The Backpack Adventures

Located in Puerto Princesa City in the province of Palawan, Plaza Cuartel is one of the historical sites in the capital of the province. Plaza Cuartel Plaza Cuartel History Originally built by the Spaniards as a garrison for their troops during the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines, Plaza Cuartel has been converted into a plaza today where one can leisurely stroll and enjoy the beautiful view of the blue seas of Palawan. Plaza Cuartel - Puerto Princesa City, Palawan Plaza Cuartel NHI Marker: Tagalog Version \ Plaza Cuartel NHI Marker: English Version Its serene and peaceful ambiance today is a far cry from the tragic events that happened there during the Second World War. During the last few months of the said war, the Japanese Imperial army, realizing their imminent defeat, decided to round up their American prisoners of war or POW and bring them to Plaza Cuartel . The prisoners were then asked to go in the air raid shelters where they were barricaded and drums o

Located in the town of Morong in the province of Bataan, Morong Church is one of the several Spanish-era churches in the province. Morong Church Morong Church History Not to be confused with the similarly named church in the province of Rizal, Morong Church is also known and called  Our Lady of the Pillar Church . Built during the Spanish colonial era centuries ago, the church is actually one of the oldest in the province. It was said that it was made from the coral stones taken from the nearby seas near the town.   Morong Church - Morong, Bataan Morong Church facade Morong Church as seen from the plaza in front of it. Speaking about being one of the oldest in the province (Abucay Church is the oldest in Bataan), in my opinion, Morong Church actually looks older than the other churches that I have seen and visited in the province during our Visita Iglesia this year. It is due to the fact that compared to the churches in Hermosa and Orani, the facade of Morong Church

Probably the most popular festival in Quezon, San Isidro Pahiyas Festival or more commonly known as Pahiyas Festival is a harvest festival celebrated in the town of Lucban every 15th of May. It is held in honor of San Isidro Labrador who is the patron Saint of farmers.  Pahiyas Festival Pahiyas Festival Details The San Isidro Pahiyas Festival is famously known for houses that are adorned with colorful leaf-shaped decorations called  kiping.  San Isidro Pahiyas Festival 2016 - Lucban, Quezon For those who don't know it yet, kiping is made from rice paste (thus it's edible) and is quite similar to that of a tortilla (even tastes like one). The uniqueness of using kiping as decoration made the festival one of a kind. Aside from that, it adds this Instagram-ready feel to the houses which is an effect that adds promotion to the celebration through social media.  Intro: How to make kiping The word  pahiyas  is from the Filipino word  hiyas  or jewel and when added with t

The sandoricum koetjape  or cotton fruit  is  one of my favorite fruits. This fruit is "lovingly" called  santol here in the Philippines . It's perfect with salt with chopped chili or when you dip it in soy sauce. However, I was surprised to discover that the santol is actually used as the main ingredient in a Filipino dish which is obviously named after the said fruit - sinantolan .   Sinantolan It was during my first day of the Experience Quezon 2016 Media Tour event that I got to see and watch the actual preparation of the dish and not to mention taste it for the first time too. Upon doing research about the dish, I discovered that  sinantolan  is a popular delicacy not only for the province of Quezon but also in the province of Laguna and those provinces in the Bicol Region.  Here's the newly cooked sinantolan ! A must-try! The fresher the better The different ingredients of sinantolan Yummy! Looking at the main ingredients of the dish, it cle