Art in Island: The Media Square museum in Quezon City (2023)

NOTE: Updated April 2023

Typical museums in the country only appeal to history buffs and art enthusiasts. Visitors are expected to just look at artwork hanging on walls or stare at artifacts behind glass cases, learn historical facts, and that’s it. In most museums, photography isn’t even allowed, leaving visitors with no visual proof of their visit.

New Art in Island. Photo from Klook. Book here.
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Papa Bolo: Cool new craft brewery to drink with a view in Tagaytay

The sidequest for beer continues! One of my main motivations for traveling these days is to check out new opened craft beer spots or revisit old favorites. Aside from doing the Taal Lake Loop, one of the main reasons I wanted to revisit Tagaytay was to check out Papa Bolo.

Papa Bolo is a relatively new brewery in Tagaytay City which opened last June 2022. The huge brewpub serves quality Filipino craft beer brewed with local ingredients along with upscale food to match. 

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Travel Guide: Taal Lake Bike Loop

A year before the most recent eruption of Taal Volcano and the start of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns in 2020, we rode our motorcycles from Metro Manila circling Laguna Lake and Taal Lake. Back then, it was just for the thrill of the joyride and so we could hike to the crater lake on Volcano Island afterwards.

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2Go Travel invites content creators to cruise for free this summer

Want to travel around the Philippines by sea for free this summer? 2GO Travel is inviting budding content creators to the 2GOKada Creators Cruise sailing this May 2023.

In partnership with the Department of Tourism, 2GO Travel is giving a new breed of content creators a chance to experience the best of the Philippines by sea.

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Travel Guide: Biking in Clark, Pampanga

Clark Freeport Zone (or simply Clark) in Pampanga is a former U.S. airbase in the Philippines that has been redeveloped into a modern industrial area. These days, it’s known as a center for leisure, fitness, entertainment, and gaming in Central Luzon. Clark is home to several family-friendly theme parks, casinos, and the Clark International Airport, a major airport near Manila.

For cyclists, Clark offers a great, bike-friendly destination near Manila. Since the pandemic hit, a lot of improvements have been made to appeal to cyclists and leisure bikers. Aside from the large open spaces and greenery and natural canopies provided by trees in the whole area complex, there’s a very good network of freshly painted bike paths, safety signages for bikers, and facilities to host cycling festivals and events. 

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PAL launches Manila to Perth flights starting March 2023

Dreaming of traveling to Australia this year? Philippine Airlines (PAL) is launching Manila-Perth and Perth-Manila PAL direct flights beginning March 27, 2023. Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. 

Melbourne, Australia in 2019
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Travel Guide: Zamboanga City (2023)

Zamboanga City is one of my favorite destinations in Mindanao. With its stunning natural sights, vibrant culture, preserved history and amazing cuisine, it’s a place I don’t mind revisiting again and again. “Asia’s Latin City” is known for strong Hispanic and Latin influence. Zamboanga City is the center of economic activities in Mindanao, with its modern international seaport and airport serving as the entry point in the country to many destinations in Southeast Asia.

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Travel Guide: 82 Provinces of the Philippines

UPDATE: In September 2022, the province of Maguindanao was split into two, so the Philippines now has 82 provinces. This travel guide was originally completed and written in 2019 before the split and the pandemic, but has been updated to reflect the new province and newer photos from more recent revisits.

The Philippines is made up of 82 provinces, spread out under three major island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanano. Currently, there are 38 provinces in Luzon, 16 in Visayas, and 28 in Mindanao. The provinces are grouped under different regions based on their geographical, cultural, and ethnological characteristics.

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Travel Guide: Cherry blossom season in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan

Dreaming of witnessing the beauty of the cherry blossoms? Filipino travelers don’t need to travel far as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, countries best known for these pink blooms in spring, are just a few hours away from the Philippines by plane.

Fujiyoshida, Japan Beautiful view of mountain Fuji and Chureito pagoda at sunset, japan in the spring with cherry blossoms

Typically in full bloom around March to April, cherry blossoms draw crowds from all over the world. For over a century, the Japanese cultivated wild cherry trees not just for food, but also for aesthetics because of its breathtaking beauty.

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GUIDE: National Museum of the Philippines – Fine Arts, Anthropology & Natural History + Site Museums

International travelers have returned to the Philippines and social gatherings are back to normal. For tourists in transit in Manila for a few days and urban dwellers who need to entertain visiting balikbayans and relatives near the Intramuros area, the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) complex’s three central museums, namely the Museum of Fine Arts, Anthropology and Natural History, are worth a visit.

Entrance is free and no reservations are required to visit the three museums, which are located within easy walking distance of each other. These three major museums are fairly large, and contain over four to six floors each. Going around each museum could easily take 1-2 hours.

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