Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
The Winning Entry
I still think, Gill's entry is much better, I am not being biased here. Well, the winner is a Filipina, so I guess, I should be happy for her. ;)
As a child, Austria sparked my imagination of Europe, with grandiose castles, churches, plazas and gardens through the film "The Sound of Music." But as I grew up to become a student of literature, I became more aware of Europe's role in the histories which constantly make, unmake and remake me as a woman, feminist, Filipino and even as a citizen of the world. Perhaps of all Europe, Spain and its capital Madrid would be the best way to understand my country's past and culture and possibly reflect on its futures. Finally as one who travels to find myself, I need to lose myself first and what better way to do it but to go to a place that is unfamiliar but captivating, emerging but old, quaint but definitely resilient, Prague!
My European Dream
Yesterday, Gillian called me up. I knew from the tone of her voice that she would deliver a great news! ;)
She told me that she received a text informing her that she's one of the finalists in the KLM contest "My European Dream." Last November 30, 2010, I received an email from KLM informing me about this contest. You need to choose 3 European cities that you would like to explore and narrate your reason for your choices. The next day, I forwarded the email with a simple note "worth a try" to Gillian, Eia, Lianne and Emma, my four travel buddies in my Europe trip in 2015. ;) That same day, I sent my entry, I got too excited, I didn't give myself some time to think about it. I chose Paris, Venice and Prague and gave very short reason for each. I didn't know that you have to post it in facebook(?) and facebook contacts have to "like" it (one of the criteria), Gillian told me about this when she sent her entry on 13 December. I didn't know that there's a mechanics! hehehe Well, I no longer have a facebook account that time so I guess, it's not really for me.
When Gillian told me that she already submitted her entry, I read it and I knew that her entry has a very big chance of winning. I know that Gillian is intelligent, she speaks well and is well-travelled, what I didn't know is she can also express her thoughts in writing so well.
Below is her entry:
"I believe that every traveler has Europe at the top of his/her "must-see" places. Certainly, it is in mine. I had the opportunity of setting foot in this dreamland September of this year, wherein I roamed in Rome (no pun intended), explored the rustic and medieval towns of Tuscany, and basked in the picturesque Provencal region in France. Reading these places in travel books, magazines, and blogs surely do not give justice to actually being there in the flesh. One must have a real experience to capture and appreciate its beauty and splendor. Many women my age would prefer to splurge on designer shoes or bags or jewelry. Travel is my only luxury and I definitely wouldn't mind spending my money's worth on a trip to Europe. Why not? It's THE place to indulge. It's a feast for the senses , the mind and the soul. So if by God's grace, KLM takes me there a second time to have a whole new gamut of European experience (wink, wink), I would have these 3 places in my itinerary: 1) Athens to explore the ancient ruins and satiate my appetite for Mediterranean cuisine; 2) Istanbul to see the majestic Hagia Sofia and go on side trips to Ephesus & Cappadocia; and 3) Vienna to visit the Hofburg Palace and relive my love for classical music and everything Mozart. An experience in Europe is definitely not a "been there, done that" moment. It is worth re-dreaming, re-exploring and re-discovering."
Yesterday, after she called me up, I visited the site and looked again for her entry. I found her entry on the 84th page, per page there are 6 entries. I also looked for my entry, found it on the 154th page, so I am certain that there were more than a thousand entry, so being a finalist is really something!
The finalists will gather on 3 March for a special lunch in Makati. I am very happy for Gill, I prayed that she would win free trip to Europe via KLM.;)
Travel Light
Received this from Gill via email.. very useful and timely. Thanks Gill!
***
"He who would travel happily must travel light."- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Are you tired of lugging heavy suitcases with you every time you travel abroad? Does the idea of schlepping around overcrowded airports and train stations send shivers down your spine?
Then travelling light may be the solution to all of your problems! I know... I know... But what about an evening outfit with matching shoes that you might need for a special occasion? And what will you do if the weather gets much cooler or it starts to rain during your one-week vacation? And why should you spend money buying a new sunscreen when you already have a half used bottle at home?
But the truth is that there is a 98.9% possibility that the weather will be nice and sunny during your whole stay, that your evening outfit will remain hidden in the deepest recesses of your luggage the whole time and that your bottle of sunscreen will eventually leak and smear half of your clothes.
If travelling with just one carry-on suitcase is a radical concept for you, here are a few convincing reasons why you might want to adopt a minimalist travelling approach:
The less stuff you take...
1. The less strain you put on your back and your muscles. Have you ever had to drag two 50 pound suitcases down the hotel stairs? I have and I can tell you it does not feel good!
2. The more travel options you have. It may sound strange, but taking less actually gives you greater mobility: you can hop on and off trains, buses and coaches whenever you feel like it and you can easily make adjustments in your itinerary, when travelling from one city to another. If you want to stay somewhere longer - you can. If you want to leave - no problem.
