Hi, it’s been a while. Many things have happened since I last sent a newsletter: I went to the Philippines, got engaged, submitted the completed manuscript for my cookbook, and celebrated my birthday. It was a busy month, to say the least, but I’m very grateful for my friends and family who’ve been with me behind the scenes. The fun thing about all of this happening back to back is you get showered with lots of champagne, flowers, and pastries — I can’t complain.
Anyway, back to the trip. The time difference between Toronto and Manila is 12 hours, so the jetlag caught up to me despite all the preparation. After 24 hours of travel (with a layover in Taipei), we headed straight to Marikina City, where I spent most of my childhood before moving to Canada. We had a delicious dinner at Comedor for some comforting Filipino food, then took some leftovers back to my Auntie Nini’s house, which was our home base for the trip.
i.
We spent the first week in Manila between Marikina, Makati, Intramuros, and Antipolo. We stayed at New World Makati for a few nights, which was conveniently close to Greenbelt Mall. My cousin Tommie pointed out that they don’t have a lot of parks because of the hot weather, so the malls serve as their third place. I did notice that the malls in the Philippines are significantly bigger than the ones I’ve seen in North America, and most of them are incredibly nice and have good restaurants.
We had a tour of Intramuros and its remnants from the 333-year Spanish colonization. Our tour guides showed us where Jose Rizal, the Philippine national hero, was executed. It reminded me of the stories they taught us in school and the ones my grandma used to tell me about my great-grandfather fighting in the war. I felt a lot of emotions walking around the area and seeing the ruins.
Next to Intramuros is Binondo, which is the oldest Chinatown in the world. It’s about a 25-30 minute walk from the ruins, although with the heat, you’re probably better off taking the tricycle. We spent a couple of days back at my auntie’s in Marikina and hung out with my cousins, who are basically my siblings. Whenever I come back home, it seems as though we’ve all progressed to a new phase in life. Some of my cousins now have children, while others are anticipating the arrival of a new addition to their family.
The day before our flight to Iloilo, they took us to Antipolo, located on the slopes of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. It’s where my grandparents from my mom’s side are buried, so we made sure to visit them. Later, we went to The Crescent Moon Cafe and Studio Pottery for lunch and picked up a few ceramic pieces to take back home.
ii.
The following week, we embarked on the Panay leg of our trip. Panay is the sixth-largest island in the Philippines, situated in Visayas and comprising four distinct provinces: Iloilo, Aklan, Capiz, and Antique. We were fortunate enough to explore three out of four.
We first flew from Manila to Iloilo to see my dad’s side of the family. Upon our arrival, we were exhausted and opted to grab dinner at the nearby mall before settling into our hotel. The following day, we met my cousin Genelyn at a local cafe in Mandurriao called LoCo. They had a great breakfast menu with freshly baked muffins and coffee, of course. I ended up with a bag of coffee beans to take back home.
After that, my dad rented a car and drove us to Igbaras, where he’s from. We had lunch by the beach with my dad’s siblings and some of my nieces and nephews, then returned to my Tita Nita’s house. They had lush trees and a chicken farm behind the house, which the kids were very excited to show us. I was told that Igbaras has the sweetest mangoes in the Philippines, despite Guimaras being the mango capital — and they weren’t lying. I want to say they’re the sweetest in the world, but I know people will say otherwise. However, that doesn’t change the fact that the mangoes I ate in Igbaras were the best I’ve ever had. They tasted like candy, and the texture was unparalleled. Additionally, I got to try a latundan, which is another banana variation. It was small and sort of tasted like a berry-banana hybrid.
My dad’s hometown is nestled amidst mountains. We trekked to Nadsadjan Falls, a place my dad frequented during his childhood. It was pretty difficult to get there, and I reckon it won’t be easy for tourists because it’s primarily a local spot. We had to hike barefoot halfway through because the rocks were too slippery. Strangely, the sensation of water and rocks on my feet made me feel grounded and in tune with the earth. I felt lucky to be there.
