Stories of Places, People and Photography in the Philippines and Beyond
I always thought that the small island country of Singapore has developed into a full-blown modern city in all corners. But beyond its neatly paved road and architectural playground, I was still able to find some spots where people can enjoy the beauty of nature. While I was looking into the Heritage Parks of the ASEAN member countries, I discovered that Singapore has one nature park listed named Sungei Buloh. So when I was there I made sure to visit the place.
National Artist Benedicto Cabrera, popularly known as BenCab made another milestone landmark when he built a Museum in his beloved town of Baguio. The BenCab Museum recently opened early this year and I had the chance to see the place. Never did I expect that a museum along Asin road in Baguio could be one of the best museums in the country I’ve been. It’s simply an art and nature fusion haven.
Among the South East Asian countries, Singapore seems to be one of the countries Filipinos frequent most. Probably because it’s a Pinoy friendly place since a lot of Filipinos live and work there. Another thing is its accessibility from the Philippines. It’s just at least 3 hours direct flight from Manila. I’ve only been to Singapore several times but it’s always a pleasure to breeze through the borders when entering the country. For first timers to Singapore, here’s what you can expect once you landed at Changi Airport.
So how is everything in Manila Ocean Park after more than 1 year and a half since it opened? I remember being proud that we finally have a world class oceanarium here in Manila. I got a chance to visit the Park again just to be updated on the development of the place. Well, as I have seen so far, things have been going rather slow.
I guess I should blame it on my investigative curiosity. At the first day of exploring the haunted places at the City of Pines I was wondering what a typical local have to say about this. From my travels, I know, most of the time, people have stories to tell. And when it comes to ghost stories, I know, they have a lot more to share whether it be their own, or someone else. My instinct didn’t let me down when I asked our driver if he has any interesting ghost stories he experienced. And he does have a spine chilling tale from Loakan Road.
We arrived early morning when the fog still lingers the slopes of Dominican Hill. On a clear day, they said you could see a whole lot of Baguio from this hill. In the afternoon, one could catch the sun as it descends at this mountain city. But the moment we got there, everything was covered by a thick wall of mist and only the crumbling structure of the Diplomat Hotel stands amidst, one of the famous haunted places in Baguio.
It’s already past Halloween but November’s still here so I think stories on the paranormal are still welcome at this time. And what better a setting than the often mist-cloaked landscapes and cool climate of Baguio. My recent visit to the famed summer capital led me to explore the City of Pines‘ famous haunts. In the next few post I’ll regale you with stories of places and the things hidden behind the mist.
