The trip to Vigan is a one-of-a-kind experience that you shouldn’t miss for it transports you back into the 16th century. it is important to know that Vigan was declared as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site due to its well-preserved Spanish colonial towns.

What’s unique about Vigan is that it not only showcases European architecture but mixes that of oriental culture so much so that you’ll see Chinese designs beautifully spread all over the city.

I stayed in a hotel along Calle Crisologo called Cordillera Inn. The room showcases the typical bed of people in higher social strata during the Spanish colonial time with four-poster bed and grandiose bathroom. Just what I needed!

Calle Crisologo

Calle Crisologo is perhaps the most famous and the most visited street of all of Vigan. Here you’ll see a parade of the best what Vigan has to offer with full reminiscent of all what is left after the Japanese occupation. Note that some of the houses were burned during the war only to be restored later following their original design. Walking along the street you’ll see some houses that are still to be acquired by the local government through litigation.

Perhaps the best time to roam around Vigan is during sunset around 6:30pm when they start to light up the streets in Vigan. Then, you’ll see how amazingly beautiful these structures can become.

Viva Vigan Festival

I was lucky to witness Viva Vigan Festival during my visit. Viva Vigan spawns into many sub-but equally important festivals such as Binatbatan and Karbo Festival. I managed to take a few pictures during the event. The festival features both the local and international costumes and a parade of colorful and highly adorned Kalesa, the country’s old mode of transportation.

For foreigners who are wondering how a Kalesa looks like, here’s an example. It’s decorated so you can relax haha! It shouldn’t look like that on a daily basis, only for that day.

Food

Vigan’s cuisine is based in vegetables and more vegetables. They also boast famous delicacies like Okoy (shrimp fritters) and empanada, a kind of pastel or stuffed bread with veggies inside and egg yolk fried to perfection.

You’ll also love their grilled veggies and poqui-poqui,a meatless eggplant-based viand that anyone would love!

Lucban Longganisa (local sausage seasoned with local spices and meat) is also a must try. Bagnet is another popular food but never had the chance to try it. Maybe next time.

How to Get There

Take Partas bus in Pasay and it will take you straight to their bus terminal in Vigan. From the bus terminal, hire a tricycle and pay Php30 to take you to Calle Crisologo. Traveling by your own car might be convenient, too, and takes less time. You might also want to take a plane to Laoag and travel by bus 2 hours going to Vigan. The latter is the best option if you plan to visit Ilocos Norte first before heading to Vigan.

Vigan is a fun place to visit. What other exciting activities you have experienced on your travel to the north particularly the Ilocos region? Any fun memories down there? Share your thoughts on the comment section below.

All pictures taken using iPhone 5

March 28, Thursday, was an unforgettable day for me and my family. My father died peacefully but the events which came before that were more painful that one can ever imagine especially for those who haven’t lost a loved one yet.

My relationship with my father was better than I can describe it. I’m not good at saying things orally so I resort to writing in order to express my innermost thoughts. My relationship with other people, with my loved ones often goes awry simply because I cannot express it well enough to make it more intelligible to them at the very least.

“Dad, it’s Me Jules. I’m here, I Will Stay and Will Never Leave”

I was in Manila when my sister called asking me to come home immediately for dad. But even before that, I had plans of coming home already, on thursday to be exact, to visit him. The first time dad and I talked again after years of being away was during Christmas of last year after. We didn’t really talk but we hugged each other. You know how men have difficulty expressing their emotions. My dad and I suffer from that a lot…and more intense.

I immediately went back home that Wednesday and got home at night. I was shocked to see my dad so thin and pale. His body was so heavy, his breaths were slow but deep indicating of a dying body. Seeing someone like that would force anyone to jump out of their chair and take them to nearby hospital but my sister explained that doctors would just ask us to take him back home due to his old age.

Technically, my dad has no disease or whatsoever, he just stopped eating that day, which has caused alarm to the entire family and had episodes of state of delirium with his eyes looking straight upward. Everything happened so quickly, in just one day.

