Smile March 2016

M AG A Z I N E F O R C E B U PAC I F I C

• MARCH 2016

IT'S A BIRTHDAY BLOWOUT!

We're really Fonda Jane THE HOLLYWOOD LEGEND GIVES SMILE OUR BEST INTERVIEW YET

Retro in the Metro VINTAGE CULTURE FINDS A FOOTHOLD IN BOOMTOWN MANILA

from the chief This month, we turn 20 — a huge milestone for us here at Cebu Pacific. We first took to the skies in 1996, as a domestic carrier flying passengers to and from Manila, Cebu and Davao. Now, two decades later, we’ve become an international airline that flies to 30 domestic and 34 global destinations in 14 countries.

The growth we’ve experienced in the last two decades wouldn’t have been possible without your trust and support. And support us you did. Last year, 18.4 million of you chose to fly with us. It is mind-blowing, and immensely satisfying to know that we made it possible for more than 18 million of you to touch down in new cities, or return to familiar places; relish new tastes, or taste flavors you love; and cherish family, make new friends or reconnect with old ones.

Your continuous support validates the vision that drives us here at Cebu Pacific: to make travel accessible and affordable to every Juan. That vision will remain at the heart of what we’ll do in the coming year and beyond.

We will take you to even more places, starting with Guam — our first destination in American territory — this month. And that’s just the beginning. With our 57-strong fleet of aircraft, we’re more than ready to take on the world.

Until then, we intend to keep your passion for travel alive with great seat deals and even more dream destinations.

On behalf of the whole Cebu Pacific family, I thank you for being part of our journey and making us part of yours.

Here’s to more adventures!

THE NEXT LEVEL

Lance Gokongwei CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

ADVERTISING SMILE is published on behalf of Cebu Pacific Air by Ink Publishing Pte Ltd • 51 Changi Business Park Central 2, The Signature #04-11A/12, Singapore 486066 • tel: +65 6324 2386 • fax: +65 6491 5261 • www.ink-global.com • www.cebusmile.com MCI (P) 154/06/2015 All articles and photographs published herein are created by the authors and photographers at their own discretion and do not necessarily represent the views of the airline. All material is strictly copyrighted and all rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. All prices and data are correct at the time of publication.

1 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Group Publisher Mohan Gopal Advertising Manager Bong Dy-Liacco Senior Brand Manager Andrew Lugtu Brand Managers Blessing Dizon, Nastassja Lacsamana Digital Sales Manager Nerisse Barcelon Commercial Director David Bloomfield Tel: +65 6324 2386 Email: smile@ink-global.com

INK Managing Director Hamish McDougall Chief Finance Officer Jim Campbell Chief Executives Michael Keating and Simon Leslie

editor's note

M AG A Z I N E F O R C E B U PAC I F I C

• MARCH 2016

IT'S A BIRTHDAY BLOWOUT!

It’s full speed ahead as we explore Metro Manila in this month’s cover feature We're really Fonda Jane THE HOLLYWOOD LEGEND GIVES SMILE OUR BEST INTERVIEW YET

Retro in the Metro VINTAGE CULTURE FINDS A FOOTHOLD IN BOOMTOWN MANILA

THIS MONTH’S COVER Photographer Shaira Luna Art Director Marlon Espino Stylist Jof Sering Hair and Makeup Artist Renen Bautista Model Ambra/ Prima Stella Inc Fashion suppliers Dress by Mark Bumgarner, shoes and accessories by Ever New Shot on location at Hyatt City of Dreams Manila

EDITORIAL Editor Tara F.T. Sering Art Director Marlon Espino Deputy Editor Kat Z. Mateo Photo Editor Aaron Low Contributing Editors Tata Mapa, Nikka Sarthou-Lainez (Trip Journal), Charmaine Baylon, Maya Calica Production Manager Sally Shee Regional Production Manager Serene Wong Associate Design Director Terence Goh Chief Sub-Editor Jonathan Evans Editorial Director Alexandra Karplus

We’re celebrating a few things this March. First, there’s all the women we know and admire for National Women’s Month; the semi-official arrival of summer and all that it means (beaches! Cold drinks! Quick escapes!

Family fun!); a new travel inspiration website called WayToGo; and best of all, 20 years of Cebu Pacific.

Designer Jun Escario That makes for a packed issue, with CEB cabin crew kicking off with one of my favorite celebrity interviews ever — our Hollywood correspondent talks to the great Jane Fonda, who not only makes for great copy but has lived a remarkable life to back it all up. We’ve got the short version on page 46, but be sure to check out the full interview in WayToGo (waytogo.cebupacificair.com), the new website powered by Smile. While you’re online, sign up for My Travel Kit and start planning your summer trips by creating a personalized mood board, using stories saved from around the website.

Then it’s on to a weekend tour of Metro Manila (page 66), which isn’t an easy metropolis to navigate but certainly never lacks interest. The city is changing at an incredible pace, even as it grapples with finding ways of being a sustainable home for locals and a welcoming place for visitors. One thing the megacity needs for sure is more green lungs, like the one we’ve featured in Xiamen (page 74), and if it’s fresh air you’re looking for, Puerto Princesa, like the rest of Palawan, comes highly recommended (page 82). Finally, we embark on a year-long celebration of 20 years of Cebu Pacific, starting with a look at the new cabin crew gear (page 90).

Here we go!

7 SMILE • MARCH 2016

OUR CREW THIS ISSUE

Meet some of March 2016’s crew of talented contributors

Michael Aquino

Shaira Luna

Jonathan Evans

WRITER

PHOTOGRAPHER

WRITER

Spent a weekend out and about in Metro Manila, talking to key figures who are changing the local landscape

Took this month’s gorgeous and glammed-up cover photo celebrating Cebu Pacific’s 20th anniversary

Spent almost a week in Puerto Princesa and came back with volumes of travel recommendations

Jof Sering

Lester V Ledesma

Tata Mapa

STYLIST

PHOTOGRAPHER

WRITER

Scoured the scene for that perfect sunny yellow dress for our celebratory cover shot

Captured both the enduring character and changing personality of Metro Manila through its people, its oldest structures and newest districts

Talked to designer Jun Escario and got behind the scenes of the making of Cebu Pacific’s new cabin-crew uniforms

Al Linsangan

The Danish Connection

Renen Bautista

PHOTOGRAPHER

PHOTOGRAPHERS

HAIR AND MAKEUP ARTIST

Went around Palawan’s capital city to photograph the must-see places and can’t-miss experiences that it offers

Nicolai Svane and Caroline Schmidt train their lenses on the cabin crew as they model a new inflight look

Primped up our model Ambra for the party-ready cover shot

8 SMILE • MARCH 2016

BEHIND THE SCENES Here comes the sun!

with Flying the Cebu Pacific colors the whole cover-shoot crew

nd!

Hugs all arou

To shoot this month’s celebratory cover, we started well before daybreak to make it to Hyatt City of Dreams Manila, one of three hotels in the bayside integrated resort.

Big thanks to Joshua Hernandez (above, second from left) from the hotel’s communication department, and Fran Dayrit of City of Dreams (above, first from right) who made sure we had all we needed to get this gorgeous shot.

Oops! That was not supposed to happen…

Stylist Jof Sering in action

SMILING ALL THE WAY TO JAPAN They work behind the scenes all year round and remain largely anonymous to readers, but a magazine’s success is to a large extent down to its commercial team.

We’re incredibly lucky and grateful to have such a dedicated and enthusiastic crew — here they all are on a team trip to the Land of the Rising Sun: (left to right) Nastassja Lacsamana, Andrew Lugtu, Blessing Dizon, Mohan Gopal, Nerisse Barcelon and Bong Dy-Liacco. Thanks, guys!

10 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Photographer Shaira Luna tests how many balloons it takes to carry her off

TRENDING

#MYSMILESNAP Use this hashtag to show us your travel photos on Instagram. One of your snaps just might be featured in Smile! Here are a few of our favorite shots this month

Over at WayToGo…

@dan_carreon’s mom takes a peek out of a slot in the Great Wall of China at Badaling

@moretolove_life floating happily in the water at Guyam Island, Siargao

@yngpixels joins the aquatic fun in Sanga-Sanga, near Tawi-Tawi

@peevijuan conquers the rapids of Cagayan de Oro River with his friends

Five luxe villa stays for under US$200 These five resorts are proof that a stylish getaway doesn’t always have to cost a pretty penny.

Three trendy Asian neighborhoods Earn serious hipster points by putting these rapidly emerging enclaves on your mustsee list this year.

Visit waytogo. cebupacificair.com for more travel inspiration and tips.

This shot from @patchachaaa proves that canyoneering in Cebu is more fun with friends

@karl_olivier had a bumpy yet exhilarating ride at Mount Pinatubo, near Clark

Can’t get enough of Smile?

If you want to check out past issues of Smile, head to ink-live.com/emagazines/smile. Entire issues — from 2008 onwards — are available to flip, read and download. Enjoy!

12 SMILE • MARCH 2016

flight plan THIS MONTH IN SMILE

74 Smells like green spirit Get close to nature at the Wanshi Botanical Garden in Xiamen

66

MAIN PHOTO BY DAN OSILLOS

82 100 Rising up from the underground Puerto Princesa offers more than just the Underground River

Up, up and away Drones are taking aerial photography to new heights

15 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Metro Manila’s moment Find out why the Philippine capital is back on everyone’s must-see list

flight plan Gear to take on your aquatic adventures, p40

20 Sacred quest Go on a pilgrimage to Vietnam’s Perfume Pagoda 24 On the (China)town Check out the recently re-opened Chinatown Heritage Centre in Singapore

46 No ordinary Jane The talented Ms Jane Fonda chats with us about her reel and real life

43 Who run the world? Girls Be inspired by the adventures of these brave women 48 Trip advisor Add a new dimension to your holiday with these tips from chef Rob Pengson 58 Amin to that Meet the young Filipino inventor, Amin Hataman

AAAND, THERE'S MORE...

109 TRIP JOURNAL Heading for any of the 30 international or 34 Philippine destinations on the Cebu Pacific network? Get some recommendations from these travelers.

165 AIRLINE NEWS Read the latest from Cebu Pacific, and get updates on destinations and routes.

16 SMILE • MARCH 2016

172 ONBOARD TREATS Check out the onboard menu for the latest food-and-beverage offerings.

the buzz THE LATEST NEWS, SOME COOL REVIEWS AND A FEW USEFUL TIPS FOR NAVIGATING THE NETWORK

FOR THE LOVE OF ELEPHANTS On March 13, zoos and nature preserves across Thailand pay tribute to the national animal with Buddhist rituals that bless both elephants and their handlers (also known as mahouts).

There are elephant shows, interactions, and other special activities to build awareness. The animals are also treated to buffets of their favorite fruits and some sugar cane.

Exciting events, clean eats and things we love >

19 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Oooh

Sacred quest

interesting festivals

VISIT PAGODAS IN STUNNING LOCATIONS AS YOU SEEK OUT VIETNAM’S SPIRITUAL SIDE

2 1

Old temples — in caves!

The site for the complex of temples is the network of caves found in the Huong Tich mountains. Made of limestone, it’s an impressive sight just from outside. Going through the large entrance, which looks like a big dragon’s mouth, is an exciting 1

prospect, as the interior eventually opens up to shrines, rock and crystal formations that are considered sacred, Chinese inscriptions and green stone statues.

bestow specific miracles, such as granting children. This period is also believed to be auspicious for young people who want to enter into courtship.

Invoke the good The pilgrimage is considered the biggest Buddhist festival in the area and a key event in the Vietnamese religious calendar.

Believers pray for happiness and prosperity in general, and go to certain shrines for specific concerns.

They also touch the stalactites and stalagmites that are believed to

Sights for the spirit The landscape leading to and surrounding the site is famous for its invigorating natural beauty.

Visitors ride a sampan on the Yen River, seeing limestone formations, grass fields, rice paddies and farmers at work. The footpath going up the cave leads visitors through fruit trees, blossoms and streams, too.

2

@

3

VISIT THE PERFUME PAGODA Day tours starting in Hanoi are available. Visit goo.gl/J7pNM1 for details.

A BALI HAPPY NEW YEAR Nothing encapsulates the fun-loving yet deeply religious spirit of Bali better than the Nyepi new year celebrations, which comes around on March 9 this year. Expect the whole island to buzz with excitement a few days before this big event. These activities reach their climax on the eve of the new year. There will be much partying, but it all ends when the new year arrives. The next day will be reserved for quiet meditation, with everyone — Hindu or not, residents or tourists — required to stay indoors and refrain from any activity. So serious are the locals about this tradition that all roads will be empty, and even Denpasar airport will be closed. But if you took part in the rowdy revelry the night before, you’ll probably want to take it easy anyway. — Lester Ledesma

20 SMILE • MARCH 2016

BY ZANE RONQUILLO; PHOTOS BY GETTY IMAGES (TEMPLE CAVES & YEN RIVER)

From the first to third months of the Chinese lunar calendar, thousands of pilgrims make their way up to the Huong Tich mountains south of Hanoi to visit Chua Huong or the Perfume Pagoda, where they pray for a prosperous new year. According to folklore, the spot was discovered by a nature-loving monk 2,000 years ago. These days, people continue to flock here for three major reasons.

3

Yey! fun times

A blissful bash

BY ZANE RONQUILLO; BALI SPIRIT FESTIVAL PHOTOS BY MATTHEW OLDFIELD & JENNIFER MACNIVEN; ART BASEL; LINDSEY BEST (BLUE MAN GROUP)

MAKE SOULFUL CONNECTIONS WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE IN THIS CELEBRATION OF YOGA, DANCE AND HEALING ARTS Ubud, Bali will be buzzing more than usual from March 29 to April 3 as thousands of yoga, holistic living and “conscious art” followers come over for the Bali Spirit Festival — one of the most popular events of its kind in the world. It’s for those who want to make the world better through positive thoughts and actions.

There are classes on different yoga forms, dance, alternative medicine, astrology and even breath work, as well as seminars and workshops on selfdevelopment and different crafts. Live music, dance and other performances add to the liberating atmosphere. It’s not unusual at the festival to see (and hear) people dancing, chanting and singing with abandon.

The open-air venue, cool Bali

HAVE A COLORFUL SUMMER

breeze and presence of likeminded spiritual warriors make the festival very memorable. Those who participate often enjoy travel adventures, too, with new friends after the festival closes.

The Bali Spirit Festival also helps raise funds for programs for children, the environment and HIV/ AIDS awareness.

@

BE INSPIRED For ticketing and more information, visit balispiritfestival.com.

Singapore OPENS MARCH 29 BLUE MAN GROUP Catch this Broadway hit at Marina Bay Sands and have a roaring good time. sistic.com.sg

Hong Kong MARCH 24-26 ART BASEL Artworks from the East and West come together in this premier event. artbasel. com/hong-kong 23

SMILE • MARCH 2016

Makati APRIL 2 CHROMA MUSIC FESTIVAL Dance till you drop at the Globe Circuit Event Grounds. smtickets.com

Aha! good news

On the (China)town

There are stories galore Learn about Chinatown’s evolution from real people like Tina Tan, whose greatgrandfather started the beef noodle chain Hock Lam Beef; and Carmen Choy, the vice chairperson of the Chung Shan Association’s youth wing.

It’s easy to explore Visitors can explore the Centre with the help of a multimedia handheld device.

It provides a guide to all the floors and galleries, visuals and soundscapes.

Visitors can also read historical information about the exhibits.

It’s a multi-sensory experience The displays are complemented by ambient sounds, recorded conversations, lighting effects and even smells, so visitors will get a truly immersive experience of 1950s and 1960s Chinatown. For instance, at the tailor shop on level one, visitors can hear phone conversations between the tailor and his customer, while the scent of coffee and various spices permeate Gallery 3. Visitors can get a whiff of opium in Gallery 4a, and watch a multimedia projection of iconic festivals in Chinatown, such as the Seven Sisters Festival and the Theemithi firewalking festival, in Gallery 5.

You can take fascinating tours Visitors can take part in tours conducted by guides acting as a Samsui woman and a trishaw rider. The two iconic Chinatown characters will share stories of their journey from China to Nanyang or the Southern Seas, and the challenges they faced living in the new land.

EXPERIENCE CHINATOWN The Chinatown Heritage Centre is at 48 Pagoda St, Singapore. To access it, take the MRT to Chinatown and take exit A on Pagoda Street.

i

GET TO KNOW OSAKA FROM THE RITZ-CARLTON If you’re heading to Osaka, consider treating yourself to a luxurious stay at the RitzCarlton. The hotel is offering overnight guests free guided tours and lessons, which will surely enrich your holiday. You can choose to explore Nakanoshima Park (inset), the first park built in Osaka in 1891, or take up an origami lesson with your kids. You can also join the hotel’s art tour to know more about the impressive art and furniture collection in the property. Visit goo.gl/pwwfwz for more information.

24 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHOTOS BY CHINATOWN HERITAGE CENTRE PTE LTD

HERE ARE A FEW REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT THE RECENTLY RE-OPENED CHINATOWN HERITAGE CENTRE IN SINGAPORE

Ahhh comfy rooms

Comfort zone SOMETIMES FINDING IT IS A GOOD THING, ESPECIALLY AFTER A HARD DAY OF TRAVEL. WE FOUND ONE OF OURS IN BUSY MAKATI CITY everyone sleep better at night: after stringent inspection, the building has been found worthy of a Green Mark Award by the Building & Construction Authority of Singapore for, among other things, its sustainable design and environmentally friendly operational practices.

But what will really help you ease into your new digs are the personal touches the property offers via the the Ascott Host Program. Everything from city tours to concierge services, personal shopping and a Cubbies Kiddies Club, could help you manage time for work, play and minding the kids if you’re traveling with them.

Another enticement is the Ladies’ Floor, where rooms are fitted with

i

extra-thoughtful details like a vanity mirror and dressing-room chair that are perfect for primping, as well as a relaxing floral scent that greets you as the elevator doors open.

And if you’ve always been the type who enjoys the feel of a laid-back neighborhood and a steady scene, you’ll probably agree with Cecille Kimpo, director of sales and marketing for The Ascott Limited in the Philippines. “We’re on the quieter side of town,” she explains, “so our location itself offers the perfect work-life balance.” And with the nearby cafés, bars, shops, spas, yoga studios and a bustling Saturday Market, you’ll be happy knowing that you set up home just around the corner.

CITADINES SALCEDO MAKATI 148 Valero St, Salcedo Village, Makati City, +63 2 863 9888; citadines.com

26 SMILE • MARCH 2016

TEXT BY TATA MAPA

If you’re in Metro Manila for a stayover, where you lay your hat can spell all the difference between a fun visit and a truly comfortable one that might tempt you to extend your trip. That’s a wide gap that serviced “apart’hotel” Citadines Salcedo Makati hopes to fill.

How? By paying rigorous attention to detail and thinking two steps ahead.

The new tower on Valero Street, right between the Starbucks and the Army Navy, houses 215 units, and each one is set up with a fully functional kitchen, a spacious living area, a cozy bedroom, blackout drapes that keep out the sun and let you sleep in, and a home entertainment system. Happy bonus: the free Wi-Fi is fast. There’s a chance you may never leave at all.

Accommodations range from studios to two-bedroom apartments, and amenities include a pool, jacuzzi and a well-equipped gym, all on the 9th floor. Another detail that makes

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

The heat is on!

HERE’S WHY C2 COOL & CLEAN OUGHT TO BE YOUR OFFICIAL DRINK OF SUMMER

Fuel your summer with C2 CATCH C2 COOL & CLEAN AT THESE HOLIDAY HOTSPOTS

Summer is the hottest time of the year — and that season you want your beach body looking pretty hot, too. Here are a few ideas to get you into your best shape while keeping you cool, refreshed and happy with C2 Cool & Clean.

KEEP IT REAL An essential part of a balanced regimen is a sensible eating plan. Cut down on processed food, and be selective about what you put in your body. Opt for meals made with fresh and natural ingredients.

Remember to add C2 Cool & Clean!

This refreshing beverage is made from 100% natural tea leaves that are brewed and bottled on the same day.

GET ACTIVE OUTDOORS Swim, bike, play tennis, do Zumba, run or walk the dog. Whatever it is you love doing, take the activity out in the sunshine on your own, or with family and friends. Not only will you burn calories

and build muscle, you’ll start working on that healthy summer tan too. Cool off afterwards with bottles of C2 Cool & Clean for everyone — you all deserve it.

HAVE A GOAL Nothing motivates us better than something to look forward to. Whether it’s a 10K run, a sprint triathlon or a beach holiday in Phuket/Boracay/Sydney, pencil in that big event in your calendar. Then do something every day to get you trained and toned for it. Make sure to stay refreshed with C2 Cool & Clean — this ready-to-drink beverage comes in exciting flavors and pack sizes you can easily stash in your bag or simply carry around with you.

Now you’re all set for a tea-rrific summer of fitness and fun with C2 Cool & Clean!

C2CoolandClean

Boracay, Baler and Baguio – March 24–27 Visit the C2 booths in these locations to get limited-edition premium items and other great prizes.

