It’s amazing how nature can be so cruel, yet, at the same time, undeniably beautiful. By all accounts, using the words “picnic” and “volcano” in the same breath sounds insane. But that’s what you get at Mt. Pinatubo. Not a long time ago, a little more than two decades to be exact, Mt. Pinatubo erupted. If you think nature was cruel when Super Typhoon Yolanda hit, you were obviously not born yet when Pinatubo unleashed its wrath, a force hidden deep within the earth for centuries. In the same way that Yolanda introduced the new generation to terms like “storm surge,” Mt. Pinatubo introduced us to terms like “pyroclastic material” and “lahar.” The ash cloud was so intense, it lowered the world temperature and kicked out the U.S. military bases. Today, Mt. Pinatubo is quiet, a beautiful sight to behold. Trek to its crater, sit by the crater lake, and just marvel at that work of art. You won’t believe that this was once Ground Zero of utter devastation. And, oh, about the picnic, here’s how they did it, Ebrahim Dasalla and his friends (check his Instagram account, @eiamhere). Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Pinatubo Volcano Picnic
Tag Archives: Philippines
Photo of the Day: Banana Boat Ride of Boracay
There are boats, then there are banana boats. You can have a banana boat ride in a lot of places, but there’s only one Boracay banana boat ride. This one holds a special place in our hearts because Boracay was our first banana boat ride ever, back when the terms “film” and “roll” were still relevant to photography. Even until today, Boracay exudes a certain aura that blankets the entire place, infusing every soul within its island vibe that bumps up the adrenaline level. Heck, even zombies will come alive in Boracay. Now, let’s check this photo by Aiza Bacani (check her account in Instagram, @aizabacs). Here she is, with that ear-to-ear smile (wait, how do you call a smile, 100 times over?). We would have wanted to take our photo just like that, but we always end up like the lady at her back. All we do is grab that banana boat handle and hold on for dear life. Ah, brings back memories of extreme Boracay fun. One of the reasons why we take time to update the Daily Photos. Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Banana Boat Ride of Boracay
Photo of the Day: Sunrise at Calaguas Island (Camarines Norte)
Sunrise is just the other side of the coin’s sunset, both bringing a happy balance to life. As we noted in a previous article: “Maybe this is how we should look at life. The last moments of the sun, before the day ends, is bursting with color and beauty. Soon the sunlight will be no more. Darkness sets in. But we see no sadness in that. It’s beauty meant to be celebrated, lived to the fullest, fleshing out to what we say about sucking out all the marrow of life. It’s a source of hope that the sun will rise again, and day breaks with renewed vigor, and life begins. Every beginning is a step towards greater things.” Sunsets, we have lots of those. We had an entire article just for sunsets (The Beautiful Sunset of Calatagan). The Photo of the Day category has quite a number of sunset photos (Boracay, Puerto Galera, Zamboanga, Mactan and Balesin). Sunrise, on the other hand, is terribly under-represented here. One of the few sunrise purposely sought by people, at least the one we know, is the breathtaking sunrise of Mt. Pulag. We’ll add another one, this photo of the sunrise in Calaguas Island (Camarines Norte), captured by Karl Olivier, a UP alumnus, speech pathologist, blogger, movie reviewer, book and music lover, PWD advocate, marathoner, and explorer (follow his Instagram account, @karl_olivier). It’s difficult not to go mad, and dabble in the weird meaning-of-life stuff, after looking at this gorgeous photo. It’s like somebody out there, a Higher Being perhaps, has decided to celebrate life by exploding an intensely inspirational hue up in the sky, reflected and heightened on the serene surface of the sea. The good thing about it is, it’s done every day, and it’s free. The sad thing about it is, many of us are too busy to even notice. Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Sunrise at Calaguas Island (Camarines Norte)
Photo of the Day: Juana of Sinulog (Cebu City)
One prominent feature in any Sinulog celebration is a beautiful woman carrying the Sto. Nino. She is Queen Juana. Immediately after Fernando Magallanes, better known as Ferdinand Magellan, claimed the islands later known as the Philippines, he presented an image of the child Jesus (Sto. Nino) to the chieftain of the islands, Raja Humabon. He baptized the chieftain, and his queen (Humamay or Amihan), and gave her the name Queen Juana. The Philippines was named after Philipp II, son of Carlos I of Spain (also called Charles V) and Queen Isabella. The mother of Carlos I is Queen Juana, after which the wife of Rajah Humabon was named. This history refresher explains a lot about what guests see during the Sinulog Festival of Cebu. The story goes that Queen Juana was overwhelmed, she began dancing carrying the Sto. Nino. Her subjects followed suit. This is said to be the very first celebration of the Sinulog. This wonderful image, courtesy of Vin (follow his Instagram account, @vin_aranas87), shows a Queen Juana during the Sinulog Festival 2016 (Cebu City). She must have faith. She must be beautiful. She must know how to dance. And she must have the stamina to dance during the whole-day festivity, throughout the city streets, under the scorching rays of the sun. Respect. Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Juana of Sinulog (Cebu City)
Baler (Aurora) Itinerary and Surfing Adventure
