A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
Updated March 2016
Ten Cents to Heaven Resort is the kind of place you’d go to just to meditate amidst nature. With its cool climate, manicured gardens in front of a sea of hills, stairways lined with pine like trees and wooden cabanas shrouded in vines, this resort and leisure camp in Tanay, Rizal offers a serene respite from city life. Best of all, it’s not that far from the metro.
Continue reading “Ten Cents to Heaven Resort in Tanay, Rizal”
I’ve traveled far just to visit some famous stone beaches in the country. There’s Luna Pebble Beach in La Union, Mabua Pebble Beach in Surigao City, and Valugan Boulder Beach in Batanes. These beaches are known for having shores covered with pebbles, cobbles and huge boulders instead of fine sand which give them a unique landscape.
Little did I know that there’s a nice pebble beach in my own home province of Camarines Sur. Bagolatao Beach can be found in the barangay of Bagolatao in the town of Minalabac, just 45 minutes away from Naga City! Continue reading “White Pebble Beach near Naga City”
Raindrops trickled down through the holes in the tarpaulin that served as the roof of the boat, forming a puddle right next to me and waking me up from my sleep. “Duct tape,” I mentally added to my list of things I should always bring on a trip, as I moved my bag and huddled in the center of the boat with the rest of the people on the boat.
I grew up in Naga City, but I never knew that there was a very nice waterfall circuit just in my own backyard. Most Naguenos are probably familiar with Malabsay and Nabontolan Falls accessible via Panicuason in Naga City, located on the East slope of Mt. Isarog.
But apparently there are also eight pristine waterfalls shrouded by a triple-canopy forest in the Pili section of Mt. Isarog National Park (MINP). The site, surrounded by farming communities and some historical points of interest (including a Japanese memorial and wartime tunnels) is currently being eyed as a potential eco-tourism trail. And boy, does it have potential! Continue reading “Chasing Waterfalls in Pili, Camarines Sur”
Food and travel really go together. More and more tourists are planning their destinations around food, and local cuisine is playing a big part in food tourism in the country.
Batan and Sabtang Island are amazing enough. But then I got to Itbayat, the northernmost inhabited island of Batanes, and I was floored. While Itbayat is more rugged and more difficult to explore, it has a unique charm of its own. Hiking over rough roads, hills and steep paths can be grueling, but you will be rewarded with amazing views of caves, cliffs and coasts.
Poverty incidence in Itbayat is high, yet the people are friendly, honest and generous. Itbayanons pride themselves on having no casualties when typhoons hit, since their stone and lime houses were built to withstand calamities. And just like their vernacular houses, the people are strong, resilient, and hard-working.
Continue reading “Travel Guide: Itbayat, Batanes”On our last day in Batanes, after biking around North and South Batan, motorcycling around, and separate trips to Sabtang Island and Itbayat, Outside Slacker and I met up again in Basco to hike through a forest maze up a mountain. The thickly forested Mt. Iraya has an elevation of 1,009 metres (3,310 ft) above sea level, and is a major landmark of Batanes, the northernmost province of the Philippines.
While most people are probably heading out to their home provinces or hitting the beaches this Holy Week, riders are probably looking for their next destination. With the streets in Manila virtually devoid of traffic during the Lenten Season, this is just the perfect excuse to gear up and head to religious destinations. Riding to visit churches and sites of religious significance can be a meaningful way to celebrate the Holy Week.
Last year, I found myself motorcycling a total of 232 kilometers South of Manila for a Holy Week themed ride, passing through the churches of Pakil and Paete and the Tatlong Krus a pilgrimage site in Paete, where three crosses sit atop a hill.
Sonya’s Garden has long been a family favorite for road trips. This bed and breakfast and restaurant is one of the most romantic getaways near the metro. It’s actually the first place I think of whenever someone mentions Tagaytay. With all the new establishments, hotels and Metro Manila chains that have set up in Tagaytay. Sonya’s Garden still offers a refreshing escape where you can enjoy healthy meals in a lush garden setting.
Tagaytay City in Cavite is the most popular destination near the metro for a day trip. However, with the traffic and high cost of gas and toll fees, sometime’s it’s best to make the most of a road trip by staying overnight somewhere. This way, you can visit the more sights at a leisurely pace.
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