Top Ten Things

The island of Siquijor is relatively small province of only six towns but it holds a lot of surprises that would erase your first impression of the island. Beyond the supernatural stories, Siquijor lives to its name the Mystical Island because of the enchantment from its natural landscapes and seascapes. You know good things will come as the white beach just near its seaport welcomes you. You can bike around and hop on and hop off between old churches, waterfalls, marine sanctuaries and springs. Most of the activities here are for free and cheap.

You learned about Caramoan Islands most likely because of the regular filming of the reality TV hit show, Survivor, in the archipelago in Camarines Sur. But probably you haven’t heard the challenges that you will face in surviving the tours within and around the islands. The survival series will start at the two-hour boat trip from Sabang. Your mind and body will be continuously tested in spelunking, in taking hundreds of steps in reaching the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Grotto, in staying away from sea urchins, in climbing limestones for a mystical milkfish that is believed to have a curse, and in eating allergy-triggering seafood feast every meal. If you got what it takes to survive all these things, then Caramoan is a place for a castaway like you.

On my 73rd weekend project, I decided to visit an art gallery and museum situated at the one hectare Silangan Gardens in Antipolo, Rizal called Pinto Art Museum. Pinto Art Museum is a good place to find inspiration from the country’s contemporary art. It is collaborative effort of the Silangan Foundation for the Arts, Culture and Ecology. Pinto Art Museum is another testimony to the Rizal Province as the Arts Capital of the Philippines. The full blog post about the visit is underway.

Although the number of tourists visiting Dapitan and its twin city, Dipolog, is less than of Davao and other municipalities in Mindanao, Dapitan and Dipolog offer their own distinct flavor. Dapitan is historical because Dr. Jose Rizal was once exiled here. Zamboanga del Norte is also known for Spanish-style sardines.

So up north in Palawan, there is El Nido. And there is Honda Bay near Puerto Princesa. You could spend your entire week hopping between the islands in the archipelago. But Palawan is also known for other activities and exciting things. You can be adventurous like a vertical-wall climber in limestone formations, be brave in seeing ghosts or in taking a chance on worm-like exotic delicacies, or let the alcohol kick the sociable you out inside bars in Bacuit Bay.

There is a total of 20 destinations in four tours within the El Nido archipelago. Of these, we were able to visit the half of the number. But according to our resident traveler, among these four island hopping tours, Tour A and Tour C are the best. The naming convention is quite confusing at first because they have Hidden Beach, Secret Beach and Secret Lagoon as if hidden and secret do not mean the same thing. Well, not unti you actually went to these spots. There were interesting justifications behind the nomenclature. These 10 destinations are enough reason to make El Nido as number one beach destination in the Philippines. I certainly agree.

Challenging the waves of East Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean, Baler, Aurora is one of the perfect venues to surf. It also hosts powerful drop of falls, beautiful islets and rock formations, and dark and rocky beaches. It is also notable for having personalities like the former President Manuel L. Quezon and his wife, Aurora. Hence, the name of the province.

Being the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land area, Davao City offers a wide range of activities and tourist destinations to visit. Aside from hiking the highest mountain in the Philippines, Mount Apo, which is by the way excluded in the list, one will appreciate the flora and fauna by dropping by the top places in Davao City.

Hot-Air Balloon Festival, happening in Clarkfield Pampanga, is the longest running hot-air balloon event in Asia. It is one of the most well-attended events in February particularly in Valentine’s week. As early as before the sun rises, there are already spectators filling in the audience area. Hot-air Balloon Festival showcases early morning and late afternoon balloon flights, exciting aeromodelling demonstrations, ultralights, and fixed-wing aircraft competitions. Plus, booths that sell miniature hot air balloons and food galore.

Located at Las Piñas City, Yexel’s Toy Museums welcomes the young ones and young once with its magnanimous variety of collectible toys from childhood cartoons, animated films, Asian animé and Hollywood films. One will definitely enjoy the walk around Yexel Sebastian’s exhibit while reminiscing and identifying your favorite characters. The owner is still adding more toys so there might be more and better collections than this list.