Biyaheng Baguio: Travel- and nature-inspired creative story

I was editor-in-chief of our Filipino school publication in high school called "Ang Puting Buhangin" which literally means "the white sands". Last November, I was asked by my high school school publication adviser to write a features article to be published in this year's edition of the newspaper. Of course, I gave it a shot...

Port Barton: Palawan’s hidden gem

The last leg of our northern Palawan adventure was in a little village in San Vicente called Port Barton. It is situated just northwest of Roxas. Dubbed "a quieter, smaller, and more laid-back" version of El Nido, Port Barton boasts richer coral formations, and a wide array of sea creatures like sea turtles, stingrays, and...

La Union: Overlooked tourist spots

I was raised in San Fabian near the border of Pangasinan and La Union. San Fabian, a fishing and agricultural town northeast of Dagupan City, is home to fine sand beaches, wide rice farms, and arguably the best bagoong (fish paste) and tuyo (dried fish) in the Philippines. Growing up, I never really explored these...

Mt. Kinabalu: We made it to Low’s Peak

Twenty-four hours after we landed in Kota Kinabalu, we were already wide awake for our 2 A.M. hike to the summit. I was geared with a headlamp, bonnet, two layers of shirts and a jacket, and another two layers of pants. It was warm inside Laban Rata restaurant where we ate our super early breakfast...

Coron: A check in my bucket list

The first part of my spontaneous Northern Palawan adventure involves riding a van for six hours from Puerto Princesa to El Nido, (witnessing a fatal car accident,) meeting a solo-traveller friend in the van, spending the night in El Nido, and getting up very early in the morning to catch the lone ferry trip to...

Mt. Kinabalu: Journey to Panalaban Base Camp

I was, and still am, an inexperienced mountaineer. I haven't had any formal training in hiking or trekking but I believe it is already in my blood. (I was born in Baguio City, in the highlands of North Philippines.) I still much remember the time I summitted my first mountain three years ago in a...