3 National Symbols of the Philippines

• The Philippine Flag. The flag of the Philippines is commonly known as the "Three Stars and a Sun". The royal blue part of the flag symbolizes justice, peace and truth, while the scarlet red part represents bravery, courage and honor. The three stars represents Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the three major parts of the Philippines. Finally, the eight rayed sun symbolizes the 8 provinces that started the 1896 Philippine Revolution, Batangas, Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Manila, Tarlac, Bulacan, Pampanga and Cavite.

Something unique on the Philippine flag: If the Philippines is at war, the flag is turned upside down, where the red side is up.

from wikipedia.org

• The Sampaguita. The Sampaguita (sam-pa-gee-ta) is the Philippine's national flower. In where I live, San Pedro in Laguna, it's actually called the Sampaguita Capital of the Philippines. We also celebrate an annual Sampaguita Festival.  

The Sampaguita festival is a really fun event to experience. It's filled with tons of street dancing, exhibitions and a hell of a lot of dance contests. Everyone participating is seen with a garment of sampaguita, may it be a necklace, bracelet, crown, or maybe even their underpants (I'm kidding, who would wear a flower crown?). You might also see floats and a parade!

from dipologcity.com

• Philippine National Food? From my knowledge, the Philippines has lots of "national foods", all of which are disputed. I personally like Lechon which is a whole roasted suckling pig, 

from pangbahay.com

I love Lechon, especially it's toasted, crispy skin! However, they also say that adobo is the national dish. Adobo is meat marinated in a sauce of soy sauce and vinegar. Another disputed National Dish is sinigang, a soup with pork / fish and tamarinds. Sinigang = very sour.

***

That's it. Thank you for reading!

Sorry, that the plan of Stockholm's Parks in Winter didn't do so well, so I scrapped the idea. Maybe next week?

Read More:

 Jollibee (Should be considered the Philippines' national fast food chain)

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POST ROUNDUP - The Philippines Trip {Dec. 2013 - Jan. 2014}

Our holiday to the Philippines has been so much fun, and as you read this, I'm already at Stockholm in School. Here's a rather new segment of the blog, Post Roundup, which will recap the posts for you. Enjoy!

• Highly Recommended Posts To Read

Group Bonding at the Alabang Town Center  - It has been five, almost six, months since I've seen the people which I normally see every weekday, so it was awesome to spend a day with them at the mall and arcade we love!

EATS: Conti's Bakeshop & Restaurant (Greenbelt)  - After the scrumptious scrambled eggs served with my tapa and the clubhouse sandwich with French-bread, Conti's really proved to me that they serve the best cakes ever.

The University of the Philippines  - It's been four years since I've been here, and it's really great to see the Oblation and the Sunken Garden again.

EATS: Love Desserts -  A buffet of ice cream, pastries, chocolate mousse and peach cream in shot glasses and cakes all for PHP 199 (~ $ 4.50). Experienced with an awesome bunch of travellers too, this has been one of the most unforgettable experiences in the Philippines ever!

Conti's Bakeshop and Restaurant

The University of the Philippines' Oblation Statue

• More Awesome Philippines Posts

Jollibee  -  Probably one of the most iconic things in the Philippines. No trip to Manila is complete without experiencing Jollibee, a fast food chain that offers a range of hamburgers, fried chicken and even pasta, for a very affordable price.

The Filipino New Years   -   Experiencing the replacement of the old year to the next year is incomplete in the Philippines without knowledge on some of the superstitions we Filipinos follow, like jumping at the stroke of midnight and those 12 round fruits. 

Festival Supermall   -   One of the popular malls in our area is undergoing a "facelift like no other", where it will expand its area to accommodate much more shops and restaurants and attract loads more people. 

Greenbelt Mall  - Another Philippine mall that offers a wider range of boutiques, shops and clothing stores, all of which may be a pure Filipino brand, or one of the more internationally known brand. Greenbelt Mall also has a chapel, and features numerous food stalls and eateries. 

Street Food @ UP  -  Street food has been a part of Philippine neighbourhoods for as long as I can think of. It features a bicycle with an attached cart filled with cooking needs and even a stove!

EATS: Starbucks at the Greenbelt  -  It's Starbucks. Let it speak for itself.

EATS: Rodic's Diner at U.P - Rodic's is a diner in the University of the Philippines' Shopping Center which serves their all time best seller, tapa. This blog post is exclusive for Facebook Page Likers, but you can still click to read the post. 

