The Philippines is filled with a bevy of beaches that are wonderful and world-famous (think Boracay), but the real charm is in the small towns that no one visits, not even Filipinos touring in their own country. My friend and I decided to visit Iloilo because the Guimaras was nothing like it was marketed to …
Category Archives: Experiences
Sugar Beach: Not the “Next Boracay”—Better
Nearly every nice beach in the Philippines is billed as the “next Boracay” and Sugar Beach was no exception. Fortunately, it was nothing like Boracay, except perhaps beautiful. Sugar Beach was isolated, calm and relaxing. Unlike Boracay, it isn’t really “discovered” yet, so it’s far more enjoyable and affordable. Getting to Sugar Beach is no …
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Palawan: The Last Frontier of the Philippines
Palawan is marketed by the Filipino tourism board as the “Last Frontier” of the Philippines. Situated out in the Sulu Sea and at least an hour flight from Luzon, the Visayas or Mindanao, it really does seem like the last frontier of the Philippines. Palawan seemed very different from the rest of the Philippines. Puerto …
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I finally made it to the Philippines
I’ve been trying to visit the Philippines for several years. I even bought tickets a couple of times in the past. Something usually came up that prevented me from going (that something was usually work). I was chatting with a friend about how I really wanted to go and she said she did too, so …
Photos: The Bugs of Borneo
Walking and hiking around Niah and Mulu Caves I came across a lot of bugs. And I mean a lot. This is a full on jungle and the bugs here are huge and they are everywhere. Some of the photos are not very good, but they at least give you an idea of what I …
Gunung Mulu National Park, Mulu Caves
While Borneo overall did not impress me, Mulu Caves did. Not the park, which was oddly managed and lacked basic essentials, but the caves. They were stunning. The park is literally in the middle of an impenetrable jungle. The only way in or out is by plane. The park lacked basic supplies like flashlights—hello, caves!—and …
Bust in Borneo
I was not too happy to be leaving Cambodia, my favorite country. Nonetheless, I had always wanted to visit Borneo and was excited to finally have the opportunity. Little did I know what I was in for on this trip. Borneo is administered by three countries—Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. There is little in the Indonesian …
Sun in Sihanoukville, Cambodia
I knew Cambodia had beaches, but I hadn’t really heard much about them or how beautiful and relaxing they were. The bus ride to Sihanoukville from Seam Reap was daunting at nearly 13 hours over dirt roads and paved roads that were not much better. When we finally made it we were faced with aggressive tuk …
Angkor in Photos
The Angkor complex is one of my favorite places. The temples and structures are truly amazing. There is little I could say to do them justice, so I will simply post some photos I took. I literally took over 1000 images over a three day period of touring the complex. This was my second visit …
Time on the Tonle Sap
The Tonle Sap is a giant lake in Cambodia that increases and decreases in size based on the rains. During certain times of the year it even connects with the Mekong River. Our guide suggested I visit a small floating village on the lake called Kompong Phluk. This floating village is actually much less touristy …