Vignettes of the World
My Travel Journal
We were the only tour in this slightly overcast afternoon. Armando began the stories of Corregidor as our tour bus took us to the first spot, the Battery Way. The Middleside Barracks We passed by the Middleside Barracks, it being located in the middle section …
During the Spanish colonial times (1565 to 1898), Corregidor was already a location of choice as the Spanish site of maritime administration. Any ship that was to pass through to Manila Bay had to show their papers at Corregidor and have their goods inspected. The …
The date of my visit at Corregidor is June 23, 2026. Corregidor, as derived from the Spanish word “corregimiento,” means “corrector” or “magistrate.” It is pronounced “cor-RE-idor”, where the “g” is silent. At the cusp of Japan’s successful occupation of the Philippines during the early …
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 …