2017 was the year of Baler, Aurora. Last year, the once sedate province made several headlines, thanks to a movie and a string of events. A beauty pageant kickstarted Baler’s exciting year, followed by the release of Salvador Calvo’s “1898, los ultimos de Filipinas,” which chronicles the siege of Baler. Finally, a number of surfing…
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PHOTOGRAPH BY SANDY MIGUEL.
Whoever has set foot in Baguio knows that it’s a perfect setting to just be a tourist, when you simply just want to walk, stop by a monument, and move on. No other place is as conducive to relaxation as Baguio, with its chilly air and perpetually foggy atmosphere where sunlight lovingly peaks through. Whether…
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PIXABAY
Despite its seeming crampedness and excesses, Singapore has remained progressive by keeping things simple. However, this meant sacrifices had to be made along the way. Old Havelock’s Teochew Porridge looked as ancient as kingdom come. It’s no surprise as it was embedded there decades ago, the plastered walls failing to hide its age. Yet despite…
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Enamored with the idea of setting foot in the oldest street in the oldest city of the Philippines, tourists flock to Colon Street in Cebu to see what have become of the historic thoroughfare. What greets them, at times to their dismay, is its urban decay: decades-old buildings, decrepit and sallowed by the elements, and…
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Is swimming with whale sharks is on your bucket list? Consider visiting the quiet town of Oslob, the next time you’re in the Queen City of the South. Never mind the traffic and long way back to Cebu City—it’s worth the trouble, anyway. According to a Cebu-based tour agency, whale shark watching in the town…
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Mactan Island is a sprawling island paradise in Lapu Lapu City, Cebu that calls to mind vestiges of pre-colonial Philippine history. It was the site of the historic battle of Mactan, where the the island’s native chieftain, Lapu Lapu and Portuguese-Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan came head to head. Today, the island is now peppered with…
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Updated February 21, 2019 This review will be no nonsense and quick, as I didn’t do much at Islands Stay Hotels Mactan, Cebu. I only stayed there for a night, as I was meant to go to Moalboal the next day. I landed in Cebu in the evening via an Air Asia flight from…
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Much of the allure of living in a youth hostel is the illusion of living in a dorm room, just like most did in college. The shared familiarity with your dorm mates, the communal living spaces, the sense of independence—staying in a hostel surely takes you back.
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PHOTOGRAPH BY SANDY MIGUEL.
The Panagbenga Flower Festival in Baguio is a rite of passage for most travelers in Luzon, if not the entire Philippines. Almost everyone wants to go to Baguio, especially during Panagbenga, either for a day trip or a week-long escapade. Usually held in February, the Panagbenga flower festival runs for an entire month. The festival…
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