Sto. Niño de Tondo Festival. The day when Ferdinand Magellan arrived on Philippine shores in 1521, marked the beginning of a cult that to this very day has never lost its fire. It was during the baptismal rites of Rajah Humabon of the island of Sugbu and his wife, that a wooden image of the Child J...

Scuba diving with guest photographer Stephan Jaeggi. Diving Philippines – What will I see Underwater? The list is too big to try and let you know what you will see underwater, but I will tell you about the marine life you will definitely see underwater. The marine life is exceptionally abundant, f...

Feast of the Three Kings in Mabitac (Laguna). Mabitac is a municipality in the province of Laguna. It was the site of a battle in the Philippine-American War, when on September 17, 1900, Filipinos under General Juan Cailles defeated an American force commanded by Colonel Benjamin F. Cheatham. Mabita...

Philippine National Railways (PNR)- 2008   This series is about the Philippine National Railways (PNR) and more particularly the train ride between the Tutuban and the Alabang stations in Metro Manila. To be honest it is probably the most depressing and disheartening train ride you can do in t...

La Naval de Manila. The image of the Virgin of La Naval was given to the Dominicans and consecrated in the old Sto. Domingo Church, in Intramuros, Manila. The image is about 4'8" tall and is made of hard-wood, with ivory face and hands. Through the years, the color has turned from ivory to ...

La Naval de Manila. The image of Our Lady of the Rosary, popularly known nowadays as La Naval , is actually considered the oldest ivory carving in the Philippines. It was carved by a non-Catholic Chinese sculptor under the direction of Captain Hernando de los Rios Coronel. It is made of elephant ivo...

Parting Ways. Today should have been the start of my Bohol series. Due to unexpected events in my life I will need to focus all my attention on other matters than blogging.(Maybe I was indeed cursed in those woods of Siquijor ;-) I want to thank all the people I have met and who allowed me to take t...

The gathering of sorcerers and healers in the village of San Antonio. Preparation of healing material during Holy Friday and Black Saturday. Pampahid (magic oil) The healers begin collecting the herbs, roots, plants and sea plants that go into their potions each Friday after Ash Wednesday, 40 days b...

Mystical Siquijor. Siquijor is an island in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is also named Siquijor. Legend has it that Siquijor rose from the sea amid thunder and lightning. To support this, fossils of clams and other sea creatures can be found in the interior highlands.The islands´s native...

Suprema de la Iglesia del Ciudad Mistica de Dios, Inc. The symbols on the altar easily attract the eye for the colors are vivid. The altar's "boundaries" are what appears to be a huge pair of angel's wings placed strategically at both sides. Those that can easily be seen and read from a di...