During the radio interview at DZAR 1026 Manila or Sonshine Radio's Biyahe at Gimik program

With radio host Tony Cuevas

I’m on a roll. After being featured in some publications as a blogger and as a person, as well as national TV via Jessica Soho’s Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho program, here comes a radio interview at DZAR 1026 Manila, popularly, Sonshine Radio.

Biyahe at Gimik, the travel program hosted by veteran broadcaster Tony Cuevas and aired every Monday (focuses on Luzon), Wednesday (for Visayas destinations) and Friday (Mindanao places). I was their special guest for today, Wednesday, and I never thought that this interview would be light, conversational and fun!

When did you start to travel? What places are interesting? Have you been to Bohol…? and many more queries that I was able to answer well, describing places not limited to the Visayas but also in Mindanao, Luzon, and other places. There were also text in questions coming from listeners.

This is my first time to go live on radio but what surprised me at first was seeing how modern radio stations have become. They are high tech! Other than hearing one via radio waves, video is livestreamed via the internet!

I will post the video soon.

I got several photos published in the March 2012 issue of Philippine Airline’s inflight magazine, Mabuhay for a visita iglesiaarticle written by Mico Manalo.

Except for the Betis Church interior, the images include Sta. Ana (Manila), Guiuan (Samar), Tayabas Church interior (Quezon), and the facades of Mahatao, Ivana and Sabtang, all in Batanes.

This is my nth contribution to this travel magazine, mostly images but in this month’s issue of May, I finally had an article written focusing on Zamboanga Sibugay. Check out my post in my other blog, Simbahan.net for additional info.

Left, article which carries my photos of heritage churches in Mabuhay Magazine’s Visita Iglesia special, March 2012 issue

Situbo Falls in Zamboanga del Norte is just one hour from Ipil

Composite page spread of my first travel article with Mabuhay Magazine

A screen shot of the sites's virtual tour of a room

Sofitel Philippine Plaza, a five star hotel in Manila has a new website. 

It was as if I was exactly inside the room of a five star hotel in Manila, admiring the lines and inviting colors, well appointed lighting. I would have touched and felt the comfiness of the sprawling bed but just can’t as it was all a virtual tour. But it stoked my curiosity more.

Sofitel Philippine Plaza, a five star luxury hotel in Manila located at the edge of the CCP Complex, bringing French elegance to the country, has a spanking new website that is quite impressive. Perhaps better than the other websites of other luxury hotel in Manila. I like its layout, ease of use and easy navigation that makes it a pleasant experience.

Sofitel Philippine Plaza's spanking new website. CLICK TO ENLARGE

But the best part that I really like love? It’s the virtual tour!

And what is that? A virtual tour simply utilizes 360 degree panoramic photography that is specifically stitched together and set up, gives you the capability of being there, virtually. It is also called VR Photography.

Just move your mouse around near the edges of the screen and the virtual space moves up, down, left and right. With the navigator, one can also zoom in and out. In effect, you see the whole room, unlike most hotel websites where what you are presented with are just static images. It can be dizzying at first, especially if the movement is fast but just within a minute or two, you can navigate around it at your own pace.

There’s no guessing or be surprised (disappointed?) when actually being there as one can really see, anywhere in the world as long as one has an internet connection, how the space really looks. And Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s virtual tour isn’t only limited to their rooms. All spaces: restaurants, Le Spa, the pool area are there.

Virtual tour of Snaps Sports Bar

Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s new website also have a couple of surprises. Other than the ease of booking a room, one can even book or arrange appointments for spa services, restaurant reservations, view the menu of services and food as well as reserve events. The site’s social media links are also well situated giving one an opportunity to connect with the site and get updated via Twitter, Facebook or Youtube.

My only complain? Just two: the videos were not as good as I expected. It lost its sharpness. When I browsed the site using Google Chrome, the virtual tour was not loading and was stuck at 0%. I’m not sure if I need to install a plugin but there wasn’t any notification of it. Firefox was okay.

Now, experience a 5 star luxury hotel in Manila, the Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s new website and judge for yourself. Visit www.sofitelmanila.com.

Video capture of me being interviewed

Lights! Camera! Action! Arianne and Jojo directing

For the video, check it here.

And how did I wound up with the KMJS show? Thanx to James, who was featured in the same show before, referred me to Joyce, their researcher. They were going to do a travel special in time for the summer season and they were looking for a travel photographer. Unfortunately, because of the late notice, I initially declined.

Sinanglao in Vigan

Preparing the itinerary was kind of difficult. I was looking for a place that was not so common but beautiful. Remote but at the same time available for the lightning shoot. I was going over different places mentally but it was limited to Ilocos.

Should I bring them to Kingfisher which I haven’t visited before? Document bu-os being gathered in Adams or its many waterfalls? How about going to Pudtol in Apayao and Buguey, Cagayan? But the thought of these distant places almost scared me.

But then, I thought, how about Kingfisher and then travel to Taggat Lagoon? I remembered this beautiful place last year but due to the rain, we just spent a few minutes in the area and I vowed to return.

