Cebu, Philippines Travel Video! GoPro underwater filming & tropical yoga classes.
Today’s a happy day… because our Philippines travel episode has been released!
Want to see me in tropical paradise, doing yoga with Filipino beauty queens? Then watch the 4-minute travel video above below and on Business Insider.
A huge round of applause to sáv Hospitality for teaming up with us, and making this travel film possible. The photos speak for themselves — we loved every moment at Pacific Cebu Resort.
PCR is not your typical resort. There are endless activities you can take part in, which let you learn something new and experience Filipino culture. Case in point…
… I took part in an outdoor yoga lesson, with the Miss Scuba Philippines beauty pageant contestants! What a memory: stretching beneath the palm trees, while listening to the sounds of the ocean.
Even during the more difficult poses, the ladies smiled and kept their poise.
Filmmaker Eric went scuba diving with the contestants. Again, it’s impressive how they can do pageant waves under water.
Pacific Cebu Resort has well-regarded scuba instructors (here’s more about the dive school).
Eric took the video and these photos with a GoPro camera — a tiny and affordable device that lets you film under water. We’re big fans of the Go Pro, since it’s easy to use and gets gorgeous shots like the school of fish above. If you’re going snorkeling or diving, take a look at these cameras.
On dry land, we shoot photos with the Sony alpha 7, a mirrorless camera (it’s full-frame quality, but half the size and weight of a regular DSLR).
And this travel video was filmed with a Canon 5D Mark II, known as one of the best DSLRs on the market.
We loved the philosophy of this hotel group, sáv. They participate in community programs that aim to build a better future.
The Miss Scuba Philippines contest, for example, raised awareness for marine conservation, safe diving practices and scuba tourism — while celebrating the inner beauty and courage of today’s young women
We listened to 2013 Miss Scuba first runner up, Christine Paula Love Bernasor, speak about the “Sea of Change” required to save marine life.
This one-of-a-kind pageant fits perfectly with sáv’s theme of well-being for the body, soul, and environment.
Even the food reflected the Filipino culture. At each meal, we could order local favorites like adobo chicken, lumpia and lechon. Above — I tried danggit, or crispy fish heads dipped in vinegar. They were great!
I also discovered a new favorite drink: calamansi (a tart citrus from Southeast Asia) with gin. Such a pleasure, to sip this cocktail while looking out at the beach.
Many resorts can get boring after a while… but not this one. Guests can get accredited in SCUBA right on location.
Cebu is diving paradise, with dozens of coral-rich reefs just off the islands.
Other activities: banana boats, sunset cruises, para-sailing…
You’ll recall that one of my favorite days of 2014 was this one — sailing around Lapu Lapu, and meeting the villagers.
The three above photos are by K of Bright Production in Hong Kong. The other images are by Melissa Rundle and Eric Bergemann.
And don’t forget the 24-hour spa service. The PCR staff can even send a masseuse to your room.
Travelers tend to overlook Cebu as a beach destination, but coming here opened my eyes. It’s not expensive to stay in the Philippines, and a roundtrip flight from Hong Kong is only around $200 US.
The islands aren’t overrun with tourists and chain restaurants. And I found the beaches, scuba and snorkel to be better here than in Phuket or Bali.
We can’t thank Pacific Cebu Resort enough for this beautiful experience. For more photos and stories, check out more of my Philippines travel stories.
And please watch our Cebu travel video here. Thanks for supporting my work!
Have you ever considered a yoga retreat? Did this series convince you to visit the Philippines?
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Join my Odigo travel blogging workshop! Tokyo’s weirdest bar, Guinea Pig Shinjuku.
Jump for joy — I’m heading back to Tokyo for the launch of Odigo! Wouldn’t you like to join me?
There’s a rare chance. On Feb 28, I’m hosting an exclusive travel blogging workshop in Tokyo. We’ll teach you all we know about travel blogs, journalism, TV, video, photography and more.
Read on the for details, and photos from the bloodiest, strangest, craziest theme bar ever!
