Okay, it ain’t the getaway you have in mind. Maybe it shouldn’t be called a getaway at all. But hey, we’re talking about the Philippines’ rainy season here. And like me, perhaps you’re not game for the outdoors because you’d rather surf the channels on cable and ‘swim in a deep sea of blankets’. If…
Author: Gay Mitra
Mt Melibingoy (Mt Parker) and Lake Holon (Lake Maughan), T’boli, South Cotabato: All Hail This Hike!
Tbilisi, The City That Loves You (Or So The Slogan Says)
Tough love, perhaps? Let me take you back to the start. One balmy Georgian morning, my elbow was perched on the edge of an immigration counter in Tbilisi International Airport. My foot, tapping in impatience. I couldn’t read the officer’s face. “Shall I transfer to the visa on arrival counter?”, I whispered to the hubby….
The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
Luna’s head plowed forward like a bull about to gore someone. Or something. I frantically chased her around. Ducked here and there to avoid knocking tourists out. Every second I hoped to see hubby’s face in the tourist buzz. I was waiting for his return. Minutes ago he quickly walked back to our hotel, about…
TigerAir Offers Its Inaugural Flights To Phuket At P3,499 Only!
TigerAir, Asia-Pacific’s leading value-for-money airline is now offering Manila-Phuket at Php3,499 roundtrip ticket, all in. This special inaugural fare may be purchased until August 4 only. Travel date for tickets sold is September 3 and 7. Karon Beach beckons! We’re probably coming back sooner than expected. Since its official entry into the Philippie skies last…
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: Couchsurfing A Ger
Eventually, we were freed from the claws of Ulaanbaatar’s traffic snarl-up. For the first time in four days of being in the country, we left the city center to bask in Mongolia’s famed greenness. Aboard our Couchsurfing host Minjin’s car, we were cruising the outskirts of the capital in search of another Couchsurfer’s residence. That…
Pink Manila Hostel Review: The Hostel Of Awesome
It must have been my fourth bottle of the night. I bummed a smoke off an American and invited myself to a circle of conversation about Caucasus and how blatantly Middle Eastern the other American guy’s nose is. The guy himself revealed his Armenian heritage later on which led us to the touchy discussion of…
Vientiane, Laos: Wat Si Saket And Ho Phra Kaew
The oppressive warmth of the late summer rays turned the relatively short stroll into a chore. The occasional sight of drivers sleeping on hammocks hanging in their tuk-tuks made me wish I was also in the middle of a siesta in our Funky Monkey Hostel room — not minding its funky smell. Vientiane, although a…
Allah Valley Tour 2013: A Fleeting Glimpse
“Sometimes the best decisions are the ones you make in an instant with your heart rather than the ones long-debated in your mind.”, I once read. Not too long ago, more than 7,800 kilometers away, I said ‘yes’ to an Allah Valley Familiarization Tour email invite (from LGSP-LED and AVLDA) as if it was the…
Cebu Pacific’s Juan For Fun Backpacker Challenge 2013
It’s back! One big adventure. All for free. Once again, Cebu Pacific is looking for five teams (each team consisting of three college students) who are up for an adventure all over the Philippines. The challenge to the teams is to have the most number of fun activities within the duration of the trip (August…