But even then I had to insist that we take my dad to the hospital to get him some needed medical attention. My dad was unconscious and still won’t open his eyes. I was nervous. As soon as we get in the hospital I immediately put him in the hospital bed in the emergency room as instructed by the attending nurses. There my dad’s eyes opened, seeing me, he tried so hard to talk but no words would come out of his mouth, and raising his hands trying to touch my face. There I told him in my native tongue, “O tang, I jules ini. Aku ini. Atiu naku. Edaka lakwan keni. Keni kumu siping mu”. (Dad it’s me jules. It’s me. I’m here already. I won’t leave you. I’ll stay here with you). My dad closed his eyes, never to open it again after hearing those words. Suddenly, my dad’s temperature went up, from being so frigid. His skin lightened in color and his muscles softened. I knew he responded physiologically when he saw me.

Nurses had a hard time putting in syringe since my dad’s veins collapsed already but ultimately did after almost an hour of attempt. The doctor told me that dad suddenly fell into coma and only responds to pain when they apply pressure against his sternum (the chest bone). They gave me the option to put in incision in the throat to help him breathe or let him that way so he could ‘let go’ peacefully.

I was confused. But the doctor turned out to be more emotional when I saw her almost cried in front of me. Her unsolicited advice went on saying, “Nung aku kekayu, ali tane papabusbus batal tatang. Manasakit yamu. Matwa ne i tatang at nung lalawen taya, ene magluat uling mig collapse ne katawan na uling keng edad. Pero atiu parin kekayu nung nanung buri yu pero ita mu ing a suggest ku kekayu” (If I were you, I won’t go with tracheotomy. It will just hurt him. Daddy’s old already and he won’t make it any longer since his body collapsed already due to old age. But its still your call, but that’s the suggestion I have at the moment.)

I was stunned and couldn’t decide. The doctor, being so emotional, asked me to decide quickly and headed to a nearby restroom, perhaps to cry as she was on the verge of tears. She probably had similar situation in the family before.

I immediately phoned my oldest sister Alma to ask her about her opinion on the matter and got a no on the tracheotomy. She wanted dad’s body to stay as it is, with no unnecessary incision and the like. We were both literally crying over the phone. Went back to emergency room to tell them about the family’s decision. They had me sign the papers that says that the medical staff won’t do any reviving acts the moment my dad goes through “that” difficult stage. I signed the papers. My hands were cold. I signed my dad’s death sentence.

After doing so, I walked slowly towards my dad’s bed. Held his left hand, and leaned over to his left ear, saying, “O tang, I jules ini. Edaka lakwan keni. Abe muku…Petawaran danaka tang. Malwat na. Sana patawaran muku rin. Patawaran me rin sarili mu…Pasalamatan mu ing bie mu, ing bie tamu, kasi kahit nanu pa milyari, masaya naman diba?” (Dad, it’s me jules. I won’t leave you here. I’m with you. I have forgiven you already. Did it years back. Hope you have forgiven me, too. Please forgive yourself as well. Be thankful with your life, our life as a family because whatever happened, realize that it’s worth it and that it’s happy, right?”)

My sister was holding my dad’s right arm and told her to tell dad things she wanted to say. My sister Alma asked us over the phone to pray for him. It was difficult. A few seconds I was stumped trying to figure out what to pray. My dad never raised us with any formal religion so praying in a situation like this left us stupefied. But I managed to do so with the Lord’s prayer, that’s the only prayer I know.

I pray a lot actually but not with any formal prayer that could be perceived appropriate for this type of situation. Add to the confusion that is already there, I guess scrambling for prayer might leave anyone confused, too. Slowly I recited the Lord’s prayer, repeating it many times until I saw dad teared up yet never opened his eyes. I kissed him and just went on and on talking to him. He was transferred to his room an hour after. The next day he passed away.

Nothing can really make us feel the vulnerability of the human spirit and the human body other than in the face of death. Suddenly, it has become apparent, it has become real. My understanding about death has now moved beyond my immediate self. I saw the death angel face to face through my dad’s eyes and right then and there I knew I was about to lose him.

A Strong but Vulnerable Tatang

Perhaps, I know my dad more than anyone in the family. Blame it to spending a lot of time together and talking to each other. That’s why when I left the house in 2007 due to a big family problem, it had had a huge impact on him.

My dad is so tough that he never taught me verbally how to apologize for my offenses. He could be brutal at times but behind all those flashy, rugged demeanour and appearance is a sad and vulnerable man. My dad had lots of kids from his previous spouses (we’re the last), accumulated many children, perhaps around 20 or more. I’m the 2nd to the youngest.

