By Izah Morales
INQUIRER.net

ASK for a P1,000 bill. Browse your old Araling Panlipunan book. Surely, you will see the sketch of the Banaue Rice Terraces. Yet seeing the greens with your own two eyes would mean a guessing game on which is which. You will be surprised to see many terraces in Banaue, Ifugao.

The one sketched in a P1,000 bill is the terraces located in what they call the view deck, near the town proper of Banaue. You would not only have the chance to see the staircase-like mountain, but you may also walk directly into the rice paddies.

The view deck at Banaue View Point can be easily accessed through a short tricycle ride from the town proper.

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By Fung Yu, Contributor
INQUIRER.net

Author’s note: This article uses Apple’s QuickTime and Adobe Flash in providing an immersive experience by means of virtual reality technology. QuickTime and/or Flash are required to view the 360-degree VRs. Average VR size is 2.3MB each.

“A LOT of hot air!”

That was what I told my friends when they asked me after I got back from attending the 12th International Hot Air Balloon Festival. They were supposed to go with us that morning, but the thought of waking up and being on the road at 3 in the morning was surely a tough one.

The pleasant drive towards Clark Freeport Zone, where the festival is always held, took about an hour from Manila. Officially, this was my third time to attend the balloon festival.

For the uninitiated, the balloon flight always takes place early in the morning or late in the afternoon. This is because in order for a balloon to generate lift, there should be a significant difference in temperature between the ambient air and the air inside the balloon. With hot air being lighter than cold air, the lower temperature early in the morning and late in the afternoon serves to make the balloons more buoyant.

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INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Erika Tapalla went to the Port Area in Manila to check out the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s Gwapotel inn, the country’s version of Japan’s capsule hotels, a type of cheap accommodation.

So, is Gwapotel any good? Watch the video and judge for yourself.

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INQUIRER.NET multimedia reporter Erika Tapalla checks out the different attractions Tiendesitas has to offer — and ends her tour with a kalesa ride. Video taken by Luigi Gonzalez and Erika Tapalla.

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Plus here’s a video of the pet store that sells exotic animals which Erika visited at Tiendesitas. Video taken by Ayo Supangco.

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By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

CEBU, Philippines–I have never been to an SM mall this spacious. Not even that overly hyped Mall of Asia sitting near (no, on top of) Manila Bay.

While covering a Smart event held at SM Cebu, I got to kill some time in the recently opened North Wing. The picture above was taken from the second floor. Also this one below but from the other side — and on a different day, spot the difference yet?

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ONE of the organizers of the Salcedo Community Market, Tricia Lichauco, recounts how the market was established and gives INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Erika Tapalla a tour.

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For more videos, visit INQUIRER.net VDO.

By Fung Yu, Contributor
INQUIRER.net

Author’s note: This article uses Apple’s QuickTime and Adobe Flash in providing an immersive experience by means of virtual reality technology. QuickTime and/or Flash are required to view the 360-degree VRs. Average VR size is 2MB each.

DOULOS (from the Greek word meaning “servant”), the “floating library,” visited the Philippines for two months — initially for the annual dry dock maintenance in the port of Batangas, then in Manila and Subic Bay for the onboard book fair and other community activities.

Built in 1914, just two years after the sinking of the RMS Titanic, the M/V Doulos is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s oldest active ocean-going passenger ship.

I caught up with the Doulos on a fine Saturday as she was docked at the port of Subic Bay; having missed her in Manila last December, this could very well be my very last chance to tour the ship. The first thing you notice when you step aboard is her friendly crew; a smile at every turn, a greeting in every corner. With a crew composed of various nationalities, bringing to the fore social and cultural diversity, it is indeed a heartwarming sight to see them working toward a common purpose.

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SURE, here in the Philippines, you almost always order San Miguel Beer (I know I do), but sometimes you might want to try something new.

Well, INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter has checked out this place that serves 100 different types of beer. Check out the video Erika took of head waitress Rosalie Porqueza giving her a tour of Beers Paradise, which is located on Polaris Street corner Durban Street in Makati City.

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By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net

ATTENTION overseas Filipinos, going to the Philippines is now just a click away. If you are tired of the usual long lines and slow processing of your application just to visit your loved ones here, the good news is that the Department of Tourism (DoT) has launched a new Travel Mall service on its Experience Philippines site that targets Filipinos in North America.

The Travel Mall is an interactive mall that will allow Filipinos in North America to shop virtually, book tickets, and even reserve hotel rooms to make their visit here more convenient. The DoT also lets people easily access all of the 7, 107 islands of the country through its partnership with accredited travel agencies in North America.

The Travel Mall and the whole Experience Philippines site is part of the marketing strategy employed by the DoT for North America as it shifts from traditional to online media. According to Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano: “Traditional media doesn’t work as much as it used to… this generation uses the Web for entertainment, for education, and for work. The platform for us had to be the Web… and three years ago we decided that at least 90 percent of our resources, 90 percent of our energy, will be using this platform to reach out to our target market.”

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CHECK out this video taken by INQUIRER.net reporter Lawrence Casiraya, who interviewed Mang Eddie and Mang Nestor near the Guadalupe Bridge along Edsa in Makati City as they tried to catch some fish to eat or sell.

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