in dire need of help in the Visayas. Owen and I are selling prints of our photos, most of which were taken from the provinces ravaged by Yolanda, for P1,500 each. All the proceeds […]
Posted in Visayas • November 13, 2013
Batanes: The perfect trip
Just like everyone else, we had our eyes on Batanes ever since we started traveling. We daydreamed about its rolling hills (and plastered them on our walls for good measure) but never actually thought we could set foot on them—not this soon, and not this time of the year. When 2013 came, we never thought […]
Guide to biking around southern Batan Island, Batanes
Just because it took us 12 hours to bike around southern Batan Island does not mean the whole thing is such a pain in the arse (well, it really was, literally) and that you shouldn’t do it. You can, and for the record, you don’t need ninja biking skills to pull this one off. The […]
Biking for 12 hours in Batanes
What’s a better way to see the rolling hills of Batan Island, Batanes? On two wheels, of course.
Timelapse: Breathtaking Batanes from sun up to sundown
There are absolutely no words to describe Batanes. It is, quite simply, the most jaw-dropping place we have ever set foot on. We don’t know if any of the photos we took home will ever accurately depict what our eyes saw, but we tried, we really did. And this video, taken from Sabtang and Batan […]
Kalanggaman Island, Leyte: Beauty in the middle of nowhere
We could taste the saltwater on our lips. In fact, saltwater was all over our face. Our eyeglasses—yes, both of them—were pockmarked with beads of water. We could barely see ahead of us, and besides, there seemed nothing else to see except the rough open seas ahead. Our boat carried around 20 tourists—brown-skinned, pale-skinned, black-haired, […]
Video: Moalboal’s amazing sardine run
We’ve told you: Moalboal is one of our absolute favorites in the country. We had one reason for visiting the town: to see the sardine run. At the end of two dives—one at Pescador Island and one at the reefs just off Panagsama Beach—we were left awestruck. It was, by far, one of the best […]
Why Moalboal is one of our favorite places in the Philippines
No, Moalboal was not part of any plan. We would be spending three weeks in Cebu, yes, so we knew we would be visiting the town eventually. We just did not plan on doing it that soon. We were inside a bus approaching Cebu City, having just come from a week-long stay in ATM-less thresher-shark-filled […]
Moody Bacuit Bay: El Nido, Palawan Timelapse
Of the six full days we were in El Nido, we had only one—yes, one—sunny day. And that was Friday the 13th. We’ve been carelessly optimistic about this trip, having been reassured countless times that heavy rains do not usually plague this part of the country. Not Palawan, a dreamy island forever sun-kissed. And definitely […]
Tips for your trips: Oslob, Cebu
The town of Oslob straddles the open sea and the mountains of Cebu. The way to this seaside town is photogenic, especially in the early morning. People have been coming to Oslob in recent years because of one thing: whale shark tourism. Before this, Oslob was a quiet fishing town one passes by on the […]
Dakong Amihan: Finding what’s not yet lost in Boracay
“The sand, just wow. I’ve never seen anything like it,” she exclaimed. We were by the garden having dinner—chicken tinola which Owen had cooked—and Ms. Grace, the owner of the house, was telling us about the first time she had seen White Beach—then unnamed and uninhabited—on this island the whole world now knows as Boracay. […]
Swimming with the whalesharks of Oslob, Cebu
It felt like plunging into a humonguous aquarium. The water was crystal clear, the visibility wickedly great. And right in front, below, to the right and left, and finally, behind, are the world’s biggest fish. Four, five, six—it was useless to even count. And they didn’t look like they were going anywhere else. One, two, […]
Diving with thresher sharks in Malapascua, Cebu
We had a lot of reservations before finally taking the plunge—literally—to Monad Shoal in Malapascua, northern Cebu to see its thresher sharks. This tiny island barangay is the only place in the entire world where sightings of this shark species are regular and gratification for those who make the trip is thus fairly guaranteed. But our […]
Dining Out in Borovets: Top Places to Eat
A hard day on the slopes warrants a good slap up meal afterwards, and while you may be in catered accommodation, heading out for dinner in a local restaurant should be enjoyed at least once during your holiday. While skiing in Borovets, it becomes apparent that Bulgaria offers the wonders of skiing on a budget, […]
Posted in Guest Posts • August 5, 2013
On the other side of Boracay’s White Beach
Bone-shaped Boracay was not well loved. We have always thought it was a hostile place for the average Pinoy with the hard-earned vacation leave and even more hard-earned vacation money. We’ve had more fun for less in other places. But we found ourselves staying in this island for a month, partly for work and entirely […]
Bulusan Lake, Sorsogon
It was barely 6 AM and we were already running an hour late from our self-imposed call time. Luckily, we were in the province—in fact, we were in the middle of nowhere, in a small hot spring resort surrounded by dense mountains and tall coconut trees in Irosin, Sorsogon. There was no pesky tour guide […]
Photos: 24 hours in Donsol
Small, quiet, uncomplicated–well, at least on the surface. That’s how Donsol in Sorsogon province seemed. Coconut trees rose above the concrete, and small fenced resorts lined up the coast, which, to anyone who didn’t know better, could easily look unremarkable.
