Nope, there’s no sinkhole in Kalanggaman Island; don’t panic. By “barkada sinkhole,” we’re referring to a shallow hole on the white beach, most likely dug by hand by one or two members of the barkada, inside which a camera is placed to get a nice shot of the entire gang with the blue sky as lovely background (some explanation there, whew!). It’s a cool shot, really, and this is the reason why we’ve asked jacqueaeiouh — a nurse, hobbyist, goprotographer, backpacker, and pug lover — to allow us to repost the photo of her barkada when they visited the awesome sandbar known as Kalanggaman Island, found in Palompon, Leyte (but also accessible through Camotes Island, Cebu). We love to feature photographs of the beautiful destinations in the Philippines, but we also love to showcase the awesome fun and sheer happiness that come with travel. Those are priceless memories you carry even through the rainy days. Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Barkada Sinkhole in Kalanggaman Island
Tag Archives: beach
Photo of the Day: Board Games
An island girl, @wheresjoanne refers to herself, and, with the idyllic life along the fine-sand beach and clear waters of Beach Placid, Bantayan Island, Cebu, it’s not surprising to discover in this photo that @wheresjoanne‘s significant other is a cool skimboard. Romantic. Truly romatic. Envious with the skimboard, dudes? Want to take the place of that colorful skimboard? Easy — you guys have to be as cool as a beach bum, most probably. And, while you’re at it, don’t forget to enjoy the beautiful islands of the Philippines! Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Board Games
Photo of the Day: Conquest
When was the last time you’ve gone through hell and back, chasing something which you’ve sought for the longest time and worked so hard to achieve? When was the last time when you’ve conquered your dragon? Do you remember the feeling? Yes, you can. But can you explain it to us? No, you can’t. Not even G.R.R. Martin or J.K. Rowling, in our humble opinion, can explain the feeling. You’re better off capturing the moment, the emotions, in a photograph. The background heights of Nagsasa Cove, even farther than Anawangin Cove of Zambales, was the dragon to be conquered by @carlos_sapatero. Those tightly clenched fists at the end of those fully outstretched arms, supported by knees that pay tribute to the very ground conquered by sweat, is something you’ll see in someone with pure passion. It’s the passion you’ll find in an etrepreneur, a craftsman, an engineer, an adventurer and a whiskey lover, all rolled into one, @carlos_sapatero. It’s the kind of passion that we aspire for in this one-way rough road called life. It’s the kind of passion we rightly expect from others. Nothing less. Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Conquest
Photo of the Day: Greece in the Philippines
We have a traditional idea on how the architecture on Philippine beaches and white islands should look like — nothing. We’ve said before that the government may decide to demolish all man-made structures in, for instance, Boracay and we won’t care. What we love, in the first place, is the beach: the fine white sand and the clear waters. Now, imagine how surprising it is to see a different country on a Philippine island? Go a few kilometers off the coast of Nasugbu, Batangas and you’ll find ancient Greece in Fortune Island. The Acropolis is actually now in ruins but we still have to find out if development has continued. Still, the place has a different attraction. Here’s a sampler courtesy of the lovely Hazel Pascual (_iamstorm), a Pinay who loves food, fashion, travel and, well, practically everything. Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Greece in the Philippines
Photo of the Day: The Air Up in Boracay
It’s difficult not to fall in love with Boracay. The main draw is the beach, of course, coupled with an endless array of attractions, including cliff jumping, the mermaid academy, and the 24/7 party atmosphere. The options are endless. There are activities to satisfy the party animals, the outdoors buff, the spa addicts, beach bums, energetic kids; practically everyone, even those who wish to do soul searching. And there’s parasailing. We’d go out on a limb and say that you haven’t been to Boracay if you haven’t done parasailing. We tried to describe how it feels to float high above the white-sand paradise called Boracay, but it seems a photograph is better suited to relay the emotions, like this photo by Charmilyn Mamaradlo (miaischarm3718). Click photo to enlarge:
Photo of the Day: The Underwater Wall
