This strip of islands in the southwest of the Philippines, surrounded by the West Philippine Sea and the Sulu Sea on either side, is an archipelago of its own. Islets of every size and terrain rest within her slender body, as her earthen pores open into lagoons and rivers that flow back to the vast seas. From being extolled as the last frontier of the Philippines to the countless times she was voted the world’s best island, Palawan has enchanted the whole world, ripe and ready to be explored.

So that’s what we set out to do. By bike, by boat, by seaplane—we take three different trips to the same lavish land and come out with three takes on what this beaut has to offer the traveler on the paths less traveled.

DOWN TO EARTH Nicolo Aberasturi schools us on regenerative agriculture and how we can grow our own food indoors.

SPIRITUAL SUSTENANCE Adrienne Dy heeds an expert’s botanical wisdom and explores the seamy underbelly of Quiapo’s alternative medicine market.

OF GODS & OF MEN Michelle Ayuyao travels to the Banaue Rice Terraces to explore the complex history of heirloom rice in the Philippines.

This issue, we ask ourselves: What makes a good life? The stories here show us the many and different roads to happiness, with very different characters all looking for a deeper meaning to what they do and finding inspiration along the way. The people of Escuela Taller not only work to preserve historic buildings, but they also ensure that they’re building lives while they’re at it. The volunteers of Waves For Water use travel as a tool to bring water to remote communities. An Ilongga looks to her hometown, and draws upon personal memory to build bridges towards the Iloilo of the present. We also have three local designers working against the tide of fast and easy fashion for a more meaningful cause. 

This issue, we celebrate the great outdoors and the way it challenges us. We scale the epic crags of Bukidnon with Kuya Mackie, a rock climbing veteran whose current mission is to establish the province as the new rock climbing capital of the Philippines. From those heights, we then find ourselves in the deep—or rather, we ask ourselves: What is it about freediving that compels people to go deeper? We meet with the freediving communities of Anilao, Cebu, and Panglao to find out. Finally, after the dust has settled from the first Philippine Surfing Championship Tour, the country’s first professional surf circuit, we recount its history and how this could be the spark that changes the image of the surfer as weekend warrior, to the surfer as athlete.

We make it a point to go off the beaten path, figuratively and literally, so you might say that our stories are always filed from our regular beat, which is outside the norm. But for us, the fringes still lie a bit more to the side of that. OFF off the beaten path, you might say. This is where the stories lie that might be on the verges of forgetting or incredulity. This issue, we take a look at stories and destinations that exist comfortably where nobody is looking, and thrive in that mysterious space.

As the centerpiece of this issue, this year’s GRID Expedition in the Visayas tells the story of our country’s marine protected areas. How its introduction in the late 1970s has led to the proliferation of our fisheries, and how its success ultimately hinges on the involvement of the communities directly affected by it. It is this same principle that has nonprofit organization Balyena.org returning to the Babuyan Islands year in and year out; that their mission to protect the marine species is interdependent on the well-being of the local residents.

Moving on to higher altitudes, we visit The Last Mambabatok in Kalinga and question the narrative, the romanticism, that surrounds our traditional tattoos. We ask: Can we truly earn our tattoos? Finally, in Maguindanao, a datu takes us through the province’s history and customs to offer a textured understanding of a place often reduced to a single story.

Think of travel, and you think of the things you do, the people you meet, the new experiences you have. But the place itself is the invisible and most important character in every journey. Place is not background; it is an active participant in the story. In GRID Vol. 2, we reflect on the role of the land in shaping the story, and in shaping all of us. To parse our relationship with the land is to answer the existential question: Why are we here?

This issue may not provide the answer, but we continue to ask questions through our stories—the journey of a healer in Puerto Princesa who walked the entire island; the seafarers and fisherfolk of Bantayan; and one artist's devotion to the marble island, Romblon, serving as his inspiration and his home. And in asking why we are here, we go on to peruse the places we choose not to leave.

This issue is ripe with aspiration—both in the stories that we tell and behind-the-scenes at GRID as well, where a shift has begun to take place.

We look inward to the nation’s sugarbowl, Negros Occidental, a place with an appetite that goes well beyond its past; the sugar fields of old giving way to a variety of organic crops. We also come to see the blossoming dream of Anthill Fabric Gallery’s Anya Lim, as our tradition of weaving lives on through the amiable weavers of Barangay Bulbulala, in Abra. Finally, we make the case to journey past Legazpi and Donsol, where Sorsogon steps into the spotlight and out of its neighbors' shadow.

This issue serves as a reminder that the places we visit are also places that other people call home. “Safe dito,” says the residents of Davao. More so than ever before, Davaoeños remain fiercely protective and proud of their hometown. We take a look at the place behind the man we call our new president. Taal Lake, on the other hand, has been a source of life to its residents for decades, centuries even, and yet the people who live beside it are still learning what it means to be the steward of one’s land. Finally, up in the Cordilleras, we find out that the secret behind the perfect cup of coffee begins with knowing the name of your coffee farmer.

