Foodie Friday: Halo-halo (Tropical Fruits in Crushed Ice)

(We all know I love to eat, so you realize this was coming. On Fridays, let me torture myself and anyone who might stumble upon this travel blog with a photo of one of the countless delicious foods I ever had the pleasure of tasting in my travels, some of which include foods I made myself. Yes, I cook. This week, Foodie Friday features a summer snack popular in the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia: Halo-halo.)


Halo-halo: the perfect snack/refreshment in a scorching hot summer day in Southeast Asia

10 Practical Travel Tips on Trekking in Mount Pulag

Mount Pulag is a great trekking destination in the Philippines. Given its high elevation, the entire Mount Pulag National Park affords temperate climate trekking in the heart of a tropical country. I have climbed Mount Pulag twice now. Admittedly, the first time was difficult, aggravated by rainy weather, but it did gave me enough gumption to make trekking my b*tch. A few months after, I did a full-on 10-day trek in the Nepal Himalaya! This year, I trekked to the peak of Mount Pulag again. Though I did not find the joys of trekking in Mount Pulag, I was very lucky to witness the glorious sunrise and the sea of clouds Mount Pulag is famous for.


Trekkers enjoy Mount Pulag’s glorious sunrise and sea of clouds.
Having climbed the mountain twice, I have taken note of a few things that could prove useful, life-saver even, for those who want to trek to the Philippines' third highest peak. Let's get right on to it. The following are 10 practical travel tips on trekking in Mount Pulag.

Mount Pulag and the Joys of Trekking

I will say it upfront. The joys of trekking, I did not find them when I trekked to the summit of Mount Pulag, the Philippines' third highest peak. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's back up a bit.

The first time I trekked to Mount Pulag was not my finest hour. Wheezing and panting through the mountain trail, I was finding that altitude was not my friend. The low pressure in the atmosphere meant that I got only a fraction of the oxygen I was used to on sea level, something my lungs and heart were violently correcting by working overtime. My blocked air passageways caused by a runny nose made sure I got even lesser oxygen. Weather, which at the time was rainy and foggy, was not helping. Glorious sunrise and sea of clouds, not this time.

That was early 2011. Pressure had built up since then that my second trek to Mount Pulag be more successful on all fronts.


Mount Pulag's glorious sunrise and sea of clouds, elusive to travelers since the 1960s (or earlier, maybe)

Five Recommended Places to Visit in the Philippine Cordilleras

There is no denying it. The Philippine Cordilleras located in the northern part of the Philippines is one of my favorite travel destinations in my country. With the prospect of there being a Grand Cordillera Trail established, I'm getting more excited about having a teahouse trekking route in the region. The Philippine Cordilleras occupy about a sixth of the landmass of the entirety of Luzon Island, the largest of the 7,000 plus islands of the Philippines. There are so many places and people to see along the winding mountain roads of the Philippine Cordilleras. Here are five which I think are the most recommendable places to visit in the Philippines Cordilleras.

1. Baguio City


Baguio City perched on top of mountains and among the clouds

Why Travel Tuesday: Modi Khola Valley in Nepal

(Every Tuesday, I will be featuring a photograph from a place I have gone to, a photograph which I believe will inspire others to go out and see the world for themselves. For this week, Why Travel Tuesday features the early morning mist clearing through a valley in Central Nepal: Modi Khola Valley.)


Early morning in the Modi Khola Valley of Central Nepal

Foodie Friday: Penang Curry

(We all know I love to eat, so you realize this was coming. On Fridays, let me torture myself and anyone who might stumble upon this travel blog with a photo of one of the countless delicious foods I ever had the pleasure of tasting in my travels, some of which include foods I made myself. Yes, I cook. This week, Foodie Friday features one of my favorite Thai dishes of all time: Penang Curry.)


It's rich, thick, nutty, tangy and spicy: Penang Curry. I cooked that.

Guide to Traveling to El Nido, Philippines

To say that the tropical paradise that is El Nido, Philippines is spectacularly beautiful would be scratching the surface. Characteristic of the country's final frontier Palawan, El Nido has numerous limestone karts islands with white, sandy beaches, surrounded by pristine turquoise waters and rich coral reefs. It is personally one of the most beautiful places I have seen, not just in the Philippines but in Asia. My week's trip to El Nido, Philippines had several travel highlights, including seeing the iconic picture of paradise, the Big Lagoon, and climbing to a viewing deck above Matinloc Island to see the calm waters of Tapiutan Strait.


View from above Matinloc Shrine, El Nido, Palawan, Philippines
El Nido, Philippines is spectacularly beautiful largely because it remains remote. For most people, the only way to access it is via Palawan's capital Puerto Princesa, which has its own domestic airport with frequent connections to Manila and Cebu via CebuPacific, PAL Express, and other local carriers. El Nido has an airport, too, but only (expensive) charter flights use it. The town of El Nido itself is small, comprised only by a few housing blocks on the shores of Bacuit Bay. Tourism here only caters to a small number of independent backpackers and an even smaller number of high-end luxury travelers.

All these make El Nido, Philippines a bit tricky to travel to. Thankfully, there are a number of great resources online, especially from Pinoy travel blogs, about traveling to El Nido. Here is a guide to traveling to El Nido, Philippines based on my own experience with links on the great online resources I found.