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Showing posts from July, 2014

How to swim in the city

Just a bit of fun to be had in the city.. Post by Mix 98.3 .

Filipino style foods

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Food, glorious food and I can attest to the fact that food and me have a great relationship. Also as a person that has travelled to a lot of countries and experienced a broad range of  ethic styles, it has taken me some time to come to grips with the limited range of foods that you can get here in the Philippines.. Ooops did I just say that, well I stand to be corrected as once you dig deeper in to the different plates that are available you will experience a whole range of different tastes and styles. It goes without saying that the Filipinos have a sweet tooth, you only have to look at the type of tomato spaghetti sauces in the supermarkets plus the range of ready made cheese squeezes you can buy, and lets not talk about Jollibee servings. For myself, its about the spices, sweet and sour tastes that you can get in your foods, and as I have spent most of my time with a base in San Fernando La Union Luzon, we have been blessed with wonderful local fresh food markets wi

Igang Marine Station - Guimaras island

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The age-old Chinese proverb “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”.  --  But I can't help but feel that there is something wrong with this proverb. As human populations continue to boom at a rate of over 100 million people per year, the need for increased food productions stands a foremost concern for sustaining our future’s growing appetite. I have already been to islands that suffer from the lack of fishing stocks, and to stand on the shores and look out at the vast ocean and see the boats come home empty is a shocking experience. It is that the local islands people that will go without this part of their staple diet, as it seems to lead to an ever increasing reliance on the pig as the gap fill which then leads to increasing heart disease within the island communities. But I digress as we want to learn more on our trip to the Igang Marine Station (IMS) of SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) and what they are

BBC Documentary: Philippines – Beautiful People, Beautiful Country

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The Philippines is a lot of things, but one thing is consistently true: Filipinos are inherently happy people and genuinely compassionate towards others! and believe me after living in China for five years, its been so refreshing to jump a plane and head here for my vacations and time outs. So when it was time to leave the working life of China the Philippines was the natural place for me to come and unwind and soak up the smiles British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) proves this even more in a documentary released a month ago explaining the “Filipino factor” and what this beloved country of ours has to offer despite the “third-world country” tag. “The Filipinos are incredibly generous people, always welcoming, always entertaining and happy to give up their time to the outsiders,” the documentary concludes. Forget politics for a moment and give this BBC documentary a watch.

Dive Southern Leyte - Whale sharks

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While I have been doing my research on other places to visit around the Philippines, I keep bumping into websites and blogs of others that inspire me to travel more around these islands. So this is a "Must do one day" type of post for me, So I hope you like it and maybe one day be inspired to visit too. I suppose its going to be like a bucket list, but hey thats what life is about, making bucket lists and ticking of as many as you can before you hit the ground and meet your maker. Note that I like to add the Tripadvisor links as I have found it to be a good way to weed out the places that are not so right to stay. Other travellers opinions count when it comes to accommodation and time spent and as we spend a lot of our hard earned cash to go to these places so we want it to be right. Whale sharks & other news from Sogod Bay, Southern Leyte, Philippines Sogod Bay in Southern Leyte offers probably the finest shore based diving and snorkeling in the Philippines with w

Halo Halo - The sweet things in life

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One of my all time favorites,when fighting off the sweltering heat. When I pick up this chilling treat that will quench my thirst and satisfy my sweet tooth I can see why I have gained a few pounds in these months I have been here. The Filipino community is especially lucky to have and share a drink that doubles as a cold dessert: halo-halo is a Filipino dessert-drink that is part slushie and part sundae. Literally translated from Tagalog, halo-halo means “mix-mix”, and it is the perfect name for this distinctly delicious concoction. The basic foundation of halo-halo is shaved ice that is bathed with either evaporated milk or condensed milk. What differentiates this pairing from a snow cone is the inclusion of fruits (such as jackfruit, plantain, and coconut palm), beans (garbanzo, kidney, and red), and tapioca underneath the ice, as well as the leche flan (Filipino custard), pinipig (young crushed rice), and ube (purple yam) ice cream that is used to top the dessert. The ingr

Flotsam and Jetsam Hostel - San Juan

Going to give these guys a plug on the blog too, as its always cool to have a great place to hang at  the beach. We have had a few good nights here, all good.. Food, Music and Drinks.. what more could you want on a hot Philippines beach night. Flotsam and Jetsam hostel website https://www.facebook.com/flotsamandjetsamhostel Post by Flotsam and Jetsam Hostel . Flotsam Fun at La Union from Justine Galvez on Vimeo .

Biri Island Rock Formation

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BIRI, Northern Samar  From afar, the rocks resemble walls protecting this island-municipality from the ferocious waves of the Pacific Ocean and the San Bernardino Strait. But up close, the unique Biri Island Rock Formation, composed of seven gigantic limestone rocks, reveals itself as an amazing natural wonder with perfectly carved forms that remind one of a towering tiger and honeycombs, among other shapes. The rock formation has been described as a result of the “battle of the gods” since whipping winds, the movement from tectonic plates, fierce storms, the heat wave and huge waves crashing against the rocks created its magnificent beauty. Adding to its natural attraction are the surrounding white-sand beach, a lush mangrove forest with dwarf mangroves and crystal-clear waters through which one can see live corals and a healthy sea-grass bed. No. 5 Philippine gem The Biri Island Rock Formation ranked fifth last year in the online Search for the Top 10 Philippine Gems by I

Biri island and Cagnipa Isle Northern Samar

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The good thing about traveling is meeting all the wonderful people along the way and sharing their dream places too. Over Christmas this year 2013, I was lucky to meet Bill and Maryann, a couple of local Biri expat crew that spend time back and forwards from Australia to their 2nd home in the islands and got to spend a day at their private little get away. They do have for it rental so if you have a group and just want to get away from it all, this could be a place to do it, also as a bonus, you can make your own music with a ready made band setup just ready to go. Also as a note is the snorkeling off the pier, the reefs are coming back due to the area becoming national reserves, so there is plenty of lively colourful fish to see when you want to do an afternoon in the water. https://www.facebook.com/cagnipa/photos

Mount Pinatubo Hiking

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Well its been sometime since I had experienced such a long 6-hr trek (2-way) going to this volcano peak. I must say that one must be physically prepared before going here because aside from the bumpy 4x4 ride going to the foot of the volcano trail, you will experience rocky trek all the way to the volcanic crater. It is not advisable to bring heavy bag and pack light things that includes water, food and light clothing. Please wear comfortable trekking sandals because your branded sneakers will not last a day because of the rocky trail and ankle-deep waters that you will pass through. And make sure to do some stretching if you don't want to end up having a week of muscle ache. Once you see the volcanic crater it was all worth it. Going down to the foot of the volcano will be a breeze because you get to familiarize the way already but better stick closely to your group just to avoid getting lost. Best time to go here is summer months.

Vimeo Philippine videos

Some pretty cool videos from Justine Galvez "The red backpacker" Check her blog out, Love the energy she shows to her trips. www.theredbackpacker.com

Biri Island - Samar

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Clear waters and peaceful..  A great escape.. Check out Villa Amor on Facebook.. It's one of the best places to stay with everything you need. Will be back with pictures and information over next few days as I love the the place. Post by BIRI Islands VILLA AMOR . Biri Islands resort Villa Amor tripadvisor on Biri Islands