A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
As the world’s oldest Chinatown (established in 1594), Binondo in Manila is a well-known cultural and foodie haven. Here, you can find lots of authentic hole-in-the-wall establishments serving everything from flashy Cantonese-themed lauriat meals to homey Hokkien-style Tsinoy cooking. However, there are over 100+ restaurants in the area, so it can be quite overwhelming to decide where to eat.
Baguio City never gets old. The view of pine trees, mountains, and cold weather is always a great experience for those coming from the lowland areas. You can feel the Christmas spirit here all-year around, which makes it a great place to visit with friends and family. With a super long weekend coming up at the end of the month and the upcoming holiday season, Baguio is an easy destination for travelers coming from Manila.
For families traveling with kids, seniors, and pets looking for a place to stay in Baguio, The Forest Lodge at Camp John Hay is one of the top hotels to consider. This chill 5-story mountain resort with 178 rooms caters mostly to families, couples, group travelers, and leisure tourists.
Continue reading “The Forest Lodge at Camp John Hay: Family-friendly mountain resort in Baguio City”Want to try biking in La Union on your next beach vacation? Most tourists go to Elyu to enjoy the beach and the waves. But if you’re looking for new things to do in La Union aside from learning to surf, food-tripping, going grape picking, or sightseeing, biking might be a good activity. Biking can let you discover a different side of La Union.
While biking around Taipei, I couldn’t help but marvel at how amazing and safe the whole cycling infrastructure was. Right in the middle of the busy city, we could pedal for miles and miles along riversides flanked by lush greens and mangroves and scenic natural views.
The bike lanes weaved seamlessly through urban parks and gardens protected from the main highways where motorized vehicles pass and were set apart from motorcycle lanes with proper cement barriers, trees, or are placed on elevated cycle lanes and bridges over busy highways. Along the routes we took, there were numerous rest stops with water stations, public bike repair facilities, vending machines, clean restrooms, and bike parking areas.
Continue reading “TAIWAN | Ultimate bike guide to exploring Taipei”If you’ve ever been to Japan, you know that biking is a way of life there. While in the Philippines, biking for leisure and urban mobility has only caught on recently because of the pandemic, for the longest time, people in Japan of all ages, occupations, and classes can manage to bike around safely even in busy cities thanks to the country’s advanced infrastructure and the discipline of road users. On a recent trip to Osaka, my family and I all had a free day in between sightseeing tours to do whatever we wanted. So we combined the usual sightseeing and food trips with biking.
Tourists can discover the rich history, heritage, and old-world charm of the Intramuros in Manila more conveniently with fun new experiences and attractions. In case you didn’t know, Klook has launched a new Intramuros Pass, which gives access to the top activities in the walled city of Manila.
Last December before Christmas, we spent almost a week in Sagada just to enjoy the cooler weather. This lovely town in the Mountain Province is probably the closest place you can get to experiencing winter in the Philippines. At any rate, it’s always a respite from the summer heat. The cooler temperatures in the months of November to February dip to lows of 15°, though the average temperature all year around is 18°, which is amazing considering the 40° heat index we’re currently experiencing in Manila.
We all know that the public transport system in Metro Manila is a mess. Taking taxis or using ride-sharing services all the time can be expensive. Car users have to deal with rising fuel costs, bad traffic, and parking problems wherever they go. While owning a motorcycle can get you places fast and isn’t as expensive as owning a car, riders still regularly get discriminated against and still have to go through the tedious process of dealing with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to get a driver’s license and vehicle registration and renewal every year.
One of the best gifts you can give yourself is a bicycle since it offers both mobility and a leisure activity without the hassles of dealing with LTO. However, those who bike to work everyday know that biking can get pretty tiring, especially if you live far from your workplace or need to pass high-traffic routes and areas with a lot of uphills.
Continue reading “Review: Nakto Premium Ranger All-Terrain E-bike”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.
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.
Continue reading “Travel Guide: Biking in Clark, Pampanga”
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