Category Philippines
Philippines Tour Part 6 – Vigan
Vigan is Philippines smaller equivalent of Colombia’s Cartagena or Havana in Cuba. A fine Spanish colonial town of expansive squares, cobbled streets and beautiful wooden buildings. We were staying for a single night in the Vigan Plaza Hotel overlooking the main square. The hotel was a fine example of a colonial structure. Wood, wood, wood. […]
Philippines Tour Part 5 – Pagudpud & Ilocos Norte Region
We headed northwards to the coastal town of Pagudpud. Golden beaches fringed with palm trees, verdant cliffs, an amazing viaduct and a beach front hotel with indoor & outdoor pools. But, then the rain came! We were staying for one night and what had promised to be a glorious day of lounging, swimming and strolling […]
Philippines Tour Part 4 – The Ancient Tattooist
We left the Shire after an early breakfast and well before elevenses to continue northwards. We would pass fabulous rice terraces once more and end up in Tuguegarao for the night. However, the highlight of the day would be a visit to the village of Buscalan in the province of Kalinga. We met our local […]
Philippines Tour Part 3 – Sagada & The Shire
After leaving Banaue we had a long journey to get to Sagada where we would be staying the night. The journey required very skilful driving – tight bends corkscrewing up and down mountain roads, potholes deep enough to be swallowed up in, sporadic road works, trucks & buses providing obstacles to pass, and chickens & […]
Philippines Tour – Part 1 Manila
My travel buddy Hamish and I arranged a trip to the main Filipino island of Luzon for late 2023. I followed the tried & trusted plan: 1) Create an itinerary by looking at the tours offered by international tour agencies at inflated prices 2) Find a local agency and ask them to price up a […]
Sunday Photos – Tagaytay, Philippines
On the last full day of my Luzon journey last year I headed south from Manila to the fishing town of Tagaytay. Fishing is however not what Tagatay is best known for. The Taal Volcano sits on an island in Taal Lake. The volcano has erupted countless times, most recently in 2020. Over the years, […]
Friday Photo – Streetwise Filipino Kids
On my recent visit to the Philippines I was struck by the happiness & friendliness of the people. Many don’t have much but are content with their lot. Family is the most important element for these hard-working, God-fearing people. In every town school is a focal point, often being the largest building in town. The […]
