Category: Thematic
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Encounters in China
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One of the good things I enjoy in traveling is meeting new people along the way. May they be local residents or fellow travelers on the road, these persons I encounter in my journeys make my travels more colorful and memorable. I recently had a nine-day tour of China, from…
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First-time at the foot of Mt. Halcon
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I have visited the town of San Teodoro in Oriental Mindoro several times. But I have not ventured anywhere near the foot of Mt. Halcon, where we have a possible site for volunteer vacations. The one I did there the last time was mangrove tree planting in its coastal area.…
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First-time to Tour Corregidor Island
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It’s the 4th of July. As much as it is part of American history, it extends to the shores of the Philippine islands. Yesterday, July 4, I went to a place of Filipino-American history, Corregidor Island, where both nations fought side by side. The first time I embarked on a…
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Travel Lesson: The Passport Mistake That Almost Ruined My Trip
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There are travel stories you remember because they are beautiful. Others stay with you because they are terrifying at the time but hilarious years later. This travel lesson came from one of my most nerve-racking airport experiences. An overlooked passport expiration date almost stopped me from boarding my flight to Macau. The…
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Taal Town: birthplace of the maker of the first Philippine flag
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Every June 12 is the Independence Day of the Philippines. Over a century ago, the Philippine flag was first raised on this day. That flag finds its roots in Taal town in Batangas. The historic town of Taal, which is a three-hour drive from Manila, is a favorite destination of culture…
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First-time in Shangri-la Mactan Resort and Spa
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My trip this year to Cebu, particularly to Mactan, brought back memories of a luxurious stay I did three years back in another resort within the same island. It was a press event my former office organized for a client. We gathered media people from various countries in Southeast Asia…
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First-time in Taal’s Crater
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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 a lake: Taal Volcano. Two years back, my friends and I embarked on an adventure to this famous volcano. We made a side trip to…
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First-time in Jala-Jala, Rizal
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Jala-jala is the local’s term for paradise and for those living in the province of Rizal in the Philippines, they regard Jala-Jala as the paradise tucked away in their province. Our office organized a volunteer activity that would take us to this little paradise. We had to meet up early…
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First-time in Kainan sa Dalampasigan
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It was dark when we arrived in Nasugbu, Batangas. There were no traffic at the expressway or at the tourist destination Tagaytay, where we passed by. Famished after the long drive, we went directly to look for a place to eat. Good thing one of our companions remembered Kainan sa Dalampasigan,…
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First-time in Central Azucarera Don Pedro, Nasugbu
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This was the third weekend that I was getting out of the capital, Manila. This time we were to hold a workshop in the province of Batangas. We traveled before sundown of Friday to get to our venue, the Central Azucarera Don Pedro (CADP) in Nasugbu, Batangas. The guest house…
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First-time in Triple G beach resort, Laiya
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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 in a beach in Laiya, Batangas (and in this case, it’s the Triple G Beach Resort.) The beauty of being in a tropical country, we…
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First-time acquaintances in Batanes
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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 journey. I’m not sure if it was the isolation of Batanes from the rest of the Philippines, perched atop this archipelagic nation. Or, it must…
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First-time in Sabtang Island, Batanes
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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 been part of the Ivatan culture. We rose early morning to catch the boat that would take us to Sabtang Island. Alas, waking up at…
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First-time in Batan Island, Batanes
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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 its isolation and unpredictable weather conditions. It was the closest place to Taiwan and surrounded by the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. This…
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First-time in Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines
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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 take a turnabout-face, especially when travel advisories label this part of the country as dangerous. The name Zamboanga alone may cause goose bumps to travelers.…