My eTRAVELdiary

On A Rainbow: join on the journey to London 2012 Olympics

2011-10-23T01:15:00.004+01:00

Free visit to Japan...but blog it!

2011-10-21T07:06:00.005+01:00

TWO WEEKS AGO, IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT JAPAN TOURISM AGENCY (JTA) is giving out 10,000 free tickets to travel to Japan next year. After the earthquake devastation early this year, Japan is offering free roundtrips to boost its tourism industry which is badly affected by the fear of radiation and regular earthquakes.

But there is a twist! Applicants are required to write in details their travel plans, including an explanation what they expect from the trip. Selected applicants are expected to finance their own meals and accommodation. Finally, they are required to blog or post on line a review of their travel experiences. Aspiring applications could begin signing up as early as next April 2012.

For more details, regularly check the official website of Japan Tourism Agency.

UPDATES: (Source - JTA, 14 October 2011). According to JTA, this initiative still under review of the Japanese government and no definite approval yet. If this iniative is approved, JTA will officially announce on its website and thru the local Japan National Tourism Organization on Facebook (http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/fb/index.html) . It is also reported of some frauds related to this promotional travel.

A moment in time - with the beautiful ladies

2011-09-25T02:02:00.017+01:00

INSPIRED BY ONE OF THE BLOGGERS, this is sharing my special moment, a time to reflect of the rare moments in the past, something special or extraordinary that I wanted to share with my readers.

Some people are really lucky to have beautiful bodies, and with talents as well. I had the chance to meet the reigning Miss Philippines- Universe 2011, Shamcey Supsup during our alumni homecoming last May 2011. Her mother is one of the alumni of my postgrad university, Asian Institute of Technology. She was invited by her mother to be the guest in our raffle draw promo. Shamcey was also chosen as the 3rd runner-up in the recent Miss Universe 2011 held San Paolo, Brazil last 12 May 2011.

Another beauty is the 2010 Miss World, Ms. Sandra Mills from USA. I was in PICC for the regular Sunday church service when I met this tall, slim beauty holder. She was there in the preparation for this year's Miss World Philippines pageant where she is one of the guests of the show held last weekend (September 18).

These are rare moments with the beautiful people... But remember that being beautiful or gorgeous is not based in our physical appearance alone, our inner personality also counts. We are beautiful people in our very own special way!

My homecoming... a new local travel opportunity

2011-09-01T00:24:00.000+01:00

THIS IS MY FIRST JOURNAL AFTER MY return to my home country, the Philippines last May 2011. After 5 years living abroad, I decided to go back to Manila and continue to practice my profession in the protection, conservation and preservation (even utilization in a sustainable way) of the country's natural resources.

I joined an American firm that provides consulting services in various sectors: mining, construction, real estate, government, etc. For the past three months, I have already involved in different projects that focus on mining exploration, watershed management, water and air quality monitoring, water and waste utilization.

I already toured around Metro Manila and its neighbouring towns and cities. Visiting the Philippine islands is exciting - meeting with interesting people; encountering new culture; exploring stunning landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes; watching live entertainment events/shows; and most importantly reconnecting with relatives and old friends!

My current officework entails travels to other regions in the country and I will feature some of them in my future journals. Expect more images of my local travels!

TITANIC turns 100: truly made in Belfast (Northern Ireland)

2011-05-02T22:38:00.024+01:00

THIS YEAR IS THE CELEBRATION OF THE 100th anniversary of the liner. Titanic 100 is part of the annual festival launched on 31 March 2011 and will end in 31 May. The main highlight of the festival includes an exhibition showcasing the work of RJ Welch - the official photographer for Harland and Wolff (the company who built the ship), where huge framed photos on display in the ciy hall grounds of Belfast.

Belfast is the only city in the world that celebrates significant centennial anniversaries/events in relation to Titanic. Aside from the launch of RM Titanic on 31 May 1911, the other two anniversaries include: the opening of the Thompson Dry Dock (1 April 1911) and the launch of Nomadic (25 April 1911).

This 2-month festival also features SS Nomadic with a second exhibition at the city hall that focuses on the ship's contruction and the current restoration programme, including rare artefacts from both the tender and the White Star Line.

The Titanic Memorial is also found within the ground of Belfast City Hall which is dedicated to those people (1,517) who died in the disaster on 14 April 1912.

DID YOU KNOW THAT (source: Northern Ireland Tourist Board)... the first class cuisine on Titanic matched the world's finest restaurants and hotels. First class diners enjoyed 11 course meals, with wine served for nearly every course. You can enjoy a recreation of the last first class menu at the Rayanne House guesthouse in Holywood (Northern Ireland) and discover its fascinating link to Titanic. In addition, a state-of-the-art 6-storey building, Titanic Belfast will be opened in April 2012 - the centennary celebration of the ship's maiden voyage!

If you are interested to find more of the forthcoming events, visit GotoBelfast and DiscoverNorthernIreland websites.

The Catacombs: An underground tourist attraction in Paris

2011-05-01T21:48:00.004+01:00

PARIS IS WELL KNOWN AS THE CITY OF LOVE, CITY OF MADNESS and the City of Lights. But on the other hand, it is also the city of secrets - it has a darker side that lies beneath its surface.

The Catacombs occupies abandoned quarries located 20 metres beneath the ground of the city. It served as an alternative burial location when the city suffered from serious diseases and famine in the years leading up to the French revolution. Between 1785 and 1787, remains from various cemeteries were removed and then skeletons were sorted and neatly stacked according to type. The transfer of human remains from other urban burial sites continued until 1870s and the Catacombs became the final resting place of an estimated 6 million former Partisans.

Paris Catacombs is modelled after the Roman Catacombs covering a surface of 11,000 square metres, the labyrinth of corridors open to the public is 1.7 km long, but the collective reach of the networks of underground tunnels is approximately 300 km. To date, it is a popular tourist attraction which opens from Tuesday to Sunday (10am to 5pm, 4pm is the last admission) with a minimal entrance fee.

I visited Paris in September 2008 and the Catacombs is one of the must-see tourist attractions at the City of Lights!

FOR MORE INFO ON PLACES TO VISIT IN PARIS, PLEASE CLICK HERE...

A glimpse of Prince William and Kate's royal wedding

2011-04-29T22:33:00.002+01:00

A final walk after their wedding vows inside Westminster Abbey, London, UK
The first kiss happened at Buckingham Palace Balcony
Finally, the second kiss of the newly-wed couple which brought the crowd to cheers!

Performing Arts: A new trend why I travel around...

2011-04-20T12:50:00.025+01:00

ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS I ENJOYED TRAVELLING IS WATCHING LIVE PERFORMANCES. During the past years, I already watched more than a couple of dozens of live events and theatrical productions - from West End to Broadway, from the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila to the Grand Opera House in Belfast.

Aside from visiting museums, monuments, heritage sites or places with tourist interest, I do love to attend or watch musicals, festivals and concerts. This is another way of embracing the beauty of travelling thru performing arts which allows tourists, travellers and the like to experience the host's art and culture - showcasing real talents of the locals and to some extent our very own Filipino performers.

Some of these musicals that I watched in the past include: Miss Saigon, Phantom of Opera, Titanic, West Side Story, Footloose, Sound of Music, Les Miserables, Billy Elliot, and live performances include: Enrique Iglesias concert, Blue concert, Michael Learns to Rock, WestLife, BackStreet Boys, U2, Kylie Minogue, etc.

BILLY ELLIOT. One of the best and entertaining musicals ever that Ive watched in West End. The choreography, the cast, the music and of course the talented portrayal of Leon Cooke as Billy. An adaptation from the film of the same title, a story of the young boy who wants to make a difference and making his life meaningful at the end. Determination and support from parents are the key to success, regardless of hardships and trials. Leon Cooke was playing as Billy when I watched in 2007.

LES MISERABLES. I had the chance to watch this one of the longest running musicals in West End last September 2007. Unfortunatetly, it was not Lea Salonga playing Eponine. The production was great - from backdraft to stage set-up! There is always a good reason to watch it again in West End or Broadway! The clip is featuring Lea singing, On My Own. Very moving scene.

MISS SAIGON. Filipino artists around the world are the priceless possession of my home country, Philippines as my history books says as the Pearl of the Orient Sea! One of them is Lea Salonga. I had the chance to watch her in CCP for her portrayal as Kim for the long running musical, Miss Saigon. And then, I watched the musical again in 2006 when the UK production did their British tour in Northern Ireland. I was really proud because the main cast, including The Engineer, and the dancers were Filipino talents. Brilliant production from Cameron!

Overall, if I will be given another chance to watched these performances, Im looking forward to enjoy the productions of Miss Saigon, Billy Elliot and Phantom of Opera. I'm also looking forward to watching one of the longest running musicals, The Lion King.

Note: For more additional information about these live productions, visit my other blogsite, Play-Musical-Concert which also provide my personal reviews of these performances, including clips/videos courtesy of Youtube.

Pic-a-boo 601: St Patrick's Celebration in Belfast

2011-03-18T13:35:00.009Z

Belfast city centre, Northern Ireland (17/03/2011).

Click the photo collage to get a better look of the images.

Featured Travel Blogger: Dutched Pinay unveils her personal discoveries about art, culture and history of our world

2011-02-21T12:41:00.029Z

MY SECOND FEATURED TRAVEL BLOGGER lives in Holland but she originally came from the Philippines. I dont know her personally but I managed to browse her website (courtesy of BlogRoll site) and from there I initially understand her passion in life - going places through her photos.

Dutched Pinay's traveling is about discovery, her love for art and architecture, consequently her quest in understanding about various cultures and history of the places we live in.

Without further a do, I'm pleased to introduce to you, Dutched Pinay and able to discover her world of traveling as well as her interest in gastronomy!

Q1: How many times you travel a year? I travel for pleasure as well as for work so I don’t really keep track how many times I go out but a quick numbers crunch, I think I have been to 11 countries last year, 2010. This year is promising and I am looking at visiting more places.

Q2: Do you stay in your home country (locally) or do you go abroad/overseas? These days, my travels are mostly international but I never fail to discover my backyard as well—the Netherlands. So, every now and then, usually when the weather is lovely, I do a some local city, village or road trip.

Q3: Do you organize your holidays yourself or do you go to a travel agency? All my personal travels are organized by myself. For work travels, some are organized by the company and sometimes through a travel agency.

Q4: Do you prepare your holidays in advance by reading guide books and online travel sites? Yes, I mainly scour the internet for information. I prefer to read blogs—personal experiences of tourists and travellers who have been there and expatriates living in the country rather than commercial related sites.

Q5: Do you travel alone/with family or friends/with an organized group? I travel alone, with my partner, with friend/s, with family, with colleagues. I don’t do organized group travelling though.

Q6: Do you prefer the beach/islands/countryside/cities as destinations? I like to try everything! From city trip to culinary highlights to beach holiday to culture discovery to off the road adventure.

Q7: Do you mainly relax or are you an active holiday traveler? Travelling is a passion for me, I like to discover what is out there so most of my travels are active but I also incorporate some relaxation time in between.

Q8: If you go abroad do you learn at least some words of the foreign language? Yes, I try to learn the basic words to impress the locals. When you learn to say ‘Thank You’ in someone’s language, people are appreciative and some are open to welcome you into their world, into their culture, which in return gives substance to travelling.

Q9: Are you interested in the cuisine/food of a foreign country? Very—as much as possible I try to only eat local food during the entire travel, and if I love it, I try to bring some of the ingredients home. This is mainly the case when I go to culinary destinations like Italy and Spain for example.

Q10: Which mode/means of transportation do you prefer? Any mode of transportation is fine, whatever is best suitable in the country I am travelling to but for long distance travel I would prefer to fly of course, with a reliable airline and direct flights please.

Q11: What kind of luggage do you take with you? Have you got problems packing? I have a normal Samsonite luggage but for quick weekend trips, I have a smaller luggage that goes easily into the plane's cabin or I use my leather overnight bag. My partner swears on my packing skills, he says I am the best!

Q12: Do you send picture postcards to your family and friends? I only send postcards to my parents and parents-in-law. Other than that, my blog is the main point of communication for everyone so they check my blog regularly as they know I am always on the go and are up to something.

Q13: What kind of souvenirs do you normally keep during your travels? I don’t really buy souvenirs, but I buy random items that I fancy, especially locally made stuff. Last year, I bought a Guinness shirt in Dublin for my partner, apple decors made of capiz shells in Cebu, a sundress in Nerja and a few preserved seafood in Malaga, jam and berry vinegar in the Ardennes mountains, obwarzanki bagels in Krakow that I ate the next morning at home, a Maya calendar tile in Cancun, herbs and dried sausages in Verona and a scarf in Venice. Those are some that I bought last year that I can remember. There were trips last year as well that I didn’t buy anything.

Q14: Does your blogging experience or having a travel blog help you in your travels? Blogging about my travels have made me more aware of the little things that we forget to appreciate while travelling. So I shoot a lot of fotos to capture my experiences, for posterity, as well as to share to others through my blog as a means of information, inspiration and hope. I´d like to be able to read my blog and see the fotos when I am old and cannot travel much.

Q15: Have you met someone or individuals through your travel blog? Yes I have but it was a while back when my blog was then an expat blog. As the years go by, it has grown in itself into a travel blog that it is now.

"On some days, you can find me spinning subjects about economics, affairs of state, daily toil and just about life in general in Holland. So, why am I blogging this? Well, when I am old and cannot do much, I hope I can look back and read all these, with a smile."

AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH for sharing your traveling experiences and I do hope that with this short interview, Im able to encourage our readers to discover other places - away from home! Good luck and be an inspiration to others in exploring and embracing other's cultures and appreciate the opportunity to discover them and share them through blogging.

Note: For additional information, click the links: Introducing Featured Travel Blogger, Featured Travel Blogger One if you want to take part.

Cultural Extravagance in Florence (Tuscany, Italy)

2011-02-18T15:59:00.005Z

Cultural Extravagance in Florence Slideshow: Reymos’s trip to Florence, Tuscany, Italy was created by TripAdvisor. See another Florence slideshow. Create your own stunning free slideshow from your travel photos.

Limited offers travelling in Asia via Manila (Philippines) with Cebu Pacific for summer trips

2011-01-29T12:45:00.009Z

Reminder: Sale Period - Up to Jan 31 (Monday)

and Travel Period: 01 April to 31 May 2011

Facts that travellers should know...

2011-01-28T14:47:00.005Z

Why I love to travel?

2011-01-27T13:19:00.001Z

GOING PLACES LOCALLY AND ABROAD is always my cup of tea. Having a Sagittarius zodiac sign, I am really destined to explore, conquer the globe and take pl easure (and learn) from it!

Why travel? If you have the necessary resources (time and money), you are physically and mentally fit, and you have proper supporting documents (i.e. passport, insurance, visa, etc.), what is the reason why you can not pack your bag and go?

In my own personal experience during the past 15 years, I have been to several places, not only in my home beautiful country, but also to other fascinating destinations around the world. My travelling escapade is always driven by work and studying. Having involved in various development projects that provide solution to environmental problems, it does requires touring around the country or overseas. Also, my desire to further enhance my expertise in the field of my specialisation through postgraduate studies/trainings elsewhere serve as a stepping stone to visit different places. Thus, my numerous travels are the outcomes of the kind of jobs that I am involved with, as well as the rare opportunity to secure financial grants to study abroad.

Being in that particular situation on the right time and location, I will do my best to tour around the place and the neighbouring towns/cities. Honestly, being single and healthy, it is easy to do this, but if I have my own family and getting older, then travelling (abroad in particular) will not be in my top ‘must do’ list. Maybe some people will argue that anyone could still have a wonderful vacation even you have the family (and children), or during your retirement period. Well yes, however, the frequency and the duration will dramatically decrease. And there will be other issues relating to health condition that somewhat crucial in finalising travel plans which also affects the kind of activities you want to do during the travel.

