Tag: Nature
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Boat Trip with the Alliance Women to Gigantes Islands
With the conference concluded, my mom and the women’s group she is with have scheduled two more days in Iloilo City for a couple of day trips. The first of which is the island hopping tour in Gigantes Islands. Situated off the coast of Carles town in northern Iloilo, the Gigantes string together a cluster…
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Australia 2024: The Great Ocean Road Trip
Snaking through the southeastern cost of Australia, the Great Ocean Road offers one of the most scenic drives in the country. We’re traversing this road, driving westward on a day tour from Melbourne, about to squeeze what I’m expecting to be a relaxed road trip into less than 12 hours. I would’ve wanted to drive…
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Australia 2024: A Day Trip to the Blue Mountains
From Sydney, we head west to the Blue Mountains National Park, one of the most accessible and hence most popular day trip destination from the city. In this tour we’re accompanied by a busload of other tourists with our guide and driver Aaron. Shortly after arriving at our bus near the Queen Victoria Building, we…
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Australia 2024: A Bittersweet Reunion in Sydney
Our first stop in Sydney isn’t the Opera House or Bondi Beach. Rather, it’s a private club in a quiet part of city’s suburbs. Neon lights illuminate a fancy-looking building that feels more at home in Sydney’s central district than here. I’ve long wanted to visit Australia, with its kangaroos and beaches and a vague…
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A Maundy Day Trip to Laurel, Batangas
Laurel, Batangas, is an underrated day trip destination from Metro Manila. This lakeside town has great views of Taal Lake, cozy cafés, and peaceful resorts.
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Downtime at Puraran Beach and L’Astrolabe
After the tricycle tour, I decide to recharge my weak social battery and enjoy the serenity in Puraran Beach. The golden sands and rhythmic waves provide the perfect backdrop for introspection and let me appreciate the beauty of the island at my own pace, an ability I’ve lacked since becoming involved in school operations. Puraran…
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A Sunrise-to-Lunch Tricycle Tour of Baras and Gigmoto
Before the first light of morning breaks on my second day in Catanduanes, I find myself aboard a tricycle, the go-to ride for cruising around these island roads. I’m getting a ride from Kuya Erap, whom I’ve hired to show me around the sights in Baras and Gigmoto. He’s about to show me some 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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The Trip to Marrakesh: Zipping through Central Morocco
The journey from Merzouga to Marrakesh follows a relatively straightforward route, albeit with a few notable interruptions. We make a brief stopover in Kalaat M’Gouna for lunch of traditional Moroccan dishes before continuing our drive. Along the way, we take a couple of pit stops, one at a roadside restaurant and another at a hotel…
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Erg Chebbi: Sunset and Sunrise at the Desert
We arrive in Merzouga at just past 5 in the afternoon, more than enough time to trek by camel to the campsite to view the sunset (scheduled at around 6:30 pm). Merzouga is the nearest village to Erg Chebbi, the most accessible of Morocco’s ergs (an erg being a large sea of dunes formed by…
The Tourist Gaze 