Baler is in our travel bucket list for one simple reason — surfing and the good vibe that goes with this sport. We’re not surfers. We’re simply curious about the huge interest in Baler’s surfing scene. We’ve long resolved to cover Baler, almost eight years from the time we finally found the right time and the perfect reason — the perfect storm, if you will — to go there. It was a few days after a strong storm, Typhoon Lando, hit Baler. Here’s our trip itinerary and story (we’ve sandwiched the helpful information, tips and suggestions in the text of the article, just for fun). Continue reading Baler (Aurora) Itinerary and Surfing Adventure
Photo of the Day: Grab a Jelly
Grab a jelly. That sounds right. I mean, the phrase slips through your tongue so beautifully, without effort, so much so that you’ll forget that many jellyfish are among the most lethal creatures of the sea. Small, yes, but terribly lethal (incidentally, reminds us of the joke that because the jellyfish has survived for hundreds of millions of years without a brain, there’s hope for many people). Anyway, if you go to the Jellyfish Lagoon, also known as the Tojoman Lagoon, in Socorro, Surigao del Norte, you’ll come face to face with a fish, er, creature, that swarms the entire lagoon. The jelly swarm is not the poisonous kind, so it’s a relief. But even if your brain is telling you it’s not poisonous, your eyes are telling you to stay away, except, perhaps, when you want to take a selfie with the jelly. Like this photo, courtesy of Jakilo Dizon (visit and follow her Instagram account, @jacqueaeiouh), who is a registered nurse, a photo enthusiast, and a wanderlust. Grab a jelly, that’s how she described the photo. Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Grab a Jelly
Photo of the Day: Equal in Faith with the Black Nazarene
We have not joined any Translacion, the procession held during the feast of the Black Nazarene every January of the year, when Nazarene is brought from the Quirino Grandstand back to the Quiapo Church. We are not devotees, but we have no doubt of the intensity of the devotion that goes with the barefoot walk kilometers-long. We’re sure that there are those who question the practice, but we’re convinced that the Translacion is an equalizer when it comes to faith, pretty much like Yolanda was. There’s no rich or poor. Any devotee, when going to the procession, knows very well to leave any worldly valuables at home. You go there barefoot, with just your most comfortable pants, purple Itim na Nazareno shirt and a white face towel or handkerchief. You will be crushed by the same ocean of humanity, estimated at millions in number. And growing each year. You must co-exist with others, makikisama, to come out of the experience in one piece — alive and kicking. People have died during the Translacion. This annual even is not for the week of heart; definitely not for the weak of faith. Here’s a photo courtesy of Dong D. (follow his instagram account, @dongtheexplorer). Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Equal in Faith with the Black Nazarene
Miss Universe 2015, Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach and the 5 Stages of Grief
The Miss Universe, as Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach herself noted, is huge in the Philippines. It’s like boxing. If the Philippines feels like a ghost town during Manny Pacquiao fights, the same can be said about pageant night. Well, at least to ladies and our gay friends. Just a tip: if you’re in the Philippines and badly need a haircut, and the reigning Miss Philippines loses in the pageant, we suggest you postpone your haircut a few days down the road, when the 5 stages of grief has passed (with the hairdressers having a bad day, you don’t want them touching your hair, seriously). During the 2015 Miss Universe, the 5 stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance — were compressed in less than 10 minutes. Allow us to illustrate the 5 stages of grief, based on the Miss Universe 2015 reactions of Filipinos around the world: Continue reading Miss Universe 2015, Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach and the 5 Stages of Grief
Photo of the Day: How’s your Sunset?
Not all things are created equal. The equality in nature lies in the exposure to the same elements. What one makes of it, how one deals with it, enhances the inequity. Take sunsets, for instance. We all experience sunsets. But not all sunsets are created equal. The sunset of Boracay, or along Manila Bay or the golden sunset of Batangas is different from your sunset. The sunset of Banaue is equally different. On top of the mountains, overlooking the clouds, chilled by cold breeze, and closer to heaven, this Banaue sunset stands on a different plane, literally and figuratively. I mean, c’mon, look at those rich colors. Rich but muted. It’s like Pia Wurtzbach wearing plain white shirt and jeans — you see something universally beautiful, earthly beautiful rather, but you know there’s something more. Perhaps we can ask the one who took the photo, the lovely JM Diaz (visit and follow her instagram account, @jayeeemm), how this sunset is different. Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: How’s your Sunset?
List of 2016 Official Holidays of the Philippines
We almost forgot about the holidays for this year, 2016. It’s almost 6 months since the full list of Philippine holidays was released and we still have not uploaded it here. This is an important list because if you’re a Filipino, you’ll need to know when there’s no work and accordingly make travel plans way in advance. On the other hand, if you’re not a Filipino, you need to know when destinations are packed because domestic travel is up because of the declared non-working holidays. So, per Proclamation No. 1105, series of 2015, and Proclamation No. 1071, s. 2015, here’s the official list of the nationwide holidays for 2016: Continue reading List of 2016 Official Holidays of the Philippines