POSTCARDS: On the island, everyday’s a Sunday
Because the beach always brings out the child in us ;) Photo taken today at Diniwid Beach, Boracay Island
POSTCARDS: Diniwid Beach, Boracay
style=”display:inline-block;width:468px;height:15px” data-ad-client=”ca-pub-9863223324681828″ data-ad-slot=”3809290886″> On the other side of White Beach in Boracay Island is Diniwid Beach, whose sand is just as fine and white but whose turquoise waters and jagged rock formations make for a unique beach experience altogether. With thinner crowds and less establishments, Diniwid Beach gives you peace and quiet—save of course […]
Donsol, Sorsogon: No whalesharks — almost
“Ma’am, sir,” our Butanding Interaction Officer, Manong Henry, addressed us slowly, choosing his words carefully,”Gaya ho ng sabi namin kanina, wala pong kasiguruhan na makakakita tayo ng butanding ngayon. [Just as we had told you earlier, we cannot guarantee seeing whalesharks today]” It was nearly lunch time. The sun was boring down on us, a […]
Tips for your trips: Subic Beach, Calintaan Island, Matnog, Sorsogon
We’ve been asked a few times how to get to Subic Beach in Matnog, Sorsogon so we decided to be magnanimous (!) and write this travel guide. Or you could look at it this way: we just have so much time on our hands to spoil. Subic Beach is found at Calintaan Island in the […]
Matnog, Sorsogon: The Surprises of Subic Beach
After a while, the excitement for traveling wanes a little bit, just like anything else. Feeling too lazy to wake up earlier than usual. Choosing to be on Instagram rather than be out there (oh but there’s free WiFi!). Not going on certain legs of the trip for no apparent reason. But Calintaan Island in […]
Where to stay in Legazpi: Mayon Backpackers Hostel
When we were searching for places to stay in Legazpi City, we really didn’t know what options to expect. Average hotels would be fine anyway, just as long as they fit our P500-per-person-per-day budget and they have proper door locks. But finding a HOSTEL in this part of the country—now that was a surprise. Mayon […]
Bicol’s Mayon Volcano is stunning from any angle!
Our first agenda when we checked in for our Manila-Legazpi flight was to ask for a window seat on the left side of the plane. Why? This –> Grand welcome ba kamo? CHECK!
VIDEO: Beautiful Bicol
Traveling to Bicol: Locations — Legazpi City; Donsol, Bulusan, and Matnog, Sorsogon; Bacacay, Albay
HOT! Chili & other things in Bicol
It is easy to spot quirky food in Bicol without even trying. Random blaring signs like chili shake for sale greet you at almost every corner, so it’s fairly easy to give in to curiosity. And in times like this when the summer sun is boring down on you, there’s no better diversion than an […]
Postcards: Mayon Volcano, Albay, Philippines
Review: The North Face Alteo 35 Backpack
I got The North Face Alteo 35 backpack late last year as sort of replacement for my old TNF Jester daypack, which, although still very much in mint condition, wasn’t as comfortable as before. Don’t get me wrong—the TNF Jester is a fantastic bag and it’s still the most comfortable daypack I’ve used. Let’s just […]
Posted in Travel Reviews • April 24, 2013
Postcards: Redang Island, Malaysia
Up the road to Mt. Cabuyao, Tuba, Benguet
I remember a proposition in Kidapawan City months before to build concrete steps (16,000!) up Mt. Apo, the Philippines’ highest mountain. Nothing could be worse than that, except maybe if they decide to make a zipline on the way back down. Owen and I are no mountaineers but we do understand how important it is […]
Ultimate Cruising Essentials: What not to forget
Whether you’ve booked a trip ondeck the Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas to the Caribbean or you’ve decided to enjoy a cruise of the Nordic Fjords, one thing is true for all journeys: there’s nothing quite like creature comforts to make you feel at home.
Posted in Guest Posts • April 8, 2013