MARCOS ANCESTRAL HOUSE, ILOCOS NORTE: 2020 TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, HISTORY AND HOW TO GET HERE

First thing that captured my eyes when I entered the house was: on the right side of the ground floor, there's the old wooden stair case, covered with red carpet. On the left side, the presidential table, with three arm chairs.  Then, the management provided mono-block chairs in front of the wide screen showing the history of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.  Then, the whole second floor is divided into different panels, please see the photos below.

PABUA'S COTTAGES, CAMIGUIN: A PLACE TO STAY

We stayed at Pabua’s Cottages for 1,500 pesos overnight. The room is wide, with own clean rest and shower room, TV with cable, terrace, and three queen size beds. Since we were in a tight budget, we went to the market and bought our supply. Cooked, served with happiness and then rested. You can contact them at 09064152557 or 09173210449.

MANARAGAT FESTIVAL, CATBALOGAN, SAMAR: TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, AND HISTORY

Catbalogan City celebrated last year its 400 years of establishment as the capital of the whole island of Samar, from a small fishing village before in 1616 and promising city now in Eastern Visayas. The Manaragat Festival of Catabalogan City is celebrated every year for the whole month of August to pay homage to its Patron Saint – Senyor Bartolome whose feast day falls on the 24th of August. Most of all, this festival is an ongoing call for people to remain resilient despite the odds and to keep moving forward. Info from Aliwan Fiesta Website

BALAY NEGRENSE, SILAY CITY: 2020 TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, HISTORY, AND HOW TO GET HERE

Balay Negrense is the top tourist spots and destinations in Silay City:

Balay Negrense is just one of the century old houses along Cinco de Noviembre Street, Silay City. This street is remarkable because of the historical value that transpires to the people. Balay Negrense is a Hiligaynon phrase which means: Negrense refers to the people living in the province of Negros and Balay or a House.

KAWA HOT BATH AT LA ESCAPO, TIBIAO, ANTIQUE: 2020 TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, BUDGET, WHAT TO DO, HOW TO GET HERE AND WHERE TO STAY

Kawa Hot Bath is prominent and one of the must tried in Antique. Most of the mountain resorts offering this kind of service are situated in Tuno, Municipality of Tibiao, 30 to 40 minutes travel from Culasi, Antique. Kawa Hot Bath is an old style of warm bath which uses a “Kawa” or a gigantic wok that serves as a bath tub. Instead of using a heater, woods are being used to create a fire to heat up the water and then sprinkled with ornamental and medicinal plants for a relaxing experience and for a fairer skin. La Escapo Mountain Resort is the perfect spot to experience Kawa Hot Bath because of their geographical location. Not only that, extreme water tubing can also be tried.

MANGGAHAN FESTIVAL, GUIMARAS: PHOTOS AND HISTORY

Guimaras is one of the small island province in the Philippines but with a huge a vibrant culture, breathtaking tourist attractions, and world class mangoes. Having said that, the province created Manggahan Festival every May to showcase their gift. In this presentation, Binagtong, which means anything that is wrapped by a katsa or patadyong, will be featured to show its usefulness as an accessory to export mangoes and other products by using this piece of cloth in the hands, shoulder or head. To be included in the presentation are the unique and exciting countryside experience for tourists  – from agri eco adventure parks to bike circuits, historical sites, religious events and other cultural activities. Info from Aliwan Fiesta Website

APO WHANG OD AND HER TRADITIONAL WAY OF TATTOOING

A lady named Apo Whang Od (locals pronounced it as Fang Od) is 98-years old and considered as the oldest mambabatok, from the Butbut tribe, in Buscalan, Kalinga, Philippines. She is petitioned to be considered as the country’s National Living Treasure. The tattoos on her skin are proof how powerful she was during her time.

APO WHANG OD, BUSCALAN, KALINGA: 2020 TRAVEL GUIDE AND ITINERARY

In this generation, most of the people think that a tattoo on the skin has a negative connotation. It can even affect your career, regardless of the talent and education you have. It was October, in 2014, in Philippine National Museum, when I saw a portrait of an old lady, with tribal tattoos on all over her body. In National Geographic, there were several documentaries featuring how significant the tattoos and pierces are, especially for the people in ancient times. Tattoos and pierces are proof that a tribe recognizes a person’s accomplishment, mostly on battles. There are several ways of tattooing around the world, depending on their geographical feature and culture. In the Northern part of the Philippines, in Buscalan, Kalinga, they call it as Batok. It is an ancient/tribal form of marking (tattooing) a warrior after a successful combat or ladies who brought pride to the tribe.

