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August 27, 2013 / August 18, 2020 by admin | Leave a Comment
If you are looking for exciting and serene experience at the same time, I highly encourage you to come and […]
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February 14, 2013 by admin | Leave a Comment
By: Gary Magpantay As I arrived at the City of Golden Friendship (now being called as the City of Blossoms in Bloom and Boom), I rushed out of the airport and took a cab to check in my things on our hotel. Right after checking in, I hustled again towards a taxi to explore and experience my first itinerary. My journey towards my first stop was surely an adventurous one as I experienced to hop on a ‘habal-habal’. Do you know what a habal-habal is? A motorcycle! Yes, literally a motorcycle. It is quite fascinating to know that a two-wheeled vehicle is used for public transport. Well, it is cool enough for me to say that the way I commuted to the place was an adventurous one. As we went up towards the mountain and go through some of its rough and rocky road, I felt the shifting of the air from warm to cold breeze, sensing a wonderful reward at the destination of my trip.too And at the end of this travel via a ‘habal-habal’ begins my first extreme journey. Mapawa Nature Park: Mapawa Nature Park offers hidden adventures in the middle of the mountains. You need to ride a mini truck for you to experience them. When I arrived at the place, I was fascinated by some of the activities to choose from: such as the river trekking, sliding on a natural water slide, and diving from this 25 ft high cliff to plunge into the flowing river. I was thrilled enough to be able to experience one of its amenities: “Rappelling.” The height of the cliff wherein I experienced to rappel was about 65 ft. I was quite nervous during the rappelling moments since there was a sudden change in the slope of the cliff that caused me to tangle at the middle. But as I reached the bottom part of the cliff, I can sense that fulfillment as I immerse to its cool and refreshing river. The park surely offers fully loaded facilities. They have ready-made obstacle courses and a vast area of grasslands perfect for camping. They have a refreshing view of river falls wherein you can sit and have a relaxing moment. You can also enjoy and relieve your stress as you glide through their zip line. It will also be ideal for kids, for they will enjoy its playground in a nature-designed perspective. If you forget that this park offers amenities wherein you will get wet, don’t worry because they also offer t-shirts and shorts as souvenirs.
By: Mielyne B. Rayos Among the cities of Metro Manila, there is one that ensembles the features of a province and a city. A two-faced city! In two days, I learned and explored the only ProbinSiyudad in the Metropolis. That is, none other than, Taguig City! Getting to know Probinsyudad started with the province features of Taguig. The city used to be part of the province of Rizal. Therefore, parts of Taguig are province-like. As such plus wanting to know the historic side of Taguig, my travel partners and I visited the Parola (lighthouse) at the mouth of Napindan Channel. According to a Taguig history expert, the lighthouse used to be a meeting place of the Katipuneros led by Gat Andres Bonifacio. They used to swim, gather and meet there. Though not open to public and not really a friendly tourist spot, it served as one important place during the early years of Philippines. Also, the view from the boat ride gave me a perfect view of the ProbinSyudad concept – province at my foreground and city at the background. Upon seeing that, I was excited all the more to visit more spots in this city! During our lunch at Taguig Elementary School, a Rondalla band of elementary students entertained us with their stringed instruments: banduria and guitars. They were dressed in traditional Filipino dresses. An old-fashioned yet entertaining way to amuse guests! And did I mention they were playing modern popular music? A good mishmash of the traditional and modern. I tried and brought home inutak. I didn’t have the chance to witness how it was cooked though. Inutak is a local pudding – a mixture of galapong (sticky rice), coconut milk and sugar. It is a famous delicacy from the kitchens of Taguig. You should try it some time! Upon looking at the first ‘face’ of Taguig, I was thrilled to experience the other ‘face’: the city! If you are a museum enthusiast, there are two in Taguig that you must not miss to visit. I experienced visiting the Philippine Army museum and the Mind museum. Inside the vicinity of the Philippine Army Complex in Fort Bonifacio is a collection of everything military: The Philippine Army Museum! What’s in it for everybody? As I entered the museum, a grand display of army’s relics such as battle tanks was on my sight. Though the relics part outside looked so inviting, I entered the building first. A wall adorned with the previous Army logos greeted me. On the other part of the entrance was a mural of fighting Filipinos for the nation.
