Category Archives: SIGHTSEEING

PANGASINAN… A Glimpse of the Hundred Islands

One of the attractions and also a must-visit place in Pangasinan is the Hundred Islands National Park. Composing of 123 islands, it is one of the tourist destinations outside Manila. Hundred Islands is located in Alaminos City, Pangasinan. A 5-6 hours drive from Manila, the jump-off of Hundred Islands is in Lucap Port in Alaminos City. From Manila, we arrive in Lucap Port at 2pm. The port... continue

PAMPANGA… Mt. Arayat Traverse

MT. ARAYAT TRAVERSE Arayat and Magalang, Pampanga Entry point: Brgy. Ayala, Magalang, Pampanga Exit point: Brgy. Juan Bano, Arayat, Pampanga LLA: 15.2067N, 120.7441E, 1030 MASL Days required / Hours to summit: 1-2 days / 5 hours (NP) 8 hours (SP) Specs: Major climb, Difficulty 5/9, Trail class 1-4 (10kms) Features: Tropical forest, scenic views of Central Luzon *from Pinoy Mountaineer Mt.... continue

IFUGAO… Refreshing Tappiya Falls

As we all know, Philippines is an archipelago. It is surrounded by several bodies of water, it has different kinds of beaches; from pure white sand, to pebbles, corals, black sand beach, rocky beaches, almost all sorts of beach you can find in the Philippines. Not only the coastal areas were bodies of water are present. It’s also in the mountains. Almost all provinces in the Philippines do... continue

IFUGAO… Walking Along the Dikes of Batad Rice Terraces

A trip to Batad, Banaue will not be complete without exploring their vast Batad Rice Terraces. As this one of the UNESCO World Heritage site, it must be something. It really makes this place an interesting one. An invite from Sir Ben for this trip make me confirm without any hesitations. It is one of the first items on my bucket list. It was introduced to me in 2005 yet it wasn’t included in... continue

IFUGAO… A Spectacular Weekend in Batad

I am in quest of World Heritage Sites and Batad is one of them. Most of my travels are in line with culture and history though I am not a historian nor am a fan of history in my school days. I simply hate memorizing the exact names of a significant character and at the same time associating it to the plot of the story. I regard history before as a subject only to comply with my studies. Now... continue

NUEVA VIZCAYA / BENGUET… MT. UGO TRAVERSE

MT. UGO (2,150+) Nueva Vizcaya and Benguet Jump-off points: Kayapa, N. Vizcaya; Brgy. Tinongdan, Itogon, Benguet LLA: 16.31916°N, 120.80166°E, 2130 MASL Days required / hours to summit: 2-3 days, 9-10 hrs Specs: Major climb, Difficulty 5/9, Trail Class 1-3 Features: Pine forests, highland villages, views of Cordillera peaks *From Pinoy Mountaneer Mt. Ugo Traverse is one of the favorites of... continue

BATAAN… A Visit at Mount Samat Shrine

We are in Las Casas Filipinas  de Acuzar a day before the visit to Mount Samat. On our way back to Manila from Bagac, Bataan, we (Meong, Larry and I) make a stopover at the Dambana ng Kagitingan in Mount Samat. From afar, seems like the monument is near yet it’s quite far. We drive directly to the entrance gates of the Shrine in the afternoon of December 13, 2015. Near the entrance... continue