Tag: Nature
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Milagros, Masbate: The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Moo-sic
About an hour ride away from Masbate City and the lackluster qualities of a provincial capital gives way to spectacular scenery. The town of Milagros about an hour drive south is what I’ve always imagined Masbate to be – a large patch of a deep verdant, green carpet, surrounded by rolling hills and peppered with…
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Callao Cave: A 7-Chamber Wonder Near Tuguegarao
Callao Cave is one of the most stunning attractions near Tuguegarao, famous for its seven chambers and natural skylight. Here’s how to visit, what to expect, and why it’s a must-see in Cagayan.
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Santa Ana, Cagayan: Palaui Island Getaway
At dawn, we embark on a motorboat ride to explore Palaui Island in Santa Ana, Cagayan, with the sky almost completely covered by clouds. Leaving Punta Verde, located on the eastern side of the island, where we camped under the stars, we head towards our first destination. As rain begins to pour, the gusts of…
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Cuenca, Batangas: The Rockies of Mt. Maculot
Diane, a former coworker, asked if I wanted to trek again shortly after I posted the pictures from our last month’s climb on Mt. Balagbag on Facebook. At that time, I didn’t have anything else yet on my plate, so I said yes. And after some planning that saw us consider Mt. Ulap in Benguet and, briefly,…
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An Impromptu Shoot at Mt. Balagbag
I didn’t have any plans for this weekend; I wanted to rest a bit and save some money for my birthday next week. But a few days earlier, Maebel, a friend who has modeled many times for my photoshoots dating back to college, asked if I could help her with a video project for a…
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San Rafael, Bulacan: Malangaan Cave
Guess what. It’s the last week of 2016! I started this month with an immense urge to just go away from the city even for just a day, and picked the day after Christmas – a non-working holiday – to go someplace I’ve been planning to go to since August. I should’ve done this trip…
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Inle Lake: By the Still Waters
I ARRIVE AT NYAUNGSHWE at seven the next day. It’s an overnight trip that took almost 12 hours, and the distance shows in how the town appears. Blame the elevation perhaps., but it feels a world away from the bustle of Yangon. Nyaungshwe is a town in Myanmar’s Shan State, most of which is situated on a hilly…
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Ferrol, Romblon: Without Deadlines
THE NEXT AFTERNOON, Cheryl and I are in the Binucot Sunset Cove Resort in Ferrol, a town in the southern part of Tablas, the province’s largest island. We left Romblon Town by bangka in the morning and reached the port of San Agustin in northeastern Tablas after an hour at sea. From San Agustin, we sat on the roof of…
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Romblon Town: Island Escape
IT’S A GLOOMY DAY in Romblon. Cheryl and I quicken our pace as large clouds begin to gather in the sky. Up to now, the sky has been gray but calm, though it’s quickly changing. The rain first lightly taps on the roofs of the houses and then becomes a steady pitter-patter as the clouds spit out their beads of water.…
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Lake Sebu: Dreamweavers’ Land
AS KIND AND I leave Surallah behind, the slow pace of rural Mindanao takes over. Rice fields stretch until the point near the horizon where Mount Matutum seems to grow. Children run around the side of the road. Jagged coconut trees and wooden houses dot the otherwise green landscape. Once again, I’m having that particular brand…
The Tourist Gaze 