Apr 16, 2020A Category Three ChristmasIt's not letting up, I thought. The wind screamed and wailed, bending the thin walls of our beachfront cabin with every gust stronger...
Jan 19, 2020The Black Nazarene – how a black Jesus effigy from Mexico became a symbol of hope and healing The Black Nazarene is the single most highly revered religious icon in the whole of the Philippines - and for such a fervently Catholic...
Aug 13, 2019MANILA. Limtuaco Distillery - where whisky is born from an erotic dreamDeep in the tourist mecca of Intramuros, stands the weather beaten 'wouldn't look out of place in a David Lynch film' Limtuaco Distillery...
Jul 31, 2019PHILIPPINES. Camiguin Island - Volcanoes, jungle and sunken gravesFlying into Camiguin feels a lot like flying into Jurassic Park - if Jurassic Park were real with rumbling volcanoes, a sunken city and...
Jul 15, 2019PHILIPPINES. Fantasy World, when theme parks go wrongAn abandoned theme park in the Philippines complete with Bavarian castles, broken windows on rooms never entered and ghostly rollercoasters.
Jul 10, 2019PHILIPPINES. 24 hours in TaalThis weekend I found myself with 24 hours to spend in the historic town of Taal, a small district of Spanish Colonial houses with a...
Jul 5, 2019PHILIPPINES. The Rizalistas of Mount BanahawMount Banahaw is a holy mountain home to the Rizalistas, followers of a new religion where the Philippines' most famous son is God.
Jun 17, 2019MANILA. Living with the dead in Manila's cemeteriesIt was a steaming afternoon in mid-summer when I found myself at the gates of Manila North Cemetery drenched in sweat and wondering what...
Jun 10, 2019MANILA. Five things to knowThink of Manila and your first thought is likely to be “traffic”. Or maybe crime, or pollution or a whole host of other negative...
May 24, 2019PHILIPPINES. Puerto Galera - a paradise island in the Philippines you DON'T have to fly to Last weekend I spent a few days in Puerto Galera on the northern end of the island of Mindoro. It was my second trip down there and it's...
May 1, 2019The Best of Manila - Pinto Art MuseumA lush garden oasis hides in the hills above Manila The verdant paradise that provides the setting for the Pinto Art Museum is probably...
Apr 25, 2019PHILIPPINES. Crucifixion in the Philippines. Yes, it's a thing.Good Friday is commemorated to the extreme in San Fernando, Pampanga The blood whipped through the air lightly spraying my arms and...
Apr 18, 2019Siquijor Island - mysticism and deserted beaches I've been to Siquijor twice now and I'm still bowled over by the beauty of the place. A tiny speck of green mountains and deserted...
Apr 10, 2019The Best of Manila - Ateneo Art GalleryModern art and sleek spaces, Ateneo is a gem Feeling hungover yet a little culture starved, I recently ventured north into Quezon City...
Apr 4, 2019The Best of Manila - The National Museum of Natural HistoryManila can often seem like just the sum of its most obvious parts - traffic choked roads, never ending tail backs, polluted streets and...