Last hurrah before La Niña strikes... and this was not even on my list of "to see places"! It just so happens that my company needs to give their employees a much needed rest! My money and vacation leaves have all but been saved for my trips on the coming months... and visiting Laiya wasn't really on the budget... Good thing is, the overnight stay has all but been paid off... So here we are at the Palm Beach Resort, enjoying the sun and the lack of it! Apparently, the non-stop puoring rain who has been seizing Manila like a [View Full Entry]

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Merrymaking, street dancing, devotion to the Señor Santo Niño, culture and faith... that is what the word Dinagyang embodies. The Dinagyang Festival, Iloilo's version of Aklan's Ati-Atihan Festival, is one of the grandest and biggest festivals in the country. Held on the fourth week of January, this festival draws tourists, Filipinos and foreigners alike, to Panay Island's busiest city, Iloilo. Highlighting the festival is the Ati Dance competition wherein several Tribu or tribes participate. Initially, when my Ilongga friend Jeany, was explaining the festival and referred to the par [View Full Entry]

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Somewhere along the Panay Islands, on a 60km/hr bus, I was anticipating our arrival at the heart of the Philippine Archipelago, Iloilo. I was hungry and the almost 6hr bus ride was taking it's toll on my growling stomach. We left Boracay around lunch and the road to Iloilo was a little rough. Aside from Boracay, the rest of Aklan and Capiz was purely provincial. The last stopover we made was when we reached the bus terminal in Aklan and Aisa and I felt that the chicken we ate has all been digested. We turned to Jeany to torture us of [View Full Entry]

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It's a shame to say that this is my first time to set foot in the island of Boracay, or maybe not. I've never really dreamed of coming here 'coz it is usually flocked with tourists and people from the city. Boracay has become one of the ultimate tourist and party destination especially at the hype of summer and every concievable holiday in my country (and yes, our President likes giving out holidays). However, I was going to Iloilo to join the Dinagyang Festival so my mates and I decided to make a quick stop at this much raved about beach [View Full Entry]

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Rob was leaving the country in a few weeks to join his Dad and this was our last trip together... Only for this year, I hope. Our schedules wouldn't allow us to go on a long vacation so we opted for a place that is not too far from the city. We've been meaning to go to Kinabuhayan Cafe since July (for my birthday) but events in our daily lives kept thwarting our plans off. I have read about this Bed and Breakfast joint for sometime and it certainly piqued the wanderer in me. After all, the offer of living in [View Full Entry]

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Being the adult that I supposedly am and because I am earning my own dough, I thought it would be nice to treat my folks, Inang and sisters for a day at the beach. I wanted a hassle free resort wherein the only thing we needed to do was get to the place. Family outings can sometimes be too tiring. I mean, the preparation before the trip is a lot of work! You have to worry whose going to bring this and that, what kind of food to bring, where to cook it and mostly whose going to be responsible enough [View Full Entry]

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Third and last full day in Bohol! To see the Chocolate Hills is a frigging must! When we first arrived, we intended to drive to Carmen so we can see the famous Chocolate Hills! But as always, our stomachs came first and it'll be too late to travel by the time we finished. The town of Carmen was a whopping 59km from Tagbilaran and one hell of a long bus ride! We were thinking of riding a V-hire to get there but Rob and I went for the rural form of traveling, by bus. We were advised to leave early in [View Full Entry]

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Day 2 in Bohol! Time to meet the dolphins down at Pamilacan Island! Rob and I arranged (well, I mostly did the actual arranging) for a boat trip to play with the dolphins with the Baclayon Island Hopping, Dolphin and Whale Watching. They’re a travel and tours company that arranges trips with the locals of the island. They hire experienced boatmen and spotters from the island who used to hunt the whales and the dolphins. Since it is now illegal to do so, they are now using their hunting skills in spotting them for tourists. We woke u [View Full Entry]

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For weeks, I have mapped out the entire vacation for Rob and I. After weeks of intensive researching, making inquiries and reserving, at last, we have arrived! It's day one today. We left Manila around 8am and arrived at Tagbilaran after an hour and a half plane ride. I swear, looking down into the islands of the country, with the lush green and blue sea, uniquely shaped islands and the cloud formation is one of a kind! Seeing the islands from the heavens are a lot more enchanting than seeing them on land. As we neared the island and began landing, [View Full Entry]

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Waking up at around 4am in the morning was a major pain in the bum. After all, we were up, whole day and night frolicking the highlands of Tagaytay. Plus, it's so frigging cold! It's so nice to sleep, cuddled up inside a warm blanket and dream in a lucid state. But, we couldn't. We needed to get up so we can hike Taal Volcano before we encounter the morning heat of the sun. Another thing was that our reservation at the Taal Lake Yacht Club (TLYC) for our boat and guide was at 6am. By 5am, we checked out of [View Full Entry]

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