Boarding Gate 101

Binge-watching on the pirate-themed Netfix series  Black Sails made me remember I haven't blog about my trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico last year. The series follows the exploits of the buccaneers Captain Flint, and Long John Silver, along with pirates such as Charles Vane and Edward Teach. Although it was set in New Providence (Nassau), the Caribbean setting made me remember the fort that I visited in San Juan - the  Castillo San Felipe del Morro .   Castillo San Felipe del Morro, also known as Fuerte San Felipe del Morro, was a citadel built by the Spaniards in the 16th century. It was named after King Philip II, the same king for which the Philippines is named after. Construction started in 1539, the aim of which is to build a fortress that will guard the old city of San Juan. Throughout its history the citadel, which was protected by fortifications such as high, thick walls, crenelations, and lookout stations,  was able to fend off attack from several p...

This is probably the first tourist spot that I learned about, as did millions of Filipino kids reading their Sibika textbooks. At the top of this list of " magagandang tanawin ng Pilipinas  "(beautiful sights of the Philippines) is the rice terraces, which is located in the northern part of Luzon. It's also one that which I kept on putting off to visit. To remedy the oversight I booked an overnight bus trip to Banaue and finally added the Ifugao Rice Terraces to the UNESCO World Heritage sites that I've been to. There were five sites in Ifugao that were included in the UNESCO inscription, and I visited three: Batad, Bangaan and Hunguduan (the two I missed were Mayoyao and Kiangan).  It is believed that these rice terraces were constructed around 2000 years ago, and if put end to end, will go halfway around the world. I also remember my history professor pointing out that it is the only ancient megastructure built without slave labor.   Drone photo of Bata...

We saved the best for last. The ultimate destination for the way is the temple complex of Angkor Wat - the largest religious monument in the world. It is my 14th UNESCO World Heritage site. Built in the 12th century as a state temple, Angkor Wat has been the subject of awe from travelers and explorers alike. The first European to see the temple - a Portuguese monk - was said to have been dumbfounded on how to describe the wonder. It is also said to be the reason why France took Cambodia as a protectorate, and the reason for it to invade Siam, to take control of Angkor Wat ( 1 ). I had a glimpse of how huge the complex is as soon as I set sight of the massive moats that protect the area, surrounding the outer wall. I crossed the earthen causeway to get to the main entrance. Statues of serpents called nagas adorn the balustrade at the entrance. Towers carved with intricate sculptures pierce the sky, giving the complex its iconic look. I shared the similar disbe...

I will be traveling to Siem Reap, Cambodia today, and I will be doing another live blog where you can follow my adventures around the ancient city. Siem Reap was the seat of the Khmer Kingdom in the ninth to 15th century. This is my first time to visit Cambodia. (Posts are reverse chronology). 10:05 Boarding now. ជួប គ្នា ទៀត (joo-up k’neer dee-ut), Cambodia. 7:30pm Siem Reap International Airport The trip is getting to a close now but I think I arrived too early at the airport. The check in counters will open an hour from now so I will just hang out in a cafe outside and pass the time. 5:15 pm Back at the hostel. I checked out already but my flight is not until later tonight so I will just hang out here. There's free wifi and the food is cheap. 4:45pm On the way back to the hostel I dropped by the post office to mail a couple of postcards. 4:30 pm I may have spent more than I have budgeted at the duty free shop. 2:30 Angkor National Museum I decided...

This live blog post continues where I left off after yesterday's Everest flight, then today and tomorrow's adventures. Due to time and logistical constraints I decided to cancel my trip to Lumbini, so I will just be exploring the holy sites around Kathmandu. November 26, 10am I went back to the hostel after getting some breakfast in Thamel, still high from the Everest experience. I've never thought that I would be able to see the highest mountain in the world - which I've only read about in books and National Geographic magazine and seen in movies - up close. The experience was indeed exhilirating. At the hostel I was to take a nap before meeting Erika again but I was invited to join the breakfast of two Irish backpackers who recently arrived, and we ended up chatting for quite some time. 11am I met with Erika and Jeric in their hotel in Thamel. Jeric is flying in a few hours so I will be accompanying Erika to Durbar square. 12pm We decided to ...