Peasant food in the provinces: Pressure cooker beef shank bourguignon
As any foreigner who lives outside of the major cities knows, things can be pretty basic in the provinces. For those accustomed to a diet with red meat and green leafy …
Lifestyle
Given up for Lent? No way! Packed calendar of festivals for March 2017
We may now be in the season of Lent, but that doesn’t mean all the fun and games are put on hold. Throughout the month of March the Philippines will …
Pacquiao announces “super fight” against Britain’s Amir Khan
Manny Pacquiao has agreed to fight Britain’s Olympic silver medallist Amir Khan on April 23, in what has already been billed as a “super fight”. The 38-year-old Pacquiao, who currently sits …
A diamond in the rough: Yangshuo, China, has it all for travellers and expats
Avid traveller and tour guide Benjamin Johnson sings the praises of the rural Chinese town of Yangshuo, a lively centre of expat life surrounded by some of the most stunning …
Cheers! A guide to the craft beer microbreweries of the Philippines
Over the past few years, craft beer has exploded in popularity across the world, with microbreweries popping up on every continent (yes, even in Antarctica). Although joining the global party …
How to find that taste of home, even in the provinces…
One thing about life as an expat in the Philippines is that one can often find oneself craving things from abroad. Things that can be extremely difficult to come by …
Philippines dominates Conde Nast list of world’s most beautiful islands
The Philippines is leading the field in Conde Nast Traveler’s list of the world’s 20 most beautiful islands. In the annual People’s Choice Awards, the nation is represented in first, …
The world’s funkiest felons: Top 10 Filipino prison dances
The Philippines has some of the most overcrowded and underfunded prisons in the world, so it’s utterly baffling why it should be the country where prisoners have become famous for …
New flight service links Manila with one of the world’s best surf destinations
The renowned surfing destination of Siargao will become more accessible when a new flight service is launched this month. Skyjet, a small domestic airline, will start to fly between Manila and Siargao on …
A girl’s guide to solo travel: Getting by with the universal language of kindness
People often ask if it’s difficult to travel alone in places where I neither speak nor read the language. I honestly enjoy it, because it’s taught me two major things: …
Anna Simms: My visit to a school that makes a world of difference
The first thing I see walking into Agoo East Central School is its motto emblazoned across its front wall: “discovering, transforming from good to great!” The more I saw of …
Escape from a mad, bad world: Five private islands for sale in the Philippines
With the “doomsday clock” having ticked a few more minutes towards midnight, it sometimes feels tempting to run away and hide from the world. If you are of this mind …
Phnom Penh: Where I found that elusive work-life balance
After a restless nomadic life, Ben Johnson says he’s finally found a place he’s happy to call home in the Cambodian capital. Here he sings the praises of the rapidly …
Having a child in the Philippines. Part 1, the birth
As so often happens when two people of the opposite sex get together, the missus ended up pregnant. Suddenly, I was on a journey of discovery about what it means …
It’s not just girls, girls, girls: 15 great days out in Angeles City
One of the biggest complaints of visitors to Angeles City is that the city has little to offer, other than nightlife. A recent article (here) suggested some alternatives to bars …
Anna Simms: How I beat the odds to become a “kitchen guru” in the Philippines
In a recent article (here), Anna introduced her retirement “experiment” in the Philippines. While continuing to love her new life in the country, here she describes the trials and tribulations of trying to cook …
The high life: ABC Hotel opens stunning rooftop ‘luxury playground’ – video
The legendary ABC Hotel in Angeles City has unveiled it’s new “luxury playground” rooftop bar. More an “entertainment complex” than just a bar, the 1,700sqm Aqua Beach Club is spread …
Genghis Khan country: Ulaanbaatar & the Gorkhi-Terelj national park
A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to travel to Outer Mongolia for a consulting job. Having never been that far north before and also having never visited …
Hidden gems of the Philippines: Bauang, La Union
When I first moved to the Philippines we drove around the country stopping here and there until myself and my partner happened upon a place that we felt would suit …
Will it work out? One woman’s experiment with retired life in the Philippines
In the first year of my retirement, following a heart attack and saddled with a ‘terminal’ blood condition, I decided to leave the comfort of small town New Zealand and …
One beat! One dance! One vision! Your guide to Sinulog 2017 (Cebu City)
Cebu City’s Sinulog Festival, one of the nation’s biggest, brightest and wildest parties is getting underway this week. The annual cultural and religious celebration commemorates the Filipinos’ conversion to Christianity …
Brief encounter: A 16-hour layover in New Delhi
I found myself with a week of meetings in London and was living in Hong Kong at the time. Not being one to wantonly overspend on airfares (even when the …
A single woman’s guide to exploring Cambodia
“The land is sacred: It belongs to the countless numbers who are dead, the few who are living and the multitude of those yet to be born” I was at …
Good eats in the sticks: “La Sofia”, Agoo, La Union
I’m a huge fan of good food and, unfortunately, especially when you’re out in the provinces anything aside from the usual roadside carinderia fare can be tough to come by. Alternatives tend …
Chilling out at Mommy J’s in Agoo, La Union
When you’re travelling around the Philippines, it’s always nice to pull into a locally run resort and chill out for a while. Recently, I found myself in Agoo in the southern …
The food of the Philippines: Spicy adobo meatballs
Without doubt, adobo is the national dish of the Philippines with hundreds of variants — arguably there are as many types of adobo as there are mamas in the country! …