With a name like “Pub Street”, there wouldn’t be much effort involved in convincing me to check such a place out. Pub Street can be found at the old market (downtown) area of Siem Reap in Cambodia, you won’t miss it if you’re planning on visiting Angkor Wat and spending some time in the city. It was late afternoon during our arrival in Siem Reap when we first passed by Pub Street, I was instantly drawn to the French colonial buildings still extant lining the whole stretch (actually much of the downtown area). Most of the buildings are now occupied by restaurants, cafes, and bars, thus the name “Pub Street.”
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I finally arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Siem Reap is famous for the ancient Angor Wat Temple built by the Khmer Empire. I was so surprised with my first glimpses of Siem Reap! it was so different with the images I had in mind of Cambodia. The roads were excellent, so many large hotels, and a lot of foreigners filling up artsy restaurants and bars. I was expecting more of a small farming community village than a bustling tourist city. What I love about Siem Reap is its unique charming character, it’s not hard to fall in love with the place and be inspired with the brimming dose of culture.
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The months of September and October will be busy months of traveling. Anticipating the peak of the monsoon season, I’ve intentionally set August for spending more time at home and working on my blogs. My travel spree in September will start with a week long visit to Cebu, Bohol, and Ozamis City then it’s a three-week series of trips in Luzon. I’m still brewing my masterplanned backpacking itinerary.
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Taoist founder Lao Tzu was immortalized by saying “every journey starts with a single step”. Well, that ancient Chinese proverb didn’t exactly apply to me during my recent trip to Palawan. I was out of the house with my overstuffed backpack and enthusiastic vigor on my way to ride the ferry to Puerto Princesa City, Palawan from Iloilo City. When I got to the ferry terminal, the guard told me that the boat was already fully booked and I had to wait a few more days to catch the next one. Total Bummer! So I had no choice but to go back home and postpone my trip.
After four days of recuperating, I was out of the house again with a renewed fervor and the same unopened backpack, except this time, I have already secured the reservation for the ferry. I was really looking forward to visiting Palawan for a few months already. No other place comes to mind to do my first solo backpacking trip than in Palawan, which is definitely on my top places to travel in the Philippines.
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Courtesy of Cebu Pacific’s Zero Fare last year, I’ve had the chance to book dirt cheap round trip Iloilo-Davao flights for July 2010 (next month). It’s going to be my first time to step foot in Mindanao, so I’m really excited about that! Initially, the trip was intended for South Cotabato and Sarangani only but Davao is just so irresistible, I decided allot some time to tour the city as well. Some of the places I’m eyeing to visit are: Lake Sebu, Koronadal City (Marbel), and General Santos in South Cotabato; Glan, Sarangani known for Gumasa Beach – the Boracay of Mindanao; and the multifarious attractions of Davao City and possibly Samal Island.
First Time in Mindanao: Davao City, Samal, South Corabato (General Santos, Koronadal, Lake Sebu), Sarangani (Glan)
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While on an island hopping tour of El Nido (Palawan), I chanced upon this lonely kayak lying idly on a small beach cove. The setting was perfect! The high noon heat was glaring mercilessly upon the bay with low lying trees sheltering the shore. The shallow waters were painted with a refreshing aquamarine and in the distance with lurky deep blue colors. The verdant foliage was lit up like emeralds bordered by jagged rocks and tall limestone cliffs accentuated by sinister shadows. Images of “Survivor”, “Lost”, and “The Beach” suddenly filled my mind and from than moment on I was relieved of satisfying what I was longing to experience for my visit to Palawan. During my sojourn, I got to see a lot of Northern Palawan … it was definitely worth more than my initial expectations. Here’s my photo story of my 13-day backpacking trip:
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I was so inspired by solo backpackers I encountered during my to Banaue last April. Even though I’ve been travel blogging for a while, I haven’t actually done a whole backpacking trip by myself since all of my previous travels had involved being with friends or family members but I’ve always anticipated eventually doing a lot of solo travels because of my lifestyle. I mean, there are so many places in the Philippines that I have not visited yet and promised myself to visit within the next few years and I don’t expect to always have a travel buddy around for every trip at the date that I want. Being in close encounters with a couple of solo backpackers in Banaue and had given me a better sense of the solo backpacking lifestyle and made me very curious about how it feels like and the possibility of doing it myself. So after a month of planning, I’ve set myself to do a solo trip to Palawan.
Palawan Solo Backpacking: Cuyo – El Nido – San Vicente – Port Barton – Sabang – Puerto Princesa
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Just as I thought I would be going back home to get a long rest and start blogging about my trip to Thailand and Cambodia, Aliwan Fiesta 2010, and Banaue, a sudden turn of events came my way and a day after my flight from Manila to Iloilo, I was back on the road again, this time to spend a week in Boracay Island. I was so pumped to visit Boracay again during the summer or peak season. Last time I went there was October last year and although it was also a great trip, visiting Boracay during the summertime is still, in my opinion, the best way to experience this tropical paradise.
Station 1 in White Beach at Noontime
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If you’re wondering where you can buy dSLR cameras and other photographic equipment in the Philippines for the cheapest/lowest prices, then it’s in Hidalgo St., Quiapo. I know the place in general is notorious as one of Manila’s shabby and crime infested areas (full of pirated CDs/DVDs, counterfeit electronics, snatchers, garbage). I was surprised myself after finding out that it’s highly recommended by other photographers in the Philippines as a place to find a wider range of photographic/videographic equipment at a cheaper price than in malls. I bought my first camera, a Canon Powershot A700, in Hidalgo when I was in college and a Nikon D40 last year. I have nothing to complain about the quality of my purchases there.
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There’s no other place in the Philippines (and even South East Asia) that captures the image of an exotic tropical paradise better than Palawan Province, at least to my knowledge. Palawan is HUGE with a various destinations that will take months to fully explore. This summer, I’m set on traveling to Cuyo Town located in the middle of Sulu Sea between the main islands of Palawan and Panay. Cuyo was heavily popularized by the movie, Ploning, and Amanpulo Resort, one of the most expensive resorts in the Philippines with rates over $1000/night. Of course, I’m not rich enough to stay in Amanpulo but with 45 islands composing the town of Cuyo, there are many other beautiful islands to visit.
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Ambot-ah is a blog about my life as a travel blogger, nurse, and freelance photographer. After my college graduation, I decided to make a living out of blogging and live out my many passions. Join me on my travels around the Philippines and South East Asia. Read my helpful backpacking journals, budget travel trips, do-it-yourself itineraries, blogging pursuits (making money online), and photography tips. 
