Cool air has officially invaded Philippine shores. It’s beginning to feel and smell like Christmas. Okay, it’s only cold at 5 a.m., but that’s what PAG-ASA said. But if there’s any doubt that Christmas is here, you need only experience the heavy volume of traffic in and around the Metro starting last weekend. Now that there’s more than one week of continuous holidays this Christmas season, let’s look at the Top Ten Philippine destinations for the couple, family or barkada to go and stay for a while: Continue reading Top Christmas Destinations in the Philippines
Category Archives: Tips and Reminders
The Mystery of the Movable Holidays in the Philippines
Maybe holidays are fixed in your country. So when you take a vacation, you know exactly the time frame and you know whether others would also be on vacation at that time (which is crucial for those who don’t want crowds in resorts, beaches or other vacation spots). We Filipinos use to have fixed holiday dates in the Philippines, but that changed a couple of years ago. Continue reading The Mystery of the Movable Holidays in the Philippines
Vacation Tip: Typhoons in the Philippines
A typhoon, somewhere else in the world, is also called a storm, cyclone or hurricane. No matter how it is called or how it is characterized, I’m confident that you don’t want a typhoon if you’re planning to go on a vacation to the Philippines. You don’t want canceled flights and delayed travel schedules because of the weather. However, regardless of your preference and as sure as the sun rises, typhoons pass through the Philippines. It’s just a matter of how many typhoons pass in a year and how strong each typhoon is. Yesterday, typhoon “Frank” (international code name, “Fengshen“) was in town (read more about it here or here; also Typhoon Watch 2009, 2010 and 2011). Continue reading Vacation Tip: Typhoons in the Philippines
Fiesta in the Philippines
The fiesta, while not a uniquely Filipino tradition, is one of the main cultural and religious events in the Philippines. The celebration of fiesta, which means feast, is one of the influences of Spain that has taken root in the Philippines. Each barangay has a fiesta, which probably holds true for most municipalities and cities (refer to the Philippine political subdivisions). The festivities mostly coincide with the day of the Patron Saint of a particular place, although it’s on the charter day in some places. Here are the more famous fiesta celebrations (if there are others that you believe should be included in the list, please let us know through the comment section below): Continue reading Fiesta in the Philippines
New 7 Wonders of Nature Nominees: Philippine Natural Wonders
Let me guess, you stumbled on this site looking for relevant information about vacation spots in the Philippines. Or maybe you followed a link. Or maybe…well, whatever the reason why you’re here, there’s something helpful that you could do to promote the wonders of the Philippines. It’s so simple — since you have an internet access (otherwise, you won’t be reading this post), just vote for the Philippine wonder as nominee for the New 7 Wonder of Nature. Continue reading New 7 Wonders of Nature Nominees: Philippine Natural Wonders
Tips for Philippine Summer Vacation
It’s officially summertime. It’s going to be a very hot Philippine summer full of fun, sand and sun. It’s time to take time off from work or school, and relax even for a while. But before you go invading the resorts and hotels for the anticipated summer vacation with your family and friends, you need to go through the hassle of preparing, making travel plans, booking and reservation. Here are some unsolicited reminders: Continue reading Tips for Philippine Summer Vacation
National Regular and Special Holidays for 2008 in the Philippines
There are a number of factors when planning a vacation. Others who want a more relaxed and not-so-crowded travel would want to have it when others are not on vacation. One of the factors to consider, therefore, is the date of holidays, primarily on account of the “holiday economics” in the form of long weekends (on the other hand, it would be handy to have the list for those who may want to know what are the expected long weekends). Continue reading National Regular and Special Holidays for 2008 in the Philippines
The Philippine Government
This site caters to everyone, Filipinos and foreigners alike. There are topics, such as this one, that would seem weird to Filipinos because they’re supposed to know all about the Philippines. Still, this site is also intended for foreigners to get to know, and visit, the Philippines. This is the reason why, aside from the usual travel updates, we post articles to help foreigners to better understand Philippine culture and society. This time, let’s discuss the basic structure of the Philippine government. Continue reading The Philippine Government
Driving Therapy: Going Away from the City
Getting up early in the morning for an out-of-town hearing is something I look forward to. Well, not particularly the getting-up-real-early part, but the thought of the out-of-town trip. It’s always a welcome therapy. Continue reading Driving Therapy: Going Away from the City
A Rhose, by Any Other Name
(Let’s call this a tip on Philippine names. If you’re a foreigner and it’s your first time to visit the Philippines, you may encounter certain “unusual” names. This is captured by Matthew Sutherland, a British expatriate, whose article circulated by email some years back. The article below is written by Mr. Sutherland.) Continue reading A Rhose, by Any Other Name