In this issue, we revisit some familiar themes and places but we look at them in new ways, or deeper ways. We take a second look at Cebu and discover the fresh creative energy in the city, as well as look past the pristine beaches of Danjugan Island in Negros. And while we’re on the topic of going deeper, we also ask the uncomfortable questions surrounding the new wave of voluntourism.

ON THE COVER Mark Mabang, Elaine Abonal, Ziggie Gonzales, & Bea Vega by Fransico Guerrero

Paradise on the rocks

The grid sea to submit expedition

Fashion. Retro-inspired outfits perfect for lounging around in a classic vacation home.

Gear Guide. Going on a water adventure? Here are some items to take with you.

Parting Shot. Hanging out with Mike and his kids at the carnival.

GRID enters 2016 with an engaging cast of characters we'd like you to meet. There's lifelong nomad and adventurer Bruce Curran, who leads our crew on a two-wheeled road trip of discovery north of Metro Manila. There's also maverick meteorologist Mike Padua, a self-taught storm tracker who may be at the forefront of our defense against climate change.  Read, too, about the rapid gentrification of Kapitolyo, and what it may mean for all our small neighborhoods.

As often happens when the talk is about travel, we had a lot of opportunity for introspection these past few weeks.

The shy members of the GRID team (with the possible exception of executive editor-slash-TV-personality Paco Guerrero) are used to being behind the cameras and on the invisible end of the pen, but somehow we found ourselves on the other side, talking about ourselves and what we do, first on an episode of What I See, which is the show Paco hosts on CNN Philippines. We were ostensibly just collateral damage on a show about Paco’s work as a photographer, but the estimable producers asked us some pretty deep, soul- searching questions about GRID and why we do the things we do.

It was an experience echoed later when the prodigious filmmaker Lyka Gonzalez came aboard to work with us on a series of videos to accompany our cover feature. Why? she asked. Why did you choose these people for your list? What is the significance of what they do?

Skills, Paco answered. The people on this list give us skills and the means we can use to travel the country in more ways, in different ways, in arguably better ways.

And, of these people, why did we choose Fang-Od as our cover? That the venerable tattooist of Kalinga deserves the spotlight is no question. The recent flurry of attention around Fang-Od, the campaign to make her a National Artist (or, as the pending Senate resolution would have it, a National Living Treasure) isn’t even the reason she is the face of our list. By bringing indiginous culture to mainstream consciousness, she has helped the rest of the world see a fuller picture of the Philippines and our people. She has helped us understand ourselves a bit more fully.

The meaning of our lives is revealed in glimpses, through the reflections thrown back at us by the people we meet and the things we experience. By understanding other people, we see our place within our relationships with them, and we see our place in the world.

This month, our features are about disaster, disease, and warfare. 

What place does that have in a travel magazine? Well, linguists point out that travel and travail come from the same ancestor: travailen, travelen—which means to journey and to strive, but, tellingly, also to torment, and to labor. Writer Simon Winchester says that their root may go even deeper than that, and that the original word may have been the Latin tripalium, a weapon  for torture. And so etymology shows that travel was never meant to be easy. 

GRID has never been just about the pretty places and the “postcard-worthy” destinations. We’ve always promised our readers, and ourselves, that GRID was going to be about, well, love—love for places, yes, and also love for the people, and for the spirit and the story behind every destination. Love means looking deeper; it means not turning away. 

PEARL FARMERS | Read about the sprawling, epic story of an adventurous traveler, whose round-the-world journey in the 1970s took him from Britanny to Tahiti, and then to the Philippines' last frontier, all in search of the perfect pearl. 

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: the BIRDS' NEST GATHERERS of El Nido; a second look at TAGAYTAY; a first-timer's guide to MALASIMBO; car-camping with the TOYOTA FJ CRUISER.

GRID is a travel magazine that takes a deeper look at Philippine life and culture. Featuring work by the country's top writers and photographers, GRID is a smart, stylish, and substantial read—not just about the destinations, but about the people, events, and stories that make the Philippines such a unique place to live and travel in. It calls itself "a love letter to the Philippines," and its content shows a striking amount of heart and intelligence.

Grid issue 03, The Urban Travel issue featuring the best of Makati, Cebu and Dumaguete. The rise of the Cafe Racers. 4 women take a road trip.

THE WATER ISSUE | The fascinating story of one of the legendary divers from the Sama tribe in Davao, and of his friendship with an Austrian freediver who wants to unlock their secrets.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: The people who call BORACAY home; CORON is paradise lost and regained

Volume 07 2018

Volume 06 2018

Volume 05 2018

Volume 04 2017

Volume 03 2017

Volume 2 2017

Issue 01 2017

Issue 15 2016

Issue 14 2016

Issue 13 2016

Issue 12 2016

December 2015 - January 2016

October - November 2015

August - September  2015

June - July 2015

March - April 2015

More than a travel magazine, GRID is a love letter to the Philippines. Put together by the Philippines' best photographers, writers, and other artists, GRID is an invitation for you to see this complex, fascinating, and incredibly beautiful country in a unique way.

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GRID - Issue 01 2017

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