The next day was my cousin the fourth’s wedding. I call him kuya “the fourth” because he is literally the fourth person on his dad’s side of the family to have the same name. The wedding ceremony at the church was beautiful, and it was lovely to witness a traditional Filipino wedding. Afterwards, we proceeded to the reception venue situated in the heart of a forest, which was absolutely stunning.
The following day, we decided to go to Dayhag to see the mountains. I was delighted to finally see some rice terraces in person. Before coming to the Philippines, I actually wanted to visit the Banaue Rice Terraces, but we didn’t have much time for it in our itinerary. It was a nice surprise to see some at Dayhag.
Our last full day was the day of the Igbaras town fiesta, but Joe and I decided to go to Guimaras Island instead since we’d already spent quite a bit of time in Igbaras. Without even checking online, the day we decided to go was actually the final day of the Manggahan Festival. We ate some mangoes, watched some street dancing, and had a tricycle tour of the island.
iii.
From Iloilo, we got picked up to go to Aklan, which was about a 4-hour drive. En route, we stopped by Capiz, where my mom’s cousin, Uncle Al, lives. We had a full seafood lunch by the beach, and I learned that Capiz is renowned as the seafood capital of the Philippines, supplying the oysters found in Boracay.
When we finally arrived at my mom’s ancestral home in Ibajay, we were warmly welcomed by my grandma’s siblings and a couple of other relatives taking care of them. I fondly remember visiting this house with my cousins every summer when we were little. My mom used to tell me stories of her growing up here. The place looked the same, with a few updated renovations. I knew my grandma collected some photos of us when we were younger, so we spent a couple of hours looking through photos and chatting before going to bed.
The following day, we drove to Caticlan to take the boat going to Boracay, where my mom’s brother lives with his wife and a couple of my cousins. It has always been one of my favourite places to visit. We used to go on vacation here every summer when I was little, and I recently found out that this is where my parents had their honeymoon. Needless to say, Boracay has a special place in my heart.
We started the day by having lunch at my uncle’s house and visiting their farm, Kingfisher’s. We then headed to our hotel, Villa Caemilla, which we absolutely loved staying at. We decided to stay in Station 3 because it’s a lot quieter and closer to family. Although Stations 1 and 2 have more bars and restaurants, it tends to get pretty busy with all the partygoers out in the evenings. If you ever plan on visiting and want to stay somewhere more serene, I would recommend finding a hotel in Station 3.
Our days in Boracay were spent swimming, paraw sailing, and just hanging out by the beach. Despite the weather reports warning of a possible storm, we were fortunate enough to bask in the sun's warmth.
I’ll spare you the details, but this is where Joe proposed to me — and I obviously said yes.
iv.
We took the boat back to Caticlan and drove back to Ibajay. The next day, we flew back to Manila. As soon as we landed, I knew the trip was coming to an end. We spent the rest of the week with my family in Marikina.
We went on a big outing at Hidden Valley Springs in Laguna, which was so difficult to get to but worth it. It was honestly one of the nicest places I’ve been to. The hot springs were surrounded by trees, so it really felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. We arrived early, so we had the whole place to ourselves.
My uncle from Boracay was in town for my nephew’s graduation, so my mom and her siblings decided to throw a small gathering. It was nice to see all three of them together. It’s not often we visit the Philippines, so I’m sure my mom appreciated spending time with her two siblings together. Here’s me and Joe with some of my cousins and their families.
During one of our final days, I took Joe to the Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo, but we made the mistake of not bringing cash for the entrance fee. We had to hire a tricycle and gave the driver our spiel of needing to withdraw cash from a bank and promised to pay him after. We squeezed into the tricycle, then off we went. Unfortunately, most of the banks were either closed or had broken ATMs. I frantically called my mom, asking for advice and directions. We must’ve searched for an hour until we finally found a working ATM in a nearby plaza. As soon as we got our cash, we rushed back to the museum but only had an hour left to explore. As soon as we got in, it started to rain. At that point, we just had to laugh at ourselves because of how ridiculous the situation was. We made the most of it by seeing as much as we could. Looking back, it was a funny experience, but it was very stressful. Later that evening, we met my cousin Audrey and her husband Jeff at a speakeasy in Quezon City. It was the perfect way to end the day.
