Life is a Joni

Smile and the world will smile back at you. And I guess the best place to do that is where people known to be happy and friendly. Come with us as we visit the City of Smiles , Bacolod! Just an hour away from Iloilo via fast ferry, Bacolod is the provincial capital of Negros Occidental . Recently, it topped the list of "Best Places to Live in the Philippines" , followed by Makati and Davao respectively. Me, as a Davaoeño, I always admire my city and so far, I wouldn't exchange it to any. I'm not suggesting regionalism but if I have to rate Davao, it's superlative. In fact, in an another survey, it ranked #1. That is why, I'm curious how the City of Smiles made an edge and bagged the record. Ally and Glochi were my travel buddies. The trip was actually planned but we rather called it spontaneous because we never thought it would really push through. We were attending a Leader Summit and there was an event early morning and another one late aft...

Mango is the Philippine's National Fruit and where else could the sweetest variety be found but in the Province of Guimaras . When I had my first stay in Iloilo, I never missed the chance to visit the island. It's only few minutes away. I was supposedly accompanied by a local friend. Unfortunately, she woke up sick that morning so I had no choice but to travel alone. Not a problem, I was all set and no one could stop me. From downtown Iloilo, I went to Ortiz Wharf ---the ferry terminal to Jordan , the island's capital. At first, there was a confusion because everytime I ask for direction from the locals, I said "jor-dan" , like how we pronounce it in English. I forgot that they are Spanish-influenced and it has to be "hor-dan" . OK then. It was about half an hour crossing the strait. When I finally arrived, I went directly to the jeepney terminal. I noticed people are speaking another language. It's more familiar and understandable. I ...