Overall the tour was an amazing tour. The tour leader Janet brought an enthusiastic vibe to the…read moretour, that lightened up the mood. Janet was a local of the slum, making everyone doing the tour feel like a local as well. She give us the opportunity to connect with the people that live there. Her ability to give information and knowledge to the people on the tour is extremely expansive. Everybody should go to the flagship Baseco tour.

From the owner: Our flagship tour is the Slum Tour in BASECO. Baseco is considered one of the poorest areas in…read moreMetro Manila. We also offer a Cemetery Tour, Market Tour and Family Tour. All our tours are guided by local Smokey Tours tour leaders, who are from the slums. This makes our tours sustainable by supporting the local community through Talent Development and Livelihood. Smokey Tours are not just bricks and mortar tours. We offer a special experience. Believing that deep experience equals deep insight. Our tours are unique and honest; a testimony of changing times and our global 'interconnectedness' It is possible to do two tours in one day, depending on the availability and tours of your choice.

My friends and I wanted to go to Mount Pulag, but we were very unfamiliar with Baguio. Also, as…read morelifelong city people, nature can be quite trying for us. As a result, we decided to enlist Travel Factor's services to help us navigate to the top of Mount Pulag I was very satisfied with Travel Factor's services. We were always on schedule. The guides were very knowledgeable, entertaining and were always prepared. They readily answered any questions that we might have had and were always careful to manage our expectations. What I appreciated most was that after a 6 hour overnight bus ride from Manila, followed by a 2 hour jeepney ride followed by 4 hours of walking uneven terrain, when we got to the camp site, all the tents were already prepared. While most of my comrades decided to explore the woods, I was just very thankful that I had a place to crawl in and sleep. The next best thing I appreciated was breakfast the next day. When we woke up, the guides already has instant noodles and champorado cooking over a small fire. After sleeping through almost freezing temperatures, it was definitely one of the best meals I've ever had in my life. In spite of my eternal crankiness, my Mount Pulag adventure was made memorable thanks to Travel Factor.

I'm all for solo travelling. Sometimes, it's difficult to wrangle up a group for just the right…read moretime and financial capacity to go on an out of town trip. And while it's great fun to travel with friends, my wanderlust sometimes just gets the better of me. This is why I'm so thankful I stumbled upon Travel Factor's site. They offer trips in and out of the country, with the best possible experiences and highlights. It's all for a reasonable price too! And it doesn't matter if you're alone, you can join a Travel Factor group and meet new people! For the adventurous (like me!), they offer hikes, spelunking, surfing packages, and backpacking trips. For a chill weekend, you could also join their food trips, bike sessions, or photography walks. Travel Factor takes care of everything for you on your trip so you don't have to worry about booking this tour or this hotel - it's all served on a silver platter and you can just sit back and enjoy the experience.

If you're from Quezon City and don't feel like making the trek to Makati for your fixed gear…read morebicycle needs, a trip to Built Cycles in Commonwealth is in order. While they don't have an inventory as varied as Tryon, they have more than enough accessories to take care of your random needs. The friendly staff immediately talks to you the moment you come inside the store. They'll ask you what you need and how they can help you out. The are the official distributor of Araya, a Japanese brand that specializes on bike rims. Built Araya bikes are also available with high end parts included such as Brooks saddles. For your fixie needs, they sell a combination of brand new and used Nitto accessories like handlebars and seatposts. They aren't just selling fixed gear bicycles. Mountain bikes of different shapes and sizes for every budget are readily available in-store.

One of the best tours I would have to say, having done this twice. The boat ride there is…read morecomfortable, the first time there was a large group of international travelers. On my second trip, there was a large contingent of college students from an all girls school. So folks are coming because they're all eager to learn. Tip - Charge and bring your Nikon, don't make that mistake. There will be plenty of killer shots to take. I came back to learn more and for the other fun things. I do enjoy the mini bus ride and tour guide explanations for everything. You get to leave the bus at certain points so that you can walk among the ruins. Be careful - if you have uncoordinated relatives or small kids, you need to accompany them because there are no guard rails in certain places. This reminded me a little of Chitchen Itza (Yucatan Peninsula). And of course - there is a buffet lunch at the hotel which is nice. Warning - You may feel a little sluggish after this big meal as you continue to tour the island. And by the time you get back to Manila and drive home - it's an all day affair and you'll feel somewhat tired. In summary, if you're into history and can take in large amounts of information and process it accordingly this trip is for you. If you get into WW2 data points, you will really enjoy this. If you don't get into history but like a nice relaxing boat ride and tour with a huge buffet lunch - you'll have a great time nonetheless. The fresh air alone and the views will have you coming back with other touristy visitors.