Our last couple of days were spent at my Auntie Nini’s. It was her birthday, so we all got dressed up and went to possibly the biggest buffet I’ve ever been to in my life. They had food from various cuisines, but I strangely kept going back to the kid’s section and picked at the fries — don’t judge me.
The end of our trip was bittersweet. I’ve gotten close with my nieces and nephews, so it was sad to say goodbye to them. We left in the morning to catch our flight, so everyone got up early to make sure we had a proper send-off. We all hugged each other and promised to keep in touch like we always do. These days, my niece Zia calls me every night and sends me doodles on Facebook Kids. They’re all coming to our wedding next year, so at least we have something to look forward to.
Recommendations
Manila
If you plan to stay at a hotel in Manila, BGC and Makati are areas you’ll probably want to stay at. It’s walkable and has a lot of places to eat. It’s also closer to the museums and Binondo (Chinatown).
I would recommend doing the Intramuros tour if you want to learn about our history. The tour is long, and you’ll have to walk a lot, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes and bring a pamaypay (hand fan) to keep yourself cool.
The Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo is definitely a sight to see if you love art. They have a mix of modern and Indigenous art, so it’s also a great place to learn some history. It’s outside of Manila but not too difficult to get to. I recently discovered that the owner is actually a doctor who worked in the same hospital as my cousin — wild!
To make commuting easier, make sure to download Grab, which is the Filipino version of Uber. The traffic in Manila is ridiculous, but at least you’ve got AC.
A lot of people tend to skip Manila to go straight to the beaches, but if you have a day or two to spare, it’s worth going around and at least visiting some historical spots.
Some honourable mentions: National Museum of Fine Arts, New World Makati, Wildflour Café + Bakery Salcedo, Legazpi Sunday Market, Hatch + Hoolman, and Hapag MNL
Iloilo
If you’re looking for a tropical vacation, you can’t go wrong with Guimaras Island. You can stay at a resort and tour various historical landmarks like the Guisi Lighthouse, go beach hopping, and eat fresh mangoes.
The Original Biscocho Haus in Jaro is an institution. If you’re thinking of buying baked goods and sweets to take home, this is the place to go. Some of my favourites here are the butterscotch, ronquillos, and of course, biscocho.
If you happen to stop over in the city, check out the shops and restaurants along the boardwalk or the Festive Walk Mall.
Some honourable mentions: Local Coffee HQ and PUNOT
Attractions: Molo Plaza, Miagao Church (Santo Tomas de Villanueva)
Aklan
Boracay is perhaps the most popular beach in the Philippines. Famed for its white sand and blue water, this island has been included in various lists of best beaches in the world. I grew up going here a lot before it became a tourist destination, so it has a special place in my heart. These days, the nightlife in Boracay is definitely booming. If that’s not your scene, don’t fret. You can still stay somewhere quiet, like Station 3 — IMO, it’s the most peaceful and definitely an underrated part of the island. You may find green algae in the water depending on the time of the year you decide to visit, but don’t freak out. This is normal! In fact, locals claim that this is what helps turn the sand white.
Some honourable mentions: Hennan Palm Beach Resort, Asya Premier Suites, The Sunny Side Cafe, Nalka Seafood, Blackfish Coffee Bar
Attractions: Pukka Shell Beach, Cujo's Keyhole, Diniwid Beach
If you made it this far, thank you for reading. I’m excited to be back and get things up and running again. I’ll be sending out a new recipe next week (yay!), so stay tuned. Love you!
You painted such a beautiful picture of your home, it was so lovely reading this, even though I now I have major mango FOMO.