The Backpack Adventures

Situated almost a kilometer away from the northern coast of Palaui Island in the province of Cagayan, Dos Hermanos Islands is a collective name that refers to the two islands which often serve as a backdrop of the seascape pictures taken from Cape Engaño Lighthouse. Dos Hermanos Islands Dos Hermanos Islands Details For the locals, the word " dos hermanos " means two people. However, the locals have separate names for each of these islands. They are referred to as   Hermano , which means man* and  Hermana  which means woman*. On a side note, there is also a  Dos Hermanos Islands  in Pagudpod in the province of Ilocos Norte. However, I informed my guide that the Spanish meaning of  hermano  is brother, while  hermana  is a sister. He said that the local meaning dates back before he was born. In my mind, it was probably an effect of what is dubbed as the " localization " of foreign words. Much like the English word " salvage " which means to save, but in th

Palaui Island is located in the Northern part of the province of Cagayan near the town of Sta. Ana. It gained its popularity when it was chosen as the venue of the hit reality show Survivor. Since Palaui Island is fairly new to the tourism business, there are only a few write-ups offering tips and contacts for tourists. Best Tour Guide in Palaui Island ... And that was my dilemma. Before I go to unfamiliar territory, I always make sure that I have a contact. It's not because I don't trust my itineraries but because sometimes I need a "local factor" to help me succeed in my planned adventures. In the case of my Palaui Island expedition, I needed a lot of that "local factor" and a boat of course.   Fernando "Kuya Nanding" Cabutin Kuya Nanding with the group That "local factor" came in the form of Kuya Fernando "Nanding" Cabutin . Honestly, he was not my first choice. I googled and contacted two other guides before him but K

The goal of this road trip is to travel to Sta. Ana, Cagayan from Manila. From there the group would tour the island of Palaui before heading back to Manila. Sounds pretty easy huh? However, I promised my readers that I'd make basic travels into adventures. then again, this road trip's challenging adventure is not by choice but due to unexpected circumstances.  Northern Luzon 360° Road Trip Adventure Frequent travelers to Sta. Ana, Cagayan would attest that the straightforward back-and-forth trip from Manila to Sta. Ana would be 24-28 hours long. This Northern Luzon 360° Road Trip Adventure however took me and my friends almost four days to accomplish. Overall we spent a total of 50+ hours on the road and only more than half a day to explore. The root of all this if you'd ask -is the suspension of two of the biggest bus companies plying the route to Cagayan. So how did our adventure go? Day 1 Saturday Calle Crisologo , Vigan City Vigan Cathedral Upon