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Photowalk around Fort Santiago

I’m NOT coming back to Manila

I’ve never thought of Manila as a destination. It has always been a stopover; a gateway; a bridge that links to all the wonderful places around the beautiful island of Luzon. Its glints and glamour may seem inviting but one could only agree that it is also a home to: as Isa Garcia says it, hot sweltering mess of angry drivers, selfie takers, Facebook trolls, political dissent, and social acrobatics with a line towed in the sand to clearly separate the haves from the have-nots. So, imagine my obvious dislike when my travel group agreed to visit Manila for the annual tour. What in the world are they thinking?! Come on, out of the 7,641 islands of the Philippines, can’t you think of any better place?

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The Forgotten Beach of Talisay, Cebu

The Forgotten Beach of Talisay

Maybe the reason why I’m so fascinated with the mountains is because I spent most of my life in the coasts of Cebu. Going to the highlands is but a novel idea for someone whose weekends were once filled with quick trips to the nearby public beaches of Talisay, learning how to swim, and getting several shades darker. My memory usually fails me but I know by heart how fun it was while it lasted – the early morning commotions, the kamote, kinilaw, nilagang saging, and grilled pork and fish prepared by the adults, the engine roar of the tricycle that would bring us to the beach, and the endless games we played on the waters.

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Best Cebu Photo Blog

The Ugly Truths of Blogging

Blogging is no ‘happily-ever-after’ story. Behind the instagrammable posts, creatively-woven stories, duly-curated content, and seemingly perfect lives of bloggers are unfathomable loads of work and stress that aren’t shown on their “My Days”. They won’t talk about how they squeeze their brain juices just to come up with trending posts; how they endure juggling the demands of work, family, and matters that need urgent attention; how they struggle to keep burning the passion of expressing themselves despite the fear of being judged, scrutinized, hated, or for a more millennial term, bashed.

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Everything you need to know about Isola de Francisco

Beyond the Tourist Spots of Panglao Island

This is not how I pictured the island of Panglao. It was supposed to be full of fun and adventure – the way my classmates enthusiastically described it back then. But definitely there was no fun in chasing those poor dolphins. There was no adventure in going to that Virgin Island when the island has sunk already. So I was left to wonder on what really makes Panglao Island worth the visit and why people kept coming back to this place despite the crowd and environmental issues it’s facing.

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Anda de Boracay - Quick Guide

An unexpected trip to Anda de Boracay after we crashed a Wedding

True to its name, Anda de Boracay resembles to Boracay’s white sand beach (though not as fine). As it was a weekend and the place was opened to public, there was a quite number of people on the beach that day. Nonetheless, it didn’t spoil the beauty that the beach already has and the fun we had. We stayed until after and saw how the place can transform into something magical. As the tides change, we saw a number of species hidden underwater. Though the sunset on the area isn’t as majestic as of the real Boracay, it was still such a sight to behold.