Category: Philippines
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Extended Weekend in La Union: Side Tours to Ma-Cho Temple and Baluarte Watchtower
La Union is often known for its beaches and surf culture, but the province has more to offer beyond the saltwater and the waves. I’ve been to the province twice before, but I’ve never had the chance to explore outside San Juan, particularly Urbiztondo Beach. Thus on this particular trip, we do a couple of…
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Extended Weekend in La Union: Beachside in San Juan
As the school year dragged on, my craving for the beach intensified, leading me to planning a trip to La Union province during a recent long vacation. I, together with my sister and two of her former colleagues, spend three days and two nights in this province in northern Luzon. It’s all about relaxation. We…
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Starting a Long Weekend in Tagaytay: Charting an Unexpected Pathway
Remember my unexpected journey to a career as a financial advisor? Here’s an equally (if not more) unexpected 2023 plot twist: I’m now co-running the operations of a school. It’s a looooooong story, one that I’m not sure I want to tell the details of at this particular time. But yeah, my sister and I…
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2023 Halftime Break at Club Laiya
A day in a beach means relaxation punctuated with a chance to get some of the new members in my professional circle. Though my original plans for this year were thwarted due to unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances, I have been trying to focus on silver linings the past couple of months, punctuated by me enjoying…
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Unforgettable Waves of Love: Celebrating 40 Years of Togetherness in Baler
With the sea breeze brushing against us and the sound of waves crashing all around, we’re hanging out at the shores of Baler, a chill spot famous for its awesome surf and laid-back atmosphere. This weekend is going to be something special; we’re celebrating love and commitment as we head out to honor our parents’…
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Baguio City: A Pause in the City of Pines
The morning air in Baguio carries a kind of stillness I haven’t felt in weeks. The scent of pine wafts through the faint fog that drifts between the mountains. The heat of March is settling in, but the air still carries hints of the chill. There’s a kind of peace that should be comforting, but…
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Cebu City: A Quick Reintroduction
I scheduled an overnight stay in Cebu City after a couple of nights in Bantayan Island, seeing as it’s been 10 years I’ve been here. And I didn’t get to really explore the city that time. Diane, her mom, and Joshua, though, stayed in Consolacion, a nearby town, to visit their relatives there. So I…
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Bantayan Island: Soothing All the “Sawi” Vibes
It’s been almost a year in the making. Late last year, a plan was hatched between me and my former coworker Diane during a conversation over cups of coffee: we’re going to Bantayan Island. The last time we traveled together was when we hiked Mt. Maculot in early 2017. Many things have changed since then.…
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A Weekend at Vitalis Villas in Ilocos Sur: Santorini Vibes in the Philippines
For my sister’s birthday, our family headed to Vitalis Villas in Ilocos Sur, a Mediterranean-inspired resort perched on a coastal cliff in Santiago, about a 7-hour drive from Metro Manila and 1 hour south of Vigan. Known as the Santorini of the North, Vitalis Villas Ilocos Sur offers a relaxing escape with its whitewashed buildings,…
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Fun in the Sun in Glan
There has been a change of plans, and I am invited to the wedding after all. So after the weekend in Sarangani, I ride a bus to Davao City on Monday morning. The trip takes a bit more than three hours and reach Davao City just in time for a late lunch. I meet my…
The Tourist Gaze 