airphil express

Legazpi City, Albay: Chasing the Naked Majesty of Mayon Volcano

Posted on March 14, 2013

Photographing Mt Mayon – the most perfectly shaped volcano in the world besides Mt Fuji – was like courting a finicky schoolgirl. For five days, I pursued her from Daraga to Legazpi to Tabaco, only to be teased by her lifting her skirt of rain clouds for a fleeting glimpse of her feet. On worse days, she was weeping behind her impenetrable veil. My tenacity was finally rewarded a few hours before my flight to Manila with her revealing her nakedRead More→

Lake Sebu: Support the Newly Rebuilt T’boli School of Living Traditions (SLT)!

Posted on February 5, 2013

My T’boli family at the new School of Living Traditions (SLT) The T’boli School of Living Traditions (SLT) in Lake Sebu I helped raised funds for was finished late last year. Nearly 50 donors made financial contributions to the project, amounting to PHP 60,000. Solar News Network also pitched in to help, donating PHP 50,000. As I was in the USA for more than three months, I unfortunately missed the reopening of the school, run by T’boli cultural worker Maria “Oyog”Read More→

Perhentian Islands, Terengganu: Snorkeling for Sea Turtles and Black Tip Sharks! [SP]

Posted on August 6, 2012

Soaking up the sun at Turtle Beach in Pulau Perhentian Besar (Big Island), Terengganu From rainforest to reef, we shuttled northwards from Taman Negara to some of Peninsular Malaysia’s purest shores – the Perhentians, a pair of jungle-clad islands in the northeast state of Terengganu, near the Thai border. Pulau Perhentian Kecil (Small Island) is the more popular island with budget and midrange accommodations along its popular beaches such as Long Beach and Coral Bay, and more upscale options inRead More→

Taman Negara, Pahang: Exploring the Oldest Tropical Rainforest on Earth! [SP]

Posted on July 31, 2012

Hiking to Bukit Terisek viewpoints Located at the heart of Peninsular Malaysia, Taman Negara – or “National Park” – has been dated to be 135 million years old, and considered by many to be the oldest tropical rainforest in the world. The gateway to the national park is the town of Jerantut, where the Kuala Tembeling jetty serves as a jump-off point for a three-hour riverboat ride to the village of Kuala Tahan in the middle of the rainforest. KualaRead More→

EAZY Traveler Wins the Airphil Express Kuala Lumpur Blogger Adventure Contest! [SP]

Posted on June 25, 2012

Terima Kasih, Airphil Express and Tourism Malaysia! Photo by Antonio Carranza In conjunction with Airphil Express’ inaugural flight to Kuala Lumpur, the Philippines’ fastest growing budget airline specially invited seven Filipino travel bloggers, including myself, on an all-expense paid trip for three days – from June 21 to 24 – to the Malaysian capital, which is the airlines’ third international route. This trip was made possible, in cooperation with Tourism Malaysia. I was really looking forward to this trip becauseRead More→

Kuala Lumpur: Snacking at Yut Kee Restaurant, An 84-Year-Old Kopitiam [SP]

Posted on June 24, 2012

Yut Kee specialties – roti babi and pork chop Yut Kee – one of the last authentic kopitiams in Kuala Lumpur After returning from Cameron Highlands, we met up with some Malaysian bloggers, who treated us to a snack at Yut Kee Restaurant, one of the last remaining authentic kopitiams in Kuala Lumpur. Traditionally, kopitiams were owned by Hainanese families who knew their patrons very well. Today, many of these businesses have moved to managing large scale restaurants that serveRead More→