The Island Explorer

Canvas is a new bistro bar that have been the recent trend in food hotspots in the country today. Cebu really is a treasure chest for great restaurants, that serve unique dining experiences. Canvas is the newest restaurant to open in the Terraces of Ayala Center Cebu, and it has shot up my list of best restaurants for the year. Canvas calls itself a bistro bar, so it's a casual restaurant during the daytime, and a bar during night time. I heard that there were a lot of plans for this bar, which could turn it into a happening venue for the social class. The kitchen opens up to the dining area, so you get to see and smell what's being cooked. The kitchen staff looked experienced, and seemed to enjoy what they were doing. I was really looking at how they cook the food from my seat. I observed their technique and plating, which really impressed me. I was surprised to see how affordable the offerings were. It was a well planned menu, not too many and not too few. It was als

The Gustavian is here in Manila, and has found its home rightfully in Eastwood Mall. The Gustavian is an established restaurant in Cebu. When I first tried Gustavian years back, I immediately fell in love with the place, even though the food was not 5-star for me. So take note, a dining experience sometimes is not just about the food. The ambience can really make everything feel and taste better. Even before Chelsea, the Gustavian was already making waves in the Queen City of the South. The branch here in Manila is small though, and can only accommodate 50 guests, which I think is good. At least, it won't get rowdy. I like their sandwiches, since they are simple and relatively inexpensive. I ordered a Forest Ham panini (P160) which was lacking in flavor. The panini bread was great though. My sister ordered a Spaghetti Pesto (P180) which was better than I expected. We were here for a snack, so we weren't able to order more. I'm happy that the Gustavian is now here in Manila,

I recently went a spontaneous trip to Resorts World in Newport City in front of NAIA 3. We were supposed to have dinner at the Fort, but I drove myself up McKinley, and eventually found myself heading straight to NAIA3 like I was on auto-pilot. I was missing traveling I guess. I was surprised at the casino hotel. I immediately felt I wasn't in Manila, but more of Macau. Resorts World hasn't been completed yet, but I envision the hotel to make waves once it fully opens. The decor is luxurious, red and gold furnishings with modern elements. I went there to meet the barkada, but I arrived early, so I booked us seats in a restaurant inside the casino area. The casino area is the only facility that is open so far. Of course, I couldn't take a picture of the casino, but it looks like any modern Macau or Vegas casino. It's that good, way better than the PAGCOR one in Paranaque. Though I don't gamble, I took a shot in doing slots. I got a membership card which I used in the

Bongao feels more like an island town than Jolo. You can still see a lot of trees, and the topography is hilly. Thus, you don't see a lot of rice fields. Downtown, the action is pleasant and vibrant. Lots of umbrellas in different colors lined up the streets around the public market. We took a short drive around town, starting with the market. We moved to the Chinese pier as they call it, where a lot of Chinese traders have their warehouses and boats filled with various merchandise from Malaysia and Indonesia. In fact, there was a boat sailing to Sandakan in Malaysia. The trip supposedly takes 8 hours, which I think is not bad. Tawi-Tawi is just beside Sabah, so it's practically part of it already. I really didn't feel threatened here, and they don't seem to look like Muslims. It's just like any other Filipino town. I was happy to see more smiles here, than in Jolo. The people don't seem to complain, but you can see that poverty still abounds. We moved uphill to

We decided to head back to Bongao, and pass some more spots that we could along the way. We actually took a path that encircled Bud Bongao. There were a lot of green on one side, and to the other, blue all the way. Of course, Tawi-Tawi won't look the same without the houses on stilts built by the Tausugs and the Badjaos. Tawi-Tawi is also known to be an area for migrants from Malaysia and Indonesia, though I heard most of them are not happy that they are here. Nevertheless, they put up residence on bamboo stilts on the shallow white sand beaches along the coast. Some of the areas we passed by were entire communities that looked like a village on stilts. Some houses were abandoned though. Some even had the flags of their tribes on poles. The sun was setting on the other side of Bud Bongao, though some of the rays pierced through to give us a dramatic setting. We found a sand bar that stretched to sea for around 200 meters. Yes, that was long, and it gave us a very nice vantage point

Landing in Tawi-Tawi was a dream. I never thought that this would be the year that I would be going to the Southern most province of the country. Hence, I didn't make any plans. I only have one night here, so I wanted to make the most out of the trip. Of course, that would mean hitting the beach. After the frustrating no-beach experience in Sulu, I made sure I would be stopping by to get some sand on my feet. After all, I knew Tawi-Tawi was safe, and the people were nodding their heads when I kept asking if we could go to the beach. So, after work, we headed straight to the store, bought some beer and chips, and made out way South of town. Actually, there would be no problem looking for a beach here, since they're everywhere on the coast. We passed by a coastal road that had a lot of white coral beaches, but most of them had houses on stilts. So we moved further away from town to find a secluded spot. And this is where we ended up in. Coconut trees were swaying to the gentle br

From Jolo, we went back to Zamboanga to catch another Sea Air flight to our next exotic destination, southern most province of the country, Tawi-Tawi. We already felt we had a private plane to ourselves, since we always rode the same plane. The view from above was not as clear, and the flight was deafening and longer. It took us 1 and a half hours from Zamboanga to Bongao, the capital of Tawi-Tawi. As soon as I saw Bud Bongao, the highest peak in these islands, I was having headaches from the sudden descent. Our pilot had to go around again and take another chance in landing the small aircraft. So we landed safely, and awaited for our gracious hosts. I immediately sensed Tawi-Tawi was going to be different from Sulu. We had no police escorts, and the presence of the military dwindled. We rode a red multicab and drove off to the center of Bongao town, passing by the coastline and going around Bud Bongao. We arrived in our hotel, Rachel's Place, which is one of the 4 accommodations i

When I heard that I was going to Sulu for a shoot, I almost fell off my chair in excitement. Despite all the warnings and numerous prevention measures by my friends, I was able to hop on a plane to Zamboanga City, for my Sea Air flight enroute to Jolo, the capital of Sulu. I expected Sulu to be beautiful, after hearing all the nice places there from people who have been there. We were descending already when I saw these island patches and long sandbars, with houses on stilts. I have never seen anything like that. Well, if there were inhabitants there, then there must be a way of going there. We landed at the airport, which was bombed a week before we arrived. The runway was being constructed, so we had to board a jeep to take us to the terminal. I must say, the military presence and feel of the place scared me a bit. And after hearing the news about the recent bombing, I really felt uneasy. But, excitement still won me over, and I hastily jumped into our jeepney service that was follow