MT. TABAYOC, BENGUET: HIKING GUIDE AND ITINERARY

One of the most prominent mountains in Luzon is Mt. Tabayoc because it is the second highest mountain in Luzon (2842 MASL) and is one of the most preserved virgin forest in the Philippines, with a rich bio-diversity of flora and fauna. Your hiking experience will definitely be rewarded with a breathtaking beauty of sea of clouds, artistic view of the surrounding terraces, a cool weather, a relaxing green ambiance, and a life changing tranquility by the lake. Also, there are a lot of mouth watering at lost cost and fresh harvest vegetables in the area.

HIKING GUIDE: MT. TENGLAWAN, BENGUET

Among the Bakun Trio mountains, Mt. Tenglawan is the most difficult to hike because of its long terrain and assault, although its trail class and technicalities can be placed to moderate level. Tenglawan has an amazing shape, from afar (photo above). Based on how it looks and shape, this giant can be compared to Mt. Guiting-guiting in Romblon. Photos below were taken while on trail:

ILAGAN JAPANESE TUNNEL: TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, HISTORY, AND HOW TO GET HERE

Ilagan Japanese Tunnel is a war tunnel that was used for defense, as a prison, garrison and a headquarter by the Japanese government and military officials. It's a man-made tunnel created by the locals through force labor. This tunnel is one of the tourist destinations situated in Ilagan City, Isabela. Aside from Ilagan Japanese Tunnel, the Giant Butaka is an attraction that welcomes everyone who passes by the highway.

LUSSOK CAVE, APAYAO: TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY AND HOW TO GET HERE

Lussok Cave is one of the prides of Apayao and the Cordillera region. This cave is composed of four chambers, with artistic limestone formations. Not only that, Lussok offers a remarkable caving experience because of the spectacular sceneries that can only be seen on the small caverns. Also, did you know that the countless bats residing inside Lussok produces the most expenssive fertilizer called "guano?" With our Lussok cave experience, I learned that motto: "kapag ang pumatak sayo malamig, that's Holy water, but if it's warm, that's holy sh_t."

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE: TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, HISTORY, AND HOW TO GET HERE

Philippine National Museum, Museum of the Filipino People Building

I have been dreaming to visit the Philippine National Museum since high school but in 2015 that dream came into reality as the Philippine National Museum offered a free admission for the whole month of October. I spent the whole day inside the museum, from Marikina City Shoe Museum to the National Museum, in Manila. Below are 20 photos captured at the Museum of the Filipino People building.

SAN SEBASTIAN CHURCH, MANILA: TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, HISTORY, AND HOW TO GET HERE

After meeting up at TIP Manila for my cap distributed by Street Style Originals, my plan was to visit Paco Cemetery but due to unfriendly weather condition, I opted to visit San Sebastian Church, just few meters away. For the second time, when I entered the church, I was still fascinated by its uniqueness; from the walls, columns, floor, glass chandeliers, cabinets and others look really stunning.

AMANDARAGA FALLS, EASTERN SAMAR: TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, BUDGET, WHAT TO DO, AND HOW TO GET

Amandaraga Falls is the top tourist destinations in Lawaan, Eastern Samar. This majestic waterfall has an artistic rock formation on the side, the cool and pressure of the falling crystal clear water is the perfect for body massage. Not only that, the sound of the rushing waters preserves the tranquility with the help of the relaxing green surroundings - it is just breathtaking!

BALAW-BALAW RESTAURANT, ANGONO RIZAL: MENU, TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, AND HOW TO GET HERE

I am not into cooking, but I love eating! One thing that I would like to share was an amazing encounter with exotic foods at Balaw-Balaw Restaurant in Angono, Rizal. So, after enjoying the famous Higantes Festival, while our clothes are wet, we proceeded to Balaw-balaw, it is actually one of the prominent restaurants outside Manila. I consider it as one of the must visit, best place to dine, and best restaurant serving exotic foods.

