Countries I’ve seen
36 countries – and I want to see more.
Bali-inspired Cintai resort
My sis’ wedding venue in Batangas.
To infinity and beyond
My sister’s non-traditional wedding.
Ponderosa at our leisure
Ponderosa Leisure Farms in Silang, Cavite is a gated community. To enter, one has to either own a property there – or know somebody who does. Every time we come home to the Philippines, we visit Ponderosa. It’s almost like part of the pilgrimage back to...
Parasailing made me feel for throwing up
I almost threw up on my sister as we parasailed. I swear this was one of the longest 30 minutes of my life. A colorful parachute, a good view of Boracay’s white shoreline, to be up, up in the air. I mean, who would say no to this experience? So I said I’d...
Fire dancers warmed the night
I burned for the fire dancers on the island Boracay in the Philippines. But ironically, prior to the show, I actually underestimated them. Something like: it didn’t matter if I saw the fire dance show or not. But it mattered, after what I saw! These dancers...
On chocolate hills
In the picture above, these thousand hills are green. But when the grass dries up, they turn brown like mounds of chocolates. I saw the Chocolate Hills in Bohol for the very first time in old family pictures. My mother and aunt were there as young women, posing...
Flowers in the menu
We ate lots of flowers in Bohol Bee Farm. Dozens of it. Healthy lunch was what we were after when we visited Bohol Bee Farm, which is located atop a cliff on Panglao Island in Bohol. We ordered seafood, brown rice, spaghetti made of coconut flesh, and lots and lots...
Tarsiers up close
While in Bohol, we visited some tarsiers. It’s one of the most endangered primates in the world. Before, tarsiers were spread in Europe, Asia and North America, but now they are restricted in just some islands in Southeast Asia like Sulawesi and Sumatra (both in...
Serenade on Loboc River
Cruising on Loboc River in Bohol was sweet. The boat was big enough for many customers, but my sister preferred to have the whole boat on our own. It was actually a good idea, because we danced without feeling shy in front of the singer/guitarist who played us songs....
Friendly caterpillars at the Butterfly farm
We had a nice stroll around the butterfly farm in Bohol. But what Tuwa liked most was touching a caterpillar – for the first time. I felt squirmish, so my cousin, a doctor, showed Tuwa how to hold the little creature.
A day with dolphins and sea urchins
Tuwa was two years old when she saw dolphins swimming in the sea for the first time. We were in Bohol. It was a wonderful sight, to watch dolphins swim. It was worth waking up at dawn for and traveling two hours by a small boat. I am far sighted, so I was also quite...
The White Beach of Boracay
Boracay is one of the world’s best island destinations and has one of the world’s best beaches, according to Swedish tabloid Expressen. All because of the white, smooth sand, torquise blue water and there are so many activities. All very cheap, too,...
Quad biking in Boracay
We went quad biking in Boracay, Philippines. It was quite fun, but I don’t think I’d like to do it again. I suppose that All-terrain vehicle, ATV, is a streetlegal vehicle in Boracay, because many of us were quad biking alongside tricycles and jeepneys...