I’m excited to announce the official launch of Odigo, a site that lets you plan an exceptional journey to Japan. You can search for offbeat attractions — such as kawaii stores, theme restaurants — as well as more traditional spots. Odigo links everything together in an optimized itinerary, which lets you get from place to place with ease.
I invite you to sign up to be a contributor — anyone can share their finds on Odigo! And if you’re in Japan… come to my travel blogging workshop on 2/28. My professional photo/film team and I will give in-depth advice on travel writing, photography, TV and video production, social media, working with sponsors, finding a niche, and much more.
When: Saturday, February 28, 1:30-4pm (followed by a round-table and reception). Matador U is giving a workshop before us (see all details on the Facebook invite and MeetUp)
Where: Ryozan Park, 6F, 3-36-7 Otsuka, Tokyo (here’s a map. It’s a few minutes walk from Otsuka station on the Yamanote line).
Cost: Free if you sign up on Odigo and submit writeups for 10 spots. For everyone else, 5000 yen per person. Limited to 25 spaces, including lunch, resources and networking.
Curious about what else I’ll be doing, in Tokyo? Add Odigo on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to find out.
Thanks to Odigo, you can easily find info about the most bizarre and obscure places in Japan. For example, I did a writeup about Kabukicho bar, Guinea Pig. Look for a plain building with a winding staircase, and take the elevator up to a door with a barely visible sign.
This underground bar is for those with a bloody disposition. The decoration consists of such nightmares as chains, baby mannequins, and horror movie art.
(I’m wearing this Nanette Lepore: Runaway Stripe dress and a crown from my NY friend King Vulcanus Levi.)
So, how do you get to Guinea Pig? The address is: 2-41-2 Leo Kotobuki Building 3-A, Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku, Tokyo (all this info is on Odigo!) 1000 yen cover. Opening hours vary; generally from 8pm to early morning. Phone: 03-3209-3455
The bar’s decor is inspired by b-horror movies: zombie hands reach down from the ceiling, and a mannequin in chains sits at a table.
The owner, a flamboyant fellow named Roxy, is hilarious and will make you special cocktails. He’ll also dare you to play with his live pet snake.
Our friends ordered Bloody Marys, while Yukiro and I got his specialty, a mix of grapefruit, rum, and maybe some voodoo potions.
Strange art hangs on the walls. It’s a unique mix of dread and humor in this bar.
Japan is well known for its weird theme bars, which I’ve written about extensively before. These include a visual kei bar, an absinthe Goth bar, and more.
And here are all of my posts about bizarre theme restaurants, in Japan and elsewhere.
Some of these bars are one-act novelties, but I can go to Guinea Pig again and again. It’s a subculture hub — there are always interesting people drinking at the small counter.
Yukiro was shooting a bad girl b-movie there, entitled ‘The Bloody Knockers.” I make a cameo in the bar scene! The movie is out now, and you can watch it here… if you dare.
If you’re a fan of Japanese horror films, and fetish is your idea of fun, then I have a feeling you’ll dig Guinea Pig too. You can look up more spots like this on Odigo.
All of these photos are by Tokyo-based photographer Said Karlsson. He took these candid snaps of Yukiro and me dominating the neon streets of Shinjuku.
No, we’re not posing… we always cross the street like this!
Every dark creature must stop to curtsy in front of evil queen Maleficent.
We couldn’t resist climbing this Japanese kids playground equipment, and striking a pose. Funny, we did something similar in Berlin.
Antics in the convenience store. I’m not sure what we were doing in the magazine section…
We ended up getting special edition rose and sakura flavored Haagen Dazs ice cream. The pink looks nice against my Totoro nails.
In heaven, people feed each other rice with chopsticks. In hell, I suppose they survive on pink ice cream!
Have you been to any of Tokyo’s crazy theme bars? Which ones are your favorites?
I hope to see you at my Odigo travel bloggers workshop, on February 28 in Tokyo! Info is at the top of the post, and feel free to leave a comment if you have questions.
LA CARMINA