Jollibee at Festival Supermall

Rodic's Diner @ U.P Diliman

***

Read More --
Eats: Chopsticks Restaurant and Asian Buffet (Stockholm)

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EATS: Love Desserts

After our trip to the University to the Philippines, we went to Trinoma and to SM City North Edsa (I was going to blog about these two, but there was not enough content). We met with a ton of good friends of my auntie and uncle.

These good friends (I think) they met via WOWTrippers (Backpacking adventures to the Philippines!). It was the owner of WOWTrippers' birthday (Janine / J9!) and we met her at the TriNoma Foodcourt.

After a hell of a lot of browsing in at a store that sells backpacking and hiking gear (Good Lord, I hope my description of the store is correct), we went on a car journey to a place that has a buffet. But this is not an ordinary type of buffet, this was a dessert buffet (diabetes for everyone!)

NOTE: Once you see a word "shot" on this blog post, it was a non-alcoholic thing, and was purely cream, toppings and calories. I'm not that stupid to consume alcohol. It was just in a shot glass, that's all.

When we got there, we just sat down for a literal five seconds before everyone got up, got plates and browsed the selection of desserts.

There was an array of cakes and pastries, cookie jars were present, so was tarts. On the other side, the  crew was making fresh crepes, make-your-own halo-halo (shaved ice with toppings! very Filipino), ice cream and toppings and three drinks, water, iced tea and boba (pearl milk tea / buble tea)

From Top Left, Clockwise: Smarties Cookie, Cookies & Cream Shot (non-alcoholic),
Brownie and a Mini Tart.

Off the bat, I didn't want to try any cakes, because they were heavy on the stomach. The cookie, brownie and the tart tasted the same, which was very surprising. The Cookies & Cream shot was awesome. 

I also wanted a crepe. They had four crepe flavor options, and I took strawberry. Tita (auntie) Janine and Tita Joy opted for the blueberry crepe. Crepe tasted purely like jam. 

The best part of this was the shots (Please read the note above if you haven't already) and the ice cream. The ice cream I had was vanilla and strawberry. They also offered three shots, Cookies & Creme, Peach and Chocolate Mousse. The Cookies & Cream one was to die for. I would have it every day if it wasn't for the weight I'd gain and the diabetes I'd get. 

From Left - Cookies and Cream, Peach Shot, Chocolate Mousse

The buffet of desserts was incredibly affordable, at PHP 199 (~ USD 4). I would say that I mostly enjoyed this EATS because of the company I had, which was friends with my uncle and auntie. I didn't enjoy the food that much, maybe because I sampled the same things all over again. Hope to change that.

***

CONTI'S BAKESHOP & RESTAURANT 

Contis' has the best cakes I've ever tasted. Really.

How To Make Simple Cheese Crackers {Recipe}

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UPDATE | Farewell Philippines!

The Philippines trip has been a blast, and the Holidays are almost over. I had 10 extra days here, but today is the day where I say goodbye to the Philippines for now.

This trip has been amazingly fun, and I coped with the weather better than I expected. It was nice to see the family and friends after about half a year in Europe.

The posts from the Philippines will still continue until January 12, of which there will be no post for the following day (13 January), just for jetlag allowance.

If any of my family is reading this post, I will surely miss you, but this is not the end. I have a great, travelling filled life ahead of me, and you can always read what I experience in this blog. Love y'all :)

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The University of the Philippines

Four years ago, my auntie and I went to the University of the Philippines - Diliman Campus, just to feel the physical environment and atmosphere for me, and a walk down memory lane for my auntie. Four years later, we went to it again, this time with my sister and uncle.

Before you go inside the campus, you will be welcomed by the U.P Oblation Statue in front of the Quezon Hall. You might think that the Oblation is just some random naked guy with outstretched arms with a head facing upwards, but it actually represents a person sacrificing himself for his country and depicting selflessness.

A superstition / urban myth goes that if you take a picture with the Oblation and you study at U.P,
you won't graduate.

We originally parked at the Vargas Hall, so we went there to get the car. We then drove to the U.P College of Law and stopped to take pictures of the Sunken Garden. 

It's sinking! Group yourselves into... (Who gets that reference?)