Boracay and Baler – April 28–May 1 Can’t make it to the first wave? Worry not! You can still drop by the C2 booths during the Labor Day Weekend to avail of C2 goodies.

A yen for Jen

Oohlala lovely escape

PERCHED ON THE FAR END OF SINGAPORE’S ORCHARD ROAD, THIS REFURBISHED HOTEL WILL BE LAPPED UP BY SELFIESNAPPING HIPSTERS, RETAIL HOUNDS AND BUSINESS TYPES

After a S$45 million makeover, the hotel formerly known as Traders Singapore has re-opened with not just a bold aesthetic refit but a new name: the “virtual persona” Jen, a fictional hotelier who “loves life, travel and discovering new places”. If this seems contrived, you’ll find the imaginary female creation an ideal fit for this 565-room stayover, which has ditched fusty business-hotel trappings for something altogether more informal, human and 21st century — a modish space (think Tokyobike cycles, free GoPro cameras) with thoughtful guest amenities, and food and drink options as abundant as they are excellent.

There’s a local touch to everything, from wallpaper design (bicycles, orchids, shophouses) to the restaurant team’s handcrafted aprons. J65, an all-day eatery designed to evoke a food market, is named for Singapore’s international telephone prefix, while Jen’s Kitchen On-the-Go café is a

kind of upscale kopitiam (replete with vintage tandem bike), and there are ta bao takeaway bags at breakfast. A handy neighbourhood guide offers tips on walking times to local attractions (there’s also the Pinterest-style “Heart Map”, on which guests and staff can share city recommendations); and for work travelers, there’s a seriously comprehensive timetable of shuttle connections to business hubs.

The abiding memory of our stay, though, will surely be the food. At breakfast, house-made ice creams, smoothies and yogurts are stored in jars and cooled in a drawer-style fridge; from Thursdays to Saturdays the Hooked! seafood dinner piles on the Fine de Claire oysters, Boston lobster and Sri Lankan crab. But the

i

crowning glory is Sunday brunch, a truly maximalist affair highlighted by free-flow champagne, wine, beer and cocktails, traditional and modern main courses, and a huge, rainbow-esque cake selection (I think I counted 10) — all while being serenaded by a DJ and a local singer. If you’re still peckish later, try the chicken wings at Rumpoles Bar, squirreled further inside the hotel.

Given Jen’s local surroundings, this is hardly an immersive neighborhood experience, but ample rewards await minutes away in the form of the newly UNESCO-garlanded Botanic Gardens, Dempsey Hill’s plethora of restaurants, bars and cafés, and, of course, Orchard Road itself. Then again, you might find yourself so ensconced in Jen’s charms, you can’t imagine stepping outside at all.

HOTEL JEN TANGLIN SINGAPORE, 1A Cuscaden Rd, +65 6831 4333; hoteljen.com. From S$250 per night for a Superior Room

31 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Hmmm

Guilt-free indulgence

clean eats

BY TATA MAPA

TREAT YOURSELF TO NUTRITIOUS AND DELICIOUS EATS AND SIPS AT THESE THREE METRO MANILA RESTAURANTS

DETOXIFY BAR 2nd floor Techno Plaza 2, Eastwood, Quezon City A fusion of an organic juice bar, detox center and gourmet restaurant, Detoxify Bar makes cleansing our bodies both accessible and appetizing. Try: Their Green Vegan Detox (a potent blend of apple, cucumber, broccoli, romaine lettuce, celery, moringa and lemon; Minty Berry (a stressbusting combination of apple, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, mint leaf and lemon juices); the Walnut Crusted Chicken Quinoa Bowl; and the Angel Hair Chicken Parmigiana. All dishes are made without salt, MSG or flavor enhancers. detoxifybar.com

HILLSIDE CAFÉ & JUICE BAR 57 Mother Ignacia Ave, Diliman, Quezon City Hillside puts a premium on grass-fed meat, and fresh, organic fruits and vegetables sourced from local farms. Plus, almost everything they serve is made from scratch in their kitchen, with organic ingredients when possible. Try: The Hillside Greens Smoothie, which blends organic spinach, moringa, mango, banana, chia seeds, coconut meat and coconut water; and the Organic Roast Chicken served with mashed sweet potato, tapenade, soy-honey sauce and roasted vegetables. facebook. com/hillsidecafeph

33 SMILE • MARCH 2016

SPROUT Ground Floor Signa Designer Residences, Valero cor Rufino St, Salcedo Village, Makati City If you don’t have time to prepare healthy meals, head on over to Sprout, where they make it easy to enjoy quick, naturally made food on the go. Sprout whips up 50 choices every morning including fresh juices, salads, wraps, rice bowls, grain bowls and noodles, so you’ll always find something to whet your appetite. Try: Their Kale & Roasted Vegetables, the Miso Salmon Salad, or the Spicy Tuna Salad. Meat lovers will be happy to find dishes such as the Pulled Pork with Brown Rice and the Roast Beef Baguette on the menu. facebook.com/ SproutPh

Yipee! fun travel essentials

Weatherproof wanderings ONE RUCKSACK COVER MEANS THREE WAYS TO KEEP THE RAIN FROM DAMPENING YOUR HOLIDAY. VICTOR GUERRERO TRIES IT OUT

1

3

Wanderskye’s original design is made of water-proof nylon to keep your backpack — and all its important contents, like everybody’s passports — safe and dry in case of a sudden downpour.

Say you brought your little one to the music festival and the weather took a turn for the worse.

Well, here she is, looking very chill in a handy covering, and protected from the blazing sun or moderate shower (in case of driving rain, you know what to do).

It’s got garter edges for a snug fit, but it’s also big enough for more than just a backpack. Here it is doing double duty as a sheet to cover up parked prams. It comes in seven travel-inspired graphic designs, so pick one you’re more likely to remember, even in your more frazzled moments.

CHECK OUT other personalized travel items at wanderskye.com

Pretty story keepers Put your smartphone down and start documenting your adventures in Viviamo’s Quest Journal. It comes with one graph-ruled notepad, perfect for writing down checklists and itineraries, and tracking down expenses; and one blank notepad for sketches, diary entries and even scrapbooking. They’re refillable, so you don’t have to worry about running out of pages. The soft leather-bound Quest Journal also comes with a vinyl zippered pouch where you can put tickets, receipts and even small souvenirs. Available in cool taupe and talc pink. ilovebdj.com 34 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHOTOS AND STYLING BY VICTOR GUERRERO (MAIN)

@

2

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Artist's perspective of Avida Towers One Union Place

Artist's perspective of the pools

Have time for life's pleasures at Arca South

Artist's perspective of the Skyway access

The sweet spot WORK AND PLEASURE COME TOGETHER AT ARCA SOUTH, AYALA LAND’S LATEST MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT IN TAGUIG CITY If you’re on the lookout for a community where work and pleasure can coexist, and where the quality of your life can be so much better, look no further than Arca South, a 74-hectare business and lifestyle district in Taguig City developed by Ayala Land.

EFFICIENT AND ACCESSIBLE At Arca South, traffic, power and security are centrally controlled to ensure smooth operations, and that the community’s needs are met. There is integrated basement parking so that the streets remain

i

uncongested, making it easy to get from one place to another, either on wheels or on foot.

For times when you need to head out to the Metro, you can conveniently access the Skyway, C5 and C6 highways via dedicated ramps. Arca South is also right beside the Southeast Intermodal Transport Terminal, so you can easily hop on a bus to Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, Quezon and Bicol.

A COMPLETE COMMUNITY Arca South will have various retail options, as well as a Seda hotel, nine office buildings

HEAD SOUTH Learn more about Arca South at arcasouth.ph. For more information about Avida Towers One Union Place, visit avidaland.com, or call +63 2 848 5200 (Metro Manila) or 1 800 10 848 5200 (outside Metro Manila).

and a hospital. There will be residential condominiums, of course, and among them is Avida Towers One Union Place. The three-tower condominium — Avida Land’s first residential condo in Arca South — offers studio, one- and two-bedroom units, and has a central courtyard where residents can meet and befriend their neighbors, bond with their families and just relax when the workday is done. Other amenities include adult and kiddie pools, a multipurpose hall (for all the parties you’ll host), an indoor gym (exercise is a must) and a children’s play area.

Woohoo fancy things

The hide you seek FOR HAPPIER, MORE STYLISH TRAVELS, LUXE UP YOUR SET OF ESSENTIAL TRAVEL ACCESSORIES WITH FINO LEATHERWARE

You can make a case for investing in sturdy leather travel items like luggage tags, key and passport holders, wallets and coin purses — they last a long time and they look great. We’re completely smitten by local leather goods specialist Fino’s collection of travel essentials that come in a variety of leather finishes and bright, bold retro shades.

@

CHECK OUT other gorgeous items to dye for at finoleatherware.com

PENINSULA EXCELSIOR SINGAPORE HOTEL Located right in the midst of Singapore’s hottest attractions, Peninsula Excelsior Singapore is your ticket to seeing the best of the city in just a few days. Kick back in one of their 600 luxury rooms and suites, and then get ready for some wining, dining and awesome entertainment. Park yourself at the Sky Lounge on level 22 of the Peninsula Tower, and take in the 270˚ unobstructed view of the Raffles City, Esplanade, Marina Bay, Central Business District skyline, Singapore River, Boat Quay, Chinatown, Clarke Quay, and Fort Canning Hill. To book, go to peninsulaexcelsior.com.sg 38 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHOTOS (FINO) BY VIC GUERRERO

Treat yourself

Wow good stuff

Ready for water TIPS ON THE BEST GEAR FROM ADVENTURERS WHO LIVE THE LIFE AQUATIC WEAR YOUR BOARD “While waiting to catch good waves, you may have to walk long distances, so we at Brown Belly came up with surfboard slings that will help carry short or long boards more comfortably,” shares Kage Gozun. The slings have big pockets to store leash, wax, money, sunscreen and flip-flops. From PHP995; brownbellyswimwear.com

SUIT YOURSELF “Commit to scuba diving towards certification more cheaply by getting a generic-brand wetsuit,” suggests Patricia del Castillo, who goes on dives every weekend.

From PHP5,000; DiveNet Philippines; divenetphil.com

BE IN THE MOMENT Without a color LCD or WiFi, the entry-level waterproof GoPro Hero eliminates the temptation to check and upload photos immediately. “This allows for uninterrupted snorkeling, diving, kayaking, trekking — and the list goes on,” says tour guide Bryan Ocampo.

From PHP6,200; shop. gopro.com

SHOTS TO DIVE FOR Avid snorkeler Christian Sangoyo recommends Canon’s waterproof PowerShot D30. “Set it on program mode with tracking autofocus and automatic ISO to accommodate erratic lighting underwater,” Christian suggests. From PHP14,998; canon.com.ph

KAGE GOZUN is a certified scuba diver and surfer. A Lifestyle Brand Ambassador for Roxy Philippines, she frequently surfs in Baler, Zambales, and La Union, where she is a social media manager for The Circle Hostel.

CHRISTIAN SANGOYO is a blogger and photographer at lakadpilipinas.com.

Traveling throughout Asia, he always makes time to snorkel, even under waterfalls. For him, Calayan Island in Cagayan, with its forest-like underwater seagrass garden, is among the best snorkeling sites.

Functioning as a guide, interpreter, photographer, and videographer, BRYAN OCAMPO is a tour leader for adventure travel companies. He takes travelers hiking to Sagada, snorkeling in Palawan, and discovering Ilocos Province and Mount Pinatubo.

40 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PATRICIA DEL CASTILLO is a digital marketer on weekdays and scuba diver at weekends. She frequently dives in Anilao, Batangas — a short drive from Manila — to get herself some Zen. The Great Barrier Reef was her most memorable dive, but her ultimate dream spot? The Red Sea off the coast of Egypt.

BY KC RAMIREZ

The recommenders

Woot!

Who run the world? Gi rls IN HONOR OF WOMEN’S MONTH, A READING LIST TRIBUTE TO THE BRAVE AND CURIOUS WANDERERS WHO LIVED TO TELL THEIR AMAZING TALES

Polar Dream: The Heroic Saga of the First Solo Journey by a Woman and Her Dog to the Pole by Helen Thayer In 1988, 50-year-old Helen Thayer did the unthinkable: with only by her black husky Charlie as companion, she became the first woman ever to travel alone, on foot, to the North Pole — a feat she was told could never be done, especially by a woman. She overcame relentless discouragement to set out for a brutal journey plagued with deathly cold temperatures, violent storms, and near starvation.

The Nomad: Diaries of Isabelle Eberhardt by Isabelle Eberhardt The short and adventure-filled life of Isabelle Eberhardt’s was thankfully chronicled in a diary.

Born in Geneva in 1877, she moved to Algeria, converted to Islam, and dressed as a man to travel all over North Africa and document her journeys. Before drowning at 27 in a desert flood, she explored the Sahara desert as a 19th century woman disguised as an Arab man.

Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi An 18-year-old New York City girl and her cat embark on an exciting solo circumnavigation of the world aboard a 26-foot sloop. Her 27,000-mile, three-year sail is only usually attempted by veteran sailors, so hers was quite an achievement filled with resourcefulness, guts, support, and a good deal of luck.

Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea by Kira Salak Kira Salak is so gutsy that the New York Times dubbed her a real-life Lara Croft. She was 24 when she set out to be the first woman to travel all over Papua New Guinea and explore all of its treacherous corners. She canoed and walked across the island, encountering cannibals, missionaries and shamans — not exactly your everyday corner coffee shop crew.

Tracks: A Woman’s Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback by Robyn Davidson Robyn Davidson trekked the 1,700 miles of the treacherous Australian desert to get to sea with just four camels and a dog. Among the terrifying things one has to overcome on a solo trek is self-doubt (there’s no one else to say it’s going to be OK), and Davidson says, “I experienced that sinking feeling you get when you know you have conned yourself into doing something difficult and there’s no going back.”

43 SMILE • MARCH 2016

BY LOUIE-AN PILAPIL

good reads

THESE AWESOME PEOPLE REALLY KNOW THEIR STUFF — HEAR IT STRAIGHT FROM THEM

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH Jane Fonda’s scene-stealing turn as a diva past her prime in Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth earned her a Best Supporting Actress in this year’s Golden Globes. How does she do it? “I’m an involved person outside of cinema,”she says. “It helps my acting and it certainly keeps me sane. I spend a lot of time with people who have nothing to do with Hollywood and who are not famous — no one would know their names. They teach me about life far more than other people who are famous do.

But people who are famous teach me stuff too.”

PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES

Flip the page for more from Jane

45 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Hot topic chatfest with Hollywood stars

No ordinary Jane FEW HOLLYWOOD ICONS CAN BOAST AN EXTRACURRICULAR CV COMPARABLE TO THE TALENTED MS JANE FONDA’S. RUBEN V NEPALES’ INTERVIEW PROVES THE POINT Jane Fonda in character as Brenda Morel, an aging superstar in Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth

the Most of All of Your Life. It’s quite a long title, but that subtitle captures what Jane is all about.

During our chat, Jane — who has led a colorful life and had three husbands — reminisced about being in the Philippines during her time as a Vietnam War protester. She also talked about her other travels, as well as her new movie, her well-documented work as a fitness guru and her life in the public eye.

What are your memories of being in the Philippines in 1971 as part of your anti-Vietnam War efforts?

It was the height of the Vietnam War. A group of veterans who had been soldiers there came to me and said, “We have Bob Hope traveling around our military bases, saying the war is great. Why don’t you put together a group of actors and form a tour that’s not for the war?”

I had been working with soldiers — 46 SMILE • MARCH 2016

the Marines and the Army, Air Force and Navy. I knew from talking to and being with them that there were growing numbers of soldiers who were opposed to the war. They had newspapers that they put out — it was called the GI Movement. We took all those newspapers and we made skits out of the things that the soldiers had written themselves.

Together with Donald Sutherland and a number of other performers, we put a show together called “FTA”, for F*** the Army. We were never allowed on the military bases. We performed in theaters, halls and meeting places off the bases. We went to Hawaii, Okinawa and then the Philippines. We went to Subic Bay and the Clark Air Force Base. We performed on a floating island in the middle of a lake.

In Japan, thousands of soldiers came to see us. It was a huge success; there was a documentary made about it. It was really something.

PHOTO BY INDIGO FILM

Jane Fonda strides into our interview flaunting a designer brown and black outfit. “This jacket is so uncomfortable, but it looks good, so I’m doing my part for glamor,” she quips.

At 78, the two-time Oscar winner has one of the best postures in Hollywood and looks amazingly good. “I’ve given myself a little help,” she concedes, a nod to the cosmetic surgery that she’s had done.

They don’t make stars like Jane anymore. She’s the embodiment of glamor while at the same time exuding a no-nonsense attitude — she speaks her mind, articulately and graciously.

And she’s still winning acclaim. The true-blue Hollywood denizen from a famed acting clan (her father was Henry Fonda; Peter Fonda is her brother, while Bridget Fonda is her niece), she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the recent Golden Globe Awards for Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth.

The fitness guru stays active although, as she says, she does her exercises “very slowly” now. She has written several books, the most recent being Prime Time: Love, Health, Sex, Fitness, Friendship, Spirit — Making

What are your other best memories of traveling?

I feel so lucky that I’ve been able to travel a lot. Because my first husband [Roger Vadim] was half-Russian, we went to Russia in 1962. There weren’t many Americans going there then.

I fell in love with the people. It was always strange to me that a country like Russia would go Communist, because it was like putting a square peg into a round hole. I mean, these are the people of Chekhov and Turgenev. The people that I knew were very different.

I’ve been to Greece, India, China, Africa — I love them all. I feel really lucky. It’s appalling that there are members of the US Congress who have not traveled the world.

Traveling does give you a much deeper perspective on who you are.

My life changed in Egypt. Ted was forming a foundation with focus on population and the environment. I needed to become an expert on these issues. The UN had a conference on population and development. I went, and what happened to me there really changed my life. It motivated me to start my own non-profit organization in Georgia.

What are the places that are still on your bucket list?

I’m going to say some words now that for me are unbelievable coming out of my 78-year-old mouth. I’m working so much I don’t have time to visit the Swiss Alps. But I know that the time will come when that’s not true, and I would love to go back.

Turkey is on my bucket list but actually, so is going hiking again in the Alps. I’ve also hiked at Machu Picchu [in Peru]. I’ve gone to a lot of places.

You are fortunate to have worked with some legendary actors. Who among them inspired you?

Katharine Hepburn had a huge impact on me. She really went out of her way to teach me lessons — I think because she wanted me to talk about her after she died [laughs]. She was a real character, but I really learned a lot from her, more than anybody.

Do you find more joy in acting now?

It’s really weird. It’s not at all what I would have expected. I didn’t enjoy acting very much in the beginning — I did it because I was fired as a secretary and I had to earn a living. When you’re the child of a movie actor, you drift that way. You think: Well, maybe I’ll just end up doing that. And so I did.

But I didn’t enjoy it very much.

During the ’70s, I really enjoyed it because I was producing my own movies — 9 to 5, Coming Home, The China Syndrome with Michael Douglas.

And then I was so unhappy acting that I left the business for 15 years.

[But then] I thought I could do this again with more joy, so I came back.

And I’ve been blessed to be able to recreate a career. I find real joy in it now.

I have worked very hard on myself as a human being and it has made it possible for me to be creative again.

What would you say are the downsides of fame?

Fame is better than “infame”. To

“Traveling does give you a much deeper perspective on who you are”

be famous is better than to be infamous. I’ve been both. If you are an entertainer, fame is good because it means that something that you’ve done has reached out and touched people. You do lose a modicum of privacy but, frankly, I’ve had it with famous people who complain about it.

I mean, I don’t like paparazzi — they’re very invasive. But it’s the price.

What you learn as you grow up and get older is that God doesn’t come to you through your fame, rewards or successes. God comes to us through our scars and wounds. So the danger with fame is that it can cause you to forget about your failures and wounds.

Those are the things that make us grow stronger and more resilient.

I’ve tried to hang on to that understanding so I don’t get used to fame, because someone a long time ago really impressed to me that no one — nation or individual — is number one forever. When you know that, it’s very helpful.

What have you learned about love, happiness and parenthood?

I’ve learned that not everyone is equally gifted at relationships, love and parenting. I was not naturally gifted at any of those things. If you don’t really have it as a young child, you either don’t ever have it or you have to learn it along the way. I have really worked very hard to learn how to love and how to be a parent. You can learn these things, but it takes a lot of intention.

I love spending time with people who are naturally good parents and not afraid of intimacy. Someone asked me the other day, “What are your fears?” I’ve been under bombs, been shot at, I’ve had all kinds of things.

But the one thing that I’m afraid of is intimacy [laughs] — emotional intimacy. So I love spending time with people who have that, because I learn from them.

