November 1, 2016

DESTINATION WEDDING | #KenyaMeetsPinas in El Nido, Palawan

EL NIDO, PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES—I do not personally know them. I met them once in a Pinoy Travel Blogger-Cebu meetup for some barbecue, amarula, and karaoke. But I admire Reiza a lot; she is one of those rare self-actualized women I see on my Facebook feed, fighting for human rights. She […]
October 16, 2016

Affordable and Practical Gifts for Travelers

Living in Cebu translates to random road trips that often culminate in beaches. That’s why I think we travelers must be the easiest to please. Just give us something that feeds our wanderlust, and we are already the happiest creatures on earth. As a traveler, here are some things I gifted myself, here are […]
October 7, 2016

CORRUPTION IN LAOS | How to Have a Nasty Encounter with Policemen in Laos

DISCLAIMER: This first appeared on my column Down South on TV5’s Interaksyon.com. Included a lot of photos here! This is a personal experience. Corruption in Laos is real. Corruption in my own county is effing real.  A glass wall divided us. That must be sufficient as a border for the […]
October 6, 2016

Nine Places in the Philippines that I Want to Visit Again! Why?

DISCLAIMER: This first appeared on my travel column Down South on TV5’s interaksyon.com last January 2015. I recently saw it again, and surprisingly this list remains a plan. This is a personal reminder. All photos are mine. How about you, are there places that you want to visit again? For […]
October 5, 2016

How to Backpack in Britain 

Britain is an ideal country for backpackers. It is a small island country with lots to see and do. Traveling to a different city will open up a new part of the country with different cultures and often varying dialects. The cities are only a few hours apart if traveling […]
September 13, 2016

KITCHEN TALE | The Sand on the Shrimp and Fish

VARKALA, KERALA, INDIA—“If we are going to live together, our kitchen should not look like that,” said Tobi. The kitchen downstairs repelled him. What could we expect from a kitchen we borrowed for some hours from two hippie men? They played the guitar, one taught yoga upstairs, while the other […]
September 12, 2016

An Interview on Travel Writing

Ma’am Hope asked me if there is a travel narrative I could include in a book on creative nonfiction she is working on. I had “Tales from the Lake” (a narrative on Lake Sebu) or “We Are Called Langitnon” (a narrative on Dinagat Group of Islands). I labored a lot […]
September 7, 2016

MT. BROMO | Finding Beauty in Ashes: A Photo Essay

EASTERN JAVA, INDONESIA.Mt Bromo is a beguiling and mysterious sight. The town is both dead and living. The mountain spews out ashes every now and then. Here are Mt Bromo photos, an evidence that a living volcano is both beauty and beast.  As we faced heavenward to admire the constellations […]
September 1, 2016

What’s New? On Plans and Routes

A week ago, I sent a version of this to the subscribers of Backpacking with a Book. Dear, I found it awkward to write a newsletter. A romantic, I found it more charming to write a letter instead. The word newsletter sounds so formal and business-like and personally I am […]
August 31, 2016

Capitarise-Cebu| Reseeing Lapu-Lapu City

CEBU, PHILIPPINES—I cannot write without facing a window, vain it may sound. If not a window, then by open spaces—facing the sea’s vastness for example. The air thick with salinity. The wind teasing the ears. Perhaps it is my way to conquer the wall that scares any writer’s wit: the […]
August 29, 2016

Twenty-four Words from the Philippines that Show How Beautiful Our Languages Are

So here are 20 words from the Philippines to show off how varied our languages are. It is country gifted with many languages. Check here if you are looking for a travel guide to the Philippines.  *** I drew a map of the Philippines on the board (it was a […]
August 15, 2016

DOWN SOUTH | Of Trails and Traces in Chiang Mai

This post first appeared on my travel column Down South on interaksyon.com on June 12, 2016. Included more photos here. 😉 I grew up climbing trees, hunting wild guavas, assigning names to animals to pass them off as friends, and wishing there was a living river nearby. Life would have […]