Metro Manila & Nearby

Memories from our well-loved iconic Ice Cream House

The Magnolia brand of ice cream is the most popular in the Philippines, especially back in the 80's. As kids back then, our favorite place was the original Magnolia Ice Cream House, which actually sits in the main ice cream plant grounds.

As kids,...

A Lake Within A Volcano Within a Lake Within a Volcano

Where is the volcano? Which one is it? I'd often ask when referring to this view on the photo above. You'll see why later.

Taal Volcano and Lake presents one of the most picturesque and attractive views (sorry, my photo doesn't do it justice) in...

Halo Halo

Visiting the Philippines without trying our "Halo Halo" won't be complete. Everytime I have friends or relatives from abroad come visit, I would bring them out to have Halo Halo.

Halo Halo came from the Tagalog word for "mix" which is what it is....

The Rock - An Island Fortress

If San Francisco has Alcatraz, we have Corregidor :-) Corregidor Island sits by the entrance of the Manila Bay and is just about 50 kilometers away from Manila.

During the Japanese invasion in World War II, Corregidor was the headquarters of the...

Trekking the Pinatubo Crater Lake

Early this year, we went on a mini trek to Mt. Pinatubo, a volcano which erupted in 1991 and was one of the largest eruption in the 20th century. It lasted for nine hours and caused major earthquakes. As a result, the entire summit collapsed and...

Shooting the Rapids

Pagsanjan Falls is quite well known for Shooting the Rapids which is an exhilirating experience as you ride on a small wooden local canoe that brings you upstream along the narrow gorge to reach the Falls. What makes it special is that 1) the...

Gone Sailing For A Day

I've always wanted to go sailing at least once in my life, and I mean on one of the hobie cats where I can participate in and not the big party sailing yachts. I used to live in San Francisco and enjoy watching the small sailboats go out on the...

Riding the Kalesa

The Kalesa is a horse drawn cariage used in the Philippines. This was introduced to us by the Spaniards during their conquest of the Philippines in the 18th century and is known to be used by high ranking personalities. It has since then been...

Little Italian Gem in the Backroads of Cubao

If you're craving for Italian food in Manila, and love those little quaint places, you should visit this place.

It's not in your usual tourist areas, it's located in Cubao Expo in Cubao, Quezon City, about 20 km from Makati. The Cubao area is more...

Makati

Makati houses most of the big hotels like Makati Shangri-la, The Peninsula, Mandarin Hotel, New World Renaissance Hotel. It is the largest and most central business district where most major companies and banks are situated. It's a relatively safe...

Best Tiangge (Bazaar) Shopping

One of the interesting shopping experiences that my friends and family from other countries would be at the Tiangge. Tiangge means bazaar or market.

Traditionally, tiangges would consist of temporary stalls selling all sort of goods, and sometimes...

Yummiest Yellow Mangoes in the World

A trip to the Philippines will not be complete without trying our Philippine mangoes, and I'm not talking about the popular dried mangoes, but our fresh yellow mangoes. Not meaning to be biased, but I've been to a lot of countries and tried the...

Buko, Anyone?

My cousin and aunt has been staying with me for the past couple of weeks. Having lived abroad for more than 5 years already and coming back to our hometown for a short visit, they had requested to have their list of must-not-miss favorite foods...

Walled City

Intramuros plays an important part to our country's history and it is one of the popular destinations for a visitor to our hometown.

It is the oldest district and is called the Walled City. Historically, it is the seat of the Spanish government...

It's Kaimito Season Again!

Wow! Our fruit basket at home is filled with a variety of special tropical fruits which I eagerly await its harvest season every year. I'm always excited when the summer season (March to May for the Philippines) arrives, not just because it's...