A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
Compared to many other cities around the world, Metro Manila is not a bike-friendly destination. The city itself, with the urban sprawl, horrible traffic, and lack of safe and secure bicycle lanes, makes it pretty scary to explore on two wheels. Sure, you can find many areas for urban biking in the city but chances are, these spots are difficult to get to or you’ll be exposed to the polluted city most of the time.
My photo biking in Intramuros in Manila is featured in National Geographic Magazine!
Sometime in early 2023, one of the magazine’s photo editors reached out when they were looking for an image to represent new bike lanes being built around Intramuros in Manila. They found this photo with me and a Bambike from an article I published on this travel blog in March 2019 and asked if they could publish it.
We’ve all got to start from Zero.
Sometimes, a visit to one landmark can spur you to get out of the house and give you a reason to travel somewhere. If you follow this blog, you know that I like to collect random things or visit specific reference points during road trips. One new travel quest I want to do in the future is to loop some of the many islands in the Philippines by motorcycle (the larger ones) or by bike (the smaller ones). And the best place to start in each island would be the Kilometer Zero markers on the road.
“I wish I had a beach house,” I thought to myself as I lounged in the air-conditioned comfort of a private beachfront cabin in Calatagan, Batangas. Who wouldn’t want to watch the sunset every night and wake up to the view of the beach every morning. There’s a laid-back lifestyle that comes along with living at the beach even if you have to work remotely from there. There’s no rush to go anywhere. You can easily go for a swim in the morning or evening after work hours, and people seem more friendly without being burdened by the stress of traffic and city living.
Last Sunday (January 21, 2024), we joined a group ride to Binondo with cycling advocacy group Firefly Brigade and went around Escolta afterwards to check out the newly opened Pasig River Esplanade. This area behind the Central Manila Post Office right next to Jones Bridge is set to be the newest tourist attraction along the river.
As the world’s oldest Chinatown (established in 1594), Binondo in Manila is a well-known cultural and foodie haven. Here, you can find lots of authentic hole-in-the-wall establishments serving everything from flashy Cantonese-themed lauriat meals to homey Hokkien-style Tsinoy cooking. However, there are over 100+ restaurants in the area, so it can be quite overwhelming to decide where to eat.
Baguio City never gets old. The view of pine trees, mountains, and cold weather is always a great experience for those coming from the lowland areas. You can feel the Christmas spirit here all-year around, which makes it a great place to visit with friends and family. With a super long weekend coming up at the end of the month and the upcoming holiday season, Baguio is an easy destination for travelers coming from Manila.
For families traveling with kids, seniors, and pets looking for a place to stay in Baguio, The Forest Lodge at Camp John Hay is one of the top hotels to consider. This chill 5-story mountain resort with 178 rooms caters mostly to families, couples, group travelers, and leisure tourists.
Continue reading “The Forest Lodge at Camp John Hay: Family-friendly mountain resort in Baguio City”Want to try biking in La Union on your next beach vacation? Most tourists go to Elyu to enjoy the beach and the waves. But if you’re looking for new things to do in La Union aside from learning to surf, food-tripping, going grape picking, or sightseeing, biking might be a good activity. Biking can let you discover a different side of La Union.
While biking around Taipei, I couldn’t help but marvel at how amazing and safe the whole cycling infrastructure was. Right in the middle of the busy city, we could pedal for miles and miles along riversides flanked by lush greens and mangroves and scenic natural views.
The bike lanes weaved seamlessly through urban parks and gardens protected from the main highways where motorized vehicles pass and were set apart from motorcycle lanes with proper cement barriers, trees, or are placed on elevated cycle lanes and bridges over busy highways. Along the routes we took, there were numerous rest stops with water stations, public bike repair facilities, vending machines, clean restrooms, and bike parking areas.
Continue reading “Travel Guide: Biking in Taipei, Taiwan”If you’ve ever been to Japan, you know that biking is a way of life there. While in the Philippines, biking for leisure and urban mobility has only caught on recently because of the pandemic, for the longest time, people in Japan of all ages, occupations, and classes can manage to bike around safely even in busy cities thanks to the country’s advanced infrastructure and the discipline of road users. On a recent trip to Osaka, my family and I all had a free day in between sightseeing tours to do whatever we wanted. So we combined the usual sightseeing and food trips with biking.
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