Moreover, most importantly it will also depend on where you are permanently residing or where your travel (point of origin) begins. For example, if I will live permanently in the Philippines, my travel to UK, Europe and the US will substantially diminish, but much more on local travels instead. Why, because my travel will be dependent on the affordability (i.e. mode of transport) and convenience (visa processing) to visit the place. Finally, however security or safety (because of political instability of the destination) is not a big issue to hinder my travel plan, unless there is a government restriction on that particular destination. I am not generalising it, but for British, American or Australian nationals are fortunate to travel without any stress of not having a visa elsewhere. Unlike us coming from developing countries, it is a must to undergo such strict issuances of a visa. Sometimes, I feel it is unfair for people who have the genuine intention of travelling overseas but denied for a visa for the reason of coming from countries that threaten their security/safety.

So, the kind of travelling that I am looking forward to is absolutely different from where other travellers want to go or what they want to do during their travels.

WHAT MOTIVATES ME TO TRAVEL? How about my choices where to go? What factors to be considered in those choices? What activities that I normally do during my escapades or things that fascinates me? And lastly, what souvenirs that I bring after my visits which will always remind me of my wonderful journey and the learning experience? Please bear with me while I am trying to quickly answer these queries.

Motivation to travel
Watching films, reading travel magazines, and my hobby in photography motivate me to visit other places. Being a regular moviegoer, I am fascinated with the cinematography of the film which leads me to wonder where this location where been shoot. I will make sure that I stay in my seat while waiting for the full credits of the film which provide me the information of the location. Travel magazines are also influential to pack my bag and explore the featured scenic attractions in the publication. And most importantly, because of my interest in photography, I always go out and have my vacation just to improve my photography skills by visiting these places featured in the magazines or in the films. To some extent, I am also motivated by the interesting stories from my close friends who were able to visit these places. Overall, I believe that through my travelling, I could experience and learn other cultures, languages, beliefs, history and to meet interesting people which I could not find in textbooks or not being taught inside the classroom.

**Choices where to go
The main factor that influences where to visit or spend my holiday is ‘relatives and friends’. It is because having them on these places, it will be easier for me to explore and enjoy my short stay – hassle-free and save money. In most cases, my accommodation is ‘free’ and I could do more things considering that my friends are hospitable enough to tour me around at their convenience. Aside from that, if they are not available, they will provide me the best itinerary - where to visit and what to expect from these attractions. Moreover, my choice is also affected by the affordability, accessibility, the mode of transport, and the convenience to get the visa. For example, if I will have to choice between Spain and Italy, I would probably choice Italy. Well both countries offer fascinating attractions, but I would rather choice Italy since it will be easier for me to secure the visa than Spain. Securing a Spanish visa requires a two-stage application: sending a request letter and the personal interview in Manchester. While the Italian visa application is done by posting the required travel documents, including the processing fee which takes 2-3 weeks.

Activities to explore the place
As I said earlier, I want to learn and enjoy from my travel and I can only do this by visiting places that will probably satisfy this desire. Generally, I am interested to visit libraries, museums, castles, shopping malls, churches, historical structures, and of course watch live shows, festivals and musical productions; and visit resorts, casinos and beaches. I do research by visiting universities and check the possibilities of having future research with these institutions. Visiting theme parks that offer adventurous and thrilling rides is also in my list during my travel.

Souvenirs
Aside from shopping for clothes and personal accessories, I make sure that I have extra copies of postcards for each location/attractions that I have visited, which some of them will be sent to my family and friends. Also, I am interested to collect pins, key chains, posters and beer mats. Unfortunately, I don’t bring home some antiques and jewelleries which are subject to airport tax and duties. For some people, antiques and art crafts are their interests, but at the moment I don’t have the obsession to have them. This is because I don’t have a permanent place to store or display these pieces of art. The photographs taken during my trips will ultimately serve as mementos and a truly evidence of my escapades. I forgot to mention, I also buy 1-2 books during my travel.

AND FINALLY, I can now finally say that travelling is something that I will always gain invaluable benefits from it not only being a traveller but also a learner. Spending for travels is a personal choice to make, but definitely the opportunity to go places is a ‘priceless’ learning experience that money can’t buy! Enjoy living and have a simple travel plan in life!

Note: This journal was originally posted in October 2007 but I did minor updating and worth re-posting it again to find out more about myself.

Getting high while travelling

2011-01-25T13:12:00.014Z

I HAVE A MIX OF EMOTIONS travelling by air. It is a tiring occasion queuing for all the security gates and inspection (while carrying your allowable hand-carry luggage) as well as an exciting experience to reach the final destination.

After what happened on the 11th September 2001, air travel is becoming a stressful journey which more strict regulations to follow for the security and safety of the passengers. On the other hand, especially for long flights, it is also a rewarding experience to enjoy the amenities offered by the airlines (like UAE Emirates).

Maybe for some people, after taking off and before touching down of the airplane are bit scary time for travelling, but personally I consider it as the best moment to capture the landscape below. Since I always ask for window seat, I have the opportunity to take some rare images of the ground despite the double glass panels of the plane windows. The objects below are so near but yet they're very far! The clouds are welcoming as if I can walk and jump on them effortlessly.

The photos shown here were taken from 2006 to 2010. The longest trip I had before is 17 hours which give me the opportunity to admire the airspace, including the time difference between continents when the day and night meet.

These airscapes images were taken in Madrid (Spain), California (US), and the Philippines.

London Olympics 2012: An event travel destination

2011-01-21T14:25:00.005Z

I AM ONE OF THE FANS OF OLYMPIC GAMES! It is ironic to confess that I havent been to any sport events during the Olympics, except for the fact that I do watch the live TV coverage of my favourite sports - from athletics to swimming. I also visited two main olympic stadiums in the past: Atlanta, Georgia (USA) for 1996 Summer Olympics, and Montreal, Quebec (Canada) for 1976 Summer Olympics. I've been to Sydney but I did not have the opportunity to visit the Stadium Australia (known now as ANZ Stadium) for the 2000 Olympics.

In less than 20 months, the 2012 Olympic Games will take place in United Kingdom and it is set on 27 July - 12 August 2012; and Paralympic Games will follow from 29 August - 9 Sept 2010. I'm not sure if I will be able to watch these events but I already signed-up for the tickets two months ago! Early intention/signing to buy tickets allows spectators to receive news and updates from the London Olympic organizer. Few days ago, I received an email that the tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, 15 March 2011 until 26 April 2011. With regards to the Paralympic Games tickets, the application will open on 9 September 2011.

As part of my fascination with this international competition, I will be posting some interesting facts about the game, particularly some facts about record holders, controversies, and of course the participation of my home country, the Philippines. So watch out for this and I might also sponsoring an online competition! In my own little way, I also supported the 2008 Olympic Games held in China... Find out about it HERE.

Please note that the issuance of tickets is first come first serve basis and the tickets will be issued via officially registered or recognised National Olympic Committee (NOC) or their appointed Authorised Ticket Reseller (ATR) in your country of residence. Again, beware of unauthorised websites claiming for discounted tickets. Check it out HERE.

Featured Travel Blogger: Nelieta believes that all journeys have secret destinations

2011-01-19T16:44:00.030Z

I AM HAPPY TO INTRODUCE TO YOU my first featured travel blogger from Argentina. Her name is Nelieta and originally came from South Africa. Her travelling adventures started when she was a teenager and when her parents bought a caravan. Every year, together with her parents take a family vacation to some exotic destinations. But over the years the little explorer inside her was dying a slow death because of other personal commitments. Eventually, she promised herself that she was going to see the world and nothing was going to stop her.

Now, here she is, Nelieta will allow us to discover herself as a travel blogger and maybe we can ask her some questions as she embark a new life in Argentina!

Q1: How many times you travel a year? Whenever I get the opportunity.

Q2: Do you stay in your home country (locally) or do you go abroad/overseas? We started a business about 2 years ago which makes travelling abroad a little difficult. With the current economic climate it is also very expensive to travel abroad. I took one overseas trip last year and a couple of trips locally. They are both satisfying but if I could choose I would definitely travel abroad.

Q3: Do you organize your holidays yourself or do you go to a travel agency? I organize everything myself and that includes flight tickets. In the beginning of my travel I did make use of Travel agents.

Q4: Do you prepare your holidays in advance by reading guide books and onlinetravel sites? I do prepare for my holidays in advance by reading guidebooks and reviews. But I also like to experience the moment. I find that by reading reviews you form an opinion in your subconscious and often disappointment sets in. However when I travelled to Russia I used the last method and afterwards I wished that I have read more about the culture, people and the country.

Q5: Do you travel alone/with family or friends/with an organized group? I did use organized groups in the beginning when I just started to travel. As I travelled more I became more daring and moved on to individual tours.Then I started to do things on my own. It is very limiting to travel with family or friends especially if they don't share the same interests. Now I travel with my husband and we have such a good time together because we like the same things.

Q6: Do you prefer the beach/islands/countryside/cities as destinations? I like all holiday destinations.

Q7: Do you mainly relax or are you an active holiday traveller? I am an active holiday traveller. I love to explore places.

Q8: If you go abroad do you learn at least some words of the foreignlanguage? It is always important to learn a couple of basic words. People appreciate it when you try to say something in their own language even if the pronunciation is terrible.

Q9: Are you interested in the cuisine/food of a foreign country? Yes but I am not a cuisine fanatic. I would much rather spend more time taking photos than in a restaurant trying new food.

Q10: Which mode/means of transportation do you prefer? I use all kinds of transport. It is fun and a good way to explore the city.

Q11: What kind of luggage do you take with you? Have you got problems packing? I always have a problem with too much luggage. I don't pack a lot of clothes but I always take my camera bag , laptop and a book or two. This is already too much!

Q12: Do you send picture postcards to your family and friends? No, but I often buy postcards especially where I am not allowed to take pictures, like some museums.

Q13: What kind of souvenirs do you normally keep during your travels? I collect fridge magnets. I always try to find something that will trigger my memory when I look at it.

Q14: Does your blogging experience or having a travel blog help you in yourtravels? My travel blog is a personal recollection of my travel experiences over the years. I have always kept a travel journal and it helped me a lot when I started to write my blog. My travel experiences have given me a lot of self confidence and I am not scared to hop on a plane and explore a new country on my own. I realize that I am capable of doing anything.

Q15: Have you met someone or individuals through your travel blog? No but I would love to meet some of the people who are following my blog.

"People often ask me how I choose my next destination. I don't, I answer them, it chooses me" - Nelieta

NOTE: Nelieta also operates a modest hostel accommodation in Argentina. The hostel has new, modern and spacious rooms, inclusive of ensuite bathrooms and hot water. Bedding and linen are also provided. The hostel has a magnificent view of the mountains, and during the nights the sky when it is crystal clear, you can almost pick the stars from the heaven. To find out more, CLICK HERE.

Newsbits: Introducing My Featured Travel Bloggers

2011-01-18T02:55:00.022Z

MY INTEREST IN TRAVELLING - exploring other places both locally and abroad is priceless! I am very grateful to have the opportunity to meet people online (and during my trips/holidays) who have also the passion in travelling. It might be interesting to feature these people in my travel blog.

Featuring them here is recognising their efforts to maintain their own travel blogs that serve as invisible bridges to connect travellers around the world and somehow to know them better as travel bloggers, finding something in common or maybe interesting things that inspire them to discover and explore other places that might also motivate or encourage other people to do the same. I think we are naturally "nomads", wanting to move around to discover new things or try to do things while travelling that caught our imagination.

I ENJOY READING OTHER TRAVEL BLOGS and it is nice to know the person behind the blogsite as well. As part of my 2011 travelling experience, I will be featuring some of the travel bloggers that Ive met online, and who knows I will be able to meet them in person if the opportunity allows it to happen in the future.

This will be a regular post in my blog and hopefully this will be informative and interesting, consequently an inspiration to others - making their travels more enjoyable and memorable.

Watch out for my first travel blogger from Argentina. And maybe who knows you will be the next! Just answer the following questions and send it to: curiousph@yahoo.com.

Q1: How many times you travel a year?
Q2: Do you stay in your home country (locally) or do you go abroad/overseas?
Q3: Do you organize your holidays yourself or do you go to a travel agency?
Q4: Do you prepare your holidays in advance by reading guide books and online travel sites?
Q5: Do you travel alone/with family or friends/with an organized group?
Q6: Do you prefer the beach/islands/countryside/cities as destinations?
Q7: Do you mainly relax or are you an active holiday traveler?
Q8: If you go abroad do you learn at least some words of the foreign language?
Q9: Are you interested in the cuisine/food of a foreign country?
Q10: Which mode/means of transportation do you prefer?
Q11: What kind of luggage do you take with you? Have you got problems packing?
Q12: Do you send picture postcards to your family and friends?
Q13: What kind of souvenirs do you normally keep during your travels?
Q14: Does your blogging experience or having a travel blog help you in your travels?
Q15: Have you met someone or individuals through your travel blog?

Sojourn in Motion: Derry - The Irish Walled City

2011-01-15T00:37:00.000Z

Derry: The Irish Walled City Slideshow: Reymos’s trip to Derry, County Londonderry, United Kingdom was created by TripAdvisor. See another Derry slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

Amazon Kindle: An ultimate travel gadget

2011-01-03T16:28:00.015Z

HAPPY NEW YEAR! As we embrace the first week of 2011, I am also excited to start the new year with a big bang especially with my passion for books. As a traveller, I always bring a couple of books with me to entertain myself during long hours of flights and land commuting. There is no doubt that majority of international airlines have built-in entertainment programmes to choose from, but sometimes I still prefer to grab a pocket book for a while before I sleep or take a nap during long flights.

Recently, I got a pre-Xmas present from my cousin during my visit in the US and she bought me an ereader - the Amazon Kindle 3G. It is white, slim and light device which is very convenient to carry with one hand or inside a handbag. Indeed, this is an ultimate traveller's companion which can hold thousands of books and it has the functionalities for mp3 (playing music) and browsing the internet worldwide, free of charge.

With the fast-pace of technology in communication, we can now have easy access to free ebooks, and recently Amazon.com just recently announced the lending/borrowing/sharing functionality for Kindle users. This means that selected ebooks can be borrowed from other users in a certain period of time (14 days at the moment). Unfortunately, it is quite different to verify what books are available for loans, unless you catch up with the Amazon Kindle facebook account for updates.

As my personal contribution to this "amazonian kindling" era, I will post (on a regular basis) the latest ebooks, including links of websites that provided affordable copies or maybe at its best price: FREE! There are existing sites that maintain database of free ebooks, especially the classic ones. Once in a while, Amazon US is also offering free of charge copies in a limited period of time. The Amazon UK is currently offering 1-pound for a selection of ebooks until 06 January 2011. There are also promo deals for less than 1 sterling pound.

This week, I already downloaded dozens of copies in my Kindle with back-up in my laptop. Even if you dont have Kindle or ereader device, you can still read these books using your computer/laptop/netbook. The application can be downloaded from Amazon website or click the photo above. Later on, when you finally got your ereader gadget, it is easy to transfer the files from the computer.

As a simple bit of advice: Prior to your travels, it is more convenient to purchase or download your ebooks from your laptop/PC to your Kindle device. It is more easier and manageable in organizing them, instead of having them purchased during your trips.
Please note that are restrictions in terms of downloading ebooks overseas/abroad, so to avoid problems on credit card transaction, it is more advisable to verify your purchases thru the confirmation receipts being forwarded to your email address or you can manage it thru your Amazon account before you leave your country of residence.

With the start of new year, you maybe interested to check some of my ebook selection, available for download through your PC or directly to your Kindle or any any ereader device. Enjoy and share the fun in reading!

NOTE: Some of the interesting sites that offer freebies are shown below. You can be a member of these sites as well for managing your bookshelves (from wish list to purchased ones).

1. Manybooks. The site is also advertised in Amazon which contains thousands of ebooks. If you are interested with classical novels, then this is for you. For example, I did find stories written in Tagalog or Filipino or novels written by Filipino authors/writers.

2. Smashwords. Very simple site but quite beneficial for people who want to start their careers in publication. The site allows members to upload their stories for free or market it for a minimal cost. It also allows members to download the files in various formats and shared it various socialnetworking sites such facebooks, twitter, etc.

