Desperate measures: How to survive a night in the jungle
It may be hard to imagine that you can end up lost in a jungle, or any similar wild environment, but why not be prepared if such situation comes up? …
Lifestyle
Cirque de Soleil show inspired by Avatar coming to Manila
Cirque du Soleil is bringing a new show inspired by James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar to Manila. Toruk — The First Flight is narrated by a “Na’vi Storyteller” and set thousands …
Survey says Philippines is one of the most welcoming countries for expats
A survey by an international bank has concluded that the Philippines is one of the most welcoming countries for expats. According to a survey by HSBC Bank, over half of …
Food, family, friends and talk: The classic Filipino beach picnic
Beach resorts across the Philippines cover a multitude of styles, needs and budgets — from the opulent five-star models such as the white sands of Shangri La in Cebu, all …
Life is short: How the little people of the Philippines think big
Life in the developing world can be extremely tough, for some more so than others. In particular those who have physical or mental impairments can find themselves in extremely dire …
Postcards from Samar: A Sunday stroll around Calbayog City
Greetings and maupuy nga kulop, from Calbayog City in Samar Province, heart of the Waray-Waray. You may recall that in my last article, I wrote about travelling from Cebu City …
Ed Sheeran is returning to the Philippines, his “biggest market”
Every Filipina’s favourite foreigner — singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran — is returning to the Philippines. The British musician, who once described the Philippines as his “biggest market in the world” will …
A night on the ocean waves: A cacophony of cockerels and karaoke
Novelist and long-time Philippine resident Nic Richards invites us to join him on an evocative journey to his island home aboard the MV Iloilo… At 6pm we arrive at Pier One …
Message of unity helps British-Filipina to Miss Universe crown
A message of unity has helped a 25-year-old Filipina-British beauty from Camarines Sur win the Miss Universe Philippines crown. Rachel Peters, who has a Bachelor of Business, Tourism, and Events …
Angeles City to celebrate sisig recipe in bid for Unesco recognition
Angeles City is hoping to be declared a “creative city for gastronomy” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) for its signature dish sisig. The city is …
Manila Uber driver says ‘light conversation’ is the secret of her popularity
Nobody likes being stuck in Manila traffic, except perhaps some customers of Joyce Tadeo, an extremely popular Uber driver. It’s not just her looks that keep the psychology graduate so …
Got something to share? PLN is looking for new writers to join the team
PLN Media is on the search for new writers to help us continue raising our game. Broadly speaking, there are three main areas we’d like to expand. Broadly speaking, they …
National food month to celebrate culinary heritage of the Philippines
With Lent soon coming to an end, the Philippines is celebrating its culinary heritage throughout the month of April. A mouth-watering calendar of events is planned across the country to …
Ben’s bargains: Top ten Angeles City hotels for less than 50 bucks
Although the Philippines is notoriously cheap, there’s no reason to sacrifice quality in the search of decent accommodation. Having experienced rooms with no running water and beds crawling with millipedes it …
A treat for nature lovers: BBC Earth in HD is coming to the Philippines
Lovers of nature documentaries in the Philippines will soon be able to watch BBC Earth in HD. BBC Worldwide has announced a partnership with Cignal TV to launch the channel …
Meet the mega wealthy: Record number of Filipinos on Forbes Magazine’s billionaire list
A record number of Filipinos have made onto Forbes Magazine’s list of the world’s richest people. This year the publication reported 14 mega-wealthy citizens, led by shopping mall tycoon Henry …
RA 9262: Law to protect the vulnerable could make criminals of us all
Read any expats forum, or browse through our archives, and you will come across stories of foreigners falling foul of laws like RA 9262 designed to protect women and children. …
Germany retains top spot in list of world’s most powerful passports
German travellers carry the world’s most powerful passports, while Britain, which shared top billing for three years, has now fallen to number four, below the USA. With visa-free access to 176 countries, …
Frustrated by power cuts? Hong Kong firm unveils elegant solution
For anyone doing business in the Philippines, the niggling fear of work being interrupted by power cuts is always present. At the moment, the only practical solution is to hook …
New flights will connect stunning – but remote – Banaue rice terraces to Clark airport
No longer will people visiting one of the Philippines’ most iconic tourist attractions have to spend hours bumping along winding roads. The department of tourism has announced a new air route …
Bit nippy for a nipa? Man starts importing iconic Filipino huts to Scotland
A Scottish man must be hoping for a warm summer this year as he has begun importing Philippine nipa huts to his chilly home country. David Symon, from Argyll, was …
Secret to travelling in China? Sharpen your elbows and keep on pushing!
Getting around China — one of the largest countries in the world and certainly the most populous — can be daunting. Here avid traveller and tour guide Benjamin Johnson offers …
Is IKEA finally bringing its meatballs and flat-pack furniture to the Philippines?
The Swedish Ambassador has suggested that furniture and homeware giant IKEA could finally be coming to the Philippines. Speaking at an event marking 70 years of diplomatic relations between the …
Peasant food in the provinces: Pasta and meatballs
Peasant food in the provinces: Bring on the meatballs Here we were last night sitting on the sofa staring at the idiot box and wondering what on earth to make …
Five most tolerant Southeast Asian countries for gay travellers
Many gay people assume that South East Asia isn’t a friendly destination for travellers of their sexuality, but they couldn’t be more wrong. While some countries, such as Malaysia, Brunei …
Crucifixion? It’s a doddle… the utterly weird spectacle of the Cutud Lenten Rites
The world is full of all sorts of odd things — and religion is often source for some of the most weird and wonderful. Perhaps the pinnacle of peculiarity can …