Philippine Travel Notes

'What is that place', you may be asking? My reply will probably be "yeah, what is that place" hehe! But I went to Dumaguit anyway, just curious, as that same question came to mind -- "ah what is that place"? How did this happen? Ah well, I was walking around Kalibo with nothing much or nothing 'major' to do one afternoon. I actually was to see the Sampaguita Gardens (New Washington) once again. To make me smile once more, at the countless toys, figurines, artworks, etcetera - the Precious Moments way. However, instead of a jeep bound for New Washington, first I saw already being boarded was going to Dumaguit. I asked the driver if I could take this ride just to the Sampaguita Gardens, since Dumaguit is (I learned) beyond that point. He said yes. I also asked what's there to see/do in Dumaguit for tourists. He shrugged and said there is a sea port but there are no ships today. I further asked what ships dock at that port and where from. ...

Its an OMG wonderful house inside the Sampaguita Gardens Resort. Even just from the outside, it already looks like a house from a fairy tale book. But this one is a real house, its just that its not a real home for a family, but home to thousands of Precious Moments dolls, figurines and the likes, that are either for sale or just for display for us to see and marvel about. Your heart will jump at the sight of so many interesting pieces, and you will agree with the owners… its Christmas everyday in this Christmas-colored house! But something else took my interest. The how and the why of this place. Thankfully, even for that, the staff are knowledgeable and can readily offer any information they know or are allowed to – which is quite a lot in the first place – so all the more that I got interested in asking so many questions! Let’s see what I can recall from these conversations… Who is Jojo? He is the Jojo Sonillo, president and of the resort and a friend of Samuel Butcher. He is the co...

You must have at least heard about this place, right? Its a wonderful real and fantasy land located in what you might consider a very unlikely place. And, if you get to hear the story of how Sampaguita Gardens came to be, the more that it will endear you. Call it a tourism and retirement industry reality. This is one proof that we never get to appreciate our very own backyards enough, than other people would. How did I know about this place anyway? I called up the governor’s office of the province of Aklan, to ask what else can I see in and around Kalibo since we were about to go watch the Ati-atihan before heading to Boracay. I was gladly told of many things, and Sampaguita Gardens was one of them. So I told my group we should check that out. And, there we went! Easy and wonderful trike trip from Kalibo to the town of New Washington. Just about 20 minutes away on mostly breezy beach and seascapes along the way. There are even resort-like restaurants by the roadside, though some were o...