About Us

We are Leo and Nina Castillo, the Shoestring Travelers. We both were born and grew up in Metro Manila, Philippines. Leo used to work as a civil-structural engineer and Nina as a certified public accountant but left their jobs to work for a Christian organization where we met. As a married couple we have traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia and beyond and lived in the U.S. for almost 3 years – all part of our work with our former organization.

We returned to our home country in 2008 and continued our travels to various destinations in the Philippines. This blog is a reflection on our present and past travels and how travel has widened our horizons and broadened our understanding of various cultures.

27 thoughts on “About Us”

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  3. Hi Guys,
    Thanks for taking the time to stop by my little corner of the Blogosphere and for the follow. Your support is greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoyed you visit and look forward to seeing more from you.
    Have a great weekend, 
    Eddie

    Reply

  8. I checked out your blog today and looked at your photos from Palawan. It is such a beautiful island with a very dark past. If you make it back soon, could you post some photos from the World War II prisoner of war camp? I had a friend who was one of the very few who survived that camp and lived to the ripe age of 92. God Bless, R.I.

    Reply

    1. Thanks for visiting our blog! We know about the massacre of prisoners that took place there in 1944. Your friend was one of the 11 who survived (out of 150). The camp is actually located inside the capital city of Puerto Princesa so it’s not hard to find. We’ll try to visit it when we pass by this city but right now tourism travel in our country is restricted because of Covid-19.

      Reply
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  12. I found your blog while looking for an old friend whose family name is Tuazon and lived in Pateros. We met in Manila Science High School and were classmates in high school and in college but we lost touch. I wonder if you can give me some pointers on how to find her.
    As an expat who tries to keep my connections to the Philippines over the last 40 years, I find your writeup on Pateros really interesting. Your description of some of the house reminds me of my grandpa’s house in Laguna. I will try to visit Pateros on my next visit.
    Thank you again for taking the time to share your travel experiences.

    Reply

    1. Hi May! Thanks for visiting our blog. I am related to the Tuazons. One of my father’s aunts married one of them and I personally know several of them. Also Pateros is such a small town that practically all of the original inhabitants know each other. What is the first name of your friend? I’ll try to see how you can get in touch with her.

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      1. Thanks for your prompt reply. Really appreciate it. Her first name is Luningning. Araceli, Luningning and myself were friends from when we were 13 years old till graduation from College of the Holy Spirit.
        Many thanks again!

  13. We have been liking each other’s post for some time but when I checked here, I never got to acknowledge your wonderful stories and photos and for liking mine. Thank you for sharing and may you continue happily with your travel adventures. Virtual hugs!

    Reply

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