HIGANTES FESTIVAL, ANGONO, RIZAL: 2020 TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, HISTORY, BUDGET, WHAT TO DO, AND HOW TO GET HERE

Higantes Festival is an annual festivities held every November 23 in Angono, Rizal; its main purpose is to honor San Clemente, patron saint of the fishermen. His image is carried by male devotees during the procession, followed by the street dancers and participants. Higantes (Giants in English) is made up of paper mosaic handcrafted by the artistic minds of the people of Angono.

ANIMASOLA ISLAND, MASBATE: 2020 TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, BUDGET, WHAT TO DO, AND HOW TO GET HERE

Animasola Island is one of the sun-drenched islets of Burias Group of Islands in San Pascual, Masbate. We traveled 3 hours via motorized banca from Alibijaban Island, San Andres, Quezon just to witness the magnificence of nature curved on the gigantic rock, perched into the water.  Just the journey itself while crossing the sea, with the huge waves, was remarkable. Our motorized banca was like hopping on and off the huge waves. From afar, Animasola looks ordinary, same as with the islets we've visited, however, as we were getting nearer, the view was just astounding because of its unique formation.

GIANT LANTERN FESTIVAL: 2020 TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, HISTORY, BUDGET, WHAT TO DO, AND HOW TO GET HERE

The Giant Lantern Festival is an annual festivities held in December in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines. The festival features a competition of giant lanterns. Because of the popularity of the festival, the city has been nicknamed the "Christmas Capital of the Philippines".

MANIWAYA ISLAND, MARINDUQUE: 2020 TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, BUDGET, WHAT TO DO, HOW TO GET HERE AND WHERE TO STAY

Let's accept the reality that when Boracay island was closed, the other comparable beaches were recognized - Maniwaya Island in Marinduque is one of those. The province of Marinduque is considered the heart of the Philippine archipelago and the neighbour of my hometown - Romblon. Gorgeous images of this island spread on social media which captured my interest. There's fine white sand beaches, amazing landscape, crystal clear water, a vast diversity of underwater creatures and many more; photos below will explain more.

2020 Best Travel Destinations in the Philippines

Traveling to the best tourist attractions and destinations in the Philippines for the past twelve months is definitely rewarding. I was able to meet a lot of people from different provinces with different cultures and beliefs. The unique and explainable excitement that I feel every time I create my travel guide and itinerary always result to an exquisite experience. Thank you for all your support!!!!!

List of tourist attractions and destinations in the Philippines: 

RIZAL: 2020 TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, HISTORY, BUDGET, WHAT TO DO, HOW TO GET HERE AND WHERE TO STAY

I have been planning to visit the historical and century old churches in Pasig and the province of Rizal and the plan became a reality; today is the perfect day and the perfect season. It is my Visita Iglesia 2018 in a backpacking style. My itinerary started from the oldest church in Pasig, then the oldest Marian church in Cainta, St. John the Baptist in Taytay, and stunning Tanay Church with Baroque architecture. And to close our good Friday adventure, we visited the gigantic Pililla Wind Farm, also in Rizal.

BUNGA FALLS, LAGUNA: 2020 TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, BUDGET, WHAT TO DO, AND HOW TO GET HERE

During our Mt. Kalisungan and Mt. Mabilog hikes, Bunga Twin Falls was our side trip and post climb destination. The ambiance in the area is cool and relaxing because it is surrounded by trees, coconuts and other plans. Its name, Bunga Falls, was derived from the "bunga" plant or "beetle nut" in English; that was many years ago when the area was still abundant with this plant. Today, this twin falls is definitely one of the summer destinations in Laguna.

ROMBLON: 2020 Travel Guide, Itinerary, List of tourist destinations, How to get here and Where to Stay

Romblon  is my home town and I am very proud that I was raised in this small archipelago. My early years was surrounded by rice field, trees, and marbles, I thought the province of Romblon is composed of such but I was wrong. When I started traveling that's the time that I discovered that my home town has a lot to offer. From the untouched beaches, unexplored caves, mountains, underwater richness and may others. This article will show you how beautiful Romblon is. Allow me to introduce to you the gorgeous tourist destinations in Romblon.