We admire the brave souls who have the courage to face the deep sea and everything that lurks in its darkness. Ok, we’re exagerrating, we know, probably a result of watching too much suspense movies with the ocean/sea as the backdrop. We’re fish out of water, so to speak, when it comes to diving. But we have lots of friends who go diving and we’ve seen countless photos/videos showing the sheer beauty of underwater life. Take, for instance, this photo by Anna Arancon-Milan (annaamilan) — a digital marketer, ocean lover and smile advocate — of a freediver (your husband, Anna?) at the Barracuda Lake in Coron, Palawan. Gorgeous view, don’t you agree? Click to enlarge the photo: Continue reading Photo of the Day: The Underwater Wall
Gas Station Toilet: More Fun in the Philippines
Bohol is now more than the Chocolate Hills, the heavenly white beach of Panglao Island, the tarsier, the Loboc River cruise, the old churches, the man-made forest and other attractions. It now hosts one of the MOST important needs of any serious traveler — the toilet. Call it what you want — comfort room, restroom, or any other name — but it’s ideally a place of peace and comfort. We know, of course, that a clean toilet is a rarity for travelers on the road (but, mind you, seasoned travelers can do it the “natural” way). Imagine a CLEAN toilet. Imagine a CLEAN and ELEGANT toilet of a gas station. Now, stop imagining and go to Bohol. You’ll find this SHELL station (yes, we have to emphasize that it’s a Shell station as a token of appreciation for a gas station that takes a little from its billions of profits and gives back to motorists in the form of an ACTUAL, REAL clean toilet). We haven’t seen something like this, which is why we have this story about toilets. We hope other Shell stations follow suit. We hope ALL other gas stations follow soon (tell us which gas station has done so and we’ll feature them). Here, watch this video courtesy of Filipino-Canadian Jason Godfrey: Continue reading Gas Station Toilet: More Fun in the Philippines
Photo of the Day: Biri Island
She doesn’t say much in describing herself in instagram: CEBU | travel | coffee | music. She’s even more tightlipped when it comes to her name — she calls herself, quite simply, toot (rubbitoott). But when it comes to to traveling, this lovely lady takes a decidedly long-distance view. She recently went to Biri Island in Samar. How far? “Travelled a long way to get here, sailed 12 hrs to Samar and a never ending roadtrip/boat trip towards the Northern part is all worth it. A must!” Good things come to those who wait (and travel), right? Anyway, as you marvel at the beautiful rock formations and imagine the power of the waves, it might be helpful to remember that Biri Island is the frontline to the Pacific Ocean — the birthplace of typhoons, including the most powerful typhoon to make landfall in recorded history, super typhoon Yolanda or Haiyan. Here’s the photo (click to enlarge): Continue reading Photo of the Day: Biri Island
Photo of the Day: Philippines 101
The very first time we saw Miguel de Dios‘ (autumnedout) photo of a Philippine map wonderfully presented on the world-renowned Boracay sand, we thought we have discovered a creative tool to aid students in learning geography. A eureka moment, really. Geography is not the most exciting subject in school, truth be told (especially considering that our politicians make our student lives more miserable by constantly rearranging boundaries to suit their sphere of influence). It’s not an excuse not to learn, of course, but imagine how much more exciting it is for kids to learn geography by requiring them to PLAY on a beach and create a relief map of the Philippines. It doesn’t have to be in Boracay — the Philippines is gifted with 7,107 beautiful islands that host world-class beaches. Just a playful thought, but imagine if we can find a way to have that, then someone won’t be dedicating this photo to his “geography teacher who said I didn’t have it in me.” Right, Miguel? =) Here’s the cool photo (click photo to enlarge):
Photo of the Day: Waves of Baler
We haven’t been to Baler but we know it’s one of the favored destinations by surfers because of its big waves. It’s really understandable for people to assume that because we’ve mentioned Baler, we’ll be featuring a surfboard on the beach, or a surfer gracefully navigating (is that how it’s called?) the powerful waves, or a beautiful wipeout. We’ve seen a lot of those photos and we’ll definitely feature some of them in the weeks to come (do tag us with your surfing photo, ok?). But before we feature the surfboards or the surfers, we’ll feature the waves. Feel free to please describe, for the benefit of the community, the waves of Baler (use the comment section below). Right now, we have this description from the lovely lady Amiel A (amieleima), shown running for her life from the Baler waves (ok, we’re just making up the running part): “10ft waves in rage! Swear it looks small from the shore but when you get closer it’s really huge!” Can’t see the 10-foot waves? Look closer at the photo below (click the photo to enlarge). Better still, go visit Baler! Travel time! Continue reading Photo of the Day: Waves of Baler