Read our complete interview (it’s so good) with Jane Fonda at waytogo.cebupacificair.com

47 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Wander lust travel like a pro

Trip advisor IF YOU KEEP AN OPEN MIND WHILE TRAVELING, LIKE CHEF AND TV PERSONALITY ROB PENGSON, YOU’LL BRING A NEW DIMENSION TO YOUR HOLIDAY

The resident judge of Asian Food Channel’s The Amazing Food Challenge — Fun in the Philippines, now in its third season, is not afraid to try something new. Chef Rob Pengson’s travel plan is a simple mantra: “Explore, eat, explore, eat, repeat.”

“I always make it a point to go to historically or locally significant sites, and I am very comfortable chatting up the locals anywhere,” he says. “I also love to walk, so I do it as much as I can.

And when it comes to food, I want to eat what gets the locals excited. This way, you get the most out of a visit.”

The Amazing Food Challenge pits 12 contestants against each other in a series of culinary challenges all over the

country, with the aim of winning a prize of US$30,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip around the Philippines. Working on the show has made Rob come to a realization about his own travel ambitions.

“Being Filipino myself, I need to go around my own country more. I want to enjoy so much of the beauty it has to offer,” he muses. “‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ is more than just a tagline. The country is truly so diverse and beautiful, and my countrymen and women so hospitable, that it really does make this Filipino proud.”

Through the program, Rob especially appreciates “meeting the staff, hosts, crew and contestants; traveling 48 SMILE • MARCH 2016

and eating all the local dishes of the provinces we go to; being invited by a local to dine at their house; and enjoying the majestic scenery and production design for each food challenge.”

If he does seek to escape, however, Rob will need to check his schedule.

The owner of Manila’s The Hungry Hound gastropub and Niner Ichi Nana cocktail bar, as well as the co-founder and CEO of culinary school Global Academy, his days are always packed.

But the internationally trained chef has a few trip ideas up his sleeve.

“This year, I am planning to take my kids to the beach — we have yet to decide which one,” he says. “I also want to visit Vigan and see the old Spanish-

Wander lust

Bring out the foodie in you Explore, and go 20% high-end and 80% mid- and street-level food. This mix has always been perfect for me, no matter where I go.

Satisfy your appetite If you find that place you love so much, go back if you have time. But don’t eat at any one place more than twice, as you will miss out on other places.

Think about your budget Research, research and research.

If you can make a business plan for work, that same diligence should be [applied to] a vacation or holiday travel experience.

Get some recommendations Ask the local chefs where they eat before or after work! You’ll be surprised — it’s usually affordable, has original and delicious food and drink, and isn’t that mainstream.

Stop, look and listen Stop whenever something catches your eye that is out of your itinerary. If you have the time, resources and hunger for the

@

Rob shares culinary tips with The Amazing Food Challenge contestants

experience, then go for it! An easy guide is to look where other people always go. And listen to the local experts. If it’s food, ask a chef (or invite one out).

Document your trip I like keeping an online journal simply by using Facebook or by emailing myself, so I can return to these memories easily.

Experiment!

Don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone. Eat brains, drink blood, put a snake around your neck… all within calculated reason.

Make it personal Attend a class or volunteer at a foundation — it really improves the experience. This way, you have a chance to make local friends, and the time you spend in a place becomes more meaningful.

WHAT’S UP WITH ROB? See what else the chef is up to in the local food scene at @chefrobpengson on Instagram.

50 SMILE • MARCH 2016

BY CHARMAINE BAYLON; PHOTOS COURTESY OF AFC

style buildings. I plan to start mountain hiking as a hobby, too.”

Career-wise, his priorities remain clear. “I believe everyone’s life has stages and cycles,” says Rob. “I’ve focused the last seven years on restaurants, consultations and food service management. For 2016, I am focused on education, because making a positive impact on other people’s lives through education has always been one of the things in my life where I draw so much personal fulfillment, and always will be.”

In a way, his talent for teaching extends to travel too. Here he lets us in on the secrets of creating a memorable getaway.

“Attend a class or volunteer at a foundation — it really improves the experience”

High f lyer traveling for business

ALICE T. LIU Occupation: RETAIL EXECUTIVE Company: GOLDEN ABC, INC. Based in: MANILA How often do you travel for work?

About once a month, or at least twice a quarter. I try to spot trends and analyze how they can work for the markets we serve. On some trips, I meet suppliers.

INTERVIEW BY KAT MATEO; PHOTO BYVIC GUERRERO

What is your preferred time for flying, and why?

Early in the morning or late in the evening, to maximize time at my point of origin or destination. I don’t mind missing out on sleep hours, because I usually sleep inflight anyway.

Do you have any rituals on board?

I put on my earphones and listen to my music, which includes lounge and religious songs. I also slather on some moisturizer, and apply lip balm as cabin air is very drying.

What are three items you always have in your carry-on?

My laptop, phone and phone charger.

What is your preferred accommodation — chain hotel, boutique or Airbnb?

For work, a chain hotel is more

predictable and I need that if we’re going to be on a schedule.

For personal trips I can be more experimental, as the pace is more relaxed.

transport — a taxi, an Uber ride or a rental car?

I use Uber in larger cities like Los Angeles or New York. In Europe, I use a car rental for self-drive.

Which app do you use most when you travel?

I use TripAdvisor to discover highly rated places to eat at when I’m not familiar with a city. I also use the CNN app to stay abreast of global news and to know if any event could impact our trip.

When and where was your last holiday?

Florence, in December 2015. I travelled to Italy with my husband Bernie to visit our daughter Mandy, who’s studying there.

What's your preferred mode of 53 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Where is home?

Cebu is always going to be home for me, but I live in Manila now.

On the road with Mia Alvar

From the outside looking in EXPAT AUTHOR MIA ALVAR TELLS SMILE HOW WRITING HER FIRST BOOK, IN THE COUNTRY, BROUGHT HER TO A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE PHILIPPINES If you need suggestions on what to read next, Mia Alvar’s In the Country comes highly recommended.

Published in June last year, it is a collection of nine short stories that delve into the Filipino experience of living overseas; of Filipino family values; of Filipinos discovering and rediscovering their cultural identity; and of them trying to find their place in the situations and foreign destinations they find themselves in.

The settings vary in time and place, from the early ’70s to the late

’80s, from the Philippines to Bahrain to the United States. Born in Manila, Mia grew up in Bahrain and New York City; she’s now returned to the Big Apple.

In the Country is her first book, and it’s received positive reviews from The New York Times, The Huffington Post and Publishers Weekly, among others. It’s also been longlisted in the US for the PEN/Robert W Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction, and the John Leonard First Book Award from the National Book Critics Circle.

Mia currently lives in New York; (inset) signing copies of her book at Miriam College in Quezon City

54 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Which of the characters and stories from In the Country hit close to home?

All the stories have strayed pretty far from home, actually — because while I borrowed a lot from my personal history, I changed a lot on the page. Real-life ingredients get edited, exaggerated, remixed and transformed all the time. I’m a fiction writer because I love to make things up!

While I don’t have a favorite character in the book, I was most pleasantly surprised to connect with Alice in “Legends of the White Lady” — the only non-Filipino protagonist in the collection. As a blonde American fashion model who’s almost 6ft tall, she’s different from me in just about every way, and not the kind of character most readers instantly sympathize with.

But in writing her story, I discovered Alice’s loneliness and grief, her struggle to make a living in a difficult business, the standards of beauty and femininity she feels pressured to meet — and then she didn’t seem so alien to me at all.

On the road From far left: In the Country is Mia’s first book; the author reads from her short stories at an event in New York City

write even without the promise of publication or readership, though of course I cherish those things too.

Why is it important to share Filipino perspectives with an international audience?

There’s a long and vibrant tradition of Filipino literature written in English, and truthfully I’m just adding my voice to an ongoing conversation. Yet on the global stage, the Philippines doesn’t tend to get a lot of coverage outside of typhoons, revolutions and the occasional international celebrity. So I feel that the more stories that can be widely told about Filipinos, our culture and history — and particularly about the lives of ordinary working Filipinos — the better.

The value of sharing Filipino perspectives — in the plural — with the world is that it helps complete the picture of just how diverse, complex, fascinating and multi-dimensional the Philippines and its people are.

How was the experience of being back in the Philippines?

My last visit to the Philippines was 17 years ago, and for a sad reason. So it felt truly special to come back this time for a purely celebratory reason: to launch my book in the country that inspired it, among friends and family members who have cheered me on along the way.

Every part of the trip exceeded my expectations. The greatest joy was experiencing more of the Philippines outside of Manila, where I was born: I’m a little embarrassed to admit that, before 2015, my childhood and previous visits to the Philippines had been pretty Manila-centric. But this time, I got to participate in the National Book Development Board’s International Literary Festival in Davao where, coincidentally, my father is from. Not only did I get to learn about the literature of Davao and Mindanao, but I was also able to explore my father’s home province a little and meet his side of the family for the first time.

My husband and I also visited Pangasinan, where his parents are from, and then enjoyed a beautiful vacation in Palawan after the business part of my trip was over. I’d say it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but I hope to be back sooner and much more often than that! There’s still so much I have to see and learn about this large, diverse and beautiful motherland of ours.

MORE FROM MIA Read our complete interview with Mia at waytogo.cebupacificair.com

56 SMILE • MARCH 2016

BY CHARMAINE BAYLON

What did you discover about yourself and your fellow Filipinos in the course of writing the book?

I learned, or was reminded, that there’s always more to Filipinos in the diaspora than the rosy, sentimental stereotypes that exist of us. Growing up, I’d hear “success” stories — often from other Filipinos or from my own family — about nurses or housemaids with cheerful, hardworking and obedient dispositions. It was as if “service with a smile” were a national trait to be proud of, and selfsacrifice and labor our only possible contributions to the world.

But exploring the lives of my characters meant looking underneath that reputation, however positive it might seem on the surface, to explore what’s complex, messy, flawed and human about Filipinos. I take more pride in that complexity now than in our supposed ability to make employers happy all over the globe.

About myself, over the decadeplus that it took me to finish the book I discovered the real depth of my love for writing fiction. I used to be motivated by the dream of seeing my name in print and in bookstores, but as the years passed I became devoted to the process itself — the work it takes to see an idea through to a finished story. I know now that I would still

“Sharing Filipino perspectives helps complete the picture of how multidimensional the Philippines and its people are”

Get to know Amin Hataman

Playing football is one of the things Amin loves to do; (left) Amin with his awardwinning invention

Amin to that THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT FOR THIS TEENAGE STUDENT, WHO IS ALREADY AN AWARD-WINNING INVENTOR Have you always wanted to become an inventor, and were you always interested in the environment and sciences?

I didn’t always want to become an inventor, but I was always curious about the problems around me and how to fix them. I would often ask my mother about these things. Since I am from Mindanao, I’ve always had an appreciation for nature, and this project allowed us to contribute to helping it in our own way.

Which part about creating the biodegradable plastic did you enjoy the most?

I can’t divulge the exact process, but it took us a few months to be able to make the first few sheets of plastic. I really like the fact that this project is biodegradable, and that it is durable and is actually able to support quite a bit of weight.

Aside from functioning as a temporary container for goods and waste, where and 58 SMILE • MARCH 2016

how else would you like your biodegradable plastic to be used?

I would like the plastic to be used in packaging, due to the fact that it is durable and less flammable than normal commercial plastic. This [material] could then be used to package dry goods for delivery to many areas.

What’s your advice for fellow young Filipinos who have big ideas?

You should be able to explore as much as you can, and find out what you want to do with your life, what you want to achieve. Once you’ve done that, do everything you can to get there, and don’t let anything or anyone stop you.

What are your other hobbies?

And what are you looking forward to in 2016?

I really like to play football with my friends, read books, play video games and play music. I really look forward to being able to relax with my family this coming vacation.

BY CHARMAINE BAYLON

It’s been two years since he and his classmate and science project partner, Gokturk Karabulut, created their biodegradable plastic bag from nata de coco — an invention that won them the top prize at the 2014 International Young Inventors Project Olympiad in Tbilisi, Georgia, and third place at the 2015 International Sustainable World Energy, Engineering and Environment Project (I-SWEEEP) Olympiad in Texas. But the work doesn’t stop for Ahmed Ibn Djaliv Turabin Hataman, or Amin, as he’s called.

Now 15, Amin — who is the eldest of ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman and wife Sitti Djalia Turabin Hataman’s five kids — is studying hard in Manila as he seeks to improve and develop the product further, as well as pursue his other passions and interests.

In between speaking at youth forums, raising funds to donate blackboards to schools in Mindanao, and being a student council vice president, football player, musician and writer, Amin carved out some time to chat with us about his invention.

How to...

he u in

e

shop like a pro

CHARLENE CARLOS AND LEONA PANUTAT SCOUR MARKETS ACROSS SOUTH-EAST ASIA FOR A LIVING. HERE, THE COOWNERS OF STYLE EMPORIUM L’INDOCHINE SHARE SOME OF THEIR TIME-TESTED SHOPPING TIPS

Do your research Find out what craft the country is known for. This helps narrow down your search and allows you to focus on products they do well.

We peruse travel blogs as well as TripAdvisor for shops to see and goods to buy, and tailor our itinerary based on the info we have.

D Do the rounds Market stalls often carry the same M iitems at different price points. Be sure to look around and compare prices before purchasing. However, when you do come across something that you absolutely love and can’t live without, buy it.

Dress for the occasion We like wearing long tank dresses, or linen pants paired with tank tops.

Throw in a scarf just in case you need to cover up. Wear comfortable shoes for walking. Use a sling bag so that your hands are free, and always carry reusable bags.

Check the goods Be sure to check the quality of B your purchases before leaving yo th the he stall. Are the zippers working? Are there no missing wor beads? Are there stains? You wouldn’t want to come home with a damaged item.

Don’t show all your aces We like carrying two wallets. We put essentials, such as ATM and credit cards, in one, and put currency in small denominations in the other. It’s safer that way, and it’s also harder to haggle when the vendor sees you with a wallet full of cash.

When the seller won’t budge…

Act like you’re walking away. Most of the time, just as we’re about to leave, the vendor will agree to lower the price. If you’re going to do this, be sure to honor the agreement b an buy the item when the vendor and accepts your proposed price. ac acce cce

Gear up Bring a small notebook and pen for jotting down info such as shop or stall names and products on sale, as well as location landmarks. Having a calculator is a must, too. Not only will it help you do computations, it’s a great tool you can use for haggling.

61 SMILE • MARCH 2016

features WE’VE GATHERED STORIES FROM ACROSS THE NETWORK TO INSPIRE YOUR NEXT TRIP

CALL OF DUTY Security staff in the old walled city of Intramuros, the historic district of Manila and one of the most popular tourist spots in the metropolis, keep the peace dressed in the uniforms of the Guwardiya Sibil. This local police force dating back to the Spanish colonial era is one of the retro elements holding its ground in a fast-changing city.

PHOTO BY LESTER LEDESMA

Have you been to Manila lately? >

65 SMILE • MARCH 2016

CAPITAL GAINS

PHOTO BY LESTER LEDESMA

Metro Manila's moment The view from the ramparts of Intramuros takes in the golf course, pre-war administrative buildings and parts of the city’s modern skyline

66 SMILE • MARCH 2016

CAPITAL GAINS

LONG PERCEIVED AS TOO UNWIELDY AND CROWDED, THE PHILIPPINES’ CAPITAL IS SUDDENLY BACK ON MUST-VISIT LISTS EVEN AS IT STRUGGLES TO FIND A SUSTAINABLE SHAPE AS A REGIONAL HUB. A WEEKEND AS A TOURIST IN HIS OWN HOMETOWN SHOWS MICHAEL AQUINO WHAT THE BUZZ IS ALL ABOUT, AND TALKS TO EXPERTS ON HOW THE SPRAWL CAN BE REINED IN TO GIVE IT EVEN WIDER APPEAL

9.06pm, Friday. A 7-Eleven in the middle of Bonifacio Global City seems a poor choice for an evening date, but that’s where I find myself with my wife. The security guard silently ushers us into the storeroom, where an inner door opens to reveal a massive neoGothic space. A long bar and a shelf stacked ceiling-high with liquor bottles line one wall; a series of arches with a projection of a Banksy artwork graces the other.

Bank Bar is one of Manila’s most popular speakeasies, though it would be invisible to passersby who haven’t heard of it through the grapevine. “There’s a sense of exclusivity and mystery,” explains my inside man Gene Tiongco, a plastic surgeon and inveterate

barfly. “You wait to get seated, or if it’s full, they won’t let you in.”

The barkeep, sporting a bulletproof vest, mixes the wife a Mariang Bastos: Philippine Don Papa Rum blended with orgeat syrup, Cointreau, citrus mix and island bitters.

With a theatrical flourish, he splashes on half a jigger of overproof Demerara rum, lights it up and garnishes the lot with powdered cinnamon, the grains producing momentary sparks as they hit the flame.

Manila, Tiongco explains, has gone crazy for speakeasies. “Eventually, it won’t be a secret anymore,” Gene says, relishing the irony of such a clandestine concept appealing to the local hunger for the hip, hot 67

SMILE • MARCH 2016

CAPITAL GAINS

PHOTOS BY TAMMY DAVID; LESTER LEDESMA

Scenes from around Bonifacio Global City, with its modern public art and hidden, trendy bars like Bank Bar

68 SMILE • MARCH 2016

and new. “You know us… Pinoys are suckers for validation.”

With rosy investment-grade credit ratings and a projected average growth rate of 6.2% for the next three years, the Philippines and its capital are getting long-overdue attention from overseas observers. Anthony Bourdain flew in to gorge on Jollibee’s Chickenjoy; Madonna dedicated two nights of her 2016 tour to Manila; and world leaders like Barack Obama, Xi Jinping and Justin Trudeau held up the traffic for APEC. We “suckers for validation” have found it here lately in spades.

“Manila has changed a lot since my last visit — great changes, of course,” marvels John Rice, general manager of the new Shangri-La at the Fort in the heart of Bonifacio Global City, where the world’s top luxury brands now hawk their wares from upmarket storefronts on Bonifacio High Street.

“It’s become a hub for international business, and more global companies want to come in and invest. The food and art communities are especially spectacular, with the exploration and integration of different cuisines and the painting of murals everywhere.”

Manila’s moment in the sun is good news to Rice, an old hand in the Philippines who first arrived as general manager of EDSA ShangriLa in 2006. “Manila always had the potential to become a world city,” Rice says, “because I think it has its own distinctive personality.”

8.41pm, Saturday. My wife and I catch an evening one-man show at Poblacion, Makati’s Pineapple Lab gallery. It’s packed to the rafters — and judging by the blonde ’dos and varied accents, a good many visitors aren’t from around here. Poblacion’s bohemian reputation is catching; the tourists in the exhibit hall have simply followed the locals’ cue.

“Tourism hotspots in the Metro become ‘hot’ when locals make them hip and hot,” Ivan Man Dy, proprietor

of tour company Old Manila Walks, tells me. “Look at Poblacion — wasn’t it locals who patronized [popular restaurant] El Chupacabra first? Now we have all the beautiful and goodsmelling people of the Metro suddenly eating outdoors in Poblacion! It’s now hip enough for tourists to come, diba?”

Poblacion seems to have displaced Malate as Manila’s new backpacker district, its hostels and bars working in tandem with its proximity to the Makati central business district to create a buzzing tourist hotspot.

And yet Man Dy finds Poblacion somewhat problematic, compared to his home district of Binondo, Manila’s Chinatown.

“From [Binondo’s] Ramada hotel to Intramuros is 15 minutes, to National Museum is 25,” he says.

“Groceries, restaurants, a mall, a bank, ATMs, hospital — they’re all nearby!” Poblacion, on the other hand, is “far from popular tourist sites like Intramuros, Luneta and the National Museum,” Man Dy explains. “When we travel, don’t we look for areas accessible to major sites? Think of Khao San Road near the Grand Palace in Bangkok, for example.”

This explains why tour companies find Manila such a chore to explore.

“Everything’s so spaced out, but city tours last only half a day!” Man Dy exclaims.

Manila’s sprawl is a postwar problem. Its name used to refer only to the 38km2 city that held the capital’s most historic districts (“Old” Manila).

“In the old days, everything was measured from Plaza Goiti [in Old Manila], which was the old downtown and business center,” explains historian and urban planner Paulo Alcazaren, founder of PGAA Creative Design.

“Your trips were gauged by the distance and time it took to get to Plaza Goiti from whatever suburb you lived in.”

