A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
A couple of weeks ago, I found myself again in a community in Capas, Tarlac to witness an Aeta Youth Festival. Last year, I went there for the First Aeta Forest Food Festival, an event which highlighted the traditional food. Continue reading “Aeta Youth Festival in Tarlac”
Earlier this year, I went on a great trip around 11 provinces for 8 days aboard a Victory Liner bus.
The tour that passed through Bulacan – Nueva Ecija – Cagayan – Kalinga – Ilocos Norte – La Union – Baguio City – Pangasinan – Tarlac – Subic Bay – Clark – Pampanga was a blast. But in between all the fast-paced activities, hotel-hopping, and numerous food stops, the bus itself had its share of memorable moments. It was the only thing that remained constant those eight days. It’s where we slept on our first night, hung our wet clothes to dry, snacked on all you-can-eat Chumbos and shared lots of laughs while playing road games. The bus brought together a bunch of strangers. Continue reading “How to Kill Time on a Long Bus Ride”
By the time we reached the island, the taste of brine was thick on my lips, my eyes felt like they were on fire, and my clothes clung to my skin like wet rags. The two-hour trip aboard a fishing vessel from the port of Paracale in Camarines Norte to Mahabang Buhangin Beach in the Calaguas group of islands was a reminder that the sea demands respect.
Four days ago, I was sitting alone on a tiny stretch of beach in Guimaras as the waters receded, leaving starfish beached on the shore. Darkness seeped into the sky, shifting from cheerful blue to rusty orange to deep purple, as I reflected on solo travel and life in general.
Even if there were other people around, I felt isolated. Earlier that afternoon, a group of day trippers where singing along to the strumming of a guitar. They posed happily for jump shots at the pier and exchanged stories while I watched from afar. Several workers were busy hammering something in a room two doors down from my beachside fan-room and attending to various renovations at the resort. But still, I felt alone. Continue reading “Going Solo in Guimaras”
The bullets whizzed above my head and tore into the shrubs and tree branches as I slowly raised my head from the tangle of grass to seek out the rest of my companions. I knew the situation was dire, but I had no inkling it was practically hopeless.
I realized I was on my own, the last person standing (or rather crawling) from our team of 10 who set out to test our airsoft mettle against Baguio’s veterans of the game. Continue reading “Real Life Counterstriking in Baguio”
After our Lenten ride to an orphanage in Silang, Cavite, we took a short side-trip to motorcycle museum Casa Corazon in Lemery, Batangas.
Continue reading “Casa Corazon: Motorcycle Museum in Batangas”
Fiestas in the Philippines are a chaos of colors, costumes, confetti and circus tricks. For the jaded, they all start to look the same. But there’s still something about the rhythmic drum beats that fill the air, the complicated choreography, the lighting-quick costume changes, the traditional music segueing into popular dance tunes, and the smiles on the faces of dancers during provincial fiestas that I still find fascinating.
Continue reading “Albay’s Magayon Festival 2012”
A couple of weeks ago, I guest rode with a group of bikers on their ride for a cause to Chosen Children Village, an orphanage in Silang, Cavite for mentally and/or physically challenged children. Aside from being a great early Holy Week ride (which later ended up in Tagaytay and Batangas) it was a very meaningful trip.
Imagine being stuck in slow-moving traffic on the streets of Manila. The cars are jammed bumper to bumper as far as you can see. Huge trucks and buses flank you to either side. It seems like an eternity for the light to change from red to green. You seethe in fury as the cars crawl a few inches forward before the light switches to red again. 
Now imagine being able to speed away with no cares in the world. If you want to try living life in the fast lane, try go-karting. Continue reading “Need for Speed: Go-Karting in Tarlac”
I’ve always had the impression that kayaking was a relaxing sport. Maybe it’s because I’ve always tried it on still waters before – like rivers or really calm seas. But for some people, the point of kayaking is to chase the waves.
Continue reading “Chasing Waves: Kayak Surfing in Camarines Norte”
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