3. Feedbooks. It is similar to Smashwords but it has a link that list down the popular ebooks every week. It has limited options for downloading formats and for sharing.

Reminder: The featured ebooks above are free for downloading, however it does not guaranteed that it will be free from the time you have access to these books. You have to check it first before downloading them, otherwise you will be charged. Majority of the classics ones are free!

eTravelDiary: Featured travelsite at Blogroll

2010-12-26T11:07:00.008Z

"Featured Blogs is a weekly Sunday post featuring favorite blogs from our network! We do this so we can share in the rich diversity of blogs our network has to offer by featuring some of our favorites and yours! The only requirement to be featured here is to be a member of The Travel Blogroll and be displaying The Travel Blogroll Widget on your blog.
If you are not yet a member, but you have a travel blog and would like to join us, please click here! If you have a favorite blog on The Travel Blogroll, that you would like to be featured here please leave a comment on this article and let us know your favorites! - BlogRoll"

Whats up?...merry christmas everyone!

2010-12-22T15:51:00.022Z

CHRISTMAS TIME is always a busy part of the year. It is also a busy time for me to update several blogsites- from uploading of photos to online books inventory. With TripAdvisor's TripWow video application, I can now upload and share photos taken during my travels in a video format which can be downloaded or embedded in various websites, either in facebook or wordpress.

Whats up with my etraveldiary? So far, it is inspiring to share some of my recent travels both in the UK and US, including my summer vacation in the Philippines. I also joined the BLOGROLL, a site that promotes bloggers that share their travel experiences online. You can check it out using the sidebar link. It is a simple way to increase readership of my site as well as meeting new online friends.

If you just recently browsing my blogsite or maybe a previous fan who missed some of my journals, then I take this opportunity to provide you some of the highlights of whats going on in my travel site during the past weeks.

With my 5 months vacation in the US, I have posted several stories with photo collages and videos powered by TripAdvisor. Some of the interesting stories are as follows: Disneyland Adventure in Anaheim, California; Seaworld in San Diego; Napa Valley, California; and Las Vegas in Nevada. I had the chance to watch the Farmers Classics' tennis in Los Angeles when Andy Murray of Britain first joined the tournament.

During my short trips to the Philippines, I was able to explore, Boracay Island; Corregidor Island and my hometown, Sibuyan Island. Highlights of the trips will be posted very soon.

Other interesting trips include: Louvre Museum in Paris, Natural History Museum in London, and Mournes Mountains in Northern Ireland.

FINALLY, I also included my first ever attempt to do painting using instant coffee, and my passion in reading which I regularly write book reviews. Coffee Painting provides you some of the basic tips to do it (if you like) as a hobby while traveling; and my first Travel Book Review - showcasing 40 unforgettable islands to escape before you die. I'm glad that the author of the book himself wrote his comment in my post. Check it out! If you fancy of buying a new book for a gift or for personal reading, you can visit my other website, Book-Aklat-Libro to find out more about my book collection.

ENJOY browsing, have a wonderful and happy Xmas!
Oooh... I forgot to mention my first ever travel book "My Fascination with Traveling", showcasing some of my photos taken in Europe, Thailand, Canada, UK, the Philippines and other parts of Asia. I have two more travel books to be published through BLURB. Watch out for that as well.

Unforgettable Islands: A travel book review

2010-12-22T15:08:00.011Z

BEFORE BBC BOOKSHOP (BELFAST) was closed permanently in 2007, I bought several books and DVDs for a half price from the store. In particular, I collected 3 out of the 4 exciting series of books written by international travel writers, Steve Davey and Steve Watkins; and photographers, Marc Schlossman and Clare Jones.

Briefly, these travel books include the following: Unforgettable Islands to escape to before you die, Unforgettable Journeys to take before you die, Unforgettable Things to do before you die, and Unforgettable Places to see before you die. First, I will be sharing to you the fourth title published in 2007, entitled Unforgettable Islands to escape to before you die!

Why the Unforgettable Islands? Well, just to give you first a background of my origin. I was born and raised in one of the 7,107 islands of the Philippine archipelago. Where is Philippines located, by the way? Having a review of geography, my home country is just 3 hours away from Japan and Singapore by plane and almost 5 hours from Australia. Also, this is where Mylene Klass' mother and Nicole Scherzinger's (Pussycat Dolls) father came from. People who are living in the Philippines are known as Filipinos and the country got its name from Spain - colonized "Filipinas" for more than 300 years.

In other words, I am an islander who loves the beach, coconut trees, waves, sunset, coral reefs, forest, cool breeze and rivers! The environment I grew up was quite similar as portrayed in the Shipwrecked or Lost TV programmes, except that there is no competition and no fear for survival. It is a place I always called "home". This is the reason why the book reminded me of my home - a place where illustrated inside the colourful 256 pages of the book.

When I found this book during my first visit to BBC store, I was fascinated by its cover and the title itself. A feeling that draws me to browse the book and finding out why it is unforgettable. I searched it thru Amazon to see if I could get a cheaper deal using my dooyoo voucher; unfortunately the price is the same at Â£18.99. Few months later, I found out the BBC store is closing down and offering for 50-70% discounts. Without a second thought, I bought the 3 titles.

The author, Steve Davey and with the assistance of Marc Schlossman for the images of the 40 islands featured in the book, vividly describe his personal experience visiting these islands for almost 11 months. Some of the islands where covered in the first three series of his publications which I will be reviewed in the near future.

I don't want to give you all the contents of this book, but rather I will provide you the outstanding elements of the book that a traveller and photo hobbyist like me could get unforgettable insights of the featured islands which I am also dying to explore them before I die!

Generally, the book is perfectly packaged in a form suitable for a coffee table display. The image featured in the hard cover is taken from Stockholm, Sweden. The author's introduction is very well written emphasizing the value of visiting these places, without affecting the eco-system of the islands. He acknowledged both the positive and negative effects of tourism to these vulnerable places, and the same time the rewarding hospitality and generosity of the people living in these islands surrounded by bodies of water.

On the other hand, the lay-out is simple where the texts and images were laid-out for easy reading. Each of the 40 islands featured in the book are illustrated between 8-10 pages, where photos are in different sizes with individual short caption. For each island, extra information is added explaining on how to reach the place in terms of the best time to visit and the mode of transport to reach the island. Few pages at the back of the book cover important contacts that the author recommended to communicate, including useful websites. It also contains a map showing the locations of each island as a table contents graphically laid out at the first few pages of the book for easy browsing.

When I finally finished reading the book, the first thing that entered my mind was on the decision of the author to embark visiting these places in a span of 11 months. As a traveller, visiting a place is always motivated by fascinating features and priceless experience of being there in the island as described by others who have been there and also the promotional campaigns thru available on-line or printed materials. I am not sure if the author was persuaded by what others have said or what he had read about these islands. Maybe, as a travel writer, he was looking for distinct characteristics of each island that might encourage other people (like me) to experience what he had or maybe trying to persuade a segment of the urban society to visiting some places that they would never considered before.

In order to understand the motivation of the author to publish these 40 islands, I decided to examine the characteristics of each island as being discussed by the author. These are the interesting points that I have found out and vividly demonstrated in the images printed on it.

* The island has unspoiled beaches, wildlife (flora and fauna) or
biological diversity
* The island has interesting history, including the way of living:
culture, tradition, settlements, inhabitants, religion and beliefs
* The island has unique geological formation that attracts people for
climbing, cycling, walking
* The island has archaeological significance, including sensitive marine environment with endangered species
* The island has beautiful landscape, including cityscape and urban form and architecture
* The island is accessible for all means of transport, especially by air
* The island has "photogenic" charisma - a delight for both professional and amateur photographers.

I also observed that the quality of the images inside the book portrayed the significance of these places, without major alteration of the print. In other words, the photos do not bear any special effects which enhance the colour and presentation of the images. What you see in the pages of the book, are what you get when you visit these places - very natural view of people, structures, motion, textures, and surroundings. I was really impressed with images taken in Thailand, Fiji, Santa Barbara (USA), Sicily, Portugal, including the Philippines.

Why this publication stands-out from the rest of the travel books that have read? Aside from the reason of having visited the countries (not the islands) mentioned, the book is unique in a sense that the author gave his personal reflections about the travel as well as the photographer captured the natural sceneries thru the images. There was a chemistry between the writer and the photographer to bring out the best features of these islands - to captivate the hearts of travellers like me - destined to explore the planet Earth. In a way, it serves as a travel guide as well but more on the aspects of the physical features of the islands - exploring the unspoiled beauty.

Are you hopeful that you have already visited some of these places during your holidays or are you planning to visit them in months to come and still undecided to have it a go as your next top priority holiday destination? Well, personally I have only visited 2 of the islands, namely: Stockholm (Sweden) and Hongkong (China) out of the 40 places mentioned in the book. But Im desperately dying to explore the rest before I die especially the following: Bacuit Archipelago, Palawan (Philippines), Big Island (Hawaii), Phang Nga Bay Island (Thailand), Bali (Indonesia), Ibiza and Formentera (Spain), and the Society Islands (French Polynesia).

It is an unforgettable reading this book that provided me a glimpse of beautiful places that Mother Earth can offer. Despite the economic crunch, everybody deserves one or two places to visit every year. UNFORGETTABLE ISLANDS, unforgettable places, unforgettable moments and memorable experience of a life time await everyone!

NOTE: This is first published in dooyoo and ciao consumer sites. Few months ago, I got my Amazon Kindle 3G ebook reader and thanks to my cousin who is generous to have it as a pre-Xmas presence. I think with my new travel gadget, it lessen of carrying pocket books during travels, but with Travel Books like this under review is something to keep in its original version - I mean a "hard copy"!

Coffee Painting while traveling

2010-12-21T13:33:00.013Z

ASIDE FROM TAKING PHOTOS, and meeting old and new friends while traveling, or even reading my favourite books through my Kindle3G, I can proudly say that I could also do my hobby in painting. This time is painting using instant coffee.

Sketching/painting is only a past time to complement my interest in photography. With photography, I can now capture my artwork and share it online.Inspired by a Filipina artist/painter, few months ago I decided to try if it will work. An ordinary sketch pad, brush, a diluted instant coffee in a small cup, I transformed my favourite subject, Trees into shiny sepia looking images.

One of the challenges to make it work is to get the right blend between water and the powdered/granuled instant coffee. The shades and textures can be controlled by the amount of water added to the coffee granules. I just use a tap water or re-use water and even the left-over from your cup to dilute the pure coffee. I also tried to use warm/hot water and it seems easier to mix the coffee granules with water providing an "old-look" effect on paper.

It is also interesting to blend or mix with other medium. For example, I tried to blend (not mix) coffee with choco powder but the latter does not provide a strong shiny brown effect on paper. I did try the Hershey's choco flavour which is quite effective despite its stickiness, it provided an added volume and luster on the surface of the subject.

Coffee painting is easy and the materials are affordable. It does not require a studio or a special place to do it. Even while sipping your favourite latte o cappuccino inside a coffee shop, with your brush and paper, you can paint instantly. While traveling, you can also use recycled plastic or aluminum cups to contain the diluted mixed coffee which is easy to dispose after use or carry them inside a backpack. Chinese brushes are quite easy to find especially in artwork shops or school supplies stores.

For an 8X12 paper size, I can normally complete my painting between 20-30 minutes, depending on the details of my subject. If I wanted a densely landscape, then it would require additional details and shades of the background.

It smells good while doing it! Have a try the aromatic experience in painting while traveling...

Boracay: The Philippine island paradise

2010-12-18T16:25:00.011Z

I FOUND OUT TODAY THAT BORACAY ISLAND is chosen as one of the best travel destinations in the world organized by TripAdvisor (the leading travel site in the cyberspace). Ranked 9 in the World lis tand nu mber onein Asia, beating Maldives and three of the islands in Thailand, Boracay is the best destination in the 2010 Travelers' Choice Award under the "beach and sun" category.

Boracay is one of the 7,107 islands in the Philippines and part of the central group of islands in the country. The Philippines is an archipelago in Southeast Asia comprising of 3 major groups of islands: Luzon (north), Visayas (central) and Mindanao (south) and out of 7,107 islands, only 4000 are inhabited. The Philippines is blessed with beautiful forests and beaches.

Few months ago, the Philippines was in the headline again after the unexpected hostage drama in Manila City when 8 Chinese nationals from Hongkong were killed in the incident. It is anticipated that this will affect the tourism industry of the country, consequently will bring a big impact to Boracay as one of the popular beach destinations of foreign visitors from neighbouring countries, including China and Hongkong.

Boracay: The Philippine Island Paradise Slideshow: Reymos’s trip to Boracay, Visayas, Philippines was created by TripAdvisor. See another Boracay slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

Honestly, when I visited the island in April 2010, I observed that the majority are local tourists and there are so many things to explore in the area. I have been here in several occasions but only this recent visit that I really enjoyed and travelled around the island together with foreign friends. Aside from feeding Nemo and his friends during our snorkelling, we also did the island hopping and visited some underground caves. We did the reef walk, as if strolling under water with a helmet. The accommodation is affordable, including a selection of excellent water rides, food and entertainment.

A morning plunge in the sea and strolling in the beach while watching the sunset are just one of the things you could enjoy in the island. Did you know that Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino boxer owns a beach resort in the island?

NOTE: The original travel journal was posted in JPGMagazine website as the Story of the Week No.39 last September 2010.

Sojourn Nevada: Viva la vida Las Vegas

2010-12-18T07:17:00.006Z

Viva la Vida Las Vegas Slideshow: Reymos’s trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, United States was created by TripAdvisor. See another Las Vegas slideshow. Take your travel photos and make a slideshow for free.

Pic-a-boo 501: The taste of Napa Valley (California, USA)

2010-12-17T06:43:00.004Z

CLICK HERE to find more

My Fascination with Traveling: first ever travel photobook

2010-12-15T16:22:00.004Z

My fascination...

A simple way of sho...

By Reymos

Book Preview

AT LAST I SUCCESSFULLY CREATED AND PUBLISHED MY FIRST EVER COFFEE TABLE BOOK using Blurb. It is a forty-page landscape print showcasing my very own images taken during my travels locally and abroad using my dependable-companions, Sony Cybershot and Olympus (for underwater).

My fascination with Traveling by Reymos | Make Your Own Book

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED to have a signed copy of this book, you can join my "Grab a Copy" contest which details will be posted very soon. Your comments are also welcome. Please watch out for my 2nd book entitled, My Travel Blog...

For every journey there is a story to tell... and this is my own story. Unfolding before your eyes through the images I captured during my travels...

Pic-a-boo 401: SeaWorld - Wet and Wild adventure

2010-12-13T17:59:00.010Z

CLICK the photo collage or HERE to find more

Sojourn in Motion: Mournes Mountains inspire C.S. Lewis

2010-12-10T17:01:00.006Z

MOUNTAIN CLIMBING OR TREKKING IS NOT my cup of tea but when the opportunity comes, I will not hesitate to join and prepare my snickers! This is not the extreme climbing but I could categorise this as "slow trekking" or maybe just we say "walking". My home country, the Philippines is naturally-endowed with beautiful rugged mountains, and one of them is found in my hometown, Sibuyan Island, called the Mount Guiting-Guiting (as scissor blades' shape). But mountain climbing back then is the least I could do for economic and safety reasons. Three years ago, this trekking opportunity came, not while I was living in the Philippines but rather at the birthplace of ill-fated Titanic ship and popular Irish writer, C.S. Lewis.

Mournes: Exploring Nature at Its Best Slideshow: Reymos’s trip from Downpatrick, County Down, United Kingdom to New Castle N Ireland (near Craigavon, County Armagh) was created by TripAdvisor. See another Craigavon slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

The Mountains of Mournes are the highest grounds and natural-reserved protected areas which serve as the main source of potable water for Northern Ireland and some part of the Irish region. Mournes is composed of several mountains and Slieve Donard and Slieve Biennan are the most popular peaks for climbers/trekkers because of the difficulties of reaching their peaks; the former is the hishest summit while the latter is the third highest peak with magnificent view - overlooking the south of Ireland.

