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: travel
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)
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: Firedancing in Misibis Bay
Play with fire, the time-tested aphorism goes, and you’ll get burned. Holds true in life and relationships. Holds equally true with actual fire, but sometimes, just sometimes, some people train hard enough to master the fire dragon and play with it. And, boy, when they get the hang of it, they make it look so easy. This is why we have so much respect for fire dancers, this one captured in Misibis Bay (Bacacay, Albay) by Nix Gonzales (check and follow her Instagram account, @nix.gonzales). It’s a stunning sight to behold even if you’ve already seen it a million times. Tweak a little component of the experience, like the music or the beach on where it is performed, and you get an entirely different awesome show. Add good photography into the mix, just like what @nix.gonzales) accomplished in this shot, and you’ll have a memory that will last you through thick and thin. Firedancing also happens to be a source of living, like how we all earn from our work or professions, so next time you see a fire dancer do his/her stuff, give a generous tip. Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Firedancing in Misibis Bay
Photo of the Day: Hide and Seek, Butanding
Remember your childhood, playing all sorts of crazy games? If you recall traditional games or “parlor games” like patintero, you’re most likely a child of the 80s and below. If your recollection of crazy games involves an electronic gadget, from cellphones and tablets and PS4, you’re probably a millenial, also known as a hi-tech couch potato. In any case, we’d like to believe that anyone with a fun childhood knows hide and seek. It’s really easy — everybody hides, one unlucky soul seeks everyone (or mom hides the cookies, you go figure out where it’s stashed). And in the game of hide and seek, there’s always one kid who’s too “healthy” for his own good, who’d stick out no matter how he tries to squeeze himself in some corner or behind the curtain. It’s an easy find, really; easier to hide a huge cargo truck from the traffic enforcers. Continue reading Photo of the Day: Hide and Seek, Butanding
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: Magiting sa Mt. Guiting Guiting ng Romblon
When it comes to mountain climbing, we’re so much like Jon Snow — that guy who we thought would survive the killing spree of G.R.R. Martin, at least in the last season — we really know nothing. We never got past the planning stage. The initial planning, we hate to admit this, involves an easy trek to Mt. Pinatubo’s crater. Just a little heart condition, you see, and we understand that if something happens, it will be hours before medical assistance comes along, pretty much like what recently happened to a weekend climber at Mt. Pulag. We’ve heard a Pulag climb now requires a medical certificate. Really? That’s red tape, plain and simple. If we have a heart condition and we want to take the risk, require us to sign a waiver (which you guys require, anyway); not a medical certificate, for crying out loud. Anyway, sorry, we’re wandering off (pun intended). The heart of this post is this awesome photo by Jonathan Reales — a programmer, hiker, aspiring landscape/nature photographer, and a dreamer who believes “do it with passion or not at all” (follow his Instagram account, @rainbowchaser_ph). Cool. Looking at the tags of his photo, we gathered it’s G2 Romblom. Took us a while to find out that G2 is Mt. Guiting Guiting, a Romblon peak that has gained the respect of many mountaineers because of its level of difficulty. See? We know nothing. But we know we won’t be able to climb that mountain in this lifetime. Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Magiting sa Mt. Guiting Guiting ng Romblon
Photo of the Day: No Problem at Malalison Island, Antique
It’s been months since we’ve posted the last Photo of the Day and a lot has happened since then. To metion a few, we now have a Miss Universe, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, after more than 40 years, and the Christmas season has just passed. No suprise that for a lot of us, January is a difficult time, with that extra weight and all. So what better way to start the year by featuring something light — very light that it (or she) floats. On water. In paradise. Around Malalison Island, Antique. I’m talking about this awesome photo by Den Marie Balingit, who loves Pinas, she says and clearly looks like it (visit and follow her instagram account, @travelniden). I mean, wow! Just by looking at the photo, you’ll feel the gentle sting of the tropical sun on your exposed skin, the burn beautifully soothed by the rhythmic tumult of tiny cool waves that frolic on the white sand below. Anybody who consumed enough fats and calories over the holidays will definitely float, no problem. All you have to do is kick up, spread your arms, rest your head on the water, and let go of anything that burdens you. It’s paradise, you see. And we have plenty of those right here in the Philippines. So, still wonder why #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines? Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: No Problem at Malalison Island, Antique
Photo of the Day: Go Rappel
Yep, don’t worry, we’re sure of it — we’ve spelled “rappel” correctly. We checked it a few seconds because, truth be told, we’re not sure how to spell it. We checked it again so, yes, we’re sure. It’s easier if we’ve done it before; you need to learn to spell that something dangerous you’re about to do. What we’re not sure, however, is whether we’ll strap our couch butts into that thin rope and slide down a sheer cliff somewhere in Bukidnon (yes, the same place overflowing with pineapples and, of course, the Dahilayan Park). Until the time comes when we actually swing on that rock face, we’ll happily gaze at the smiles of those who have conquered this adventure, like Adrenaline Romance — rock climbers, mountaineers, and, uhm, sweethearts on adventure (check the Instagram account, @adrenaline_romance for more photos). Let us know of your experience if you’ve also tried this adventure. Click the photo to enlarge: Continue reading Photo of the Day: Go Rappel