RSSJun|22|2010
Must Go Places In Europe
Posted by Noemi as Cities, Destinations, Features
The past two weeks have been busy as crap for me. Our bosses from France are in town, and you know what that means. Still, when we go out at night after work, we try to ban shop talk (it doesn’t always work) and get around to something more fun. One of the topics was visiting Europe. Of course, the Grand European tour is something that almost everyone dreams about. It helps in planning if you know people in that part of the world. Now I am not saying that I will be hopping on the next plane to Amsterdam (though I wouldn’t mind), but I will definitely go to these places if things work out the way I plan…
Paris
Cliché, but still a must visit. The Eiffel Tower, the River Seine, …
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Apr|21|2010
Hang Up Your Hammock In Some Of The World’s Best Beaches
Posted by Noemi as Around The World, Destinations, Islands, Website
There is no denying it – I am a beach fanatic. It wasn’t always the case. It wasn’t till 2006 that I discovered my passion for the sun, the sand, and the water. Since then, however, I haven’t been able to control this passion. When I saw Lonely Planet’s list of the best beaches in the world to put up a hammock, I knew I had to put these places on my own list. Here are my most desired destinations in the list.
Jambiani, Tanzania
The Beach that Time Forgot – that’s how this area is described. The only drawback to this beach is that you cannot really swim as the tides are low. However, you can put up that hammock and be lazy all day.
Pulau Perhentian, Malaysia
Lonely Planet’s write up says “Except for snorkelling, …
Apr|10|2010
Cities Party People SHOULD Go To
Posted by Noemi as Cities, Destinations
You probably know a little bit about me by now – I don’t like partying or going to a new city just for the night life. I do realize, however, that there are countless people out there who travel to a new place and yearn to get a sampling of the party scene. If you are one of those people, you ought to check out Lonely Planet’s list of ultimate party cities.
Some of the featured cities were not really a surprise. Buenos Aires, Argentina, for example, has long been known to offer the most exciting night activities one can ask for. After all, this is the land of tango!
But, did you ever think of going to Tel Aviv to party? According to the travel experts, this city is filled to the brim with …
Mar|22|2010
Ben Thanh Night Market
Posted by Noemi as Asia, Cities, Destinations, Food and Drink, Shopping, Travelogger
There is something about night markets that attract me – and tons of other tourists, as well. Every time I visit a new city, I make it a point to find out if it has a night market, and I make sure that go there at least once. I don’t know why, but night markets are much more fun than the “day” ones.
In any case, as I was telling you in my previous post, Ben Thanh Market closes in the early evening, but its night market draws more crowds – if that’s at all possible. The night market is composed of stalls set up in the streets flanking the Ben Thanh Market. During the day, these streets serve as, well, streets. The sides are parking areas as well. When the night market opens, they still serve as streets – motorcycles galore – but your …
Mar|20|2010
Conquering Mount Pinatubo
Posted by Noemi as Adventure, Asia, Destinations, Eco-Friendly, Features, Nature, Travelogger
Many Filipinos still remember that fateful day in 1991 when a relatively unknown volcano erupted north of the capital. The eruption caused a lot of damage and killed hundreds of people. Its effects were felt far and wide, even affecting the global climate. Today, this volcano has become a destination for many a tourist.
The fact that it erupted fairly recently and that you can hike right up to the crater is too tempting to resist. Even more so, the sight that greets you at the end of the trek is enough to entice anyone – even those who wouldn’t normally go hiking. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.
That’s my first view of the crater. The eruption created this gorgeous lake, the depth of which is currently undetermined. I had seen pictures of this …
Mar|11|2010
Accommodations In Saigon (Ho Chi Minh)
Posted by Noemi as Asia, Destinations, Hotels, Travelogger
Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon, as more people call it) is full of hotels. Everywhere you look, you will find accommodations. The problem – if you can call it that – is choosing one. You may opt to go the “normal” route and search hotel web sites such as Asiarooms. I tried this before a month before our trip, but ended up undecided. Lucky for me, my friend found two options that were not that expensive.
You see, the countless hotels in Saigon offer good rates – anywhere from USD15 to USD40. The really big names, like Sheraton and Continental, are out of my league. I would have loved to stay at the Sheraton but it was just too much. Anyway, we ended up staying at Blue River Hotel for the first two nights, and then moved to Blue Diamond for the …
Mar|05|2010
Itching To Discover Saigon
Posted by Noemi as Asia, Cities, Destinations, Travelogger
In less than an hour, I shall be on my way to a country that I have never been to before. I have always wanted to visit Vietnam, if only for their food. Friends who have been there have said nothing but nice things as well. And, apparently, this is one place where I can be a millionaire – at least for a day or two. There aren’t many places where the Philippine Peso has a strong purchasing power, and Vietnam is one of them! For a mere PHP10,000, one call himself a Vietnamese millionaire!
So why am I itching to see Saigon (now called Ho Chi Minh City – HCMC for short – by the way)? As I said, Vietnamese food is to die for. Fresh spring rolls, the famous pho (noodle soup), …
Feb|22|2010
Spend Your Holidays At Hogwarts
Posted by Noemi as Destinations, Family, Features, United States
I never really got into Harry Potter that much – I thought it too juvenile – but I have to admit that I read the first several books. Juvenile the series may be, but I simply cannot resist the idea of magic and all that. So when I heard about Universal in Orlando unveiling its very own Harry Potter theme park, I got quite interested. Walking through the halls of Hogwarts; strolling through the village of Hogsmeade; and sitting on a barstool at The Three Broomsticks – the thought of being able to do these (even if it’s really just all pretend if you think about it) is enough to excite any fantasy-loving person, don’t you think?
So anyway, the news is that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – that’s the name of the theme park …
Jan|05|2010
More Island Hopping In Caramoan
Posted by Noemi as Asia, Destinations, Features, Islands, Travelogger
Island hopping is the main reason one should go to Caramoan. I was really quite disappointed with the beach front at the resort we stayed in. The sand was brown and looked dirty. Dried seaweed littered the beach. I thought I would not enjoy myself, but I was proven wrong. Two days of island hopping showed me just what this place has to offer.
There are two main groups of islands that are usually visited by tourists – one to the south and one to the north. The southern islands are farther, but a whole lot more beautiful. Manlawi, which I wrote about in the previous post, is located in this area. Another island in this area is Cotivas. It is also beautiful, but smaller than Manlawi. When we got there, there were a small group of people lunching under the …
Dec|22|2009
Food In Caramoan: Bicolano Dishes
Posted by Noemi as Asia, Destinations, Food and Drink, Islands
Aside from the white sand beaches and wonderful water, there is one other thing that I am looking forward to when I go to Caramoan: the food. The Bicol Region is known for excellent food, and the dishes almost always are HOT and SPICY and mixed with coconut milk. Chili peppers and coconut milk are staples in this part of the country.
Where we are going, there aren’t too many fancy restaurants. What I am really looking forward to are the small “eateries” where you can taste the local food in all its authentic glory. The best part is that everyone says it’s cheap!
Perhaps the most popular dish from this region is Bicol Express. This dish is available almost anywhere in the Philippines, but I am sure that what I will find in Caramoan is nothing like anything else …
