A trek to Mt. Pinatubo, which ranks high among the most destructive volcanic eruptions in the Philippines or in the world, is in our travel bucket list. We could imagine that the trek to the mouth of this volcano is not a walk in the park, but we’ve gathered that it’s going to be awesome (for nature buffs, at least). We could imagine that trekkers should be ready to sweat it out, which is ok because something this beautiful should not be conquered lightly. Then, of course, for the purists who would choose to shun the 4×4 ride and insist on the old-school trek towards the crater, it looks like a challenge to keep dry with the waterways to cross, as we could gather from this photo of 365postcardsoftravel (who says she’s a dreamer, an optimist, a hobbyist photographer and backpacker, an aspiring musician, a work in progress, and a student/lover of life and success; check her instagram account for more photos). We’ll conquer Mt. Pinatubo one of these days, and when we do, you bet your neon-yellow backpack that we won’t be dry. Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Keeping Dry in Pinatubo
Tag Archives: nature
Photo of the Day: When it is Blue, it is Deep (Cancalanog Falls)
No, you’re not required to have ripped abs to enjoy the crystal-clear waters of Cancalanog Falls, found in the town of Algeria, Cebu. It’s a bonus that Hary Noel (ph.noel, who is a shutterbug, barista, coffee maniac, nature devotee, adventure seeker, and pathfinder) has some abs to show with what he calls “when it is blue, it is deep” fresh water of Brgy. Compostela. with a wanderer’s mindset and enough patience, anyone can seek and enjoy what the Philippines has to offer in terms of travel fun (but we’d certainly love to explore growing some abs to complement the awesome vistas of the Philippines; ahem, just wait and see). Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: When it is Blue, it is Deep (Cancalanog Falls)
Photo of the Day: Golden Outdoors
The caption of this photo, captured by Yen Lim (@goyenlim), says that “today’s nature adventure” is in “Mt. Balagbag, Rodriguez, Rizal.” For us, however, it could very well say that it’s in golden paradise. It feels like a lazy Sunday afternoon when you’re staring out of the window, seeing the ebbing sun put up a good fight to stay up in the sky, and, you thought, “there goes my chance today to go out and enjoy the outdoors.” It’s never too late, of course, for tomorrow is another opportunity to see the out-of-this world sun-baked grass of summer. This photo doesn’t have the romantic cloud-covered top of Mt. Pulag or the rolling hills of Batanes. Yet, this photo looks like a lot of things, like the Gladiator’s “Elysium” or a place where you are stripped of the artificial comforts of the world — just you against the barren world. It’s a place where you’ll be stripped of pretenses and you’ll be left with what’s real, as in this case, that heartfelt smile of pure outdoor happiness. Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Golden Outdoors
Photo of the Day: Sagada Spellunking
One of the earliest travel articles we’ve written is about Sagada, with the photos taken when blogging, as a platform, was still in its conception stage. A travel blog was never in our mind. Also, the cellphones of today are way more powerful than the digital cameras of yesterday, which means that the photos we took weren’t that crisp. So imagine how happy we were when we encountered a photo snapped by 7107islandsphilippines (@7107islandsphilippines) of the beautiful mineral formations deep down the a Sagada cave. It’s like reliving the moment when the light first hit those beautiful white formations. Amazing! You guys should go there. In the meantime, here’s the photo by 7107islandsphilippines (by the way, http://7107islandsphilippines.com is also a Philippine travel blog, so check it out. Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Sagada Spellunking
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: The Beauty of Mother Nature
Traditional fishermen know what happens if you understimate the power of nature. You respect the power of Mother Nature and step aside when she’s angry. And she’s predictably angry — to be exact, an average of 26 times every year in the Philippines in the form of typhoons. We now face Typhoon Ruby, another super typhoon a year after Yolanda (Haiyan) which wreaked havoc in Central Visayas and surrounding areas We prepare for the worst and pray for the best. Under the golden sunset Mother Nature has granted us (amazing how Mother Nature still reveals such beauty even as we prepare for her wrath), we pack up our boats and bring them to a safer place in preparation for the strong winds that is sure to come. Still, as the sunrise heralds a new day, we continue with our journey. We’ll, that’s what we think of the photo snapped in Aklan by Earl Masangkay (earlmasangkay), a nurse who loves to take photos. What do you think? Here’s the photo (click to enlarge): Continue reading Photo of the Day: The Beauty of Mother Nature
Photo of the Day: Sardine Run
We remember a movie called “Chicken Run.” It’s a movie about, well, a bunch of chickens. Just recently, on the other hand, we came across a photo of Mary Tariman (miri020988) which she says involves a “sardine run.” It’s a photo of, well, sardines. And Mary trying to run, er, swim after them. Sardines, of course, swim. They don’t really run. Whoever coined the term “sardine run” must have a healthy sense of humor. Or maybe because the billions of sardines involved in a sardine run, associated with the migration of sardines in southern Africa, look like a huge mass of something running when viewed up in the air. We’re not really sure. We’re sure, however, that Mary was freediving in Moalboal (Cebu) when she had her version of running, er, swimming after a school of sardines (but only after taking a selfie). Love it! Here’s the cool photo (click to enlarge): Continue reading Photo of the Day: Sardine Run
Photo of the Day: Anilao Stroll
We don’t know why JohnJohnJohn (johnnylegendary) would want to say his name not only once, not only twice, but thrice. We also don’t know why he’d do the same thing for ManilaManilaManila and HolaHolaHola. We can tell you, however, why we whispered WowWowWow when we saw his photo while taking a leisurely stroll in Anilao, Batangas. The reason? That stroll is simply amazing. Yep, that’s how they take a stroll in Anilao, a diving haven near Manila. No amount of catwalk walk (uhm, how else can you say that?) can surpass how cool the Anilao stroll is. The only way you can “out-cool” this stroll is to take a stroll underwater — freediving — in one of the best diving paradise in the world, the Philippines. No need to do it for 5 minutes, like the Badjao of the southern Philippines. Here, look at his photo (click photo to enlarge): Continue reading Photo of the Day: Anilao Stroll
Photo of the Day: Parrot’s Beak
Pico de Loro means Parrot’s Beak in Spanish. Pico de Loro also refers to a peak in the province of Batangas, also referred to as Mt. Pico de Loro. Parrot’s Beak, on the other hand, refers to the rock protrusion in the heart of Mt. Pico de Loro. We have no idea how to get up there, but we know that it can be done, as shown in this awesome photo from Milton Sabino (_tonsworld). Time to include it in your bucket list. Here’s the photo (click to enlarge): Continue reading Photo of the Day: Parrot’s Beak
Photo of the Day: Coconut in Paradise
We don’t know why, but we find a simple sight — like a coconut aimlessly floating in the sea- absolutely interesting. And beautiful. Perhaps it’s about the thought of how amazing it is for coconuts to float across oceans and grow in a small island in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps it’s the parallelism of how, in the greater scheme of things, our lives reflect the randomness of the coconut’s fate (except for the fact that coconuts don’t make decisions). Perhaps it’s because this particular coconut, here immortalized in a photo snapped by CJ (carmen_jean25, a lady who loves coffee and art, and hopes to write and illustrate books someday), is floating near an island that was formally recognized as the best in the world earlier this year: Palawan. Or perhaps it’s all about the strong sense of wonder that is common among fellow wanderers, the same outlook that enables wanderers to find happiness in the journey itself and not only the destination. We can’t really put a finger on it, as we said. Here, look at this photo (click photo to enlarge) and tell us what comes through YOUR mind: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Coconut in Paradise