Tag: History
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Jakarta: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
I am inside a coffee house in central Jakarta, nibbling on baked macaroni and cheese pie and sipping iced espresso. Strangely, a feeling of calmness greets me. A pleasant day has just begun, and though all forms of transport are hurtling through the streets of Indonesia’s notorious capital, it’s not as assaulting as I have…
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Angkor: Temple Run
“I think it’s too cloudy so don’t get your hopes up,” the guide tells CJ and me, his head scanning the skies. He goes on about how the dry season affects the clouds, something about water cycle – but I lose track. As the sun rises, the morning light slowly transforms the silhouette of the…
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Phnom Penh Rising
I am eating fish cakes shaped like Angry Birds and deep-fried dumplings with my friend CJ at the night market in Phnom Penh. In an effort to get acquainted with the city, we’re trying to have dinner in a most Khmer way, sitting on a mat. Around us, families and young people are enjoying the…
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Battambang: Frozen in Time
At the western end of Battambang, the old train station clock reads barely past eight. It has been that way for years – maybe decades, even – because, having lived out its purpose long ago, it stopped ticking. But the truth is, it’s already one in the afternoon, and the clock feels like it has…
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1408 Miles: Black Hills
Early the next morning we head to the Black Hills in South Dakota, a large patch of mountains just off the border with Wyoming. Before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, South Dakota was the home of Sioux American Indian tribes and this bit of history comes alive at the Crazy Horse Memorial, a yet incomplete…
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Madrid: Victory Party with the Red Fury
As the capital of the nation that once colonized the Philippines, Filipinos will certainly discover an immediate connection with madrileños, whether it be the predisposition for fiestas and naps (siesta!) or the number of Spanish words that has assimilated to the Filipino lexicon. And while Filipinos probably won’t embrace football as much as the rest of…
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Barcelona: Catalan Grace
Our stop in Spain personally is a bittersweet one. On one hand, it feels sad that the trip has reached its end, although we will have to return for a few hours in London and a couple more days again in the US before flying back to the Philippines. On the other hand, few places…
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Corfu: Ionian Beauty
The ship’s final port of call was at Corfu, an island off mainland Greece’s northwestern coast and situated tantalizingly close to the Albanian coast. Locally known as Kerkyra, Corfu is the second largest of the Ionian Islands and its most popular, having had roles in the works and lives of literary giants — whether it…
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Ephesus: Biblical Turkey
Turkey is an interesting study in dichotomy. Long poised at the junction of Europe and the Middle East, the country has played roles in shaping civilizations, as well as soaking up on influences from both regions. Once a stronghold of the mighty Byzantines, it was eventually placed under the Ottoman Empire, whose reign stretched as…
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Dubrovnik: A Glimpse of Croatia
The word’s out: Croatia is one of the hottest destinations in the world. A boomerang-shaped nation tucked between the Adriatic Sea and the fringes of the Balkans, the country has emerged from its bloody past and has grown into a beautiful teenager who knows how to throw a party without totally leaving its storied past…
The Tourist Gaze 