The Backpack Adventures

If you're a Catholic and you're living in Manila, probably the first thing you'd do is to head to the beaches this Holy Week. To most of us, especially the working class, the Holy Week is almost synonymous with summer vacation. However, to some, it's a chance to visit Christ and show devotion to Him through Visita Iglesia   (and that's what I plan to do this 2013!). 2013 Las Piñas, Pasay, Manila Visita Iglesia Adventure So join me and my family as we go around Manila and the neighboring cities of Las Piñas and Pasay to visit some of their historical churches. Since I live in the province of Cavite, I had to carefully plan the route that we'd take to maximize the number of churches that we could visit in a day. We originally planned to visit only the ones in Manila but I pointed out that since our route to Manila would pass by some old churches in nearby cities, we might as well visit them.   Las Piñas Church  - Las Pinas City From our home, the fir...

I know the province of Cavite like the back of my hand. Why? Because I live there. that's why it was no challenge when I was tasked with planning our annual Visita Iglesia . However, it would never be an adventure without challenges, so I added another province to the itinerary - Batangas. 2012 Cavite - Batangas Visita Iglesia The goal for our Visita Iglesia is to visit as many old churches as possible in one day. The route that I plotted would take us from the City of  Bacoor heading southwards to Tagaytay City before exiting to the province of Batangas. Dasmari ñ as Church  - Dasmarinas City, Cavite From our home, the first old church that we visited was the Immaculate Conception Parish of Dasmari ñ as or simply known as Dasmari ñ as Church . The church has an attractive facade. I found out that it was one of the most popular churches in Cavite for couples planning to get married. Silang Church  - Silang, Cavite Our next stop was the old church in the ...

UPDATE: Sadly, Bono Tei closed down in 2014. Our food trip today takes our adventurous taste buds to the land where educational institutions, wellness spas, and restaurants abundantly sprout like wild grass. Inside this jungle of business establishments lies one eye-catching restaurant that would be the subject of our praises and scrutiny. Bono Tei Japanese Restaurant Fellow backpackers, join me as we visit Bono Tei Japanese Restaurant , more commonly known as Bono Tei , located in B.F. Homes, Parañaque City. Bono Tei can be found at 333 El Grande, corner of Jakarta Street, B.F. Homes, Parañaque City. If you have an eye for striking architectural design, spotting the restaurant will not be a problem. If not, there are plenty of people around to ask, so there is no need to worry. When I first saw Bono Tei , it immediately reminded me of a traditional Japanese home, complete with a serene zen garden. However, since my only references came from magazine images at the time, I brough...

Do you want to witness and be part of the exciting and colorful cultural activities in the Philippines in this month of  April ?   Please check out the list of popular fiestas or festivals happening this April . Rodeo Masbateno Festival Location:  Masbate City, Province of Masbate Details:  The festival is celebrated every 9th to 14th of April. Its highlights are the bull riding competition, lassoing, 2-4 carambola, and bulldogging. This festival showcases the "cowboy skills" of the Masbatenos. Kangayedan Festival Location:  Pagudpod, Province of Ilocos Norte Details:  The festival is celebrated every 22nd to the 26th of April. Its highlight is the parade of cultural dances. This festival's objective is to safeguard the ecological beauty from destruction and also to renew the vow of the townspeople to replenish and protect the environment.  Butanding Festival Location:  Donsol, Province of Sorsogon Details:  The festival is celeb...