The Leyte Adventure Text By Mielyne B. RayosPhotos By Karen Santiago Our heartbeats raced with our feet. Ate Karen, my travel buddy, and I heard what we had hoped we’d beat: “Last call for passengers of flight...” We ran as fast as we could to make it on time at the airline counter. We could not afford to miss the flight back to Manila. We had been amused, delighted, and enormously happy that we thought time was unfairly fleeting during our 4-day trip in Leyte. This trip to Leyte was among the unforgettable ones I had. Why so? Five things: 1. Sweets. For sweet-tooth travellers, Leyte has a lot to offer! Binagol, sagmani and moron are among them. These are perfect pasalubong. Binagol is sweetened taro pudding with nuts. Its name is derived from the sweet’s container: coconut shell (“bagol” in Waray). This delicacy from the town of Dagami is a mixture of talyan (giant taro-like root crop), malagkit (glutinous rice), sugar, milk and nuts. On top is a layer of latik (fried coconut milk curd). The mixture is placed in the coconut shell and is then covered by leaves. Binagol is somewhat similar to sagmani. I could not tell the difference between the two. I was just too happy to eat them. I thought, maybe it has something to do with the thickness of the cassava.
Text and Photos By Mielyne B. Rayos I headed to the airport one early morning. The flight was a memorable one. The view from above is absolutely awesome! While aboard the plane, I finally met the iconic volcano known for its perfect cone. It was indeed magayon! (Bicolano word for beautiful). At the Legazpi airport, I felt the festive atmosphere as dancers and bands welcomed visitors. They were in colorful costumes. Bands played loud festive music while dancers wore their beautiful welcoming smiles. It was the first day of the Magayon Festival. I really felt the festive spirit! The early morning drizzles greeted me as I was brought to a remarkable hotel in Albay: Oriental Hotel. I was quite saddened by the drizzles as I thought that it would hinder a fun-filled Day 1 of the trip. But as we went to the first stop of the tour, I was astonished upon seeing the perfect cone of Mayon volcano! Bicolanos say that not everyone who visits Albay is lucky to see the Mayon’s perfect cone. Most of the time, the volcano hides its beauty behind thick clouds. Thank God for that wonderful opportunity! Magayon Festival is celebrated by the entire Bicol region and is hosted by the location of Mayon volcano itself: Legazpi City. Seeing the creativity of Bicolanos during the group dance competition, I have proven that street dancing is more fun in the Philippines. I was also delighted when I witnessed the Parade of Giants, where 50 Albay folklore characters paraded. It was the first time that these papier-mâché figures paraded. Great, is it not? The figures were created through Bicol’s multi-awarded writer Abdon Balde Jr.’s interpretation of various myths of Albay.
By Mielyne B. Rayos As summer approached, I had my time walking under the sun in the beautiful province of […]
By Mielyne B. Rayos This travel blog brought me further south this time. It’s in Cebu, the Queen City of […]
By Mielyne B. Rayos Once upon an afternoon, I wove my summer story on a calesa ride in Vigan, Ilocos […]
Text and photos by Mielyne B. Rayos I know that you also know what I know:Metro Manila’s hub for shoe […]
By: Jaymee Pilarta The fragrance of durian welcomed me on my first Davao visit. I smiled and took the […]
February 1, 2013 by admin | Leave a Comment
By: Evelyn O. Katigbak Let me share one little secret… I don’t know how to swim. I […]
January 31, 2013 by admin | Leave a Comment
By: Maria Rencelyn Valdenarro On Saturdays, I am usually sleeping until late in the morning. But it was a different […]
By: Jaymee Pilarta Being born and raised a Manileña, I used to think that I would never love any other […]
January 30, 2013 by admin | Leave a Comment
By: Soc Garcia An early morning drive from Quezon City to Manila on a Saturday is like finding a […]
