Travel notes, food finds, and everyday stories.
We welcomed the new year the way our bodies protested and our minds secretly loved with a long run under the Clark sun. It has quietly become our ritual. Every first day of the year, we lace up, drive to Clark in Angeles, Pampanga, and run farther than feels reasonable. This was our second...
Waiting for friends. We are headed to Clark to spend the night since the gun start for the Great Run Clark: ASCEND – The Synergy Run is early tomorrow morning. This will be our first attempt at a 32K run. Honestly, we skipped a few weeks of training because work got in the way....
When a place survives trends, tourism waves, and polished beach clubs, it usually means it understands something deeper than aesthetics. La Plage does not shout for attention. It waits. Set right on An Bang Beach, this long-standing, French-owned restaurant feels like a quiet refusal to rush. It was one of the original beachfront spots...
A couple of years ago, we were doing what people usually do in malls: walking without urgency, half-bored, half-curious, letting time pass. Then we saw him. A man seated behind a small booth in the middle of the mall, quietly writing something that did not look familiar. The letters were elegant, deliberate, almost ceremonial....
It was a warm afternoon when we arrived in Hoi An—a perfect time to wander through the Ancient Town, explore the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge, Tan Ky ancestral house, and Phuc Kien Assembly Hall. By night, we had planned to catch the colorful lights dancing on the boats along the Hoai River. But the...
Landing in Da Nang, our first mission was clear: find an unforgettable dinner. Since our niece Jen was our local guide, we let her choose—and she picked Gáo Grill & Beer. This lively spot, with outdoor seating right in the city center, was buzzing even as closing time approached. The menu was slightly limited...
Today, I found out that Rex Gomez has died. The first thought that landed, heavy and sharp, was this. I am almost certain he died alone. That thought hurt more than the news itself. Rex had this quiet way of giving. He offered what he had without asking why, without keeping score. If he...