Sunday, July 27, 2008

Them French love us Filipinos (Koh Lanta goes back to the Philippines!)

Many posts back, I wrote that Koh Lanta, the French edition of the reality TV show Survivor, was filmed in the beautiful island of Palawan, the Philippines. The show introduced this tourist destination to the French-speaking public and made Palawan an even more popular vacation spot!



For its eighth season, Koh Lanta goes back to the Philippines, this time to the province of Camarines Sur (known locally among hip Pinoys as "Camsur"), on the beach of Caramoan, dubbed as the Philippines' Hidden Paradise. The beach is as glorious as those of Palawan and should really make any Filipino proud of his country.

See the opening credits of Koh Lanta, Season 8, here. And should this post pique the interest of potential tourists from here and abroad, I found this nice blog to help you organize your trip and visit us here in the Philippines soon.

PROUD TO BE PINOY!
(Photo courtesy of the Official Koh Lanta website)

Friday, July 25, 2008

IN PHOTOS: Santiago de Compostela, Spain

As Christendom celebrates the day of St. James the Great, W.A.M. brings you pictures from Santiago de Compostela, Spain, a city that combines folklore with modernity, a city steeped with a rich Jacobean tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages.





Thursday, July 24, 2008

Iacobvs

Tomorrow, July 25, is the Catholic feast day of St. James the Great, the first martyr among the apostles of Jesus and the patron saint of Spain and of pilgrims. Incidentally, St. James is also my personal patron saint (I owe my second name to him) and when I was in Spain, my stop in his shrine in Santiago de Compostela to venerate his tomb has been obligatory and enriching.



Legend has it that decapitated body of the martyred saint was washed ashore in Galicia. The place where it landed was illumined by a star, hence the name Compostella, which came from the Latin Campus Stellae, Field of the Star. The Cathedral of St. James was later on built on the site where his remains were found and the body was buried in a silver coffin beneath the main altar.
Sancte Iacobe, ora pro nobis.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Ice cream tour in Florence

One of the fondest memories I have of my short stay in Florence, Italy was the ice cream tour we did as part of the cultural immersion program of the language school where I was enrolled in. It was an afternoon filled with sweetness (literally!) and we visited the three most important gelaterie (gelato shop) of the city.


The best in my opinion is Grom (Via del Campanile, corner Via delle Oche); the gelato here is divine! My personal favorite is cioccolato fondente combined with pistacchio... on second thought, the chocolate is so thick, sweet and rich that it can stand alone. If you're in the area of the Duomo of Florence, Grom is located at the right-hand side facing the façade of the Cathedral. It's a lonely street but everyone knows where good ice cream can be found.


Perchè No (Via dei Tavolini) is the favorite of my foster family. The ambience is very modern and the servings could drown moderate eaters. It's near the area of the Piazza della Signoría, so grab some straciatella before gazing at David's naked body.


Vívoli (Via Isole delle Stinche) is located within the area of the Church of the Santa Croce. It's a family-owned place that has been in Florence for quite sometime (if I'm not mistaken it's the oldest). I was so bloated with sugar when we arrived here so what I did was to go to the salumeria (cheese and cold cuts store) in front and bought a couple of herbed goat cheese in virgin olive oil.

(Dedicated to Walter, Marc, Flor, Jenni and all friends from the world over who shared a cup of ice cream with me in Firenze! Mi mancate troppo.)

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Graceful ways of growing old

As the Beijing Olympics draws near (and with it, the disgusting amount of bad publicity), I can't help but smile as a browse through my slice-of-life pictures from China.





It was a fine weekend and the Chinese are out on the streets to enjoy the sun and do their exercise. Talk about being prepared for the Games! If these pics are any indication, luck seems to be on their side.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Passerà

Most people who have heard the Italian song Passerà probably know the pop-opera version of Il Divo. But the original (and better!) version was originally sung by the great Aleandro Baldi for the 1994 San Remo Festival. It's a very inspirational song that gets you going even when it seems difficult.



"In un mondo di automobili e di gran velocità... per chi arriva sempre ultimo, per chi si dice addio, per chi sbatte negli ostacoli della diversità... Le canzoni sono lucciole che cantano nel buio. Passerà prima o poi questo piccolo dolore che c'e' in te, che c'e' in me, che c'e' in noi. E ci fa sentire come marinai in balia del vento e della nostalgia... a cantare una canzone che non sai come fa. Ma quel piccolo dolore che sia odio, o che sia amore passerà."

(In a world of vehicles of great speed, for those who come last, for those who say goodbye, for those who falter in the obstacles of diversity... Songs are like fireflies that sing in the dark. The pain that is in you, that is in me, that is in all of us shall pass sooner or later. And it will make us feel like sailors at the mercy of the wind and remembrance... upon singing a song you do not even know how to sing. But that little pain, whether it be hatred or love, shall all pass.)

Thursday, July 17, 2008

W.A.M. celebrates its 1st year!

