A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
UPDATE: The Querocep Bridge along the Marifanta Highway which was damaged by a landslide in December 2015 is still being reconstructed. As of January 2018, what used to be a makeshift wooden bridge is now a steel bridge and is PASSABLE to all types of vehicles. The alternate route to get to Infanta is to pass through Real and Famy.
NEW STEEL BRIDGE (January 2018)
Continue reading “Marifanta Highway: The Road to Infanta, Quezon”
Corregidor, an island at the entrance of Manila Bay, mostly attracts history buffs. Known as “The Rock” because of its rocky landscape and the heavy fortifications, this historic island is a great destination for bikers as well. Traversing the island’s well-paved roads and jungle trails on a bicycle and getting to visit the different ruins and landmarks offers a totally different experience from the usual day trip tour onboard a tramvia.
Kaybiang Tunnel is the Philippines’ longest subterranean road tunnel. This tunnel links the towns of Ternate, Cavite and Nasugbu, Batangas through a hole under Mount Palay-Palay (aka Mt. Pico de Loro). It’s a very popular landmark for cyclists and riders based in Manila for weekend rides. This 300-meter tunnel is part of the 6-kilometer Tourism Road in Cavite that cuts travel time from Manila to Nasugbu and Calatagan, Batangas from the usual 4 hours via Tagaytay to just a little over one hour.
Macau is best known for its glitzy casinos. But this special administrative region of China, just an hour away from Hong Kong is one of the main bucket-list destinations of adrenaline junkies. If you’re into extreme activities, you’ve probably heard of the Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre, simply known as the Macau Tower, home to the world’s highest commercial Bungy Jump.
The beauty of the Philippines really shines in other provinces and islands. Destinations like Palawan, Cebu, Bohol and Boracay are top draws for foreign tourists. However, many international travelers have to travel through Metro Manila, the capital and main gateway to many of the other destinations before they can get there.
My solo ride around Samar Island has been one of the most memorable rides I’ve done this year. I got to traverse through three provinces of (Western) Samar, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar. Since it’s the third largest island in the Philippines, it’s a bit challenging getting around by public transportation.
The main cities are geographically located far from each other and vans and jeeps don’t leave regularly. Usually, you have to wait for public transport vehicles to get filled up with passengers, so getting from one place to another usually requires a lot of waiting time. Since my main purpose was sightseeing and ease of access getting around, I thought I could cover more ground on a motorbike.
Continue reading “Road Trip Guide: North East Samar Loop”Whenever I travel, I always pick comfort over style. For the airport, city tours and general travel, I usually opt for sneakers or comfortable shoes rather than more stylish high heels or sandals. It always helps to be wearing something easy to take on and off, won’t keep your feet cramped and are easy to walk around in the whole day. Thankfully, you don’t have to sacrifice style for comfort with the fun sneaker options available from Maz Brasil Philippines.
Participants dressed up as a Thai boxer, a crocodile hunter & a “sumo wrestler from Mexico” emerged as the grand winners for the seventh Crazy Jump Day, an annual costumed bungy jumping competition organised by the world’s top adventure tourism company AJ Hackett and powered by the world’s best low-cost airline AirAsia.
Continue reading “Crazy Jump Day 2017 with AirAsia and AJ Hackett Macau”
Any solo traveler will tell you that one of the most painful parts of traveling alone is the fact that you have no one to share expenses with. After riding around the coastal road of Samar on the way back to Catbalogan City, I decide to squeeze in one last activity. When I passed by the local tourism office in Samar, the three main destinations being promoted were Sohoton Caves Natural Bridge in Basey, the Rock Formations in Marabut and the Ulot River Torpedo Boat Ride in Paranas.
I’ve visited the province of Samar on several caving trips and have written a detailed travel guide about it, but for some reason, I haven’t been to those three main and most popular sites. So while riding back from Borongan to Catbalogan City on my solo ride around Samar Island, I decided to stop and try the Torpedo boat ride at Ulot River since it was along the way.
Continue reading “Endless Samar Part 4: Ulot River Torpedo Boat Adventure”For regular travel, I usually just take photos with my SLR for print magazine features and the blog. Most of the time, I end up using photos and videos taken with my Smartphone for Instagram and social media. But for extreme adventures, motorcycling, biking trips and water-based activities, it’s essential to have an action camera. Video content and vlogs are becoming more popular these days on social media and action cameras can really really help you capture more dynamic content.
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