Travel Safely: A Guide to Basilan Province

Basilan Travel Guide

I experienced Basilan and it was a splendor of sumptuous seafood and flavorful halal dishes, uncrowded natural wonders and a melting pot of culture from people brimming with hope and promise. I think more than a decade a apart since my first visit was enough to see how Basilan has changed. I’m not here to erase the stigma that has attached to the province (as in with any other places) but to highlight the other side which not many people have seen yet. If you’re willing and have an open mind, a couple of cities in Basilan, namely Isabela de Basilan and Lamitan, are ripe and ready for tourism.

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Pasig River Ferry 2021 Update: Bimodal Travel in Manila

Pasig River Ferry at Escolta

It’s the Chinese new year and I wanted to revisit Binondo, the oldest Chinatown in the world. I knew celebrations this 2021 will be quite different due to the pandemic. But since I haven’t been to this part of Manila, I thought it would be interesting to bike around the area. This time, I went bimodal too. Trying out the Pasig River Ferry service from Guadalupe to Escolta, then back to San Joaquin, Pasig in the evening. So how is it like to travel on a water vessel with my folding bike this pandemic?

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Travel Guide Dinagat Islands

Dinagat Islands Travel Guide

There’s a sense of fascination the province of Dinagat Islands exudes. This small remote province in Caraga region is both old and new. An old community that believed in gods and goddesses existed way back the pre-colonial area. At the same time, Dinagat island is young and recently established in 2006. Nevertheless, the island province is still under the radar of many travelers who prefer the nearby provinces like Siargao. For those looking for raw, un-commercialized and roughing it out destination, this place would be appealing. It’s not for those looking to party, food binge on restaurants or shop as there aren’t many commercial establishments here yet.

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Sibuyan Island Travel Guide

Open field walk at Sibuyan Island

Isolated to the rest of the world since the ice age, and never connected to any Philippine archipelago since history, Sibuyan Island’s seclusion has kept its pristine state since geological formation. With the seismic forces pushing its jagged mountain peaks up to 2,000 meters above sea, much Sibuyan Island is untouched. Naturalist and scientist around the world were quick to give the island a moniker, “Galapagos if Asia”. The island itself has its own character, having one of the richest concentration of endemic flora and fauna. The island also has the densest forest in the world.

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