Category: Philippines

Zamboanga’s Pink Sand Beach

Pink sand beaches are quite rare. There are a only a few of them around the world, the most famous of which can be found in Bahamas & Bermuda. Thankfully, we don’t have to travel abroad to set foot on one. The Greater Santa Cruz Island in Zamboanga City, in the southern region of the Philippines, is famed for having pink coralline sand.

This small inhabited island located in the Basilan Strait is just 4 km south of the downtown area of Zamboanga City. It can be reached within 20 minutes by motorized boats. In recent years, the beach has gained popularity as a tourist attraction in the city. I’m really glad to have visited this bucket-list worthy beach prior to my trip to Tawi-Tawi. Continue reading “Zamboanga’s Pink Sand Beach”

Touring with Travel Experts

A lot of people dream of exotic vacations in off-the beaten-path destinations. But more often than not, people who work in 8 to 5 jobs rarely have the time to do the research and legwork needed to realize these dream escapes.

The easiest solution is to sign up for package tours–pre-arranged trips with travel companies that promise to take the guesswork out of traveling. Food, accommodations, tickets, and even guides are all taken care of, so all you need to do is fork up some money and show up.

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Paragliding Lessons in Rizal

In retrospect, driving a motorcycle to take paragliding lessons wasn’t such a good idea. The steep, dusty, gravel-riddled mess of a dirt road leading up to Antenna Hill in Binangonan, Rizal, was not exactly ideal terrain for my scooter.

I muttered silent prayers to myself as I drove by the different stations of the cross perched on the edge of the cliffside roads. It took a lot of focus to maneuver my scooter while balancing an ice cooler with drinks strapped to the front of my bike near my feet. Art’s cruiser sputtered as he drove up with our paragliding guide Habu riding pillion, who himself was carrying a huge bag of paragliding gear. And by huge, I mean a full grown person could easily curl up in the bag and hide there.

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Chill out at The Circle Hostel, La Union

It’s always refreshing to stay in a place that makes you feel like a kid again. A place where you can find wooden treehouses and swings instead of the usual cold steel, leather couches and glass windows in most hotels. A place where anyone can take a nap in a hammock any time you want and the only walls dividing your bunk bed from your neighbors’ are see-through mosquito nets. A place that’s just walking distance from the beach, where you can just fall asleep on the sand while stargazing if the electricity unexpectedly goes out.

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5 Weird Pinoy Fiestas

Most festivals in the Philippines take inspiration from a distinct product or industry of the town. This product usually dictates the theme for the activities, decor and street-dancing costumes, which seem to be a staple of every Pinoy fiesta. In the official Tourism AVP, it’s pointed out that, “we have rice fiestas, flower fiestas, giant fiestas, mask fiestas. We have one every day of the year. And everyone’s invited.” And because the country is blessed with so many products and industries, this has resulted in some rather out-of-the-ordinary fiestas as well. Here are five of the weirder inspirations for Pinoy festivals I’ve come across.

BAGOONG (SHRIMP PASTE)
Where: Lingayen, Pangasinan Continue reading “5 Weird Pinoy Fiestas”

Sunsets and Stargazing in Ilocos Norte

Sometimes trips don’t always go as planned. A cancelled boat trip meant time to kill, and I unexpectedly found myself shooting a serene sunset and stargazing in Ilocos Norte. While waiting for a boat to Calayan in Cagayan during our trip last April, we exhausted the tourist spots in the jump-off point Claveria, got wasted on Red Horse Beer, and even got to go sightseeing around beaches and waterfalls in Pagudpud. Our last two stops were to the towns of Burgos and Bangui in Ilocos Norte for some sunset/night photography.

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Travel Guide: Calayan Island, Cagayan

My trip to the Calayan group of islands in Cagayan was an unexpected surprise. I’m really thankful for the invitation of Lakad Pilipinas to visit the elusive island along with other bloggers Juanderful Pinoy, Blissful Guro and the family of photographers we traveled along with.

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Illustrado: Motorcycling around the Philippines

Experience Beautiful Philippines like you’ve never done before in Illustrado Magazine’s Issue 73: “Escape.” For this issue, I wrote a feature on five destinations in the Philippines (Marilaque, Sagada, Bicol, Puerto Princesa & Siargao) from behind two wheels and listed a few dream destinations for motorcycle tours.

This issue also has a great fashion spread taken in the surreal Kapurpurawan Rock Formations in Burgos, Ilocos Norte. Check out the photoshoot in Illustrado’s Fashion Gallery on Facebook. The community lifestyle magazine is available in major bookstores in Dubai and selected Fully Booked Bookstores in Manila.

Motorcycling from Naga to Mayon

Whenever I go home to Naga City in Bicol to visit my folks, I usually just laze around, enjoy my mother’s home cooked meals, and try out the new restaurants in the city. However, my recent visit this week ended up being pretty extreme. Aside from getting to try out the new ATV tour to Mt. Isarog, I was able to squeeze in a great motorcycling trip from Naga to Legazpi and back with Mac, one of my childhood friends based in Naga.

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ATV Ride to Malabsay Falls & Hotsprings in Naga

NOTE: As of July 2014, the tour operator ATV Ride Naga no longer operates.

Visitors to Naga City in Bicol often get a good dose of church-hopping, a few hours wakeboarding at CWC, and a great food trip around Naga’s many restaurants. Those who have more time usually go island-hopping around Caramoan, made famous by hit reality show Survivor.

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