My first visit to Mournes was organised by Whiteabbey Presbyterian Church in cold month of December. It was a long drive (1.5 hours) to Newcastle where the mountains stand beautifully alongside of the crystal clear blue sea. A wonderful sunny but chilly day, it was enjoyable experience ascending this magnificent peak of Slieve Donard.

My 5-hour walk from the foot of Donard Forest was paved off as the towering natural ground of 849 metres high (2,786 ft) sets before in front of me; with several mini waterfalls along the way. It was -4 degrees C during our climb and my clothes and shoes were not enough to cover me from the freezing wind!

The second time, I joined again the church members to climbed the 3rd highest peak of the mountains, Slieve Binnian. Seeing again the Mournes reminds me of the books written by C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia. The Mournes inspired Lewis to write this series of novels for children. Unfortunately, I havent read any of the stories, except that I watched the film - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as adapted from the books.

While ascending the mountains, the panoramic view is astonishing - combined with brown, yellow and green colours infront of us which dominates the skyline! It was a glorious Easter Monday with sunny spell and the frequent touch of the cold wind.

Before we proceeded to the peak of Slieve Binnian, we had our lunch besides the small lake and the atmosphere is surreal having such special moment having with nature - appreciating the wonderful gifts from God! As soon as we finished filling our hungry stomachs, we started our journey and finally reached the foot of Slieve Binnian where the catchment areas for the water source of Northern Ireland take over the view, including the coastline of the Republic of Ireland. Tiny bits of hails struck our faces while ascending the peak!

I can not explain the feeling of being there - at the top of the mountain watching the well-curved mountains of Mournes, including the icy tip of Slieve Donard, some of the uniformily laid-out stones - the Mournes Wall, the green spots of pine trees and the blue ocean below. It took us almost 2.5 hours to reach the top confronting our fears to be carried away by the freezing wind and not to mention the slippery sloping ground while descending the peak. Descending the icy peak of Slieve Binnian provided us another view of Mournes, where green fields and farms meet with the coastline, including the whistling sound coming from the wind passing through the gaps between the stones of the Mournes Wall.

Another testimony of nature at its best and it deserves to be admired. A place not to be missed while visiting the Irish region.For future trips, click here for additional information: MOURNES

Pic-a-boo 301: Exploring our Natural World at British History Museum

2010-12-02T01:13:00.007Z

The Natural History Museum in London (UK) is free to the public but there are on-going exhibitions inside that require tickets for access. The museum is divided into 4 zones: Orange Zone, Blue Zone, Green Zone and Red Zone. Some of the interesting and must-see galleries include the following: (Orange Zone) – dont miss to visit the Darwin’s Centre – Cocoon; (Blue Zone) – Dinosaurs; (Green Zone) – Giant Sequoia, Minerals, and The Vault; and (Red Zone) – Earth Treasury and the Power Within.

IN PARTICULAR, the Red Zone’ Earth’s Treasury contains hundreds of valuable gemstones and minerals, and the Power Within is showcasing the actual footage of BBC News during the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991. The Vault in the Green Zone is keeping some of the most beautiful and stunning precious stones and some of them are sparkling in the dark. Find out more by clicking the collages above.

It took me 3 hours to really enjoy the visually stunning and thought-provoking collections of hundreds of natural history specimens, including images, interactive displays, and visual works.

Pic-a-boo 201: Disneyland - A fun place for young and old

2010-11-02T02:05:00.005Z

IVE BEEN TO AMERICA FOR several occasions but only this time that I had the chance to visit Disneyland in Anaheim. A treat from my generous cousins, I was able to enjoy the place – riding, eating and shopping all the way from morning till midnight. I thought that I will not enjoy the visit, but believe it or not, it was full of fun and feel like a KID again!

Alot of things to be explored inside Mickey’s Mouse dreamland that both young and old can share together. Some of these attractions ( that I like most) include: Mater Horn Bobledge, Buz Lightyear, Autopia, Space Mountain, Finding Nemo – Submarine ride, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones and Splash Islands.

The Screamin ride is a must-do while visiting Disney’s California Adventure park as well as the fantastic night shows: Fantasmic and World of Color. To maximise your enjoyment, you have to be there as early as 8am and get the “fastpass” for each of the rides and shows.

Blog Action Day 2010: Water - Fuel of the future

2010-10-15T21:36:00.002+01:00

FOR THE FOURTH TIME, I AM joining again the Blog Action Day. For this year, the theme is water which is very influential in my professional life. Briefly, because of this element, water paved the way to be successful in my career in environment specifically in water/wastewater treatment and waste management. Aside from my work in environmental consulting, I also do a teaching job which handles courses/modules related to water (i.e. collection, supply, distribution, treatment, etc.).

No need to emphasize the significance and importance of water but I just want to share some important facts and figures about the role being played by water in our society today. Gathered by the organizer of Blog Action Day, there are alarming situations and statistics that need to be addressed and require immediate solution towards a sustainable supply of water.

In terms of scarcity of clean water, almost 1 billion people have lack access to clean water, consequently causes a litany of struggles, diseases and death. For African women, it requires them to walk over 40 billion hours each year to carry cisterns weighing up to 18 kg to collect water. Every week, nearly 38,000 children under the age of 5 die resulted from unclean, unsafe drinking water and unhygienic living environment.

In terms of water consumption in industrialized and developed countries, it takes 24 liters of water to make one hamburger, thus it means that over 19.9 billion liters of water will be consumed to make one hamburger for every person in Europe. It requires half a liter of water to charge iPhones and this means that 40 millions of liters of water to charge over 80 million active iPhones in the world. In terms of fashion, it requires 1,514 liters of water to produce a cotton t-shirt and another 6,813 liters for jeans.

For bottled water consumption, the US, Mexico and China consumed the highest number of bottled water - drinking an average of 200 bottles of water per person each year. To produce these water bottles, it requires over 17 million barrels of oil and 86 percent of these bottles can not be recycled.

In relation to water and the environment, the statistics are quite alarming! It is estimated that 2 million tons of human waste are disposed or dumped in water sources every day which caused negative impacts to the environment, the surrounding communities in particular. It costs $12.8 billion per year caused from death and disease from polluted coastal waters. It is also estimated that 40% of US rivers and 46% of US lakes are not suitable for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life.

DESPITE OF THESE CURRENT PROBLEMS, THERE ARE existing organizations and agencies that are working together to provide solutions and immediate remedies in combating water shortage and water pollution. These organizations' initiatives also provide tools and strategies to empower affected people to contribute to solve the water crisis. For example, there are organizations that build wells to bring fresh water to the communities in the developing countries. Even at home, we can do our share by saving water in terms of washing our clothes, dishes, watering our plants or cleaning our cars. We can also maintain the cleanliness of our water bodies (beaches, rivers, streams, creeks) by proper disposal of our household wastes. Finally, through our blogging activities we can even increase the awareness of our readers in protecting, conserving and sustaining our water resource.

THIS YEAR, I ALSO WANT TO SHARE MY INTEREST IN PHOTOGRAPHY and emphasize the beauty of our environment, where WATER is dominant and provide the perfect landscape of our natural environment. With my traveling experience, I do appreciate the essence of water in our daily lives and to other living organisms - from plants to animals, from whales to planktons! These images posted in this journal somehow illustrate the WATER plays an important role for our Mother Earth to survive. Without water, no living organisms will survive, thus it is our responsibility to protect it from further degradation and abuse. Our generation has the power to protect, conserve and sustain WATER resource!

By the way, Im also a supporter of Social Vibe through the partnership of Wordpress.Com which I currently support a charity that promote access to clean water. To date I've earned 1643 gallons of clean water! You can try to contribute by clicking the widget of Social Vibe located at the right hand sidebar of my mother website, My world is getting smaller every day.

If you are interested to find more of my previous posts concerning Blog Action Day events, please click the following links: BLOG ACTION DAY 2009, BLOG ACTION DAY 2008, and BLOG ACTION DAY 2007.

Sojourn in Motion: Inside Louvre

2010-10-12T21:57:00.011+01:00

Inside Louvre... Exploring The Treasures of Louvre Museum Slideshow: Reymos’s trip to Paris, Île-de-France, France was created by TripAdvisor. See another Paris slideshow. Create your own stunning free slideshow from your travel photos.

I spent more than six hours just to explore and discover the treasures of our civilizations inside the most visited museum, Louvre in Paris, France. The museum has collected 35,000 of artworks from prominent men and women who did major contributions in shaping our society today.

It was a breathtaking journey inside this magnificent building that provided me the experience of a lifetime to see the diverse talents of style, creativity and ingenuity which showcase the different facets of our culture, spirituality, religion, beliefs, sexuality and lifestyle.

From the enigmatic smile of MonaLisa to the hypnotic look of Venus de Milo, indeed a very memorable and priceless moment awaits everyone.

Blog Action Day 2010: It's coming very soon!

2010-09-29T01:56:00.002+01:00

Petitions by Change.orgStart a Petition »

Blog Action Day 2010: Water from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

Glee: not to be missed while traveling

2010-09-22T19:17:00.003+01:00

Aside from Heroes and Ugly Betty, my latest tv program travel companion is GLEE. This American tv series is about a high school singing group that allows young talents to be discovered by joining school competitions.

Why a travel companion? Because I dont miss to watch it while traveling overseas. I always find a way where to view it and be updated about it especially of what songs to be featured in the show. It is funny, hilarous and entertaining production. Recently, the Filipino sensational young singer, CHARICE PEMPENGCO was featured in the first episode of Season 2 aired last 21 Sept 2010. If you missed it, then watch the video below which is the complete recording of the "Audition" premiere telecast. Charice auditioned for the group, New Directions and she sang LISTEN from Dreamgirls and TELEPHONE (Lady Gaga) with Lea Michelle.

For more stories about Charice, you can visit my main blogsite, My world is getting smaller every day.

Andy Murray at Farmers Classic 2010

2010-09-02T01:23:00.005+01:00

THIS IS MY SECOND TIME WITHIN A YEAR TO WATCH AN INTERNATIONAL LAWN TENNIS TOURNAMENT. The first one was in June at Wimbledon (UK) prior to my departure to US where I explored the tennis ground for the whole day – watching some of the promising players in the sport of tennis. It was a lucky day for me when a close friend of mine based in Los Angeles got extra free tickets for the show, including the semi-finals for singles and doubles. Unexpected, I watched Andy Murray for his debut performance in the tournament as an alternate player for the last minute pull-out of another favourite Serbian player, Novak Djokovic (currently as second for singles ranking).

The tournament started in 1927 and it is now the longest-running annual professional sporting event in LA (California) employing 25,000 people with 15,000 agents across the country. For 2010 event, it was held in UCLA campus from July 26-August 1 prior to the US Open tournament in New York. The ticket cost ranges from $20 to $60 with special group package discounts for the whole duration of the tournament. Sam Querrey (US) and the twin brothers Bryan (US) successfully defended their titles for both singles and doubles, respectively.
Past tournament champions include the following: (Singles) 2009 – Sam Querrey (Doubles) 2009 – Bryan & Bryan; (Singles) 2008 – Juan Martin Del Porto (Doubles) 2008 – Bopanna & Butorac; (Singles) 2007 – Radek Stepanek (Doubles) 2007 – Bryan & Bryan; (Singles) 2006 – Tommy Haas (Doubles) 2006 – Bryan & Bryan; and (Singles) 2005 – Andre Agassi (Doubls) 2005 – Erlich & Ram.

Wimbledon: my first tennis match trip

2010-07-26T20:56:00.007+01:00

After so many years of planning, I finally watched this much-awaited annual British lawn tennis tournament and had a quick tour inside Wimbledon ground. I started my fascination with the sport when I was in Bangkok (17 years ago) while joining with Filipino friends watching its live TV coverage in a cable sports channel. I tried to learn the game, but since I was also playing badminton regularly during that time, it was difficult to change the grip of the racket. A shoulder movement is required for tennis while in badminton is a wrist stroke, so I sticked with the latter.

It was a monumental experience to be there for the whole day and witness the event unfolding in the cool summer of 2010. It was a frustrating day to some players and fans especially when Venus Williams lost against the Bulgarian player, Tsvetana Pironkova; and Kim Clijsters against Vera Zvonareva and of course the unexpected defeat of the defending champion, Roger Federer who lost against Tomas Berdych. Aside from Zvonareva who won against Pironkova, Serena Williams, Nadal and the British top player Andy Murray, including my favourite player Novak Djokovic advanced to the semis round. It was nice to watch new and unknown challengers during the final round of the tournament, but Nadal and S. Williams won the tournament.

I got a day ground pass for 17 pounds, inclusive of watching games from several courts, except for Centre Court, Courts 1 and 2. I was lucky to be in the queue for less than an hour and I immediately entered the Wimbledon premises, two hours away from the start of the games (12 noon). I toured around the playing ground and even went inside Court No.2 to snap some photos of the court. I also explored its facilities/amenities, including the souvenir and food shops. I bought some interesting postcards for 1 pound each, including yellow (ceramic flat ball) magnetic holders for presence. The most memorable part of the day tour was to have a free personal souvenir photo shot (with matching court at the background) sponsored by HSBC, and a single print (4X6 size) was ready in few minutes of waiting. HSBC was quite generous because people were also given individual coupons for free strawberry smoothies! Indeed, it was a fun day watching the rallies between players and hearing their growling/moaning inside the court!

If you are interested to attend the 2011 championships slated on 20th June to 3rd July, you can apply for the PUBLIC BALLOT which allows you to watch the games at Centre Court, No.1 and No.2 courts. There are limited seats available on the eve of the day of the play for the Centre Court (on a daily basis), however it is very expensive and the queue is unbearable. The Public Ballot is open worldwide and the application form can be obtained by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope or an International Reply Coupon for foreign applicants starting from 1st August until 15th December 2010. Only one application per household and this public ballot does not automatically guarantee a seat or ticket. Tickets are by randomly allocated by the computer and not possible to request tickets for specific days or courts.

Some of the brief highlights happened inside the Wimbledon ground since the tournament started its international championship in 1900 (taken from various sources both online and prints):

- American player, May Sutton was the first Ladies champion in 1905 and won again in 1907

- Australian player, Norman Brooks was the first foreign Men’s champion in 1907

- In 2009 (June 30), the Central Court’s retractable roof was utilised for the first time

- In 2010, 48,949 minutes of tennis were played during the tournament before the first raindrops fell in the venue.

- For 2010 championships, the men’s and ladies’ singles winners receives 1,000,000 million pounds prize and the total winning money for the entire competition is 13,725,000 pounds

- Andy Roddick has the fastest serves record of 143 mph and Venus Williams of 124 mph- More than 54,200 Slazenger balls are used during the two weeks event

- Hats and caps are top selling souvenirs amounting to 36,632 pieces, including 22,100 tennis towels- Around 28,000 kg of strawberries are consumed at Wimbledon

- 11.2 million watched the event thru BBC One; and - 359 million page views of the official website

Generally, the Wimbledon ground has the complete amenities and support facilities to ensure players, guests and spectators will enjoy the games. It has big billboards fronting the main entrance of the ground that show the current standing of the players as well as the daily matches with the corresponding courts where the matches will be played.

About Travel Photography

2010-06-25T10:36:00.004+01:00

Corregidor Island: Remembering the past

2010-05-29T03:01:00.007+01:00

Prior to WW2, the island served as a penal institution and a fortress of defense as well as a customs station during the Spanish era. Its name derived from the Spanish word, corregir which means "to correct". Situated 48 kilometres away from Manila City, Corregidor became the American military camp during the war with an underground complex, the Malinta Tunnel which contains a network of 24 laterals including a hospital, sleeping quarters and administrative offices.

The island is divided into 3 main sections: topside, middleside and bottomside. The topside is the location of the major ruins: batteries, offices, shops, headquarters and entertainment facilities. The middleside is used for barracks, hospital, schoolhouses and officers quarters. This section is also the site where youths campsite and YMCA were built. The bottomside has the three piers and the underground complex, the Malinta Tunnel.

