My List of the Ten Allegedly Haunted Places in the Philippines

Posted on 30 October, 2017 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

Here’s a list of ten of the scariest places I have visited in the country. One is located in La Union (Pindangan Church Ruins), two in Baguio City (Hyatt Terraces Continue Reading →

Our Lady of Manaoag Rosary Sanctuary (Cebu City, Cebu)

Posted on 23 April, 2022 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Situated on a hillside in the mountain barangay of Guba, 25 kms. (an hour’s drive away) from downtown Cebu City, the Our Lady of Manaoag Rosary Sanctuary is owned by Ms. Continue Reading →

National Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Regla (Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu)

Posted on 22 April, 2022 by Benjie Layug — 2 Comments ↓

Aside from the famed Santo Niño de Cebu, Cebuanos are also devoted to another image – the felicitous and miraculous image of Nuestra Señora De la Regla (Our Lady of Continue Reading →

Spanish Steps (Rome, Italy)

Posted on 24 May, 2016 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

The monumental Spanish Steps (Italian: Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti), a stairway of 135 steps (the slightly elevated drainage system is often mistaken for the first step), climbs a steep slope between the Piazza di Continue Reading →

Uplistsikhe Cave Complex (Georgia)

Posted on 29 November, 2014 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

We were already through with the first day of our 3-day GNTA-sponsored tour of the Georgia countryside, our last destination being the Stalin State Museum in Gori. We still had Continue Reading →

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles (Mtskheta, Georgia)

Posted on 29 November, 2014 by Benjie Layug

After making our way down the hill from Jvari Monastery, Buddy, Pancho, Melissa, Riva and I, with Georgian guide Sopho, proceeded on our GNTA-sponsored tour to Mtskheta town center, making Continue Reading →

The Cave City of Vardzia (Georgia)

Posted on 27 November, 2014 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

From Akhaltsikhe, it was a fantastic drive up to Vardzia, with old castles and churches along the way. Soon, we espied the wide-mouthed caves gaping at us from across the Continue Reading →

An Evening of Kapampangan Dance and Cuisine (Angeles City, Pampanga)

Posted on 26 January, 2011 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

The third day of our Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC)/North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB)-sponsored Lakbay Norte 2 media tour did not end with our tiring but rewarding Pinatubo trek and Continue Reading →

The City of "Angels" (Angeles City, Pampanga)

Posted on 15 February, 2009 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Angeles City After the culmination of Clark’s Hot Air Balloon Festival, Jandy and I drove on to Angeles City for a walking tour of the City of Angels. Many know Continue Reading →

This travel blog, a diary of the author’s local and international travels, aims to provide the reader with news and information on people, places and events that would interest the avid traveler and tourist. But, it also aims to be much more, providing insights on the wonders of this beautiful country, as well as the world, beyond the strict confines of the city. Have a BLAST seeing old churches, exotic temples, educational museums as well as palm-fringed islands; white sand beaches; thundering waterfalls; placid lakes; fiery sunsets; turquoise seas; cathedral-like caves; swirling rivers; majestic mountains; stupendous, amphitheater-like rice terraces; awesome volcanoes and the like. Get to know the movers and shakers in the tourism industry; find out where to titillate the palate; rejuvenate your body; feed your adrenalin, unwind and relax; satisfy your craving for history and culture; and find out what's being celebrated and where.

BENJAMIN “BENJIE” LAYUG, an architect by profession (he finished his B. S. Architecture degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1982), is also a copy editor for two publishing houses; travel writer; blogger; architectural historian; author; concert. movie and musical reviewer (for www.pep.ph); and a motivational speaker.

As a free-lance travel writer, he has, in the past, contributed articles to Travel Update, Philippine Daily Inquirer, COLORS, TODAY, 7107 Islands Magazine, Business Day and Bluprint. He currently writes for Artplus Magazine and the Business Mirror.

He is also the author of the following travel books:

A Philippine Odyssey (New Day Publishers, 2005)
Pathfinder’s Travel Guide: Boracay (Great Books Trading, 2006)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches (New Day Publishers, 2007)
A Tourist to Notable Philippine Historical Landmarks, Monuments and Shrines (New Day Publishers, 2010)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Museums (New Day Publishers, 2012)

Some of his books now appear in the local library shelves of the National Library of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, University of Sto. Tomas, U.P. Diliman, Centro Escolar University, San Sebastian College, Miriam College, Silliman University, to name a few, as well as internationally at the National Library of Australia and the University of California Berkeley Library.

Now a senior citizen, he is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest, active travel blogger in the country today. He also has a lifestyle blog called F.Y.I.:Firing Your Imagination (www.firingyourimagination.blogspot.com). Benjie has traveled to two-thirds (53) of the country’s 81 provinces and over 20 countries in 4 continents.