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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Here’s our full Singapore and Malaysia overland DIY trip itinerary:
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.
Mindanao used to be a vast mass of uncharted territory for me. I was, however, determined to see more and experience for myself, the many alluring charms of this often misunderstood island. Thanks to a (relatively) new route serviced by Cebu Pacific, I was able to fly direct from Iloilo to Davao City. The plan was to spend three days in Davao and another three days in Zamboanga City. My first-time visit to these two Southern Mindanao cities was one of my most surprising trips of the year. I did not expect so see such beautiful places in both cities (even without venturing too far from urban comforts). I also liked how different these two cities are from each other. The distinct experiences definitely kept my interest throughout the whole trip up.
Last year, I went on the most butt numbing trip of my life. The experience was quite rigorous yet the rewards of visiting some of the most alluring places I’ve ever visited were also very gratifying.
It all started smoothly enough when I flew to Tuguegarao City, Cagayan Province from Manila.
It was very exciting for me since it was my first time to visit the northernmost parts of Luzon.
Malaysia and Singapore are definitely way up my list of places to visit in South East Asia. I’ve always considered these places as the two most progressive countries in this part of the world.
Being a self confessed “urban development crosjunkie,” sparks of excitement come out from inside me whenever I think about getting to visit iconic places in person, especially those I usually see in NatGeo’s “Mega Structures” or read about in SkyscraperCity.
After months of planning, me and my siblings were off to another bonding session … a five day do-it-yourself trip to Singapore and Malaysia.
In the Philippine Ilonggo dialect, ambot ah literally means "I don't know." After graduating in college, I decided to hold off pursuing my profession and embarked on a free spirited journey of adventure and self-discovery. My travels have led me to many places across the Philippine Islands and South East Asia. I don't know where this path will take me but I'm certain I'll get a lifetime of stories out of it.