During the stargazing season of August or November, my dad would usually take me out of the house, go to a place where we could lie down and look at the sky and see the constellation of stars as seen from the books he got from the US. Dad has a huge collection of astronomy books with complete pictures of constellations and information on how to locate them. I was the only one to pay attention to his interest and assumed it later on as I grew up loving science. This started our journey as bestfriends.

Although we grew up without a formal religion, my dad is a big bible reader and he’d read me phrases, verses from the Christian Bible a lot and some already imprinted in my mind until today due to constant repetition. My dad would always tell me about his frustration towards his parents that they never let him continue to study due to lack of funds yet have time spending money for other non important things. It was difficult to comprehend especially when I was still young back then but I grew up trying to digest all those things. I want to respond to that but perhaps I couldn’t find the right words to say lest I might hurt his feelings or perhaps he just wanted me to listen to him and never ask for any opinion. Even when I know his story I continued to stay mum on those issues.

I hope I could expound more on the kind of problems we had but suffice it to say that it’s so big it warrant separation. Took my mom out of our house and rented an apartment somewhere else. I vowed not to go back and I did. Even before that we had several attempts of leaving the house only to go back again, and again and again. But the 2007 or 2008 incident was the last. My mom decided to go back only a month ago to take care of my dad after he asked that she comes back home to be with him. After that my dad grew thinner by the day signaling his deteriorating body. It’s been a long battle for dad and for the entire family seeing him bed-ridden, waiting for that time to come. When taken to the hospital, doctors would refuse long term confinement because dad technically has no disease. He’s just too old as they always say. But I broke the rules the day I took him to the hospital because I couldn’t stand seeing him in the house doing nothing. I just couldn’t.

Dreams and Dad

I dream a lot, those thing that you experience when you sleep. And days after my dad died I would see him in my dreams.

My dad would always tell me before that I used to tell him my dreams when I was a kid and those dreams would always come true. They become real. Weird as it may seem, I noticed that my dreams become true in another shape or form, forewarning me about impending life catastrophes or important event. My dad tells me that I have that gift yet I only paid attention to it recently.

My dad taught me to trust in my dreams, to listen to them intently and the things that they suggest. I’m not big in religion but I became more spiritual as I grow old. I follow buddhism a lot lately yet I have few things I believe the Christian and Muslim world as in the case of the Michael the Archangel which is described in both the holy books of both faith.

I don’t profess that they are true, real and I guess it’s not my business to even tell anybody that since we vary in terms of how we perceive faith. My dad would always cite Hebrew 8-10 which describes how the almighty God in the Bible describes his relationship to his people, that because he is powerful our body has become the church of his love and a way for him to communicate that love to us:

I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.

I never forget that and those words remained imprinted in my mind and have become my guiding principle in my spiritual life. Truly, if God exists, he is different than what most of us think he is, more loving that most of us think he is and more intelligent than what most spiritual leaders think he is. When asked, I really cannot say I believe in those things, nor object on them. Truth is, I describe myself as a man with high gratitude on everything and I think that’s enough. Life can be difficult at times but it’s beatufiul.

I believe that God will not punish me just because I don’t follow any religious groups or believe in any religious bibles of the world or even obsessing that he exists. We are made of love and the ‘creator’ of that love would not do anything to contradict that by punishing anyone. He is more than what we think he is if he really exists.

I guess he could be more interested in what we feel and how we take life on a daily basis because he wants all of us to be happy. I know because I listen to myself, I listen to my dreams. My dad was right. I should listen intently to my dreams and make them my reality and not listen to the noise around me. We could achieve a higher state of consciousness if we listen to ourselves, that little voice that we hear everytime we shut ourselves from the chaos of our surroundings and just sit there listening to the utterances and verbalization of our own self. That is “God” speaking to us. He can’t be found in churches made of stones. He is within us. He is us. We are our own God. (Psalm 82:6 and John 10:34).

I Miss You Dad

For the past few days I would see dad in dreams. The setup of the dream is that long straight road with the bright sun at the end with forest of trees on either side of the road. Parallel to the road are stone benches where people would normally sit in a park. There I see one of my brothers who passed away before and Michael the Archangel is around, too. My dad would usually tap on my back and look at me intently and smiling. On my first night of dreaming of him I would call him and ask, “O Tang, bakit kasi makanta. Bakit kasi nakatang kagulu” (Dad why does it have to be that way. Why does our family has to be chat chaotic). My dad would just hug me tightly. The second time dreaming of him, I told dad that I miss him a lot. My dad would never talk like he always does. We would enjoy walking in that long road together with Michael the Archangel watching us at the back.