Post-World War II, the city joined those suburbs to form a vast agglomeration of 16 cities and one 69 SMILE • MARCH 2016

WHERE TO GO BANK BAR G/F, RCBC Savings Bank Corporate Center, 25th St, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, +63 2 544 5776 SHANGRI-LA AT THE FORT 30th St cor 5th Ave, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, +63 2 820 0888; shangri-la.com THE MANILA HOTEL Bonifacio Dr, Ermita, +63 2 527 0011; manilahotel.com.ph PINEAPPLE LAB 6071 Palma St, Makati City, +63 998 957 1051; pineapplelab.ph RAMADA MANILA CENTRAL Quintin Paredes St, Binondo, +63 2 588 6688; ramada.com OLD MANILA WALKS +63 2 711 3823; oldmanilawalks.com NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES P. Burgos Dr, Rizal Park, +63 2 527 1215; nationalmuseum. gov.ph THE INTRAMUROS ADMINISTRATION General Luna St, Intramuros, +63 2 527 3155; intramuros. gov.ph VIVA MANILA +63 920 909 2021; vivamanila.org

CAPITAL GAINS

PHOTOS BY LESTER LEDESMA

The colorful personalities in Manila include popular guide and cultural commentator Ivan Man Dy (second row, left) -

71 SMILE • MARCH 2016

CAPITAL GAINS

municipality covering more than 630km2 — what we now call “Metro” Manila, the world’s fourth most populous urban center behind TokyoYokohama, Jakarta and New Delhi. The old central structure of the metropolis has since given way to what Alcazaren calls a “free-for-all”, with new town centers supplanting the old. The center of gravity has shifted from Plaza Goiti to business districts like Makati, Ortigas and Bonifacio Global City.

“It’s the emergence of what’s called a multi-centered city,” Alcazaren explains. “That’s a direction a lot of megalopolises are going through in Asia, where urban areas are expanding much faster than in the West.”

Some say the Metro is expanding so quickly that its residents cannot keep up. Twenty-four million people live in Metro Manila today: people from all walks of life live in cheek-by-jowl proximity, the slums of Makati’s Cembo a marked contrast to Bonifacio Global City’s gleaming new condominiums next door.

3.22pm, Sunday. An afternoon in Manila’s ancient walled city of Intramuros reminds me what our ancestors got right about urban design.

In the days before cars, Old Manila was laid out in easily walkable grids. Minus

automobiles, even Intramuros’ cobbled lanes become a delight to visit as they reclaim their original purpose.

Viva Manila’s Intramuros Pasyal event proves this by transforming General Luna Street into a car-free, all-pedestrian street carnival. The wife and I are watching a street performer blow human-sized bubbles as we wait in line for a scoop of Sebastian’s Ice Cream. We got here on foot from our staycation base, the venerable Manila Hotel — once deemed “uncool” for representing Filipino culture in its design, the hotel’s native design cues, such as capiz-shell chandeliers, are now widely imitated by newer hotels in Makati and elsewhere.

By visiting Intramuros, we’re taking urban planner and Viva Manila executive director Julia Nebrija at her word. “I wish that people knew that Manila is a place where you can really spend a whole day,” she tells me.

“You could go to The Manila Hotel for a coffee and breakfast, then walk to Rizal Park. You go into Intramuros, and then walk over to Escolta [to] have lunch… then go shopping in Quiapo in the afternoon, before you catch a show back at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.”

Viva Manila events are designed to “create an alternative viewpoint of 72 SMILE • MARCH 2016

what the city can be”, as Nebrija puts it, and she says the impact they’re making has been felt all across the Metro and beyond. “From the first Pasyal to the last one, we saw people coming in from farther away — not just people who live in Manila or care about Manila, but people who are looking for cultural things to do in the city.”

There’s a solution to the nearintractable riddle that is Metro Manila, and Nebrija and Man Dy might just have stumbled on it. Old Manila isn’t the problem with the increasingly atomized modern-day Metro; it’s the antidote. “The problem with fragmentation is that the [city] experience becomes singular,” Nebrija explains. “A metropolitan area should offer lots of different things for people to experience, no matter what they’re looking for. Something you go to many different times, stay at for a whole day and have different experiences.

“Manila is not a one-off thing — it can be a whole, dynamic experience,” Nebrija concludes. “That’s what a city should really be.”

Cebu Pacific flies to Manila from across the network. cebupacificair.com

PHOTOS BY LESTER LEDESMA

Old buildings give the city of Manila a distinctive character, and find new life with new tenants; a school marching band on photo break

SUPERSIZED GARDENS

Smells like green spirit IN A COUNTRY WHERE URBANIZATION IS TAKING ITS TOLL ON THE ENVIRONMENT, THE WANSHI BOTANICAL GARDEN IN XIAMEN IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR STORY BY RONAN O'CONNELL PHOTOS BY BONG ANTIVOLA, DAN OSILLOS, LINCOLN LIU

74 SMILE • MARCH 2016

SUPERSIZED GARDENS

I

’d spent two weeks surrounded by constructions of glass, steel and concrete, amid spaces brimming with people. When I arrived at Xiamen’s Wanshi Botanical Garden, it seemed almost unreal. Its vast green lawn, ringed by lofty trees, felt like an oasis.

It offered space, quiet, privacy and fresh air — four things I could only conjure up in a daydream during my trip from the north to south of China, hopping from metropolis to metropolis.

This was my eighth visit to the world’s most populous country, and I’m as besotted with it now as ever. I adore cities and have long been fascinated by the massive, teeming conurbations of China, but after 14 days in gargantuan

75 SMILE • MARCH 2016

SUPERSIZED GARDENS

urban hubs home to millions of people — from Beijing to Shanghai, Tianjin, Hangzhou and Zhengzhou — the call of nature had grown louder than a street full of honking taxis.

Of course, I was only a visitor.

For permanent residents of the country’s numerous giant cities, the desire to escape the concrete jungle and revel in the natural environment must be even stronger. Many of the people who live in these metropolises

were not raised in an urban setting, having relocated from the Chinese countryside in order to find work.

The urge to reconnect with nature, that same feeling that overwhelmed me, is the reason why Chinese parks and botanical gardens are so widely popular. In the green lungs of cities across the nation you will find people representing every age group engaged in relaxation and recreation.

They dance alone or in groups.

They play traditional instruments.

76 SMILE • MARCH 2016

They daub water calligraphy across the footpaths. They gather to chat or debate. Or they just sit silently and contentedly beneath the trees, by the flowers or on the soft grass.

China is home to some of the most phenomenal and beguiling scenery on the planet. From the verdant plains of Yunnan Province to the terraced fields of Guangxi, the rolling dunes of Qinghai and the alpine paradise of Sichuan, its remarkable natural wonders have for centuries been glorified in Chinese art and

SUPERSIZED GARDENS

literature. The jagged, forested peaks depicted in the paintings which hang inside many city homes provide daily reminders of the beauty that lies beyond the skyscrapers, highways and shopping centers.

When it comes to their environment, Xiamen’s residents are more fortunate than most city dwellers in China. Located on the country’s southern coast, its warm weather and rich soil have helped make it one of the nation’s greenest urban areas. In a nation known for

cities dominated by towering, manmade structures, Xiamen — with its comparative lack of pollution and attractive setting by the South China Sea — is a relative anomaly. It should be no surprise, then, that just south of the city center is one of China’s most famous horticultural spaces, Wanshi Botanical Garden, which cascades down Wanshi mountain.

More than 6,000 species of plants, pristine lakes, sprawling lawns and flower-laden plots punctuate 77 SMILE • MARCH 2016

this enchanting swathe of nature, along with forests that host myriad bird species. After watching thousands of busy, serious-faced people rush past me on the streets of other Chinese cities, it was a pleasant change to witness the palpable joy and lightheartedness inside Wanshi: from the moment I stepped through its western entrance, I was surrounded by people with a grin on their face and a bounce in their stride. Old women laughed, young

men exercised, children ran and leapt and screamed and tussled. A boy stopped in his tracks and, with an expression of curiosity, pointed at the tall foreigner. I pointed back, the boy chuckled, his parents smiled and everyone carried on having fun. It was a scene straight out of a Sunday night, feel-good Hallmark movie.

Wanshi, built in 1960, has a number of beauty spots with grandiose names like Laughing Rocks of Eternal Peace, Dawn Bell Ringing from Heaven’s Border, A Thousand Sceptres Facing Skywards and Melodious Instrument Cave. Yet it doesn’t seem as though it is these

dynamically named attractions that draw the locals here. Instead, much of the delight and fascination provided by the garden is much simpler. On a spacious lawn, in the fading afternoon light, a middle-aged man paused, with one knee lifted high and both arms outstretched. Neither my presence nor the clicking of my camera’s shutter disrupted his concentration as he practiced his martial arts moves.

Beyond him, at the high end of the lawn beneath a bank of pine trees, a young couple were modeling for wedding photos. Beaming and giggling, the loved-up pair was just one of several couples enacting this scene across the park, which is one of the most popular settings for wedding 78 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Loved-up couples pose for pictures in Wanshi Botanical Garden, one of the most popular settings for wedding shoots in Xiamen shoots in Xiamen. Nearby, two female students were leaning down to take photos of a flowerbed cloaked in a colorful array of species. Chatting excitedly and admiring each other’s photography skills, they seemed intent on documenting every variety in sight.

COUPLE PHOTO BY RONAN O'CONNELL

SUPERSIZED GARDENS

SUPERSIZED GARDENS

GARDEN VARIETY BEIJING BOTANICAL GARDEN At the foot of a heavily forested hill on the northeastern outskirts of Beijing, this park enjoys a lovely location. Opened in the 1950s, it wraps around two lakes, and boasts more than 6,000 plant species and close to 2,000 varieties of trees and bushes. Among a dozen distinct areas are a Chinese medicinal herb garden, a peony display and a beautiful rose garden, and because it is up to an hour’s drive from the city center, depending on traffic, it is rarely too crowded.

SHANGHAI BOTANICAL GARDEN Shanghai has two botanical gardens, but in terms of facilities and location, the one which appeals more to tourists is the elder of the pair. Spread across more than 200 acres of land, about 15km south-east of the city center, Shanghai Botanical Garden is one of the largest urban gardens in China.

The highlight is its huge greenhouse, where you can find hundreds of tropical plant species originating from across the planet.

That would be quite some feat: Wanshi contains hundreds of tropical and subtropical flowers, ranging from tiny pink lantana to giant water lilies. They’re spread among a dozen separate gardens, many of which are embellished by boulders that are inscribed with phrases culled from ancient Chinese philosophy. Among these distinct areas are a dense bamboo forest, a shrub garden, a rainforest, an indoor flower exhibition, a herb garden, a rose display, and sections dedicated to cacti, plants that thrive in sandy soil (psammophytes) and bear their seeds outside the fruit (gymnosperms), and medicinal plants. This latter area is particularly fascinating given China’s global renown as a pioneer in herbal medicine. For thousands of years, plants have been used in China to 80 SMILE • MARCH 2016

improve health and treat illness, and this garden features more than 200 species known to have medicinal uses.

Higher up Wanshi mountain, looking down towards the gorgeous expanses of the botanical garden, lies Heaven’s Border Temple. Built by a monk in the mid-17th century, the ornate structure was dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy and the Immortal Elder. Etched in stone within the temple is a couplet which translates as “Heaven asks the prayers; the Immortal Elder works miracles.” In a country increasingly defined by the products of human endeavor, it’s a fitting poem in a park that celebrates the miraculous feats of nature.

Cebu Pacific flies to Xiamen from Manila. cebupacificair.com

PUERTO PRINCESA DIARIES The Underground River became one of the New7 Wonders of Nature

RISING UP FROM THE UNDERGROUND PUERTO PRINCESA IS ENJOYING A CULTURAL RENAISSANCE, WITH COSMOPOLITAN GLAMOUR COMPLEMENTING ITS ENTICING LOCAL BUSINESSES. JONATHAN EVANS TAKES A TOUR AROUND A CITY WITH SO MUCH MORE TO OFFER THAN ITS FABLED SUBTERRANEAN RIVER PHOTOS BY AL LINSANGAN

82 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PUERTO PRINCESA DIARIES

Clockwise from left: Indigenous Palau’an fire lighting at Butterfly Eco Garden & Tribal Village; KaLui, a popular restaurant, doubles as a gallery; inside the Underground River

A

s our tour bus pulled away from Puerto Princesa’s unfeasibly long main thoroughfare, Rizal Avenue, and veered towards the Iwahig River past small barangays and bridges, Cleo Marcojos reflected on the transformation of the city where she’s lived since the age of three — one that’s given her not just a livelihood but a palpable civic pride. In 1999 the Subterranean River National Park, indisputably one of Asia’s most singular attractions, was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The designation opened the floodgates for mass tourism, stimulating a surge of interest in Palawan that reached a crescendo when it won Condé Nast Traveler’s Best Island in the World award in both 2014 and 2015.

“Before 2000 there were almost no tourists,” Cleo, now 39, tells me.

“There was just one flight a day from Manila. Then many more tourists started to arrive in 2010, and the following year the Underground River became one of the New7 Wonders of Nature. Now there are 20 flights a week to Manila, Cebu, Iloilo and Davao.” Soon that figure will be significantly higher when an international airport, now under construction in the town center, opens early next year, bringing flight operations away from the small 83 SMILE • MARCH 2016

domestic terminal that currently serves the city and making Palawan’s capital directly accessible to visitors from Taiwan, Japan and China.

As a tireless guide with the company BizItPalawanTravel.com, Cleo ferries visitors not just to the Underground River — 45 minutes from the city proper — and Iwahig, but also the stunning Honda Bay archipelago. As a child she remembers Palawan was snubbed by many Filipinos, stigmatized in part by the leper colony which stood for most of the 20th century on Culion Island.

PUERTO PRINCESA DIARIES

Clockwise from right: Entrance to Palawan Heritage Center; historic Plaza Cuartel; touring the mangroves of Irawan River

Aura restaurant

Sparsely populated, with a strung-out location — Puerto Princesa is one of the remotest destinations on the Cebu Pacific network, and certainly the furthest out west — the province was perceived as distant in geography and mindset from key metropolitan centers such as Manila and Cebu. For decades, “Puerto” (as locals call it) was known to tourists principally as the site of the horrific 1944 massacre of 139 American soldiers by Japanese troops, a tragedy commemorated in Plaza Cuartel opposite the pristine Immaculate Conception Cathedral.

But 2016 is an exciting time to be in Puerto Princesa. New airport aside, it’s clear the city is blossoming — and, in truth, has been for some

time, with its striking cleanliness, plentiful amenities and plethora of commercial outlets making it one of the country’s premier city centers.

Witness the string of fine-dining restaurants along Rizal Avenue, like the garlanded La Terrasse and Italian specialist Rusticana; The Loft off the leafy, affluent Manalo Extension, which wouldn’t look out of place on Boracay’s beachfront; and Industriya, a buzzing new party den opposite Robinsons Place mall, which flaunts designer cocktails, slick design and performers from Manila.

The just-opened Canvas Boutique Hotel is leading the charge for an influx of flashpacker cubbyholes, with a focus on locally inspired design 84 SMILE • MARCH 2016

With its striking cleanliness, plentiful amenities and many commercial outlets, Puerto Princesa is one of the country’s premier city centers

and guest comfort — it even plans to branch out with an “art park” in the coming months. Blue Palawan is one of the more surprising city-center hotels, its unassuming façade opening on to private huts and a hidden beach. And Microtel, recognising that Palawan is better known for its

PUERTO PRINCESA DIARIES

Where to eat and drink • La Terrasse, Rizal Ave, Brgy Bancao Bancao, +63 48 434 1787; laterrassepalawan.com • Rusticana Restaurant & Bar, Rizal Ave, Brgy Bancao Bancao, +63 915 706 8653; facebook.com/RusticanaRestaurant-and-Bar • The Loft, Abrea Rd, Brgy Bancao Bancao, +63 48 434 0791; theloftpalawan.com • Industriya, Km 3 Tiniguiban, +63 48 433 0782; facebook. com/industriyabar • Ka Inatô, Rizal Ave, Brgy Bancao Bancao/Km 4 cnr San Manuel Rd, Brgy Tiniguiban, +63 48 434 2288; facebook.com/pages/KaInato-Restaurant-Palawan

seascapes than its interior, saw the potential in setting up beside the white-sand stretches on the city’s eastern fringes, where I dined on excellent cuisine, slept in blissful peace and woke to stunning sunrises as the Sulu Sea’s high tide lapped the edge of Emerald Beach.

So while Puerto has no shortage of 21st-century comforts, nods to modernization come at no cost to its most notable cultural trait — the earnest preservation of its patrimony.

Everywhere I go, I meet ordinary people who love their city and know its backstory intimately. There’s no better example than Palawan Heritage Center, where for only PHP50 you’ll receive a witty whistle-

stop tour of the province’s history, including a re-creation of one of the island’s earliest inhabitants, Tabon Man. Make time, too, for the tiny Palawan Special Battalion World War II Museum, which tells how the Japanese occupation affected local people. A trip out of town takes you to the Butterfly Eco Garden, where the blue-winged butterflies and bearcats make a swoonsome spectacle; but the real draw is the Tribal Village, occupied by families from the Palau’an indigenous group who showcase tools of their rural lifestyle such as guitars, crossbows and flint lighters.

Puerto really hits its stride when this local pride filters into progressive practices that enhance residents’ lives 85 SMILE • MARCH 2016

• White Fence Country Café, 296 Manalo Extension, Brgy Bancao Bancao; whitefencecafe.weebly.com • KaLui, 369 Rizal Ave, +63 48 433 2580 • Katabom, Rizal Ave Extension; facebook. com/ pages/Katabom-Bar • Cafe Olé, Maresca Bldg, 3 Valencia St, +63 48 723 2667; facebook.com/cafeolepalawan • Itoy’s Coffee Haus, Rizal Ave, +63 48 433 5182; facebook.com/ItoysCoffee-Haus

PUERTO PRINCESA DIARIES

Check out • Palawan Heritage Center, Provincial Legislative Building, Fernandez St, +63 48 434 7524; facebook.com/ PalawanHeritageCenter • Palawan Special Battalion WWII Museum, Rizal Ave Extension, +63 91 7545 4052 • Palawan Butterfly EcoGarden & Tribal Village, South National Hwy, Brgy Sta Monica, +63 91 7597 5544 • Baker’s Hill, Mitra Rd, Brgy Sta Monica, +63 48 433 0172; facebook.com/Bakers-Hill • Mitra’s Ranch (Rancho ni Mitra), Mitra Rd, Brgy Sta Monica, +63 920 661 7887 • Kay’s Hotsprings, Purok Mainit, Brgy Sta Lourdes, +63 91 2220 8699 • San Jose New Market Enjoy the sausage-making displays at Merit Manal Martinez Meatshop (stall #1 and #2). San Jose Bus Terminal, between Puerto Princesa South Rd & North Rd • Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center, National Rd, Brgy Irawan, +63 48 433 2968 • Binuatan Creations, Bougainville Dr cnr Rafols St, Brgy Sta Monica; binuatan.com • Viet Ville, Brgy Sta Lourdes, +63 920 220 8694 • Palaweño Brewery, 82 Manolo St, +63 48 725 6950; palawenobrewery.com

and make this sprawling city equally appealing to tourists. Proceeds from the Iwahig firefly trip, for example, go to local communities, while Ka Inatô, an arty haven that’s become the city’s most famous restaurant, employs deaf staff. On passing a probationary period, prisoners at Iwahig Penal Farm are allocated a “job” — such as ploughing the rice fields — and live with fellow inmates in a selfsustaining community, as documented in the award-winning 2005 film Out of Bounds. (Though they’re under constant surveillance, according to Cleo, “They live as free men. They don’t want to leave.”)

Puerto is refreshingly free of the snarling traffic that clogs many large Philippine cities, and tricycle fumes aside, the environment is well looked after. The citywide anti-litter ordinance has worked wonders; the 86 SMILE • MARCH 2016

streets here are as clean as Davao’s.

Baker’s Hill and Mitra’s Ranch, a stylized leisure park and former senator’s residence up in the hills, show the city governors understand the importance of public space.

Tourist assistance centers are dotted around at strategic points and are open all hours.

Noodle stalls and restaurants around the city with names like Pho Saigon betray the strong influence on the city of Vietnamese immigrants, who found a home here after the Fall of Saigon in 1975. One of Puerto’s most compelling curiosities is Viet Ville, a ramshackle micro-community conceived in 1996 by the Catholic Church’s Center for Assistance to Displaced Persons to rehouse “boat people” living in refugee camps (one was at the building now housing the Special Battalion Museum). Though

PUERTO DIARIES PUERTO PRINCESA PRINCESA DIARIES

Clockwise from far left: One of the weavers at Binuatan Creations; Baker's Hill; a pho dish from Viet Ville

it’s now largely a ghost town — many original inhabitants have returned home, or resettled elsewhere in Puerto — five households remain, some with young children; and since the souvenir shop has fallen into disrepair, the restaurant, strewn with Vietnamese conical hats, fans, drums and guitars, has become the village’s lifeblood.

Arman, 40, originally from southern Vietnam, works here and has lived in Viet Ville for nine years.

He tells me the United Nations now helps the latter-day diaspora set up homes in other countries. “I knew people who live in this village, so they sent me here,” he tells me in a soft, naturalized Pinoy accent. “Now, under the UN program, if you get lucky you go to the United States or Europe. After a few years some go back to Vietnam — those still here

have Filipino wives [and children], so they are allowed to stay.”

The marvelous authentic fare here makes this one of the best restaurants in Puerto: I had noodles with crunchy spring rolls stuffed with pork meat, but there are also Pinoy-Viet crossover dishes (try the chao long porridge with buto buto, beansprouts and calamansi). It’s a fascinating afternoon out, and one of the most enriching cultural trips you’ll make in Palawan.

