Delve into Local Strolls, a series where writers reveal their favorite walks in their hometowns. Each route offers a snapshot of urban life, guiding you to lesser-known attractions and cherished local spots. Here, Kara Santos takes us on a stroll rich in nature and street food through Quezon City, part of Metro Manila in the the Philippines.
There are places I don’t mind seeing just once. Others, I never tire of visiting. With its leafy green surroundings, the University of the Philippines Diliman campus is my favorite cycling and walking route, one that I return to again and again.
It’s one of the few sanctuaries in the rapidly developing Metro Manila to enjoy nature freely. The sight of the road framed by gigantic acacia trees instantly clears my head. The mood here constantly shifts depending on weather or season. Trees blaze fiery orange or with pink blooms during hot summer months. Sometimes, the ground gets carpeted with snowy white fluff falling from cotton trees. When it rains, the fresh scent of grass lingers in the air.
By bike, I often zone out beneath the tree-lined Academic Oval, an excellent place to also jog or stroll away from traffic-choked streets. The 2.2km (1.4-mile) loop is flat and incredibly scenic. Plus, there’s easy access to street food.
From University Ave by foot, I detour through a nature trail where water birds graze on a pond, enjoying the sound of leaves crunching with each step. With buildings shrouded by trees, I’m instantly teleported to the middle of a forest. Shoes dusted, I head to the Oblation, the school’s iconic statue of a man with arms outstretched to the sky before a reflecting pool. The stone steps behind offer a rendezvous point.
It’s a breezy walk passing Vargas Museum guarded by a gigantic chicken feet sculpture on the side and stately school buildings towards the Sunken Garden. Here, cyclists shoot the breeze while families lay out picnic blankets, unleashing pets and kids on the grassy slopes. Campus cats lounging on benches always bring a smile to my face.
Vendors with colorful carts hawk all sorts of street food including my childhood favorite sorbetes (ice cream), which leaves a sticky trail. I’ll stop for taho (silken tofu) and sip the creamy curds swirling in warm sugar syrup. Or I’ll quench my thirst with fresh coconut juice, asking the vendor to chop the fruit in half to scoop out the tendrils.
Refreshed, I’ll pop by Art Circle Cafe, to buy highland coffee beans at the vibrant art gallery cafe. I cut across a garden of native trees behind the Carillon, a white tower with delightfully pealing bells. Reaching Quezon Hall completes the satisfying loop. But I’ll often swing by the UP Lagoon for a rewarding view. It’s breathtaking when pink water lilies
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The UNESCO World Heritage Site and famous tourist destination on the shores of Bay of Bengal near Chennai is now a ‘Green Destination’. Having completed the one-year-long engagement phase of data collection and documentation, the destination of Mamallapuram has officially become part of the awards and certification program.
Not long after my 48th birthday, in August 1999, my husband Barry invited me out for a margarita at Compadre's, a Mexican restaurant near our home in Palo Alto. It turned out he had an agenda.
Roughly halfway between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the coastal town of Paraty (population 45,000) isn’t the easiest place to reach. It requires a four-hour, mostly mountainous drive from either city, a 45-minute helicopter charter or arrival by sea. It’s that relative seclusion that keeps the tourist hordes and unbridled development at bay, despite the town’s obvious appeal. Set on Brazil’s Costa Verde, with mountains covered in rainforest on one side and the emerald green waters of Ilha Grande Bay on the other, Paraty (pronounced para-CHEE by locals), preserves more than 30 blocks as its historic quarter, a grid of pedestrian-only cobblestone streets lined with whitewashed 18th- and 19th-century facades, many of them remnants of the Portuguese colonial era.
Despite some record-breaking numbers for international travel, most travel spending still stems from domestic trips. Tourism within regions is growing, too.
Within the heart of the bustling business district of Metro Manila’s Makati City lies a hidden gem where art, culture and luxury intertwine seamlessly. Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Raffles Makati offers a journey through the rich tapestry of Filipino creativity with its ARTour, the city’s only tour led by an art concierge outside of a museum. The property’s exceptional collection, which spans more than 1,600 works, has become a must-see for art enthusiasts and cultural connoisseurs.
Bhutan and Chiang Khan in Thailand have received the prestigious Green Destinations ‘Silver’ certification awards. For Bhutan regarded as the first carbon-negative country in the world, the Green Destination Silver Award is yet another significant achievement in the field of sustainable tourism. Guided by strong leadership and good environmental and conservation practices, Bhutan will continue to be a model tourism destination in the world. Chiang Khan is noted for its hundred year old wooden houses with exquisite architecture on the banks of the Mekong River. Chiang khan, the destination noted for its life and culture in Thailand has also been awarded as Green Destinations Silver. ‘Green Destinations’ based in The Netherlands is the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) accredited certification body which offers the highest achievable and most affordable certification. So far 122 destinations across the world have been awarded certification by ‘Green Destinations’.
There’s a lot to feast your eyes on in Manila—and if you’re planning your first trip there you might be struggling to narrow down exactly what to do and see during your trip.
Walkable neighborhoods are on the rise. In a country run by cars, many millennials and Gen Zers are willing to spend more to live in a community where it's easy to get around without a vehicle, according to a 2023 study by the National Association of Realtors.
When I first started at The Points Guy all the way back in 2011, it wasn't unusual for me to spot a mileage deal, grab my suitcase and hop on a plane at the drop of a hat. These days, however, I'm more likely to plan ahead and plot out each trip I take moment by moment well in advance (mainly so I don't annoy my partner with the frequent disappearing acts!).
Cultural wasteland. Rural backwater. The Redneck Riviera. Whatever northern critics might say about "Flora-Bama," the 200-mile stretch of Florida beneath Alabama, I’m here – as a Florida-raised New Yorker – to tell you they’re flat wrong.