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Created by Eugene Villar.

Back from Davao

Forgive me for neglecting this blog. I had too many things going on and I am still swamped... was in Davao City for work. I feel really tired but also awed and inspired. It's the same feeling I get everytime I travel outside Manila -- be it just within or outside the Philippines. The trip was once again for work so I didn't get to see the usual tourist sights. The Marco Polo Hotel made up for it though :).

Stories and photos in my next post.

Scenes from my trip to Leyte

Visiting Leyte always conjures up images of my childhood -- lazy summer days spent swimming on the river, dressing up first as an angel then Reyna Elena in the annual Santacruzan, fiestas, full moons spent playing hide and seek or patintero... this was already my third visit for work and it still feels good to be back in Leyte. Never mind that I really didn't get to see the tourist sights or that I wasn't able to go home to Maasin in Southern Leyte. It was enough to observe our projects, meet our beneficiaries in Abuyog and Jaro, eat yummy seafood and just breathe in the provincial air. Here are some photos from my trip:
We took the early morning flight to Tacloban and it was nice to witness the sunrise after a looooong time. Worth waking up early and feeling groggy at the airport. I just hid behind my big shades.






Our project site in Abuyog was located beside this rice field. Abuyog can be reached via a 2 hour drive from Tacloban. When we were there, the heat was too much. The office transformed into a sauna! So we opted to hold the meeting outside with the cool breeze. We actually took refuge under the trees and took photos in between work.





I found this carabao grazing on the field beside our project site. It was a weekday but it felt like an endless Sunday afternoon... There is not much to see in Abuyog and this trip was really for work. We went back to Tacloban for our late lunch of yummy seafood at Ocho's Grill.


More photos in the coming days...

Off to another adventure!

I was planning to post my photos of my weekend to show you how it went. Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted all the photos I took since Friday night while tinkering with the camera! Geez... Anyways, I am doing last minute packing (what else is new?) for a trip. Yup, as the title of this post says, I am off to another adventure! This time, to the island of my childhood and my youth...

I'll be back in a few days I hope with stories to share. To quote General Mac Arthur: "I shall return!" Have a great week, friends! :)

Photo courtesy of GoAsia.About.com

Hop-on Hop-off Metro Manila City Tour

Good news for tourists and locals who want to explore Metro Manila sans the hassle of taking public transportation or dealing with overcharging taxi drivers! I stumbled upon an article on Business World's Weekender on the launch of the Hop-on Hop-off air-conditioned jeepneys offering tours around Metro Manila.

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano and Senator Richard Gordon had actually launched 21 jeepneys last month which explained the airconditioned jeepney adorned with Wow Philippines decors I saw along Ayala Avenue in Makati City a few weeks ago. I thought it was just one of those air-con jeepneys in Makati. The plan is to "have a total of 60 passenger jeepneys in its fleet in the first year of operations. The first phase will ply the route of Manila, Makati and Eastwood while the second phase includes the establishment of Hop-On Hop-Off links to nearby tourist destinations like Tagaytay, Clark in Pampanga and Subic in Olo"The Hopngapo." "

From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, the jeepneys will ply the streets of Makati and Manila. The tour starts at the airport with stop-overs in the Orchidarium, Coconut Palace, National Museum, Intramuros, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Ayala Museum, Ayala Center, SM Mall of Asia and the best hotels in Makati and Manila. So the next time I see one of these jeepneys, I might just hop on!

For more information or franchise inquiries on the Hop-On Hop-Off program, dial 635.2148 local 106 or email info@citytour.com.ph.