3. The less you worry. It is true. Your worry and stress during a vacation is inversely proportional to the number of suitcases that you have. First, as you wait at the luggage carousel, you worry about your luggage getting thrown onto the wrong plane. Then you are preoccupied that your belongings might get stolen, misplaced or left behind. And as if this is not enough, you constantly have to ...
4. The less time you waste. Half an hour of waiting for your luggage after landing in an airport, five minutes of loading it into a cab and then taking the airport cart back, a one hour trip or pick up your luggage from the storage room, before departing for another city - all this extra time adds up to hours of your vacation that you could have spent on sightseeing, souvenir shopping, or relaxing on the beach.
5. The more money you save. Minimalist travelling is a great way to save money. No longer you will be charged check in baggage fees by the airlines, no longer will you have to tip porters
for carrying your suitcases for you, no longer will you feel compelled to take the first hotel room you are offered, because you are so exhausted, and you cannot think about looking for a different hotel.
6. The more room you will free up for all the wonderful souvenirs that will remind you and your beloved ones of your vacation.
Tips on travelling the minimalist way:
1. Plan ahead! Do not be one of those people, who just mindlessly shovel half of their closet into their suitcases the night before a trip. Start making a list of all the things that you need to take with you at least 2-3 days in advance and pack your suitcase little by little. It is not as overwhelming and stressful.
2. Get your research done! Check beforehand if the hotel you are staying in supplies such items as hairdryer, iron, beach towels and toiletries. Look at the weather forecast at your
destination to know what kind of clothes to take with you. Check if there are any events that you would like to visit and adjust your wardrobe accordingly.
3. Pick a smaller suitcase! You will not be as tempted to fill it up with unnecessary stuff.
4. Wear your heaviest and bulkiest clothes on the plane. Jeans, heavy shoes, fluffy fleeces are great examples of clothing that take too much space when packed, yet comfortable
enough to be worn on a plane.
5. Downsize your toiletry. Take only travel size bottles and sample packages of creams, make-up and perfumes.
6. When in doubt, leave it out! Lay out everything that you plan on taking with you. Pick up the first item and ask yourself, "Will I really wear/use this enough to feel good about carrying it with me during my whole vacation?" If there is a tiny doubt in your heart that you might not need to take it with you, leave it home!
7. Pack for the purpose, not for the worst case scenario. The main idea behind minimalist travelling is to identify a few essentials and drop the rest. Approach packing your suitcases with a minimalist set of mind. Do not pack something that 'MIGHT' be handy or what you 'COULD wear IF'! Because if something extraordinary does happen, you can always find everything you need in the country where you are travelling.
8. Think versatility! It is tempting to take your favorite pieces of clothing on vacation with you, although, it is not always practical. Travel experts suggest picking clothing items that can be mixed and matched with at least two more pieces of clothing (both color and style wise). For example, a black shirt can be worn during the day with jeans and for special occasions with
elegant bottoms.
9. Consider accessories as an alternative to extra clothing pieces. Adding little touches like a bright scarf, a nice-looking belt, or jewelry is a great way to dress up your outfit, without over packing your suitcases.
10. Leave out books! Think of all the books that you usually pack with you, hoping to read them all. At the end of your trip you are lucky if you even finish one of them! So what is the point of carrying all this extra weight in your suitcase, just to feel guilty afterwards? Solution? Bring one book, and when you are done, find a book-exchange and trade it for a new one. And instead of taking guidebooks with you, photocopy the relevant sections or save all the travelling information that you might need on your laptop (given that you bring one with you).
11. Test yourself! Pack your suitcase and carry it around with you in the city for an hour or so. If it still feels heavy - open it up and have a good hard look at everything you packed. Is there something that you could have left at home? Yes? Then be ruthless and leave it out!
Guess where my next travel will be?
Exactly 2 months from today, I will be travelling out of the country with Eia and Mark. Guess where we're going? ;) It would be my first time to experience "spring." We were told that the temperature will range from 10-14 degrees celcius... My body is not used to low temp so I need to shop for some jackets, scarves, gloves, socks, thermal clothing, etc. Here are some clues...
More Davao Photos
This is the continuation of my previous post...
We left in the afternoon of 13 January, arrived in Davao at around 7pm. Gillian's friend, Julie, picked us up at the airport and dropped us off at Microtel. Eia, Gillian and I headed to Penong's for our first dinner in Davao, Penong's is just walking distance from Microtel.
The next day, 14 January, we woke up early for our Pearl Farm Day trip. We arrived at Marina Wharf at 8am, the boat trip to Pearl Farm is less than an hour, so we reached Pearl Farm at around 9am.
After taking a few photos at Pearl Farm, we decided to go to the nearby island, Samal, via speedboat provided by Pearl Farm.
