Author: Claire Algarme
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2011 Travel Highlights
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While excitement at work kicked in pretty hard for me in 2011, it also hindered me to do a lot of exploring outside of my job description and workplace. It’s a good thing though that despite the demands of my job, I was able to do a bit of traveling last…
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Three-hour drive to Baguio
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Baguio, the summer capital of the Philippines and located in the mountainous region in the north, is a favorite destination of residents of Manila and nearby towns. It is about six hours from Manila by private vehicle or non-stop bus, and can even exceed if one will ride the regular…
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First-time in Kanlaon
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Mt. Kanlaon is shrouded in mystery. I grew up hearing tales of hermits, fairies and other enchantments that happen around the tallest peak in the island of Negros. This same volcano divides the eastern part of Negros from its western counterpart, represented by the two provinces of Negros Occidental and…
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My Comfy and Suite Stays in Bangkok
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I was recently back in Bangkok for the Asia-Pacific Leadership Conference of various Habitat for Humanity offices in the region. Yes, it’s back to business trips for me. Not that I abhor going abroad for work. There were certainly some perks, like fewer expenses. Yet, most of the time, days…
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Shopping in Bangkok
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Bangkok is the first city outside my own country that I have ever visited. Now, it’s the most-visited city for me. Although shopping is not really at the top of my agenda when visiting Bangkok, I couldn’t help but put it on my itinerary. For those who are after cheap…
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First-time in Chiang Mai’s markets
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I was in the plane this morning en route to Bangkok, Thailand. The people at the other side of my aisle were chatting, asking questions about each other. Of course, one question was on where the other was heading. The Australian lady told the Filipino guy that she and her…
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First time in Casablanca
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It’s neither the one in Morocco nor the hotel in New York. It’s not even the movie. It’s the private resort along the National Highway of Tagaytay City, the Philippines that has a breathtaking view of the smallest volcano in the world, Taal. The infinity pool gives a visual effect…
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Hibernation
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Nothing can be sadder for a traveler than to be trapped in his or her work cubicle while the world beckons to be explored. I think that’s one of the reasons why I’ve been restless these days. Apart from the extent of work, our office has limited our access to…
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First-time Religious Visits in KL
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It was Holy Thursday and families in the Philippines were trooping to the churches to witness the reenactment of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. Since I was a kid, it has been our tradition to visit Catholic churches at this time of the year. We call it Visita Iglesia. This…
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Travelers and their “Firsts”
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It has taken me a few more days to put this together due to some late submissions and my increased work load in my day job. I couldn’t accommodate more submissions though because I have set a deadline. I hope you enjoy whatever I have compiled in this blog carnival…
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Lonely Planet Bloggers 1st E-Book Launched!
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Two Filipinas are part of this initiative! Blogging started out for me as a passion for writing. Since travel is what I love most, I focused on writing about my trips and travel experiences. Little did I know that one day, my blog will become part of the Lonely Planet…
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First-time in a Fam Trip
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It has been months since I’ve been to a familiarization trip or a fam trip. I was chosen as one of the 12 finalists of the Medical Tourism Blog Contest organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. But I got busy with the competition that I missed posting my experience…
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First-time in Langkawi, Malaysia
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The Adventure It was past 10:00 pm and we just had finished our meal at Marry Brown, inside Kuala Lumpur’s Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT). My friend, Karen, and I, were surfing through our individual laptops, trying to find a way out of our situation. You see, our trip to…
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Unique, varied observance of Holy Week in the Philippines
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Below is a News Release of the Philippine Department of Tourism. Lent in the Philippines is usually observed through weekly fastings and abstinence, penitence as well as the traditional passion plays or senakulo, panata, via crucis, visita iglesia and the pabasa in most barangays or villages in every town and city. …
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First-time in Putrajaya
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The last time I was in Malaysia, I learned that Putrajaya was a thriving place because it is now considered as the country’s administrative capital, housing the offices of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and the Ministers of the different departments in the executive branch of their government. This…