How to Kill Time on a Long Bus Ride

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Earlier this year, I went on a great trip around 11 provinces for 8 days aboard a Victory Liner bus.

The tour that passed through Bulacan – Nueva Ecija – Cagayan – Kalinga – Ilocos Norte – La Union – Baguio City – Pangasinan – Tarlac – Subic Bay – Clark – Pampanga was a blast. But in between all the fast-paced activities, hotel-hopping, and numerous food stops, the bus itself had its share of memorable moments. It was the only thing that remained constant those eight days. It’s where we slept on our first night, hung our wet clothes to dry, snacked on all you-can-eat Chumbos and shared lots of laughs while playing road games. The bus brought together a bunch of strangers. Continue reading →

Slice of Paradise: Calaguas

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By the time we reached the island, the taste of brine was thick on my lips, my eyes felt like they were on fire, and my clothes clung to my skin like wet rags. The two-hour trip aboard a fishing vessel from the port of Paracale in Camarines Norte to Mahabang Buhangin Beach in the Calaguas group of islands was a reminder that the sea demands respect.

Our boat was tossed along the lurching swells of unseasonably rough seas. Since I sat at the boat’s bow, I faced the full impact of the ocean’s wrath in the form of frothy cold saltwater sprays. I thanked the travel gods for the fair weather and imagined how fishermen braved the seas during inclement climate. “Wala ito,” said tourism officer Angel who was seated next to me. “May isang beses, 3 oras kami sa dagat kasi ang lakas talaga ng alon. Halos mangiyak-ngiyak na yung mga tao sa banka,” she said before she dozed off.

Once the island was in sight, I understood why people would brave hell or high water to get here. The island’s raw beauty is the stuff of dreams. It makes you wonder if you’ve drowned during the trip and are setting foot on paradise itself. Continue reading →

Evil is Back: Diablo III is here!

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“Hello, my friend. Stay awhile and listen…” - Deckard Cain 

As I write this, gamers across the planet are probably already busy exploring the dungeons of Sanctuary, unleashing their powers against hordes of demons. On May 15, 2012, Blizzard Entertainment Inc. reported a record of more than 2 million pre-orders for Diablo III and held 8,000 midnight launch events in retail stores worldwide. In the Philippines, Diablo III was launched at noon at the National Sports Grill in Greenbelt Makati by IP E-Games (the official Blizzard games distributor in Southeast Asia). If you’re a fan, I don’t need to tell you that the game looks awesome, as you’ve probably already seen the trailers. I used to play Diablo II with my sister years ago (her character was a Sorceress while I played Necromancer and Druid later in the expansion pack) and I know a lot of people who have been waiting over a decade for this moment.

Continue reading →

Going Solo in Guimaras

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Four days ago, I was sitting alone on a tiny stretch of beach in Guimaras as the waters receded, leaving starfish beached on the shore. Darkness seeped into the sky, shifting from cheerful blue to rusty orange to deep purple, as I reflected on solo travel and life in general.

Even if there were other people around, I felt isolated. Earlier that afternoon, a group of day trippers where singing along to the strumming of a guitar. They posed happily for jump shots at the pier and exchanged stories while I watched from afar. Several workers were busy hammering something in a room two doors down from my beachside fan-room and attending to various renovations at the resort. But still, I felt alone. Continue reading →

Real Life Counterstriking in Baguio

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The bullets whizzed above my head and tore into the shrubs and tree branches as I slowly raised my head from the tangle of grass to seek out the rest of my companions. I knew the situation was dire, but I had no inkling it was practically hopeless.

I realized I was on my own, the last person standing (or rather crawling) from our team of 10 who set out to test our airsoft mettle against Baguio’s veterans of the game. Continue reading →

Creative Coolers

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I guess we can all agree that the heat in Manila has been really unbearable lately. With temperatures soaring, everyone’s thoughts turn to halo-halo, shakes, ice cream and cold drinks to cool down.

I was watching Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho last week to catch the segment on Outbreak Manila and saw their feature on summer coolers – which included Crocodile Egg ice cream from Davao and Tilapia ice cream from Nueva Ecija – two ice creams I have just added to my “must-try” weird food list. Here are a few other creative coolers which I’ve come across during recent trips. Beat the the heat with these weird finds:

SILI, PILI & MALUNGGAY ICE CREAM

Where found: First Colonial Grill, Legazpi, Albay Continue reading →

Fun Runs: More Fun with Zombies

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I’m not a runner and normally hate jogging or joining marathons since I find running boring in general. But throw in zombies and obstacle courses and you’ve got me hooked. On the first week that registration for Outbreak Manila opened, I trooped to Toby’s to make sure we got slots and obsessively checked updates on their Facebook page on the days leading up to the run.

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Fiesta Fervor

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Fiestas in the Philippines are a chaos of colors, costumes, confetti and circus tricks. For the jaded, they all start to look the same. But there’s still something about the rhythmic drum beats that fill the air, the complicated choreography, the lighting-quick costume changes, the traditional music segueing into popular dance tunes, and the smiles on the faces of dancers during provincial fiestas that I still find fascinating. Continue reading →

Ride for a Cause

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A couple of weeks ago, I guest rode with a group of bikers on their ride for a cause to Chosen Children Village, an orphanage in Silang, Cavite for mentally and/or physically challenged children. Aside from being a great early Holy Week ride (which later ended up in Tagaytay and Batangas) it was a very meaningful trip.

Continue reading →