Author: Kara Santos

10 Things to Do in Auckland, New Zealand

For international travelers, Auckland, the largest city on North Island is the main entry and exit point to New Zealand. Traveling from Manila, Auckland was our first and last stop during our family trip / backpacking tour in 2016. This diverse and multicultural city is home to the largest Polynesian population in the world. It’s just one of the amazing places in the sovereign island country of New Zealand located in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean, which I consider one of the best places I have ever visited in the world

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Maranao condiment ‘Palapa’ offers hope for Marawi women

INGREDIENTS: ginger, sakurab (white scallions) and sili (native chili)

PREPARATION: Chop one part scallions, one part ginger and one part chili peppers into small pieces. Crush ingredients finely and pound everything together with a mortar and pestle. As soon as it is blended, the palapa can already be eaten in its raw form.

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3 Springs Mountain Park in Tanay, Rizal

Growing up in the province, my childhood friends and I used to enjoy camping sleepovers. On hot summer nights, we’d haul out banigs, folding beds and foam mattresses on the grass and “camp out” in our garden under a makeshift tent sewn together from my parent’s old protest streamers.

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HK Brewcraft, Hong Kong

The craft beer scene is booming in Hong Kong and it’s always good to sample the local brews when you travel abroad. I really wish I had more time to go on a proper brewery tour there, since I read that there are many amazing local breweries that have popped up all over the city from Kwai Chung to Kennedy Town.


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Fat Pauly’s Taproom + Pub, Iligan City

Fat Pauly’s Hand-crafted Ales & Lagers is one of the first craft breweries in the Philippines and currently the only brewery based on the large island of Mindanao in Southern Philippines. This proud local brand established in 2010 makes fresh home-brewed beers using the finest imported brew grade malt and local indigenous ingredients like Timoga Spring waters and wild Putyukan Honey.

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Weaving for Dreams: Maranao Collectibles, Marawi City

One of the things I like to collect from different provinces I visit are native weaves and textiles. There are many rich weaving traditions in the different parts of the Philippines and the fabrics often make more unique souvenirs compared to mass-produced ref magnets, mugs or keychains. With every distinct pattern are threads of culture and heritage from different tribes and the skillful artists who weave them. Each piece of cloth tells a different story.

In Marawi City in Lanao del Sur, we came across the langkit, a traditional Maranao weave made with a backstrap loom in the shop of Salika Maguindanao-Samad and Jardin Samad of Maranao Collectibles, who are working to creatively revive the vanishing art of weaving. Continue reading “Weaving for Dreams: Maranao Collectibles, Marawi City”

The Gift of Travel

Growing up, we had a framed poster of birds flying into the sunset that said: “There are two gifts we should give our children: one is roots. And the other is wings.”

My sister and I always used to fight about who got what. We both wanted the wings. But I have to say, they’re both equally important. And I’m truly grateful to my parents for giving us both.

As a freelance writer, I get to travel for work a lot. When I have free time for personal trips, I usually travel solo to places I haven’t been to and really want to explore. But traveling with family can be some of the best types of trips.


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Kowloon Walled City Park, Hong Kong

It’s hard to believe that what is now a beautiful park used to be one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Despite having been demolished 20 years ago, the Kowloon Walled City continues to captivate people today. While at first glance, it may look just like a pleasant garden in the middle of the busy city of Hong Kong, it felt surreal and disconcerting to visit a place with so much history behind it. This was the most fascinating place I visited during my recent trip to Hong Kong.

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Indian Brand TVS launches motorcycles in the Philippines

Given the rising cost of living, worsening traffic in the metro and state of our public transportation, riding a motorcycle is one of the most cost-efficient ways to get around. But many motorcycle models available can seem very intimidating to drive or are expensive and costly to maintain.

While there are a lot of big bikes out there from established brands ideal for recreation and touring, the reality is that average Pinoys just want a way to get from Point A to B easily during the week. In this case, a practical, budget-friendly and low-maintenance motorbike you can use in high-traffic areas in the city as well as provincial or rural roads is the best option.  

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10 Things to Do in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of those places that you probably won’t mind revisiting again and again. There’s just so much you can do. As one of Asia’s most popular international hubs with visa-free entry for tourists, it’s a favorite overseas travel destination for Filipino travelers. During previous visits to Hong Kong with my family, I enjoyed all the essential Hong Kong experiences for first-timers like the rides in Disneyland theme park, visiting Victoria Harbour and a day trip to Macau.

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