The Sunken Garden measures 5 hectares (12 acres). According to Wikipedia, the gardens sink about two inches per year, although there is no proven study that verifies this. It also says that it sinks because of the trenches below the garden itself connects to the Marikina Fault Line that runs across the east of Metro Manila.

We then went to the Art Circle near the Bahay Ng Alumni (translated as the Alumni's House). The Art Circle showcases great paintings, most of them (in our experience) were directing about the Philippines and Filipino life. 

People engaging in a cockfight.

A seemingly rural town.

We then planned to go to the Carillion Tower, but it was closed and no light was visible. That ended our trip to U.P.

I leave you with this shot I took in U.P, which is one of my favorite pictures ever.

***

Swedish Traditions (Crayfish, Midsummer, Etc)

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EATS: Jollibee @ Festival Mall

Ahhh Jollibee. If you roam around the streets of Manila, there's a 90% chance of you spotting one or two (or four, or twelve...), Jollibee is the most iconic Philippine fast food chain. It serves fried chicken, burgers, sandwiches and even pasta. 

We went to the Jollibee at the Festival Mall's fourth floor. No doubt, it was really busy. If you're living in Scandinavia, Jollibee is as busy, if not much more busier than Jensen's Böfhus. 

So they're famous for their Chickenjoy, which to me is a really weird name for fried chicken. My sister had this. 

I had the Burger Steak! They're basically two burger patties smothered with some kind of special gravy and a bit of mushrooms. The patties were "eh". I needed more gravy and mushrooms though.

Some fries on the side. There fries are really good because their long and crispy. Highly recommend!

Honestly, Jollibee is just one of those things that you need to experience when you're going to Manila, or the Philippines. Just get some fries and a Coke or whatever, and just experience the atmosphere. I really don't know if you'll like or hate the atmosphere, but as long as you experienced it. 

***

A 3 Million US Dollar Painting Inside An Apartment?

The Big, Huge, Fat, Gigantic, Fantastic Surprise On The 19th Of January!

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The Filipino New Years

Happy first day of 2014 people! How was your new years?

So to start the year off, I want to give y'all an insight (if you're not a Filipino) on what we Filipino people do on New Year's Eve. As always, these are superstitions that most of us follow.

Pancit. Photo from: vicenticos.com

• Eat Pancit. Pancit are just noodles. Filipinos call them differently, I think because of the type of pasta used and the meats and such served with the pasta. They believe that this represents having a longer life. 

• 12 Spherical Fruits. Watermelons, oranges, a cantaloupe, grapes, et patati et patata. I know that each fruit represents a month of the year, but I don't exactly know the significance of the "fruit" or the "round-shaped" element of it. 

• Polka-Dotty Attire. Some families have parties on the actual New Years' Eve (like our family always does) and count down for New Years Day. It's very, very common to see people wearing polka dots, signifying prosperity and wealth for the incoming year. The dots represents coins. 

• Aim High. Children commonly believe that you need to jump as high as you can in the exact minute of midnight, because they believe that it'll make them taller. 

• Get These Dang Spirits Away From Me. Again, at the stroke of midnight of the 31st, people normally roam their house screaming, and activating all sorts of noisemakers, blowing all kinds of whistles and so on... They believe that it drags all the negative spirits away from it's house.

• Boom. Finally, we Filipinos enjoy paputok (firecrackers). They should be activated either before, exactly or just after midnight and goes on until morning. Or if you're in a really festive neighbourhood, it might go on for the next week or two. No kidding. (They might also go off a week or even three weeks before!) 

Hope y'all have a prosperous and long life, so don't forget to eat your pancit and wear those polka dotted tee! :) 

PHILIPPINE'S BLOG POSTS WILL BEGIN TOMORROW! 

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2013 - FAVORITES {Happy New Year!}

2013 was a very ecstatic year. Lots of things happened, and I visited three countries (well, 2.. Hong Kong is a SAR of China) As every month ends, I always post a Favourites. But since a year will end, I figured to assemble all my favorite and most memorable moments of the whole year. Here they are:

- Hong Kong, 2013 - A prominent trip to Disneyland. Couldn't remember much (this post was posted like 4-6 months after the trip), but there was also a heck of a lot of night market trips. 

- Stockholm: The Vasa Museum - A ship sank on it's first voyage in the 1600's and was rebuilt (did I use a correct word to describe it?) with a really careful eye for detail. 

