tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20307646278383844302012-02-16T22:30:43.844+08:00This web site is a compilation of stories of places in the Philippines that are seldom seen or heard about. The articles posted here are the published work of Chen Reyes-Mencias,a travel writer, environmentalist and tourism planner. They are for the viewers enjoyment and education. No part of the articles may be reproduced without permission from the author.Chen is a consultant specializing on sustainable tourismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03428040837747816666noreply@blogger.comBlogger41100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2030764627838384430.post-10736708393173617292008-11-28T12:21:00.009+08:002008-11-28T12:44:21.444+08:00

Along the Pacific fringes of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range and in the heart of the San Ildefonso Peninsula in Aurora province lives a man named Vic and his dog that he fondly calls Suntok. They have a bond, not just master and animal but even much deeper than that. Suntok is a mongrel and he was raised by Vic since he was a pup, not as a pet or a guard animal but a hunting dog. I met Vic

Chen is a consultant specializing on sustainable tourismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03428040837747816666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2030764627838384430.post-50860033510394213692008-11-28T11:58:00.007+08:002008-11-28T12:09:45.778+08:00

It was a hot humid morning when I arrived in Virac, the capital of Catanduanes. The weather was a far cry from what it was two weeks before when a typhoon lashed across the country. Catanduanes has always been known as an island that is relentlessly hit by typhoons. Hence, some call it “The Land of the Howling Winds”. Nonetheless, it has made the people resilient. Their strong adherence to

Chen is a consultant specializing on sustainable tourismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03428040837747816666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2030764627838384430.post-88326737986968048152008-04-27T19:04:00.001+08:002008-04-27T19:18:51.281+08:00

Nordis, November 19, 2007From Nordis, January 13, 2008Of all the years that I have travelled to many remote places in the country, one thing became clear to me. The less accessible a place is the more preserved it is. People is a major source of change. They can alter the landscape, dilute culture, replace indigenous ways of thinking and doing. There is one place I had been visiting for

Chen is a consultant specializing on sustainable tourismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03428040837747816666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2030764627838384430.post-50739431864142449132008-04-27T18:48:00.001+08:002008-04-27T19:16:51.828+08:00

Nordis, January 13, 2008In the early 90’s a spiritual master by the name of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche oversaw the creation of six thousand two hundred peace vases that were meant to restore harmony to the world. More than a decade and a half after, four thousand have reached different parts of the world, even as far as the Antarctic. The forces the Universe must have conspired since I ended

Chen is a consultant specializing on sustainable tourismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03428040837747816666noreply@blogger.com0