First-time it happened: a trip I almost never made
The Lonely Planet blogsherpa’s blog carnival #4 has finally come. Hosted by GingerBeirut, our theme this time is Rubber Stamp or anything pertaining to “bizarre[…]
First-time in Taal’s Crater
I had never been in a volcano crater before. And the first crater I had visited was the smallest volcano in the world, located within[…]
First-time in Triple G beach resort, Laiya
When the temperature rise in Manila people head off to the beach, whether it’s far-flung Boracay or a few-hour drive to Subic or Batangas, specifically[…]
First-time acquaintances in Batanes
In this particular trip, I realized that I have paid a lot of attention to the people I’ve been with and I met in the[…]
First-time in Sabtang Island, Batanes
Among the three main islands of the province of Batanes, Sabtang seems to be the most interesting because of the old stone houses that have[…]
First-time in Batan Island, Batanes
For years, I had my eyes set on the northernmost tip of the Philippines. It was a place that only few has conquered because of[…]
First-time in Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines
Zamboanga del Norte is in the island of Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippines. And when one mentions Mindanao, tourists suddenly cringe and[…]
First-time in You Jie Xiao Chao Restaurant
…and Manila’s other hole-in-the-wall eateries It was another holiday in the Philippines as we commemorated the Day of Valor, celebrating the bravery of Filipino soldiers[…]
First-time in Black Island
Nothing prepared me for the surprise I’d find in my first-time at Black Island. Part of our Calauit tour in Palawan was some stopovers at[…]
First-time in Malatapay Beach Resort, Negros Oriental
Right after our plane touched down in the runway of the Dumaguete City airport, at the capital of the Negros Oriental province in the Visayas[…]
First-time in Kusina Salud through the Viaje del Sol
Getting out of the capital of the Philippines, Manila, to nearby cities and towns is not an uncommon occurrence among the urban dwellers. With friends[…]
First-time in Guangzhou RiverSide Youth Hostel (Jiangpan)
I’ve never experienced hosteling until I went to Guangzhou, a city in the southern part of China. I thought it would just be another small[…]
First-time in Calauit Island: A Sanctuary for Animals
As Alex the lion, Melman the giraffe, Marty the zebra, and Gloria the hippo escaped to Madagascar and to Africa, we also had a little[…]
First-time in Coron: A Paradise in the Philippines
Coron is one of the must-see places in my list of destinations within my home country, the Philippines. Together with Busuanga, Culion, and several islands,[…]
First-time in Los Angeles, California
“LA is great big freeway…” so the song goes. And big freeways, indeed, fill the Los Angeles landscape. Next to rows of palm trees, of[…]