Archive for July, 2008

The Forbidden City: Restored

J July 2008 at 3:57 am · Filed under Destination: China, Destination: China (Hebei Region), Places, Places: Palaces

I just watched “Inside the Forbidden City” at The National Geographic Channel and it provided such interesting story of the restoration of The Forbidden City in lieu of the upcoming Beijing Olympics. It also shared a story of the rise of the Forbidden City and the emperors’ lives inside the city.

Having visited the Forbidden City last year (during its restoration period), I took a photo of one of the doors which looked like this:

10 by you.

And now, it’s this. :-)

Nine rows of nine bolts - can you guess the imperial number?

Congratulations to the restoration team of the Forbidden City! I wish to be back there soon and see the city within a city in its full colors! :-)

Related Posts: (1) Roaming Around China’s Capital (2) Outstanding Beijing Olympics Ceremony

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Viaje del Sol Series 1: Road Trip to Luzon’s South (Day 2)

J July 2008 at 11:54 pm · Filed under Activities, Activities: Outdoor, Activities: Travels, Activities: Weekend Get-Aways, Destination: Philippines, Destination: Philippines (Luzon), F&B, F&B: Filipino, Others: Friends, Places, Places: Restaurants

Our Viaje del Sol Day 2 trip brought more fun and excitement than that of Day 1. :-)

Casa San Pablo, Laguna3 by you.

Ugu’s Potter’s Garden, Tiaong, Quezon2 by you.

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Viaje del Sol Series 1: Road Trip to Luzon’s South (Day 1)

J July 2008 at 10:10 pm · Filed under Activities, Activities: Travels, Activities: Weekend Get-Aways, Destination: Philippines, Destination: Philippines (Luzon), F&B, F&B: Filipino, Others: Friends, Places, Places: Hotels, Places: Restaurants

For Paz’s bridal shower, my girlfriends and I decided to skip the conventional shower party (and skip the plane as well) and treat her to a road trip to the south of Luzon. In 2 days, we covered some parts of Laguna, Batangas, and Quezon! :-)

This road trip was inspired by a witty guide of Laguna, Batangas, and Quezon, called Viaje del Sol, translated in English as the “way of the sun”. The whole concept of Viaje del Sol is to provide travellers, culture and nature-lovers, or adventure-seekers, suggestions of places to visit in these three areas, a road map, or simply a guide to having wonderful times in the south.

Casa San Pablo :-) 1 by you.

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A Day in Macau

J July 2008 at 3:00 am · Filed under Activities, Activities: Travels, Destination: China, Destination: China (Macau), F&B, F&B: Portugese, Places, Places: Casinos, Places: Museums, Places: Places of Worship, Places: Restaurants, Places: Temples

Turning Portuguese in Macau :-)

Nothing beats the adrenaline rush of trying to revisit a country in a day!

This was what I felt when I recently visited Macau from a trip to Hong Kong. When I try to recall my visit to Macau now that I’m back in Manila, I can’t help but be amazed at the energy that I’ve got during that time. It wasn’t my first visit to Macau though. I had one way back in 2002, or was it 2001? But it was about 7 years ago and looking at the place from its tourism advertisements on TV and in travel magazines, Macau has indeed undergone a major facelift. Kudos to its government. Clap. Clap. Clap. :-)

Sadly though, with all the expansion and building of casinos in this small peninsula of China, it is growing to be sort of a modern western country in Asia. However, the culture can still be seen from among its people and the people’s way of life. And if the locals can keep that culture and preserve the old Portuguese and Chinese structures, then it will still be a nice place to visit for culture-inclined people, like me. :-)

I’m not really fond of gambling in casinos (although I did quite gamble a few times when I was in Las Vegas which made me won about $20plus dollars – not bad for a beginner. Haha.), so I made it a point to leave Venetian and the other well-lit, colourful buildings towards the end of the day.

Which attractions can you definitely visit while on a day trip in Macau?

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When Visiting Hong Kong

J July 2008 at 11:51 pm · Filed under Activities, Activities: Travels, Destination: China, Destination: China (Hong Kong), F&B: Chinese

I have recently gone to Hong Kong (and Macau as side trip) for a trade fair. It wasn’t all work for sure. Since Hong Kong is one of my most favourite places on earth, I made sure to enjoy the city as well. My last visit to Hong Kong was in 2006 and even though it still looks the same as it was during my last visit, I still had fun. For some reasons, it is one place where I really feel at home, second to my country.

For this nth visit, I decided to list down the things that visitors can expect and do when visiting Hong Kong. I will constantly update this when I remember more from my previous visits.

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