Visiting
Siargao is one of the dream trips that I had wished for long years
now. Reading from magazines, the waves of Siargao really intimidated me as I
have no intention to go on head collision with these giant waves. And besides, I
have no clue if I have a place in this island paradise knowing that I am not a surfing
enthusiast until I discover my inner passion for this water sport.
Enchanted River of Hinatuan Surigao del Sur
Hinatuan's Enchanted River
Truly, Surigao del Sur will not disappoint you with surprises. I have visited several rivers in Luzon and Visayas and I thought I have seen the best river until I got accidentally invited in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur in 2011.
Hinatuan is a sleepy town in the
southern part of Surigao del Sur and about 50km away from Bislig City. The town is currently facing future environmental destructions due to heavy extraction of mineral resources
in the area. Hinatuan is blessed with
marine resources thus, the livelihood of the folks is fishing aside from quarrying/mining
.
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Anything Hydro
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Clean River
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Enchanted River
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Fish Cage
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Hinatuan
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Rivers
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Surigao
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Surigao del Sur
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Travel Guide
Accommodation in El Nido, Palawan | Telesfora Beach Resort
Many
think that visiting El Nido requires a lot of cash to spend a quality vacation
in this world class destination. My stand on this issue is YES but 50/50.
Usually what eat most of the travel budget is the accommodation to where you are going to stay each night. It was also one of my considerations before I pushed my final decision for my do-it-yourself (DIY) solo trip in Palawan.
But if we are just going to be a curious and smart traveler we could get away from the overpriced and exaggerated hotel and resorts. In my case, an over the top accommodation is not my priority as I would rather venture on the beauty , quality and pristine ambiance of the place I am visiting.
Usually what eat most of the travel budget is the accommodation to where you are going to stay each night. It was also one of my considerations before I pushed my final decision for my do-it-yourself (DIY) solo trip in Palawan.
But if we are just going to be a curious and smart traveler we could get away from the overpriced and exaggerated hotel and resorts. In my case, an over the top accommodation is not my priority as I would rather venture on the beauty , quality and pristine ambiance of the place I am visiting.
I
scheduled my trip in El Nido at the beginning of the lean season where fewer
tourists flock the island. I did not make reservation in any of the resorts I have seen
in the internet and decided to look for myself during my arrival.
Labels:
Accommodations
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Adventures
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Luzon
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Palawan
Davao City | Massage in the Park

Whenever
I am online (FB or Twitter), I always wanted to upload nice and good looking pictures of
mine for social media sharing to be enjoyed by my beloved readers (joke lng po
yung part na good looking).
In Davao, I never let the day passed without visiting Rizal Park near the City Hall. With my rigorous job as environmental specialist, I am always left exhausted and drained out of energy. And what better way to rejuvenate my tired "beautiful" body but with a relaxing massage or visiting a spa. But since I am a bit thrifty /kuripot/ makunat or call me whatever you want, I always look for places where I can get a lot of discount, discount, and more discounts.
Cagwait Beach : Philippine Waikiki of the South
Cagwait
is one of the 17 municipalities of the province of Surigao del Sur. It is a
sleepy town that is home to a cove of white beach simply being compared to the
shore of Waikiki of Hawaii because of the tropical set up with white powdery sands
on the cove and abundant coconut trees growing along the shore. The beach is
the town’s main tourist attraction and major part of its annual June festivity
known as the Kaliguan Festival or “bathe” festival.
RESORTS AND ACCOMMODATION IN BRITANIA GROUP OF ISLANDS
To accommodate your stay in Britania Group of Islands, there are several private resorts/ lodges that offer a very affordable rooms along the shore of Brgy. Britania. You may check them out prior to your trip to the islands. To learn more about the islands click here
MORADO: Mapula ba ang BANANA MO?
Looking for banana? There are different types we can choose from . There are bananas that are long but thin like the
Cavendish, long and thick like the Lacatan, short but thick like the Saba, and very very short such as the Senyorita .Others vary in
color, some are pale and some are bright and some are dark. But this particular
banana that I am going to feature is different among those I have mentioned and
I am very proud that my banana is reddish to purple and very thick known as
Morado.
Last night while preparing
for our dinner, a child approached me near our door making “suroy” (selling by foot) of bunches of goods in his
basket. What stole my attention was this big and red banana he was carrying on
his head so I bought 2 kilos for Php30.00.
The last time I saw a red banana was
two years ago in the market of Carbon in Cebu before heading to my trip in Bantayan Island .
This banana is no longer new to me since I have grown my early childhood in
Samar eating mix type of boiled and unripe banana for breakfast, lunch and
dinner as substitute for rice which was scarce to our mountainous place during
those times.
In Mindanao this banana is also called “Morado” which in english it means purple. The size is quite bigger compare to a regular banana
but shorter than the regular Cavendish. It is considered as the most nutritious
banana as it contains more carotene. The taste is a little acrid when unripe
and sweet and creamy when fully ripe.
Magdawat Cave Exposed!
The sleepy town maybe secluded from
the rest of Surigao del Sur,but it is the place's isolation that made it unexploited from opportunists and capitalists in denting its unparalleled splendor.
With
my few years of residence in San Miguel, I tried to explore all possible sites of nature's wonder, and I must confess that as of this date my wandering adventures
in the area has only reached the tip of the iceberg.
In one of my recent explorations in the area, I discovered that one of the barangays of San Miguel holds a gem that the province can only dream of. This wonder is known as Magdawat Cave
located along the river side in the boundary of Brgys.Tina and Siagao.