If you’re after high-quality local pasalubong, head for the handlooms at Binuatan Creations, a weaving 87 SMILE • MARCH 2016

co-operative set up in 2002 to provide local women with artisanal skills and earning potential (binuatan means “creation” in Palawan’s native Cuyonon dialect). Florence Gacasa, who works here, tells me the materials come from buntal (talipot palm fiber), mangrove and amumuting grass, buri sprigs and vetiver — wild grass is threaded in later — then, through a special dyeing process, get turned into a spectrum of colors. In the adjacent shop, Florence guides me through Binuatan’s prodigious output — placemats, coasters, purses, blinds, bags, fans — and it becomes

PUERTO PRINCESA DIARIES

Clockwise from top: Mitra’s Ranch; bottled beers from Palaweño Brewery; the UFO-like Capitol building

Where to stay • Microtel Inn & Suites

by Wyndham – Glorious boutique hotel away from the city center on Emerald Beach, with delightful staff, bright beachfront rooms and fine food at the poolside restaurant.

Brgy San Jose; +63 48 723 0977/1018; microtelpalawan.com • Canvas Boutique Hotel, Palawan North Rd cnr San Juan, Brgy San Miguel, +63 917 807 1360; canvasboutiquehotel.com • Blue Palawan, Hidden Beach (left at end of B.M. Rd), +63 917 831 4119; bluepalawan.com

clear why this inspiring workshop receives so many orders from hotels and restaurants.

Another off-the-grid mustsee — and one that sums up the entrepreneurial spirit in one of the least globalized cities I’ve visited — is Palaweño Brewery. Though it only opened in 2013, it already feels like an institution. The first Philippine craft brewery founded and run by two women, it produces a range of homegrown beers — some seasonal, with names like Oktubre, and some intended for festive drinking (Nognog, Tipping Point). You can order five bottled brews at the small cabin bar, all of which are excellent and none of which are light (they range from 6.5% to 7% ABV). Particularly noteworthy is the Ambog Ale, an orange-tinted delight that’s “brewed with extra ego”. Daily afternoon tours (except Sundays) showcase the house brews with tastings and food pairings, and there’s extensive outdoor seating space a few steps from the indoor bar.

88 SMILE • MARCH 2016

A Filipino-American from Virginia, whose childhood home is in Puerto, tells me he’s surprised that it has taken Palawan so long to reach the “number 1 island” spot — and that more Filipinos don’t move here. Perhaps its relative remoteness contributes to its oddly disproportionate profile — though the country’s second-largest city in land area, it’s the least densely populated — but the advantages of Puerto speak for themselves. It’s blessed with a year-round warm climate, clean and green surroundings and a low cost of living. To think there were no tourists 15 years ago seems extraordinary now; for while El Nido and Coron lap up the plaudits in Palawan, it’s clear that the province’s capital is itself marching towards something of a golden age.

Cebu Pacific flies to Puerto Princesa from Manila, Iloilo and Cebu. cebupacificair.com

fresh off

THE RUNWAY PHOTOS BY THE DANISH CONNECTION

YOUR CABIN CREW: HANNAH, TANNY AND KRIS

90 90 SMILE • MARCH 2016

BIRTHDAY SUITS

CEBU PACIFIC IS UNVEILING A sunny

STREAMLINED LOOK FOR ITS cabin crew

TO MARK THE AIRLINE’S

20th ANNIVERSARY.

C

asual, comfortable, fresh and polished: that’s your cabin crew’s new outfit.

It’s fun and functional, and aptly reflects Cebu Pacific’s transition from a domestic and regional airline to one that flies as far away as Australia, Japan, Micronesia and the Middle East.

As Candice Alabanza Iyog, Cebu Pacific’s Vice President for Marketing and Distribution, explains: “The challenge during the redesign was for us to maintain the relaxed, fun element of the brand, but at the same time to have a uniform that elevates the image of our cabin crew — especially since our network now includes flights to some of the busiest long-haul airports of the world.”

Enter Jun Escario, worldclass fashion designer and proud Cebuano, who pulled off the task with flying colors. His inspired take on denim created the signature element of the new uniform, resulting in a look that’s approachable yet professional.

TATA MAPA BREAKS DOWN THE INFLIGHT TEAM’S NEW GARB

91 SMILE • MARCH 2016

BIRTHDAY BIRTH BIRTHD HD DAY AY SUITS S

New jersey

When the cabin temperature drops, your cabin crew will slip on this preppy pullover. Staying warm and stylish is oh-so-easy.

JEAN THERAPY

“Who doesn’t look good in denim?” Jun asks. The hardy fabric was first known as the working man’s cloth, but has since won its status as the go-to garb anyone can pull off. “We needed to make sure the uniforms could stand up to long-haul flights, or up to five trips in one day,” says Candice. “Denim was perfect for this.”

SKIRTING THE ISSUE The new skirt is sleek in all the right places, and comfortable where it counts. True to form, Jun added the long, golden zipper with both practical and fashionable considerations in mind, while the pretty little peplum is a sensible touch that adds some serious flair.

Comfosr tolecabin shoes theip into thbeesteter crew will sl

Your very FLIght for before e and mobility, and balance relaxed feel. a more

92 SMILE • MARCH 2016

BIRTHDAY SUITS

Winner by the neck

The scarf seems to be the quintessential accessory for any FLight attendant (FA), and Jun fashioned this chic, unfussy version that’s ideal for the gal-on-the-go.

We love how its print represents the sun, sand, sea and sky the Philippines is known for.

DOWN TO A TEE A casual T-shirt goes from shapeless to chic with the help of the tucks Jun included in the outfit. This upbeat shade of yellow — which is definitely on brand — is sure to lift spirits, and, as Jun points out, complements any skin tone.

BUNDLE UP Jun chose a darker shade of denim when he designed this trench coat for colder climates. It results in a pulled-together look that’s still approachable.

Tall story Nude heels add both

height and that touch of sophistication for when The crew make their way through busy airport terminals.

94 SMILE • MARCH 2016

BIRTHDAY SUITS

You've got male

Fedora the explorer

Many of the trademark elements from the women’s uniform are echoed in the men’s get-up, with the vibrant yellow, trimming tucks and detail of the yellow stitching on the dark jeans.

Woven fedoras trimmed with blue bands keep the sun out of our FAs’ eyes.

96 SMILE • MARCH 2016

BIRTHDAY SUITS HAPPY 20TH, CEBU PACIFIC!

20 amazing years and loving it!

and with a Fleet of

57 ai rcraft and counting, we're ready to take you on more

great trips and to new experiences.

With 64 destinations across our growing network, there's an adventure to remember waiting for you out there. Start packing!

98 SMILE • MARCH 2016

BIRTHDAY SUITS

THIS CABIN CREW HAS MAD MODELING SKILLS. THANK YOU, GUYS! (Left to right): Mark Lopez, Hannah Oracion, First Officer Abraham Bernal, Captain Mayra Florencio, Tanny Starling, Miyagi Ilano

FOLLOW OUR STORY For more on the making of the new Cebu Pacific livery, as well as the new uniforms, go to waytogo. cebupacificair.com.

99 99 MIILLEE •• M MA ARRC CH H 22001166 SSM

PHOTO ESSAY

Cameron Highlands,

Up, up and away THE PROLIFERATION OF DRONES IS CHANGING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY AND GIVING US MORE INTERESTING PERSPECTIVES ON THE WORLD WE LIVE IN PHOTOS BY KELVIN LOKE

100 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Malaysia

PHOTO PHOTO ESSAY ESSAY

T

o take these stunning images, Kelvin Loke flew a drone over various locations, treating the exercise as though he was flying a miniature plane.

On top of understanding the mechanics of a drone, he does a significant of amount of preflight planning.

“I check out the satellite images in Google Maps beforehand, work out government requirements or rules for flying drones, scout the location for obstacles on the ground or up in the air, check weather conditions, establish a safe takeoff and landing point, maintain a strong signal in GPS for location accuracy and let it hover in flight while keeping it stable,” says Kelvin.

Regulations for flying unmanned aircraft vary from one country to another, and in Singapore, the laws implemented last year are pretty clear. Still, the amount of work that comes with this kind of aerial photography is worth it. “Before I got obsessed with flying drones to take photos, I couldn’t see imagine the world from the top down,” Kelvin says. “Now I can get a proper bird’s-eye view of specific locations, and this new perspective of something I’d only previously seen on ground level is so mesmerizing.”

Keppel Bay, Singapore

101 101 S M SI LMEI L• EM•AM RC AH R C2H0 1260 1 6

PHOTO ESSAY

Lower Seletar Reservoir, Singapore

Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Esplanade - Theaters on the Bay, Singapore

102 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHOTO ESSAY

Somerset Skate Park, Singapore

103 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHOTO ESSAY

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (check out the number 4)

Esplanade — Theatres by the Bay, Singapore

Coin purse

Cebu Pacific flies to 63 destinations across the network. cebupacificair.com

105 105 SSMMI ILLEE •• MMAARRCCHH 22001166

trip journal GUIDES TO CEBU PACIFIC DESTINATIONS

DOMESTIC

INTERNATIONAL

Our local guides offer some handy ideas on how to enjoy each of Cebu Pacific’s 34 destinations within the Philippines

Check out what to do, what to see, what to eat and where to go in Cebu Pacific’s 30 international destinations

Check out the Santorini of Korea — Busan’s Gamcheon Village

109 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Wardrobe and closet

Modular kitchen cabinet

32 Ersan Building, Quezon Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines Tel No. (632) 254-2973 Email: furnitureland_inc@yahoo.com Store Hours: Mondays to Saturdays 9:30AM to 8:00PM Sundays 9:30AM to 6:30PM sofa sets • dining sets • accent chairs • beds • cabinets • audio/video racks • tables • lightings • decors • paintings • mirrors • outdoor furnitures • area rugs

INTERNATIONAL TRIP JOURNAL

AUSTRALIA

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Sydney

Bandar Seri Begawan

Bernard L. Supetran

Christian Russo Team leader

Media consultant

“Sydney’s harbour and beaches provide stunning backdrops to the city’s cosmopolitan scene.

Venture into its nearby national parks for some solitude and spectacular views.”

Matt Moran’s opulent establishment serves the greatest steak I have ever had the exquisite pleasure of putting in my mouth. Expect to pay upwards of AU$250 for two. It’s an indulgence but it’s worth it.

Spend a day in Bondi, ducking in and out of cafés, eateries, bars and of course, the waves.

If you’ve got energy and an hour to burn, do the 6km Bondi to Coogee Walk (bonditocoogeewalk. com.au) on a cliff-top path that traverses several beaches.

AREA CODE +61 (2) TOUCHDOWN KINGSFORD SMITH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRAIN, TAXI, BUS

“Brunei has many museums showcasing Bruneian heritage and its way of life. It also has plenty of restaurants that represent a broad sector of Malay culinary tradition.”

For authentic Bruneian food, dine at Aminah Arif Restaurant (+673 223 6198) in Kiulap. Try the local delicacy, ambuyat (sago palm) with sambal sauce.

Learn more about the local culture by visiting the Brunei Museum in Jalan Kota Batu and the Royal Regalia Museum in Jalan Sultan.

Check out the Istana Nurul Iman to see where the Sultan of Brunei lives. If you want to get close to nature, visit Ulu Temburong National Park.

AREA CODE +673 TOUCHDOWN BRUNEI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, BUS, CAR RENTAL

Did you know?

MAINLAND CHINESE MADE UP 16.9% OF INTERNATIONAL VISITORS TO SYDNEY FOR THE YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 2015.

111 SMILE • MARCH 2016

INTERNATIONAL TRIP JOURNAL

CAMBODIA

CHINA

Siem Reap

Beijing

Mark Dennis Llorca

Nikka Corsino Wedding photographer

“In Siem Reap you can temple-hop one day and watch traditional boxing, kun khmer, the next. Food is good and cheap, too.”

For a fun, quirky night out, head to The Yellow Sub, a Beatles-themed restaurant-bar. Go between 6 and 7pm any day, and enjoy all drinks at half the price. It also features several floors of Beatles memorabilia from the owner’s personal collection, a ping pong room, and a rooftop overlooking Pub Street.

Soak in a bit of history at Angkor National Museum (+855 63 966 601) before heading off to the Angkor temple complex.

Watch kun khmer boxing at CTN Angkor Arena.

AREA CODE +855 (63) TOUCHDOWN SIEM REAP INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN HIRED VAN, TUK TUK, TAXI, HOTEL SHUTTLE, TAXI

General manager

“Beijing is a melting pot of historical shrines and modern hotspots. It’s also the perfect place for budget shoppers in search of great deals.”

Visit Wenyu Yogurt Shop (+86 10 6405 7621) at Nanluoguxiang. Famous for its authentic, Beijing-style yogurt called nai lao and milk curd items, an order here would cost CNY15-20 depending on your toppings.

Explore the beauty and natural wonders of the Summer Palace.

Enjoy the view of the landscape, lake and traditional Chinese houses.

Renting a bike in the city is free for the first hour, then a CNY1 hourly rate will apply (available in numerous districts).

AREA CODE +86 (10) TOUCHDOWN BEIJING CAPITAL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, BUS, SUBWAY

Did you know?

THERE ARE MORE THAN 400 TEMPLES IN THE ANGKOR TEMPLE COMPLEX IN SIEM REAP.

113 SMILE • MARCH 2016

INTERNATIONAL TRIP JOURNAL

CHINA

CHINA

Guangzhou

Hong Kong

Shana Solis

Amy Siton

Sales management information officer

“Beijing is the perfect place for budget shoppers in search of great deals and for theme park lovers who want a unique, world-class experience.”

DaoXiang Restaurant inside the Tianhe Department Store serves a yummy fried radish cake (CNY50) and other dim sum. Another good place to eat is Bingsheng Pinwei in Dongxiao Road, Haizhu District. I recommend the iron pork (CNY90).

Spend a day at the Amusement or Safari Park at Chimelong Resort, then watch the international circus.

It’s filled with jaw-dropping and deathdefying acts that will amaze you.

AREA CODE +86 (20) TOUCHDOWN GUANGZHOU BAIYUN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, BUS, AIRPORT EXPRESS

Web programmer

“Hong Kong is breathtaking.

From the night skyline to the magical world of Disneyland, it was a dreamlike vacation I’ll never ever forget.”

Stuff yourself at Pizza Express (pizzaexpress.com.hk) that has branches all over Hong Kong. Order their Beyond Sloppy Giuseppe (HK$129) that has red peppers, onions, and vegetarian “beef” substitute. Check in on Foursquare to get free dessert such as Snowball Dough Balls (baked dough with cinnamon, sugar and cream).

Take the 25-minute cable car ride to Ngong Ping 360 (np360.com.hk/en), and get to know more about Buddhism by visiting the extraordinary Big Buddha next to the Po Lin Monastery.

AREA CODE +852 TOUCHDOWN HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, BUS, AIRPORT EXPRESS TRAIN

Did you know?

YOU NEED TO CLIMB 268 STEPS TO REACH THE BIG BUDDHA AT HONG KONG’S PO LIN MONASTERY.

115 SMILE • MARCH 2016

INTERNATIONAL TRIP JOURNAL

CHINA

CHINA

Macau

Shanghai

we love to make coffee for the city that loves to drink it Karla Vanessa M. Redor

Jana Rosal Marketing specialist

Web development officer

“I loved exploring Macau by foot. It’s so easy to wander around the Historic Centre, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.”

Wong Chi Kei (+853 283 31313) is just a stone’s throw away from Senado Square. Try the favorite local savory snack, Macau pork chop bread (MOP30). If you’re really hungry, try one of their other specialties, boiled fish balls with vegetables (MOP70).

Head to the heart of the city and visit the Ruins of St. Paul’s. Make your way to the top, where the view is spectacular.

AREA CODE +853 TOUCHDOWN MACAU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, HOTEL SHUTTLE BUS (FREE, WHEN AVAILABLE)

“The beautiful architecture at the Bund contrasts with the modern financial district of Shanghai Pudong. I love walking along Shanghai’s old streets and looking out to the modern cityscapes.”

Go on a leisurely stroll down Nanjing Road and check out the many stores and malls. Shop for pasalubong and souvenirs.

If you have time, visit Anhui, which is only six hours by bus away from Shanghai.

You can trek the beautiful Huangshan mountains to see stunning views away from the city.

It is best to try to learn some useful Mandarin words before haggling, as most vendors know little or no English at all.

AREA CODE +86 (21) TOUCHDOWN SHANGHAI PUDONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, MAGLEV TRAIN, BUS

Did you know?

MACAU CASINOS WON US$2.33 BILLION FROM GAMBLERS IN JANUARY 2016, DOWN 21.4% FROM THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR.

117 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Address: G/F Level Extension Area.

Robinson’s Place Puerto Princesa City, Puerto Princesa Philippines.

Telephone #: (048) 434-0763 Fb page: palawancafe@yahoo.com

INTERNATIONAL TRIP JOURNAL

CHINA

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

Xiamen

Bali

Jakarta

Bong Antivola Marketing director

“I came to Xiamen more than nine years ago and found my paradise. It is rich in culture and has a friendly expat community. There is truly a balance of work and pleasure here.”

Mike’s Hotdogs & Beers in 15 Daxue Lu, Shapowei is my favorite sausage place. It’s owned by a German basketball coach and businessman. Among its various homemade hotdogs, I like the bratwurst best!

Tong An Film and Television City is a famous tourist attraction. Explore a charming palace that has adapted the style of Beijing’s Imperial Palace, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Long Corridor of the Summer Palace, the Gate of Heavenly Peace and a street reminiscent of the past dynasties.

AREA CODE +86 (592) TOUCHDOWN XIAMEN GAOQI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, AIRPORT SHUTTLE BUS, PUBLIC BUS

Lois Cabali Nurse in a complexcare unit

“From amazing glass chapels to breathtaking villas, Bali made my wedding day more intimate and authentic.”

Erwin Alberto Dearos Logistics operations manager

“Whenever I travel, I try to find a piece of home, and Indonesia gave me that sense of belonging like a warm blanket.”

If you are a vegan or vegetarian, try Earth Café (+62 361 736 645) in Seminyak. They have a variety of options for those who want to stay healthy while traveling. I like the Quinoa Coconut Curry (IDR85,000) and the Counter Effect of Environment Pollutant drink (IDR39,000).

Visit the famous Uluwatu Temple to get a breathtaking view of the Indian Ocean (IDR20,000 entrance fee).

Shop for affordable souvenirs and local goods at Krisna along Sunset Road.

Experience Manadonese food at Beautika Khas Manado, Senayan.

It is extremely spicy. Manado is in the northern part of the island of Sulawesi, and is arguably the best Indonesian cuisine I’ve tried. End your meal with Dutch pastries, which the establishment is known for.

Address the men as pak (silent “k”) and the women as “ibu”. It’s a way to get to their hearts, as these are signs of respect.

AREA CODE +62 (36) TOUCHDOWN NGURAH RAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN BLUE BIRD TAXI (APPROX. IDR100,000), BUS, HIRED VAN

AREA CODE +62 (21) TOUCHDOWN JAKARTA (SOEKARNO-HATTA) INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, BUS, SHUTTLE CAR

Did you know?

MASJID ISTIQLAL, THE LARGEST MOSQUE IN BOTH INDONESIA AND SOUTH-EAST ASIA, IS LOCATED OPPOSITE JAKARTA CATHEDRAL, THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST CATHOLIC CHURCH.

119 SMILE • MARCH 2016

INTERNATIONAL TRIP JOURNAL

JAPAN

JAPAN

JAPAN

Fukuoka

Nagoya

Tokyo

Loida C. Flojo

Ida Torres

Sally Cardenas

Associate director

Digital marketing officer

Risk reporting analyst

“I like the city’s old charm and dining scene. Though Fukuoka is one of the largest and most populous cities in Japan, the warm hospitality of the locals amazed me.”

“If you want to avoid the crowds of Tokyo but still want a city vibe combined with historical sights and amazing food, Nagoya is the place to be.”

“Tokyo has a lot of amazing technological wonders, yet it has preserved its rich culture. I like how it is well maintained and has hospitable locals.”

Care for some unagi? Go to Yoshizuka Unagiya (+81 92 271 0700). The restaurant was established way back in 1873, so they’ve had more than a century to perfect their grilled eel. Also try the yakiniku at Champion Hakataeki Restaurant (+81 92 409 6812).

For me, it’s the best place for grilled meat in the city.

Walk along the small streets of Fukuoka to discover quaint restaurants and food stalls. You might miss them if you ride the train or take a cab.

Try the pork cutlets in miso sauce at Misokatsu Yabaton in Yabacho. Established in 1947, this place surely knows their miso katsu.

There are lots of tech and luxury stores in town, but for cheaper, more unique finds, head to Osu Shopping Street.

Go crazy over the hundreds of shops that sell clothes, otaku wares and food, too.

Explore the sprawling historical estate of Nagoya Castle, which was destroyed during World War II.