- Stockholm's City Hall - A quiet Sunday walk (almost) ended with a visit to Stockholm's City Hall. For me, it is one of the most iconic Swedish buildings ever.

- (Eats) Tim Tams from Australia! - I just love their dark chocolate ones :)

- The Stockholm City Museum - A class trip to a very educational and interactive museum showcasing the history of Stockholm. 

- Gamla Stan (Stockholm's Old Town) - An area with awesome building architecture, (some of my friends say that they have) good ice cream and a heck of a lot of museums to go to. 

- Munkedal, A Town Off Gothenburg - Sometimes all you need is good company, nature, and some potato and leek soup with fried bacon bits. 

- (Eats) All Star Sportsbar - Stockholm - The place where I started to get obsessed with sour cream / cool ranch dip. Try their mozzarella sticks.

- Bangkok, Thailand - A stop to get our Biometrics IC (Identification Card) for Sweden. Go to Terminal 21, probably my most favorite shopping mall, ever.

- Stockholm, Sweden - I've done numerous blog posts about Stockholm, and I live there. Go to Gamla Stan, and definitely check out the Vasa!! 

- Group Bonding @ Alabang Town Center - Blog post out on January 2! {shame that this was a spoiler}

*sigh*, this year was a blast. 2014 will come, and hopefully it'll be nice to us. Thank you for supporting my blog, everyone! This few months of blogging became kinda haggard with the charger and that....

I SHALL START TO POST MY ADVENTURES IN THE PHILIPPINES ON 2 JAN!
Starting with our unforgettable Group Bonding at the Alabang Town Center!

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KLM Royal Dutch Airlines -- Stockholm to Amsterdam (Experiences + Eats)

The airline we took for the whole flight is KLM Royal Dutch.

First flight was a two hour long one, from Stockholm's Arlanda to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. Thank God it wasn't a very turbulent flight.. I don't get motion sickness from planes, but I do get it from trains. <graphic>, I don't vomit though...

Upon boarding, we didn't get a personal entertainment system (I think that's what they call the small TV in front of you), understandable because it's just a short haul flight.

Unfortunately, the flight wasn't very "relaxing".... There was children onboard, and not those children who know to shut up when everyone's sleeping. There was a baby (I hope that's more specific) behind us, playing around with EVERYTHING.

EATS!

Whole Wheat Cucumber & Cheese Sandwich 

• I never knew that cucumber and cheese made a good combination for a sandwich. The sandwich was okay. I like the fact that they use whole wheat bread. Good for iron! 

Caramel Filled Chewy Cookie 

• Served as a snack to go with either tea, coffee (or what I took), Coke. It wasn't very sweet, but I like on how its chewy. I would take two if I could.

:)

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UPDATE| I'm At The Philippines Now!!

Ahh... the feeling you get when you go back to Asian soil. It just makes you giggle with excitement.

So I'm already at the Philippines, after an exhausting 21 hour flight from Stockholm to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Taipei and Taipei to Manila.

The next few blog posts will be about my experiences (and more EATS!) on the airlines, and with the actual process of travelling...

So excited for the days to come! Be aware that everything I do may be not inclined with the actual date... I'm going to schedule them.

Merry advance Christmas to all!

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5 More Days! {More Iconic Philippine Things}

We're boarding a flight to the Philippines on the 16th, and I'm so excited!  Here's a list of more iconic things you (and I) will find in the Philippines.

• Jollibee. Probably the most iconic food chain in the country. It sells everything from fried chicken, to burgers, to pasta, to breakfast... All sorts of stuff. I do like their Breakfast Burger Steak though (it's just basically a breakfast burger patty covered in gravy plus garlic rice).

• Street Food / Street Food Vendors. You will see tons of people cycling with carts of nuts, or "fish-balls" around Manila, or even your own neighbourhood. Prices? Very, very cheap. Don't forget to try kwek-kwek (quail eggs dipped in batter before being deep-fried)! Fish-balls aren't really "ball" shaped though. 

• Tricycles. I think tricycles are those bicycles with three wheels... But if you refer to them here in the Philippines, they mean a method of transportation, perfect when going short distances. They're made by affixing a side-car (to accommodate passengers) with a wheel plus a motorcycle.

• Sari-Sari Stores. Roughly translated, "sari-sari" means "variety". These kind of stores are just basically small spaces (it wouldn't be a surprise if they're even just on a house window) on a house, made for selling a variety of things to the neighbourhood. There are no big chains of these, and these are just mostly for neighbourhood convenience. The owners of these kind of stores are independent (mostly). 

