A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
The province of Cebu in Central Visayas is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Philippines. Most tourists associate Cebu with religious and historic sights and dining and entertainment establishments in the city. But those aren’t the only things you can do there. Just a couple of hours from the city, you can access dive sites and beach resorts, trek to waterfalls and mountains, and visit many beautiful natural attractions.
Hawaii is just one of those places that we all have on our bucketlists. The gorgeous year-round weather, breathtaking locations and ocean views have made Hawaii a Hollywood favorite. Most of us are familiar with the scenic spots because of movies like Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates and scores of other movies filmed there. But it wasn’t until I watched the animated short film by Pixar Lava that I became really interested in the islands of Hawaii.
Photo by Continue reading “Adventure Bucketlist: Big Island, Hawaii”
Desolate. The empty highway seems to stretch on for miles. Except for the occasional habal-habal or van going in the opposite direction, most of the main road in Northern Samar just feels so empty. There are hardly any establishments or houses on either side of the road. Just mountains on the horizon, coconut trees and fields.
While driving from Lavezares to Laoang Island, the only fairly large town I pass that has an actual mall and big gas stations is Catarman. After that, I only encounter small villages with their poblacions made up of a few streets punctuated by a handful of sari-sari stores selling gas in litro bottles. Then it’s back to deserted roads after driving for five minutes.
Continue reading “Endless Samar Part 2: Laoang Island & Mapanas”Samar (formerly named Western Samar), is one of the three provinces of Samar Island in Eastern Visayas in the Philippines. Home to a network of amazing caves hidden beneath the region’s lush jungles, including the biggest cave system in the country, Samar is a rugged destination where adventure seekers can experience something out of the ordinary. Though most of Samar Island remains off-the-radar for local tourists, many international spelunkers have been drawn here since it’s been dubbed the “Caving Capital of the Philippines.”
Being by the beach sure works up an appetite. There’s really something about the fresh sea breeze, the laid-back vibe, and all those energy-sapping water activities that get you craving for comfort food like burgers and pizza, fresh and grilled seafood, hearty servings of Filipino favorites, and extra rice. If you’re going on a trip to La Union anytime soon, here are a few restaurants (mostly in the surfing capital of San Juan) where you can have your fill of great food.
The more I travel, the more my bucket list grows. I tick off one place only to add two more. There’s just so much to see in the world, and so little time. But before I explore outside the country, I want to see as much of the Philippines as possible.
Continue reading “If I could fly for free, where would it be?”
Mention Pagadian and one thing comes to mind: the iconic inclined tricycle. Tricycles, three-wheeled public form of transportation, can be found all around the Philippines, but the ones here are pretty unique. Designed to adapt to the city’s hilly terrain, Pagadian’s tricycle is inclined at about 25-40° angle. Sure, it’s a unique photo op, but apart from riding the tricycle, little else comes to mind when you mention Pagadian. What else can you do there?
Continue reading “Travel Guide: Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur”
Nowadays, I’m realizing that having an action camera is a must for a lot of the activities I like to do. For the past years, I’ve been hauling a heavy-ass SLR during mountain biking, motorcycling and island-hopping trips. Ninety percent of the time, I end up just using my Smartphone, because it’s just such a hassle to take out the big camera from a bag when both your hands are occupied driving or if you’re in a water-based environment. I was really hoping to experiment more with video features for the blog this year. As luck would have it, Supremo Philippines sent me their latest action camera to test out.
Laiya in San Juan, Batangas is one of the most popular weekend beach destinations near the metro. It may not have the best beach and coastline compared to some other island destinations in the country, but because of its proximity to Manila and the availability of resorts, it’s one of the most visited beaches in the country for those based in the NCR region.
After days of rain and gloomy weather that hampered our activities in the mainland, the sky finally cleared on the last day of our trip. Just in time too, since our destination for the day was the beautiful island of Palaui, just off the coast of Sta. Ana in Cagayan.
The first time I set foot in Palaui was back in 2011. I remember the roller-coaster like waves that propelled our boats towards the island where the ruins of an abandoned lighthouse sat atop a hill. There were a few rumors from locals that the hit reality show Survivor was going to be filmed there. Fast forward six years later, when I found myself one again with the tempestuous waves heading towards the island.
Continue reading “Travel Guide: Palaui Island, Cagayan”
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