A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
A lot of couples have had to postpone their weddings this year because of the ongoing pandemic. Destination weddings have become more difficult with all the hassles of air travel and checkpoints at certain borders. Now that the quarantine restrictions have eased up, events are slowly getting back to normal though celebrations understandably have to be scaled down. Outdoor weddings and receptions in wide open spaces and garden venues are now preferred to prevent the spread of the virus.
Need a bit of Christmas spirit and cheer in your lives? Or maybe you’re looking for a fun Christmas ride destination for biking or motorcycling near the metro for the weekend? Casa Santa Museum in Antipolo offers a fun Christmas-themed museum for those who want to experience the magic of the season all year-round.
More Filipinos, including women, are driving personal motorcycles these days. In the past, I’ve always found it hard to find stylish and safe motorcycle gear like helmets that fit properly. Thankfully, more brands are coming into the country and giving riders different options to match their riding style and personality. If you’re a motorcycle rider, OBR, or a commuter who regularly uses motorcycle taxis looking for a lid that combines style and safety for city riding, then feast your eyes on the retro-inspired Eldorado helmets by SMK Helmets.
Despite being a highly urbanized city, Marikina still manages to retain a sense of history, nature, and culture. The “Shoe Capital of the Philippines” is a bike-friendly city that possesses a quiet, small-town charm. Heritage buildings are preserved, the streets are clean and well-maintained, there are actual designated bike lanes, a number of public recreational spots, and green spaces, and lots of charming homegrown garden restaurants, unique shops, and hidden gems here.
Whenever I bike around Marikina, I feel like I’m biking around a small town in the province. While the rest of Metro Manila feels grimy, congested, and overly developed, you still get the feel of the simple provincial life in some spots here. Marikina feels like a modern-day pueblo where family-run businesses are still the norm and cultural heritage is still present. Here’s a look at some of the fun and unique things you can do in Marikina.
Continue reading “10 Fun & Unique Things to do in Marikina”For those who live in the metro looking for a quick day-trip getaway relatively near Manila, Antipolo is a popular choice. The city of Antipolo is approximately just 16 miles east of Manila, making it accessible especially for those who live in the North. Antipolo sits on a plateau at a higher elevation and is best known for offering a scenic overlooking view of the rest of Metro Manila. But that’s not all it has to offer.
Craft beer is one of the few things that has kept me sane during this pandemic. While my friends have been filling their homes with indoor plants and collecting every possible BTS merchandise out there, I’ve been quietly drinking beer at home. Dining out and social drinking has not been allowed in the Philippines the months following the lockdown, but thankfully many local brewers have been able to adapt and started offering their beers for home delivery.
We were initially planning to go on the North Loop last March, traversing the provinces of the Northern Luzon by motorcycle. Of course, COVID happened, so that trip didn’t push through and we’ve been living under the lockdown the past few months.
One of the things I look forward to the most during long road trips is the unique food offerings every destination has to offer. But while we can’t go on long road trips right now, thankfully, we can still get a taste of the regions through food. For many of us, ordering food has become the new travel in this age of the pandemic. We try to make our weekend meals more special and try something different to have something new to look forward to.
What is it with nostalgia these days?
I’ve been missing everything about daily life pre-COVID, especially eating out. Who else misses the simple act of dining in at a restaurant and just chilling out with friends over beers at a bar? Part of what makes dining out special is the ambiance of the restaurant, the service, and the company and laughter as you enjoy your meals together with friends and family.
Anyway, this got me thinking of the oldest restaurants and food establishments in the vicinity that I can patronize for delivery/takeout and hopefully revisit when they’re allowed to reopen. It gives me hope to see establishments that remain resilient and have managed to endure through various crises including World War II, fires, typhoons, economic recessions, and currently this global pandemic where the Philippines is facing the world’s longest lockdown.
Continue reading “Oldest & Most Nostalgic Restaurants in Quezon City”The Philippines has its fair share of urban legends. A lot of Filipinos are superstitious or use horror stories to scare children into good behavior. We’ve all heard ghost stories or supernatural tales usually depicted as having happened to a friend of a neighbor or a distant family member and passed along by word of mouth, newspapers, and social media. Some urban legends have achieved cult classic status and become the subject of horror films and Halloween-related segments featuring haunted places in Manila.
The Quezon Memorial Circle or QMC is a national park located in Quezon City, the largest and most populous city of Metro Manila, which once served as the official capital of the Philippines from 1948 to 1976. Commonly referred to as the “Circle,” this park is located inside a large traffic roundabout bounded an Elliptical Road. Back in the ’80s, my cousins and I used to go here a lot, for bike rentals, roller skating, picnics, or to just enjoy the green surroundings. It got a bit run down during the ’90s, but in recent years, it’s gotten upgrades and improvements. I’ve revisited QMC for various events over the years, but I tend to take it for granted. It’s just something that’s always been there. But the lockdown has left me with a newfound appreciation for any accessible urban destination that has greens and open spaces.
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