“Selamat Datang/Welcome. Melaka World Heritage City. Declared by UNESCO on 7th July 2008.” These are the words I saw on a wall as we entered the central part of Melaka. Malacca, a historic state in Malaysia, used to be a Sultanate which was conquered by the Portuguese in 1511. It was later under the Dutch …
Cultural performances, heritage tours, and shadow puppet plays. Thrissur is the cultural hub of Kerala, India; our sixth destination during our Kerala Blog Express Season 4. After our Munnar adventures in the upland (READ: Munnar: Chilling in the Mountains), we went back for a day at Kochi before we headed northward to Thrissur. Our heritage …
The last time I traversed the southern portion of the Iloilo province, as far as I can remember, was when I was in 6th grade during our educational trip. I know that there are wonderful old churches and heritage sites in this part of Panay Island and I was excited that we would be taking …
When the shuttle service we took from the airport dropped us in front of our hotel, I admit I was a bit disoriented. The first signs I saw were Gucci and Louis Vuitton and I thought there must be some mistake. But as I scanned the area the second time around, I saw Grand Windsor …
Read more “First-time in Grand Windsor Hotel Auckland: Unparalleled Sophistication”
Oslob is not just a place where you can watch or swim with the whale sharks (Read: Guidelines in Whale Shark Watching in Oslob). There’s definitely more to Oslob than meets the eye. There’s neighboring Sumilon Island, which is a boat away from the town. Then there’s Tumalog Falls and Mainit Sulfuric Hot Spring, but …
I have seen its façade four years ago for I have been to the building just across the street. This year, I finally had the chance to enter the Lanna Folklife Museum in Chiang Mai where it documents the way of living of ancient Northern Thai tribes. We began our walk down history lane at …
Amid the darkened sky and the impending rain, the heritage homes in Silay City — dubbed in olden days as the Paris of Negros Occidental, a province in the Philippines — stood proud as they showed off marks of endurance that withstood the ruthlessness of tropical weather and viciousness of conflict and the changing times. …
Read more “First-time Around Silay: Admiring its Historical and Heritage Buildings”
Having worked in the city of Manila, I have passed by the Rizal Memorial Stadium several times without even glancing at the old structures of the complex. I have watched several sports events in this same complex, but I was more engrossed on the game than on my surroundings. Not until I was on a …
Read more “The story of the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium”
I have visited the town of San Teodoro in Oriental Mindoro several times. But I have not ventured anywhere near the foot of Mt. Halcon, where we have a possible site for volunteer vacations. The one I did there the last time was mangrove tree planting in its coastal area. At Wednesday morning, I agreed …