Like most little girls of my generation, I was moderately obsessed with The Little Mermaid. Splashing around in the pool pretending to have fins, arguing over who got to be Ariel, and passionately belting the words to Part of Your World was a staple of my childhood. But unlike most others, I never quite outgrew… Continue reading Mermaid Life: Shipwreck Diving in Coron, Philippines
Tag: Philippines
Island Hopping in El Nido, Palawan
Crammed for 6 hours into a 10 person van with 14 other people and their luggage as we bumped over unpaved roads and careened around mountainous corners, I wondered bitterly why I had wanted to go to El Nido, anyway. These had better be the best damned beaches I’ve ever seen. Luckily, they were.… Continue reading Island Hopping in El Nido, Palawan
Palawan’s Underground River (Tourist Trap)
In planning for Palawan, an island on the west side of the Philippines, everything kept pointing to the famed “Underground River”. It’s the 7th wonder of the natural world! It’s the most amazing thing you will ever see! It’s cooler than ice cream and better than sliced bread! So, persuaded by the exuberant advertising, we… Continue reading Palawan’s Underground River (Tourist Trap)
Professional Beach Bumming: The First Week of my RTW Trip
Floating in water clear as glass, palm bordered white sand stretching into the distance on either side of me, I lay back and eye the clouds billowing across the azure skies. I have to remind myself that this is my life now. It’s not a vacation, it’s not just a temporary respite from the… Continue reading Professional Beach Bumming: The First Week of my RTW Trip
The Day I Became a Surfer
I clutched the back handle of the scooter and ducked my head behind the Swedish boy’s back to protect my face from the pelting rain. We whizzed through the jungle, carefully weaving around the landslides and dodging the lazy dogs in the road. Wearing only a bikini and t-shirt, I let the wind whip through… Continue reading The Day I Became a Surfer
Siargao: The Philippines’ Secret Island Paradise
Tucked away amongst the thousands of islands in the Philippines is a place where travel lore comes to life. It’s the kind of place that jaded backpackers dream of: off the beaten path, untouched by tourist development, with clean and pristine waters, where the visitors and locals still mix. It’s a place I’m afraid to… Continue reading Siargao: The Philippines’ Secret Island Paradise
That Time I Ate Wilbur: A Pig Roast in the Philippines
As we near the quintessential American holiday of Thanksgiving and my facebook news feed brims with statuses of thankfulness and “how the hell am I going to cook this turkey” fears, I find myself wondering if this will be my last Thanksgiving celebration in this country for a while. Since I’ll be moving to Korea… Continue reading That Time I Ate Wilbur: A Pig Roast in the Philippines
Travel Tuesday: Sunsets and Beaches of the Philippines
When I was trying to decide what to share this week for Travel Tuesday I knew I wanted to talk about my trip to the Philippines last year, but where to begin? There are so many stories… Like the night we slept on a beach as the only inhabitants on a tiny island; or the… Continue reading Travel Tuesday: Sunsets and Beaches of the Philippines