Enzo's Travel Journals

The Philippines is known for having the best (and longest) Christmas celebrations in the world. Our cherished traditions include Simbang Gabi and caroling of youth groups at neighborhoods. But did you know that we also have a unique Christmas tradition in this Southeast Asian archipelago? This is  Panunulúyan , or  Panulúyan  in short,  which is a dramatization of the events leading up to the first Christmas in Bethlehem, as well as the nativity scene itself. A lineup of the characters that led the  Panunulúyan  on the evening of Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024. Taken with permission. For this year, I traveled a hundred kilometers south of the capital Metro Manila to  Ibaan , a small town in the province of  Batangas , for our annual holiday visit with our family and some of my friends in the province.  The Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of St. James the Greater , a Spanish colonial-era church founded in 1832, is the main focus of this blog...

Back when I was a child, my parents would bring me to parish churches early in the morning to take part in an early church service in the days leading up to Christmas. This is Simbang Gabi , a centuries-old tradition that forms an important part of celebrating the yuletide season in the Philippines. Held before dawn from December 16 to 24, this is something that we, Filipinos, and as a Roman Catholic myself, cherish. It is believed that one devotee who completes the traditional nine-day novena will make his/her wishes granted. Christmas decorations illuminate the sanctuary of the Manila Cathedral before the pre-dawn Mass of Simbang Gabi in December 2023.

Happy Friday the 13th! For those frequent viewers of my blog and my YouTube videos, you may remember when I published my June 2023 flight review on Cebu Pacific to Japan last November 2024 and other Cebu Pacific blogs in this site. Here we are again, onboard the Philippines' leading low-cost airline back home after my mom's sojourn autumn trip to Tokyo. Notes: This is a personal blog on our travel experience and is neither promoted nor endorsed by Cebu Pacific. See  this link  for the previous trip report on Jetstar. The author of this blog did not board this flight. Rather, my mom represented me due to my school classes. Exchange rates between currencies are as of December 2024: 1 Philippine peso = 0.0172 USD and 2.58 JPY.

At the end of November 2024, my mom, who, by the way, took this flight due to my school classes, flew on Jetstar to Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Will this live up to her expectations? Read further to know more. Let's hop on the plane to a vibrant autumn adventure ahead! Jetstar is a multinational low-cost carrier based in Australia, with subsidiaries in Singapore (3K) and Japan (GK). It predominantly operates a fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft. Jetstar Japan, its Tokyo-based subsidiary, is the main focus of this blog. Notes: This is a personal blog on our travel experience and is neither promoted nor endorsed by Jetstar. The author of this blog did not board this flight. Rather, my mom represented me due to my school classes. Exchange rates between currencies are as of December 2024: 1 Philippine peso = 0.0172 USD and 2.58 JPY.