I didn’t spend a dime on this trip. Or maybe I did. I remember buying a piece of kiping, a local delicacy made from ground cassava, for P10, bottled water, and fresh buko juice. But other than that, I just enjoyed the 3-day 2-night tour without spending on anything. This tour was a birthday gift to me from a not-so-poor [...]
The cold wind that blew as I stood at the balcony of our hotel was quite a refreshing surprise. Although the sky was bright and the sun was inching its way from the horizon, the temperature remained friendly in the shadows of Mt. Hibok-hibok, the most prominent landmark in Camiguin. Camiguin: The Island Born of Fire Camiguin is the smallest [...]
I was a warrior in the middle of a battle. With reliable weapons in my bag — meds, vitamins, paper napkins, and a bottle of water — I decided to go on an important journey back home. Not even the bad fever and runny nose, however, stopped a smile from slicing across my lower face when we finally passed under [...]
My wallet had a pleasant surprise for me when I opened it after my El Nido trip — money! I had always thought that El Nido was an expensive destination. My recent trip, however, proved that it is anything but expensive. In fact, it is one of the cheapest four-day vacations I have had. The only expensive thing about El [...]
El Nido is a town in the northern part of Palawan. Comprised of 45 islands, El Nido is popular for white sand beaches, snorkeling and diving sites, and steep Karst cliffs. Although famous, reaching this tropical paradise can be quite a challenge to travelers because of its remoteness. For the Poor Traveler and his friends, however, its location is not [...]
As our boat glided through the waves into the Big Lagoon of Miniloc Island in El Nido, Palawan, I couldn’t help but think about how much I needed this break. The limestone cliffs that surround the clear, turquoise water reflecting the sunny skies were more therapeutic than any massage or cigarette I had. It was the perfect moment. A classic [...]
“Let’s go to Sagada.” More than five years ago, just before our college graduation, my friend Tonet invited me to go to Sagada. Tonet and I had always wanted to visit Sagada for a number of reasons. “I don’t think that’s possible given that we’re too busy working on our theses. Perhaps after graduation?” I suggested. After graduating, while we [...]
First times. If there’s one thing that I am so grateful about this trip, it’s that it gave me a several first times. It was my first time to board a cruise ship. It was my first time to see a cruise ship, to be honest. My first time to set foot on Malaysia. My first time at a Temple [...]
Let me talk about my college friend Mimay. To be honest, it’s weird that I call her a “college friend.” Although we shared the same batch, same college org and even same classes, we weren’t really close in college, looking back. She was busy doing theater while I was busy being emo. It was after graduation that we really became [...]
Singapore has a special place in my heart. It was the first city outside of the Philippines that I set foot on. My first time was almost two years ago and it was on that trip that I met some of friends. That’s why when I was thinking of a trip for me and my mom, it was easy for [...]
I just arrived from a trip to Singapore with my mom. It wasn’t my first time to visit Singapore. I attended an international blogging event in Singapore in 2009 and toured a little while I was there. This made preparing the itinerary for my second Singapore trip a lot less difficult. I already had an idea about what I wanted [...]
Frankly, our Tacloban-Marabut trip is probably the most unfortunate of all of my trips. It wasn’t because of the place — Tacloban and Palo, Leyte and Marabut, Samar are awesomely beautiful places. It was the rain. Although from the very beginning we knew it would be a “wet” trip because the weather forecast said so, we still, somehow, hoped for [...]
Continuous heavy rains had caused landslides and floods in Leyte, Southern Leyte and Samar. It was the first week of February and we were worried — more like scared, to be honest — about our scheduled trip to Tacloban. “Is it safe? Are we sure we want to do this? Are we still going?” We started throwing these questions on [...]
I have a confession to make. When we were planning this trip, we weren’t really that hot about it. It’s just that Airphil Express launched a P150 sale and the only destination with available seats for the dates we wanted was Bacolod. Blindly, we booked it. To be honest, the only thing I knew about Negros Occidental before this trip [...]
“Chicken inasal?” That’s the answer my poor officemate gave me when I asked her what was in Bacolod. It all started when Airphil Express held a P150 sale for flights to all their destinations on the long weekend of Rizal’s 150th birthday. Oh yes, that’s another reason why I loved Jose Rizal even more. Upon learning about it, I called [...]