At present time, there are several memorial landmarks constructed as the main attractions of the island. A daily transport is available to reach the island. SUN CRUISES offers a package tour for 1,999 pesos (29 sterling pounds, 44 US dollars), inclusive of the ferry ticket, guided tour and a buffet lunch.

Pic-a-boo Series 101: Edinburgh Scotland

2010-03-01T23:29:00.005Z

My Blogspheric World...is coming very soon!

2009-11-10T08:25:00.000Z

My mother portal is getting a facelift...
an extreme makeover!

Watch out for this...it is getting better

and you will be part of it!

Ulster Museum... the window on our living world

2009-11-09T13:54:00.008Z

This is a much-awaited reopening of the refurbished Ulster Museum after £17 million facelift. In a span of three years since it was closed in the late of 2005, Ulster Museum is officially opened to the public in November 2009 showcasing its extensive collections, including its modern spacious 23-metre high atrium area, and impressive airy walkways and galleries.

Five important things/objects to see inside the museum: (1) TAKABUTI - Over two thousand five hundred years ago, this lady was a mistress of an important house near Thebes in Egypt. Her mummy was first revealed to the public in 1835 and became one of the museum's popular treasures. (2) ST PATRICK REGALIA - The Order of St. Patrick was established in 1783 and membership was used to reward the Irish nobility for their loyalty to the Crown. The collar on dislay contains seven roses joined by fourteen knots to six harps, all gold and once worn by the Earl of Shaftesbury. (3) SALAMANDER - This winged lizard of gold inset with rubies is only one piece from the 16th century jewellery collection recovered from the Spanish Armada galleas, Girona; and which was believed that the salamander could put out and survive the fire - a powerful good luck charm on a wooden fiting ship. (4) ANCIENT SEA FLOOR - snapshots of the fossil ammonite shells and driftwoord dating back 200 million years. (5) BANN DISC - a beautifully decorated bronze disc dredged from the River Bann is considered to be one of the finest examples of Celtic design in the Iron age period.

Ulster Museum provides more excitement with its added interactive exhibits - discover history, discover nature and discover art which provide children and adults the opportunities to have a closer look of the collections and to extend everyone's knowledge through hands-on interaction.

Its opening hours: Tuesdays - Sundays: 10am to 5pm; Mondays - closed. Admission is FREE. Visit the website: http://www.nmni.com/ or call +44 028 90428 428.

Snorkeling in Coral Garden, Batangas (Philippines)

2009-10-11T16:36:00.005+01:00

AT LAST I WAS ABLE TO USE MY NEW GADGET, OLYMPUS u850w camera which allows me to take both images and video 3 meters under water. During my recent visit to Puerto Galera (Batangas), Philippines - southwest of Metro Manila and 5 hours ( bus and ferry), I finally tested the waterproof feature of Olympus capturing the under water scenery of Coral Garden.

I was here in this beach town 9 years ago and I was stunned on how the community transformed it into a lively and localised tourist destination (alternative to the commercial atmosphere of Boracay) for short holidays. As usual, I stayed in White Beach (northeast of Sabang) and for the first time I explored Coral Garden for 3 hours (spent almost 18 sterling pounds, 33 US dollars).

One of the video clips taken from the camera as well.

Coral Garden is only a small area of coral reefs, few minutes away from White Beach. The corals are not really stunning but it is worth seeing it and watching different types of small fish waiting to be fed!

Giant's Causeway - Revisited

2009-05-13T14:23:00.011+01:00

I AM NOT A GEOLOGIST BUT I have basic knowledge and understanding of land and rock formations. No need to browse a text book or an online source to have a full grasp of this stunning rock form located in Northern Ireland (UK) being maintained by the National Trust. This is commonly known as the Giant's Causeway which is declared in 1986 as one of UNESCO's heritage sites.

The Giant's Causeway is formed by a volcanic eruption, creating a pattern of more than 40,000 hexagonal shape rocks, uniformly-laden along the coast. There is also a legend about this formation which astonishes everyone and which builds up everyone's curiousity to find out more about it. While walking towards the main attraction, you could find interesting rock features such as: the camel, the granny, wishing chair, chimney tops, giant's boot and the organ (music). Well, can you find them from the pictures below?

My first visit to this heritage site was in 2006 during a chilly and windy day. After three years, I decided to see it again and the feeling was magical as if these rocks are inviting me to touch their smooth black surfaces under the heat of the sun!

Visiting the site during spring and summer time is something not to be missed while in Northern Ireland - the birthplace of Titanic!

Some of the images taken during the coastal trip, including the hanging rope bridge (some of the photos were taken by my Irish friend).

The best job in the world - the applicant

2009-01-24T22:06:00.003Z

I AM ONE OF THE APPLICANTS for the job. The clip below is my passport for the job and hopefully be selected in the top 50 candidates. Watch the video and support my quest. If I will be selected, it entails travelling to Australia and around the Great Barrier Reef and my eTravelDiary will be the first to know my daily activities during the final selection process. Wish me luck!

Please CLICK here to watch again and vote. Thanks for your support!

Sibuyan Island: A glimpse of paradise in the Philippines

2009-01-23T15:09:00.015Z

One of the islets in my home country. Crista de Gallo is located in the central part of the Philippines, in the Province of Romblon. Situated within the town of San Fernando, just 5-6 hours away (by motorboat) from the famous beach of Boracay, Aklan. The images were taken during my last visit in 2007.

The short clip is showing the white sand and crystal clear water ... a place that everyone is dreaming for a perfect holiday destination!

Welcome to the Philippine islands! See you soon...

Snapshots of my summer break in Rome and Florence

2009-01-22T21:03:00.006Z

Some of the photos taken during my visit in Italy in June 2008. Highlights of the trip include the visit to Rome's finest tourist attractions: Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, Piazza Navona, The Colosseum, Roman Forum, St Peter's Square, Palatino, Piazza del Popolo, Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) and many others.

In Florence, must-see places include: Piazza del Duomo, Campanile, The Baptistery, Piazza della Signoria, Santa Maria Novella, San Lorenzo, The Ponte Vecchio (busiest bridge market street), and Michelangelo's masterpiece, David (replica) in Piazza Signoria (fronting Bargello Museum), and the Galleria degli Uffizi. Unfortunately, I was not able to get inside the Leonardo da Vinci museum due to long queue of people! Well, there are always reasons why I have to go back to Florence and enjoy its art and culture.

Picos de Europa - Asturias (Spain)

2008-10-26T09:28:00.003Z

I LOVE OUTDOORS to capture the uniqueness and borderless nature of our Mother Earth. I don't know but walking in a rugged terrain or slippery flat grasses gives me a different feeling - the adrenalin to explore Nature and able to understand its origin, shape, color, texture and composition.

My first visit to Spain was overwhelming considering that the country had a historical significance to the Philippines. I am lucky to have a Spanish friend who is hospitable enough to accommodate me and two of my other friends and toured us around Madrid and the northern part of the country, Asturias. Just a quick trivia, our Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal did pursue his study in medicine and learned fencing as a sport in Madrid.

Asturias is one of the provinces that Picos de Europa (Peaks of Europe) is situated. Considered as the Spanish Alps, it is almost 5 hours to reach this place (by car) from Madrid. The main attraction of these summits is accessible by cable cars from the foot of Fuente de. Fuente de is located 1.5 hours away from where we stayed in Cangas de Onis.

Picos de Europa's attraction is not comparable to other mountain treks that I have done in the past. It has different appeal to me which I love to go back again and be at the middle of these white granite rock mountains. The scissors-blade-like peaks provide an illusion that they touch the limitless blue sky.

There are several trails to choose from and there is a hotel at the middle of the wilderness if anyone prefers to stay overnight or for a few days and explore other long walk trails. From the landing area (viewing deck and restaurant) of the cable cars at the top of the mountain provides an excellent panoramic view (landscape) of the neighbouring lowlands of Fuente de.

Summer Break in Italy: Day 1 - Arrival

2008-08-18T07:25:00.006+01:00

After a final check of the important things to be brought during my 6-day trip, I was relaxed and not harassed thinking that I might forget something valuable which jeopardise my trip. Having 16 kg check-in bag and one hand carry for my laptop, I was ready to go and looking forward to meeting the Pope in Vatican and David in Florence! My friend was accommodating enough to drive me to the airport, almost 45 minutes drive from the university. My Aer Lingus flight was on time (1530 departure time) and after 2.5 hours on air, the plane finally landed at the Da Vinci Airport. It was not a busy Friday night (past 7pm, 2 hours advance from UK time)) and the waiting time in the immigration area was tolerable. Not impressed with the existing condition of the airport, especially the dim effect of the lighting to the old floorings.

The airport security was helpful enough to give me the direction to the train station. It took me 5-7 minutes to reach the Leonardo Express service – one hour trip to the city centre of Rome via Roma Termini for 11 Euros (almost £10) per trip. The ticket express expires 90 minutes after validation. I did buy my return ticket as well just to save time from queuing in the central rail station.

In few minutes time, the train arrived and I managed to settle inside the carriage after a 28 degrees C exposure and the feeling of disorientation from being a non-Italian speaking tourist. The train is quite long and have enough space for the luggage with average air conditioning system. The seats were fine and comfortable for the short journey to the city comparable to local journeys in Northern Ireland or going to Dublin from Belfast. The landscape along the railway is a typical European setting with open green fields and few structures. It is noticeable however that there are high rise residential buildings along the railway and not to ignore the interesting graffitis on the concrete barrier walls.

The train finally reached its destination, the main central bus/train/metro station, Roma Termini. It is a huge station which also accommodates regional travels in the major European cities, including the city's mass transport, Metro which occupies the lowest floor of the station. The station looks like a shopping centre with major retail shops and restaurants accessible for locals and tourists.

As soon I stepped out from the train, my left hand was busy clicking my Sony digital camera for souvenir shots of the station. It was almost past 9pm but it was still bright to find my way out for Hostel Beautiful 2.

Honestly, I was not impressed with the surroundings. Not much of running cars, but there is a significant number of scooters/bicycles and cars everywhere – both sides of the narrow streets. The air is clean (as I could not find black particles settled inside my nose) but frankly, I could compare the Rome's atmosphere to some parts of the Philippine cities, except for the architecture of the buildings and its overall urban form – its historical significance to early civilisation. I felt at home really considering that the road orientation is similar to the Philippines, left hand driving. I was disoriented for a little while in crossing the streets adjusting from Northern Ireland/UK's right-handed driving.

I have all the printed materials for the hostel direction, but it took me more than 30 minutes of walking to find the hostel location. I am an Urban/city Planner and love maps but I hate to think that I am not expert in navigation and maybe I have to carry a GPS gadget or the popular "tomtom"unit used in driving in my future trips (hehehe). I might be a good idea in my next Europe trip!

I did ask directions for several people along the way and it was strange to imagine that the local people were not good navigators too which added to my frustrations. The other reasons why it was difficult to find the hostel was that, it does not have a big billboard or street sign of its own, aside from the odd-even street number arrangement. The hostel is located within the row of residential-shop buildings. In other words, the hostel is an ordinary tenant sharing a the main entrance door (including intercom) with other occupiers of the building.

Anyway, I found it after a tiring walk. The staff on-duty was happy enough to get my personal details which will be reported to the Italian police for security/safety reason. He also talked about the facilities available in the hostel, including possible siteseeing directions using the metro and bus. Frankly, the hostel is strategically located in the city – accessible for all types of transport, shopping and dining. After the documentation, I finally settled to my room, ready for my second day in Rome!

Summer Break in Italy: Pre-departure

2008-08-18T07:11:00.001+01:00

This is my first trip in 2008 after my Xmas vacation in Canada and the US.

As a prelude of my diary, just briefly explain my university life. I really need this break after so many things happening in my work and personal life, including my health condition – suffering from a shoulder pain which forced me to attend physiotherapy session for several occasions. I am struggling to move on with my research after several revisions of the techniques to be employed in my PhD research. After working on it for more than 2 years, it seems that it is endless negotiations with my supervisors on what to do for the rest of the remaining months of my program which is due in October. Hopefully, I will be approved for extension for 6 months, so I can submit my thesis by April 2009. With this 6-day trip to Italy could somehow unwind and revitalise my enthusiasm to write, have direct focus on what to do and move on to completion of my PhD program.

As a preparation for this trip, I have to secure the necessary requirements for the Italian visa or the Schengen visa (entry to EU members, except UK and Ireland). Generally, for non-EU citizens and living in Northern Ireland, the visa is issued in Edinburgh which takes 3 weeks to process via the Consulate General in Belfast. An appointment with the Consulate General to assess the application and will be forwarded to Edinburgh office.

The supporting documents for the visa applications are follows: valid passport, ID photo, confirmed flight and accommodation details, letter from the university and current bank statement.

There several choices to book the flight on-line from Belfast to Rome. The flights are offered by Easyjet, Ryanair, Bmi and Aer lengus. I chose Aer Lengus (Irish carrier) having a direct flight to Rome from Belfast International Airport. Ryanair is much cheaper but needs to depart from Dublin and it will requires me to have an Irish visa! Aer Lengus started their new hub (central office) in Belfast late last year after so many years of operation in Dublin. In terms of accommodation, I decided to book with Hostelworld.com and luckily I got affordable places to stay (both in Rome and Florence) for the whole duration of the trip. My flights and accommodations were sorted out prior to my visa application. Finally, I got my visa 2 days prior to my departure, after calling the Embassy for updates to ensure that I have it a day before my departure and granted with one entry and limited days to stay.

A memorable North American's holiday

2008-02-07T18:16:00.001Z

At last I finally posted the final journal of my recent trip to Canada and the US.

I started packing up as early as possible to find out how much weight my bags could accommodate. This is not my first trip from abroad where I could carry back personal stuffs from my shopping spree and somewhat brings anxiety for paying the extra loads at the airport. Anyway, without using a weighing scale I am now experienced to assess my bag for not exceeding 25 kg. Surprisingly, as expected it is exceeded, but Im still optimistic that I could fit them all and pay nothing.

Basing from my past travels, I know that every passenger is allowed up to 50 pounds or up to 25 kg especially travelling from Asia to elsewhere. To have a peace of mind, I decided to call the Continental customer service and to verify the charges for excess. Amazingly, I found out that I am allowed two bags and 50 pounds each!

It was an emotional moment to say goodbye to my cousin's family particularly her two kids. I left the house 2 hours before my scheduled departure time from Pearson Airport and catch my connecting flight at Newark (Liberty airport). The day was cold dry and traces of snow are still visible along the roads. My cousin stayed for a while until I successfully checked-in my bags. It was a relief while carrying my hand carries and successfully passed the US immigration.

My flight arrive on-time at Newark and waited for less than two hours for my next flight for Belfast. To make my stay meaningful at the airport, I roamed around and took some photos of the airport and continued reading my Xmas bookcrossing exchange gift – Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters.

Quickly, I boarded the plane with the rest of Irish passengers which majority of them were come from their Florida's holiday. The flight was shaky and bumpy which brought my heart to beat faster! Thank God, the plane finally touched down at the International Airport of Belfast few minutes early as expected. While queuing in the immigration section, I was anxious to go home and sleep! But as soon as I handed my passport to the immigration officer, she searched all my visa stamps and I was surprised to hear from her "if I have encountered problems with the immigration". Well, I remember that I had one when I and my Indonesian friends went to Dublin last Sept 2006 and the bus that we were riding was stopped and unfortunately, we don’t have the Irish visa, we were not allowed to cross the border. I don’t want to explain what happened that day but, it was recorded in the system that I did something wrong which will be a problem every time I will travel in Europe. Anyway, I told her what happened and she finally handed my passport and let me to go!

Before meeting my friend outside the arrival area, I went to the Exchange money counter and asked to exchanged my Canadian dollars to English notes with the same rate when I left the airport three weeks ago which was good because the rate that day is lower than that of my departure. So, it was a good deal!

I met my friend outside the airport with smiling - recharged to face again my university work with new hope and enthusiasm to finish my PhD on time this year.

Oooh, it was a wonderful vacation I had in Canada and the US. I already miss my relatives and friends there! Visiting North Carolina, Niagara Falls, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal is something I will treasure while I am alive and kicking!

