A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
The beauty of the Philippines really shines in other provinces and islands. Destinations like Palawan, Cebu, Bohol and Boracay are top draws for foreign tourists. However, many international travelers have to travel through Metro Manila, the capital and main gateway to many of the other destinations before they can get there.
My solo ride around Samar Island has been one of the most memorable rides I’ve done this year. I got to traverse through three provinces of (Western) Samar, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar. Since it’s the third largest island in the Philippines, it’s a bit challenging getting around by public transportation.
The main cities are geographically located far from each other and vans and jeeps don’t leave regularly. Usually, you have to wait for public transport vehicles to get filled up with passengers, so getting from one place to another usually requires a lot of waiting time. Since my main purpose was sightseeing and ease of access getting around, I thought I could cover more ground on a motorbike.
Continue reading “Road Trip Guide: North East Samar Loop”Whenever I travel, I always pick comfort over style. For the airport, city tours and general travel, I usually opt for sneakers or comfortable shoes rather than more stylish high heels or sandals. It always helps to be wearing something easy to take on and off, won’t keep your feet cramped and are easy to walk around in the whole day. Thankfully, you don’t have to sacrifice style for comfort with the fun sneaker options available from Maz Brasil Philippines.
Any solo traveler will tell you that one of the most painful parts of traveling alone is the fact that you have no one to share expenses with. After riding around the coastal road of Samar on the way back to Catbalogan City, I decide to squeeze in one last activity. When I passed by the local tourism office in Samar, the three main destinations being promoted were Sohoton Caves Natural Bridge in Basey, the Rock Formations in Marabut and the Ulot River Torpedo Boat Ride in Paranas.
I’ve visited the province of Samar on several caving trips and have written a detailed travel guide about it, but for some reason, I haven’t been to those three main and most popular sites. So while riding back from Borongan to Catbalogan City on my solo ride around Samar Island, I decided to stop and try the Torpedo boat ride at Ulot River since it was along the way.
Continue reading “Endless Samar Part 4: Ulot River Torpedo Boat Adventure”For regular travel, I usually just take photos with my SLR for print magazine features and the blog. Most of the time, I end up using photos and videos taken with my Smartphone for Instagram and social media. But for extreme adventures, motorcycling, biking trips and water-based activities, it’s essential to have an action camera. Video content and vlogs are becoming more popular these days on social media and action cameras can really really help you capture more dynamic content.
Pasig is a city in the Philippines located along the eastern border of Metro Manila. While most business and luxury tourists usually stay in the Manila / Pasay area to be near the airport and backpackers will want to stay in the Makati / Poblacion area for the nightlife, I would recommend staying in Pasig if you’re traveling with the family or if you want to enjoy a mix of active pursuits and city comforts.
As a freelance writer, I get to travel a lot on my own. However, I haven’t gone a real trip with Art since last year. Since he works regular office hours and Sundays, scheduling leaves are more difficult for him. During weekends, we usually settle for biking trips or motorcycle rides near the metro with date meals in random carinderias. But with the weather lately, we usually end up coming home either exhausted from the heat, drenched by rain or splattered with mud. Sometimes, you just kind of want to take a luxurious break for a change.
I was thinking of booking a random flight or taking a road trip somewhere just to get away during the ASEAN Summit holiday. Just based on my Facebook feed, it seemed like everyone was planning to go out of town. But with major roads being locked down for security and horrible traffic because of the special lanes, I dreaded the thought of going to the airport or getting stuck somewhere on the way to a good “out-of-town” destination.
Street art or public art is a big part of urban culture. Unlike art you find in museums, this kind of media staged in the streets, walkways and buildings make art more accessible to the public.
Certain places around the world like George Town in Penang and Sao Paolo in Brazil are known for their vibrant street art, which is a big tourism draw in itself. Just check out this list of the best cities in the World for Street Art. In the Philippines, one of the best places to see big scale public art is Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig.
Continue reading “Art in the City: Murals in BGC”I like to do self-imposed quests and collect certain items when I travel. One of the personal challenges or sidequests I’ve been trying to complete is to visit all the destinations featured on the back of our Philippine currency. The current set of banknotes issued by the Central Bank of the Philippines features Philippine landmarks and tourist destinations, which are considered the most valuable treasures of our nation. As of November 2017, I’ve traveled to and taken photos of the landmarks in five out of the six locations around the country.
GOAL: Take photos of Philippine banknotes with the landmarks featured on the bill STATUS: 5/6 collected
NEXT MISSION: Dive with a 1000 bill at Tubbataha Reef
Continue reading “SIDEQUEST | Money Trail: Explore the iconic sites on Philippine Currency”
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