The itchy feet of Eia, Gillian and Ryah ;)
After taking some "me" time and taking lots of photos, we all got tired. I literally dozed off, Gillian took this photo.
At almost 2pm, we got hungry and decided to go back at Pearl Farm for the buffet lunch. This is the last photo at Samal Island.
Last few photos before leaving Pearl Farm.
The next day, 15 January, Eia met her friend from General Santos in SM Davao while Gillian and I headed to Eden Nature Park. The first few hours when we arrived there, it rained so hard so we just stayed at the "fishing village," ate some snacks and chit-chatted non-stop. ;)
at the fishing village
Our tour was scheduled at 1:50pm, thank God the rain stopped just in time for the tour. ;)
We left at Eden Nature Park at 3pm. We looked for Blugre coffee shop to try durian coffee, Blugre coffee shop in Matina Square was still closed so we looked for the other branch, we finally found it on the third stop. I liked the taste of durian coffee and also tried 2-cheese egg scambler, yummy combination. We went back to Microtel at around 5:30pm to get some rest before Julie picks us up for dinner, she invited as for dinner, it was also the birthday celebration of her eldest daughter, 5 year-old, Nina.
Here's Julie with baby Imma, the main reason why we were in Davao. ;)
The next day, 16 January, we attended baby Imma's baptism. After the ceremony, we all headed to Emerald Restaurant for the reception.
We attended mass at 6pm. Just before the mass ended, it rained so hard. We stayed inside the church for almost an hour after the mass because we only have one umbrella. We planned to have dinner at Blugre in Matina Square, but since it was so hard to look for taxi, we eventually settled to take the jeepney and went to Gaisano Mall first thinking that we could find a taxi there easier. Well, since it flooded, it got harder to find a taxi but thank God, we did get a taxi and was able to have dinner at Blugre. I ordered durian gatchpuccino again and 2-cheese egg scambler again.That's our last night in Davao, truly one-of-a-kind experience but it was all worth it.
We forgot to take photos of our room, here's the facade of the hotel.
That's all for our Davao trip.
If given a chance, I will definitely come back to explore more landmarks.
First Travel for 2011: Davao
Early last year, Gillian mentioned to Eia and me that she would go to Davao in January 2011 to attend the baptism of her friend's baby, she would be one of the godmothers. Gillian asked if we want to go with her... and before we all know it, the three of us were off to Davao! ;)
We left for Davao on 13 January and went back to Manila on 17 January.
We left for Davao on 13 January and went back to Manila on 17 January.
I don't have a digicam so I just used my lomocam, Golden Half Chelsea. Here are some photos taken using my Chelsea.
14 January, at Marina Wharf, waiting for our transfer to Pearl Farm
When we arrived at Samal Island, which is just 5 minutes away from Pearl Farm, we were so delighted because noone was there, the island's just for the 3 of us! ;)
Here's Eia and Gillian, taking some "me time"
Guess who? ;) This is for picture-purposes only... Thanks Gill for taking this photo.
Taken by Eia, this is our favorite spot because of the sunshade. ;)
We left Pearl Farm at 4pm. I enjoyed our trip back a lot, the sea, the horizon, the sun and the skies, the music bed, the "me" time, everything. I was literally teary-eyed, I felt so much peace in my heart while I was communicating with God, thanking Him for the wonderful time with my wonderful friends on that wonderful place.
We saw this very beautiful peacock, so white and ethereal!
Save Mother Earth Now. :)
Some more photos from Gillian and Eia's digicams will be shared on my next post...
Starbucks Adventure
In November 2010, I received an early Christmas gift from a dear friend, Leslie. She came across my blog and she learned that I wanted a Starbucks planner. For the 2011 planner, one Starbucks branch is featured per month. While I was browsing the planner, I "wished" that I would be able to visit all the 12 featured-branches. As to when, how and with whom, I just don't know.
Two weeks ago, mi amiga Lianne emailed me and told me that she also received from a friend a Starbucks planner, same color as mine, velvet red. She mentioned that she wanted to visit the featured branches. Aha!!! My wish was heard! Talking about the power of thinking! ;)
I listed below all the 12 featured-branches:
1. Cebu Ayala
2. Camp John Hay
3. Lipa
4. Solenad
5. Boracay
6. Corinthian Hills
7. Katipunan
8. Intramuros
9. SM Sky Garden
10. Bacolod
11. Jupiter
12. Tagaytay
From the list above, if my memory serves me right, I think I was able to visit Starbucks branches in Cebu Ayala and Tagaytay.
Lianne and I agreed to start up with our Starbucks adventure this coming Saturday, first stop is the one in Intramuros. We plan to chat, to blog, to take photos, to enjoy the experience while sipping our favorite "bonding" beverage!
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