Day 17, 18 and 19: Montreal and Ottawa City Trips

2008-01-12T01:40:00.004Z

On the 17th day, we went to Square One mall. I felt like I was shopping inside the Galleria (Makati). Well the configuration is similar to Galleria Malls and even some of the lay-outs of the tenants and parking area. My cousin's kids had their haircuts!

We left Mississuaga for Montreal at 730pm on the same day and arrived Quebec at 1:30am. We stayed at Holiday Inn (Express) at suite accommodation. My cousin managed to get ½ price of the second night stay and fair enough the place is excellent for families. I slept in the sofa bed and I really enjoyed my stay considering that the hotel has as free wireless internet connection. I had the chance to finalise my report and sent it to my supervisors by email.

Well, on our first day, after we took our free breakfast at the hotel, we immediately proceeded to St Joseph Oratory. It was easy to find it using the newly purchased GPS gadget. The place is really interesting and well-recommended for people who have devotion to St Joseph, the father of Jesus. Later on, we went to the popular bakery for "Bagel". Believe it or not, a long line of people waiting to be served for delicious bagels! I love the chocolate ones, including the salmon filling. My cousin was telling me that, without tasting the bagel, it means you did not visit Quebec!

By the way, everybody speaks French in Quebec, even traffic signs and posts are in French! Generally, the city centre is not busy because of the weather, and it seems that the streets are bumpy most of the time. Houses are painted in bright colours with winding steel staircases in the front leading to the second floor of the houses. Maybe, a replica of French architecture!

After that, we had a quick tour to the Olympic Stadium of Montreal – the place where 1976 summer games took place. I was really excited to get in the stadium and grab some souvenirs, but we can not find a good parking area and besides side streets were covered with snow! From a distance, my first impression to this huge sports complex is like a space ship.

Later on, we had a quick shopping in Costco and proceeded to the hotel for a rest. After taking a short break, we decided to go out and had the last evening French mass at Notre-Dame Basilica. This church is stunning especially the altar area. We did buy some souvenirs in the nearby shops and again it is expensive for T-shirts!

Early in the evening, we had our dinner just near the hotel and again we tasted the "Smoked Tuna sandwich" which another food to taste while in Montreal. It was a lovely dinner and the owner and the waitress of the restaurant were kind to serve us at the last costumer.

That night, I had a bad condition – running nose and sneezing! Frankly, I don’t drink tablets to stop, but since I can not bear anymore of it and not to spoil my sleep and to contain it to myself (considering that there are two kids which are vulnerable for colds), I took a tablet of Claritin and took one after 12 hours.

The following day (19th day), we woke early, packed our things and had our breakfast. We checked out and using the GPS gadget, we left Quebec and after two hours, we arrived our next destination, Ottawa. The roads were ok and not much of traffic along the way.

By the way, everybody speaks French in Quebec, even traffic signs and posts are in French! Generally, the city centre is not busy because of the weather, and it seems that the streets are bumpy most of the time. Houses are painted in bright colours with winding steel staircases in the front leading to the second floor of the houses. Maybe, a replica of French architecture!

After that, we had a quick tour to the Olympic Stadium of Montreal – the place where 1976 summer games took place. I was really excited to get in the stadium and grab some souvenirs, but we can not find a good parking area and besides side streets were covered with snow! From a distance, my first impression to this huge sports complex is like a space ship.

Later on, we had a quick shopping in Costco and proceeded to the hotel for a rest. After taking a short break, we decided to go out and had the last evening French mass at Notre-Dame Basilica. This church is stunning especially the altar area. We did buy some souvenirs in the nearby shops and again it is expensive for T-shirts!

Early in the evening, we had our dinner just near the hotel and again we tasted the "Smoked Tuna sandwich" which another food to taste while in Montreal. It was a lovely dinner and the owner and the waitress of the restaurant were kind to serve us at the last costumer.

That night, I had a bad condition – running nose and sneezing! Frankly, I don’t drink tablets to stop, but since I can not bear anymore of it and not to spoil my sleep and to contain it to myself (considering that there are two kids which are vulnerable for colds), I took a tablet of Claritin and took one after 12 hours.

The following day (19th day), we woke early, packed our things and had our breakfast. We checked out and using the GPS gadget, we left Quebec and after two hours, we arrived our next destination, Ottawa. The roads were ok and not much of traffic along the way.

We did not stay long in Ottawa – the capital city of Canada. We immediately proceeded to the Parliament Hill and climbed to the chamber where the bells are housed. The main building's interior is impressive and well-maintained. Highly- recommended to visit the place in summer. Took some photographs and left the city centre back to Toronto. It took us another 4.5 hours to finally reach our destination, but this time to attend a b-day party. It was a foggy late afternoon and I met some of my hometown friends and exchanged stories about our lives. We did not stay long and we finally drove back to my cousin's house after long hours of driving from Ottawa.

Day 15, and 16: Snowy (negative degrees) in Mississuaga, Toronto

2008-01-12T01:08:00.002Z

On Day 15, my cousin's sister and I woke up early and immediately drove to Sherway Garden – a shopping mall, 20-minutes away from the house. Fortunately, I was able to buy my favourite shirts in Abercrombie without any fuss. I had the chance to have a one-hour swim at the River grove Community Centre after weeks of not having a regular exercise. Frankly, I gained weight and I feel that my tummy is noticeable this time of the season.

After my swim, I joined my cousin's brother and sister-in-law to visit CN Tower in the downtown area of Toronto. It was a wonderful quick visit to the tallest tower in the world. It is a magnificent structure that provides a panoramic view of the metropolitan Toronto area. Viewing the area at night provides a different perspective of the city where you could only see different lights below the ground.

On Day 16, I joined again my cousin for a ride train going to the city centre. I did a quick tour of the subway area, instead of walking the main streets. When I had my first visit of the city, I noticed that only few people were walking and I thought that maybe because it was early in the morning. But on the second visit, I found out that everybody is walking below the ground – where basements of the buildings are interconnected to each other and where the sub train stations are also connected. All the major shops and restaurants are located few feet below the grounds and well-heated. The concourses are confusing but I managed to remember the colour codes: North – Blue; South – Red; East – Yellow and West – Orange. I was lost for several times but luckily I managed to find my way back where I have to meet again my cousin.

Half of the day, I spent much time at the Uni of Toronto main library in Robarts Building and did some revision of my university research which I successfully sent it by email to my supervisors two days after while in Montreal.

On the evening of Day 16, we celebrated two birthdays: my cousin's husband and her father (my grandfather). It was a simple celebration for family members only with a big cake, a big bowl of fruit salad, including fried chickens and native pasta.

Day 14: New Year's Day

2008-01-12T01:07:00.001Z

It was snowing at 1 degree C! I helped shovelling the snow in front of the house. My cousin's husband used the snow blower for easy removal of the snow.

After that, I proceeded to the backyard to make my first ever snow man! With my excitement, I easily shaped the snow man, including his orange eyes, nose and mouth with matching blue hat!

Having a snowman outside the house is my dream came true. While growing up and brainwashed with American films, I always think that Xmas celebration is not complete without snow man. Anyway, at least I managed to have it and being enjoyed by my cousin's kids which later on the head of the snowman was cut-off!

I also met my former officemate and his family in the afternoon. I also met his four kids and the eldest is already a beautiful 19 year old lady. My friend and family left the Philippines when the eldest was only 7 years old.

Day 12 & 13: Shopping in Mississuaga

2008-01-12T00:21:00.001Z

We just toured around the Mississuaga area and visited some shopping areas. We went to Sherway Garden and just to find out the people were queuing in front of Abercrombie store. So we decided to take our lunch and decided to come back after New Year's day. The mall is quite similar to shopping centres in the Philippines but it has only two floors. Well, it is expensive to shop in Canada compare to the US especially for signature items.

Our lunch meal was really good and we went home open-handed because too many people inside the mall and it was not really advisable to wait to queue for paying or even getting in the shops.

Mississuaga area is a thriving community which is now becoming a catchment area for people who don’t want to stay in the city centre of Toronto. I observed that most of the houses are big, at least 4-5 bedrooms, including a basement, quite similar to American houses.

Day 11: Back to Toronto

2008-01-12T00:05:00.001Z

It was cold, windy day and snowing in the early afternoon. In the morning, I was busy uploading my photos from my 3 cameras to my websites. Later in the afternoon, my cousin's family and I attended a 5-year old boy b-day party in Bounce n Play. Again, kids were my models during the entire celebration.

After the party, I accompanied my cousin's husband to shop in Costco – a warehouse store, and I did just a window shopping of books, electronics and men's wares. Later in the night, I stayed home and chatted with my friends thru YM.

Nothing planned yet for the next day, except that my cousin's sister planned to accompany me to go shopping and visit Abercrombie store. My cousin was also planning to visit Montreal and Ottawa, after New Year.

Day 9 and 10: Departure for Niagara Falls

2008-01-09T19:23:00.001Z

Day 9 was raining and supposedly we have to leave for Niagara, instead we left the following day. We went shopping again in Victoria secret and Macy's…I bought gifts for my friends and my supervisors in the university.

Day 10, we left 2:30pm from Durham. We had different route coming back to Buffalo using the new GPS gadget of my cousin's husband. It was a long way but the motorways were easier to follow without any deep curves in West Virginia area. We arrived Buffalo at two in the morning and stayed Summit Inn along Niagara Falls Blvd. We went shopping at Target and went to the Fatima Shrine.

We went to Niagara Falls and roamed around… After that, we exited the US border. Fortunately, we were not inspected of the items bought in the US. There is a maximum amount of products to be brought in to Canada and it is dependent to the number of days spent in the US. I was worried since I bought my Olympus camera and a complete set of Series 1 of Heroes which amounted to 350 dollars, excluding other items that I bought from Abercrombie. Niagara Falls at the side of Ontario was a busy area compare to the US side.

On the same day, we arrived Toronto and back to my cousin's house in Mississauga. It was a tiring day and unpacking of our gifts and some other belongings. I slept early after I uploaded some of my photos taken during my 5 nights stay in the US territory.

Day 8: Boxing Day

2008-01-09T18:43:00.002Z

It was raining! We suppose to leave North Carolina for Toronto but my friend advised us to stay one more day due to the bad weather. As soon as I took my breakfast, my cousin's husband drove to the shopping centre where we went the other day and I finally bought the latest camera model of Olympus, the Stylus 790SW! I got this orange gadget from Best Buy for $349.99+tax. I tested it and frankly, it is worth having it as my back-up camera. The camera is designed for extreme temperature, and for underwater use up to 5 feet depth. When I checked my credit card billing, I found out that I only paid £180 pounds which is £20 more if I bought in the UK. From the Best Buy store, I also grabbed the Season 1 of Heroes which was also for 50% sale. I was desperate to buy it back in Belfast at £39.99, but I was optimistic that I can have it at a lower price. Well, I got it for only $24.99+tax, almost £13 only!

We went home and had our lunch. In the afternoon we visited the Museum of life and Science where kids enjoyed the exhibits – from spacecrafts to live insects!

Day 7: Christmas Day

2008-01-09T17:31:00.001Z

It was a sunny but chilly day. After a late night celebration, we were not able to wake up early for the first mass in the church near my friend's house. Instead, we travel few miles away and went to St Tomas More church at Chapel Hill near Uni of North Carolina campus.

The homily revolved in the importance of Xmas and the priest emphasised the word, "kindness". Reflecting the priest's sermon, I am glad that my parents instilled in my mind the importance of being kind to others. Extending help not only to relatives but also to strangers is a virtue and always brings joy to our hearts. Pure kindness does not require something in return or a favour from others in exchange of whatever help being extended. It is something that purely coming from our hearts and it is not an "obligation" or an responsibility to offer for everyone. Sometimes, it is ironic that kindness is over-used and abused by others. To some extent we become "opportunists" and dependents from others' generosity. Well, being generous to others needs open mind and don’t expect much from the people who need help. And at the same way, with people who are fortunate to receive assistance, help or favour, have to be patient and be humble to acknowledge any generosity from others.

We went home after the mass and my friend prepared some food for the guests coming in the late afternoon. I stayed home and did some updates of my travel blog. It was quiet day and not much things to do since shopping malls and outlets were closed! Later part of the evening, the guests arrived with their families; all of them were Pinoys who have already migrated in the US. We did karaoke as well using the popular magic mic from the Philippines.

Days 5, 6 and 7: Shopping and Xmas Eve Celebration

2008-01-01T16:58:00.000Z

We arrived Durham past 6am after we lost our way for almost an hour. We were really tired and we had a quick breakfast and went for a nap.

My friend is my former primary teacher's daughter and she is now married with 2 wonderful kids. She is a nurse and her husband as well. It was a reunion as well and meeting her and the family, including her youngest sister who also works as a nurse was a delight. We talked alot and shared stories about simple things that happened in our lives during the past years, even our high school days.

As usual, we went shopping in the Southpoint mall, 20 minutes away from my friend's house. I immediately proceeded to Abercrombie for sale times. I was lucky to get a polo shirt at $12.90+tax at boys section of the store! I also grabbed an X-large jogging pants at $34+tax which is less 50% from the adults pants. Sometimes it is cheaper to have a slimmer built to shop in boys/teens store. I cant find a XX-large in the boys section, I went to the older sizes and grabbed 3 shirts (£25+tax), including 2 pairs of discounted slippers at £13+tax. Abercrombie is always my fav store every time I visit the US.

Later on, we went to another outlet and we bought some toys for the kids at the Toys R Us store. The shop is really a joy for kids where you could different shapes, sizes, bright colours of toys! More shopping bags when we left the outlet!

On the 24th Dec, we attended the mass in the morning and we had short trip in some part of the town, including the popular Duke University. I joined my friend's sister to pick-up her husband from the airport in the early evening. Santa Claus was there to distribute the gifts for the kids! Unknowingly, after the kids were requested to stay inside their bedrooms, the parents were busy sorting out the gifts and placed it outside the main door of the house, pretending that Santa Claus dropped it for the kids... As usual, after the kids opened their presence, the older ones also exchanged gifts. Eventually, we had our group pictures and of course the Noche Buena - full of Pinoy delicacies on the table!

It was a busy day but full of fun and merry making...

Day 4: Departure for North Carolina (USA)

2007-12-26T03:18:00.001Z

I was still busy wrapping gifts last night prior to our departure for the US. We left the house at noon and it was still freezing with piles of snow along the roads. This is my second time to experience a long drive, but this time I will be the human "tom tom" (gps)navigator.

My cousin's husband loves to drive and for him driving down to the US is another exciting task. Based from the quest map's calculation, the total distance is almost 800 miles and approximately it will take more than 10 hours to reach our destination, Durham (North Carolina). Unfortunately, as our trip progresses, we can not meet quest map's set time due to unavoidable weather condition and other circumstances that we encountered along the way.

The landscape of Ontario is not really impressive except when we reached the boundary of the US (Buffalo), near the Niagara Falls, including the Ontario Lake which provides a natural scenic attraction in the area. We thought it was not a busy day in the border for the inspection of our passports. But when we stepped down from the van, we proceeded to immigration office and from there the people were squeezed inside a double walled glass room waiting to be called. It took us 2.5 hours to wait for the interview. It is the same procedure being done at the airport where finger printing and photograph taking are required for every traveller, except for the $6 dollars fee.

It was almost dark when we left the immigration office and we are now heading to the eastern side of the US. Everybody is hungry especially my cousin's kids, so we decided to proceed first to Denny's restaurant for a quick dinner! I enjoyed the meal and everybody is ready to continue the journey.

There was not much scenery along the way since it was dark and I could barely see the surroundings. From Buffalo, down to West Virginia, then from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, it was a smooth journey with few stops to fill the gasoline tank. When we reached West Virginia, the van was travelling slowly because of the fog, unending road curves and the rain. Finally, when we reached the boundary of North Carolina, we were lost and my cousin's husband was disoriented to go back again to the motorway. After so many attempts contacting our host, we finally got the right track to reach our final destination safe, sleepy and exhausted. It took us 12 hours to finally step inside our host's house in Durham.

