Tag: Philippines
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Balicasag Island: Turtles (and Other Marine Creatures) All the Way Down
Part of my tour — well, actually an optional addition — is an island-hopping trip one morning to Balicasag Island. The island is a 45-minute boat ride from Panglao Island and is administratively part of the municipality of Panglao, but it might as well be a world away. Balicasag Island is ringed by a coral…
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The Bohol Countryside Tour
Every first-time tourist to Bohol does the so-called countryside tour, especially if visiting via a packaged tour. The tour crams as many sites in the province’s interior as possible in a day. It’s not my first time in Bohol, but seeing that my last visit was in 2005, it might as well be. My memories…
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Tagbilaran: Getting Back on Track
Before the pandemic, Bohol has become a darling in the local travel circuit. Foreigners have been flocking to this Visayas island for the range of attractions it offers, most famous of which are the white-sand beaches of Panglao Island and the dive sites off its coast. Of course, Filipinos know the Chocolate Hills and the…
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Amadeo: Balite Falls and a Cup of Coffee
As the COVID cases decline, quarantine restrictions continue to ease up as well. Interprovincial travel is allowed once more, and people spilling out of Metro Manila even during weekdays has resulted in much heavier traffic in major thoroughfares. This doesn’t stop us one weekday. I resume my every-other-week exploration of Cavite province, though this time…
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Dine In (For the Last Time): Kermit Manila
Not to mention the increasing number of deaths caused by COVID, this pandemic has delivered a significant damage to many enterprises, particularly small independent ones. While the food sector as a whole has survived, particularly those that can adapt to cloud kitchen concepts and online delivery, others have not been so successful. One example is…
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2021 Halftime Break: A Beach Escape in Noveleta, Cavite
Just when I thought things were going better and I’m starting to get my groove traveling farther and farther gradually, I got COVID and cases in the Philippines spiked. It broke my momentum and took me a while to get the courage to go out of town again, not to mention the national government placing…
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My COVID-19 Story
COVID-19 has been spreading across the globe since last year, and here in the Philippines, the situation is especially dire. The active cases have been at an all-time high, and new cases average around 10,000 daily. The numbers are probably much higher due to instances of underreporting, under-testing, and a general inefficiency in the contact…
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Sorta Quarantined in Mendez
A few months ago, I came upon an ad in my social media newsfeed of a place near Tagaytay. It’s called Loft Tagaytay, an exclusive rental that can house up to 10 people, and it has been a popular destination for day-trippers and couples doing their prenuptial photoshoots. The place is actually in the neighboring…
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Dine In: Art Sector Gallery and Chimney Cafe 360
A Visit to Art Sector Gallery and Chimney Cafe 360 in Binangonan: Art, Views, and Good Food
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Angono: Matters of the Art
I’m supposed to go to a pre-Valentine date, but a last-minute call for a work meeting have her taking a rain check. I refuse to wallow on the situation, though, and instead make the proverbial lemonade out of lemons. Having nothing else to do for the day, I set out to Angono, Rizal, which is…
The Tourist Gaze 