Give in to your hunger and head to Denny’s Japan (dennys.jp). Their Salisbury steak set, which comes with miso soup, salad and rice, is a must-try (around ¥1,500 per order).

Anime lovers should visit Akihabara, a district in the Chiyoda ward. It has tons of action figures and electronic items to choose from. Be amazed by Tokyo Disney Sea (tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/tds), the only Disney sea resort in the world (entry costs ¥4,500-6,900).

AREA CODE +81 (92) TOUCHDOWN FUKUOKA AIRPORT GET TO TOWN SUBWAY

AREA CODE +81 (52) TOUCHDOWN CHUBU CENTRAIR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, BUS, TRAIN (MEITETSU AIRPORT LINE AND SKY)

AREA CODE +81 (3) TOUCHDOWN NARITA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN NARITA EXPRESS (¥3,020–3,190 ONE WAY), AIRPORT LIMOUSINE BUS

Did you know?

IF YOU WANT TO AVOID HUGE CROWDS AT TOKYO DISNEY RESORT, YOU CAN VISIT GOO.GL/MYSLOJ TO CHECK TDRNAVI’S CROWD CALENDAR.

121 SMILE • MARCH 2016

INTERNATIONAL TRIP JOURNAL

JAPAN

SOUTH KOREA

Osaka

Busan

Jubert Marquez

Kristina L. Rita

Research assistant/ graduate student

Digital project manager

“Osaka is a perfect mix of modern and traditional ways.

I love how there’s something for everyone. Whether you’re into food, fashion, culture or geekery — you’ll find it here!”

“There is a total disconnect from the fast-paced Korean life 50m behind me when I get to watch the sunset on the shores of Haeundae Beach.”

There’s always a queue outside Mizuno (+81 6 6212 6360), one of the best okonomiyaki places in town. The restaurant has limited seating capacity, but the food more than makes up for the wait.

Explore the shopping and food options at Dotonbori, where you’ll find the famous Glico Running Man billboard near the Dotonbori Bridge, a landmark in the city since the 1930s.

Buy an ICOCA card at the airport so you can ride the different train lines within the city, as well as the greater Kansai area including Kyoto, Nara and Kobe.

If you’re craving for yummy Korean food, head to Jaws Jjimdak in Bujeon-dong (KRW30,000 for two to three people). Try their Korean-style chicken in soy sauce. It already has glass noodles, but you have the option to add toppings such as cheese and fried squid.

Visit Gamcheon Culture Village and be mesmerized by the colorful houses. For a guided tour, visit bto.or.kr.

Walk along the abandoned train tracks from Haeundae to Songjeong to enjoy the magnificent coastal view.

AREA CODE +81 (6) TOUCHDOWN KANSAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRAIN, BUS, TAXI

AREA CODE +82 (51) TOUCHDOWN GIMHAE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN SUBWAY (KRW3,000), AIRPORT LIMOUSINE BUS (KRW7,000), TAXI

Did you know?

BUSAN’S GAMCHEON CULTURE VILLAGE IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE SANTORINI OF KOREA.

122 SMILE • MARCH 2016

INTERNATIONAL TRIP JOURNAL

SOUTH KOREA

KUWAIT

MALAYSIA

Seoul

Kuwait

Kota Kinabalu

Eunice Alcala Content developer/ blogger

Shachi Bansal MBA student

“You’ll never run out of things to do in Seoul. What makes the city more inviting is its efficient transportation system that’s very easy to navigate.”

“For me, Kuwait is the perfect balance between Middle Eastern culture, Arabic hospitality, and cosmopolitan dining and shopping experiences.”

When in Seoul, taste chimaek (fried chicken and beer). Frypan’s (thefrypan. com.kr) version comes with potato chips (KRW17,000).

Consider joining O’ngo’s Night Dining Tour where you will be accompanied to various restaurants and alleys that offer local dining favorites.

Visit Petite France (pfcamp.com), a French theme park where you can experience European cultural activities, and even watch a marionette performance (entrance fee KRW5,000-8,000).

Have a great dining experience at Mais Alghanim (maisalghanim.com) on Arabian Gulf Street. Established over 60 years ago, it is known for its exceptional vegetarian and non-vegetarian signature Arabic dishes. Choose from their selection of tasty kebab meals (KWD3.75-4.75).

The Avenues (the-avenues.com), the largest mall in Kuwait, is a tourist destination in itself. It has more than 800 shops, including Arabic souks.

AREA CODE +82 (2) TOUCHDOWN INCHEON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN LIMOUSINE BUS, TAXI, AREX TRAIN

AREA CODE +965 TOUCHDOWN KUWAIT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN AIRPORT TAXI (FROM KWD5), PUBLIC BUS (KWD0.40+).

Bobby Weslee Rohani Sales and tour coordinator

“It’s an amazing experience to climb mountains in Kota Kinabalu. I love being one with nature and finding rare species of pitcher plants along the colorful designated path to the summit.”

Consider climbing Mount Trus Madi, the second-highest mountain in the country.

It has fewer tourists, but with the same abundant flora and amazing scenery. On a clear day, you can even see Mount Kinabalu in the distance.

Head to Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park for sun, fun, and relaxation. It’s only 20 minutes via speedboat and a great day-trip destination. The marine life is diverse, so whether you’re a snorkeler or a scuba diver, there is lots to see underwater!

AREA CODE +60 (88) TOUCHDOWN KOTA KINABALU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, HOTEL SHUTTLE, AIRPORT BUS

Did you know?

EACH DISTRICT IN SEOUL HAS A NICHE — MYEONGDONG FOR BEAUTY AND COSMETICS, HONGDAE AND GANGNAM FOR CLOTHES, AND DONGDAEMUN FOR BARGAIN FINDS.

124 SMILE • MARCH 2016

INTERNATIONAL TRIP JOURNAL

MALAYSIA

QATAR

SAUDI ARABIA

Kuala Lumpur

Doha

Riyadh

Marc Benson Suicano Senior customer care officer

“I am simply in awe of the Petronas Towers. Visited by millions, it never ceases to amaze me with its magnificent height and architecture.”

Eunice C. Kidd Housewife

“Doha’s diversity allowed me to explore various cultures. It taught me what books can’t, and made me see the world from a different perspective.”

Marini’s on 57 (marinis57.com) serves first-rate Italian cuisine. It is the highest rooftop bar and restaurant in the country.

Try the delicious tagliata (sliced Wagyu beef with spinach, summer truffles and parsnip, MYR290) while enjoying the sunset view.

If you are into temples, visit the Batu Caves in Selangor. It’s just 13km from the city and a train ride away. It is known for its giant golden statue of Lord Murugan and the 272 concrete steps that you have to take to reach the top.

Get together with friends after work at Spice Market (spicemarketdoha. com), a South-East Asian restaurant with a lounge ambience, and exceptional food and drinks. Their green papaya salad (QAR35) and pad Thai (stir-fried noodles with meat or seafood, QAR90) taste so authentic.

Learn more about the history of Islam, and the culture of the Middle East, by exploring the Museum of Islamic Art for free (mia.org.qa).

AREA CODE +60 (3) TOUCHDOWN KUALA LUMPUR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN KLIA EXPRESS TRAIN (MYR35 ADULT, MYR15 CHILD/ONE WAY), TAXI, BUS

AREA CODE +974 TOUCHDOWN HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN AIRPORT TAXI (FROM QAR25) OR REGULAR KARWA TAXI (FROM QAR100), BUS, LIMO

Moonyeen Mateo School cafeteria manager

“Riyadh is a shopping paradise. Almost all popular brands are here. If you’re a mall rat, you will absolutely go crazy. Most malls are so big, one day isn’t enough to explore them.”

Have some traditional Saudi Arabian food at Najd Village (+966 11 464 6530).

The chicken kabsa (traditional rice dish like biryani, SAR 20) is delicious, but if you’re more adventurous, go for the hashi (camel kabsa, SAR40).

Visit the ancient city of Al Dir’iyah, the original home of the Saudi royal family and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although currently under restoration, there are still lots of areas that can be explored.

AREA CODE +966 (11) TOUCHDOWN KING KHALID INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, BUS, CAR RENTAL

Did you know?

AL DIR’IYAH IS THE CAPITAL OF THE FIRST SAUDI STATE. IT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1744.

126 SMILE • MARCH 2016

YOUR HOME

BY THE UNDERGROUND RIVER.

INTERNATIONAL TRIP JOURNAL

SINGAPORE

TAIWAN

Singapore

Taipei

DALUYON BEACH AND MOUNTAIN RESORT SABANG BEACH, BRGY. CABAYUGAN, PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, PALAWAN

y l d n e i r Eco RFesort

Clarenze Bea NakpilSaliba Receptionist at Yiaco Antonio Apollo Medical Center, Media sales Kuwait

“The range of dishes in Singapore will amaze any visitor. Just visit any local hawker center and you’ll be overwhelmed with the culinary variety. Be brave enough to try anything!”

T: +63.48.433.6379 F: +63.48.434.1174 M:+63.917.826.9989

ChoPSuey (+65 9224 6611) is located at an old army barracks. I bring every single one of my visitors here. Some of my favorite dishes are Crispy Duck Pow Pockets, Sticky Crunchy Baby Squid, and Mud Crab Fried Rice. Meals range from S$50-75.

Buy locally published books and graphic novels at Tiong Bahru. Head over to the basement of The Adelphi mall to scour a large collection of used vinyl records.

Download gothere.sg for easy commuting around the city.

AREA CODE +65 TOUCHDOWN SINGAPORE CHANGI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, MRT, BUS

www.daluyonbeachandmountainresort.com inquire@daluyonresort.com

128 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Debby Wu Writer

“Taipei offers a unique fusion of American, Japanese and Chinese influences. A perfect destination for foodies looking for an amalgamation of Western and Asian cuisines.”

Dian Shui Lou (dianshuilou.com.tw) does a killer xiao long bao. Pay NT$200 for 10 of their original flavor dumplings.

Gourmets won’t be disappointed with its signature dishes like braised eels and meatballs.

Huashan 1914 Creative Park (huashan1914.com/en) caters to the hippest local youngsters with its several restaurants, cafés, a cinema and a live music club.

Architecture aficionados should head to Dadaocheng on the west side of the city to see renovated centuryold buildings.

AREA CODE +886 (2) TOUCHDOWN TAIWAN TAOYUAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, BUS, TAIWAN HIGH-SPEED RAILWAY (THSR)

INTERNATIONAL TRIP JOURNAL

THAILAND

THAILAND

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Bangkok

Phuket

Dubai

Andee Aragon

Migo Antonio

Merchandiser and buyer

Civil engineer

“In Bangkok you can ride elephants, explore the old city of Khao San, immerse yourself in the many temples, shop for vintage finds, discover hole-in-the-wall restaurants and party the night away.”

Fill your belly with pineapple fried rice (approx. THB380) at Buddy’s Bar and Grill in Khao San Road. This fun and energetic street is known as a backpacker’s destination where you’ll get to meet people from different parts of the world.

Take the Kanchanaburi Tour, a whole-day tour that includes river rafting, elephant riding, and a tiger temple visit. It’s a great experience away from the city and gives you a chance to see mountain views of Thailand.

AREA CODE +66 (2) TOUCHDOWN SUVARNABHUMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI (THB250-400), AIRPORT RAIL LINK (THB15-45, ONE WAY), BUS (THB12-36)

“Patong has amazing scenery, delicious food, authentic Thai massages, happening nightlife and sprawling white-sand beaches.”

Baan Rim Pa (baanrimpa.com) serves Royal Thai cuisine, so expect to pay a pretty penny (THB7,000 for a meal for three). It’s well worth it though! Order the black-pepper lobster and the coconut ice cream, both of which are to die for.

If you want to have a relaxing time under the sun, look no further than Patong Beach. For a taste of the local nightlife scene, head to Bangla Road and lounge at one of the bars in that area.

AREA CODE +66 (76) TOUCHDOWN PHUKET INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN MINIBUS (APPROX. THB200 PER HEAD), TAXI (APPROX. THB400)

Armie Marie Chiu Bausas Personal assistant

“Dubai is oozing with dynamism and vitality — from its sights, nightlife, food and shops to arts and culture. It will give you 1,000 reasons to be excited and have fun.”

Try the tasty garlic chicken-wrapped man’oushe (AED28) at Zaroob Restaurant and Café Lounge in Jumeirah Tower Building, Sheikh Zayed Road. Or go meatless and order the eggplant burger (AED54) at XVA Café (+971 4 353 5383).

Immerse yourself in the rich culture and heritage of this city by visiting some historical neighborhoods. Check out Bastakiya, Gold Souk, Burj Khalifa, Madinat Jumeirah, Creekside, Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Beach Residence.

AREA CODE +971 TOUCHDOWN DUBAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, BUS, METRO

Did you know?

KANCHANABURI WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND PIERRE BOULLE’S NOVEL THE BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KWAI. THE AREA HAS WAR MUSEUMS, WAR CEMETERIES, A HISTORICAL PARK, A NATIONAL MUSEUM, HOT SPRINGS, TEMPLES AND MANY MORE ATTRACTIONS. 130 SMILE • MARCH 2016

INTERNATIONAL TRIP JOURNAL

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

VIETNAM

VIETNAM

Guam

Hanoi

Ho Chi Minh City

Lovine Gopez

Lucy del Rosario

Operations manager

Businesswoman

“Hafa Adai! Guam is a tropical beach paradisemeets-shopping haven. It has white sands and water sports, jungle exploration and food tripping, and even high-end duty-free shopping.”

Get a taste of local flair at the Wednesday Night Market at Chamorro Village in Paseo Loop. Fill your plate with BBQ, red rice and finadene sauce, and wash it all down with a selection of fresh fruit juices.

Take pictures with Betsy the local carabao and the giant coconut crabs. Afterwards, burn the calories and dance the night away at the main hall with local live music.

Tumon Bay is a haven for shoppers who want to purchase US goods without traveling all the way across the Pacific.

AREA CODE +1 (671) TOUCHDOWN ANTONIO B. WON PAT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI (TO TUMON)

“Hanoi is a mix of extremes.

Every day, I get drawn by its diligent modernity, and at the same time, unearth my inner calmness by its city lakes.”

Highlands Coffee originated from Hanoi, so make sure to taste the original regular coffee — a strong one — either at the Shark Jaws building (aka Ho Guom Plaza) near Hoan Kiem Lake (for a skyline view) or at Tay Ho (for a lakeside view).

Hoan Kiem Lake is situated at the center of Hanoi and is the ideal meeting point when you’re exploring the Old Quarter with friends.

If you want to visit Hanoi’s historical places, it is more economical to hire a cyclo for a city tour.

The drivers are friendly, and the price is relatively cheap for a thrilling road experience.

AREA CODE +84 (4) TOUCHDOWN NOI BAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN HOTEL CAR SERVICE (US$30/ROUND TRIP FOR TWO PEOPLE)

133 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Maricor Canonoy Customer service team leader

“Ho Chi Minh is a city that has embraced the culture of Europe. I am very impressed at how its people have bounced back from the obstacles they encountered in the past.”

To enjoy authentic Vietnamese cuisine on a budget, try the strip of restaurants in District 1. Check out Five Oysters (+84 90 301 21 23) and order their pho (Vietnamese noodle soup, around VND30,000) and spring rolls (around VND50,000).

Take a closer look at what happened during the Vietnam War and other historical events by visiting the War Remnants Museum (warremnantsmuseum.com). A ticket costs VND15,000.

AREA CODE +84 (8) TOUCHDOWN TAN SON NHAT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI (PREFERABLY VINASUN OR MAI LINH; APPROX. VND200,000)

PHILIPPINES TRIP JOURNAL

Bacolod

Aileen B. Desipeda Doctor

“I felt like I was witnessing a grand project coming to life during the annual Masskara Festival. You can feel the passion bursting out of the costumes, the dancing and the food.”

When in Bacolod, you definitely have to get your hands on authentic chicken inasal (roasted chicken). Aida’s Manokan (Manokan Country) can get you that for just PHP75-80.

If you want to take home napoleones (flaky pastry filled with custard cream and topped with sugar), visit Pendy’s a day before your flight back.

They’ll gladly prepare it on the day and have it ready for pick-up before you go.

PHOTOS: LESTER LEDESMA

AREA CODE +34 TOUCHDOWN BACOLOD-SILAY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI (APPROX. PHP500), SHUTTLE VAN/BUS (PHP150)

Busuanga

Jon Latuja Research analyst

“Busuanga is teeming with wildlife, overflowing with good food, and enveloped by warmth and hospitality. It’s a must-visit!”

Butuan

Janine Claire Satorre Student

“Butuan exudes a laidback lifestyle and a relaxing atmosphere. There are plenty of cheap thrills that will definitely excite you.

It has the right balance of urban and provincial.”

Dine at Lobster King to get your lobster fix (around PHP1,000 for four pieces). The lobsters are fresh and delicious.

Check out Kayangan Lake (entrance fee PHP200; boat rental PHP1,500) and Twin Lagoon (entrance fee PHP100; boat rental PHP1,500).

Remember to bring your snorkeling gear with you.

Try not to use too much sunblock if you plan to swim in the lake. This is to minimize harm to the ecosystem.

Bayan ni Juan (+85 341 6349) serves delicious kare-kare and fresh lumpia.

Experience the thrilling 1.3km zipline at Delta Discovery Park (+85 345 8891) in Brgy Bonbon.

Go horseback riding at Calo Horse Farm in Cabadbaran, which is only 30 to 45 minutes away from the city proper. It’s also a nice place to do outdoor activities like nature trekking and camping.

AREA CODE +48 TOUCHDOWN FRANCISCO B. REYES AIRPORT GET TO TOWN SHUTTLE VAN (PHP150 ONE-WAY TRIP), HOTEL SHUTTLE

AREA CODE +85 TOUCHDOWN BANCASI AIRPORT GET TO TOWN JEEPNEY, MULTICAB, HOTEL SHUTTLE

Did you know?

THERE ARE SEVEN LAKES IN CORON, PALAWAN, INCLUDING KAYANGAN AND BARRACUDA.

135 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHILIPPINES TRIP JOURNAL

Joseph Benedict Montesa Senior FX analyst

“Tired of the hustle and bustle of big cities? Come to my hometown, Cagayan de Oro, dubbed the ‘City of Golden Friendship’. I’m proud to say we have good food, great adventures and that unique southern hospitality.”

Traveling on a budget? Head straight to Butcher’s Best Barbeque (+88 857 7333) on Hayes Street to get a full and satisfying meal for as low as PHP150! Order their sizzling sisig and Bowie’s Favorite BBQ sticks.

Travel south towards Manolo Fortich and you’ll reach Dahilayan Adventure Park (dahilayanadventurepark.com). Dare to ride Asia’s longest dual zipline and the Dropzone, where you freefall from as high as 120ft! Each ride costs PHP500.

AREA CODE +88 TOUCHDOWN LAGUINDINGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, JEEPNEY, MOTORELA, SHUTTLE

Camiguin

Caticlan (Boracay)

Joy Buena

France Perez

Church staff

Entrepreneur

“Camiguin is beautiful. Just visit the white-sand beaches and hot springs to know what I mean. It’s a place I’d keep going back to for a recharging experience.”

“Boracay has something for everyone — families, couples, partygoers, food enthusiasts, backpackers and luxury travelers. And the views never get old.”

Casa Roca Inn in Naasag, Mambajao is best experienced during the day because of its beautiful view (PHP250300/head). Try their calamares.

Learn more about the clams — go snorkeling at Camiguin’s giant clam sanctuary (PHP250 entrance).

Take a dip at the Ardent Hot Springs during cooler days (PHP30 entrance).

Book tours with a local travel guide to learn more about Camiguin’s history.

My favorite is Titos Resto & Grill (+36 288 2369), a beachfront restaurant in Station 2. Order the adobo with kesong puti and Tita’s suha (pomelo) salad (PHP300 each), and don’t leave without tasting their Boracay rice (PHP220). Have dinner on the rooftop to enjoy the breeze and see the beach performers.

From Station 2, take a tricycle ride (PHP150) to Puka Beach, a more secluded and private part of the island.

AREA CODE +88 TOUCHDOWN CAMIGUIN AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRICYCLE, MOTORELA

AREA CODE +36 TOUCHDOWN GODOFREDO P. RAMOS AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRICYCLE TO CATICLAN JETTY PORT, THEN BOAT TO BORACAY PHOTOS: LESTER LEDESMA

Cagayan de Oro

136 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHILIPPINES TRIP JOURNAL

Cauayan

Cebu

Pauline Mangosing

Tricia Bucag

PHOTO: SAMUEL DE LEON (CAUAYAN); LESTER LEDESMA (CEBU)

Senior account manager

Public relations practitioner

“I think that if you want to go to a place with the culture of the past but with the comfort of the present, Cauayan is the best place to go to.”

“In Cebu City you can eat, shop and party like there’s no tomorrow, but when you feel like kicking off your shoes, the best beaches are just an hour’s drive away.”

