My Dream Destination: the Philippines

Forever and ever, there was another place in Asia that I had the desire to visit: the Philippines. Throughout my life, I lived in neighbourhoods where Filipino immigrants resided and worked as nurses, nannies, personal care attendants, cashiers, food service workers and operated their own Filipino supermarkets. I also went to school and made friends with several Filipino children during my youth that I still keep in touch with in my adulthood. By hearing them speak Tagalog, eating their national foods, visiting a bunch of Filipino stores in my area, watching Filipino TV shows like Wowowee as a child, listening to Filipino music, and learning about their culture, I gradually developed an interest to tour the Philippines in the future. It became a dream that I refused to relinquish.

Here is a video clip of Wowowee, which brings me back to my childhood days of going to H and H supermarket and watching this show as I would eat Fish and Rice!

Watching Norwegian travel vlogger Harald Baldr's videos on the Philippines has also given me further inspiration. Harald Baldrs enthusiasm, personality, willingness to learn and explore, open-mindedness and youthfulness has also given me the willingness and openness to travel to the Philippines.

Below is one of his vlogs for you to enjoy watching as you ge through this lockdown!

Subscribe to Harald Baldrs YouTube channel and follow him on Instagram for more exciting updates and entertaining travel videos to binge watch!

Harald Baldrs YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKr68ZJ4vv6VloNdnS2hjhA

Haralad Baldrs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heraldobaldieri

As I survive this quarantine, one of the things I enjoy doing is researching various attractions and tourist sites in the Philippines, so I can get some sweet ideas for my future trip. There are tons to do in the country, and I will of course not do them all during my first trip. So as I say in every "dream trip" blog I do, I have to pick and choose which ones I want to do the most on my first visit and ones that I want to save for another trip. Here is a list of the top eight things I want to do during my first visit to the Philippines.

1. Rejuvenate at Rizal Park in Manila

My love for public parks and gardens will not stop when I travel to the Philippines, especially in the urban sections of the country. Also known as Luneta Park, this top-rated historic urban park is located in the city of Manila. Rizal Park is considered one of the biggest urban parks in the continent of Asia and covers an area of an impressive 58 hectares. Nature-loving tourists including myself can not get enough of the aesthetic green trees, the amount of grassy land, gardens, picnic and meditation areas and the musical dancing fountain. I would love to spend half a day here and eat some food (like Chiz Curls, Jollibee, Chocolate Pillows, Fried Bananas), drink some chocolate milk, read a book, do my crossword puzzles, walk around, dance, meditate, take photographs, listen to music and take a nap on the grass before I find a place to eat in Manila. It would be just like my eventful days at multiple parks in Canada.

2. Take some magnificent pictures and discover the novel Pink Mosque in Mindanao

Also known as The Masjid Dimaukom, this is a place of worship located in the province of Maguindanao. This mosques construction was financed by former Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom under the supervision of President Noynoy Aquino. The land in which this mosque was constructed was a property of Mayor Samsudin Dimaukoms family. The mosque was painted pink to represent peace and love, and was built by constructors to represent unity and inner-faith fraternity. The lovely and gorgeous pink mosque has been around since 2014.

During my stroll around the Pink Mosque, I would take a collection of photographs to post on Instagram, Facebook and Vocal Media, so my friends, family, fans and I can remember this breathtaking site I could only discover in the Philippines. Asides from taking photographs and trying to perfect my photography skills and strolling around, I would want to sit in front of the mosque and have one of my "five minute mindful moments", and absorb the beauty of this property. One of the things that interest me is uniquely constructed buildings, so this would be an ideal activity for me.

3. Get some sunshine and enjoy some beautiful, tropical weather in El Nido

El Nido is a municipality on the Philippine island of Palawan. El Nido is known for their white-sand beaches, coral reefs, and as a gateway to the Bacuit archipelago, which are a group of islands with steep karst cliffs. Miniloc Island is popular for the clear waters of small and large lagoons. Nearby Shimizu Island has fish-filled bodies of water and the area has many diving spots such as Dilumacad Island's lengthy tunnel leading to an underwater cavern. The municipality of El Nido is 923.3 square kilometers and has an elevation of 609 meters.

Ideal things for me to do during my day trip to El Nido would include relaxing at the Twin Beaches with a book, cold drink and my phone, hiking and walking at the Nagkalit-kalit Falls and the Las Cabanas Beach, Cathedral Caves, and the Hidden Beach, especially if the weather is warm and beautiful. I would also love to swim and frolic with the locals in the ocean before visiting the Pukka Bar for a pleasant post-trip meal and beverage.

