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Time flies really fast. Standing in front of Splash Island, I smiled at the thought that the first time I was here, I was still single and in school. I’ve been back here so many times, but today is different. Today, I’m taking my two-year old son to this wonderful waterworld. Children naturally love playing in water and I thought my son would enjoy this oasis, which is a few kilometers away from the concrete Metro Manila jungle. When it comes to water fun, I must say the Splash Island is one of the best in the Philippines today. Continue Reading »

The rain came midway our trip to Leisure Dive Resort. It was still raining when we arrived in this Batangas beach resort on Friday night. It was really a bad timing for Typhoon Cosme to enter the Philippine area of jurisdiction this weekend. I mean, c’mon, we’ve planned the outing for more than a month and, besides, May is still summer. We should pass a law banning typhoons, at least for the summer season (that sounds like daydreaming, but what would you do with rain and wind messing up your weekend vacation?). The good thing, however, is that it stopped raining the next day, Saturday. The sun came out and the waves toned down, allowing us to enjoy the seawater. By the way, when I said the waves “toned down,” here’s how it looked like: Continue Reading »

The fiesta, while not a uniquely Filipino tradition, is one of the main cultural and religious events in the Philippines. The celebration of fiesta, which means feast, is one of the influences of Spain that has taken root in the Philippines. Each barangay has a fiesta, which probably holds true for most municipalities and cities (refer to the Philippine political subdivisions). The festivities mostly coincide with the day of the Patron Saint of a particular place, although it’s on the charter day in some places. Here are the more famous fiesta celebrations (if there are others that you believe should be included in the list, please let us know through the comment section below): Continue Reading »

Let me guess, you stumbled on this site looking for relevant information about vacation spots in the Philippines. Or maybe you followed a link. Or maybe…well, whatever the reason why you’re here, there’s something helpful that you could do to promote the wonders of the Philippines. It’s so simple — since you have an internet access (otherwise, you won’t be reading this post), just vote for the Philippine wonders as nominees for the New 7 Wonder of Nature. Here’s how. Continue Reading »

Clear waters are normal in the province way back then. A stream ran beside our old house, for instance. With clear and clean water, we could wash plates in that stream if we choose to. It was not too deep so we could go fishing and take a swim. It’s now gone, killed by overpopulation and pollution. No, not just the fish, but the stream itself. Continue Reading »

This one should come easy. I mean, Rizal Park is in honor of the Philippines’ national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, and we’ve studied about him and his life since elementary. So, writing about this Philippine landmark should be easy. Continue Reading »

In every place you go in the Philippines, there’s bound to be a food specialty closely associated with that place. Otap and lechon of Cebu. Durian of Davao. Piyaya of Iloilo. Buko Pie on the way from Tagaytay. Binagol and moron from Tacloban. Ube jam from Baguio. Balut of Pateros. The list is endless. These food and delicacies immediately jump off your taste buds when those places are mentioned. Continue Reading »

The Filipino word “halo” means “mix” in English, so if we’re to be literal about it, “halo-halo” means “mix-mix”. But just the interplay of the individual, completely distinguishable ingredients of halo-halo, it’s hardly possible to be literal about this food. The final product — the halo-halo — is way greater than the sum of all its ingredients. It’s like carbon to diamond. Continue Reading »