Festival

Vakul-Kanayi Festival | Sabtang Island, Batanes

• Posted by Potpot
• 57038 Views
• April 26th, 2019
• in Arts and Culture, Festivals
• No Comments

The festival phenomenon is surely sweeping the Philippines by storm. And yes, it happens even in the northernmost islands of the archipelago.  The Ivatans of Sabtang in Batanes call it Vakul-Kanayi Festival. Vakul & kanayi are traditional all-weather farm wears made of shredded voyavoy leaves or Philippine date palm....

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Festival

Patunob sa Birhen sa Lourdes | Binuangan, Misamis Oriental

• Posted by Potpot
• 8363 Views
• April 24th, 2019
• in Arts and Culture, Festivals
• No Comments

The veneration for the Our Lady of Lourdes is everywhere in the world. In fact, even in a small town like Binuangan in Misamis Oriental, townsfolk adores her divinity. And every 2nd week of February, her pilgrims break into revelry at the annual Patunob sa Birhen sa Lourdes Festival....

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Destination

Angeles City, Pampanga |Far Beyond the Neon Lights

• Posted by Potpot
• 17290 Views
• April 18th, 2019
• in Destinations, Philippines
• No Comments

If only you decide to take strides further than the neon-lit side of Angeles City, you would end up in a townscape saturated in stories of the past. These are narratives told in heritage architecture, heirloom food finds, age-old scripts as well as other exquisite art. Angeles City’s growth...

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Culinary Tourism

Mangan Taku: Celebrating Cordilleran Cuisine

• Posted by Potpot
• 9934 Views
• April 15th, 2019
• in Asian Food, Chill Spots, Food, Restaurants/Cafes
• No Comments

Mangan Taku is the best food fair I have been to among all other culinary shows that had hit the country in years. And the reason is as shiny as my kiniing-kissed lips: it is wonderfully & deliciously staged! Let’s face it, many places in the Cordilleras are famous...

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Destination

Subic Adventure Trail | Adventures That Care

• Posted by Potpot
• 5132 Views
• April 6th, 2019
• in Destinations, Philippines
• No Comments

Subic adventure isn’t only about the usual trips to the zoo or to the waterpark. It is neither only about duty-free shopping nor basking down in the beach. It is also about tribes, treks & many things about adventures that care. Subic is a huge place. This includes the...

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Festivals

Festivals in the Philippines | April Guide

• Posted by Potpot
• 9115 Views
• April 4th, 2019
• in Arts and Culture, Festivals
• No Comments

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, all the festivals in the Philippines in April are cancelled. It’s officially summer! And yeah, you know what it brings — beach vacations & more fiestas! This month, the best festivals in the Philippines are a mix of the religious, cultural & harvest kind. So...

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Harvest Festival

Dinamulag Festival | Iba, Zambales

• Posted by Potpot
• 20397 Views
• April 3rd, 2019
• in Arts and Culture, Festivals
• No Comments

The Philippines is known for many things wonderful & we aren’t shy about celebrating it. From the religious to cultural & from crafts to harvests — name it, we rejoice it! And nowhere is a humble mango given so much revelry than at Dinamulag Festival in Iba, Zambales! Well,...

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Glamping

Glamping Siquijor | Camping in Style

• Posted by Potpot
• 5451 Views
• March 18th, 2019
• in Accomodations, Resorts/Hotels, Reviews
• 3 Comments

Camping doesn’t have to mean always roughing it out. In fact, with today’s sophisticated traveling styles, camping takes on a whole new comfort through glammed-up set-up. In the Philippines, Glamping Siquijor is one that surely tickles the fancies. Known for its mystique, Siquijor Island is a sought-after travel destination....

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Cultural Festival

Kaamulan Festival | Malaybalay, Bukidnon

• Posted by Potpot
• 37848 Views
• March 16th, 2019
• in Arts and Culture, Festivals
• No Comments

Places in the Philippines that claim to do cultural festivals must look into how Bukidnon stages Kaamulan Festival. It is one of the perfect examples of how to keep a celebration spectacular without losing the integrity of the ethnic culture it represents. Simply, they’re just doing it right. Kaamulan...

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Resort Review

Cube Baler | Making Baler Cooler Than Ever

• Posted by Potpot
• 6768 Views
• March 13th, 2019
• in Accomodations, Resorts/Hotels, Reviews
• No Comments

Checking in at the Cube Baler had me staring for a long time. It’s that feeling when you’re caught between soaking in its cool ambience first or jumping in on the pool right away. The Cube Baler is the newest holiday address in this famed surf town that will...

