MCOnline: En route to the Spice Islands

1480-1521 Portugal. Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan set out from Spain in 1519 with a fleet of five ships to discover a western sea route to the spice islands. En route, he discovered what is now known as the Strait of Magellan and became the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean. On March 6, 1521 the expedition landed on the island of Guam and ten days later the fleet dropped anchor on the Philippine island of Cebu. The rest is history and the Spaniards colonized the Philippines. The explorer was only 400 miles from the Spice Islands of Indonesia when he met with the Chief of Cebu and was hit with a poisoned arrow and left to die.

Next Blog: Modern Day Cebu

MCOnline: Magellan's Compass

Look for my new series titled Magellan's Compass, focusing on exploration of what I believe is the truly undiscovered Philippine Islands. I will bring to you lifestyle, adventure, cuisine, pop culture, spirituality and special events in the region. I am dedicated to bridging east and west and spotlighting stories that inspire, touch lives and bring interest back to the country.

Who am I? I am a writer, adventurer, entrepreneur, husband and father dedicated to bringing to the world the best the Philippines has to offer. I was born in the Philippines but lived in the United States since the age of 3. I returned to the Philippines when I was 26 to help build a resort on one of the worlds best beaches, Boracay Island. Now I'm excited and passionate about sharing the secrets of beauty, hospitality, serenity, adventure, spirtuality, and human stories that I have been fortunate to discover and learn from in the Philippines..... "sometimes a world away can as close as you want it to be".

Next Blog: How it all started.

White Sand Beach - Boracay

Boracay has some of the softest, finest, white sand you will ever seen in the world. A coral reef surrounds the island and the the natives say that the tide washes on the shore to cleanse the beach like a natural eco-system.

Flashback

Sometimes your whole life boils down to one insane move....dare to live! The year was 1996 and I was 27 years old. My parents had asked me to leave my life and job in L.A. To help build and market a resort on a tiny island in the South Pacific called Boracay Island. A German writer had popularized it in the early seventies and it was voted the #1 tropical beach in the world 3 times and most recently by travel and leisure magazine. Now returning after 14 years the once virgin island of white sand swaying palms and crystal waters has become one of the hottest destinations in Asia. Traveled to predominantly by Europeans, Canadians, Austalians, Koreans, Japanese, Chinese and ex-pats from America, the island hosts an array of establishments from 3 Diamond rating (Seabird) to 5 diamond luke Shangri-La. Check us out on the web for current rates and availability. For reviews got TripAdvisor or Yahoo travel.