Tag: travel
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First-time in the Forbidden City and other Beijing Sights
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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…
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First-time in Xi’an
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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…
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Encounters in China
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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…
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First-time at the foot of Mt. Halcon
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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.…
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First-time to Tour Corregidor Island
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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…
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First-time in Lantau Island
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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,…
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Travel Lesson: The Passport Mistake That Almost Ruined My Trip
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There are travel stories you remember because they are beautiful. Others stay with you because they are terrifying at the time but hilarious years later. This travel lesson came from one of my most nerve-racking airport experiences. An overlooked passport expiration date almost stopped me from boarding my flight to Macau. The…
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Taal Town: birthplace of the maker of the first Philippine flag
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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…
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First-time in Shangri-la Mactan Resort and Spa
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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…
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World Cup 2010 Fever: Is the Philippines Ready to Catch It?
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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. …
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First-time in Taal’s Crater
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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…
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First-time inside Cambodia’s markets
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…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…
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First-time in Jala-Jala, Rizal
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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…
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First-time to be in a Travel Magazine
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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…
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First-time I captured the sun setting
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I spent an afternoon with a visiting cousin and got us a chance to witness the natural beauty of the sunset at Manila Bay. She and her parents were scheduled to go home to Bacolod the day after so I decided to take her to the biggest mall in the…