4. Shop and dine at the Ayala Center Mall in Cebu City

The Ayala Center Mall in Cebu City is an enormous shopping mall operated by Ayala Malls at the Cebu Business Park Complex. It is the first Ayala mall situated outside of Metro Manila and has been opened since November 1994 which was one year after their rival mall SM Cebu City opened in November 1993. On a typical day, over 85,000 people visit the Ayala Centre Cebu with the figure increasing to a ridiculous amount of 135,000 on the weekends. Since October 30 2008, the mall opened The Terraces which is a 600 m philippine peso ($16,029,471.30 CAD) community project which converted into the shopping centres lagoon area into a food, dining, and beverage mall extension. In 2015, the shopping mall has built a new corporate centre called The Ayala Center Cebu Tower which accommodates the clothing store H & M and the BPO offices. In 2016, another condominium called The Alcoves was constructed at the original mall entrance. The three-level expansion of the South entrances serves as a small platform of the building. It was recognized as the Best Shopping Center of the Year by the Philippine Retailers Association and Department of Trade and Industry in 2002.

With a total of 680 stores and services and 5 floors, I don't believe I will have any trouble finding some stores, services and restaurants to shop, eat and take advantage of. Stores and restaurants such as National Bookstore, Fully Booked, Metro Supermarket, Blue Magic, Seafood Island, Michelle's Putong Ube, Lil' Orbits Mini Donuts, Goldilocks, My Joy, Pinoy Siopao, and Red Ribbon would be places I would want to shop and eat in, because I love both books, food and sweets. With respect to services, I would love to get my nails and waxing done at Nailaholics Nail Salon and Spa and play some games and eat at Playnation urban gaming cafe.

5. Visit the phenomenal Inflatable Island in Olongapo

This magical, colorful and entertaining floating playground is a place to consider. Visiting a floating playground is definitely not something people would enjoy in North American countries like Canada, so this will definitely be a unique experience for me to enjoy. The Inflatable Island is the largest floating playground in the urbanized city of Olongapo in Central Luzon, Zambales. The popular, outdoor and family-friendly Inflatable Island is now over 4,200 square meters and is as vast as eight basketball courts! Attractions to enjoy at the Inflatable Island include inflatable slides, towers, bridges, human launchers, swings and many more to take advantage of. The Inflatable Island is definitely a place where I want to visit and cool off, because I love visiting different parks and beaches!

6. Visit the Seven Seas Waterpark and Resort in Opol

What is not to admire about this dreamy water park and resort in the municipality of Opol in Mindanao?! Nothing, in fact there are heaps of things to value about this outdoor entertainment facility. Just like Canadas Wonderland in Vaughan, The Seven Seas Waterpark and Resort has many attractions like the Buccaneer Bay dual wave pool, The Mighty Maui River and The Pirachute waterslide since I really enjoy relaxing and playing in water. Especially during the hot summer months and days in the Philippines, this would be an absolute necessity, so I can cool off and have fun at the same time!

For me, there is nothing better than having some good old carnival delicacies at any amusement park I visit. My tradition of getting some good snacks to munch on will be no different at The Seven Seas Waterpark and Resort, especially with a couple of fantastic options on the table. I am a huge burger and fries fan, so I would pick Ahoy Fast Food and order a Cheeseburger and Fries. I am also a pasta and pizza addict, so I would order the classic Filipino Style Spaghetti, the Lasagna or a pizza, and break my vegetarian diet for a week. For dessert, I would probably get a chocolate milkshake, because it will be too warm for a hot cocoa.

7. Explore the Mactan Shrine in Cebu City

Also known as the Lapu-Lapu Shrine, this 20 metre bronze statue is found in the Mactan Island in Cebu City. It is a large monumental tower that was erected in 1866 in honor of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. This particular site is significant, because it is where Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the 1521 Battle of Mactan.

A typical way for me to spend my time in Mactan Island would be to take photographs of the LapuLapu statue, walk around the island, relax on some park benches with a book and my phone, and then find a local restaurant for me to have a nice meal in. It would be quite fascinating to collect photographs of a historical statue and site and show it to my friends, family and fans on Instagram.

8. Meet Filipino lifestyle vlogger Gayyem Ben in the countryside

Although I have only watch a few of Gayyem Ben's vlogs, I am starting to gain some inspiration from him. I have been interested in learning and exploring his culture and lifestyle in the remote parts of the Philippines; never mind the urban cities like Manila and Cebu City. There is something about the countryside that I want to learn more about; the culture, the way they cook, the languages they speak, as well as the vegetation and different places to visit.

It would be quite cool to meet a YouTuber like Gayyem Ben and be able to interact with him in person. During my trip to rural portion of the Philippines, I would love to see Gayyem Ben and his family concoct some traditional Filipino sweets and learn some new recipes to take home with me. I would love to meet his family, know how they enjoy life in the countryside and what the pros and cons are.

I would reach out to him on Instagram, and see when a good day and time for me to visit him. If I contact him in advance, he will be better prepared and I will also know what the expectations are, prior to my visit. For me to get the most out of this visit, I want to have an open mind, the willingness to explore and hear his points of view. I would have some interesting things to take home with me and remember for the rest of my life.

Above is a video for you to watch and learn more about life in rural Philippines.

Please support Gayyem Ben and his family by subscribing to his YouTube channel and following him on Instagram.

Gayyem Ben's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4PLAzkJUbUziPf7LmK0c9g

Gayyem Ben's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gayyem_ben_17/