Surreal. Otherwordly. Almost alien.
These are just a few words that come to mind when seeing Kapurpurawan, a natural white sandstone formation carved by sea and wind, in the town of Burgos, Ilocos Norte. Words can’t fully describe how I was amazed by the place and how it felt like I had just set foot on another world. Here instead are a few images of the masterpiece of Mother Nature in our midst.
It’s said that bread and salt are ancient symbols of hospitality. For some countries, greeting one’s guests with these two basic food items is a sign of trust and friendship. It’s only fitting that we got to experience how both are produced the same morning during our trip to Ilocos Norte where we were warmly welcomed as guests of the Lakbay Norte media tour earlier this year.
Our pit stop after the rough adventure at Adams Village was the elegant Ilocos Norte Convention Center (INCC) in Laoag City. The hotel is quite large and ideal for gatherings and business functions. Continue reading
One of the most meaningful gifts I got during graduation was a set of five basic land cards laminated and turned into bookmarks from a friend who introduced me to the game Magic: The Gathering. An attached note said: “I want to show you the world, but I have no money. Hope these inspire you to explore the world on your own.” Well, they have.
Here’s my version of the five basic lands – plains, island, swamp, mountain and forest – representing five places in the Philippines I’ve been to since then. 
Plains: La Paz Sand Dunes, Ilocos Norte
The La Paz Sand Dunes is a protected sandy coastal desert and beach close to Laoag City, the capital of the province of Ilocos Norte. The sand dunes of Ilocos were said to be created by the interaction of the wind, sea, and river that together cause erosion and deposition. Everyone had a blast trying out the sand boarding and riding 4×4 vehicles around the dunes earlier this year during the Lakbay Norte Media tour. Continue reading
The buzz of motorcycles on the city streets is one of the first things you notice about Saigon. Here, the nimble motorcycles expertly weave their way between hulking buses and hapless cars stuck in traffic.
From retro vespas in candy shades to rusty skeletons strapped down with market goods, you could say that the motorcycle cuts across all social classes in the country.
“1st Aeta Forest Food Festival. Capas Tarlac near Mt. Pinatubo. Aetas will show how to hunt bayawak, snakes, wild boar & cook food using traditional methods of the forest through customs, dances & rituals. Will also share traditional food customs with Agta, Dumagat tribes from Zambales, Quezon, Rizal.”
The text message invitation forwarded by Dondi Tawatao, a photojournalist friend who shoots for Getty Images, had me interested at once. Early the next morning we were headed to Capas, roughly 2.5 hours away from Manila, via a Philtranco bus and then on a tricycle bound for Barangay Sta. Juliana. Though we initially planned to return to Manila the same day, the long tricycle ride through a winding mountain road where houses were few and far between, gave us a clue that we were probably going to be spending the night there. Continue reading
Though Vietnam is not really known for having the best beer in Asia, for some people, a vacation would not be a vacation without sampling the local brew. Think of it as part of enjoying the local culture.
Here’s a rough guide to some Vietnamese beers we tried, with ratings provided by Travel Up’s resident beer connoisseur Art Fuentes (who happens to be my husband and the reason our travel fund has to have an allocated “beer budget”). Continue reading