Bahay ay Kawayan, Panggatong ay Lawaan
This poem is inspired by the common day to day lives of the people of San Miguel, Surigao del Sur. The people managed to save the day with the help of these "unknown" trees that once flourished in the vast field of Philippine virgin forest but now they are now dwindling in numbers. Most of us don't even know that these trees exist and when asked to give a name of a tree, the most common answer will be acacia and narra. These trees mentioned in the poem are almost dead in the consciousness of most Filipino people .Even the Philippine President doesn't know it ! I swear!
Bonok Bonok , Marajaw Karajaw sa Surigao 2012 !
The Philippines is one of the countries that throw grand carnivals and festivals in the world where celebrations happen every month in different cities and provinces. And each one of the festivals has its unique
story presenting its culture, tradition and history.
In the southern part of the Philippines, in the island of Mindanao , unique ethnic celebrations can be witnessed as people of different cultures and origins pay much effort and values presenting their traditions in grand and colorful ways.
In the southern part of the Philippines, in the island of Mindanao , unique ethnic celebrations can be witnessed as people of different cultures and origins pay much effort and values presenting their traditions in grand and colorful ways.
Revisiting Surigao del Sur's Kandingon Cave | A Chamber of Mystery and Wonders
It was exactly 5 months ago that I made an unexpected spelunking activity in one of the hidden caves in San Miguel, Surigao del Sur in Mindanao. I was tongue tied discovering for the first time the grandeur beauty of Kandingon Cave from a vast and exotic land of San Miguel.
The cave was never been shared or opened to the public. The last time we tried to explore this cave we got a little short with our batteries for our flashlights, that made me decide to revisit Kandingon Cave once more.
Kamansi/Breadnuts: A Local Food Alternative
Rainy days has come in the eastern side of Mindanao Island (September)
and most of the abandoned /uncollected breadnut or kamansi are starting to fall
from its tree. Bored with the usual panaderia bread, our indigent helper started collecting fallen and over
ripe breadnuts on the roadside to be cooked as our alternative snacks. She mentioned that
this fruit is very much valuable to them as it an alternative to the common staple food in
the table at times when no rice or palay is available in the basket.
Since
it was already ripe and the flesh can no longer be used to make a ginataan
(dish with coconut milk), we collected the seeds, washed and boiled it. Eating the seeds was like tasting the common and
famous chestnut and almost similar to a boiled jackfruit seeds (Artocarpus heterophyllus). Consuming 5-10
seeds is actually sufficient to satisfy one’s hunger as it is heavy loaded with protein,
enough carbohydrates and little fats which is enough to sustain your energy requirement
to survive the day.
Bojo River | The Secret Hideaway in Cebu, Philippines
In the island of Cebu there is one captivating river that exist that is not yet popular among the usual visitors of the island. This river is 59 Km south of Cebu City in Brgy. Bojo, one of the 15 barangays of the Municipality of Aloguinsan.
This beautiful river is being managed and protected by Bojo Aloguinsan Ecotourism Association (BAETAS), a local people's organization (PO) in Aloguinsan. The PO was created in June 2009 to operate a livelihood project through eco-tourism and highly supported by the local government unit and the Department of Tourism.
This beautiful river is being managed and protected by Bojo Aloguinsan Ecotourism Association (BAETAS), a local people's organization (PO) in Aloguinsan. The PO was created in June 2009 to operate a livelihood project through eco-tourism and highly supported by the local government unit and the Department of Tourism.
Empowering Women
The association is composed largely of women in promoting the place since most of the men in their barangay are not around during the weekdays, committed with their common day job which is fishing . The men participate usually on weekends during their free time.
Labels:
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Anything Hydro
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BAETAS
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Bojo River
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Cebu
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Ecotourism
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Nature and Wildlife
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Rivers
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Sustainable Development
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Travel Guide
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Visayas
Butuan Knows How to Party: Evolution Break Party @MOFFS
One cool upcoming event in Butuan is set on October 27, 2012. This city is really kicking off the night life as numerous bars and resto are up to their gigs to spark the night of locals and guests and highlights the tambayan of Butuanons.
This time , EVOLUTION BREAK PARTY at Moffs Resto Bar in Butuan ( just few meters from Gaisano Mall) , will test the reckoning power of the regions power house in the dance floor.
Good food and beers will surely overflow while listening to the mix and music magic of the masters themselves, DJ ELMER DADO & GRUPO TRIBALE and Cebu's Prime DJ WAR ABALLE!
See you there.! Let's PARTEE!
Labels:
Butuan City
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Events
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Food and Resto
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Mindanao
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Restaurant
Mystery and Revelation of Siquijor Island | Dodging the Travel Tradition
My
trip to Siquijor was the fulfillment of my curiosity about the mysterious island. I was simply intrigued why some people have reservations in visiting the
place known as the Island of Fire.
Despite of its grandeur and beauty, the island is embraced with dozens of superstitions,
incantations, potions and magic. It was this mystery that made the island
worthy of visiting by some hardcore believers as they just want to have
a share of magic that lurks within. In my case, I simply want to discover the best of the natural resources Siquijor received from the Great Creator.
Labels:
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Anything Hydro
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Islands
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Resorts
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Siquijor
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Travel Guide
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Travel Guide Siquijor
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Visayas
Official Philippine Holidays for 2013
Presidential Proclamation No. 459, s. 2012: Official Philippine Holidays for the year 2013
Regular Holidays
New Year’s Day
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January 1
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Tuesday
|
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Maunday Thursday
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March 28
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Thursday
|
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Good Friday
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March 29
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Friday
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Long Weekend
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Araw ng Kagitingan
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April 9
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Tuesday
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Labor Day
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May 1
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Wednesday
|
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Independence Day
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June 12
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Wednesday
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National Heroes Day
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August 26
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Monday
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Long Weekend
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Bonifacio Day
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November 30
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Saturday
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Christmas Day
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December 25
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Wednesday
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Rizal Day
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December 30
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Monday
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Long Weekend
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