By Robert Alejandro

My 4T+ Facebook “friends” might think that I am living the high life traveling to some of the most incredible countries in Europe. It is true that I see this European backpacking trip as a chance of a lifetime ̶ something I’ve been waiting, working and saving up for about 20 years. But living the high life cannot be farther from the truth.

Most of the countries I’ve visited use the Euro as their currency, which when converted to Philippine peso is around 60 for a Euro. An ordinary meal would cost around 10 Euros ̶ that’s a whopping 600 pesos! I’m traveling for three months around Europe and 600 pesos on each meal is something I can’t do. Travel costs (airfare) are worse and accommodation costs are a BIG deal when one travels SLOW and for a long time, the kind of travel I like to do. Read the rest of this entry »

Kayak Philippines: Linking the Islands through Kayaking won the GOLD AWARD for the Travel Journalism – Travel Guidebook category in the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Awards 2010.

PATA, who acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry, annually awards the most outstanding programs and projects on various fields of travel and tourism with entries selected from various parts of the globe. This year, more than 200 entries were submitted, only 28 among these were given recognition – four Grand Awards and 24 Gold Awards.

Other categories include Environmental Education Programme, Marketing Media – Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media and Travel Journalism – Travel Photograph. The Philippines is honored to have bagged two Gold Awards. Along with Kayak Philippines book is ABS-CBN Foundation-Bantay Kalikasan’s Iwahig River Community-based Ecotourism Project under the Ecotourism Project category. The awards night shall be held on September 17, 2010 during the PATA Travel Mart 2010 at the Venetian® Macao Resort Hotel, Macau SAR.

Garnering such prestigious accolades serves as a testament of the Philippines’ dedication in promoting travel, tourism and environmental advocacies within its borders and beyond.

Kayak Philippines book is a project of the Center for Outdoor Recreation and Expedition (CORE)– an advocacy arm of the Primer Group of Companies, and co-published by  the Department of Tourism.

In Sitio Falel, Kiamba, Sarangani, T’boli heritage thrives in the more practical skills, removed from the usual tourist presentations of dance, weaving, and music. Ronald Tamfalan, my T’boli painter friend and interpreter, introduces me to his elder brother, Conseto, a hunter who relies on old skills passed down to him to survive long forays in the rainforest. The most intriguing to have survived was firestarting, a skill practically erased by matches and disposable lighters. He shows me his prized possession, a botu titik, a reddish flint-like rock to produce sparks that ignite tinder. The firestone trumps matches and lighters in being able to start a fire even when wet, making it ideal for use in the rainforest. Botu titik are not commonly found and often treasured and bequeathed as heirloom. The more common option is kisong, a combination of friction, bamboo and elbow grease. The bamboo-friction method is also practiced by different indigenous groups with variations in technique. Conseto proudly claims that he is an expert at both methods, winning the bamboo firestarting race in a recent indigenous skills competition.
Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Contest Mechanics:

1. This photo contest is open to all amateur photographers.
2. A maximum of three entries per person is allowed.
3. Photos/images should be authentically captured in the Philippines. Site and date where the photo was taken should be properly indicated in the filename. If photo was shot during a particular event e.g. city’s annual festival, it must be indicated as well.
4. Photos shall be in JPG format with a resolution of at least 300 dpi.
5. Submission of entries is through philippinetravelphotos@gmail.com. The best photos shall be published in the new Philippine Travel ebook of Caloy Libosada.
6. Selected photos shall also be used as graphics in the new R.O.X store. Duration of use is 12 months from date of installation.
7. The image copyright is retained by the photographer.
8. The photos are for single use only at the following medium:  Philippine Travel e-book, Dispatch Magazine (print), Dispatch Online (www.dispatchmagonline.com, Facebook, and Twitter accounts), and Dispatch TV (select retail stores) for a period of one year starting from date it was published.
9. Organizers shall have the right to use photos for PR and publicity efforts in announcing the contest winners.
10. Selected entries shall be given special gifts by Recreational Outdoor eXchange (R.O.X).
11. Deadline for submission is September 30, 2010.
12. Winners will be announced in Dispatch Media’s online sites (website, facebook page and twitter account) and notified by e-mail (philippinetravelphotos@gmail.com) within two weeks from selection date.

For your inquiries, you may reach us at admin@dispatchmagonline.com or send us a personal message at Dispatch Media’s Facebook account.