by Jeanina Santiago | Apr 2, 2015 | My Filipino life, My Swedish life
36 countries – and I want to see more.
by Jeanina Santiago | Feb 17, 2015 | My Filipino life, Philippines
My sis’ wedding venue in Batangas.
by Jeanina Santiago | Feb 17, 2015 | My Filipino life, Philippines
My sister’s non-traditional wedding.
by Jeanina Santiago | Nov 25, 2014 | My Filipino life, Philippines
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...
by Jeanina Santiago | Nov 19, 2014 | My Filipino life, Philippines
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...
by Jeanina Santiago | Nov 18, 2014 | My Filipino life, Philippines
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...
by Jeanina Santiago | Nov 13, 2014 | My Filipino life, Philippines
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...
by Jeanina Santiago | Nov 11, 2014 | My Filipino life, Philippines
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...
by Jeanina Santiago | Nov 8, 2014 | My Filipino life, Philippines
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...
by Jeanina Santiago | Nov 7, 2014 | My Filipino life, Philippines
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....
by Jeanina Santiago | Nov 4, 2014 | My Filipino life, Philippines
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.
by Jeanina Santiago | Nov 3, 2014 | My Filipino life, Philippines
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...
by Jeanina Santiago | Nov 2, 2014 | My Filipino life, Philippines
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,...
by Jeanina Santiago | Nov 2, 2014 | My Filipino life, Philippines
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...
by Jeanina Santiago | Nov 1, 2014 | My Filipino life, Philippines
Anotonio’s in Tagaytay is a fine restaurant that serves expensive breakfast. It’s elegant and squeaky clean – the best place to faint 🙂 It feels exclusive – we were the only customers the time we visited. Or perhaps we were just the first to...