May 2, 2023

A Developing Country Citizen’s Perspective: What’s Wrong with “Leave Everything Behind and Travel the World”

 I shared the table with a Dutch traveler for our complimentary breakfast of coffee, two toasts, and few slices of melon—something that the Burmese or us Filipinos do not normally have for breakfast. But I enjoyed it, nonetheless, especially after an hour or so of pedaling on sandy paths, checking […]
March 2, 2023

Awesome Attractions in Taiping, Malaysia

Last updated: January 2023 It was my first trip abroad (2015), and going somewhere that was rarely traveled to appeal to the rebellious and the reckless in me. A week in Malaysia would mean a selfie with the Petronas Tower at the least, a walk around Penang, a glimpse of […]
February 1, 2023

The Little Pleasures Found in Onomichi, Japan

ONOMICHI, JAPAN | ONOMICHI TRAVEL GUIDE | While Pim stood by the baywalk’s railing, an old woman, all smiling, passed by and said something in Japanese and gestured towards the camera. With my poor Japanese vocabulary bank: suka, honto ni, wakaranai, kawaii—words I learned from years-long of reading manga, watching anime, and interacting […]
April 24, 2014

Photo Essay | Missing Batad Rice Terraces and Some Notes on Love

In Batad, the village shaman can predict the couple’s future using a chicken liver. He can read the liver’s veins and interpret them. Yes, the couple’s love and future are at the mercy of the liver.  I met a couple then—an environmentalist Filipina and an Italian cook—who suggested they would […]
August 27, 2012

| Travel Essay | Stories from Britania

“Nganong naabot man ka diri, Nong?” (What brought you here, Nong?) “Unsaon ta man, day, diri man nako nakit-an ang akong pikas sa kinabuhi (It can’t be helped, day, I found my other half here),” answered Nong Tony who has lived in Britania for 15 years. The tone he used […]
April 21, 2012

Quotecard: Cloud 9, Siargao

Cloud 9, Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte, Philippines When the Pacific Ocean’s little furies subsided, locals surfed the shore. They were totally unaffected of the threatening waves in front of them. 
April 5, 2012

Quotecard: Tuburan Pantalan

Tuburan Port, Tuburan, Cebu, Philippines   It’s funny. When you leave your home and wander really far, you always think, ‘I want to go home.’ But then you come home, and of course it’s not the same. You can’t live with it, you can’t live away from it. And it […]
April 3, 2012

Mt Kan-irag Travel Guide and Itinerary

Last Update: June 2019 Mt Kan-irag Travel Guide and Itinerary I’ve received several inquiries on how to go to Kan-irag | KabangBudlaan | Kainsing Falls (I know right, even the locals have varied names for the waterfall.  The community before and after the main falls have different names for it. Although […]
March 28, 2012

Where Does Siquijor’s Magic Come from?

You must have googled about Siquijor witches. Hence, you are here. This one, though, is an essay on my first trip to Siquijor. This was the first essay that led me to travel writing. And I hope you enjoy reading this narrative. *** While sitting under the thick foliage of […]