Tag Archives: travel

The Batad Experience: How Far Will You Go for an Epic Adventure?

Word on the backpacker’s grapevine says that Batad is one of those rare glimpses of heaven on earth. A village that used to be a well-kept secret, Batad is neatly tucked away, almost in the shadow of Banaue, its more-familiar neighbor. A few souls have dared call it as the 8th Wonder of the World, but seriously, the title has been thrown around so often, that we can probably come up with a Top 7 ‘8th Wonders of the World’ list.

In the end, curiosity got the best of us, and at the third year of a tradition that we unknowingly started, my bundok buddies and I trooped off to Batad to kick off the year with another adventure. Continue reading The Batad Experience: How Far Will You Go for an Epic Adventure?

5 Ways to Spend a Splurge-Free Day at Perth

Australia isn’t exactly among the places you would go to for cheap thrills. In fact, Perth clocks in one of world’s highest density of uber-high-net-worth individuals. Hashtag: FilthyRich.

(cue song) I wanna be a billionaire...

That’s why it was a nice surprise when we found ourselves enjoying a full tourist-y day wandering the fab Perth CBD sans the splurging (except for good grub and ale, of course!). Here are a few tips on how to make like Jessie J and enjoy a day in Perth not caring about the kaching-kaching: Continue reading 5 Ways to Spend a Splurge-Free Day at Perth

Mickey J Rocks Perth

Mickey J — you are insane, as in INSANELY TALENTED.

I’m always a sucker for street performances, at times literally rubbing elbows with the crowd at the hopes of getting my dose of genius and astonishment for the day. We did get to see a lot of acts in the Murray Street Mall in Perth, ranging from the delightful to the just plain weird. Continue reading Mickey J Rocks Perth

Perth & Fremantle: A Day Behind Bars and Other Stories

Good morning, sunshine!

Western Australia gave me a warm welcome for my first glimpse of the Land Down Under. So very warm, in fact, that I would soon come to christen Perth in the summer as the city of eternal sunshine (or in Tagalog, ‘ang siyudad na laging tanghaling tapat’).

We easily settled into Underground Backpackers over at Northbridge, our digs for the weekend. The hostel was just a few blocks away from the Perth Central Train Station, so after breakfast (or ‘brekky’, as we were soon to be educated), we trooped off on foot and bought tickets to Fremantle. My friend Geebee and I got a FamilyRider ticket (a day pass that’s a steal for big groups, allowing up to 7 people for one stub!). In a few minutes, we were onboard and watching the picturesque rows of houses zip by on our way to the port city. Continue reading Perth & Fremantle: A Day Behind Bars and Other Stories

147 Seconds on Why I Keep Coming Back for Sinulog

Having been drawn to the island paradise 4 times over the last 5 years, I think I can personally vouch that Cebu is a tried-and-tested fun-in-the-sun destination. Of course, January is a great time to flock to Cebu to join the droves for the Sinulog festival, but Cebu offers a whole lot more: alluring coasts, mouth-watering grub, sky-high thrills, and of course, the people who are gorgeous inside and out.

I rarely get to make vacation mash-ups with my family in it, so this vid was a real treat for me. Now you have solid proof that insanity is hereditary. Enjoy!

Talent is Universal.

I’m known to have bouts of wanting to wander aimlessly anywhere, and more often than not, these are the times when I run into street performers. I adore these chances, as they make me feel that I was on the right place at the right time. At one time, I may think I’m lost, but I may be actually meant to bump into something special.

Here’s a montage of some of the fascinating acts I chanced upon in 2011. Yey to brave hearts and creative minds.


Song: Love and Wonder (Club Edit) – DJ Earworm

Cheerio! The England Clips

The place was so British, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the mice wore monocles. – Bob Hope

Pub walks. Free museums. The Stonehenge. Music that’s undeniably genius. Haven of the world’s literary giants. Say what you want about England, but without a doubt, it will remain to be one of the world’s top destinations. I have the makings of a tree-hugging hippie girl in my core, but although I resist, I think I’m slowly being wooed to the dark side of city-crawling with bustling metros like London.

Watch the vid for shots of my frenzied sprinting across London, Stonehenge, Liverpool and Bath. If you want read more of what went on in Jolly Old England, click here to recount past England posts. If you’re on your way to London yourself, here’s a few sightseeing tips you might find useful:

  • A great and cheap way to get down & dirty with London & its juicy history is to take a walking tour. The pub crawls are the best — you can’t go wrong with good stories plus some booze!
  • If you’re getting a London Pass, buy them directly from the Visitor’s Centre where it’s cheaper. Get the one without the Travelcard and just get an all-day pass from the Tube. Do your homework the night before as well to plot the best route to cover the most ground.
  • If you’re off to see Stonehenge, know that they don’t normally let people up close to the actual stones. For the best experience, you might want to book a special tour that lets you inside the stone circle.

Video Track: Love and Memories by O.A.R.

Traipsing the T-Dot: The Toronto Vid

From the land of hockey, poutine and the Mighty Falls that lure in honeymooners and daredevils everywhere. You’ve seen the photos and been flooded with the write-ups — you should have known that the video was coming. =P It was nice to relive the memories & experiences through the clips, especially the ones with family and friends with whom I haven’t shared a road trip with for ages. Hope you enjoy them as well!

And oh, if you have no idea of what photos and write-ups I was talking about, you can check out my endless blabbering and raving about Toronto over here.

Fall 2011
Toronto, Canada
Song: Jet Lag by Simple Plan ft. Marie-Mai

Having a Field Day in Boston

Fenway Park’s a fun place to visit even if you know zilch about baseball (I sashayed in wearing a Miami Heat jersey — wrong sport, for crying out loud!). One thing I discovered was that Boston was home to probably the most loyal fan base of the sport. Locals speak of their home team (and ballpark!) with much pride. Probably the only thing that can match their worship of the Red Sox is their fervent hate of the Yankees. Continue reading Having a Field Day in Boston

College Flings and Second Chances

Cambridge, my personal land of could-have-been’s. If you want a sure way to torture me to no end, riddle me with endless what-ifs — what if I pursued the academe? What if I gunned for a scholarship to MIT? What if instead of selling out to the lure of a corporate career, I was actually meant to happily slave away with like-hearted geeks working on the next big thing for my thesis? Argh, it’s driving me crazy just to write this post.

True story: My heart bled for a bit when I saw this.

A true masochist, I whisked myself off to Boston. Rina, a friend who recently moved to this college town to pursue her MBA, kindly let me crash her place, as I subject myself to anguish with tours of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. Continue reading College Flings and Second Chances

Crossing Paths with Occupy Wall Street

My sister kidded that maybe I should consider being a journalist instead, since I keep running into the Occupy movements as I move around. We chanced upon Occupy Toronto on a drive downtown, and we literally walked into an Occupy protest march while in Montreal.

The one campsite that I did deliberately flock to was the mother of the movement — the Occupy Wall Street base in Zuccoti Park. I had to see it for myself. Perhaps more than anything, there was this intense desire to witness why these men and women, who had the sheer luck to be born in an affluent nation, have grown so discontent that they had to take to the streets. Shameful it might be to admit, but having grown up in a third world country that has more or less given up in expecting any sort of productivity from its own government, I guess I sort of felt smug. I was genuinely puzzled, and I had this need to understand how protestors on this side of the world felt and what they had to say. Continue reading Crossing Paths with Occupy Wall Street