Philippine Travel Notes

After a few days in Bohol, here I was, departing from the new Bohol International Airport. Yey! But, as I always say, 'let me start from the very beginning'. So here was my getting out of Alona Beach ! Finding The Bus Stop I walked from ISIS Bungalows to the main road (corner of Circumferential Road & Alona Beach Road). That is the usual way of most everyone exiting from the various beach-side resorts on Alona Beach. If you're not the walker type, there are motorcycles or tricycles you can hire at the corner by the beach. Alona Beach Road is too narrow for vehicles to enter and try to maneuver a u-turn at the end (beach), as it always teems with humanity (mala-palengke na sya). Only emergency/PWD vehicles are allowed. Mind you, that's about 500 meters of an upward walk. Not really that steep. I think that intersection is only about 30ft above sea-level, and from the beach corner where Alona Beach Road starts ascending is about 300 ft. away, thus th

Do I hear someone singing? Bakit ka kumakanta? The song is "Ang Kawawang Cowboy", ito Baboy! Ah the things we see on the road, they are not only educational, they are also somehow entertaining! Windows were all closed, airconditioning was on and driver was playing some music (because there is no radio reception in this area of the highway in W. Samar). Yet, we could hear a pig's cries of distress! I asked the driver where that was coming from, since there were no houses along the way - at alangan tumatakbo kasabay namin ang bahay na me baboy na imiiyak 'no! Driver pointed his 'nguso' up front! When I looked, I saw that habal-habal with a pig tied "upside down" (I mean not upright, according to a pig's point of view - yes me ganun hehehe), on the right-side passenger footrest of that motorcycle. Can you see it? So, it kept wailing in distress. Kahit ikaw naman, di ba? Subukan mong itali ka ng ganyan patiwarik sa isang humaharurot na

After the meetup with a friend at a nearby mall, going back to my hotel, Taipei 101 was along the way. I was walking to that end (after those people) where the stairs down to MRT Station R03 are located. But I asked my self "why not check out the evening views of Taipei". Okay. I did. Just like that hahaha! The easiest way to the observatory - enter the mall then take the escalators to the 5F ticket counters. You can roam the 5th floor before or after the observatory. This is, after all, still part of the mall! I noticed this part of the mall sell very high-end Taiwan products. Souvenirs yes, but the prices, OMG! But if you're like me, wala pambili ng souvenir, and want to get ahead of the crowds, fall-in-line agad! That's their way of ensuring that all who go up are ticketed - since there's no more checking up there! There's always a line of folks waiting for the elevator. It could get crowded and chaotic at peak hours. Note that ther

Let's continue my story from the previous post. While checking-in at Novotel, I got a call for a meetup in Taipei this evening. I could not say no. This was a friend I haven't seen in a long time. So I said GO! I also needed to pass by the airport for some important arrangements, so I went there first. That is just a hallway from the MRT to the airport lobby, but I seem forever fascinated by how it looks. It's just a glass wall (made of mirrors) but the "live" clocks, the names of cities they represent and the world map are all "in there". The entire wall is like a 3D artistic and hi-tech mural always worth a look! The names of those 120 cities in 24 time zones constantly change from English to Chinese. Interesting! This airport is full of artistic renditions, many of which are not too obvious to the common traveler. Did you notice that panoramic aerial picture of Taipei up on the wall at right? It looks simple, but look at how it is mounted. I