7 Things You Can Do in Sorsogon in 2 Days.

Sometimes two days are all you’ve got. Quash the travel time, you are plunged into maximizing your short vacation. If you find yourself in the proximity of Sorsogon, you can take what my family took in March 2018. If you are coming from Naga City to Legazpi City in the Bicol province of Albay, you

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Kalui Restaurant: Excitement for the Eater

I feature a local restaurant serving local food in this blog. Particularly those that are creative and covers culture. I want to support our local food industry to give them a fighting chance over large food chains like McDonald’s. Encouraging readers to dine in these places increases their love for Filipino culture and cuisine. It

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The Islands of Gigantes Live Up To Its Name

It was a trip devoid of a single regret. I heard about the group of islands across the town of Estancia in Iloilo from Bok Pioquid, a faculty member of the Ateneo High School’s Christian Service Involvement Program. He and his wife would go on a “couple” backpacking tour every now and then. Until today,

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Discover Camalig: a 16th c. town, a lake, and food as fiery as its volcano.

See Camalig, Albay: a 16th c town, Sumlang lake, ancestral houses and authentic Bicol dishes.

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In Daraga, you will find a café you’ll fall in love with: Café 528 Ilawod.

About the Featured Image: The Parish Church of Our Lady of the Gate, Daraga, Albay. This church of stone was built by the Franciscans in 1773. Its design is baroque after the skills of the labourers during the Spanish Period. When Mayon Volcano erupted in 1814 and destroyed the Cagsawa church, it became the refuge of

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Unwind In These Three Baguio Cafés

I always feature community cuisine – and promote local restaurants. Patronizing them will give them a fighting chance over big businesses like malls and international food chains that are killing small Filipino entrepreneurs slowly. Dining in these oftentimes family-run eateries also leaves a minimal carbon footprint. Café by the Ruins. At the end of my

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Stunning Sta. Barbara, Iloilo

The municipal town of Sta. Barbara is quaint and quiet. When the jeep drops me off at the curve of the town’s Victory Plaza, the first thing I notice is its landscaped park. Despite the town’s historical past, there is a certain newness about its central features. The plaza has been redesigned, the Centennial Museum

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A Day In Iloilo Is More Than Enough

I have a day to spare. After the Jesuit Basic Education Commission meeting about focusing on Mindanao as the way to go for the Philippine Province Jesuits and reflecting on translating into concrete actions Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si, I decide to explore Iloilo. I know there is much to see and learn from the

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You Should Go White Water Rafting

We were picked up at six in the morning. The jeep that was waiting for us had two red rafts on its roof. Seated inside the vehicle were a family of six, two couples, and an European tourist. As soon as we boarded the jeep — and picking up two more couples from their hotel

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Amazing Agutayan Island

The return to Agutayan Island was a dream come true. The first time I visited the island was in September 2014.  Members of the Jesuit Basic Education Commission of the Philippines were brought here for environmental awareness. It was at that time that I learned about Xavier University’s Ridge-River-Reef (R3) Program that aimed to establish

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I Am Falling In Love With You, Taal.

They call it mysterium tremendum et fascinans – in the face of great mystery, we are both terrified and fascinated. It is like coming face to face with celebrities of great talent: you are tremendously intimidated that you shy away from them and at the same time, you are intensely magnetized that you want to

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Part II. Why You Will Love Siquijor – The Town of Lazi

Roland Borja (Mobile: 0926-8061594) picks me up at around 9:00 AM. Tricycle drivers in Siquijor have been empowered by the government to be tourist guides. He said that the coastal tour of the whole island only takes a day. From the town of San Juan, we travel to one of the most beautiful and historical

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Part 1: Why You Will Love Siquijor – One of the Most Beautiful Ports In the Philippines

I believe in love at first sight. I have fallen in love with Siquijor from a photograph of two of my friends diving at the Tulapos Marine Sanctuary. So, I have asked travel couple Charlie and Paola Paralejo-Fernandez about it. I remember Paola telling me excitedly, “Pads, you SHOULD go there!” (Check their website here.)

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Cagayan de Oro City: In Search of the Old

Cagayan de Oro today is not anymore the city I knew in the late ‘80s. So, I thought I should go around and look for landmarks that reminded me of the past. In the ‘80s, Plaza Divisoria was the centre of the city. It was the place where people would usually meet and congregate. Also

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