When dad was in his deathbed, I would tell him that I prayed to Michael the Archangel and asked the latter to take care of him when he finally leaves. My belief in the archangel started when I was young when he appeared in one of my dreams. He always does after every huge event in my life the last being when I suffered a painful breakup last October. He appeared in my dreams telling me these words: Be still. A fish and a butterfly would appear in front of me sending me these clear message: like me you can be free (fish), you can fly, too (butterfly). These could be just a product of some electrical activity of my brain but who knows, and who cares?

Those things gave me the needed peace of mind I need during times of chaos and confusion and they continue to do so until today. I’m not yet totally OK and still mourning the passing of my father but I trust that things will be OK and I’ll recover soon. But losing someone that you can never replace will forever etch a scar in your heart reminding you of the pain of losing someone you truly value and love.

Life is short yet we choose to continue hating and hurting one another when we can spend our time loving instead.

Miss danaka, tang. Nang kasakit pala sobra. Sobra. Kaluguran daka. (I miss you dad. I never thought it could be this painful. So painful. I love you.)

Mount Pinatubo is one of Philippine’s natural wonders. The “sleeping volcano” took many lives when it erupted back in 1991. Now, two decades after that powerful, killer blast Mount Pinatubo has transformed itself into one beautiful, unique tourist destination.

I was invited by a few travel buddies to join them in this one-of-a-kind trekking experience. At first I hesitated given the fact that I never went hiking nor trekking before and my body might not be ready to deal with the challenge but I realized that everyone who’s physically healthy can do it with or without prior experience in trekking.

Four-wheel-drive vehicles take you on an hour trip to the arid terrain before leaving you on the starting point of the hike. The 2 hour hiking takes you to the mountain to see the caldera and witness its spectacular view.

How to get there

There are many ways by which you can go to Mount Pinatubo. Either you get yourself the services of travel agencies or you DIY it to save money. I prefer the former. For agencies, they arrange to pick you up somewhere in Manila or depending on your agreed meeting place. It’s best to travel in group as it makes the trekking enjoyable and less taxing.

If you’re DIYing it, from Manila, take buses going to either Baguio, Dagupan or Lingayen. Buses in Quezon City and Cubao have trips going to these destinations and they all pass Capas, Tarlac. Alight in there.

Take a tricycle in Capas and tell the driver to take you directly to Santa Juliana tourism office. You’ll pass by the public market at Tizon drive before reaching the tourism office. Once there, you can negotiate with 4×4 operators to take you to the trail.

Helpful reminders when climbing Mount Pinatubo

• Take some food with you to eat while trekking like sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs, energy bars, water, etc. The store installation at the top of the mountain offers no meals.
• Wear appropriate trekking shoes.
• Apply sunblock onto your skin frequently
• Don’t litter. It’s part of the “leave no trace” culture in mountain trekking/hiking.

Bacolod is the heart and capital of Negros Occidental province in the Philippines and is home to the famous MassKara festival which happens every 3rd week of October.

My trip to Bacolod was rather unplanned. Booked a ticket on the same day I went there and just literally trolled into the city with no clear plan at all. I relied heavily on blogposts about Bacolod to take me to some of the most important tourist destinations of the city and the entire Negros Occidental as well.

First Impression

My idea about Bacolod was a rather laid back city with literally little things happening in there but you’ll be surprised as soon as you step into the cities “entrance”. You see, the city is so alive and bustling with friendly people. Small and medium-size businesses sprawl like mushrooms (in a positive way).

MassKara Festival

My visit to Bacolod was a little over the MassKara Festival. I could have gone a few days before that and participated in the festivity but well. There’s a next time!

Bacolod is known as the “City of Smiles”. Move around the city and you’ll just feel just how friendly and gleeful people are. But MassKara Festival has a rather interesting history.

MassKara was born during the time when the city was marred by tragedies. According to history, because Negros Occidental relied heavily on sugar cane trade, the sweeping price drop of sugar during the 1980s forced many sugar cane plantations to suffer during the 1980s. April 22 of the same year is also an event during when MV Don Juan, an inter-island vessel, carrying hundreds of people, collided with a tanker and sank in the middle of the sea and cost 700 lives of fellow Bacolodnons.

