VisitPinas.com

When I was just starting to work in the Manila area, I was culture shocked. I grew up in Quezon City and studied there all my life so I am used to its residential and more or less safe atmosphere. Also, having worked in Makati for four years, I was used to its towering buildings and clean sidewalks, and my idea of relaxation from work was having coffee at Starbucks and spending hours inside Powerbooks which was a good fifteen minute-walk from my previous office. So imagine my disgust when I realized that one of the things I had to get used to when I started working in Manila, aside from the pollution and the extreme difficulty of getting a cab, was the scarcity of a good bookstore in the area. Continue Reading »

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 »

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 »

The Manila Ocean Park is a seaworld, where kids and adults are treated with the sights of different marine animals (think of Ark Avilon Zoo, but all sea creatures). When you hear “seaworld,” you think of Seaworld in Orlando, Ocean Park in Hongkong and, in the Philippines, Ocean Adventure in Subic. Unlike those destinations, however, Manila Ocean Park is located in the heart of Metro Manila, so it should be easily accessible (rates are P400 for adults and P350 for kids). And unlike those destinations, the Manila Ocean Park has no shows like the whale and sea lion shows (although these shows may come later, as the Manila Ocean Park is still unfinished). There’s something, however, that makes up for that. Continue Reading »

Baguio City, which is perched on high elevation, is known as the “Summer Capital” of the Philippines because of its cold weather. The original blueprint of the city was made by American architect Daniel Burnham (which is the reason why the main park at the heart of the city is known as Burnham Park). It’s also known as the “City of Pines” because, well, pine trees dominate the landscape. It’s usually enough for me to stay in the hotel and just relax when I go there, but if you want to go around, here are some observations. Continue Reading »

There was plenty of space to park and move around, maybe because we got there when the rest of those who spent their Holy Week vacation are on their way back to Metro Manila. The place, with huge trees generously dotting the entire landscape, is a welcome breather from the suffocating pollution in Metro Manila. Brown leaves of Mahogany, occasionally punctuated by twirling seeds, fall to the ground, sometimes gently hitting the windshield as you drive by. This is summer in Montevista Villas (Mimosa Leisure Estate, Clarkfield, Pampanga). Continue Reading »

My wife read somewhere that there’s a “cool” zoo just beside Tiendesitas. A zoo beside Tiendesitas is a bit strange because aside from the fact that Tiendesitas is a place to shop and eat, it’s beside a mall (SM). Also, I regularly pass through the Malabon City zoo, just behind Potrero elementary school along McArthur Highway (that’s a few meters from Monumento, Caloocan), but I never had the desire to go in a zoo, and I’m not really sure if it’s proper to qualify a “zoo” with being cool. The Ark Avilon Zoo made me rethink that. Continue Reading »

With all the skyscrapers and modern structures in Makati City, it’s hard to imagine that a church almost 400 years old lies hidden in this business capital of the Philippines. If you’re from the north, passing through the Guadalupe bridge along take Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) towards Makati City, the first thing you’ll notice are the huge billboards right before the San Carlos Seminary. Behind the seminary is the Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church (to be precise, it’s located in 7440 Bernardino Street, Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City; 896.8444, 895.9141). Continue Reading »

The city is a concrete jungle, full of greenery artificially created by people to resemble the plants and trees that nature has nurtured for years. There’s plenty of breathtaking sceneries in the city — view from the Philippines’ tallest building in Makati or the seemingly endless labyrinths of gigantic malls, among others. Continue Reading »

Each of us touched by Boracay has a special memory about this beach paradise. For non-divers, it could be the amazement of feeding fish while floating in the middle of the sea. It could be the fine white sand or various water (and air?) sports like the jet ski, banana boat ride and parasailing. It could even be as simple as the fresh seafood, the great fruit shakes or the sand castles with lighted candles inside. Continue Reading »

I was always excited every time the peryahan, which I believe is translated as a “fair” in English, comes to town. There’s the Ferris wheel, or something that resembles it, the caterpillar ride, the haunted house and, of course, the games. Looking back, there’s really nothing fancy about the perya, that is, if you compare it with the likes of Enchanted Kingdom. So, the first chance I got after it opened in 1995, I went to see this Enchanted Kingdom, and went back for more — perhaps proof that there’s always a child in each of us. Continue Reading »

I never previously imagined sharing travel experiences, such as in this blog, specially in places where there’s a home to go to. Having spent years in Cebu and having a home in this city, it always feels weird to stay some place else, like in Tambuli beach club, which is located in Mactan Island, just a few minutes from Cebu City. Continue Reading »