Satisfy your hunger by going to Mayang’s, a hawker-style place along Don Jose Canciller Avenue that simply serves the best barbecue in town (PHP1030).

An adventure seeker? Go wakeboarding in D’ Spot Rail Park in Brgy San Fermin. If you’re more of a nature lover, visit Isabela Green Valley Farm in Brgy Sillawit. This farm has dazzling orchids, ornamental plants and bountiful, fruit-bearing trees. To know more about the rich heritage of the city, make sure to check out Hacienda de San Luis.

The paella specials at Hala Paella! (+32 344 4252) are flavorful and affordable.

Try the lechon variant (PHP128 solo serving) or negra (PHP478, good for four to five people). End your meal with some delectable churros and chocolate dip (PHP68).

Attend mass at the Sto Niño Cathedral. The people’s show of devotion is awe-inspiring — even for non-believers.

Pamper yourself at the beach resort Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu (+32 492 7777), where you can lounge by the pool or party at the Ibiza Beach Club.

AREA CODE +78 TOUCHDOWN CAUAYAN AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRICYCLE (APPROX. PHP10-25)

AREA CODE +32 TOUCHDOWN MACTANCEBU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, MULTICAB, HOTEL SHUTTLE

Did you know?

CAUAYAN CITY IS KNOWN AS THE “MUSHROOM CITY OF THE NORTH”.

139 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHILIPPINES TRIP JOURNAL

Clark

Cotabato

Kyrie Dea Maia Genolos

Lara Ong

PHOTO: LESTER LEDESMA (CLARK)

Freelance graphic designer

Law student/ businesswoman

“I felt this utter excitement and wonder seeing all those balloons during the annual Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark. It was a great experience.”

“Cotabato has preserved its rustic, laid-back and provincial feel. Even the quality, taste and price of the food have barely changed.”

Looking for authentic Mexican food that won’t break the bank? Iguana’s Cantina Mexicana (+45 405 0449) has jam-packed burritos and refreshing margaritas.

If you’re feeling adventurous, drop by SandBox (alviera.ph/sandbox), which has ziplines and the country’s highest swing to get your adrenaline going.

Experience the crystal beaches of Subic and Olongapo, Zambales. The drive is about 30 minutes to an hour via SCTEX.

I love the flavorful nasi goreng (Indonesian-style fried rice) at Jamaica Le Café (+64 552 0267) inside Al Nor complex. Eat like a local and have the best-tasting native chicken barbecue at the barbecue/fruit stand in Sinsuat Avenue. You’ll see a queue in the far-left stall that serves grilled eats.

Visit the biggest mosque in the Philippines, the Grand Mosque of Cotabato in Tamontaka Bubong Road.

Shop for malong (traditional tube skirt) at the Barter Trade Center in ORC.

AREA CODE +45 TOUCHDOWN CLARK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, SHUTTLE, CAR RENTAL, JEEPNEY (APPROX. PHP13)

AREA CODE +64 TOUCHDOWN AWANG AIRPORT GET TO TOWN JEEPNEY, MOTORCYCLE, CHARTERED VAN

Did you know?

OMNI AVIATION, ONE OF THE FLIGHT TRAINING SCHOOLS IN CLARK, OFFERS AN AERIAL TOUR OVER MOUNT PINATUBO WHILE RIDING A CESSNA (PHP6,000 PER PERSON).

141 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHILIPPINES TRIP JOURNAL

Davao

Samantha Uy

Romeo Arahan

Businesswoman

Program officer

“For me, there is no other place like Davao. It’s where you can visit the highlands, the islands, and still have enough time to relax and shop — all in one day!”

PHOTOS: JOJIE ALCANTARA (DAVAO); HERSLEY VEN CASERO (DUMAGUETE)

Dipolog

Chicken lovers should automatically head to Toryano’s Chicken Haus in Legazpi Street. Serving native chicken barbeque with their special sauce, a set meal (with unlimited rice) would only set you back by PHP120! Drop by BluGré Coffee (blugre. com) and try their Durian Coffee for a unique Davao experience (PHP150-165).

Party early! The last serving of liquor is at midnight and partying stops at 2am.

Enjoy the fresh mountain air at Eden Nature Park & Resort (edennaturepark.com. ph). Don’t forget to try the Skycycle for that much-needed adrenaline rush!

AREA CODE +82 TOUCHDOWN FRANCISCO BANGOY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, BUS, VAN, JEEPNEY

Dumaguete

Elaine Lucente Customer service associate

“Dipolog offers a certain calmness despite the ongoing progress and developments in the city. It is great for people like me who want temporary escape from Manila’s hustle and bustle.”

“Dumaguete is welcoming.

The first time I arrived, I felt at home. I loved watching the locals enjoy their leisure time on the baywalk.”

If you’re craving modern Filipino food, check out Tonino’s on the corner of Rizal Avenue and Osmena Street, and fall in love with their heart-stopping crispy pata (crispy pork knuckle, PHP350). Enjoy Gloria de Dapitan and its nightlife — listen to live bands, watch a movie or feel the seaside breeze while drinking a cold bottle of beer.

Make sure to walk or jog along the Boulevard before sunset. The view of the sun descending is just amazing, and calming to the heart and mind.

You won’t run out of places to dine in Dumaguete! I tried Atong Kamalig Restaurant on Katada Street and only spent PHP109 for a chicken inato meal.

Get a sweet take-home treat from Sans Rival Bistro in Rizal Boulevard. Buttery silvanas (PHP140 per box) are a popular option that your family and friends would love.

Got time for a side trip?

Visit the beautiful beaches of Siquijor or swim with whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu.

Harolds Mansion (haroldsmansion. com) offers tour packages and very affordable accommodations.

AREA CODE +65 TOUCHDOWN DIPOLOG AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRICYCLE

AREA CODE +35 TOUCHDOWN SIBULAN AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRICYCLE, JEEPNEY

AT THE AZURE

SUNDOWN IS ONLY THE

BEGINNING 143 SMILE • MARCH 2016

azure.com.ph

PHILIPPINES TRIP JOURNAL

LOCATION Fairways and Bluewater, Boracay Island

General Santos

Iloilo

Tel. No.: (036) 288-5587 Loc. 2312

Fairways

r 1 Hr Beach Tou

3Dis0co%unt Mica Yu Ong Businesswoman

Take a photo of this ad to enjoy this promotion

Mt. Lu 1 Hr Touhro

Businesswoman / NGO worker

“Eat the freshest seafood, hit the beach, paraglide, and witness the art of tuna grading at the fish port. Whether you’re a foodie, adventure junkie or a cultural explorer, GenSan will surely hit the spot.”

“Iloilo can satisfy all your heart’s desires in a vacation.

City lovers, beach bums and adventure seekers will find it a good jump-off point to Guimaras and Isla Gigantes.”

Meat lovers will be in heaven at Ranchero Nuevo (+83 878 0468) in SM City GenSan. Try any of its grilled barbecue favorites! The Ranchero Group of Restaurants has its own ranch where its meats come from, and a farm with fruit trees — truly a remarkable farm-to-table dining experience!

If you’re up for an actionpacked yet very educational tour, you should not miss tuna grading at Fish Port Complex in Barangay Tambler. Go there early — and bring a camera — to catch all the action.

Visit Camiña Balay na Bato (Tel: +33 336 3858) in Osmeña St., Molo. For PHP150, you can take a historical tour that includes a taste of some heavenly tsokolate (hot chocolate) with Ilonggo toasted mamon (sponge cake). Or pay PHP200 and get the said tour and snacks, along with a serving of Kap Ising’s pancit molo (Filipino-style pork dumpling soup).

His specialty was even featured on a popular television show!

Schedule an island hopping tour to Isla Gigantes in Carles.

AREA CODE +83 TOUCHDOWN GENERAL SANTOS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, TRICYCLE, HOTEL SHUTTLE

AREA CODE +33 TOUCHDOWN ILOILO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, VAN

30%

Discount

Richie Joy Suplico

PHOTOS: LESTER LEDESMA

Tel. No.: (0998) 556-6412 Location: Zetro Adventures, Boracay Island

Promo period: March 2016 Email: segwayphil@gmail.com

BOOKING.SEGWAY.COM.PH

144 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHILIPPINES TRIP JOURNAL

Lorenz Lao Project manager

“Kalibo is a very peaceful town with rich culture and several natural scenic spots. It’s a great place to relax and enjoy time away from the busy city life.”

It’s fun to eat at Residence River IhawIhaw Resto Bar in Tambak, where you can catch your own fish then cook it (PHP3001,000, depending on how much you caught). If you’ve got an exotic palate, try the tamilok with sinamak (woodworm with spicy vinegar) offered in Bakhawan EcoPark (+36 262 7696). It tastes like oyster.

Feed your spiritual side and check out Kalibo Cathedral in Martelino Street.

It was originally built in 1826, and is also known as St. John the Baptist Cathedral.

AREA CODE +36 TOUCHDOWN KALIBO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, TRICYCLE, JEEPNEY, BUS, VAN

Laoag

Monica Copuyoc Co-founder of Bookie PH

Legazpi

Nikka Cueto Business development officer

“It’s a fantastic jump-off point to Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. I find myself always wanting to revisit the two provinces so I can have a grand northern adventure.”

“With the majestic Mayon volcano as a backdrop, Legazpi City is absolutely picturesque. Add to that Bicolano food and hospitality, and I found myself a perfect vacation.”

Sample local cuisine at Saramsam Ylocano Restaurant & Bar (+77 771 5825).

If you love all things pork, the bagnet with KBL sauce (PHP235) will surely hit the spot! This crispy pork belly dish comes with a Filipino-style salsa made of tomatoes, fish sauce and onions.

Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is St. Augustine Church, more commonly known as Paoay Church. It’s right in front of Herencia Café, so grab some dinuguan pizza there after your parish visit.

Find authentic local cuisine at Balay Cena Una (balaycenauna.com) in Daraga. I like the smoky and distinct Bicolano flavor of Cena Una Tinutungan Chicken (PHP250300), cooked with taro leaves and coconut cream sauce.

Get up close to an active volcano and visit the Mayon Rest House.

After you have enjoyed the cool fresh air and surrounding greenery, explore the Planetarium & Science Park to learn more about Mayon and other active volcanoes in the country.

AREA CODE +77 TOUCHDOWN LAOAG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN SIRIB BUS, JEEPNEY, TRICYCLE, PRE-ARRANGED RENTAL VAN

AREA CODE +52 TOUCHDOWN LEGAZPI AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, TRICYCLE, RENTAL VAN

Did you know?

SIXTY PER CENT OF THE WORLD'S VOLCANOES ARE STRATOVOLCANOES, WHICH ARE STEEP AND ERUPT PERIODICALLY. THAT NUMBER INCLUDES MAYON IN THE BICOL REGION. 146 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHOTOS: LESTER LEDESMA (KALIBO & LEGAZPI); ALARIC YANOS (LAOAG)

Kalibo

PHILIPPINES TRIP JOURNAL

Manila

Naga

Pat Jocson

Anna Ragudo

Housewife

Marketing officer

Café Juanita in Kapitolyo, Pasig is an interesting place to eat Filipino food because of its bohemian vibe. I personally like going there at night when all the lights are on, because it adds drama to the interiors. A definite must-try is the beef and pork pochero (PHP607), which is good for sharing.

Want something different from the usual nights out?

Go to Malate, eat at a hole-in-the-wall establishment, have a drink on the street with fellow tourists or locals, and get a massage in one of the spas.

AREA CODE +2 TOUCHDOWN NINOY AQUINO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI

“An Maogmang Lugar or ‘The Happy Place’, as Naga is commonly known, is true in every sense. I felt the people’s warm reception.

The place certainly exudes a happy vibe.”

Looking to make the heat more bearable? Cool down at DJC Halo Halo and Snack Bar on Magsaysay Avenue and order their halo-halo (Filipino dessert with shaved ice, milk, fruits, beans and various toppings) with cheese (PHP85).

Head to CamSur Watersports Complex (cwcwake.com/web) to get your blood running! It is a world-class wake park facility (free entrance).

When shopping in the market, try to bargain by saying “patawad man po”.

AREA CODE +54 TOUCHDOWN NAGA AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, JEEPNEY

Did you know?

NAGA CITY IS ALSO KNOWN AS “THE HEART OF BICOL”, AS IT IS AT THE CENTER OF THE BICOL PENINSULA.

148 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHOTOS: LESTER LEDESMA (MANILA); RAYMOND CALACDAY (NAGA)

“In Manila, there’s no language barrier; there’s delicious food, friendly people and so many fun things to do; and there are places where I can just chill out.”

PHILIPPINES TRIP JOURNAL

Ozamiz

Pagadian

Vic Marion Madriaga

Cyrus Acla

“Ozamiz City is where you can eat affordable seafood, see old Spanish structures and enjoy the wildlife.

Definitely a must-visit destination in the south!”

“I like the contrasts Pagadian offers. Downtown has the chaotic but pleasant buzz of a growing city, while outside the city center has all the charms of rural life.”

Bring a bunch of fellow foodies to Dahon Boodle & Grill (+88 545 0790) on Don Anselmo Bernad Avenue. Order the perfect boodle set (PHP350) that is big enough to feed three to four people. It’s a generous mix of pork, beef, chicken and seafood that will have everyone eating with their hands.

Visit the museum inside the Cotta Fort (PHP10 entrance fee) to get a better understanding of the city’s rich culture. It was built in the 1750s as a military stronghold and is the oldest structure in the area.

Have dinner at Greenhouse Fishing Station and Restaurant (+62 215 1439) in Barangay Dumagok. This restaurant is situated on a large fish pond, so get ready for a seafood overload. My personal favorite is the mouthwatering grilled tilapia.

Mount Palpalan is the highest point of Pagadian City, and offers breathtaking views. Go in time for sunrise.

Getting around town is best done on motorcycles with steeply inclined sidecars — a memorable experience in itself.

AREA CODE +88 TOUCHDOWN LABO AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRICYCLE (PHP30 PER PERSON TO CITY PROPER)

AREA CODE +62 TOUCHDOWN PAGADIAN DOMESTIC AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRICYCLE, JEEPNEY

Did you know?

PAGADIAN CITY IS THE SECOND-LARGEST CITY IN THE ZAMBOANGA PENINSULA.

150 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHOTOS: LESTER LEDESMA (OZAMIZ); EDGAR ALAN ZETA YAP (PAGADIAN)

Senior product manager

Blogger, columnist and social media strategist

PHILIPPINES TRIP JOURNAL

Brennan Mercado Electronics engineer/ travel blogger

“While we had many adventures at Puerto Princesa, walking around the city is still at the top on my list. Its laid-back vibe and clean scenery grew on me with each passing step.”

Kinabuchs Grill & Bar (+48 484 5194) is one of the city’s best-known watering holes. It is famous for its exotic dishes such as the tamilok (ceviche-style, PHP135; breaded and deep-fried, PHP140) and croc adobado (crocodile meat stewed in coconut milk, seasoning and spices, PHP345).

Do a quick day tour around the city that includes the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center, the unique Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, and Baker’s Hill, among many other stops.

Schedule a tour with your hotel.

AREA CODE +48 TOUCHDOWN PUERTO PRINCESA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN VAN, TRICYCLE, MULTICAB

Roxas

Eula Charisse L. Lejos Nurse

“There is a feeling of both satisfaction and tranquillity as I get to savor inexpensive, exquisite and delicious seafood while relishing the view of Baybay Beach.”

For a budget-friendly place with an old-school diner vibe, head to Nesta’s Food Center (+36 621 0399), located at the heart of the city. Order the leche flan (crème caramel, PHP35) and pancit palabok (savory Filipino rice noodle dish with toppings, PHP50).

Relax at Baybay Beach, which is surrounded by restaurants and resorts, and is famous for having gray sand.

Diwal (angel-wing clam), known for its juicy and mildly sweet flavor, is the prized shellfish of Roxas City. Make sure to get a taste before you leave!

AREA CODE +36 TOUCHDOWN ROXAS CITY AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, TRICYCLE, HOTEL SHUTTLE

San Jose

Heiz Ramos Traveler

“I love how San Jose is a simple community. I usually head to the nearby seawater, where I can chill and enjoy the morning breeze off the ocean while grilling some fish.”

From the city proper, travel to the nearby Angels mountain range, whose jagged edges make it look beautiful and unique. Head to the town of Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, where you can see Kalibasib, the only tamaraw bred in captivity. The animal’s name is short for “kalikasang bagong sibol”, which translates to “nature’s new growth” in Tagalog.

Stop by the San Jose Public Market, where you can find fresh, cheap seafood like big prawns.

AREA CODE +43 TOUCHDOWN SAN JOSE AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRICYCLE (PHP10.50 REGULAR FARE)

Did you know?

THE TAMARAW, OR DWARF BUFFALO, IS CRITICALLY ENDANGERED. THE BIGGEST POPULATION IS IN MOUNT IGLIT-BACO NATIONAL PARK IN MINDORO.

152 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHOTOS: LESTER LEDESMA (PUERTO PRINCESA & ROXAS); SAMUEL DE LEON (SAN JOSE)

Puerto Princesa

PHILIPPINES TRIP JOURNAL

Chey Mayuga Marketing manager

Surigao

Lorenzo Miguel Velasquez University student

Tacloban

Daniel Abunales Journalist

“Siargao is addictive, with its perfect beaches, enchanting lagoons, caves, sandbars, waterfalls, bizarre rock formations and mangrove forest. Did I mention that it’s a surfing mecca as well?”

“The city is small and easy to navigate, and the pace is nice and slow. Here you get access to most urban essentials, plus extras: fresh seafood, a clean breeze and nearby beaches.”

“Downtown Tacloban offers the convenience of city life.

But only a few minutes away are its fine beaches, beautiful mountain ranges and the country’s longest bridge — and it’s traffic jam-free!”

Siargao is a culinary heaven when it comes to seafood. On a budget? Buy fresh tuna (around PHP120-150 per kilo) at the General Luna public market. Cooks at most resorts are willing to prepare the fish for you for a small fee.

To experience the delight of a natural swimming pool, head over to Magpupungko Beach (PHP50/ person) in Pilar, an hour and a half from General Luna. Rent a boat to take you to Naked Island, Dako Island and Guyam Island (PHP1,200-1,500 per boat).

Enjoy a leisurely lunch at the Almont Beach Resort in Lipata (almont.com.ph), about 15 minutes by car from the city center, where the big bonus is a sweeping view of the Surigao Strait.

While you’re in that area, head over to Mabua where you’ll find a quaint seaside village and some of the most stunning sunset views in the whole country. It’s often referred to as a pebble beach, but the stones that line Mabua’s shores are actually the size of an adult’s palm.

Ochó Seafood and Grill (+53 325 4171) has a counter that offers a wide variety of freshly caught seafood, and they can cook it just the way you want it. Feed four people for as low as PHP700.

Travel north-east to see the famous San Juanico Bridge, the longest bridge in the country.

Take a side trip to the town of Basey, which houses the St. Michael the Archangel Church, built in the 17th century. Basey is known for its colorful and intricately weaved mats which come from a plant called tikog.

AREA CODE +86 TOUCHDOWN SAYAK AIRPORT GET TO TOWN HABAL-HABAL, SHUTTLE VAN TO DAPA (PHP200) OR GENERAL LUNA (PHP300)

AREA CODE +86 TOUCHDOWN SURIGAO AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRICYCLE, MULTICAB, HOTEL SHUTTLE

AREA CODE +53 TOUCHDOWN DANIEL Z. ROMUALDEZ AIRPORT GET TO TOWN JEEPNEY, TAXI, TRICYCLE

Did you know?

CLOUD 9 IN SIARGAO IS NAMED AFTER A LOCAL CHOCOLATE BAR. ITS NAME ALSO DERIVES FROM THE SHAPE OF ITS WAVES, WHICH FORM THE NUMBER NINE.

154 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHOTOS: LESTER LEDESMA (SURIGAO)

Siargao

PHILIPPINES TRIP JOURNAL

Tandag

Danielle Joanne V. Munji

Maria Hanna Alzate

Occupational therapist

Travel agency owner

“Bohol is a great destination for beach lovers and adventure seekers. It filled our itinerary with trips to beaches, islands, adventure parks and historic sites.”

Have a gastronomic — but healthy — feast at Bohol Bee Farm (boholbeefarm. com). The complimentary squash bread with pesto and mango spreads will kickstart a good dining experience for you.

Head to Balicasag and Virgin Islands. If you’re lucky, you might chance upon dolphins along the way.

Try the bike zip (PHP400/ride) at Chocolate Hills Adventure Park (chocolatehillsadventurepark.com).

The view from 150ft above is simply breathtaking, especially around twilight!

AREA CODE +38 TOUCHDOWN TAGBILARAN AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRICYCLE/MOTORELA, PRE-ARRANGED HOTEL SHUTTLE

“Tandag is the place to find breathtaking nature and satisfy your cravings for mouthwatering seafood.

Spend a few days there and you’ll end up wanting to call it your home.”