To end the then pervasive gloomy atmosphere of the city due to economic downturn and lost of lives, many concerned citizens including the artists, other civic groups including the government organized a festival which is now called MassKara festival. The purpose is to uplift the spirit of the people through fun festivity wearing smiling masks as well as convey the idea that no matter how difficult life is or no matter what happens, Bacolodnons will pull through, will survive.

Places to Visit

Bacolod is a fun city but more than buildings and other man-made structures there, local cuisine was the highlight of my trip.

Manokan Country

Manukan Country is a stretch of business establishments all selling the same food: chicken inasal. Others could be selling barbeque, too, but this place is known for authentic chicken inasal, the famous delicacy here in Bacolod. At PHP60.00 it’s worth your money.

Calea Pastries and Coffee Shop

Cake lovers will go crazy with their cakes. Yummy!

Miren Desserts Cafe

Make sure you order their Red Velvet and the delicious Blackberry Mocha coffee.

Bong Bong’s Pasalubong

Try their steaming hot piyaya biscuits. You’ll love it! Get the Ube and muscovado filled piyaya. Biscocho is nice, too!

San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod

New Government Center of the City of Bacolod

Sunset at New Government Center of the City of Bacolod

The Ruins in Talisay City

Just an hour or less of travel from Bacolod to Talisay is a grand “castle” in the middle of a sugar cane field in Talisay The Ruins, a 92 year old mansion, is regarded as one of the Philippine’s finest architecture. It is currently ranked at number 12 in the world as one of the most fascinating ruins. And just recently, the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers also declared the Ruins as the Best Landmark of the Philippines.

The Ruins in Talisay City, Negros Occidental is a mansion built by Don Mariano Lacson in memory of his wife Maria Braga who died during her eleventh pregnancy. Notice the initials M and M molded in some of the posts around the Mansion. The mansion has been abandoned for more than 60 years but was developed just recently by Raymond Javillana and been operating for the past 4 years and opened to the public as one of Talisay’s tourist attractions. As I’ve written in my Instagram post:

The Ruins, constructed in 1900s, is of Italian architecture with neo-classical/Romanesque column. It was built by sugar baron Don Mariano Ledesma de Lacson for his portuguese wife Maria Braga. It was burned down during World War II by Filipino guerrillas and US Armed Forces to prevent the Japanese forces from using it as a headquarters during the war.

I will create a separate post for this soon.

Ancestral Houses in Silay

The highlight of my visit in Silay City are the rows of ancestral houses that still exist until today. Here are some.

Dońa Maria Ledesma Golez Ancestral House

Cesar Lacson Locsin Ancestral House

Hofileña Heritage House

Victor Fernandez Gaston Ancestral House (Balay Negrense)

Mambukal Resort in Murcia

My trip to Palawan has been one of the most memorable trips I’ve had in years. Palawan is perhaps the Philippines’ last frontier. Dense forest, crystal clear water and protected marine life, Palawan is definitely the place to visit to loosen up. So let me give you some travel tips to give you an idea on what to do and where to go in Puerto Princesa.

What to See

For me, the main attraction of Puerto Princesa are the beaches in Honda Bay and the Puerto Princesa Underground River. Since we’re already there, we took the city tour and visited Baker’s Hill, Mitra Farm, Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Consevation Center. There’s still much places to see but we had to limit our trip to Honda Bay and the Underground River because we didn’t have the luxury of time to stay longer. I guess in order to really appreciate Puerto Princesa, Palawan you may want to have a week of stay there before heading to other regions in Palawan and see El Nido and Coron.

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

The Puerto Princesa Underground River is a fascinating subterranean river. It’s a 24 km long cave with amazing stalactite and stalagmite formations inside. The locals wouldn’t hesitate to call these formations with familiar figures like the Holy Family, Jesus Christ, Virgin Mary, some fruits, vegetables, etc. It’s difficult to take good pictures because we don’t have any powerful lights on. I didn’t bother, too since I don’t want to disturb the bats.

There’s a 4 km navigable length inside the subterranean river but we’re only allowed to travel up to 1.5. Special permit is needed to go further. Besides I feel like as we go further I get dizzy due to, apparently, lack of oxygen inside. The Puerto Princesa Underground River is definitely a must see when you visit Puerto Princesa.

