Loving Ties That Bind, a social enterprise in Quezon City, brought to you by Sining Cruz. Before having babies, I used to wear big earrings, bracelets (although hardly a watch) and necklaces. I liked accessories and was lucky that I had a mother who did too. I would borrow giant hoop earrings, long strands of […]
Bayani Beads – Handmade Bracelets from Naga
Livelihood and sustainability is always the biggest challenge, not just with communities in GK, but just about everywhere. For almost five years, Tita Cora Ragas has been working hand-in-hand with GK Del Rosario (Naga City, Camarines Sur), encouraging the ladies to be productive. Some have enrolled in cooking classes (and we have one resident who is […]
The BOB Talks – Best of Bicol
The BoB Talks are a series of talks on the Best of Bicol – a movement encouraging entrepreneurship and bringing out the best that the region has to offer. Last week, we were asked if we could be part of the panel for the BoB Talks for their second run. The talks, a brainchild of […]
La Huerta Organic Farm, Rinconada’s Gateway to the Arts
La Huerta de Rosario – where Farming is an Art (and the Farm is the Artist’s Canvass) – has become a favourite place to bring visitors for lunch (especially on the way to Legazpi). The organic vegetables in season feed our hungry visitors, but the paintings, the plants, and the homey ambiance fills the soul. There is […]
Take a Trip to Gawad Kalinga’s Enchanted Farm
During J’s first few months, he was able to have his first McDonald’s visit, his first Bonchon trip, his first visit to SM Megamall and Trinoma. The rest of the time, we stayed at home – trying to learn the ropes of parenthood and multitasking. After taking him to nearby areas in the metropolis, we decided […]
Enchanted Farm Cafe: Brewing Innovation, Good Coffee and Tea
Looking for a new place to eat? Have coffee? And chat with friends? Here are our favourite finds in Quezon City. Although I haven’t had the chance to travel with Tom as much as I wanted to since Spiral Sun started, I did have to leave Naga mid-June for Manila. I took an AirPhilExpress flight on […]
Volunteer to Save Siruma, Have an Adventure, Experience Nature
Siruma is a 4th class municipality several hours from Naga. The sleepy, little coastal town is really not that far from Naga, but because the horrible conditions of the roads, it takes about four to five hours to get there. Quite an adventure already just to get there. In a place seemingly forgotten by the […]
Patriotic Tour – Adventure Travel to Fall in Love with our Country
What exactly is a patriotic tour? The same way we questioned what a pilgrimage is, we had to figure out what a patriotic tour is too. On the offset, we know that it is an adventure trip that allows the traveller to fall head over heels in love with our country. It is an expedition […]
Quick Response (from the immersion diaries of our French kids)
I’ve been worried about the French students on immersion here, and have been praying loads that our first batch of kids have a safe, productive, enjoyable trip. God works really fast. Or at least, I’m seeing this as His response. If it isn’t – it doesn’t matter – I’m still happy that He sent these […]
Improving Local Products: Ragiwdiw, Jobos and Lots of Patience
Today was to dye for. Tom and I spent the afternoon going around Naga’s Public Market (definitely the place to go for local products). Looking for different colors of dye. Thanks to Tita Vivian – the friendly stall owner of an unnamed square-meter of a space – we got ourselves a few dozen sachets. Yellow. […]