For someone visiting an important nation like China, it is a must to make a stop in its most essential city, its capital, Beijing. Although our entry point and exit was Shanghai, we made sure that we can swing a trip to the capital. It was a long journey as we flew to Xi’an and …
Read more “First-time in the Forbidden City and other Beijing Sights”
China is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Xi’an is one of the early capitals of this great nation for several dynasties. The first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, was known as an effective general who later united the whole of China. He ruled in Xi’an. Apart from its glorious history, Xi’an was also …
One of the good things I enjoy in traveling is meeting new people along the way. May they be local residents or fellow travelers on the road, these persons I encounter in my journeys make my travels more colorful and memorable. I recently had a nine-day tour of China, from Shanghai to Xian to Beijing …
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 …
It’s the 4th of July. As much as it is part of American history, it extends to the shores of the Philippine islands. Yesterday, July 4, I went to a place of Filipino-American history, Corregidor Island, where both nations fought side by side. The first time I embarked on a trip to Corregidor Island, I …
My uncle arrived last night from Hong Kong. It was almost midnight, and though I wanted to exchange notes with him about his trip, I couldn’t help but doze off to sleep, and revisit my own Hong Kong adventures only in my dreams. The first time I visited Hong Kong, I entered by sea from …
The Lonely Planet blogsherpa’s blog carnival #4 has finally come. Hosted by GingerBeirut, our theme this time is Rubber Stamp or anything pertaining to “bizarre regulations, a border crossing, an airport experience, a description of local policing, how to deal with strange requirements, red tape, a chat with the law, etc.” and which I can …
Read more “First-time it happened: a trip I almost never made”
Every June 12 is the Independence Day of the Philippines. Over a century ago, the Philippine flag was first raised on this day. That flag finds its roots in Taal town in Batangas. The historic town of Taal, which is a three-hour drive from Manila, is a favorite destination of culture lovers and schools for educational …
Read more “Taal Town: birthplace of the maker of the first Philippine flag”
My trip this year to Cebu, particularly to Mactan, brought back memories of a luxurious stay I did three years back in another resort within the same island. It was a press event my former office organized for a client. We gathered media people from various countries in Southeast Asia and booked them in Shangri-la’s …
I was living in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2002, when the Japan/Korea World Cup fever swept Asia. It was the buzz wherever I went. Streets were usually deserted when a game was going on. Everywhere I went, I was seeing products and pictures with the FIFA World Cup logo or paraphernalia. When I was in Bangkok …
Read more “World Cup 2010 Fever: Is the Philippines Ready to Catch It?”
I had never been in a volcano crater before. And the first crater I had visited was the smallest volcano in the world, located within a lake: Taal Volcano. Two years back, my friends and I embarked on an adventure to this famous volcano. We made a side trip to Tagaytay City for lunch before …
…with interesting finds! When the third blog carnival of the Lonely Planet blogsherpas rolled out, hosted by Orange Polka Dot I picked from among my travels which best suited the topic of interesting finds in a market I’ve visited abroad. I browsed through my photos and I remembered a trip I made last year, when I visited four cities and …
Jala-jala is the local’s term for paradise and for those living in the province of Rizal in the Philippines, they regard Jala-Jala as the paradise tucked away in their province. Our office organized a volunteer activity that would take us to this little paradise. We had to meet up early morning last Saturday to embark …
After office yesterday, I went to the mall to meet a friend. I arrived early than our appointed time so I dropped by a bookstore to buy postcards and check on some books. I stopped by the magazine stand to browse the travel magazines on display. When I got hold of a particular magazine, I …
I have three best kept secret islands found in my country, the Philippines, but I’m letting these out of the bag. With more and more people traveling nowadays, getting to a place where others have never been before has become quite a challenge. As I become more connected with other travelers, I observe that those …
Read more “A First-time Traveler’s 3 Best Kept Secret Islands”