I was so sleepy despite of having quick naps during the travel. My eyes were really tired and I could hardly open them which tend my head to fall down forward. After a hot sip of coffee, our host guided us to our rooms and immediately changed my clothes and my back touched the smooth bouncy bed and I don’t know when I my eyes finally surrendered.

Day (3): A visit to the University of Toronto Library at Robarts Building

2007-12-22T16:35:00.001Z

We left the house today at 620am catching the train for the city. Again, along the way, we talked again about our work, family and our future plans. Arriving the city almost 7am and it is still dark, where tall buildings were still lighted and the street lights guided our way to my cousin's office at Room 500. I took some photos of the buildings, including CN Tower and also shots in the front desk area of my cousin's office.

I finally left the building, and decided to walk (instead of taking the subway) towards University Avenue heading to University of Toronto. Hardened snow is everywhere and I always careful for my steps not to slip my shoes over the snow. Almost 30 minutes of walking and I asked several people for the exact location of the main library at St George Street.

Along the way, I also took the chance to take photographs of the buildings along the main road, and also when I finally reached the library at Robart's building, I took my camera from my pocket quietly and quickly took shots in the interior of the building. The design of the building is interesting, especially to find out that the building has 13th Floor which is unusual for buildings. Well, maybe Canadian people don’t believe the bad reputation of number 13. I roamed around the building after I got my pass from the information desk.

While enjoying the ambience inside the building, I did not notice that my pass was lost until I had my quick meal at the canteen. Well, again I always talk to the strangers! I noticed the lady watching me while I took a shot of Starbucks store inside the canteen. She might be curious why Im taking a photograph inside a canteen. With my little ESP talent, I quickly faced her and talked to her. She nicely responded and finally joined in my table. I found out that she works with the library since 1970s. Gabriela originally came from Chile and she works now with the Public Affairs office of the library. I also found out that the newsletter that I was reading while sipping my hot chocolate was her work being the Editor of the publication. It was funny because she was also confident to say I came from the Philippines of my surname! You know what, I finally found out that my library pass missing! Well, talking to a stranger has save my day! … she left the table and shortly she left carrying a piece of paper – the library pass. She explained that the information desk is strict for issuing another pass, so she signed the new pass after I showed to her my university ID! I always believe that I met this very nice lady because for a reason – I lost my pass and she will give me another one not to avoid embarrassment if I will get a new one from the information desk.

Back to my main reason of visiting the library, I successfully able to locate the books that I want to read and spent 13 dollars to have some pages to be photocopied. I did mistake of using the photocopier machine which few pages where spoiled at 15 cents each!!! Anyway, I was happy because I did some shots inside the restricted floors where the floors are kept. Believe me, I thought my university library back in Brisbane (Thailand) was the biggest library I visited, but this library is the 4th largest bookkeeper in North America, or maybe one of the largest libraries in the world. The only difference is that it has floor number 13 where books are also found!

I finally left the library at 330pm after I received a call from my cousin that we will meet at her office building at 4pm. It was lovely day spending time with books and with the rest of people who love to learn new things!

Day (2) Part 2/2: Catching-up with my cousin and her family

2007-12-22T15:54:00.001Z

Last night was a busy day after coming from New Jersey in the morning. After I was picked up from the airport by my cousin's husband, we immediately proceeded to the house. My cousin and her parents were there, while her kids were still in the baby sitter's place. While waiting for the kids to arrive, I took the opportunity to have a long conversation with Lola (my cousin's mother) in the dining room. She prepared a Filipino style breakfast. We did discuss a lot of things – my family, about my plans in the future and whereabouts of our friends back in the Philippines. She was my former English teacher in high school and I took the opportunity to thank her personally for being strict in the class and somehow the discipline she instilled in us, personally helped me prepared in my undergrad program back in Manila.

It was a long and never-ending story of life and we laughed a lot remembering those happenings almost 22 years ago! Finally, the kids arrived and at first they were quite hesitant to approach me especially the girl, Andrea. On the other hand, Alex (little boy) was happy enough to sit besides me watching the High School Musical 2 film on dvd. Most of the time, Alex and Andrea will stand up and showed their prowess in dancing and singing, imitating the main cast of the film, Troy and Gabriella. I was really amused how these young kids entertained me (their Uncle) as their guest.

I was at ease playing with them and easily got their attention especially the little boy. Being a new friend, Alex asked me so many things, especially my Xmas presence for them! It seems that the boy is really excited to open his gift. I was successful not to tell them about the real identity of the gift until my cousin's sister arrived from work at the hospital. By the way, the sister has 2 grown up kids which were shy to extend their hands for a hand shake's welcome. After preparing my lunch, Lola is busy playing the cards, while the kids are still pre-occupied with their toys, including the drawings I made for them. Well, these drawings were requested by them with proper name for each drawing. At the end, the girl (Andrea) showed her anger and cried because I failed her not to draw a princess based on her specifications – long hair and opened hands! I also failed to write properly the name she wants for the princess which really triggered her to show here tantrums. Well, with that early stage of knowing them, I finally say that kids sometimes are demanding and making their parents' blood to rise!

When my cousin arrived from her office, she invited me to join her to go for shopping at Wal-Mart. The kids heard this and they were desperate to convince their mum to be with us, thinking that I will be leaving very soon. And because of my instant attachment to the kids, especially with Alex, my cousin convinced them to stay after a bubble warm bath, and not to worry that Uncle Rey will leave, but stay in the house for almost 3 weeks. Anyway, we finally left the house and it was freezing outside and the boulders of snow along the roads are still visible. We had our dinner at Harvey's first before going to Wal-mart. It was an excellent meal – friend chicken and rice (ala Kenny Roger's style). We talked about so many personal things and we just having a good time to share our stories after not seeing each other for almost 15 years.

As usual, visiting the store will guarantee a book purchase and this time I bought for my cousin to read, One More Day of Mitch Albom at 40% discount. I already read the book few months ago and it is highly recommended to everyone! I also volunteer to prepare a dessert (fudge) for the family tonight and hopefully some of them will be packed and consumed during my long travel to North Carolina tomorrow, Saturday (Day 5) to spend our Xmas day with close friends.

We arrived the house and the kids were already asleep. I did a quick shower and helped my cousin wrapped some gifts for her boss' two young kids and officemates. I went to bed almost past midnight with things ready for my first visit to the city centre of Toronto. I only slept 8 hours in the span of two days.

Day 2 (Dec 20) Part 1/2: Arrival to Pearson Airport (Toronto)

2007-12-20T17:52:00.000Z

As I mentioned in my earlier journal, I did not able to get a seat for Toronto flight last night, but finally got booked one in the first flight today at 7am. I woke up at 430am and catched the shuttle bus from the hotel at 5am to the airport (New Liberty Airport). I proceeded to the security checkpoint. I dont know why, Im always being selected for the random inspection which is really time consuming! Every personal item contained in my handcarry bag was inspected by swiping a white filter paper to the item and the paper is being feed to the computer for examination for any dust or powder. They want to know if I have a metal implant in my body!

Before I left the airport last night, I asked the Continental customer service staff about the details of my bookings, including my luggage claim. I was told that it will be on the same flight with me and nothing to worry about. Well, this is true but my big bag was flewn to Toronto last night in good condition.

New Liberty Airport is a huge airport and takes a while to reach the designated gate of my flight. It is very ironic to find out that the gate indicated in the boarding pass was changed and then I have to went back where I had my inspection. First flight will always empty and only few people really book to wake up early, but with my experience, it is worth to be there early to avoid traffic along the road, less people queuing in the security points and it is not crowded inside the aircraft.

Leaving New Jersey in a clear sky is showing good condition above with less turbulence and preventing my ears to ache. I was able to continue reading the book of Sarah Waters. By the way, every time I travel abroad, the visit is not complete without grabbing a good read from a bookstore at the airport, so I bought a hardbound pocket book entitled Heroes, Saving Charlie (inspired from the TV series with the same title) to be added in book collections.

It took almost 2 hours to reach Pearson Airport. While approaching the airport, I could see the whiteness in the landscape of Toronto from top view after a snow storm over the weekend. The airport is not grand compare to New Liberty Airport, but the former's arrival area is like a mall's lobby but less people. Immigration inspection was easy and not much of questions regarding my itinerary. After 30 minutes of waiting, my cousin's husband arrived and I finally have a glimpse of the vicinity of the airport. It takes 15 minutes to reach my cousin's house (in Missisauga) and along the way, patches of snow can be seen along the road and roof's houses.

It was an emotional meeting with my cousin and her parents after 15 years of not seeing each other since we left our hometown. Her parents were my former high school teachers. Im tired and hungry and immediately they prepared my breakfast with Filipino food on the table! Im excited to meet my cousin's kids, ages 4 and 5. We are planning to make a Snowman as soon as they will arrive from school's Xmas party later today.

I realised that travelling during Xmas time especially going to America requires careful planning especially for connecting flights. I booked with Continental airlines for the reason of having cheaper flights during the season. I tried with Zoom.com but my preferred flights were already fully booked with no seats available, and while Air transat does not have flights in December from Belfast, otherwise fly via Edinburgh or Glasgow.

Next journal...shopping at the downtown area of Toronto!

Day 1 (Dec 19): Departure from Belfast for Toronto

2007-12-20T05:54:00.000Z

Finally, after several trips abroad during the past years, I don’t have much difficulty in packing up my stuff despite the fact that I have other things to do one day prior to my departure. I had a meeting with my supervisors to discuss my 3rd revision of my research methodology and of course to plan my progress while I am away for almost 4 weeks. I sorted out whatever commitments I have while Im away from the university. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to revised my report as I promised to email it to my supervisors prior to my flight today. I have time to do it when I arrive Toronto. My supervisors can wait anyway, and I know they are busy with their admin tasks for the first term break.

I stayed in my friend's place in Belfast and did a final wrap-up of my 20-kg luggage, including a small bag and the back-pack for my laptop. I woke up in a relaxed feeling – ready to take on board with Continental Airlines (an American carrier). I did final run down of my personal things just to make sure that I carry everything that I need for my 4 weeks holiday.

Belfast International is quite far from the city where my friend's lives, or even if I will be coming from the place where I live near the university. I was little bit conscious of the traffic along the way, so we left as early as 830am for my 1115am flight. It was a smooth quiet journey to the airport with a chilly breeze of winter, while the Backstreet Boys' song, "As long as you love me" is playing over the car radio. It reminded of my participation in the final round of the singing competition in Brisbane (Australia), 4 years ago! It was fun though and of course I bought a DVD copy of that event just to remind me of my interest in music…up to now Im still dreaming to have a record deal and be in the top chart someday (joke only)!

I said good bye to my friend and extended my arms for my warmest hugs and Xmas greetings. He will be coming back to pick me up again on Jan 08 from Toronto. He is really a kindest person on earth and who will always there to extend his help for people who are in need. Unfortunately, I only handed a personalised Xmas card last night to him, and say, "surprise, surprise!" He was puzzled of what I was saying…Anyway, I bought my gifts from Amazon and be delivered to his place before Xmas day! I hope he will enjoy watching the film which I want to watch it as well when I come back. It is very convenient to purchase on-line (like Amazon) using vouchers or gift certificates, without really bothering to disclose my credit card details.

Back to my trip, I checked-in and presented all my travel documents. It is a surprise for me again, even with my complete documents to be interrogated by the ground steward about my itinerary and other identification cards to prove that Im a legal traveller with permanent address in the UK, and without any "equipment of destruction" in my bags! Well, being an American airline, Continental is strict to ensuring its passengers safety and convenient journey, which every carrier wants to do. The airline is also strict in terms of the number of hand-carry bags which I was forced to check-in my other small bag without any extra cost since I still maintain the 23kg (50 lbs) maximum allowable weight per passenger.

Since the bank notes in Northern Ireland are not recognised abroad, I already got some English notes (Bank of England) from my bank (Ulster Bank) day before my departure. I did not withdraw much of my budget for my travel, considering that my bursary (allowance) from the university is not yet deposited in my account. I don’t want to spend beyond my savings, even though that I have much of the overdraft from the bank. Anyway, I was happy to find out that my allowance was deposited today which prompted me again to withdraw and changed it to Canadian dollars at the airport. I have cash now far, far below from the maximum amount allowed to be carried abroad especially in the US.

Being satisfied with the dollar-pound conversion, I immediately walked towards the coffee shop inside the departure area. As usual not having a breakfast, I had my hot choco, banana and bread (with walnut on top. While sipping my hot drink, the teller of the shop approached me and handed a palm organizer for a quick customer survey. It is cool doing it electronically, not the traditional paper format survey. Quickly, I was able to expressed by positive evaluation about the food and service of the shop.

It is time now to go inside the boarding area for the final examination of my hand carry. There was not much of interrogation in the immigration area, except that all my stuff inside my back-pack were inspected individually and being swiped with a thin filter paper and being examined in the computer if there are dusts or powders from any "equipment of destruction" or illegal drugs. It took several minutes and finally the old staff was happy to tell me that everything is fine and he briefly told me that his son lives in Toronto! Frankly, I was impatient to do this thorough inspection which I did not encounter in my previous travels. Well, on the other hand, being an optimistic Archer, I am comforting myself to undergo this inspection to my own safety.

Finally, I boarded the plane and accidentally, I met someone from my university who happened to be on the same PhD programme with mine and who is going back to Canada (her permanent residence) for the Xmas holiday. The plane was supposed to take-off at 1115am, but due to the mechanical problem, we finally left the airport one hour late of the scheduled departure time. I seated comfortably with my laptop, while listening the music from my iPod. The aircraft does not have an individual monitor for the in-flight programmes but I was not really bothered about it because I will busy writing this journal and later I will start reading a book, Tripping the Velvet by Sarah Waters – a gift from a member of the bookcrossing club during my Xmas dinner.

While writing the first part of this journal, I had also my on-board lunch! It was a lovely meal… 3:08pm (UK time). Expected arrival to Newark Airport (New Jersey) is around 2pm (US time) on the same day I left Belfast.

…Unexpected happened that the aircraft touched down at 3pm, one hour late from the original schedule. Having said that, I missed my connecting flight to Toronto and rebooked for the next flights as "standby" or chance passenger. I waited for 5 hours and I was not successfull to get a seat in the flights. To make my story short, I was stranded in New Jersey (US) and while writing this last paragraph of my journal, I will be staying for almost 6 hours at Howard Johnson Hotel (www.howardjohnson.com) with free dinner and breakfast vouchers. The hotel is just few minutes from the airport via Airtrain service and using the hotel shuttle bus. Well, my tiredness and disappointment were gone when I found out that the hotel has a free wireless service, and this is the reason why I was able to write this section and successfully posted the entire journal in my travel blog. Hopefully, I have 4 hours to sleep to catch up with the first flight at 7am.

Enrique Iglesias Concert Tour in Belfast

2007-11-08T01:32:00.000Z

PART OF MY TRAVELLING EXPERIENCE is to watch musicals, festivals and live concerts. Last night, I took the chance of watching one of the hottest international singers, Enrique Iglesias. After five years, 5 months, 12 days, 5 hours and 20 minutes, the Filipino-Spanish singer visited Belfast again for a one-day concert tour at the Odyssey Arena.

I am a concert goer, not Enrique’s avid fan. But because he has a half-Filipino blood, then I decided to watch, showing my support for him. Another reason is that, this is a pre-birthday treat for myself and my first live concert in Belfast after watching BLUE (British boyband) at the Araneta Coliseum in 2005.

The video was recorded and edited using my Sony digital camera and Viao laptop’s movie maker software. Hope you will enjoy the clip as I enjoyed recording it last night!

Stunning rooms inside the British Parliament

2007-11-01T17:57:00.005Z

During my weekend escapade in London last September, I had the opportunity to visit the Houses of Parliament. The Parliament was opened to the public every year when the session was on recess from 31 July to 29 September.

Since I am a student, I got a discounted price of £8 (from £12), but for kids is £5 and family for £30. The tour arrangement was good where we were organised in a group of 20-25 persons with a tour guide. Unfortunately, the tour did not include the tour for Big Ben and the Clock Tower. It took almost 1 ½ hours to complete the tour, including taking a snack in the small restaurant inside the compound.

