As I was walking around downtown Da Lat, I picked up a flyer about an Easy Rider tour taking travelers on a motorcycle exploration of the countryside. I was not one to easily shell out money on tour packages, but I figured I could easily sightsee the outskirts of Da Lat as a passenger on the back of a Vietnamese Dennis Hopper. I couldn’t text the number as I did not have a local SIM card. Fortunately, my hostel—Da Lat Homestay—offered the same tour. Along with the other guests, who all turned out to be Israelis, I signed up for the Easy Rider the next day.

As a frequent guest of Azalea’s Baguio property, I already had an inkling of what to expect at their Boracay location. Still, upon our arrival, I was taken aback by the niceties of the layout that blended perfectly with the vibe of the island. The wide entrance highlighted by the globe fountain and centerpiece quickly arrested my attention. The available space created an additional charm befitting the post-modern architecture of the five-story establishment bursting with appealing lines and patterns.

“Every lake belongs to the quietness desired by the swans,” poet Munia Khan wrote. Her description mirrored what we collectively sense about these bodies of water existing under the shadows of big-swell oceans and streaming rivers. Lakes dished a different vibe far from the seas we were accustomed to visiting in our geographically gifted, archipelagic country. The stillness of their natural pools of freshwater provided a tranquil atmosphere coupled with the lush greens that usually surrounded them. Therefore, if you were wandering around the Philippines, a jaunt to one of these lakes would instantly give you a memorable travel experience.

Technology had linked the divide between manufacturers, food producers, and consumers by mere clicks of a button. The quickly expanding economics of delivery had made it possible for consumers to purchase goods expediently—a convenience highlighted significantly during the pandemic.