The Island Explorer

2010 was a whirlwind year for me. One, I was too busy with work, which means I visited more places. It went to the point that I didn't keep track of where I was. It was also a year of new discoveries, and expanding horizons. I finally made it to Basilan, which means I have been to the entire ARMM. Basilan though was not a notable travel experience for me, except for the fact that I lost my Blackberry there. Two, I felt I was getting older, thus, my needs for travel started to change. I looked for more relaxing places, if not luxurious. However, there were still times that I yearned for a backpack adventure. I had a memorable journey to the Lombok and the Gilis in Indonesia. I also made it to Europe this year, hence the delay in my posts in December. 2010 was definitely not my ordinary year in travel. 10. Thunderbird, Poro Point, La Union From Pangasinan, we decided to take a quick side trip to La Union, since I really haven't been there to explore. We ended up staying a nig...

One Tagaytay Place may not be known to many, since the Genesis-managed hotel is located at the other ned of Aguinaldo Highway, on the way to Highlands. And there's really no clear signboard. So when we were looking for the hotel, we were keeping our eyes open.

From the South, all the way up North. Friends, let me take you to another spontaneous trip up the famous coasts of La Union, to a place that I called heaven for 2 days. That heaven is called Thunderbird Resort in Poro Point.

I'm a crazy traveler, and I think I have inspired others to follow my craziness. Hence, one day, when we were in Davao, our group decided to just head off spontaenously to Saranggani province, which is just 3 hours away. Well, think it's just Batangas if you're living in Davao, so it's not that bad.

I have been open about my love relationship with Samal, and again, she impressed me with this place. Around 30 minutes drive from the roro port of Samal from Davao City, we arrived at a dark night at Maxima by the Sea, a house that literally is built on water.

I began exploring the Philippines and sharing my experiences because I felt that the government is not actively promoting our beautiful country as it should be. I felt the need to contribute, hence The Island Explorer was born. I tried to pick up some of my past travels around the country and show everyone how much can be seen. And I am just focusing on islands, beaches and natural wonders. I'm not even touching much on festivals, cultural monuments and the like. I featured restaurants, resorts, hotels, tours and destinations that are deserving attention. I expanded my blog to featuring my travels in South East Asia, which is more of a frustrating release after seeing how the tourism industries in our neighbors are flourishing. I remember hiking in China, and being asked by a group of European backpackers who were traveling the world: Where is the Philippines? Imagine, they didn't even know where it was. Like we were out of the map. And we were, to most of these travelers, si...

Our short vacation in El Nido was coming to an end, and believe me, those days were not even close to enough to truly enjoy and explore this beautiful place.