May 29, 2016
This West 35 Eco Mountain Resort blog review first appeared on my column Down South on Interaksyon.com. Added some more photos here. CEBU, PHILIPPINES—This morning, it bloomed. Nothing could be happier for a gardener than to see a mere cutting from somewhere else flourish in her own garden. This fuchsia […]
May 27, 2016
Dear Passport, After my two-hour session with the fifteen-year-old, I transferred to the café’s al fresco area for my other personas to work—the content writer and social media manager, the other selves that must stay connected with the virtual and often fake world. Please remind me that these personas are […]
May 21, 2016
What comprises a great vacation? It’s the simple things, such as sipping your coffee in a café downtown. Or gazing upward and seeing how the spires of Chateau Ste. Michelle graces the horizon. Or walking around Gig Harbor in the early morning or late afternoon and indulging in the bay […]
May 20, 2016
I remember it well: I was busy writing a travel assignment on my phone. Nassefh—a handsome poet from Mindanao and my guardian during my drunk nights in the 54th Silliman University National Writers Workshop, the most sought-after writer workshop in the Philippines—approached me and said that I was not enjoying […]
May 20, 2016
This post, “Hipmunk Hotels: Deep South Delights in Lafayette, Louisville, Durham, and More,” appeared on Travel Tweaks, on April 15, 2016. Exploring the American Deep South is a delight for all types of travelers. Civil War and antebellum attractions draw hordes of history buffs each year, while the Cajun, Spanish, and […]
May 18, 2016
My name is Isa, I’m also from the Philippines. I discovered your blog through your recent travel essay on leaving everything behind to travel the world. Consider me a new follower of your blog; while I envy that you have seen as much of the world as you possibly can […]
May 17, 2016
Last month, I emptied my cabinet of clothes and realized I had a lot of second-hand dresses I haven’t worn yet. Sorting out the clothes—what must stay and what must be given away—was not as easy as I thought. I let my small garden at the back die. I moved […]
May 14, 2016
To stay in the city on a weekend is rather rare. Most of the time, I would be on a bus or aboard a ship to pursue some places I have never been to. Or revisit some old hangouts like Moalboal. And my recent trip to Siquijor makes me want […]
May 10, 2016
It must be the energy that affects first-time and repeat travelers alike in New York City. It must be the excitement to explore the culinary maps of this city that is never afraid of experimenting something, fusing different flavors, different countries on a plate. It must be the nights that […]
May 8, 2016
Virginia Beach is the place where Chesapeake Bay greets and kisses the Atlantic Ocean. It is the city that makes you believe you live an island life: slow and stress-free. You get up in the morning with the ocean breeze breathing life into your being. A life by the coast […]
May 7, 2016
For years, I have been planning to come up with my own clothing brand that echoes my varied albeit related passions in life: coffee, writing, reading, cats, gardening, and traveling. Recent travel news affirms that traveling and cats can actually go together. I gushed out about t-shirts with quotes from […]
May 6, 2016
Some people at work were somewhat surprised to learn that I do not only do something domestic but I actually love doing them; say handwashing clothes (no, it is not a primitive way, just a matter of preference), interior designing my little place, and cooking. Once you start wearing the […]