The first time I heard about Corregidor Island was when I was about to board a boat to go there. I…read morehave to admit, I'm not exactly a history buff. That was the one class that I just couldn't get excited about. Fourth period History class mean Fourth period nappy nap time for Jamie. As I got older though, I developed an appreciation for history. I'm still not well-versed in World War 2 facts, but all the little stories that have Corregidor Island as a back drop make me feel more intrigued. For instance, the famous "I shall return" quote from General MacArthur was made on this island. Also, there was a Japanese cemetery that was found here decades later only after a picture was seen at a garage sale in the US. Interesting stuff. The tour around the island gave insight on the battles here. From seeing Battery Way and all the dilapidated barracks, all of it is quite amazing being there and realizing what happened but just a few years ago. While I wasn't really looking forward to this part of my first trip to the Philippines in ages, I am certainly glad I went. And, when I do go back to the Philippines, I can't wait to make another stop on Corregidor Island.

This one is another famous biker's spot to eat in San Mateo, Rizal, a not so distant area from…read moreMetro Manila. It is located right after you pass the mountain bike trails of Timberland Heights. I used to hear this place from my dad and brother before, when they were still active in mountain biking and I never thought that I would also be able to park a bike here with my fellow bike friends. It was only 2013 when I started biking, the same year when my friends and I had a bike trip through Timberland Heights. Our goal was simply to reach Giant Cycling Station and Eatery and have some 'breakfast of the champions' kind of breakfast. It was not really easy to reach there because we literally had to go through a mountain and a really muddy bike trail. We were all stingy, dirty and hungry when we reached Giant. It is just a small sari-sari store with a dining area on the side, their order system is much like of the "ituro mo, iluluto ko" in Dampa, only that you can only choose from different selections of canned goods; and when I say selection, I mean from local to imported canned goods. I was actually surprised to see Delimondo and Libby's Corned Beef, Spam and other imported canned goods along with the local ones. I think it is the only sari-sari store in San Mateo that offer such imported goods. Biker's spots and eateries are usually just about foods like these. Nothing really special, but made special because of the trip that a biker endures before he reaches a good place to stop over. It's rare that you will see a group of bikers eating in fancy restaurants, they would normally go for the cowboy style of eating in karinderya and other hole in the wall spots within an area.

Ive known them for so long. Good bike shop. Good owner. Lots of stocks . No frills no thrills bike…read moreshop in Makati.

Okay, let's get the obvious out of the way. Endless Bike Shop is located at the less fashionable…read moreside of Makati. It's open air, and it honestly looks like a streetside car repair shop. Now if you're the kind of biker that gets turned off by such details, then this isn't the bike shop for you. However, if you're looking for incredible value, a great selection of bike parts that's well within your budget, backed up by skilled mechanics, then Endless is the place for you.

A good friend asked me to accompany him to buy his very first folding bike. I personally do not…read moreknow anything about folding bikes, but only mostly about mountain bikes because I used to ride one. Braving the trip to Quezon City, we left early, hoping to have lunch at nearby Maginhawa. We got there and we were amazed to see that even if it was relatively early, the shop was already packed with customers, staff busy tuning and attending to customers who came before us. Our turn came and one of the staff keenly listened to my friend's specifications and concerns. After about 10 minutes, the boxes arrived and despite asking for a certain color, he brought another color as option. Good thing he did so because my friend chose the second bike. Haha! We could have assembled it ourselves if we knew how, but they gladly did it for us. We were so giddy while waiting for the bike to be finished that the gentleman in charge gave us a generous discount. We felt so accomplished after with the newly bought bike, and had extra cash from the discount enough to buy both of us a full meal.

Glorious Ride Bikeshop in Sikatuna is the best all-purpose bike shop in Quezon City. They…read morespecialize a bit more on mountain and trail bikes, but they carry road gear and accessories as well. The store looks deceptively small from the outside. Once you step inside however, you'll be left speechless as you're greeted with a visual feast of bike parts and accessories. The staff are courteous and will immediately greet and assist you. What I like about them is that they are genuinely helpful. They don't follow you around making you feel like a criminal. The store has three floors. The ground is dedicated to small parts and accessories like saddles, action cams, cranksets and others. This is where they service and assemble bikes too. The second floor acts as the stock room for built bikes, while the last floor is dedicated to a wide array of bike helmets and shoes. Check them out!

If you're in Manila and want to try your hand in riding a fixed gear bike or have yours repaired,…read morethere's only one place to go to - Tryon Riders. Tryon is located in J.P. Rizal Avenue, Makati. It's a bit easy to miss so while on the road, look for a big poultry egg shop on your left. Yes, you can't miss it with those visuals. Tryon has something for everyone. Whether you're a beginner (like me) riding fixed for the very first time, or a veteran in the fast world of single gears, the friendly and knowledgeable staff of Tryon is there to help you out. There are products to suit every budget, from generic frames from China, to DosNoventa frames in the 6-figures. One of the most amazing things about them is that you can pay via PayPal, so if you're a bit wary of bringing too much cash, you can opt to pay online or via your credit card. However, paying in cash nets you a discount so there's that.