There are so many things to learn from the tour. For example, why the motif in the House of Commons is green and red for the House of Lords? Moreover, what is the significance of the portraits (paintings) of St David, St Patrick, St Andrew and St George inside the Parliament? One of the rooms inside the Parliament reminded me of the 4 important virtues: courtesy, generosity, hospitality, mercy, including the importance of 'religion'.

The House of the Lords is one of the most decorated room and I cant explained how I feel when I was inside this place where legislations are examine and pass by unelected and unpaid 740 members which include Archbishops and bishops and hereditary and prominent peers. This is also a ceremonial place for the State Opening of Parliament by Her Majesty the Queen.

The House of Commons is an ordinary chamber which is commonly watched on TV live coverage. Watching the session on TV, I thought it is a huge room but being there, it is much smaller than expected. It has a seating capacity of 437 for the 646 members of the Parliament, including the side galleries for the public.

Other interesting places include the Central lobby, Queen's Robing Room, Sovereign's Entrance, Royal Gallery, St Stephen's Hall and the Westminster Hall (the original structure).

By the way, the Clock Tower is one of the Parliament's best known features, popularly mistaken as the Big Ben. Actually, Big Ben is the nickname of the 'bell' housed inside the Clock Tower, and Augustus Pugin is the name of the clock designer.

Finding more about the Parliament' business, please visit this link: About Parliament or Clock Tower.

Note: For families planning to go next year, the tour is not ideal especially for young kids considering that majority of the attractions inside the buildings are much more of adults' interest; and too early for kids to understand the British politics! Lastly, cameras are not allowed inside the main chambers of the Parliament, except for the assembly area of the tour and the Westminster Hall.

Why Travel? Part 2

2007-11-01T11:01:00.000Z

FINALLY, I will now take some basic travel challenge questions to share my passion to visit places around the world, and in some way I could be able to impart my experience to my readers who would like to be a frequent flyer/traveller like me!

Q: How many times a year do you travel? I do it at least twice a year for overseas between 1-4 weeks holiday depending on the locations; and unlimited for local destinations which normally take a day or just a weekend trip.

Q: Do you stay in your home country or do you go abroad? Both, as I mentioned in the first question. For example, living in my home country with 7,107 islands to explore, the drive to visit places is high. I have already visited most of the major tourist destinations in the country located in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Further, the opportunities derived from my professional work and further studies are the main reasons why I have to explore other places overseas. For instance, when I was in Australia for my research program from 2002 to 2004, I was fortunate to travel around the country – Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. From Australia, I was able to travel to New Zealand, London, Sweden and Finland. Hopefully for next year, I am planning to visit South Africa and some part of EU members’ countries like Spain, Germany and Italy.

Q: Do you organise your holidays yourself or do you go to a travel agency? Combination, but mostly I do my itinerary both locally and abroad. I only use the travel agent for ticket bookings for major point of destinations and to maximise the flight package (in terms of the number of stop over).

Q: Do you prepare your holidays in advance by reading guide books and studying maps?Absolutely yes to ensure that my itinerary will be hassle-free and I will really enjoy my trip especially for major destinations. As soon I reach my destination, and then I do the necessary adjustments in terms of what places to visit. For local trips especially over week ends, I do not practice advance planning; it is always a quick decision as long as my resources allow it.

Q: Do you travel alone/with family or friends/with an organised group? For international trips, I always travel alone and with friends for local short tours. Mainly because I will be visiting relatives and friends living on that particular destinations; and will be accommodated by them during the entire duration of my holiday.

Q: Do you prefer the sea/mountains/plains/cities as destinations? No preference depending on the destinations’ attractions – what these places can offer. But mostly, I prefer to visit the city centres (like in the UK, US, and Europe) to see the urban form/settlement; coastlines/beaches in Indonesia, Thailand, Fiji, and Australia; and mountains of Scotland, New Zealand, Nepal, Japan and of course the Philippines.

Q: Do you mainly relax or are you an active holidayer? I can do both: relaxation and being on the go to explore the place. But mostly, I always look forward to do things that I have not done before which I can freely accomplish during my holiday. Going to a beach for a swim and sun bath is a way of my relaxation. Having good times with relatives and friends that I have not seen them for so many years is also a worthwhile thing to do.

Q: If you go abroad do you learn at least some words of the foreign language? Yes. Not only learning their language/dialects/slang but also the ‘accents’ as well. Maybe I can learn few words during my stay, but eventually I will forget later. But luckily, I still do speak basic Thai words after spending almost 3 years in the country. I also remember some slang words that are commonly used in Australia and Northern Ireland. For my home country travels, having 38 dialects within the 7,107 islands, it is also tempting to learn some of them especially for places that their dialects are quite similar to my mother tongue. Not only the language, but I will always find ways to understand and experience every culture that the host destination can offer.

Q: Are you interested in the cuisine of a foreign country? Definitely, being a guest/tourist, I think my travel will not complete if I have not tasted any menu from the host country. So far, I love Thai food and to some extent the Japanese food. I also love to eat Vietnamese food, even though I haven’t visited the country, but of course it can be found elsewhere.

Q: Which means of transportation do you prefer? I always take the air transport for long distance travel. But local travels, either bus or ferry. Since I am temporarily residing in Northern Ireland, I prefer to travel by train and ferry. Again, it depends on the availability of the transport system in the country destination.

Q: What kind of luggage do you take with you? Have you got problems packing? Do you tend to take too many/too few things with you? I regularly use an ordinary wheeler bag with a pad-lock for travelling overseas. I don’t have any difficulty for what things to bring during my trip. Being restricted with 20-25 kg by airplanes, it is logical enough to pack the basic personal things for the entire journey, which means for one day, I need 3 shirts (one for sleeping), 2 underwear, 1 pair or pants/jeans for two days, and 2 short pants (including for sleeping) for two days. Aside from this, I need to include 3 pairs of shoes/slippers with socks, handkerchiefs, laptop, camera, 2 mobile phones, toothpaste/brush, scissor, condoms, shaves, perfumes, and of course my passport with the valid visa, insurance policy and tickets.

Q: Do you send picture postcards to your family and friends? 100% yes! Not only sending them to close relatives and friends but also collecting them as souvenirs to remind me of my holidays. Honestly, the first thing that I buy either in the airport or malls are postcards and look for the nearest post office to have them delivered quickly.

WELL thats it! Hope you learned something about my traveling experience. How about you, can you answers these questions as well? Have fun and make your travels enjoyable and memorable experience!

I am the TravelPod Video Winner

2007-10-15T22:32:00.001+01:00

Four weeks ago, I joined this on-line travel site called TravelPod and I posted photos taken during my recent travel in London. While browsing the site, I found out that it has an on-going competition for members to submit a 10-second video that contains a bday greeting or message for the site 10th year celebration. Since recently, I am also exploring my Sony camera video function, I had it a go.

I gathered all the props - cake, candles, bottle of wine, cards, banner and set-up them in a sofa! I lighted the 10 candles and then started filming it. I did not take several minutes to capture the scene and did more than 5 clips with different angles and movement. Using the Microsoft Movie Maker in my Sony Viao notebook, I edited the film and put some texts on it and other special effects to make it more entertaining and snappy. Finally, I downloaded a free tune from the web and have it as a background to the clip. It was a tough work for having a running time of 10 seconds.

Finally, I completed and sent it to TravelPod before the deadline ended on Sept 30, 2007. Today, I got an email from the site, informing me that I am the lucky winner of the contest and will receive the new edition of iPod Nano! Wow, I am very happy to hear that... It is indeed a pre Xmas and bday presence for me...! It was funny coz my friends were quite puzzled why I have to buy a bday cake and with 10 candles!!! I told them that a close friend of mine is having a bday celebration and I cant attend the party, and so the video will be sent to the celebrant! And they asked me again why 10 candles and I immediately replied that my friend is a 10 yr old boy! I dont want to tell them the truth because if I win, it will be a surprised news for them and they will be the first to hear the good news, which I did and they were laughing out loud coz of my alibi.

Anyway, this is the link of the video and I hope you have time to watch it, The Winner. It takes awhile to upload it but it is worthy to wait and see what Ive done! If you still have time, please visit my profile as well at Digitalexplorer.

You can try this link, The Winner if you having difficulty from the first link above.

By the way, I got the ipodnano 3 weeks after I got the notice of winning. There was a little problem with the postage. I have to pay for the import tax of £35 even it was declared as a 'gift'! Well, nevertheless I love it and uploaded some 800 songs on it.

Finally, I was able to upload my video to youtube site for easy posting here. Hope you enjoy watching this 10-second clip for Travelpod 10th anniversary greetings!

West Coast: My American Summer Fun

2007-10-09T19:10:00.001+01:00

DURING MY THIRD VISIT to the US last summer 2006, I was able to stay longer (for almost 4 weeks) and visited some part of California State. San Francisco is one of them for the very first time. A month prior to my departure from Britain, I contacted my friend working in San Francisco with an IT firm if I could stay at his place during my short visit. Being a close friend and the godfather of his only daughter, he did not hesitate to answer 'yes' to my request. So, my accommodation for few days at the city is completely ok except that I will be travelling from my cousin's place in Menifee (one hour away from San Diego by car) to Los Angeles, and then finally from San Fernando Valley to SF.

To save some dollars during my trip, I decided to travel by bus (Greyhound) which took me more than 10 hours along the road, having a two-day stop in San Fernando Valley (LA) and had a quick visit to the Universal Studios. Well, within that long journey it took the bus more than 6 hours to reach SF from San Fernando Valley. But it was a quick journey from the bus station to my friend's apartment in the downtown area using the city underground Muni Metro (light rail) train. After an hour of chatting/exchanging stories with my friend of not seeing each other for almost 6 years, my ultimate mission to experience San Francisco's hospitality and its tourists-friendly environment begins!
Frankly, having spent 3 nights was not enough to explore the entire Bay area and the neighbouring towns like Berkeley and Oakland. Nevertheless, I was able to visit some of its popular tourist attractions within that limited time, consequently enjoyed every minute of it. It is also worth mentioning of my half-day visit to UC-Berkeley's libraries (Engineering, Planning/Architecture and Business) as part of my learning experience, and was able to gather valuable reading materials for my on-going research. And surprisingly using my Olympus digital camera, I was able to capture more than 150 shots (equivalent to 4 film rolls) from my three days tour in SF. Overall, SF is an ideal place for young and old, and an ideal place for everyone where you always want to be during your next summer escapade!

For additional information about my San Francisco trip in terms of siteseeing, dining, shopping and many more, visit this link: San Francisco Summer Holiday

By the way, I also visited San Diego, Los Angeles and their towns during my four weeks vacation in the US. It was the longest summer break I had experience!

My quickie summer break in London

2007-10-09T18:52:00.001+01:00

DESPITE MY WORK schedule, I managed to a have a weekend escapade in London (UK) last month and did explore the city at night using my Sony camera. This is my first time to do stroll around this British metropolis and capture its nocturnal beauty.

Additional informational about my trips can be viewed at:London @ Night

London is one of the busiest cities in the world and it is worth visiting and it is a must-see travel holiday destination for young and old! Unfortunately, I was not able to witness the opening of the middle span of the bridge when a ship is entering/leaving the harbour/river.

Down Under: My learning and travelling experience

2007-10-09T18:24:00.000+01:00

TRAVELLING IS ALWAYS PART of my agenda in life. Being a Sagittarian, I always believe that my zodiac is destined to explore the globe. My travelling experience is coupled with two things: study/work and hobby. Most of my travels abroad are the result of my desire to pursue further studies and trainings in the field of my profession or basically just part of my job. The never-ending process of learning also gives me the adrenalin to go out of the country and meet a lot of people from different walks of life.
My two-year stay in Australia was a rewarding experience. This was part of my postgraduate research program in environmental engineering at the University of Queensland (UQ). During my schooling, it was a privilege to travel around Australia, especially in its major cities like Sydney (New South Wales), Canberra (Australia Capital Territory), Melbourne (Victoria), and Brisbane (Queensland) where I stayed most of the time. Having a well-organized mass transport system, it is convenient and easy to reach the main attractions of the country. Being an international student, it was also a privilege to have a 50% discount commuting with trains, ferries and buses. To some extent, coming from Australia airfare is a little bit desirable especially for short vacations in Europe, UK, New Zealand, Asia and some parts of Latin America. One of the good things of being a research student is that, I was not obliged to attend classes/modules, except in some cases that the university requires me to take some courses beneficial to my research project. Having such privileges, I decided to spend my extra valuable time travelling within Australia.

For the complete journal please click the link at: Australia

Note: My travelling and learning experience in Australia was published in Picture Perfect of Manila Bulletin in August 2005)

Mournes climber

2007-06-12T19:25:00.001+01:00

mournesclimber
Originally uploaded by digitalEnvironmentalist

THIS WAS my first visit to the Mountains of Mourne located in Newcastle, Northern Ireland. It was a cold weekend that I joined a group of churchgoers (mostly senior citizens) to hike this magnificent mountains and successfully reached the peak of Slieve Donard. It is the highest mountain that could be found in Northern Ireland which inspired so many poets and writers who became popular worldwide.

For details click the link at:
Nature Spot of Mourne Mountains

Additional images are posted in my travelblog at:
Belfast Northern Ireland

Im looking forward to climb this mountain very soon!

SIAM...my first ever oversea destination

2007-04-18T20:59:00.000+01:00

April 1991 was a memorable time of my life since that was the first time when I have to travel abroad - going to Thailand for my postgrad program.
I was lucky to be accepted at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) located in Pathumthani Province (just 30 minutes from the old Don Muang airport) to pursue a MSc degree in Urban Planning. It was not easy to accept the fact that I will be leaving my home country and be a stranger in a Buddhist nation. With my positive attitudes towards living, it was not really hard to be exposed to a different culture.

My AIT life was never been dull considering that I did alot of things that improved my personal wellbeing as well as my spiritual orientation. Aside from my academic involvement as a full time postgrad student, I was also an active member of the various students' body organisations. And because of this involvement, I had the opportunity to meet the Queen of Thailand, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit (in the picture shown) in an environmental awarding ceremony, and her youngest daughter in one of the Cultural Shows organised by the students. My brief encounter with Her Majesty The Queen of Thailand was televised nationwide as I was told by my close friends.

With my 2.5 years residency in Thailand provided me the opportunity to explore the country - from Pattaya up to Chang Mai. With my work as a Program Associate in an environmental training organisation offered much of the benefits in undertanding the essence of environmental protection and conservation. I visited the country for 4 times already in a span of almost 12 years after I left the country in 1994. Some of the milestones of my life in Bangkok are:

first time to play golf (just one hole)
first time to join swimming and volleyball competitions
first time to be a stage actor
first time to be a church choir member and a cheer member
first time to sing without any accompaniment
first time to be an emcee in a formal occasion
first time to eat 'rambutan' (fruit)
first time to ride a train and 'tuktuk', and an elephant
first time to hear a cow-sound from a frog
first time to have a Thai girlfriend
first time to visit a red district, Patpong
etc...

How about you, did you experience living abroad, either thru studying or working? Do you have your 'first' list' as well? Tell me, please!

Location, location, location...

2007-04-14T17:04:00.000+01:00

As I mentioned in my introductory message, I will feature a location which I visited recently or few years back.

In addition, a photo will be posted just below the introductory message which is not directly related to the article that I posted on that particular day, week or month. The photo will be featured as the "location trivia" for that month, depending on the response from my readers, unless otherwise I will post a message to set the deadline for that photo.

On the other hand, the trivia photo will be featured again in my succeeding write-up. It will briefly highlight the salient attractions of the place and my personal description of it.

Your answer will be sent trhru the green guestbook/comment box below the photo or just above the write-up which will be directed to my email address.

It is a refreshing feeling to have the time and space to relax and enjoy places around us. Exploring these locations is a priceless moment and be treasured as the time passes by. Again, welcome to my E-world of travelling. Mabuhay!