Category: Philippines
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Dine In: Dohtonbori
Located inside SM North’s main building, a newly opened restaurant feels almost like a trip to Japan, with a counter along the open kitchen, tables embedded with teppan, paper lanterns adorning wooden frames and a separate room with tatami mats. As one writer put it, dining here is less about the food than the experience. It’s not to say that the…
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Zamboanga City: Happy State of Mind
I spent a few days before Christmas away from home, specifically in Zamboanga City. It was a trip that was conceived from an original plan that did not push through due to things both within and out of my control. But Mianne and I hatched a plan to spend five days there this month, so I can see Zamboanga City…
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Santa Cruz, Ilocos Sur: Hometown Visitors
“… FIFTY-EIGHT, FIFTY-NINE, SIXTY,” I count, then press the shutter button. The shutter clicks and within seconds the image appears on the camera’s sensor – a minute-long exposure of Joseph, Dave and Theresa sitting on a log by the beach. The night is silent, with only their conversations, the giggling of Theresa’s cousin, and my steady counting…
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Vigan: The Old Romantic
IT’S A SUNNY NOVEMBER AFTERNOON, and Joseph, Dave and I are strolling along what may be one of the Philippines’ iconic streets, Calle Crisologo. The part of Vigan what many associate the city with, the cobble-stoned street is lined with ancestral houses from the Spanish era. Stretching a few blocks, we spot houses with tile…
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Pagudpud: Northern Paradise
AS WE CONTINUE OUR NORTHWARD JOURNEY, the urban sprawl of the last municipality we pass through slowly gives way to rice fields that seem to stretch to the mountains in the distance. Our bus coasts through the highway, whizzing by tricycles, motorbikes, other buses, and the occasional private cars. I’ve been looking out the window for some…
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Burgos-Bangui: The Road to Pagudpud
FROM LAOAG ON, the road winds to Pagudpud, passing through towns with outstanding coastline. Burgos, in particular has a couple of sites that have made the town a usual stopover on many road trips to the northernmost town of mainland Luzon. Surrounded by picturesque views and perched on the Nagpatian Hill, the Burgos Lighthouse is one of Ilocos Norte’s most…
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Around Laoag: Dictatorial Reminders
THERE IS PERHAPS NO MORE DESTINATION within Ilocos Norte more polarizing than Batac. However much antagonism is laid on former President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ authoritarian rule, reminders of the Martial Law years remain here, not to serve as a brutal reminder to a dark bygone era, but as a glorification of a man the place considers its…
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Laoag: Sand Dunes For Breakfast
CLUTCHING THE METAL FRAME of our 4×4 navigating a rough terrain, I try to keep my balance. The vehicle hits the bottom of a sand dune and scatterings of beige sand are strewn from the tires. The force of the descent sends my chest hitting the metal frame and I let out a weak “ow.” I forget for…
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Palo: Liberating Moments
A day after I landed in Tacloban and immersed myself in the city, I jump on a multicab going to the neighboring town of Palo. I figure I might as well visit the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park now that I’m in Leyte. The site is a protected area commemorating the landing of General Douglas MacArthur on…
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Tacloban: A City Rises Again
The MV Eva Jocelyn can still be found in a coastal village just west of downtown Tacloban. The cargo ship was swept inland when Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) swept into the city and other parts of Eastern Visayas almost two years ago, causing a powerful storm surge that left thousands dead in its wake. Now being…
The Tourist Gaze 