WOW! The World According to Marlon (W.A.M.) celebrated its first birthday on July 9. What started out as a form of catharsis is now a labor of love... as well as a page teeming with bragging rights. Here are the various headers that graced W.A.M. throughout this year. THANKS TO ALL LOYAL READERS! I really appreciate your comments!



Monday, July 14, 2008

IN PHOTOS: Paris, France

The magic of Paris, France is so powerful that it can be sensed even in photos. I have repeated many times that one doesn't even have to enter any place to feel its power. The streets of Paris, its many buildings and spires, and the venerable Seine that dissects the city speak of why this City of Lights is special for many people the world over.





Coffee or tea?

Coffee. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. I'm no big coffee fan but Malaysian coffee is the best in the world! This is what's called in Malay as Kopi "O" (without condensed milk). The one with milk is Kopi "C." Best served with ice on a hot day in Borneo.

Tea. Beijing, China. Of course, when in China, the best way to spend a quiet afternoon or a tired evening is with the myriad of teas available. My personal favorite is jasmine tea. It smells divine and is very comforting.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Trees

I often find myself looking upwards whenever I travel (which is probably the reason why I am fixated with ceilings). In the absence of roofs, however, I do feel happy with fronds and branches. Want some proof?


Assisi, Italy. Olive trees that lead to the Church of San Damiano where St. Francis of Assisi received his calling of rebuilding the church.


Cordoba, Spain. Orange trees that dot the patio of the Mezquita-Catedral, the mosque-turned-Catholic in this former capital of the caliphate of Moslem Spain.


Beijing, China. Pine trees that lavishly decorate the Summer Palace.

Water, water everywhere! (The Asian Edition)

Although I personally don't have any fixation with beaches, I find coastlines very attractive and peaceful. In a previous post about a year ago, I blogged about "watery" spots in Europe. Now here are some pics from Asia.


Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. On the Malaysian Borneo can be found this gem of a place, still not assailed by international tourists.


Baguio City, Philippines. My record with Philippines beaches is shameful, considering that Palawan and Boracay are two world-famous places to see water. At any rate, Baguio (yes, that cool place up north!) has an artificial lagoon and that for someone who hates the sun with the passion is heaven.


Beijing, China. Beautiful and sublime. This was taken from the Summer Palace, which overlooks an artificial lake that the Empress Dowager purposely constructed.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Notes from Kota Kinabalu

Just got back from my weekend frolic in Kota Kinabalu, on the island of Sabah, Malaysia. I was with friends from college whom I had not seen for ages and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed travelling with people with the “same wavelength” (as we like to say in this part of the world).


The plan to go to KK materialized after toying with the idea for quite some time. Thanks to the cool low-cost airline Air Asia, we were able to get a round-trip flight from Clark International Airport, in the province of Pampanga just one hour and a half away from Manila, to the KK International Airport. My fare cost around Php 4,300 (plus airport and travel taxes which you pay in the airport itself), which is very good considering that I booked it late.


The thing with KK is, it’s the Philippines most Filipinos wouldn’t get to know. The culture is very Tausug, people who lived in the war-torn Philippine province of Sulu and Tawi-tawi; in fact, there are a lot (and I mean A LOT!) of Pinoys who work in KK and they always get excited to see Tagalogs visiting a Tausug territory.


Here came the major epiphany of the trip: we’re Filipinos but we don’t get each other, which for me was a big slap in the face. In the restaurant where we first ate, almost all the staff members were Tausugs from Mindanao. They migrated to Borneo rather than die of hunger in their native Philippines. They’re people who have not set foot on Manila or speak any word of Tagalog but they share the same values and happy disposition of their kababayans up north. For more, they were *ecstatic* to meet “standard” Filipinos, those who speak a barbaric mixture of Tagalog and English, hate the sun with a passion and those who did not ever have to worry about the safety of their entire family amid a senseless war. I wonder how many Manileños or Cebuanos would be able to do the same when people from Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-tawi come to visit their malls, walk their streets and eat their food.

My trip to Kota Kinabalu has been a great humbling experience and no beach or mountain could replace that.

Friday, July 4, 2008

HOTEL REVIEW: Shi Ji Huang Shan Hotel, Beijing, China


OVERALL RATING: 3/5
DATE OF VISIT: February 21 to 23, 2008

PLUSES: Though a 3-star hotel, it is a very affordable place to stay in the heart of Beijing. It's located in a minor road, which means that you could get a quiet night after a day of sightseeing. My major horror before going to China was having a dirty room, so it was a happy discovery that Shi Ji Huang Shan is VERY NICELY kept. Big bathrooms for big people.

MINUSES: Well, as in any place in China, it's the communication problem that gets you. I was expecting people in the hotel to at least be able to get what I'm saying in English. But no... it's totally a lesson of doing sign language and charming you way to get what you needed. The breakfast was buffet, which was good, but it's über-Chinese so people who're not used to eating greasy noodles and rice in the morning should be warned.
Contact details to follow
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