The moon was still out when we awoke the next day. The resort was practically deserted and I took the chance to snap this quick panorama. There was nothing but stillness and silence as far as the eyes could see and the ears could hear, but there was a thick energy in the air. It was the day we were to visit the beach on the Great Sta. Cruz Island, and because you have to admit that’s a highlight of summer, we were all extremely excited! But first, a hearty breakfast to prepare us for a full morning of swimming and frolicking on the beach! Fried milkfish and corned beef…
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{Zamboanga 2013} Butterflies and a little local flare
Coming off my previous post, we had just visited the boy scout meeting place in Pasonanca Park when Milabelle brought us to the Butterfly Garden. Located in the same Pasonanca Park compound, the Butterfly Garden covered a tiny area of the Jardin Maria Clara Lobregat. Maybe you’re wondering why I decided to cut off my previous post and start this one off this way. Since The Butterfly Garden is one of my favourite spots we visited in Zamboanga, I figured it would be nice to give it some due credit by putting it on the top of a post. It’s not because I saw some rare butterflies in the Garden,…
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{Zamboanga 2013} La ciudad Latina de Asia
Zamboanga. Not exactly the top-of-mind location when one hears the word ‘vacation’, or better yet ‘beach’. I must admit I never really considered it a must-go place, let alone a place I bothered to get to know at all. When my Dad booked the family for a long Easter weekend vacation to Zamboanga, I wasn’t overly excited, but due to my desire to explore more of my home country, I was game. There are only two domestic flights to Zamboanga a day and ours was at 4 in the morning. The flight took about an hour and a half from Manila– ample time for a nap, if you ask me.…
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Of 10 hour road trips and empanada hangovers
During the 5-day Easter holiday weekend, the family decided to pack some bags and board the bus all the way to the Northern part of the archipelago. It was, to say the least, a road-trip filled with stiff legs and even stiffer necks, but going with a group of family friends seemed to have made the long travel somewhat bearable. People go to Ilocos mostly for its rich historical sites. During the 16th century, the Spaniards arrived in their giant ships and began introducing Roman Catholicism to the natives. They built grand churches and bell towers that up to this day are still being visited by the devout and frequented…
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{Shifting Tides} Dos Palmas Resort, Palawan
Last month, my Dad surprised us with this trip to an Island Resort. It was just what I needed, some sunshine and white sand. I was considering whether or not I should blog about the trip because I wasn’t able to document it very well, but I felt that I should write about it anyway. Before we left, I had been going through some difficult issues related to the whole business of “growing up”. This trip felt like a sort of turning point in my life, because my experiences that led to my realizations on certain matters began while we were here. I just didn’t know it at the time.…