Category: Thematic

  • Paella Cook-Off and Mango Festival at SM City Bacolod

    Paella Cook-Off and Mango Festival at SM City Bacolod

    As the Philippine sun climbs higher from late March through May, SM City Bacolod transforms its vibrant atriums and open spaces into a stage for two of the region’s most beloved summer celebrations. The rhythmic sizzle of rice toasting in wide, gleaming pans announces the Paella Cook-off, while the golden…

  • Oslob Heritage Park: Where History Meets the Sea

    Oslob Heritage Park: Where History Meets the Sea

    Oslob is not just a place where you can watch or swim with the whale sharks (Read: Guidelines in Whale Shark Watching in Oslob). There’s definitely more to Oslob than meets the eye. There’s neighboring Sumilon Island, which is a boat away from the town. Then there’s Tumalog Falls and…

  • Earth Day: Agos Ram Pump for the Countryside

    Earth Day: Agos Ram Pump for the Countryside

    We started early in the morning coming from Bacolod City going through the Murcia-Bago road onward to La Castellana, Negros Occidental for the turnover of the Agos Ram Pump project of Coca-Cola Philippines, in partnership with the Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation, Inc. (AIDFI), in celebration of Earth Day 2016. With…

  • Murcia’s Lux Mundi Monastery & Catholic Ming Yuan College

    Murcia’s Lux Mundi Monastery & Catholic Ming Yuan College

    When I tagged along with my DOT-accredited tour guide friends, Maricar and Artie, to Salvador Benedicto, they were talking about the Lux Mundi monastery in Murcia, a town between Bacolod City and Salvador Benedicto. They were planning to visit the monastery the day after but as we left Balokon Spring…

  • The Taste of Mekong in Bacolod

    The Taste of Mekong in Bacolod

    One of my favorite foreign cuisines is the Thai cuisine. When I was working in Manila Hotel, I would always take the table closest at the Thai food station in Café Ilang-Ilang whenever I eat buffet. Last year, during my Thai trip, I brought home ingredients for a Tom Yum…

  • The Day We Dressed Like A Viking

    The Day We Dressed Like A Viking

    It was the National Vikings Day, which celebrated the 5th year anniversary of Vikings, the popular luxury buffet restaurant in the Philippines. To thank their patrons, they gave 50% off on their rates as long as customers come donning a Viking traditional costume or a touch of any of those…

  • Continental Flavors at the (Food)Court

    Continental Flavors at the (Food)Court

    Recently, I joined a group of media people and bloggers to taste the Continental Flavors that one can find at the SM City Bacolod Food Court. I never got to ask but I wondered what makes a food to have a continental flavor. I consulted with my friend Google on…

  • Take the Zark’s Burger Challenge

    Take the Zark’s Burger Challenge

    Just one look at the towering Tombstone Burger and I could already throw in the towel and declare the burger the winner. Yes, it’s man vs. food when you visit Zark’s Burger, which is now open in SM City Bacolod. I was invited, along with a group of bloggers, to…

  • Dining around Siquijor: Surprising Eateries and Restaurants in the Island

    Dining around Siquijor: Surprising Eateries and Restaurants in the Island

    Even before I have set foot in Siquijor, I have been warned by those who have gone there that food in the island can be expensive. They were right on that account because most of the restaurants, are owned or partly owned by foreigners who most probably settled in the…

  • Staying at San Juan Community Development Cooperative, Siquijor

    Staying at San Juan Community Development Cooperative, Siquijor

    I was browsing through my Facebook timeline when I saw my friend, Mags Dizon, posting photos of her Siquijor trip. I was immediately taken and instantly remembered other friends who also went to the island a few months back. The idea of going to Siquijor for the holy week suddenly…

  • 5 Heritage Landmarks in Siquijor

    5 Heritage Landmarks in Siquijor

    So,  I was able to enjoy the natural attractions of Siquijor Island. But apart from its beaches, waterfalls, springs, and other natural beauties, Siquijor is also rich in history, with a number of heritage churches sprawled across the six municipalities of the island. It was under Spanish rule during the…

  • Siquijor Beaches, Waterfalls, Spring Parks and Marine Sanctuaries

    Siquijor Beaches, Waterfalls, Spring Parks and Marine Sanctuaries

    I have enumerated in my previous post about the various ways to get to Siquijor. Searching for the beautiful attractions to visit in Siquijor, the beaches best for swimming, the natural sights to see, the waterfalls to check, spring parks to spend some quiet time, and marine sanctuary to visit may…

  • First-time in Siquijor: an Island Filled with Mystery

    First-time in Siquijor: an Island Filled with Mystery

    Siquijor is said to be a mystical island in the Philippines because of the presence of healers in this 338-square kilometer area. Even when I was kid I have heard a lot of these stories from our elders. And while my sister and I were recently in Siquijor Island for the…

  • 10 Reasons to Acquire Real Estate and Settle in Negros

    10 Reasons to Acquire Real Estate and Settle in Negros

    As of 2015, the Philippines was in the top 25 countries in the world to retire, and it comes in third among the Asian countries. In the Philippines, the two provinces of Negros Island  — Negros Occidental to the west and Negros Oriental to the east — have always been…

  • Earth Hour 2016: Dim The Lights, Light the Future

    Earth Hour 2016: Dim The Lights, Light the Future

    I love browsing photos of famous global landmarks in various websites. They look breathtaking in the morning and they even appear amazing at night. But each year, I like seeing pictures of these tourist spots from their dazzling night scenes to having their lights switched off. That’s the scene every…