A Typical Outside of a Sari-Sari Store

Picture from Wikipedia

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What I Expect When I Go Back To The Philippines?

This blog post will be a short "journal entry".

So were boarding a flight on the 16th (I forgot the exact date) to go back to the Philippines for Christmas. There's so many things I expect.

• The Weather. Goodness. From a snowy wonderland here in Stockholm to a humid, tropical place near the equator. I feel that I'll sense this even in my first hour after landing. That's a 30 degree (Celsius) difference!

• The Food. (Extreme Emphasis on Rice)  As a Filipino, I really do enjoy eating rice. But the past months of living in Stockholm, we're trying to eat healthier stuff, including stripping our rice from 1 to 3 portions of rice (breakfast, lunch and dinner) per day to 1 to 2 portions of rice per week. And we try to eat brown rice here, unlike white rice in the Philippines. But don't get me wrong, rice is awesome.

• The People. There are about 100 MILLION people living in the Philippines now, and there are about 9 Million living in Sweden. Take note that Sweden is also larger than the Philippines area wise.  

Merry (Advance) Christmas by the way :)

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THE PHILIPPINE SUPERTYPHOON

I hope most of you have heard the situation in the Philippines. The debris and everything are causing harm to the environment and to the people. 

On me and my family's behalf, I want to condole everyone whose families are acquainted with this situation. I want to say that it is very heartbreaking to see this much people suffer from natural phenomena. 

Everyone, please keep safe. Whether you're in this typhoon or you're very lucky enough to avoid it. Take care and keep safe.  

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Thoughts For Travelling PART 4: Renee Bamba

Thoughts for Travelling is one of my favorite blog segments, where I interview some of my friends about their point of view and experiences on travelling.

- Before we start, you might want to read the first three parts: 

-- T.f.T Part 3 - Shriya Sant  
-- T.f.T Part 2 - Daniele Grigaite
-- T.f.T Part 1 - Stephanie Younan

~~

PART 4: Renee Bamba -- One of the craziest people I know, Renee is undoubtedly one of my funniest friends from the Philippines. She describes herself as a bookworm and a musician 


1: What's your favorite city in the world and why?  

"I like Laguna (in the Philippines). It's because I already know the place." 

2: If you were given the chance to go to another country, where would you go?

"I want to go to Italy or the Vatican. I want to go there because my parents dream to go there too." 

3:  Where should we go in Laguna? Any recommendations? Experiences?

"I would recommend going to the Pagsanjan Falls, because it is really peaceful there. Plus, you can eat beside it for a different, but relaxing experience."

4: Name five words that go in your mind if I say "travelling".

"Educational, Unexpected, Fun, Worth-It and an Adventure." 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thank you to Renee Bamba for letting me interview her!

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Travel To The Philippines! Part 3 - MANILA ITINERARY

I highly recommend seeing the first two parts of this series / segment. Click the links below!

• Part 1 - Tourist Spots   

•  Part 2 - Famous Food

Here is the long-awaited part three!

~~

I can honestly tell you that there are A LOT of awesome sights in Manila, but you might not want to stay in Manila for that long. You don't want to get drowned by the sea of people, don't you?

But seriously, if you are planning to travel in Manila, I recommend only travelling for one, to a maximum of two-three days. With this, I prepared some kind of "itinerary" that comprises some of the awesome spots you can see in Manila!

• Rizal Park {Luneta} (free admission)

I don't remember if I already talked about this in a previous post, but Rizal Park is one of the most iconic and recognizable places in the Philippines. It is a monument dedicated to our national hero, Jose Rizal. The base of the monument stands is where he was shot by the Spaniards. {Photo on right, courtesy of wikipedia.org} 

• Manila Ocean Park (General Admission: PHP 550) 

The Manila Ocean Park is an oceanarium. It is located near the Children's Museum (Museo Pambata) and houses a large number of diverse marine species. It's oceanarium contains different sections, such as "Agos" (the flow), "Laot" (fishing grounds) and "Bahura" (the reef). 

• Fort Santiago (General Admission: PHP 75, Children PHP 50) 

Fort Santiago was built in the 16th century, during the colonial period of the Spaniards. The Fort itself is used to symbolize the bravery and heroism of the Filipinos throughout the centuries. Step inside its gates to see a very unique historical and cultural feel of the Philippines. 