Honda Bay

The Honday Bay is another exciting part of the trip in Puerto Princesa. The Honday Bay has many little islands and reefs which are good for snorkelling and other fun underwater activities. Some of the areas we went to are Luli Island, Pambato Reef, Starfish Island, and Pandan Island. Pandan Island is the best of them all and has the finest sand close to the quality of sand in Boracay.

You can either take advantage of the tour organized by the management of the hotel you’re in or you can DIY it. We DIYed it ourselves and saved more than 60% had we chose to have the former. But if you’re not concerned about the budget and you want to save yourself from the hassle of thinking how to DIY it, then you’d probably want to have the organized tour instead.

I had fun snorkelling at Luli Island, Pambato Reef, and Pandan Island. A frightening experience in Pambato Reef was when I crossed the yellow buoyant line and swam where most baby sharks sometimes hang out! I was enjoying the site of beautiful, colorful corals on that area and had no idea that everybody was already freaking out because of what I did and the life guards were nervous because the area I was into is prohibited.

There were no record of shark attack in the Pambato Reef they said (so far lol) but some said that baby sharks stay there a lot so they had to put up a buoyant line to prevent people from swimming into those areas.

All these photos are taken at Pandan Island. Beautiful beach with lots of starfish! Quite scary to walk while you’re in the water chances are you’ll get to step on them! Before going on a boat trip to these islands make sure that you have your snorkelling gears ready. Rentals are available.

Ugong Rock

You should not miss Ugong Rock if you like spelunking and zipline. This is really not for me because I’m afraid of heights but did it due to peer pressure. haha! See my reaction on the second picture? The video is much worse! lol (No I’m not gonna post it here hehe).

Half of the time I was shaking and almost fainted when they pushed me down that mountain! It was scary but fun at the same time. I don’t think I will ever try that again but it was a fun experience.

Tamilok

Tamilok or shipworm is a popular delicacy in Palawan. It’s wormlike, naked clam, eaten raw with vinegar, onion, and garlic. Taste’s like raw oyster.

I’ll add more content on this Puerto Princesa Palawan Travel Tips post as I get to edit some of the photos we took during our stay there. Consider adding these in your itinerary when you visit Puerto Princesa. Enjoy!

Most of the photos are taken using iPhone 4S and enhanced using Snapseed app.

Recently romping up as the “World’s Best Island” by Travel+Leisure magazine this year, Boracay is definitely an island to hop on to among beach bums out there.

My two week stay in Boracay has been the most exciting vacation I had in years. I’ve been here twice and I just can’t enough of this beautiful little island. Back in 2009 the beach is teeming with tourists mostly Australian, American, and some Europeans and Filipinos. Now, it seems that the entire island is occupied by Koreans. LOL no pun intended.

The problem with Koreans is that tend to flock together, isolating themselves with other tourists probably owed to their inability to speak better English. I’m not really sure how good they are but I only had to guess. But this might change soon as most Koreans choose Philippines as their destination for higher learning like getting a degree in college certificate course like ESL to help them learn the rudiments of the English language. I think it’s good.

During my stay I met Norwegians, Albanians, Malaysians, Swedish, Spanish, and Costa Ricans. I got the chance to really practice my Spanish a little bit. Haha! Seems to me that Boracay is becoming an attractive place for backpackers and beach lovers around the globe.

Where and What is Boracay

Boracay is small island located northwest of Panay (approx 2KM), If you’re looking at the Philippine Map, it’s in the Visayas region, south of Manila. It has a 4 kilometer  long white sand beach filled with hotels, restaurants, spa, and other shops where you can buy stuff like food and other implements.

The white sand shore is divided into four stations the whitest being Station 1. Boracay pride itself as having the whitest of white sand beach in the world. It’s powdery sand is unbelievably clean-looking and close to cement in texture especially if you stroll along Station 1.

How to Get There

From Manila International Airport (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) or Clark International Airport (Diosdado Macapagal International Airport), take a domestic flight to either Kalibo International or Caticlan Airport. Kalibo is popular because flights going here are cheaper owing to the fact that you have to take one and a half hour bus ride from there going to the northern tip of Panay which is Caticlan, and a 15 minute boat trip.

