Our Journey
We love travel and adventure. We were both born in Metro Manila, Philippines but have lived in other places the past 20 years, individually and as a couple. Nina had worked briefly in Davao City. As a married couple we lived in Baguio City for 6 years while our work took us to various countries in Asia. In 2006 we arrived to work in San Diego, California but came back to our home country in 2008 to settle down in Quezon City. Today, after reflecting about all the places we've traveled to in the past 15 years, we thought we'd like to share with friends and the rest of the cyber world the memories of the people and places we have visited.
Sunset at the Marina, San Diego
Our travel to various places allowed us not only to widen our horizons, meet other people and appreciate the uniqueness of other cultures. It also made us appreciate the beauty of the Philippines and its people more. Each country has its own wonders and attractions and there is still so much of the world that we have only seen in pictures so far. But our hearts will always be with these 7,100 islands. With those many islands one can take a lifetime trying to take in all of the Philippines' charms.
Shoestring Travelers
Here's another reason for this website: we are firm believers that one need not spend extravagantly to enjoy travel. We have become shoestring travelers not as a matter of choice but as a matter of necessity. Many well-known tourist spots especially in the Philippines are characterized by expensive travel fare and accommodations.
However there are a multitude of travel destinations in the Philippines that are only now being discovered and whose beauty and charm are arguably beyond the more popular locations. The islands, coves and sand bars of the Caramoan Peninsula in Bicol are truly a Survivor's (and a shoestring traveler's) Paradise. The powdery white sand beaches of Romblon and the Calaguas Islands in Camarines Norte are said to be as good if not better than Boracay's - but without the crowds and the overdevelopment. And then there are the pinkish sand beaches of Subic (not the former US naval base) and Tikling in the sleepy port town of Matnog, Sorsogon.
The bigger of the two Subic Beaches, Matnog, Sorsogon
One need not even go very far from Manila to enjoy such immaculate beauty. The Anawangin, Talisayin and Nagsasa Coves in San Antonio, Zambales are just a stone's throw away from Subic and easily accessible. One can enjoy the beauty of these and other destinations with a limited budget and a willingness to consider the inconveniences associated with travel as part of the bigger adventure. So join us as we travel on a shoestring to different destinations in the Philippines and beyond.
Jade-green waters off the beach in Nagsasa Cove, San Antonio,
Zambales
Philippine Destinations