Shoot location: Taggat Lagoon

Calle Crisologo houses in the morning

In Vigan, we had lunch, shoot and short interview at Calle Crisologo and ate a bowl of sinanglao. From their, I rode a minibus going to Pagudpud.

The plan to first go to Pagudpud, to a new resort was scrapped after the driver forgot about the turn in the town and instead headed directly to Pancian, the last town in Ilocos and bordering Cagayan province. Alas, it was already late, weather’s bad and we decided to just head to Taggat.

A boy in Taggat Lagoon

The next day was a marathon of sorts. The initial plan was to head to Ilocos and ride a bus for Manila but looking at the time and van schedule that leaves from Claveria, I can’t make it to my last digital photography workshop session scheduled at 6PM that day. Fortunately, I was able to book a cheap ticket from Tuguegarao to Manila the night before, there is wireless broadband internet in that remote town) and that flight saved me.

What a trip! From Makati, I traveled for almost thirteen hours for an hour of location shoot and another thirty minutes of short interview then raced down south to be back again in Makati the next day. What a life!

Upper screenshot of winning post

IBC poster

I’m looking forward to receiving one of the prizes, the Intramuros of Memory book which I only have as a series of scanned pages.

To IBC2012, thanx for this recognition. Intramuros is still the best place to witness as well as tread living history in the country.

If only its walls can talk.

The Sinulog e-guidebook is free for download and loaded with lots of information

It was a little past 3PM in the afternoon and I was hurrying up for my meeting with the editors Max and Marlen Limpag, husband and wife of mycebu.ph, who are also my friends in running, to check on their latest project with Smart. Meeting place, the Heritage of Cebu monument in Parian, Cebu City.

The Parian District was once the enclave of rich Filipino Chinese during the Spanish colonial period and, while the area has lost its luster in the present times, there are still notable heritage structures worthy of preservation and visit.

Its a free ebook for tablets and smartphones

But I wasn’t here for a tour. Instead, I was to witness a demo by the duo on the latest heritage tourism development, with Cebu City as their laboratory. It is both promising and relevant to today’s digital tourist armed with the latest gadgets and how technology can help enrich the experience.

MyCebu.ph together with Smart bring this three pronged project to fruition: first, a downloadable and free Sinulog e-guide (download here, review here) that visitors can download for reading in the Ipad, Android tablet, Kindle and capable smartphones. This is in partnership with the Department of Tourism, Ayala Center and the Sinulog Foundation.

It will be available at the Mactan International Airport, select hotels, Ayala Center, Sinulog Foundation office and online via MyCebu.ph. Visitors can either download it at the website or scan a QR code at a designated area. Internet connection is needed.

QR codes can be scanned and information on a particular Cebu heritage structure or monument is instantly available

The husband-wife team of Max and Marlen Limpag

Second, tourism information deliveryon key heritage sites and monuments via quick response or QR code scanning.

At the Heritage of Cebu monument, there’s a short info about the structure plus a QR code. Scanning the latter will fetch additional and more up to date information via internet.

This one is promising. Soon, videos, archival photos, and audio will be added to make the experience better. Other than that, the additional info will carry social media links to update like Twitter, Foursquare and Facebook.

Lastly, a Guide to Cebu 2012 will be made available during the Sinulog. This is another downloadable and free ebook that visitors can get. As this is focused solely on Cebu, expect it to be exhaustive in terms of what to do, where to go, eat and shop while vacationing in the island.

This surely is an important step in Cebu tourism. Asked why these digital books and latest technology?

Most travelers nowadays bring along tablets, e-readers or smartphones. An electronic guidebook would be very useful to them because they no longer need to carry around heavy books. Our guidebook is an extensive resource that you can take with you wherever you go.

The project showcases journalism that takes full advantage of new technology to deliver information to people. With this, people are able to read on their phone or tablet about historic events right at where these happened

- Marlen Limpag, MyCebu.ph editor

If you’re in Cebu during the Sinulog, don’t forget to get your copy of the Sinulog eguidebook and visit the Parian district where you can try these digital advancements in tourism.

Airphil Express and Star Cruises invited us bloggers for a familiarization cruise tour from Singapore to Malaysia aboard the latter’s Super Star Virgo, a full service cruise ship. It was a lot different experience, another different way of traveling. And it was good.

Star Cruises is known for its huge fleet and holiday cruise travel around the world and for this AirPhil Express AdvenTour, Filipinos can taste holiday cruise in Singapore and Malaysia aboard one of its vessels, the Superstar Virgo via AirPhil Express.

Airphil Express partners with Star Cruises to provide a double adventure to Singapore and Malaysia on-board SuperStar Virgo. Enjoy 4 days and 3 nights of sightseeing and shopping in 2 of Asia’s best cities! Experience the wonderful sights on top of the Singapore Flyer and be amazed at the majestic Petronas Towers in Malaysia.

Book now before the promo ends to get a taste of holiday cruising in two of Southeast Asia’s interesting countries. For more details, do check out AirPhil Express website.