Posts Tagged "travel"

The Face of Rotterdam

Posted on Oct 21, 2012

The skies were blue and the wind was calm. We were blessed with good weather. It was like the harbor of Rotterdam was trying to show off its picturesque qualities. On that day. A little over an hour and the sun began to set. Suddenly, the city of Rotterdam turned to gold.

Jimmy’s Cambodian Dream

Posted on Oct 15, 2012

Jimmy is 24 years old and looked just like any other Cambodian we’ve met – small-built, welcoming, his eyes smiled along with his lips. He also wore long sleeves even in the dead of the heat.

But there was something else about Jimmy that made him a bit different – his dream.

Attitude adjustment for travelers

Posted on Apr 25, 2012

Go as a guest; act like one, and you’ll be treated like one. Travel, as in the rest of life, you reap what you sow. – Rick Steves Believing that I have always been an organized-bordering-on-obsessive-compulsive traveler, I never thought of picking a travel skills handbook for myself. Ok, I toyed with the idea, looked at Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door 2012: The Travel Skills Handbook every now and then but never bought it. I deem that it’s more of the pride from my side than confidence though, thinking to myself: “I’m organized enough, what do I...

If you have a day to visit the temples of Angkor…

Posted on Mar 15, 2012

“Wherever you live is your temple, if you treat it like one.”- Buddha No one visits Cambodia without putting the Angkor Archaeological Park on the itinerary. To most tourists, it could be the ONLY reason why they choose to go to this country which was once Southeast Asia’s largest and most powerful empire. It is an act that, if not pursued, could be punishable by death in the traveling world. Next to that is scheduling only one day to see the magnificent, awe-inspiring and do-not-forget-mysterious temples of Angkor. Cambodia’s glorious past has brought great importance to the...

It’s more fun in The Philippines?

Posted on Jan 6, 2012

The Philippine Tourism Department has a new slogan: “It’s more fun in The Philippines!”. It’s apparently trending on Twitter not just locally but WORLDWIDE.

Barcelona, where the party never ends

Posted on Oct 30, 2011

I have heard so much about Barcelona before I saw it for real. It is Lonely Planet’s top pick for Europe and one of Mr. V’s favorite cities. I heard about things that one would normally expect of Spain — cuisine with paella in the starring role, late dinner, colorful handicrafts. I also heard about (and saw) the fascinating works and world of Antoni Gaudi (although pictures are never as intoxicating as the real work itself!).  And the non-stop partying  in La Rambla. But what you hear does not prepare you as much as real life itself. That is why traveling is a must when you hear so many beautiful things about a place. Indeed, Barcelona is as alive as one may think. Day and night, it breathes like a real person in his/her youth. As green as the first bud of spring, if I may say so poetically.

The world in Geneva

Posted on Aug 18, 2011

Geneva smacks you right in the face with multiculturalism as soon as you arrive. You’d think you’re in Rotterdam, except that they speak French here (among other languages). The most popular city of Switzerland, often mistaken for its capital city, teems with different colors, languages and cuisines. It is a good example of the phrase “small but terrible” – small in size but big in causes. The United Nations is here, the International Red Cross, World Health Organization and International Labor Organization, to name but a few. This global city is also one of the biggest financial hubs in the world, the diplomacy capital, a center of peace. That’s quite a lot to represent, don’t you think?

Oslo, like a cabin in the woods

Posted on Feb 23, 2011

With the World Ski Championships starting today (23 February) in Oslo, Norway, the time to show you this place, which we got the chance to see last month, is here and now. I included some pictures and a weekend itinerary with this article hoping to interest you in this wonderful, wonderful place. Cold weather, yes. Expensive, yes. But if you must see a part of Scandinavia, let it be Norway, where the adventure awaits at the airport that makes you feel like you’re entering a cabin in the woods.