I have previously wondered about the heritage churches in Zambales, or more accurately, the absence of them. I knew that the Spanish conquistadores have definitely reached this part of the Philippines, but every time I visit my wife’s (Blissfulguro) hometown of Cabangan, the churches I pass en route are all modern ones. This province is old, founded in the 1500’s, but where oh where are its massive stone churches?

It was only recently that I finally got a glimpse of the Spanish colonial churches in Zambales. It turns out, I need to go past the sleepy town of Cabangan to finally see these old behemoths. Out of the thirteen municipalities of Zambales, four of these has old churches (it’s worth noting that all of these are located on the northern parts of the province), and of these, one even has a seal of being a National Cultural Treasure. Not really a lot, and I’m really curious as to the reason why, but still a good enough collection worthy of a Visita Iglesia pilgrimage in Zambales.

Bali, the Land of the Gods. Separated from mainland Indonesia, this island paradise has a belief unique from the rest of the country, practicing Hinduism instead of Islam. With it comes temples, lots of them, sacred grounds carved on mountainsides, built over lakes, and standing over cliffs, all dedicated to their faith’s gods. And they literally have millions of gods, thirty three million to be exact.

HINDU IMAGERIES ON BALINESE TEMPLES

Imagine how hard it was for us, unfamiliar with Hinduism, to choose which temples to visit—each Balinese village having no less than three temples on their soil. We consulted guidebooks and read about Sad Kahyangan, the six cardinal temples of Bali, the holiest and most revered pura or temples in the whole of the island. But not all of these are easily accessible, being located on the heart and perimeters of Bali, and this island is huge.

I’ve been hearing a lot about a certain temple in Cebu which many dub as the Taj Mahal of the Philippines. While I’m not much for comparing places we have in the Philippines with those abroad, but for many, that’s usually the easiest and not to mention, the catchiest way to promote a place. And so it was that on our last day of our weekend in Cebu, we decided to add at least a single tourist spot on our itinerary, the famed Temple of Leah.

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THE MOUNTAINOUS AREA OF BARANGAY BUSAY

Located on the hills of Barangay Busay, where the equally popular Tops Cebu and Sirao Garden is located, the graceful temple rose from the ground in 2012. Fairly recent, but judging from the number of visitors we have to dodge that weekend, its popularity with both local and foreign tourists, seemed to suggest otherwise.

► TO HELP YOU GET STARTED, HERE’S A LIST OF TOP THINGS TO DO IN CEBU BY GUIDE TO THE PHILIPPINES

While temples and museums are alright with us, visiting a slew of them in one go is simply too much. We’ve had our fair share of temple runs in Siem Reap, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Ayutthaya, Penang, and Yogyakarta, and we always felt, well, ran out, afterwards. It was too much of a sensory overload. This time, we’re having it at, of all places, Vietnam. I’d never thought there’d be that many temples (and museums) in a single area on a socialist country like Vietnam.

INSIDE ONE OF THE MANY MUSEUMS IN HOI AN

We never really signed up for this, it was totally forced on us. While entering the Hoi An Ancient Town, we were stopped by a guard and was asked to buy a ticket containing five entrance stubs to any temples, museums, or workshops we would like to go for VND120,000.00 (USD5.30 | PHP270.00). They didn’t tell us we don’t really need this to enter old town. And should they have, we would have entirely forgone this part of our Hoi An tour.

I’ve always wondered what’s inside the Ifugao-inspired building at the corner of Harrison and Governor Pack Road in Baguio every time I pass it by. I know it’s a museum, but for the life of me, I can’t seem to find the time to visit it, considering how frequent I go up to the City of Pines.

This last time, I made sure I get to enter its doors.

CARVED WOODEN SPOONS DISPLAYED IN BAGUIO MUSEUM

Baguio City has always fascinated me and whenever I meet someone who actually lives here, I always make it a point to ask a few questions about its history. Like how the Americans discovered it, what it looked like before it became the Summer Capital of the Philippines, and even, how life was during the American Period.

SEE: BAGUIO TRAVEL GUIDE

“What’s the plan?” I asked C as we broke our fast on a creamy laksa noodle at a hawker stall near our lodging, the Beary Best! Hostel. “Well, we’ll meet with R and see where he takes us.” It’s inevitable that you meet friends on trips abroad. Filipinos are just everywhere.

THE NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE

After a train ride, meet ups with R and C, a Burmese lunch, and some chit chat, the plan emerged. Unlike the previous day of checking out free attractions around Singapore, the plan today was somewhat more sophisticated. Like museum sophisticated. And we’re not visiting just any museum, we’d be heading over to the National Gallery Singapore to check out artworks all the way from our very own Juan Luna to international masters like Pablo Picasso.