Here’s an easier way:

From NAIA or DMIA (Kalibo)
Step 1: Take domestic flight going to Kalibo International Airport. e-Mail me for information on domestic flights. I’ll let you know which local airline I prefer.
Step 2: Take a bus and boat service going to Boracay. It’s available at the airport lobby and it usually costs around PHP200-250.
Step 3: Take a tricycle ride going to your hotel which usually takes around 5-10 minutes. For tricycle ride, you pay PHP20-PHP30 or get the entire cab for PHP100 if you want to ride alone. There are single motorcycle riders for hire and pay PHP40 for a solo ride. You only normally pay PHP20 but you don’t want to ride with someone else especially if you’re bringing a backpack with you.

From NAIA or DMIA (Caticlan)
This route is expensive because it’s closer to Boracay. If you choose this route you skip most of the steps above and just take a boat ride going to Boracay and take Step 3.

You’ll need to ride a tricycle (pay around PHP50) going from Caticlan airport to the small port before you get to the terminal and take the boat going to Boracay island. Thanks to Kumagcow for reminding me.

What to Bring in Boracay

The island literally has everything you need and you can actually go here with little stuff in your backpack. You could probably go here in Bikini and buy extra clothes once you get here. Kidding.

Boracay restaurants serve local and international dishes. Due to the increasing number of Koreans and Chinese visiting the area, Korean and Chinese restaurants are starting to sprout like mushrooms, too.

What Leisure Activities to Enjoy in Boracay

There are many activities you can enjoy in Boracay some of them are the following:

• Island Hopping Day
• Glass Bottom Boat Tour
• Luxury Sailing
• Eco Tour
• Biking and Trekking in Panay
• Helicopter Tour
• Pub Crawl
• Go Kart
• Zipline
• Golf
• Jet Boat
• Scuba Diving
• Snorkeling
• Helmet Dive
• Parasailing
• Kiteboarding
• Cliff diving
• Windsurfing
• Fly Fish
• Banana Boat
• Paraw Sailing
• Visit to the Puka Beach

Tried most of these already but haven’t tried helicopter tour, golf, and zipline yet. Helmet Dive is crazy and if you’re afraid of going down the ocean bed this is not for you. But it’s great to try it. If you want to try some of these, you can contact me so I can connect you with people who offer these kinds of activities. I have several contacts in there who can help you set this all up and have all these activities ready for you when you get there.

So relax and enjoy the island tour, good food, good friends, and great view. Contact me through email or leave a comment below if you have questions. See you in Boracay!

Photos taken using iPhone 4S, enhanced using iPhoto and Snapseed. Sunset taken using Dermandar app.

Your first visit to Thailand should include temple hopping in your itinerary. Aside from The Grand Palace, which is usually the most visited, Wat Pho offers tourist the most breathtaking view of the amazingly huge reclining Buddha and the Phra Buddha Deva Patimakorn where the ashes of King Rama I were kept under the pedestal. Phra Buddha Deva Patimakorn is the principal buddha image of the main chapel/temple.

Like most temples built in Thailand, mural paintings are another attraction. From top to bottom, wall paintings are astonishingly beautiful and bright, perhaps because most of them are covered, ornamented with gold leaf coupled with artificial lighting inside the temple. And if you’re observant enough you’ll notice that mother pearls are also used in the overall architecture of the design especially in the entrance door panels. See some of the pictures I took during my visit.

All these photos are taken using iPhone 4S.

If you’ve been to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), Vietnam, and you’re near Pham Ngu Lao, a little steps will take you to a road where this building stands mightily amongst all the smaller buildings nearby. Because it’s adorned with too many colored lights, you can’t help but notice it.

I’m still trying to ask people around if they know the name of this building. I have to receive the info from our tour guide in Vietnam.

It’s the tallest building in the area. Don’t miss to check this out when you visit Saigon, Vietnam. Feel free to comment in case you know this building.

Ta Prohm is a collection of temples in Angkor in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Cambodia has too many temples and Ta Prohm is one of tourists’ favorite. If you have been reading books or watching history channel and you see temples covered in trees, then that’s Ta Prohm.

The production of Tomb Raider, a Hollywood movie starred by Angelina Jolie, has chosen Ta Prohm as well as its main site to shoot. It continues to attract attention sometimes more than Angkor Wat which is the largest of them all.

Here’s a photo taken in one of the buildings in Ta Prohm.

At one of the Ta Prohm Temple ruins

This temple served as a library during the reign of King Jayavarma VII. Impressive, huh?

