Kerala

We left our hotel in Goa before sunrise to catch our 8-hour train ride to Kannur.  As we approached Kerala, we started seeing lots (LOTS) of coconut trees and backwaters.  It's so green and very much looks like the landscape back home in the Philippines. When we arrived Kannur, I told the hotel owner that …

Goa, India

October 2018 We flew from Kathmandu to Goa via New Delhi.  In Delhi, we had to transfer from one terminal to another, and that was a bit of an adventure.  We got out of the terminal where we arrived, and looked for the bus transfer.  There was a small desk manned by a couple of …

Buenos Aires

October 2017 On our first day, as we try to get our bearings in this city, we wandered the Palermo neighborhood. It's such a delight combing the streets of this neighborhood - lined with tall leafy trees, littered with many small charming restaurants, bars, cervezerias, parrillas, most of them with tables and chairs out in …

Kathmandu and around

October 2018 I found Kathmandu very fascinating. The dusty narrow streets, the constant smell of incense, the brightly colored sarees worn by women, the crowded and busy streets, fruit vendors on bikes, old and rickety but colorful rickshaws, stupas big and small, the Hindu shrines in almost every corner and people greeting you Namaste when …

Lisbon

November 2012 Alfama.  Per  instructions from an email that I got from Hear & Soul Lisbon, our taxi dropped us off in front of the Fado Museum, at Largo Chafariz de Dentro, a small dimly lit cobble stoned plaza, surrounded by little tascas (taverns) with scattered empty outdoor tables and chairs.  It was already dark, a little chilly …

The lost city of the Incas [Machu Picchu]

July 2-4 Last Wednesday (July 1), we left Cusco and headed to the Sacred Valley. The drive to Ollantaytambo took less than 2 hours, and the views on the way was amazing. The road goes through layers of towering mountains, with some of the peaks glistening with snow. After about an hour, we started descending …

Arequipa: The White City

June 22, 2009 It takes about an hour to fly from Lima to Arequipa. We spent more time in the airport, than flying ! As the plane lands, we had a preview of Arequipa´s terrain ... the Andes, some snowcapped mountains, and what seems to be like endless desert. Big cactus plants sprout from dry …