Vignettes of the World
My Travel Journal
On my way to Mariveles (pronounced “ma-ri-VEI-les”), I checked Google Map impatiently because the bus ride was taking a very long time. As the bus passed through the mountainous road going southwest, I noticed something quite unusual. A pin on the Google map says, “Death …
The Nanzhong School 南中學校 of Shenzhen is breathtakingly beautiful. Shenzhen is proud of its libraries, and rightly so. There is a long list of libraries in Shenzhen that caters to all interests, from small community reading rooms to state-of-the-art heaven for bookworms. The Nanzhong School, …
There are two kinds of heritage dining. Proper heritage dining is to eat at a restaurant that comes with a long history. Its food, its story and its business are all part of the heritage, its value lies in the intangible qualities of the dining …
One thing that I have learned about the Philippines is that the information online is not always so reliable. I arrived at Mariveles finally and settled down in my hotel. I had lunch at Mang Inasal, which is a fast food chain. I had my …
In my first evening in the Peninsula, I learned that my phone was not equipped to install an eSIM, so I ran to the mall nearby to get a physical SIM set up. I had to catch an early bus to Bataan Province next morning …
Known endearingly as the Pen, the Peninsula Manila stands for much more than just a luxury hotel. Its history was inexplicably interwoven with that of Manila and the Philippines. My Rendezvous with the Peninsula Manila Here’s my confession: I was a squatter at the Pen …
I had a fabulous first trip to the Philippines. In fact, the experience was in the ranks of being miraculous, even as measured against my years of experience as a travel writer. “Hey, do you want to join me in Manila?” My friend was attending …
At the Skyline Hotel, there are a few staff that take turns doing different shifts in the day. The ladies bring their child with them to work sometimes. And I try to talk to the children, in whatever simple Vietnamese that I am able to …
Phu Quoc is a beautiful island with countless beaches. Its tourism revolves around the beach towns that it builds to attract foreign tourists. Of course, for the sake of a holiday I could just stay in the “nice” parts of Phu Quoc and be wilfully …
One reason why I love traveling to Vietnam is that I love Vietnamese food. Every region of Vietnam has its own uniqueness being part of the full repertoire of Vietnamese delicacy. In Phu Quoc, seafood is the star of the show and I had one …