École française d’Extrême-Orient (French School of the Far East) has surveyed the area during the 20th century and decided to leave the area as it is with efforts directed towards conservation and much less to restoration due in part to its picturesque appearance as nature has somehow blended with the temple itself. But Archaeological Survey of India in 2010 has done agressive restoration work in the area. Wooden platforms were installed, all scattered everywhere somehow to help people move around but it kind of change the overall feel of the temple because of these blockage. If you’ve ever visited these places you know what I mean.

I was listening to our Cambodian guide Paul that there was one incident when members of Indian restoration team actually cleaned the stones in Bayon temple in hopes of removing the fungi infesting the stones but the cleaning process turned to be harmful to the stones themselves. Somehow this act made the stones more vulnerable to wear and tear as the natural cover on the surface of the stones were removed. Horrible to hear! I can’t confirm if this is true.

Silk cotton trees growing from one of the temples in Ta Prohm

This temple in Ta Prohm was restored

At the front of this temple is a billboard that shows how the French restoration team worked on this area to make it look like how it is today. It used to be in total rubble but now it’s been restored. Most of the temples in Ta Prohm are in rubbles, too, but efforts are on the way to restore them back to their usual shape.

The wonder of restoration. A temple restored by some of the restoration team from France

You’ll love the carvings on the walls on virtually all temples spread across Ta Prohm. Seems like all Khmer people before were somehow forced to carve otherwise they’ll suffer the wrath of the king! Just kidding.

The temple used to be a Hindu temple but was later transformed to Buddhist as subsequent king came with new religion. If you look closely, some of the carvings depicting Hindu gods were altered to look like Buddha. They put some beard on it by carving on the existing sculpture which makes it horrible to the sight. The effort to altering the looks of the carvings did not prove to be beautiful after all. This happens in every kingdom who tries to kill the culture of lost kingdoms.

Also, almost all of the Hindu god carvings on the walls were also removed as they transition to Buddhism. Interesting really.

The guide also told us that virtually all statues salvaged from the ruins are now in the museum for safekeeping. No plans of putting back there whatsoever.

Carvings on the walls of the temples in Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm is an interesting temple to visit. Make it part of your itinerary when you visit Siem Reap, Cambodia!

My visit to Ta Prohm is made possible by IndochinaTravel.com.

First picture taken by @enjayneer using Canon. The rest of the pictures were taken using iPhone 4S. Unedited.

Part of our cycling tour is the visit to the famous eco-tourism site of An Giang Province in Vietnam – The Tra Su Forest and Bird Sanctuary.

Tra Su is a forest of cajeput trees, a famous tree where the aromatheraphy oil cajeput is made from. It’s also covered by water lily, lotus and other small water-loving ferns and other plants as you can see from the video I took below. It’s a 5 minute long video which will take you on a virtual boat ride to Tra Su.

Tra Su is located in An Giang Province, quite close to the Cambodia-Vietnam border. You’ll know you’re close to Cambodia when you start seeing all those sugar palm trees around.

Best viewed in 720pHD. Click Change Quality icon in the Youtube video.

Tra Su was heavily destroyed during Vietnam War and only restored in 1983 with efforts coming from the local people and its government. The place is somehow manmade because a dike with a size of 12km long, 4m wide and 4m high was built (and continue being built) around the 845 hectare special-purpose forest.

A view from the ornithologist's watch tower

Traveling by boat is the best to see the cajuput forest and see the lush greenery inside and witness the parade of many species of birds such as storks. Birds Nests are everywhere if you look up at the branches of the trees. You will notice that the color of the water around is different from turquoise, purple, silver, or amber due perhaps to the many water creatures that lives in it.

There’s an ornithologist’s watch tower standing at 10M which gives you the chance to see the vast forest of trees around the area, something you shouldn’t miss!

They said that it’s best to visit Tra Su during the flood season typically from September to November as it is more picturesque to see most trees almost submerged in the water. Our visit yesterday was quite OK as well even though the water is low.

The Philippines, particularly the Candaba region, is known for these and I’m not sure if the local government is taking advantage of that opportunity to promote the region. From this moment on I’d like to say that tourism should be sustainable because I can see that Vietnam is experiencing a high surge of tourists who also contribute much to the pollution around. Conservation should also be part of every government’s priority when it comes to ecotourism.

Overall, Tra Su is an interesting place to visit for those who love nature travel, a must-see site when you visit Vietnam.

This tour is made possible by Indochina Travel. Vietnam cycling tour is sponspored by SinhBalo Travel.

Video and images taken using iPhone 4S.