We luckily got the last two seats on an 11-hour overnight bus from Manila to Legazpi, where we would take 1.5 hr van ride to Donsol for one reason only – the whale sharks. Our outdated Lonely Planet guide reported that hundreds of whale sharks could be seen this time of year and how could […]
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Batad, rightfully deemed a UNESCO World Heritage site, lies in the Banaue rice terraces, nine hours north of Manila. Only accessible on foot this remote village escaped the Spanish invasion and therefore maintained its heritage with traditions dating back thousands of years. The origin of Batad, according to the oral history of the Ifugao people, […]
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With Lonely Planet’s glowing recommendation of the village of Batad, nestled within the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Banaue Rice Terraces, we knew that a visit here was guaranteed to find a place on our itinerary. Even the 9 hour bus ride through winding, pot-hole ridden roads wasn’t enough to dissuade us! We arrived […]
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Manila, with its dense population of 17 million, constant traffic congestion and brightly painted jeepneys (imagine the offspring of a school bus and a pick-up truck), can be an overwhelming city when taken as a whole. When dividing Manila into bite-sized pieces, however, the idiosyncrasies of the city become more manageable as you uncover Manila’s hidden gems. […]
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