APPARENTLY, TODAY IS MUSEUM DAY

We’re really not into museums, but with R around, you just know you’re gonna enjoy viewing artwork after artwork. He’s quite the brain when it comes to art, especially the juicy bits about the life of the hands that painted them.

From our lunch place, we walked towards Singapore’s Civic District where the gallery is located.

Well, how about actually getting out of the hotel for a few hours? I told C, as I was sipping on my nth cup of coffee, sweltering under the intense midday heat at the balcony of E&O Hotel right at Georgetown itself. For starters, how about that cemetery right there, pointing down to a plot of land thick with trees just a few meters from our hotel.

THE OLD PROTESTANT CEMETERY AT PENANG

I really have no idea what that cemetery was about, or even if it has any historical value at all. All I know was that we’ve been cooped up for far too long in our room, too daunted by the simmering streets of Penang to explore any further than our own balcony and the indoor swimming pool.

► CHECK OUT OUR PENANG FOOD TRAIL

Dark gloomy clouds gather at the top of St. Paul’s Hill as we continued our way up through flights of stairs covered in maroon paint. We passed a complex of museums, went out to the open road, then a trellised path, and at last, a final series of stairway leading to the ruins of Melaka’s St. Paul Church atop the hill.

GOING UP TO MELAKA’S ST. PAUL CHURCH FROM THE DUTCH SQUARE

In theory, the climb is easy enough, but in reality, the intense suffocating heat of Melaka, even on overcast days, makes the climb double the effort. We decided to pass off this particular place during our first outing in the city almost exactly a year ago, but this time, with nowhere else to go, we prepped ourselves in braving the heat to finally see this famous ruin.

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Welcome to the grand ballroom, our guide announced as he flicked a switch open, lighting the cavernous hall at the second floor of Tacloban City’s Sto. Niño Shrine. Five massive wooden chandeliers carved by Betis artisans all the way from Pampanga illuminated the space where lavish balls were once held by deposed president Ferdinand Marcos and his first lady, Imelda Romualdez Marcos.

We were all bowled over. It was grand. It was luxurious. And it was almost vulgar in its excesses.

THE FIREFLY RECEIVING ROOM, DUBBED SO DUE TO ITS CURIOUS CEILING LIGHTS

Forgive me, but when my companions said we were visiting the Sto. Niño Shrine, I thought we’d be going to the Sto. Niño Church in Tacloban. Well, could you really blame me? Whoever would have thought that a presidential guesthouse would have a chapel for its foyer? Blame Imelda for that one.

► SEE: KALANGGAMAN ISLAND

One morning during our four-day trip across Leyte, we decided to walk the length of the San Juanico Bridge. It was not a first for me, having gone through the longest bridge in the country, both during the early mornings and evenings of Tacloban City. I could write about this latest crossing, but my previous experience at this bridge was far more interesting. Let’s roll back four years ago.

EVENING WALK AT THE SAN JUANICO BRIDGE

It was not in my planned itinerary to visit Tacloban City, or even pass it during my recent trip down south of the Philippines. A missed flight back to Manila from Cebu City for a connecting plane ride to Northern Samar forced me to reevaluate my plans and do an impromptu Plan B—that being a combination of sea and land trip from the Queen City of the South to a little known island in Northern Samar.

► SEE: CEBU TRAVEL GUIDE

Even with my architecture background, I’m not overly fond of visiting provincial capitols. I often find them dull and hollow, their architectural pompousness making up for their lack of historical context. So it was with Leyte’s own provincial capitol, with time to spare and nowhere else to go, my companions dragged me, kicking and screaming, to see one of Eastern Visayas famed capitols.

THE LEYTE PROVINCIAL CAPITOL’S NEO CLASSICAL FACADE

Without any background on it, I was surprised to find the symmetrically neo-classical building to be quite interesting. Walking around its dark pebble-washed patio, I found a National Historical Committee marker. This building has historical significance after all.

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Palo Cathedral’s twin spires rose mightily to the cloudless blue of the sky. That cloudless blue, however, was to be our bane. The midday sun was mercilessly scorching us as we wound around the closed gates of the cathedral, looking for a way to get in.

PALO CATHEDRAL’S NEWLY RENOVATED CEILING

One of the most searing images of Typhoon Yolanda’s aftermath is this same cathedral’s interior as its roof was ripped like paper from its vaulted ceiling. The scene was even broadcasted as it happened while GMA7’s usually flamboyant reporter, Love Añover and her crew, took shelter inside its cavernous hall and frantically reported as the church’s shingles flew off one after another.

► SEE: KALANGGAMAN ISLAND