Category: Luzon

The Sierra Madre Hotel & Resort, Tanay

With its refreshing view of the mountains and cool breeze, the Sierra Madre Hotel & Resort in Tanay, Rizal is a favorite stopover for motorcycling and mountain biking enthusiasts.

sierra madre hotel & resort travelup

This homey resort is very easy to get to from Quezon City. Just take the Katipunan road heading towards Marcos Highway, straight on past Cogeo market, through the twisty mountain roads, and you’ll eventually find yourself at the hotel located along the highway. The road is very well maintained and not a lot of cars pass here, which makes the drive a very pleasant one. Continue reading “The Sierra Madre Hotel & Resort, Tanay”

Food Trip: Coron

For a small, laid-back town, Coron in Palawan has a lot of restaurants serving a variety of international fare catering mostly to foreign tourists. However, it’s not the most budget-friendly place to eat. Dining out can be pretty expensive here, so you’ll want to plan your meals strategically or choose only a few good ones. If you’re planning to spend the holidays in Coron, here’s a rough guide on the best places to eat around the Coron town proper. For things to do, see my previous posts on Coron.

01. la sirenetta coron pizza Continue reading “Food Trip: Coron”

Road Trip: Cafe Lago & Lake Pandin, Laguna

The areas of Laguna, Quezon and Batangas are ideal for quick day or weekend trips from Manila. I usually like taking solo motorcycle rides to the Sierra Madre area (passing through the Marikina-Rizal highway) for some fresh air during the weekend. But for those who drive cars, most of the destinations are quicker via SLEX. In fact, the famed Viaje del Sol route lists many charming and unique places that celebrate Filipino culture, that you can visit on your road trip.

cafe lago ford explorer travelup

Continue reading “Road Trip: Cafe Lago & Lake Pandin, Laguna”

Motorbiking to Calauit Safari Park

Thank God I didn’t insist on driving my own motorbike. That was all I could think of on what seemed like never-ending stretches of dirt roads from Coron to Calauit. Our destination was Calauit Safari Park, a game preserve where animals roam freely, located on a small island at the tip of Busuanga, Palawan. A map showed that it was roughly 70 km away from the Coron Town proper and locals said it could be reached in about 2-3 hrs time by motorbike. But like a real life version of Excitebike, the terrain seemed to challenge us with increasing levels of difficulty the longer we drove. There are dirt roads, then there are demented dirt roads. This was the latter dialed up a notch.

Continue reading “Motorbiking to Calauit Safari Park”

Gone Fishing in Culion

It seems simple enough in concept – attach bait to a hook, throw the line in the water, wait for the fish to bite and then reel them in. How hard can it be, right?

Continue reading “Gone Fishing in Culion”

A Night in Malcapuya Island, Coron

Most people come to Malcapuya Island in Coron on day trips. This lovely island is about 1.5 hours away by boat from the Coron town proper. It’s close to some other small islands like Banana Island (which has a short strip of white sand beach) and Bulog Island (which has a short sandbar during low tide). Thanks to tour operator Kawil Tours, we had the chance to stay on Malcapuya Island overnight. Except for a few friendly beach dogs, our guides, and the island’s caretakers, we had the beach pretty much to ourselves.

Continue reading “A Night in Malcapuya Island, Coron”

Island-Hopping around Coron, Palawan

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.

Continue reading “Island-Hopping around Coron, Palawan”

Panag-apoy sa Sagada

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.

Continue reading “Panag-apoy sa Sagada”

Prado Farms in Pampanga

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.

Continue reading “Prado Farms in Pampanga”