A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
The sight of the Calamian Group of islands dotting the ocean welcomed us as our plane prepared to descend. The landscape below was a gradient of sea, shifting from a rich turquoise to powdery blue before morphing into rolling forest green hills. If I had thought the view from above was stunning, I would soon find out that it was nothing compared to the view from below.
This time last year, I was in the lovely mountain town of Sagada where I got the chance to witness an interesting and unique ritual traditionally done during All Saint’s Day – the Panag-apoy sa Sagada. The Panag-aapoy is a traditional practice among the people of Sagada to respect the dead.
Prado Farms in Pampanga is pretty much a photographer’s wonderland. From the brightly colored walls to the art pieces made from recycled materials, every nook and cranny of this place breathes pure artistry.
A jumble of rusty LPG tanks stacked on top of each other form puzzle pieces that make the farm’s distinctive gate. Floors are a patchwork of tile mosaics, and stained glass windows peek out from beneath hanging vines. Formerly a warehouse for LPG tanks, Prado Farms is a showcase of creativity. Old junk like steel grates and discarded pieces of wood are re-purposed into aesthetically pleasing works of art that decorate the farm.
Season 4 of The Walking Dead TV series is set to resume in a couple of days and it’ll be great to get my zombie fix again! To celebrate, I finally got around to writing a game review for The Walking Dead (A Telltale Games Series), which I played and finished at the start of the year.
The Walking Dead is an episodic single-player graphic adventure based on Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic book series. Instead of the usual zombie shooting spree you see in most games of this genre, this focuses instead on story and character development. As the protagonist, your must do your best to survive amidst a zombie apocalypse, interact with other survivors and make difficult decisions that will ultimately impact the storyline. Since the game adapts to your choices, playing this feels like one of those “Choose your own Adventure” books, and each gaming experience is unique.
My immediate reaction upon finishing it was that it was one of the most “mind-blowing” games I’ve played in recent history. Pun intended. [Note: OK, I changed my mind. The Last of Us was mind-blowing x 10. Separate review on that.]
Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as it was known before the Vietnam War, really enjoys a rich motorcycle culture. No one has visited the place without being amazed at the sheer number of motorcycles there. If you’re riding a taxi or bus, there’s an army of scooters surrounding your vehicle. If you’re exploring on foot, they’re right there zipping past you as you attempt to cross the street. Every establishment you visit, you will probably find a row of motorcycles parked right outside.
To truly appreciate the motorcycle culture, it’s best to go around the city on one. Most tourists get a taste of this by riding a xe om or motorcycle taxi. But it’s really WAY better if you rent one for the day and navigate the streets yourself. Continue reading “Saigon City Tour by Scooter”
Here’s a cool restaurant for those looking for a different place to get inebriated. Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant in Shangri-La offers authentic Bavarian cuisine and excellent German beers on tap.
Continue reading “A Taste of Germany: Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant”
Uncharted is an action-adventure third-person shooter platform video game series developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for PlayStation. The main series includes Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, followed by Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.
September 22 marks the mutual birthdays of hobbits Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, two of the most loved characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The day is actually known as Hobbit Day! So, we thought it would be a fitting theme for my nephew Eli’s fourth birthday last Saturday. Here’s a quick look at our Middle-Earth celebration.
This week, I was supposed to head to Zamboanga for a work-related project. However, it was deemed unwise to push through with the event after fighting suddenly broke out there between rebels and soldiers. After several days of the worst fighting in years between the MNLF faction and government forces exchanging gunfire in coastal neighborhoods, thousands have been displaced, their homes in ruins, and lives lost.
Below are a few snapshots I took in the village of Barangay Mariki near Rio Hondo in Zamboanga City, communities which were deeply affected by the fighting. This is how I remember Zamboanga City the most: innocent children full of hope who find simple joys playing on their village on stilts. Now that life is starting to pick up again after the hostilities, my prayers go out for everyone’s swift recovery. Zamboanga will rise again.
One of the most important safety gear to have if you’re a motorcycle rider is a protective motorcycle helmet. Wearing a high-quality helmet can spell the difference between leveling up on your road trip and “game over.”
Because of the passage of the Motorcycle Helmet Act at the start of the year, all riders are now required to wear helmets that have passed the standards of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and have ICC stickers. There are a handful of brands that are certified, including Spyder, a major sporting brand in the
country that specializes in high-performance athletic gear. Spyder helmets bear the marks of excellence and safety, so they’re a very good investment.
They promise safety above all, but they don’t scrimp on convenience, functionality and style either.
Continue reading “Gear Review: Spyder Reboot Motorcycle Helmet”
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