Lomography

The view is just amazing 165 meters above the ground!

Religious revelry and local fanfare characterize most festivals in the Philippine islands. One such festive celebration occurs a stone's throw away from Metro Manila. Every November 23, the lakeside town of Angono in Rizal province wakes up to a big and bright celebration in honor of the town's patron, St. Clement.

On the tamer side of Quezon Boulevard, the echoes of colonial domesticity and fortune still linger within the old homes of Quiapo. While many have suffered the slow death of neglect and the doom of uncaring government-sanctioned demolitions, some domiciles prove to be heritage conservation successes amidst the raucous of jeepneys, fruit vendors, political rhetoric and hawkers of bootlegged videos that clog the narrow streets that were once the most beautiful in all of Manila.

It's Chinese New Year. Ongpin Street the main thoroughfare of Manila Chinatown is a traffic jam of shoppers weighed downed by their bags of tikoy (rice cake), ube hopia (taro pastry), and ma chang (meat-filled sticky rice). Despite their heavy load, they continue to jostle, crane their necks and chirpily browse the sidewalks of trinket hawkers bargaining jade amulets, bracelets, and good luck charms in Fukien-accented Tagalog. Goldsmiths, vegetable vendors and traditional medicine sellers soon chime in.

Having passed by this government building growing up, I have often overlooked the beauty of its dignified dome, Ionic columns and golden statues of draped figures that encompass one of the best preserved colonial buildings in the country from the American occupation.

As we worked our way through the ashen gullies of Mount Pinatubo's shoulder, I admired the signs of rebirth underway: the steady stream of water that skipped over horsetails, tadpoles and pumice stones painted with sulfur and iron; the moss, thickets and tree ferns carpeting the ravines beneath distant avian cawing; and Aeta children keenly observing our ascent into the gaping cerulean mouth of Apo Namallari-- the almighty god of this sacred mountain, whose pyroclastic power the world witnessed during the eruption of June 1991, the largest in living memory.

What I love about Cebu is that every time I come home, the place has always something new to offer: a new mall, new restaurant, new hangout, new beach hideaway, and new friends. No wonder travelers simply can't get enough of the Queen City of the South, making Cebu the most visited city in the country.

Hailed "the best rooftop bar in the world", Sirocco at The Dome sits 64 floors above State Tower, the second tallest building in Bangkok, Thailand. Since opening in 2003, this popular hangout for "hi-so" (high society) folk and expats takes the highlife to a whole new level. At the dining area, guests can enjoy Mediterranean cuisine as the city's best jazz bands serenade the city-lit night air.

Gazing out my window as the plane rounded the tarmac, the first thing that caught my eye at this modern airport were the interlace of steel that roofed the terminals. Upon entering, the extensive, bright and airy interior embraces everyone with distinct local hospitality: "Welcome to Thailand!"

A visit to the 'City of Angels' is incomplete without beholding the divine awesomeness of Phra Buddhasaiyas, the huge Reclining Buddha at one of Bangkok's oldest and largest temple complex: Wat Pho (also officially called Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn--whew, that's a mouthful!).

One of the best ways to enjoy a romantic night at the 'City of Smiles' is to enjoy a sumptuous Thai dinner aboard a ferry that cruises up and down the Chao Phraya River, offering amazing views of brightly-lit establishments and landmarks. Called the "River of Kings", Bangkok's major river gracefully snakes through this vibrant capital, and at night, becomes a shimmering jewel, reflecting the thousands of city lights that burn along its banks.

At the height of Bangkok's anti-government protests that shut down the airports late November, I was given no choice but to spend the remainder of my second visit to this vibrant city gleefully basking in its wonderful fluorescent glow. Very eager to test the slow shutter speeds of my Horizon Perfekt (newly acquired by hard-earned piggy points), I wandered the 'City of Angels' camera-armed to discover a glimmering labyrinth as amazing at night as it is under the midday sun.

Perhaps the closest you can get to a tiger in the Philippines is at the Zoobic Safari--the one and only tiger safari in the country. It is located at Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales province, a former US naval base. When the Americans left in 1993, the Philippine Government converted the area into a Freeport Zone that has now become an industrial estate with an international airport, shopping malls, hotels, techno parks, recreational facilities and several eco-tourism attractions.

Here ye, all tree-huggers! The most exciting way to explore a tropical rainforest in the Philippines is to zip line through one. Tree Top Adventure in Subic, Zambales offers the world's first motorized canopy tour with jungle trails comprised of platforms attached high up on tree trunks using an environment-friendly tree clamping mechanism that doesn't harm the trees.

Go negative, think positive. This humble roll of color print film may be easy on your pockets (just a dollar a roll), but it can certainly pack a punch.

Walking down turn-of-the-century Escolta was like a stroll though today's happening Bonifacio High Street or Eastwood City, where commerce and culture thrived as Manila embraced, willingly or otherwise, the 20th century. Elegantly dressed residents regularly visited this street to visit the numerous boutiques, shops and department stores that sold the latest clothes, cigars, jewelries and other fineries. Automobiles, horse-drawn carriages and Meralco tranvias (tramcars) shuttled them through this beautiful street. Indeed, it was "the" place to be seen.

Henry Miller once said, "One's destination is never a place but a new way of seeing things." I muse at what wonders Mr. Miller could have made with a refurbished LC-A, the lightweight yet sturdy, functionally versatile yet magically spontaneous little black Russian that continues to inspire a global community of analog souls.

Aboard the LRT before the train crosses the Pasig River, you won't miss it: a lonesome structure with curious detailing on the busy intersection of Padre Burgos Street and Quezon Boulevard, once the "Grand Dame" of theater during the heydays of Manila before the Second World War. Meet the "Met", the Manila Metropolitan Theater.

Beneath the soothing shade of century-old rubber trees, you can feel the damp air rise from the tree-stump fungi and rich humus where black ants, millipedes and snails went about their business on their own pace. Sparrows and bulbuls flitter past pink frangipani and bright palm fronds. For a few seconds you felt far away from the city, until you hear LRT cars rumble overhead and see tugboats shuttle through the river, transporting you back to where you actually are: the epicenter of chaotic Manila.

A drive down the southeastern coast of Cebu offers relaxing views of mangrove beaches, arching roadside acacias and, most remarkably, beautiful colonial architecture...