The Spoliarium. | Photo from wikipedia.org

• National Art Gallery (Admission fees unknown) 

The National Art Gallery contains lots of art, sculpture and cultural-themed exhibits that can give you an insight of the Philippines during the eras of the Japanese, Chinese and other influences that brought the Philippines today. You can see Juan Luna's famous painting, The Spoliarium here.

• Binondo: Manila's Chinatown 

The Philippines is also heavily influenced by the Chinese culture. Binondo is the oldest Chinatown in the world, and features colorfully decorated streets and uber-cheap food from street vendors / hawkers.


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Featured Blog Posts: 

• My Trip To Munkedal
• Read about my awesome nature-inspired trip to a cozy little town 100 kilometers off Gothenburg, Sweden

• Sweden: Facts & Stuff 1
• Think that Sweden is just some ordinary country in Europe? Think again! Click the link above to discover some of the weirdest facts about Sweden!

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Travel To The Philippines! Part 2 - FOOD

Before you continue to read this post, make sure you read part one. Read part one here.

So in my previous blog post, I talked about the fun and exciting things you can do in your visit to the Philippines. Now, I shall talk about gastronomy!!

• Pan de Sal & Ensaymada

These are the most iconic Philippine breads. Pan de Sal is a simple, small bun. That's it. Just a small bun. Filipino's like this in the morning with some Dairy Creme (butter) or some Cheez Whiz (cheese spread). Ensaymada, on the other hand, is my favorite Philippine bread. It's basically like a brioche, but it's topped with cheese and sugar. Simply amazing. 

• Kwek-Kwek & Fishball

Now for the Philippine version of street food. Street food vendors typically have a bicycle with a cart that has everything needed for them to cook tons of varieties of street food. Fishball is a typical example. These are basically fish, flour and other stuff mixed together, before being deep-fried onto the cart of the vendor. These are very cheap indeed. 1 piece typically costs 50 Philippine cents, which is about a U.S penny. 

My personal favorite street food is Kwek-Kwek, which is basically a quail egg deep fried with an orange batter. I also like Tokneneng, which applies the same principle, but uses a normal sized egg. 

Tokneneng (image by ph.news.yahoo.com) 

• Batchoy 

Oh my God, Batchoy. One of the most awesome inventions of mankind. It's basically noodles, chicken stock, crushed pork cracklings and beef loin. I have nothing left to say. Batchoy -- best there is. You can buy these in some restaurants (mostly family owned). There are also some hawkers by the sidewalks, but I don't buy this from them... 

• Lumpiang Shanghai 

Another one of those things that you just need to try. It's basically pork mince, carrots and other vegetables mixed together, stuffed inside an edible spring-roll wrapper, wrapped and deep-fried. You can see this in most Philippine restaurants that have a predominant Filipino or Chinese menu. My family once went to this fast-food place in Tagaytay and I ate a whole serving of this. That's about 15 spring rolls as big as your ring-finger. 

• Turon 

This basically has the same method of cooking as Lumpiang Shanghai, but is stuffed with banana slices and is covered with brown rice before deep-fried. I really like this because it's a hot dessert, and is not typical. Recommend buying this from hawkers. If you do purchase some, make sure that there's a lot of brown sugar coating that is not burnt. Turon can be gross if the sugar is burnt. 

• Sago't Gulaman 

You know that craze "boba tea"? This is basically like boba tea, but replace the "boba" things with squares of gelatin. And the liquid is basically some kind of infusion of pandan leaves and brown sugar. I have a family relative from Cavite in the Philippines that makes this and the smell of the pandan infusion and the sugar drags you to the kitchen (literally and figuratively). Do not buy this from the street / street vendors.

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Travel To The Philippines! Part 1- TOURIST SPOTS

I have lived in the Philippines for more than ten years, and I can honestly say that I have only explored less than two percent of the whole country. But I do know the basics for Travelling in the Philippines.

• Luzon 

Luzon is the second largest island-group in the Philippines. The current capital city, Manila is also located here. Luzon is a great place if you want to experience an urban, but nonetheless diverse culture of the Philippines.

Going here? Go to Mayon Volcano in Bicol where you can see the perfect cone shape of the volcano itself. You can also experience lots of fun, leisurely activities. Also, either go to Tagaytay or Baguio. Baguio is an astounding place with lots of parks and natural activity. Don't forget to get a jar of strawberry jam while you're there.

