It's not paradise. It's not everyone's cup of tea. Or (good, undiluted) coffee. It's dirty here and there. But there are pockets of interesting sites you may wish to have a look at before entirely skipping Manila to check out the beaches of Boracay, breathing the mountain air of Baguio, scaling the rice terraces of Banaue, taking a boat ride in the Underground River in Palawan, swimming in the big and small lagoons of El Nido, imagining the unspoilt islands of Batanes, marveling at the Chocolate Hills and tarsiers in Bohol, or diving somewhere off Anilao in Batangas. This year, I concentrated on domestic destinations and had a wonderful time rediscovering my own country. Each to his own taste. And mine is still lusting for more. In between trips to swim with the whale sharks of ... read more

There is the heritage town of Vigan in Ilocos Sur. And there's the heirloom houses in Silay City in Negros Occidental. Both are an hour's away from Manila. By plane. Yet just 2 hours drive south from Manila lies this heritage town of Taal, Batangas. A colonial town "frozen in time", an open museum providing a glimpse not just of how it was back in the 19th century, but of how many of our patriots lived during the Spanish occupation and through the Revolution. Declared a heritage village by the National Historical Institute, a walking tour of Taal, Batangas is certainly worth a day trip. A Pilgrimage? Having started with visits of the Taal Basilica (St. Martin de Tours Basilica), the Caysasay Shrine and the Sacred Well of Santa Lucia, this trip may well be a ... read more

Northern Philippines includes the Ilocos Region : Ilocos Norte with its capital in Laoag City, and Ilocos Sur with its capital in the historic town of Vigan. Locals are collectively called Ilocanos or Ilokanos. And their cuisine is distinctly Ilocano in that it represents and integrates in every dish the major Ilocano trait of frugality and industry. Vegetarian Delights: Sinigang na Malaga, Dinengdeng, Poqui-Poqui, Pinakbet Malaga is a kind of fish. In Vigan's Kusina Felecitas Restaurant in Grandpa's Inn, it is cooked in broth soured by a tropical fruit, santol which is native to a few southeast asian countries like the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Borneo. Called Sinigang na Malaga (Fish Cooked In Sour Broth), this sour soupy dish is garnished with vegetables such as stringbeans and kangkong, our local water spinach. J... read more

And who has not heard of our former First Lady Imelda Marcos? Times when I wonder if she grew more famous than her husband, the ex-President. Imelda: More Than The Other Half No, I am not a big fan. But I do admire the lady's vision to introduce class and culture into our local psyche. Oh yeah. I'd get a lot of flak for saying this. I know, right. Imelda certainly didn't gain many fans down here. It was so easy to hate her, after all. Shoe-crazy or not, she is the icon of extravagance in this corner of the world. Yet I thank her for those lasting edifices of arts and culture: the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Folk Arts Theater, Makiling Arts Center, etc. It may have been pretentious of her to advance arts ... read more

They make for a very strange combination. Exotic food, as in "bizarre" in the words of Andrew Zimmern. "Taka" as in the art of papier mache. And the Angono Petroglyphs. It wasn't my first time in Angono's Balaw Balaw Restaurant. And even before my first visit, I have heard enough about the exotic cuisine offered in this specialty restaurant cum art gallery. Artist Perdigon Vocalan has long gone; but his wife carries on the tradition so to speak. Angono is famous for its artists and Balaw Balaw seems to have lured many of them to this dining place for both eats and art talk. Around 100 of Perdigon Vocalan's paintings and those of other folk artists are displayed in the 2nd floor Museum above the specialty restaurant along with various sculptures and woodcarvings representing the rich ... read more