Blogs from Philippines, Asia - page 334

We finally got to have a day touring around the chocolate hills with some independance - in a jeep driven by local character Ismael - the jeep was needed to get us around the dirt track and by-roads interlacing the rice paddies and the psychadelic landscape. Ismael entertained us with local stories - how the hills are actually the tears of a heart broken giant who fell in love with a local girl but when he snatched her from ther village she died in the palm of his hand - there is a row of 14 hills in a perfectly straight line that showed the path the giant took, spilling his tears along the way before lying down to die and becoming the nearby mountain. Between stopping for pictures, walks around rice paddies, watching the water ... read more

Got a great 360 degrees view across the surreal chocolate hills landscape from the official lookout and tried to look further and have a bit of a hike but the staff looked at us stupid when we asked, no maps, no trails, no idea.Our friendly S.U.V driver threw a fit at the prospect of driving us down a few dirt roads for a look around the area so we gave up on the idea and got him to drop us off at Nuts Huts.We were recommended to stay there by Sarah and George and were forewarned that it was probably named after the fragile mental state of the woman who runs it. The location was superb, and in a steep jungle clad ravine with the wide loboc river running through it. The huts sat along ... read more

After siquijor, we spent a day in cebu city (my second time to be in the city). we boarded the oceanjet in larena, siquijor at 6am.. we reached cebu city port after 4 hours.. there was a stop over in the port of tagbilaran, bohol to pick up passengers. my uncle who was based in consolacion, cebu fetched us from the port. he served as our tour guide for the day. first, we dropped by at the sto. nino shrine and the magellan's cross. after which, we proceeded to the fort san pedro. after lunch, my uncle brought us to the Taoist Temple where we modeled before the camera. merienda time was spent in ayala mall. travel in cebu would not be complete if one failed to try the food in "sutukil", so we had our ... read more

Call me a hypochondriac, but there’s something’s wrong with me.  Loathe as I am to visit the narrow antiseptic halls of a clinic, I prefer pop self-diagnosis to being prodded, squeezed or violated by medical instruments.  What I’ve got I discovered not in any medical journal or thousand-page textbook but rather in Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, that incomparable source for elusive words.   I suffer, according to Mr. Webster, from an acute case of dromomania, defined as such as “an exaggerated desire to wander.”  I’ve had it bad for fifteen years.    No cure was listed for this affliction, no help offered by the lexicon.  Instead, being in character with the pop diagnostician that I am, I’ve prescribed my own folk remedy:  give in to the wanderlust.  The best way to administer the right dosage ... read more

Baguio City is at the northern part of the Philippines. It has a cool weather averaging 20degrees C. In most cases, Filipinos spend summer there to scape from the hot-weather summer in Metro Manila and to attend Holy Week specials sponsored by the religious sect. Our Staff Development Training was held at the Ambasador's hotel in Baguio City. It has a nice hotel rooms and the hotel-staff are courteous and respectful. The hotel is already complete with swimpool, meeting and party areas. While in the City, we visited places like the strawberry farm, Philippine Military Academy, SM City, Pink Sisters Convent, Parks and etc.. ... read more