Tag: City
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Chicago: A Primer of the Windy City
We first went to Chicago sometime in the late 80s. My dad went to take his masters at a university in a suburb north of the city, and he bought my mom and me to live in a small apartment for about a year and a half. I was barely a toddler then, so I…
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2022 Halftime Break: A Weekend Trip to Santa Rosa
Living in what has been gradually becoming the post-pandemic period (I hope I’m not speaking too soon), I’ve been finally going out more often and much farther in the first half of 2022 than the previous two years combined. It is now June, and my Google Photos account has become a personal collage of joy…
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Bacolod: A Quick Tour of the City of Smiles
Almost all trips in Negros Occidental start and end in Bacolod, the province’s capital. It’s the political, economic, and cultural epicenter of the province (though because of the Philippines’ confusing politics, it’s administratively separate from the province), and it’s worth at least a day staying here to get a glimpse of what makes Negrenses in…
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Patan: City of Beauty
After Pokhara, we return to Kathmandu for a few final days before our flight home. One of the places we set out to explore is Patan, a city steeped in history and craftsmanship. Also known as Lalitpur, which translates to City of Beauty, Patan was once the capital of a powerful kingdom. Nowadays, it’s essentially…
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Pokhara: Post-Trek Chilling
The next morning, instead of hiking back to Nayapul, we ride a jeep instead. It takes an hour to get to where we started five days ago, and another hour to get to Pokhara. Pokhara is a lakeside city that has great views of the Annapurna and Manaslu ranges on a good day. It’s also…
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First Time in Kathmandu: Exploring Thamel, Asan Bazaar & More
I finally mustered the courage to travel internationally again. The idea had been lingering for a while, but it was during my COVID-19 quarantine last year that I made the decision. An ad for Nepal trekking tours popped up on my feed, and something about it stuck with me. I wanted my first post-pandemic trip…
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Legazpi City: More than Mayon
Back in Legazpi City, I immediately resume my walking tour, this time walking to Ligñon Hill from the main highway. However, it turns out that the park is closed due to renovation. All’s not lost, though, as I am rewarded with this shot of Mayon as it starts to hide behind a blanket of clouds:…
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Tagbilaran: Getting Back on Track
Before the pandemic, Bohol has become a darling in the local travel circuit. Foreigners have been flocking to this Visayas island for the range of attractions it offers, most famous of which are the white-sand beaches of Panglao Island and the dive sites off its coast. Of course, Filipinos know the Chocolate Hills and the…
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To the Land of the Kings 5: Jaisalmer
Going further by train to the northwestern region of Rajasthan and the surroundings give way to a more barren landscape. The train stops at Jaisalmer, the last city before the road stretches west to the border with Pakistan, and while there is a sense of being far-flung (it’s a 7-hour trip from Jodhpur), it’s far…
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To the Land of the Kings 4: Jodhpur
There are no direct trains between Udaipur and Jodhpur, my next stop, so I ride a bus, leaving Udaipur just before dawn and arriving in Jodhpur in the early afternoon without any major hitch. But as soon as I ride the autorickshaw to the old city, the din of India’s streets greet me again. The…
The Tourist Gaze 