Rediscovering Mindoro

Shooting the sunset at Boquete Island (SE K800i)

It’s been years since I last stepped foot in the island of Mindoro. I remember the rough roads going to Sablayan just to visit the remote islands of Pandan and Apo Reef in Occidental Mindoro. The impressive reefs and underwater life of La Laguna beach in Oriental Mindoro. I found myself on a photo assignment recently back in Mindoro and discovered that there is more to Puerto Galera than its White Beach (which I still haven’t been to).

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Manila: An afternoon in Ongpin

Aling Ajer's Afternoon Snack at Carriedo Fountain

There are characters that just stand out in the crowd. As we cut through the narrow streets of Ongpin one fair Saturday afternoon, this colorful character caught our sights as we exit through the Ongpin arch towards the fountain. It’s just hard to resist seeing this middle aged lady enwrapped on her own private world, sipping coffee, eating snacks in the middle of the bustling street of Manila. I guess it’s her seeming carefree character that drew us to converse and get to know her better.

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Transit: Guide to Manila Airports

A bustling scenery at NAIA Terminal 1

There had been a number of queries and searches here regarding the new airport. In particular the NAIA terminal 3. This posts is for the benefit of those who are quite new in air travel here in Manila and for those are looking for directions going to the airports. Believe me there are still a lot of Filipinos who have just started taking the benefit of cheap air travel lately. It would also be useful especially this coming holidays where we can expect lots of traffic in these terminals.

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Backpacking China Central to South West Chronicles Summary

China travel memorabilias

The China Central to South West Chronicles have ended and to cap it all off would be a summary and details of the trip. From now on, after completing a series I would posts a semi IT which includes the route, the number of days and budget for that trip. Hopefully helpful for those who would want to try the route as well. So after more than 2000 miles within China, 5 provinces, 4 UNESCO sites, 11 days and a budget of less than Php 30,000 which includes all airfares from Manila, transfers within China, park fees, food and accommodations, here’s the recap of the trip.

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China: Last stop in Guangzhou

The Five-ram Statue – The Symbol of Guangzhou

After getting back from Tianmenshan, we had lunch at the city and I prepared for my afternoon train to Guangzhou. Another train I thought. I survived my last train ride from Chengdu, I think I can take another one. Initially I wanted to get my own soft sleeper on this train but the tickets were all sold out the night before, so I had to take the hard seater again. I had no choice if I want to get home in time for my flight the next day. Taking a plane was way too much o what’s left of my budget. So the night before, we purchased the 178RMB train ticket to Guangzhou.

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Checking up on Sagada

Sagada's new Municipal Hall Construction

Some people may ask why I feature destinations abroad whereas the Philippines has a lot of tourists attractions that can rival other countries as well. Why not promote what’s ours? It’s true that we have a number of world-class attractions that we can be proud of. But venturing outside our own country also gives us a wider perspective and see more potential in our country beyond our myopic vision when we are stuck here. We see practices and conditions which can help both our thriving local tourism industry as well. Our visit to Sagada recently was prompted by our recent visit to Sapa, Vietnam. These two places are quite similar with the later being more sophisticated, engulfed by modernization which had us worried about the present condition of our beloved Sagada.

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China: Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park

Tianmenshan Rays at Heaven's Gate

On my last day in Zhangjiajie, we decided to visit the second National Forest Park in Zhangjiajie City, Hunan – The Tianmenshan or Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park. This National Park is a newly developed attraction in the north western Hunan Province of China, located only 8 km from the city proper of Zhangjiajie. Standing at 1518.6 meters, Tianmen Mountain is the first recorded mountain in the history of the province and has been revered as the “Soul of Zhangjiajie”. The mountain, boasting intact primitive forest, numerous rare tree species and medicinal herbs, and abundance of fauna.

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