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Festival

Sunggod Te Kamanga Festival | Quezon, Bukidnon

• Posted by Potpot
• 12570 Views
• March 11th, 2019
• in Arts and Culture, Festivals
• No Comments

Just when most festivals in the Philippines have become copycats of Sinulog, Sunggod Te Kamanga is doing it differently truthful, wonderful & inspiring. It expresses real cultural attractiveness & teaches how to handle its exchange value to tourism. Above all, it keeps the integrity of the culture that it celebrates....

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Destination

Clark, Pampanga | Top 5 Things to Do

• Posted by Potpot
• 16303 Views
• March 1st, 2019
• in Destinations, Philippines
• No Comments

Just when you think that Clark, Pampanga is all about being a megacity in cold & stark steel, hold on because there’s more to it than just what meets the eye. Yes, among those urban complexes standing like a world to themselves are actually fun spots up for feel-good...

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Festival

Inaul Festival | Weaving Maguindanao’s Threads of Time

• Posted by Potpot
• 29693 Views
• February 23rd, 2019
• in Arts and Culture, Festivals
• No Comments

Between the forgotten tales of the Sultanate of Maguindanao & the unimaginable speed of modern day living, there is a band of threads binding the stories together — the inaul. And every mid-February, everything spreads larger than life at the grand Inaul Festival. Inaul is a piece of traditional...

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Travel Resources

7 Must-See Driving Destinations in New Zealand

• Posted by Potpot
• 3029 Views
• February 20th, 2019
• in Destinations
• No Comments

Driving destinations in New Zealand steer tourists to wonderland. In every turn there’s always a surprise that waits somewhere, be it rolling hills, snow-capped mountains or glaciers. Then there are rocky coasts, subtropical forests, hot springs or winding hiking paths too! And there’s no better way to experience it...

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Hotel Review

Endless Summer Hotel | Baler, Aurora

• Posted by Potpot
• 3928 Views
• February 17th, 2019
• in Accomodations, Resorts/Hotels
• No Comments

Is it just me or you feel it too that those family-run inns of the bygone times are now hard to find? Even in far-flung towns like Baler, once dominated by ramshackle surf huts, hotels have become so refined. But then, there’s Endless Summer Hotel that’s loosening up things...

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Festival

Kuyamis Festival | Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental

• Posted by Potpot
• 19959 Views
• February 10th, 2019
• in Arts and Culture, Festivals
• No Comments

Nowhere in the world is the humble coconut given so much celebration than in the Philippines. In fact,  from north to south, coconut-themed fiestas happen just about anywhere. And in Misamis Oriental they call it Kuyamis Festival. It’s probably not a coincidence if the words “Misamis” & “kuyamis” rhyme....

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Destination

Baler, Aurora | Of Surf, Siege & Something Else Spry

• Posted by Potpot
• 13659 Views
• February 9th, 2019
• in Destinations, Philippines
• 3 Comments

In 17th century, Spanish galleons braved the waves of Baler. But after 300 years, they surrendered the last Spanish garrison to the Philippine revolutionary forces & their regime ended. Today, more than a century after, brave ones still ride its waves. But not anymore on those huge expedition ships...

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Transport Service

Point to Point Bus Service | Victory Liner

• Posted by Potpot
• 17985 Views
• February 5th, 2019
• in Resources, Transport Services
• 4 Comments

Alright, let’s go straight to the point —- Victory Liner’s point to point bus service is awesome. No frills, no nonsense. Just quick & smooth ride connecting Clark Airport in Pampanga to Subic & Dagupan. Recently, I had to fly back to Luzon to join the Season 8 of...

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Art & Culture

Maranao Arts and Crafts | Lanao del Sur’s Living Traditions

• Posted by Potpot
• 138563 Views
• January 20th, 2019
• in Arts and Culture, Artworks, Community, People
• No Comments

Lanao del Sur is a wealth of old-world charms. From ostentatious royal houses to the tiniest detail in their gongs, Maranao arts and crafts carry the stories of its vibrant culture. Lanao del Sur is the homeland of the Maranao people. And it is also a universe of exquisite...

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Destination

Amai Manabilang | Tales of the Hero, the Epic & the Town

• Posted by Potpot
• 11813 Views
• January 17th, 2019
• in Destinations, Philippines
• 4 Comments

Neither Amai Manabilang nor its former name Bumbaran probably rings a bell to most Filipinos. But this small town in Lanao del Sur is rich in culture, natural resources & beautiful landscapes hardly anyone sees. Thanks to modern-day infrastructure developments, more places in Mindanao once just names on the map...

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