For years, Manila has functioned as a layover - a city travelers pass through on their way to the country’s more photogenic islands. Independent tour guides hope to change that.

1896 declaration of Philippine independence

My first visit to George Town, some years before the pandemic, was little more than a quick fix; a shore excursion on a cruise that sailed along the Malaysian coast before returning to Singapore. I had barely three hours on land, just enough to sense the outlines of something intriguing: the smell of spices and coffee in the air, the pastel shophouses, the street art that tells a unique story. Ever since, the city has lingered in my mind like an unfinished conversation or an itch I’d been meaning to scratch.

Being playful with the murals on the streets of Georgetow

Visiting Intramuros, I’m reminded once again that its walls hide a vast classroom. Every visit brings new insights. Early this week, I returned to cover the opening of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Gallery’s January exhibition, Enero: Buwan ng Balaang Bata: Devotion to the Holy Child in the Philippines. And once again, I left with fascinating new discoveries.

Sto Nino collections of various sizes and appearances

Surf, sun, beaches, shopping, food, and culture, or, as Elizabeth Gilbert wrote in Eat, Pray, Love, a place of healing. Yet even if you add it all up together, they will still fall short of capturing the essence of Bali and the reason it has become Indonesia’s most popular destination. There is something about this island that must be seen with one’s own eyes, felt through the senses, and stored in the vaults of memory.

Sunset and chill at Seminyak Beach in Bali

Ordinarily, I’m not the kind of traveler who circles back to a place. Like many, I’d rather put the cost of airfare flying abroad toward discovering a new city or country. But something about Hoi An’s Old Town lingered with me, an appeal that made the idea of returning feel less like repetition and more like certainty.

Rows of beautiful shophouses like these fills the streets of Hoi An's old town