Eat breakfast at Cortesanon Grill and Restaurant in Bongtud, and make sure to get a table by the water so you can enjoy the amazing view of the Pacific Ocean. Their signature dishes are kinilaw na malasugi (blue marlin ceviche) and sautéed shrimps.

Stroll along the Boulevard (Tandag’s coastal promenade) at night to see the colorful lampposts and sample Filipino street food like pork barbecue, fish balls and more.

AREA CODE +86 TOUCHDOWN TANDAG CITY AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRICYCLE, HABAL-HABAL

Tawi-Tawi

Edge Genciagan Project staff

“This place is an ultimate offthe-beaten-track destination teeming with history, unique flavors and architecture. Its ambience made us feel like we were in another country.”

Walk around the town proper near the Chinese Pier, where plenty of food stands are selling skewers and delicacies (grilled fish, kinilaw, guso) at very affordable prices (PHP20-50). Some eateries also serve the native tiyulah itum (spicy beef soup), syagul (stingray and coconut milk) and syanglag (roasted cassava), among others.

Hike up Bud Bongao. At 314m above sea level, it is the highest mountain in the island and a site that’s sacred to locals.

Revisit the roots of Islam in the country on Simunul Island, where the first mosque was built.

AREA CODE +68 TOUCHDOWN SANGASANGA AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRICYCLE (FROM PHP150-500, DEPENDING ON YOUR BARGAINING SKILLS)

Did you know?

MORE THAN HALF OF THE ISLAND OF BOHOL CONSISTS OF LIMESTONE.

156 SMILE • MARCH 2016

PHOTOS: LESTER LEDESMA (TAGBILARAN & TANDAG); EDGAR ALAN ZETA YAP (TAWI-TAWI)

Tagbilaran

PHILIPPINES TRIP JOURNAL

Tuguegarao

Honeybee Carmona Certified yoga teacher

Peij de Jesus Associate creative director

Zamboanga

UJ Almocera Community organizer

“Catanduanes has a beautiful mix of mountains, beaches, cliffs and waterfalls. The locals are warm and friendly.

I felt like I was in an untouched, preserved part of the country.”

“Fall in love with the colorful tapestry of cultures, and enjoy natural wonders like the blushing pink sands of Great Sta. Cruz Island or the curtain-like cascades of Merloquet Falls.”

Eva’s Panciteria in Annafunan East is definitely a place to stop by and eat.

I like its simple and to-the-point pancit batil batung (PHP60), using only the freshest miki (pancit noodles). Try also Lokal - Kanan + Pasalubong near the airport. They serve home-cooked local dishes like pinakbet, alugbati (Malabar spinach) salad and the famous Tuguegarao longganisa. They also sell local goods like Kalinga coffee and Guita body oil.

Try speaking Ybanag. Say “mabbalo” to thank people, and “kaya ku ’yaw” to express that you like something.

Puraran Beach is an hour away from Virac airport, and it’s such a special surf spot that the waves have a special name — the powerful, barreling “Majestics”. If you’re a beginner surfer, the best time of the year is from March to August.

For filling meals, try either Majestic or Surfer’s Paradise on Puraran Beach. I highly recommend the lobster rice meal; it can be ordered at both resorts, and it’s as fresh as their other seafood options. A meal ranges from PHP160-250.

A lot of dishes in Zamboanga are spicy because of the culinary influences of nearby islands and neighboring Malaysia. Try the chicken pianggang with vegetable side dish and unlimited rice (PHP55) at Dulang Restaurant in Rizal Street.

At Yakan Village in Barangay Sinunuc, you can choose from an array of woven products with colorful and intricate designs.

Chavacano is the local dialect that is heavily laced with Spanish words and expressions, but Tagalog is commonly used when talking to other tribes.

AREA CODE +78 TOUCHDOWN TUGUEGARAO AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRICYCLE

AREA CODE +52 TOUCHDOWN VIRAC AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TRICYCLE, TAXI, JEEPNEY

AREA CODE +62 TOUCHDOWN ZAMBOANGA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GET TO TOWN TAXI, JEEPNEY, TRICYCLE

“I love how Tuguegarao is a food haven for the discerning traveler. Taste the local dishes such as igado, pancit batil patung and laoya, and find out how they’re cooked.”

PHOTOS: LESTER LEDESMA (TUGUEGARAO & ZAMBOANGA)

Virac

Did you know?

CODON PORT IN CATANDUANES HAS BOATS THAT CAN TAKE YOU TO THE CARAMOAN ISLANDS, WHERE SEASONS 25 AND 26 OF THE REALITY SHOW SURVIVOR WERE SHOT.

159 SMILE • MARCH 2016

DIRECTORY

Community creators Looking to purchase a home in Laguna, Cavite, Batangas or Bulacan? Turn to P.A. Properties. Since its founding 21 years ago, the company has delivered over 14,000 housing units across 40 projects in Luzon. The company has evolved from building high-quality affordable housing into creating planned communities. P.A. Properties’ most recent projects are communities that offer a mix of uses, with malls, transportation hubs, major highways, hospitals, schools, business parks and even places of worship — all just a short walk or ride away from residents’ homes. “We strive to provide sustainable communities, wherein the most important needs of a family will be accessible,” says Romarico Alvarez, chairman of P.A. Properties. For more information, visit paproperties.com.ph

161 SMILE • MARCH 2016

DIRECTORY

Summer and beyond at Laiya Summer’s here once again.

Take advantage of what Laiya has to offer: a perfect weekend escape for citydwellers and balikbayans alike. Only a two-and-ahalf-hour drive from Metro Manila, the Laiya is located on the shores of San Juan, Batangas. There you can choose from the many beach resort options that range from modern to rustic to luxurious, catering to families, groups of friends, couples and solo travelers. Take a dip into the clear water, get a massage, go kayaking, snorkeling or scuba diving, or try out the zipline at Adventure Park. discoverlaiya.com

33 years of beauty

Senior high at STI

Rejoice, makeup lovers! Ever Bilena is celebrating its anniversary with a launch of new products and services. The homegrown beauty company, along with its brands Careline, EB Advance and Blackwater, is upping the ante by showcasing trendy makeup releases, including purple and neutral lipstick shades, brow kits, liquid lipsticks and pocket-sized eyeshadow palettes created specially for teens. Its fragrance label has also added personal grooming products to its lineup, such as soap and hair gel. What’s more, Ever Bilena will be available online via tackthis.com.ph, so stocking up on your favorites will be a breeze.

Can’t decide which institution to send your child to for Senior High School? Check out STI. The school is outfitted with air-conditioned classrooms and industry-grade simulation laboratories for a conducive learning and training ground.

Included in the program are academic activities and fun social competitions that encourage students to become well-rounded, skillful employees after they graduate. STI also knows how to invest in their people, employing certified faculty members and consulting with industry partners to ensure that each class acquires the right skills for its chosen field of study. sti.edu/shs 163

SMILE • MARCH 2016

airline news UPDATES FROM CEBU PACIFIC AIR

IN BLOOM Love nature and the outdoors? Head to Taipei — the city and its outskirts are exceptionally pretty and pleasant this time of year. Take advantage of the tours and hiking trails at Yangmingshan National Park, with its fields of flowers, lush greenery, hot springs and wildlife; explore temples like Yuanjue and Bishanyan Kaizhang Shengwang; or spend a few hours picking strawberries at Neihu. Cebu Pacific flies to Taipei from Manila and Cebu. travel.taipei/en; cebupacificair.com

More news from Cebu Pacific on the next page >

165 SMILE • MARCH 2016

COMPANY UPDATES

Passenger volume to Tokyo (Narita) increased in 2015

OVER 18 MILLION PASSENGERS FLOWN IN 2015 Cebu Pacific flew a record 18.4 million travelers last year — a nine percent jump from 16.9 million in 2014. And flights were 83 percent full on average.

The increase is attributed to CEB’s low-cost, long-haul services, as well as improved flight frequencies in domestic markets.

CEB also saw a boost in passenger volume in international routes such as Hong Kong, Tokyo (Narita), Nagoya, Beijing and Shanghai.

In addition, the CEB group ferried 62,947 passengers last

January 3rd — the highest number of travelers the airline has flown in one day.

What’s more, there’s been a 146 percent passenger growth in CEB long-haul flights year-on-year.

Other remarkable figures include that of the Manila-Sydney journey, which saw over 150,000 passengers in 2015. Recent data from Australia’s Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) also show that CEB is still the largest carrier to run this route, with a 40 percent market share from November 2014 to

Free CEB flights with GetGo and Petron GetGo, the lifestyle rewards program by Cebu Pacific, allows you to earn and convert points from your flights and from lifestyle partners. Use these points to book that free flight that you truly deserve. Now, you can earn points faster when you gas up with Petron. Use your Petron Value Card for every Petron purchase, earn Petron Peso Points, and convert these

Points to GetGo points to redeem your free local or international Cebu Pacific flights. Two Value Points will gain you three GetGo points. This applies to gasoline, diesel, kerosene, autoLPG fuel, engine oils and Petron Gasul payments at over 2,000 Petron service stations nationwide.

To sign up, visit GetGo.com.ph.

For more info, follow GetGo’s official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts (@GetGoPH). You may also email petronvaluecard@petron.com if you’d like to check your conversion.

166 SMILE • MARCH 2016

October 2015. There’s been a 69 percent hike in overall traffic between these two cities as well.

CEB’s performance in its Middle East flights is just as positive, what with its trips between Manila to Riyadh, Kuwait, Dubai and Doha. Manila-Dubai, for one, had the highest number of guests at over 230,000 in 2015.

And by introducing Manila-Tokyo (Narita), Cebu-Tokyo (Narita), ManilaNagoya and Manila-Fukuoka, CEB saw a 39 percent surge in travelers to over 280,000 in 2015.

CEB is thriving locally too. Thanks to additional flights from Manila to Tagbilaran (Bohol) and Cebu to Tandag (Surigao del Sur), there’s been a 7.41 percent rise in passengers in 2015, with a 100 percent passenger growth year-onyear.

CEB now boasts a network of over 90 routes in 64 destinations in Asia, Australia and the Middle East. It will offer direct Manila-Guam flights — Guam being its first US destination — beginning March 15.

PAY FOR CATICLAN TERMINAL FEE DURING BOOKING From March 1, 2015 onwards, Caticlan’s Domestic Passenger Service Charge (DPSC, or the terminal fee) of PHP200 will be part of the total amount you’ll pay for your domestic bookings from or transiting Caticlan.

Do note that there is a DPSC collection for all flights from and transiting Manila and Cebu.

For inquiries, visitcebupacificair.com, or call +63 2 7020 888 or +63 32 230 8888.

COMPANY UPDATES

New aircraft with new livery Cebu Pacific has received two brand-new Airbus A320 with new livery from Toulouse, France. They arrived on January 22nd and 25th.

The planes sport CEB’s new logo, which was launched in June 2015; it features bright colors that represent the Philippines’ land, sea, sky and sun. They are also equipped with Sharklets — a fuel-saving wingtip technology.

CEB currently has a 57-strong fleet with an average age of 4.69 years, one of the youngest in the world. With these two recent deliveries, it now operates eight

Airbus A319, 35 Airbus A320, six Airbus A330, and eight ATR-72-500.

Between 2016 and 2021, the carrier will soon have three more brand-new Airbus A320, 30 Airbus A321neo, and 16 ATR 72-600 as well.

“The planes’ refreshed livery signifies the airline’s growth and evolution, from pioneering lowcost travel in the Philippines to successfully growing its flight operations across key domestic and international markets today,” explains Atty. JR Mantaring, CEB Vice President for Corporate Affairs.

How to search, book and check in for flights

ONLINE Cebupacificair.com ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE Download the Cebu Pacific mobile app from the App Store or Google Play. Book tickets and check in for your flights in just a few quick taps.

You can also select baggage, meals and seat options, then pay by credit card.

ON THE PHONE Need to speak to an operator?

Call the following numbers: • Manila: +63 2 7020 888 • Cebu: +63 32 2308 888 • Hong Kong: +852 3973 3800 • Singapore: +65 3158 0808 • Australia: +61 2 9119 2956

Waytogo is live!

AIRCRAFT PHOTO BY AJIG IBASCO

THE NEW TRAVEL INSPIRATION WEBSITE POWERED BY SMILE CAN NOW BE ACCESSED THROUGH CEBUPACIFICAIR.COM Looking for some fun travel ideas? Or information on what to see and do in any of the destinations in Cebu Pacific’s network? Log on to cebupacificair.com and click on Waytogo at the top right hand corner of the page and start browsing. Among the cool features of the website is one called My Travel Kit — register for free and create your own travel mood board where you can save your favorite travel stories in the website.

167 SMILE • MARCH 2016

It’s fun to be social Connect with us and be among the first to know about our promos and other updates. Like @CebuPacificAir on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Ang Pintura Ko. Reliability and beauty. Wanting nothing but the best, one of the country’s most talented actress, Heart Evangelista-Escudero, opt for her brand of choice: The A-PLUS PAINTS. The A-PLUS All Weather, the A-PLUS Fresh & Green, and the A-PLUS PowerRoof will make every house, the perfect home.

GOOD TO KNOW

Travel safety

PROTECT YOURSELF • Get travel insurance. Not all packages are the same in terms of coverage, so choose the one that best suits your needs.

• Assess the health risks.

Research the destination, and ask your doctor for the necessary shots and medications. He or she can help you organize and think of a plan of action too, should an emergency happen.

• Inform your bank and credit card company that you’ll be traveling, how long you’ll be away, and that you might use your ATM and credit cards for overseas transactions only within those dates.

Airport of the month

If you’re flying in or out of…

SYDNEY AIRPORT With the exciting new developments happening at Terminal 1, you might want to stick around at Sydney Airport for a little while longer. You’ll soon enjoy these landmarks at the City View precinct in the international departures area: • In the first half of 2016, unique eateries like The Bistro by Wolfgang Puck and Benny Burger, juice bar Joe & The Juice, and beverage hangout Heineken House will open. The Bistro specializes in Italian fare, while Benny Burger

by Australian chef Shannon Bennett features a selection of burgers made with quality, organic ingredients.

• Local restaurant Kitchen by Mike will launch later in the year.

• You’ll appreciate the bigger and better seating near the boarding gates, the roomier pathways, and the improved signs that make it easier to find your way.

• Besides the City View precinct, you can also look forward to a new shopping space filled with 13 top international labels in mid-2016. sydneyairport.com.au

169 SMILE • MARCH 2016

• Beware of scams. If something is too good to be true, it probably is. Read travelers’ stories, learn from their experiences, and heed their warning.

• On a lighter note, don’t forget to wear sunscreen.

Reapply your favorite waterresistant brand every few hours. Grab your sunglasses and hat too.

• Drink lots of water, wash your hands often, and have sanitizers or wipes ready.

Where to next

170 SMILE • MARCH 2016

171 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Onboard treats

Hot meals

For more meal options, pre-order now at cebupacificair.com!

Available only on international flights

ON SHORT-HAUL FLIGHTS PHP350 each

NEW

Chicken Teriyaki

Beef Misono

Beef Kebab

Grilled chicken slices topped with special Japanese teriyaki sauce, served with mixed veggies.

Tender grilled beef slices, marinated in a special blend of Japanese sauce and spices, topped with onion and leeks.

Mediterranean-inspired beef kebab burger topped with zesty white garlic sauce. Served with turmeric rice, roasted onions and tomatoes. H A L A L

ON LONG-HAUL FLIGHTS PHP500 each with dessert

Korean Sweet & Spicy Chicken

Beef Pastel

Pasta Marinara

Breaded chicken coated with a special blend of sweet and spicy sauces. H A L A L

Beef cubes with mushrooms, potatoes and carrots, cooked in a rich, creamy sauce. H A L A L

Penne pasta tossed in flavorful marinara sauce, topped with parmesan cheese and paired with parmesan breadsticks. H A L A L

FILIPINO classics

NON-HALAL

Beef Caldereta

Chicken Adobo

Bistek Tagalog

Chicken Barbecue

Filipino-style beef stew in a rich tomato sauce, with carrots and potatoes.

A Filipino staple simmered in a balanced mix of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and peppercorns.

Beef strips cooked in a medley of soy sauce, calamansi and onions.

Chicken chunks cooked in a savory barbecue sauce.

172 SMILE • MARCH 2016

SAVORY snacks Ham & Cheese Croissant PHP100 Our light, flaky croissant with slices of ham and cheese is sure to satisfy your cravings!

Tuna Roll PHP100 Creamy tuna enveloped in soft bread and topped with chopped parsley.

Pizza Supreme Roll PHP100 Soft bun filled with bacon, mushroom, cream cheese and pepperoni sauce and topped with toasted sesame seeds.

Oriental Chicken & Peach Sandwich PHP180 Fresh sandwich made of sliced chicken and peaches. Made more flavorful with a tangy oriental sauce.

SWEET treats

QUICK bites

Cheese Roll PHP100

Jagabee Potato Fries PHP70 (classic salted, garlic, cheese)

Mini Choco Chip Cookies PHP100 Chewy Macaroons (Box of 5) PHP100 Black Forest Muffin PHP100

Nova PHP60 NEW

NEW

Chippy PHP60 Piattos PHP60

HEARTY meals Soon Veggie Ramyun PHP120 Made of 100% vegan ingredients. No MSG added and contains zero trans fat.

Nissin Cup Noodles PHP100 (seafood/beef/chicken) Shin/Shrimp Big Bowl PHP150

!

Caution: Our cup noodles are served with piping hot water. Please be extra careful when having them.

173 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Drinks

Onboard treats

ALCOHOLIC drinks

COLD drinks Double Choco Dinosaur PHP100 NEW Mocha Mudslide PHP100

Yellow Tail Wines PHP200 (chardonnay/shiraz/merlot)

NEW

Mineral Water PHP50 Asahi Super Dry Beer PHP150 Chuckie Chocolate Milk Drink PHP60 San Miguel Beer PHP130 (pale pilsen/light)

Minute Maid Pulpy Juice PHP60 (orange) C2 Flavored Green Tea PHP50 (apple/lemon) Canned Soda PHP60 (Pepsi/7-Up/Mountain Dew) Mogu Mogu Lychee PHP60 Gatorade PHP60 (red/blue) Vita Coco PHP70 B’lue Flavored Water PHP70 (lychee/calamansi)

HOT drinks Twinings Hot Teas PHP70 (English breakfast/jasmine green tea/ chamomile & spearmint) Café Mocha PHP100 Creamy Dark Chocolate PHP100 Brewed Coffee PHP100 Great Taste White Coffee PHP50 Hot Calamansi Tea PHP80

NEW

PLEASE NOTE: • Items may vary depending on the route • Subject to available stock • Goods sold are not refundable • We accept foreign currency — please ask the cabin crew.

174 SMILE • MARCH 2016

Travel essentials

Onboard merchandise

New Year Treats NEW

NEW Adult Shirt PHP280

Parachute Insulated Lunch Bag PHP250

3-in-1 Clip-on Lens PHP250

With FREE Sharpie Pen

Kids’ Shirt PHP200

Mini Messenger Bag PHP220

USB Pocket Cable PHP220

Wanderskye Luggage Covers PHP1,195/1,295 NEW DESIGNS Other designs available; international flights only

Hoodie Neck Pillow PHP490

Airplane Backpack PHP550 NEW

Lagu Beach Blanket PHP999 Sand repellent *NEW COLORS*

Lagu Beach Bag PHP499 Sand repellent

World Map Tote Bag PHP300

On the Go Luggage Scale PHP490 Available on domestic flights only

Cebu Pacific & Smart Bro Fun Data SIM PHP500

Bluetooth Speaker PHP550

NEW Wind-up Plane & Puzzle Set PHP280

CEB Fun Blanket PHP350

CEB Siesta Kit PHP280

CEB Stuffed Toy PHP350

A320 Die-Cast Plane PHP550

*Every pair comes with a soft case

175 SMILE • MARCH 2016

next stop

Contest time

IN WHICH CITY WAS THIS PHOTO TAKEN? Tell us the right answer and stand a chance to win one Quest Journal in talc pink and one Forget-me-not Journal from Viviamo (ilovebdj.com). Follow @smilemag on Instagram, then take a picture of this page (selďŹ es are welcome).

Post your photo, tell us your guess and tag @smilemag. Add these hashtags, too: #smilemag and #nextstopsmile. Good luck!

176 SMILE • MARCH 2016

We are where yyou nee need us to be.

ONLY 10 MINUTES AWAY FROM THE NINOY AQUINO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT! AND JUST WITHIN REACH OF MAJOR TOURIST & ENTERTAINMENT CENTERS!

13

1. Cultural Center of the Philippines 2. World Trade Center Manila

Makati

WORLD TRADE CENTER METRO MANILA

3. Mall of Asia 4. Baclaran Church Taguig

5. Solaire Resort & Casino 6. Resorts World 7. NAIA 4 8. NAIA 3 9. NAIA 2 10. NAIA 1 11.Villamor Golf Course 12. LRT 1

Manila bay

NI

13. PNR

Pasay

road

QU IRIN O AVE NO NUE YA QU IN O AV EN UE

NAIA

9