Places to Visit in Mindoro

Mindoro Island is divided into two provinces, Oriental and Occidental. Its main products are mostly agricultural but they also have beautiful and stunning tourist destinations that they can be proud of. From the historical sites to the beautiful white beaches, underwater richness, rain-forest from the mountains, and the people. I have tried solo-backpacking to Mindoro several times and I can say that the people here are one of the hospitable and friendly in the country.

Places to Visit in Rizal

If you want to distress and just want to enjoy the beauty of nature, then you visit Rizal which is a neighbor province of Metro Manila. This province has a lot to offer, from history, nature, extreme sports, foods, places to stay and many more. Transportation is not a problem at all because it is accessible from Cubao, Robinsons Galleria and SM Megamall. Below are few of the must visit in the province.

Places to Visit in Quezon Province

Quezon is one of the provinces near Manila with a lot of tourist destinations to offer, either mountains, water and historical landmarks. It is very accessible because transportation is much easier and travel period is 2 to 3 hours. It is still part of southern Luzon region.

Places to Visit in Laguna

Laguna is one of the tourist destinations in southern Luzon because it is just a two hour travel from Manila. This province has the great combination of historical sites and nature that attract tourist from the Metro and other nearby provinces. First, Bunga falls located in Nagarlan, Laguna. According to the residents, there were plenty of bettle nut (bunga in local dialect) in the area,  so they derived  the name of this water falls from this vine. You can read our itinerary, Click Here >>>

Places to Visit in Cavite

Cavite is one of the most accessible provinces in southern Luzon, two to three hours travel from Metro Manila. It contributed a lot to Philippine history and few of the standing witnesses are those historical sites in Kawit and other parts of the province. Aside from those historical sites, if you’re into nature, don’t worry Cavite also has few. Here are some of the tourist attractions and destinations in Cavite.

Memories with my Olympus Tough

My Olympus Tough digital camera is now five years. With this span of years I was able to capture beautiful, stunning, and vibrant memories because of its lens. Regardless of scenes, either mountains, historical sites, beaches, underwater, nature, and many others, Olympus Tough is really strong in bringing a great outcome. Photos below are just some of the dramatic images taken outdoors using my Olympus Tough TG-320.

Reasons Why You Should Visit Mindanao

 Our original plan is to hike Mt. Dulang-dulang and Mt. Kitanglad, but because of the question: “gusto nyo ba?” it was changed to backpacking in Northern Mindanao. It happened for a very very short time. So from Malaybalay, Bukidnon, we rode on a bus with Cagayan signboard and alighted at Agora Terminal. At the terminal, we rode in a bus with Butuan signboard and alighted at Butuan Terminal. Then, another bus ride to Mangahoy, Bislig, Surigao del Sur. Here are some of the Mindanao’s finest, from days 1 to 5.

Relics Inside Butuan National Museum

Butuan National Museum is one of the historical structures in Butuan City that houses and protects the relics discovered in the region. It also holds several objects used by the locals for their daily life, such as jars, ceramic and earthenwares, hand woven clothe, and many more. Photos below are just some of items inside the museum:

Balangay Shrine houses the Oldest Watercraft

The Filipino word Baranggay came from the word: Balangay or Balanghai which is watercraft used by the ancient people in the Philippines for transportation and for barter and trade. If I am not mistaken, it was discussed when I was in the fifth grade, in HEKASI. I am happy that today, it’s time to see the actual relics of Balangay, discovered in Butuan. Since the guard did not allow me to use my DSLR or digital camera, photos below were captured using my mobile camera:

Butuan City and the ancient Balangay

Backpacking in Butuan City is easy because all the historical sites are located just within the vicinity, accessible to both public utility vehicles like jeepney and tricycle. During our visit in Butuan, at the intersection of the Narra Road (where Jollibee, McDonalds and KFC are located), we chartered a tricycle to visit these two museums in the city. Below are two of the museums that can be found in the city:

A Multi-million Worth of Dolls at International Doll House

International Doll House was mentioned by John, our guide, and first time to hear about it, though we already saw it on TV. John encouraged us to visit this doll house by giving us details of what are displayed inside. According to him, there’s a doll with gold on the head, there’s a doll with a hair from the original Rose of Titanic, there’s a toy motorcycle with a value of 2.5 million pesos and many more. So there, we were all curios about these and here are photos:

Time to Dip in Libuacan Cold Spring

Libuacan Cold Spring is part of our Must Visit tourist destinations in Surigao del Sur. We felt sad because the famous Enchanted River was closed due to its renovations but its fine, there will always be a perfect time for us; anyways, let’s go back to Libuacan Cold Spring. Libuacan is a river system with cold and crystalline water, free flowing, and surrounded by relaxing greens. Since the area is surrounded by trees, the ambiance is really cool and relaxing; everything seemed to be fresh.

Beautiful Tinuy-an Falls in Surigao del Sur

Tinuy-an Falls is one of tourist spots, attractions, and destinations that Surigao del Sur can offer. Tinuy-an is a huge water fall with cool and crystal clear waters, and is surrounded by relaxing greens, creating the area a gorgeous landscape. The ambiance is so cool, with the fresh air blowing. Most part of the Tinuy-an falls is accessible, including the pool area. Water rafts, with a guide, can be rented.