If you wish to stay in the Manila area, go to Roxas Boulevard and Rizal Park. Rizal Park is a great place where you can see a large monument of our national hero, Joze Rizal. The place on where the monument actually stands on is the place where he got shot into his death. Go to Roxas Boulevard to experience a wonderful sunset and maybe try some of the local street-food.

• Visayas

Geographically, Visayas is the smallest group of islands in the Philippines. It may be small, but it contains some of the most fascinating festivals and relaxing beaches there is. 

If you want to enjoy the sun and the sand, most people want you to go to Boracay. Boracay is probably is the most notable Philippine beach. If swimming in Boracay isn't enough, you can also scuba-dive, snorkel and ride glass bottom boats there. Quite the trip, isn't it? 

Opt to experience a more cultural aspect of Visayas? Go to Bacolod in Negros Occidental to feel the wonder of the Masskara Festival. Literally translated, the Masskara Festival means "The festival of masks." You will find tons of street dancing and exhibitions including people wearing artistic masks and the like. 

• Mindanao

Mindanao is probably the largest island group in the Philippines, considering its size. This part of the Philippines is really green, as most of its natural aspects come from the fact that it is an agrarian part of the Philippine archipelago. 

If you really want to experience nature but want your heart pumping at the same time, go to the Dahilayan Adventure Park in Bukidnon. What's so notable here? Well I know that you can experience Asia's longest dual zipline here (850 METERS!!). They also have a ropes course and a crazy bungee-rope type thing that plunges you into a man-made lake. All for an affordable price. 

Part 2 is out now! Please read it here.

---- 

I really do recommend WOWTRIPPERS.COM if you want a stunning Philippine adventure. Make friends along the way, don't forget to party and most importantly, explore the Philippines and experience its history and culture. 

<They also do International Trips too!> 

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE 

CLICK HERE FOR SOMETHING RANDOM

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TRANSPORTATION in Sweden and in the Philippines

So the day before yesterday (25 September '13) was our two months in Stockholm! What better way to celebrate our second month in this wonderful country by comparing it with my previous country, right?

NOTE: These thoughts come from a thirteen year old boy that has no intention of harming, violating or offending anyone reading this. He is just expressing his honest opinions.

The first thing I'll compare about is the Transportation. Since the Philippines is in Asia and is quite a melting pot of traditions handed-down by other Asian countries and that Sweden is more of a Northern-European country influenced by more Nordic countries, so don't question me if you think that differences are a lot, let alone in the transportation section.

So in the Philippines, tricycles are perfect in short distances. You might find tons of them in the residential areas. Tricycles are basically just motorcycles with an added sidecar which is used for the passengers. These are ridiculously cheap (no normal fare goes up to PHP 70/ SEK 10), although they may charge extra for longer distances.

 A Tricycle. Picture from hobotraveller.com

In my two-month experience in Stockholm, I have not discovered a mode of transport that is good for short distances. The Stockholms Tunnelbana (the Stockholm Metro/Subway), could be good, but I think that the price is to steep. I am not sure with the prices, but in the Philippines, the metro costs PHP 25-40 (SEK 4-6), which is about five-six times cheaper than the metro in Stockholm. 

The Stockholm Metro To Morby Centrum. Picture from sv.wikipedia.org

Taxis in the Philippines are smaller than the ones in Sweden. Also, the fares are really cheap, with the normal flagdown fare being PHP 40-50 (SEK 6-8). If you wish to spend a hundred Swedish crowns on a Philippine taxi, prepare for a long journey. The only crazy thing in the Philippines is the traffic. 

A Typical Philippine Taxi Photo by definitelyfilipino.com 

Taxis in Stockholm just blows my mind. When my family occassionaly rides on a taxi, I think the flagdown fare is SEK 60, and rises by one crown per four-six seconds. I do not know why this is... By the way, if you're going to take a taxi in Stockholm, make sure you check that yellow sticker on a window. That symbolizes a regular 10 minute fare. They are allowed to rip you off just as long as you see the fare. 

Photo by rongid.ee

So if you really want to see the breath-taking sights of Stockholm and not willing to walk that much, save your butt off. Literally. 

READ MORE: Skansen -- Stockholm's Open Air Museum

SHOUTOUTS: Joylene Love D. Suarez 

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