Apo Whang Od (Kalinga Tourist Spots + Travel Guide)

In this generation, most of the people think that a tattoo has a negative connotation. It can even affect your career, regardless of the talent and education you may have. It was October, in 2014, in Philippine National Museum, when I saw a portrait of an old lady, with tribal tattoos on all over her body. In National Geographic, there were several documentaries featuring how significant the tattoos and pierces are, especially for the people in ancient times. Tattoos and pierces are proof that a tribe recognizes a person’s accomplishment, mostly on battles. There are several ways of tattooing around the world, depending on their geographical feature and culture. In the Northern part of the Philippines, in Buscalan, Kalinga, they call it as Batok. It is an ancient/tribal form of marking (tattooing) a warrior after a successful combat or ladies who brought pride to the tribe.

MT. TABAYOC, BENGUET: HIKING GUIDE AND ITINERARY

One of the most prominent mountains in Luzon is Mt. Tabayoc because it is the second highest mountain in Luzon (2842 MASL) and is one of the most preserved virgin forest in the Philippines, with a rich bio-diversity of flora and fauna. Your hiking experience will definitely be rewarded with a breathtaking beauty of sea of clouds, artistic view of the surrounding terraces, a cool weather, a relaxing green ambiance, and a life changing tranquility by the lake. Also, there are a lot of mouth watering at lost cost and fresh harvest vegetables in the area.

Mt. Tenglawan

Among the Bakun Trio mountains, Mt. Tenglawan is the most difficult to hike because of its long terrain and assault, although its trail class and technicalities can be placed to a moderate level. Also, this mountain has an amazing shape from afar. Based on how it looks and its shape, this giant can be compared to Mt. Guiting-guiting in Romblon.

ILAGAN JAPANESE TUNNEL: TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, HISTORY, AND HOW TO GET HERE

Ilagan Japanese Tunnel is a war tunnel that was used for defense, as a prison, garrison and a headquarter by the Japanese government and military officials. It's a man-made tunnel created by the locals through force labor. This tunnel is one of the tourist destinations situated in Ilagan City, Isabela. Aside from Ilagan Japanese Tunnel, the Giant Butaka is an attraction that welcomes everyone who passes by the highway.

Lussok Crystal Cave

Lussok Cave is one of the prides of Apayao and the Cordillera region. This cave is composed of four chambers, with artistic limestone formations. Not only that, it offers a remarkable caving experience because of the spectacular sceneries that can only be seen in the small caverns. Also, did you know that the countless bats residing inside produces the most expensive fertilizer called "guano?" With our Lussok cave experience, I learned that motto: "kapag ang pumatak sayo malamig, that's Holy water, but if it's warm, that's holy sh_t."

National Museum of the Filipino People

I have been dreaming of visiting the Philippine National Museum since high school but in 2015 that dream came into reality as they offered free admission for the whole month of October. I spent the whole day inside these historical buildings, from the Marikina City Shoe Museum to the Museum of the Filipino People building.

San Sebastian Church, Manila

After meeting up at TIP Manila for my cap distributed by Street Style Originals, my plan was to visit Paco Cemetery but due to unfriendly weather condition, I opted to visit San Sebastian Church, just few meters away. For the second time, when I entered the church, I was still fascinated by its uniqueness; from the walls, columns, floor, glass chandeliers, cabinets and others look really stunning.

AMANDARAGA FALLS, EASTERN SAMAR: TRAVEL GUIDE, ITINERARY, BUDGET, WHAT TO DO, AND HOW TO GET

Amandaraga Falls is the top tourist destinations in Lawaan, Eastern Samar. This majestic waterfall has an artistic rock formation on the side, the cool and pressure of the falling crystal clear water is the perfect for body massage. Not only that, the sound of the rushing waters preserves the tranquility with the help of the relaxing green surroundings - it is just breathtaking!

Balaw-Balaw Restaurant + Art Gallery

I am not into cooking, but I love eating! One thing that I would like to share was an amazing encounter with exotic foods at Balaw Balaw Restaurant in Angono, Rizal. So, after enjoying the famous Higantes Festival, while our clothes are wet, we headed to this specialty restaurant, which is one of the prominent restaurants outside Metro Manila. I consider it as one of the must visit, best place to dine, and the best restaurants serving exotic foods.

Higantes Festival, Angono Rizal

Higantes Festival is an annual festivities held every November 23 in Angono, Rizal; its main purpose is to honor San Clemente, patron saint of the fishermen. His image is carried by male devotees during the procession, followed by the street dancers and participants. Higantes (Giants in English) is made up of paper mosaic handcrafted by the artistic minds of the people of Angono.