Lost in Long Beach, Palawan: Longest Beach in the Philippines

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Why go to San Vicente, Palawan? To see Long Beach, reputedly, the longest white sand beach in the Philippines! When was still thinking about doing a 12-day trip to Palawan I initially only had 3 items on my list: Honda Bay, El Nido, and the Underground River.

While I could have been more than happy to have spent all my time in just these place, I wanted to know if there were other nice places to visit in the area. San Vicente’s Long Beach fit snugly into my plan since the town is located along the way between Puerto Princesa and El Nido.

I was so happy I made that decision because Long Beach did not disappoint. Long Beach was indeed freakin’ long, 14km as claimed by the townsfolk.

It was so surreal to see such a beautiful white sand beach seemingly stretching endlessly into the horizon yet devoid of any huge beach resorts, tourists, or loud bars.

San Vicente Long Beach all to MYSELF!

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A Day in Cuyo Island

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Although I didn’t have the best time during the long ferry ride from Iloilo to Cuyo, my excitement shot up when we finally arrived in Cuyo Island. It was finally THE MOMENT! My first time to set foot in Palawan Province and on my way to explore this tiny remote island all by my lonesome. I already had a good first impression of Cuyo after seeing this long and inviting white sand beach conveniently lying beside the pier … beckoning to be discovered.

First glimpse of Capusan Beach in Cuyo Island

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36-hour Journey from Iloilo to Puerto Princesa City, Palawan (via Cuyo)

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I started my first solo backpacking trip – an adventure to Palawan by taking a long RoRo Ferry from Iloilo to Puerto Princesa City. There are no direct flights between the two cities, the choice was to (1) take the ferry or (2) a connecting flight via Manila or Cebu. Other than being the cheaper alternative, another big reason why I took the ferry was because it does a stopover in Cuyo Island. The chance to visit Cuyo was exciting for me because it’s a very remote island that not a lot of people have dared to explore.

Waiting to board the RORO Ferry at the Iloilo River Wharf in Lapuz, Iloilo City

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Zambales and Bataan Back-to-Back Visits in 2 + 6 Days

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So what’s with the deal with the 2 + 6 days? My trip to Zambales last summer was divided into two parts.

The first part was a two day visit to Anawangin Cove, Zambales and the second was a longer six day trip to Nagsasa Cove, other areas of Zambales Province, and Bataan.

I’ve always wanted to visit Anawangin Cove in Zambales … I was curious to know if the beach was as beautiful in person as it is in countless of amazing photos online.

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Mindoro and Batangas Roadtrip for 6 days

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Last summer, I spent eight weeks on a series of short trips across Luzon. I called Manila my new home and each week I’d go out to visit particular places near Manila that I’ve always wanted to see but never got the chance before. I guess the reason was because I’ve put them off in favor of more far-flung and exotic destinations. I guess it seemed more appealing to visit Palawan, for example, than to spend some nights in Batangas or Laguna. Since I’ve already crossed out a couple of places in my “Philippine travel wishlist,” the time was ripe to visit a couple of interesting places that most Manilenyos have probably grown tired of by now. On my second week, I visited “Puerto Galera,” known as Manila’s cheaper alternative to Boracay. For me, however, I considered Puerto Galera as my gateway to Mindoro Island.

5963255631 38b8c685dc z Mindoro and Batangas Roadtrip for 6 days

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Landscape Photography Lightroom Preset; My “One Click Fix”

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I’ve always planned on giving photography tips on this blog so as I start, I thought of sharing my simple workflow to come up with nice looking landscape photos. I used to do all my post processing work in Adobe Photoshop but now, I almost entirely use Adobe Lightroom for most of my post processing needs. I only use Photoshop for selected photos because it takes so much time tinkering with its interface. I’ve been there and I understand how daunting Photoshop could be for beginners. At the other end of the spectrum, I just love how easy, fast, and fun it is to edit batches upon batches of photos in Lightroom. It only takes a few clicks to turn my photos into the works that you’ve seen in my blog. If you’ve been curious to know my photography workflow, here’s how I usually do my post processing.

“Before and after” photos of the scenic Capones Island, Zambales using my customized develop preset for Adobe Lightroom

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Fat Rat Sighting at the “Hostel from Hell”

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Some of you might have noticed I’ve been posting a lot of trip overviews lately. While they’re a great way to skim through the trips I’ve had over the past year, I kinda admit that they don’t really tell much about my personal travel experience. The well selected photos and condensed narratives make my trips seem so perfect, like gods have bestowed me the gift of great weather, ample travel comforts, and constant excitement. Well, my trips aren’t always so flawless! There are also times when I experienced unpleasant mishaps that could be such a total travel buzz kill. One example was my worst hostel experience or as I call it the “hostel from hell” during an overnight in Surigao City in Surigao del Norte Province. Warning: Humongous fat dirty rat involved.

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Exploring Northeastern Mindanao for 12 Days

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My visit to Northeastern Mindanao was one of those trips that always gets me excited whenever I get reminded of the places that I’ve visited in the 12 days that I’ve spent in this part of Southern Philippines. I can’t get enough of it! Every time I review my photos or read about it online, it never fails to revive my love for travel. My trip to Northeastern Mindanao was my last major travel for the year (kind of a “last hurrah” thing) and my third time visit to Mindanao. I wanted to see as many places as I can in a relatively short time. I actually think I pushed myself (and budget) a bit too far in this particular trip … I just couldn’t resist the wanderlust. For 12 days, I was able to visit different places (almost all for the first time) spread across the vast northeastern corner of Mindanao Island: from Iligan City, Cagayan de Oro City (Misamis Oriental), Camiguin Island, over to Butuan City, Bislig City (Surigao del Sur), Surigao City, and finally the islands of Bucas Grande and Siargao in Surigao del Norte.

5931247906 1d1f48e64f z Exploring Northeastern Mindanao for 12 Days

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Singapore and Malaysia Itinerary: 5 Days DIY

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We spent five days for our do-it-yourself trip to Singapore and Malaysia.

We spent the first three days in Singapore and then crossed over to Malaysia on the second part of our trip.

From the Philippines, we took off from Clark International Airport, Pampanga and arrived in Changi International Airport, Singapore.

On our third day, we crossed the Malaysian border at Johor Bahru and took a bus to Melaka for an overnight “stop over.”

We continued our journey early morning the next day to Kuala Lumpur and took a side-trip to Putrajaya before the flight back to Manila.

5919704455 c3dec5a69f Singapore and Malaysia Itinerary: 5 Days DIY

Here’s our full Singapore and Malaysia overland DIY trip itinerary:

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Mt. Pulag and Sagada Experience for 8 Days: My First Mountain Climbing Attempt

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I’ve finally embarked on my first major climb, a traverse of Mt. Pulag, the highest peak of Luzon Island and the Philippines’ third highest mountain. The summit climb in itself was already a major physical “beating” but I just couldn’t pass off seeing more of the Cordillera countryside. I spent the next couple of days in Sagada, Mountain Province to indulge in its beautiful highland vistas, captivating culture, and refreshing chilly climate. The (physical) effort was so worth it! I definitely loved the verdant landscapes of the Cordilleras.

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