Ironwulf.net: En Route – The Philippines, Travel, Photography Blog

I try not to travel around during the holiday seasons as the vehicular and human traffic is horrendous at this time of the year. But I decided to make an exception on the 17^th of December 2011 to witness this year’s Ligligan Parul 2011 or the Giant Lantern Festival in San Fernando, Pampanga. It’s a grand annual lights and music spectacle featuring the Filipino’s traditional Parol (Christmas Lantern) showcased in a gigantic scale. This year, 10 baranggays (villages) take turns to display their sophisticated light design display on their Giant Lanterns in-sync with their choice of music to give us audiences a feast to our senses.

It’s easy to mistake a city full of high rises and skyscrapers as drab, soulless and primarily made of concrete. However, a visitor who has gone around the fast developing Bonifacio Global City (BGC) is unlikely to make this mistake. BGC features a large number of public art pieces all over the city that helps infuse character and soul in what could have been just another premier business district.

We’re bringing back Backpack Photography Banaue 101 this year. This workshop is geared towards beginners starting out in photography or people who would like to refresh their photography know-how. As always BP is all about learning the fundamentals and practical tips in photography and applying the knowledge on the field. BP Banaue 101 will be held in March 4-5, 2011 and is limited to 15 participants only. Read further for details.

We’re rescheduling the Backpack Photography Batanes Outdoor + Travel in the festival month of June. Join us from June 24-27, 2010. Details below:

Happy New Year Everyone! Enter 2010! And to start of this year’s post, I’d like to congratulate Andrea for winning the Nat Geo Notebook, Moleskine and Mango Mag pack and an Php 8000 worth slot on the Banaue Workshop. I asked a couple of judges to help me out and Andrea’s comment stood out as she’s an avid reader and have utilized the site well on her Batanes trip. And also we’re introducing the Backpack Photography Workshops for the first half of the year. We got exciting destinations like Batanes, Banaue and Coron Palawan. Read on to find out more.

First of all, thank you very much to all who joined my Facebook Group Page and those who participated in the contest. I filtered out the list and there were 54 names I included at Random.org list. And the winner that came at the top is Jamie Tan! Congratulations! You’ll get the National Geographic Expedition Journal and a copy of Mango Magazine. I’ll contact you later regarding the details on claiming your prize. And now for some important announcements and another contest.

They are heavier than 25 adult elephants. They have a heart the size of a car. They are larger than the biggest dinosaurs. They can move at the speed of 32km/h. They are the largest and considered one of the most intelligent mammals on earth. And they have existed for 18 million years. They are the Big Blue Whales and they are endangered.