What to Do in Cebu: Climb Osmeña Peak
Even if you’ve never climbed a mountain in your life, you will want (and be able) to climb Osmeña Peak, Cebu’s highest mountain, whose raw and rugged beauty arguably rivals the better known pastoral charms of Batanes and even evokes — dare I say it — the Fairy Glen of the Scottish island of Skye. […]
Why I’ve Never Traveled To The US
It was 2009, only a day after Tropical Storm Ondoy (international name Ketsana) wreaked watery havoc on the Philippine capital of Manila, causing landslides and floods of up to 20 feet (20 feet!) in some rural areas, and where was I? In Manila, naturally, walking up muddy pedestrian bridges, sidestepping enormous puddles, and waiting hours […]
7 things you should know before planning your trip to Batanes
Answers to frequently asked questions about the paradise in the far north of the Philippines * 1. How much will a Batanes trip cost? * First of all, I’m not going to play the my-Batanes-trip-was-cheaper-than-yours game. My Manila-Basco-Manila ticket, bought during a Philippine Airlines promo, cost me less than P1,500 (yep, round trip) but if […]
Offloading, required documents, and other Immigration FAQs
* What documents are required by the Bureau of Immigration? I get this question all the time, so I thought I’d create another post just for this. Technically, there are only 3 documents that are required: Passport Round trip ticket Visa (if necessary) So, for those who are asking: “Kailangan pa ba talaga ang…” the […]
How to get tickets to the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London
The Ceremony of the Keys has been taking place at the Tower of London every night for the last 700 years — to put that in perspective, that’s roughly 200 years before Ferdinand Magellan “discovered” the Philippines. Talk about tradition! The only time in recent memory that the ceremony was interrupted was during an air raid in […]
Where to Stay in Paris: Grand Hotel du Loiret
As much as possible when I’m traveling, I like to stay in a central area that will allow me to walk to places of interest and easily access public transportation. The drawback of centrally located hotels is that they tend to be more expensive than those in the peripheries, but with a bit of research […]