A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. Located at the Northern end of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Canberra was founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation. Despite being the largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall in the country, Canberra has a laid-back and relaxing “small-town vibe.” The country’s capital offers an amazing mix of history, art, food, and the outdoors.
This time last year, I tagged along with my parents on their Australia trip. October marks the birthday month for several members of our family, and I’ve always preferred to travel to celebrate instead of hosting parties or gatherings. This year, we’re all celebrating apart because of the ongoing pandemic, and I thought it would be a good time to reminisce about happier times together. The future of international travel is just still so uncertain right now and will never be the same again, so I’m extremely grateful that I got to enjoy this trip with my parents.
More Filipinos, including women, are driving personal motorcycles these days. In the past, I’ve always found it hard to find stylish and safe motorcycle gear like helmets that fit properly. Thankfully, more brands are coming into the country and giving riders different options to match their riding style and personality. If you’re a motorcycle rider, OBR, or a commuter who regularly uses motorcycle taxis looking for a lid that combines style and safety for city riding, then feast your eyes on the retro-inspired Eldorado helmets by SMK Helmets.
Despite being a highly urbanized city, Marikina still manages to retain a sense of history, nature, and culture. The “Shoe Capital of the Philippines” is a bike-friendly city that possesses a quiet, small-town charm. Heritage buildings are preserved, the streets are clean and well-maintained, there are actual designated bike lanes, a number of public recreational spots, and green spaces, and lots of charming homegrown garden restaurants, unique shops, and hidden gems here.
Whenever I bike around Marikina, I feel like I’m biking around a small town in the province. While the rest of Metro Manila feels grimy, congested, and overly developed, you still get the feel of the simple provincial life in some spots here. Marikina feels like a modern-day pueblo where family-run businesses are still the norm and cultural heritage is still present. Here’s a look at some of the fun and unique things you can do in Marikina.
Continue reading “10 Fun & Unique Things to do in Marikina”Craft beer is one of the few things that has kept me sane during this pandemic. While my friends have been filling their homes with indoor plants and collecting every possible BTS merchandise out there, I’ve been quietly drinking beer at home. Dining out and social drinking has not been allowed in the Philippines the months following the lockdown, but thankfully many local brewers have been able to adapt and started offering their beers for home delivery.
If you are a solo traveler planning a safari tour, you are signing up for an adventure of a lifetime. The best part of traveling solo is that you get to enjoy everything the way you like. You don’t have to change your plans because your friends or family members don’t feel like doing the same thing. You have the freedom to do whatever you like and whenever you want.
We were initially planning to go on the North Loop last March, traversing the provinces of the Northern Luzon by motorcycle. Of course, COVID happened, so that trip didn’t push through and we’ve been living under the lockdown the past few months.
One of the things I look forward to the most during long road trips is the unique food offerings every destination has to offer. But while we can’t go on long road trips right now, thankfully, we can still get a taste of the regions through food. For many of us, ordering food has become the new travel in this age of the pandemic. We try to make our weekend meals more special and try something different to have something new to look forward to.
What is it with nostalgia these days?
I’ve been missing everything about daily life pre-COVID, especially eating out. Who else misses the simple act of dining in at a restaurant and just chilling out with friends over beers at a bar? Part of what makes dining out special is the ambiance of the restaurant, the service, and the company and laughter as you enjoy your meals together with friends and family.
Anyway, this got me thinking of the oldest restaurants and food establishments in the vicinity that I can patronize for delivery/takeout and hopefully revisit when they’re allowed to reopen. It gives me hope to see establishments that remain resilient and have managed to endure through various crises including World War II, fires, typhoons, economic recessions, and currently this global pandemic where the Philippines is facing the world’s longest lockdown.
Continue reading “Oldest & Most Nostalgic Restaurants in Quezon City”The Philippines has its fair share of urban legends. A lot of Filipinos are superstitious or use horror stories to scare children into good behavior. We’ve all heard ghost stories or supernatural tales usually depicted as having happened to a friend of a neighbor or a distant family member and passed along by word of mouth, newspapers, and social media. Some urban legends have achieved cult classic status and become the subject of horror films and Halloween-related segments featuring haunted places in Manila.
Like you, I miss the freedom of the open road. I miss that feeling of discovery, of stepping foot somewhere new for the first time and knowing that there’s a beautiful world just waiting out there to be explored. As much as I used to complain about travel burnout in the past, there are simple things I miss about pre-COVID travels. Like riding somewhere without the fear of being stopped at a checkpoint; those sudden and unexpected trip assignments to cover events in another province; or just random city adventures and drinks at a bar afterwards with friends.
I know there are so many bigger problems out there. So many people have been left jobless and businesses everywhere are suffering because of restricted movements brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The uncertainty of this virus and the possibility of getting sick and dying is very real. Everyone has switched to survival mode and leisure travel should be the furthest thing from everyone’s mind.
Continue reading “How I’m Coping with a Life of No Travel”
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