Batangas: a quick escape from Manila

We just enjoyed a four day weekend; three of which were spent on the beach of south Luzon. (Luzon is the island Manila is part of). It was nice to finally take a trip without a jet and carbon guilt (well, still a little). As an American, road trips are part of my soul. The roads are surprisingly nice once you get on the Skyway, and a cruising speed of 130km/h was the result of too much caffeine and confinementRead more

Massive fire north of Makati, Manila – November 16, 2009

I looked out my living room window to see this massive blaze north of Makati, Manila. I searched the news and Twitter but didn’t see any reports at all. I took photos and video with the Canon 5D mk II and a 70-200mm + 1.4x teleconverter *Update* – I found the following news article this morning: MANILA – A fire hit a slum area in Mandaluyong City Monday evening and burned an estimated 1,000 homes affecting about 5,000 families. TheRead more

Boracay

Imagine… … strolling through pure white flour, sifting baby powder through your warm toes, or meandering through a path of cocaine* as far as the eye can see. Now, amplify that intensity by adding a dab of blue to the horizon; blue the color of afternoons forever spent on your back massaging shapes from clouds. At first glance you fight back the urge to lay down and lick and lap at what surely must be powdered sugar from Willy Wonka’sRead more

Flying through Typhoon Mirinae (aka Santi)

We’re scheduled to fly from Boracay to Manila tomorrow – exactly when Typhoon Mirinae (known locally as Santi) is scheduled to hit Manila directly. Being new to the whole typhoon thing, we’re unsure as to how dangerous it actually is to fly through one, but it’s not an experience I feel I need to check off my list of things to do. Philippine Airlines has cancelled over 50 domestic and international flights into and out of Manila beginning tonight. OurRead more