This week-long rain is putting a damper on my spirits; it’s as if the sun decided to hide for a bit to make us realize our transgression of complaining about her heat and glare. We’ll never win, I guess. But, to pick myself up, let me just hark back on that day I spent walking around and about Arashiyama in Kyoto, Japan.
Continue reading “[JP18] Arashiyama, Kyoto: Around and About”
As I was going through my Camiguin blog series, a lot of thoughts were running through my head, and one of the most persistent was the idea of whether I could ever really come back. Because I know I (well, we) kinda resolved to climb Mt. Hibok-Hibok “next time”. But you know how Pinoys are (or humans, in general) when it comes to “next time”. Will I ever get to climb it, or will she be one of those “that got away”?
Continue reading “Wrapping Up Camiguin: Why You Should Visit (…and where to eat)”
The heat was indeed ON in Saigon when we were there. Literally. It was quite a pleasant surprise to find that the City I originally only identified with the Cameron Macintosh musical actually has a lot to offer. It’s easy to get lost in images of “Platoon” and other Vietnam War movies and completely forget the fact that Ho Chi Minh is a progressive and thriving city that is definitely worth your while. Continue reading “Exploring Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (And Why You Should Visit)”
I used to feel strange hearing and reading about people in other parts of the world welcoming summertime around June every year, considering that is when the rainy season begins in my country. But the climate is messed up right now, so the heat (ignoring the fact that the downpours are becoming more frequent during the daytime) kinda makes me feel like it’s still summer out here. Certainly, it is as hot as the time we were out an about, exploring Hanoi, Vietnam.
Continue reading “Exploring Hanoi, Vietnam (and why you should visit)”
It’s time to wrap up my blogging spree on the glorious city that is Kyoto. It’s also an excuse to take a break from going through the tons of photos I took from my recent trip to South Korea. 🙂 In a nutshell, Kyoto is one of those places that can frustrate you. Because you thought you saw a lot of it already, only to realize you haven’t even scratched the surface. I tell ya, that type of frustration is something that makes me wish I can hop on the next available flight and go there again.
Continue reading “Bauko, Mt. Province Pt 4: Pre-Begnas Activity Photodiary”
Ah, Osaka. For a non-Japanese like me, it invokes many random things. Okonomiyaki. Universal Studios Japan. (Now) Harry Potter in Japan. Kanjani8. (Haha!) But after this trip, it has become yet another one of those “places I want to go back to”. Because there are just sooooo many other places that are worth checking out, but I couldn’t because of the lack of time.
After four times of saying “Ohayou, Tokyo!” out loud, I had to say “Mata ne, Tokyo!” on morning of November 28 as I took the first shinkansen trip from Tokyo to Osaka. I left Tokyo with the knowledge that, someday soon, I will come back and check out the places I wasn’t able to. Tokyo Disneyland, perhaps. Maybe have a HanaDan moment at Ebisu, or go around Ropponggi. Darn, I haven’t even gone around Shinjuku! And, most importantly, I have to climb Mt. Fuji. THAT is an absolute must. So never a “Sayonara~”, just “See You Again~”. Continue reading “Tokyo, Japan 2014: Mata ne, Tokyo!”
It’s been a long series of posts (haha!) but I’ve finally come to the end of my South Korea series. I had to take several (long) breaks in between, but let’s just say that was my way of stalling having to say goodbye to this chapter of my wandering soul, so to speak. (And, oh, Ohayou from Kyoto! We’re seeing CNBLUE live in concert this evening, so this is a fitting post, don’t you think?)
One sure sign that you truly enjoyed an experience: you have a hard time letting go of it. I was randomly going through the photos uploaded by others who were with us during the Ambuklao Adventure III last October 24 to 26, and I just knew this deserved a third post, if only to wrap it up. This photodiary will never do justice with the amount of fun we had during this enriching experience, but I hope it shows, even just a little, how much it did.
Continue reading “Ambuklao Adventure III: A Photodiary”
There is something to be said about going to a large aquarium: it effectively shoves in your face the reality that there is an entirely different universe under the water that you never knew existed. No, not even if you read about them in books or see them immortalized on celluloid and rendered on film. You realize how there are sooooo many species in this world, and Homo sapiens is ONLY ONE of them. I find that quite humbling.
Continue reading “South Korea Pt 20: Droppin’ "JAWS" at the Busan Aquarium”
Bright and waaaay early, we woke up so we can cram as much as we can on our last day in “dynamic” Busan. After getting directions for the hotel concierge, we took a not-so-short walk to the bus stop and took a bus to our first destination for the day: the Haedong Yonggungsa or the Haedong Yonggung Temple.
Continue reading “South Korea Pt 19: Chill Time at Haedong Yonggungsa, Busan”
In honor of CNBLUE, a band that is closely identified with Busan, I am picking up what is remaining of my South Korea travel posts.
Busan is the second-largest metropolis in South Korea, second only to Seoul. However, when it comes to land area, Busan trumps Seoul, having a land area of 767.35 sq km to the capital city’s 605.21. Anyway, my point is… it’s huge, and we only had a couple of days, tops, to spend on it. It is yet another injustice that I hope to rectify in the future. God (and budget) willing.
Continue reading “South Korea Pt 18: Sun & Fun in Haeundae Beach, Busan”
Growing up, my perception of “family trips” involved going to my folks’ hometown and visiting the grandparents. That’s it. We were never big on family outings, or hitting the beach, or even going out on picnics. So this trip to Hong Kong, with me and my parents (and Aunt in tow) is, to say the least, one for the books. It’s also something I look forward to repeating soon, real soon.
Remember in my Victoria Peak post where I mentioned about camera battery draining, with the spare battery left at the hotel? So I had to make do with my phone’s less-than-stellar camera to take whatever pix I can when we went down to Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum? I forgot to mention that, at the time, my camera’s battery was also slowly draining, no thanks to the cold weather. Ya feel my predicament?
Continue reading “HK ’11: Madame Tussaud’s & Wrapping Up Hong Kong”
From the many blogs that I’ve read by Cebu-based bloggers, it is clear that Cebu has a lot to offer, many of them still pretty much obscure and relatively unexploited-slash-undiscovered. But for us Cebu non-experts, there are certain things that we instantly associate with the place. “Queen City of the South”. Spanish-era churches. Excellent singers. Dried mangoes.
Magellan’s Cross. Shamrock. Danggit. These three are what this post is all about. Continue reading “Cebu: Three Staples”
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