Sumptuous Lunch at Balaw-Balaw Restaurant

It is one of the must-visit or best restaurants to dine at if you are looking for exotic foods. I am not into cooking, but I love eating, so I would like to share our amazing encounter with exotic foods at Balaw Balaw Restaurant in Angono, Rizal. This happened after enjoying the famous Higantes Festival; while our clothes were wet, we headed to this special restaurant.

The stunning and colorful Higantes Festival

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 has a spectacular rock formation

Animasola Island is one of the sun-drenched islets of the Burias Group of Islands in San Pascual, Masbate. We travelled 3 hours via motorized banca from Alibijaban Island to witness its grandeur. It's true, it's a gigantic rock perched in the water that looks beautiful because of its unique formation, curved by nature. 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, this islet looks ordinary, the same as with the islets we've visited; however, as we were getting nearer, the view was just astounding because of its unique formation.

Night full of colors at the Giant Lantern Festival

This is an annual festival 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". The first Giant Lantern Festival was held to honor President Manuel L. Quezon. At that time, Quezon made Arayat his rest area and converted Mount Arayat into a tourist resort. As a show of gratitude to Quezon, the people of San Fernando held a Christmas lantern contest to honor the first family. Quezon himself donated the prize for his lantern contest, which was personally awarded to the winner by First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon -WikiPedia.org

Maniwaya Island is Marinduque's Finest Beach

This is a paradise with fine white sand beaches, amazing landscapes, crystal clear water, a vast diversity of underwater creatures, and much more. 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 is considered the heart of the Philippine archipelago and the neighbor of my hometown - Romblon. Gorgeous images of this island spread on social media, which captured my interest. 

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 results in an exquisite experience. Thank you for all your support!

Rizal Visita Iglesia (Itinerary + Guide)

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 after 11 months. Today is the perfect day and the perfect season because it is my Visita Iglesia in a backpacking style. My itinerary started with the oldest church in Pasig, followed by the Marian Church of Cainta, then, St. John the Baptist in Taytay, and the stunning Tanay Church. And to close my good Friday adventure, together with my friends, we visited the gigantic Pililla Wind Farm.

Laguna's stunning Bunga Falls

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 plants. Its name 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.

Featuring Romblon (Tourist Spots, Hotels, Guide)

1. Cresta de Gallo

Let's start with Cresta de Gallo in Sibuyan, the top tourist attraction in the province and considered one of the best sandbars in the Philippines. It is amazingly stunning because of the long-curvy stretch of the fine white sand and cool crystal clear waters. The area is surrounded by coconuts and trees that create beautiful shadows on the landscape. Photo from: Jay Magracia

A relaxing overnight stay at Manuel Uy Beach Resort

Stunning beaches and resorts near Manila can be found in the province of Batangas in Southern Luzon; Manuel Uy Beach Resort is one of the must-visit places in Calatagan, a 3-4 hour road trip from Manila. Travel time might be tiring, but our journey to our destination was unforgettable. Our journey started after our respective shifts on a Friday. It was a bit challenging because all of us woke up early for work and passing on the roads of Tagaytay added a sleepy feeling due to its cool weather. There was a moment of silence, although most of the time, we killed that "sleepy ambiance" by talking about other people's lives. If who those people are? hhmm. No comment. Aside from that, our musicality was also measured by the Whitney Houston and Celine Dion's songs played while the car window's open.