International Living, Marriage & Travel

Boracay is the most popular when it comes to beaches in the Philippines but for those who abhor the crowds, Bolinao is the answer. It is a sleepy town in the northern province of Pangasinan. The sea boasts of clean waters and there are beaches with white sand. I enjoyed our trip to Bolinao because t...

In Europe and America, it is seldom you will find a family living with grandparents much more with cousins. But in the Philippines, living with extended family members is part of the culture. Some foreigners who get married to Filipinos are suprised that the wife's cousins are living with together w...

The culture in the Philippines is quite different in terms of family values. A married child living with the parents is common and sometimes there's also the grandparents. Foreigners married to Filipinos are surprised with that setup. Another idiosyncrasy is giving money to parents and relatives esp...

Street barbecue is common in Metro Manila especially near the depressed areas. Some variations are the cheap chicken parts like feet and head. But the most popular is the chicken intestine called Betamax. There's also the blood of pork and the skin of beef. These street food are patronized by the ma...

In the northern part of the Philippines called Ilocos Region, they have a delicacy called Pinikpikan. It is a chicken dish that is good eaten on occasions only. The live chicken is hit by a stick in all the parts of the body until the chicken is bruised and becomes black and blue. The hitting contin...

Dog meat is a delicacy in the northern part of the Philippines particularly in Mountain Province where dog meat is part of their religious rites. Animal protection groups like PAWS cannot do anything. Banning such tradition will run counter to their culture. What the government can do is to outlaw t...

I know of several couples who started their relationship in a long distance affair but finally succeeded in getting married and to live happily ever after. My aunt is one example. She married an American navy who comes home 2 months every year. But they both lived up to their expectations. One facfo...

The Philippines is a unique country because of the countless of dialects spoken in the more than 7,000 islands. But what I would recommend for foreigners to visit our country is for the taste of our hospitality. Filipinos are naturally hospitable and accommodating especially in the rural areas hence...

Greetings to everyone. I hope to contribute sensible posts to this forum and I also hope to learn from the posts of the members. Good day to all.