Until now, I’ve been totally ignorant of the fact that the start of spring is one of the most fantastic times to go see the world. Cities and towns emerging from winter are out to celebrate in style, breaking out the best wine, treats, and cutlery. Everyone’s just full of glee to see a patch of green take over the white. Warmth is out to take over; everything’s fine with the world again. Continue reading Spring is Here!
I’ve already professed my love for Taipei in my previous posts here, but that’s no reason for me to stop gushing about one of the prettiest festivals I’ve ever been blessed to see. If you’ve hung out this blog for long enough, you know what’s next — yep, it’s the vid! This is for kindred spirits Jan, Ralph and Alex — here’s to a lifetime of our wishes coming true!
Song: Go With It by Tokimonsta
If you want to check out the what-how-where’s of our adventures in Taipei, you can read about them here.
Don’t you love it when stars finally align your way? 2013 has been really good to me so far; I’ve garnered a lot of good experiences and memories that I’m sure will last — and we’re barely halfway through the year!
Here’s a vid of one of my favorite escapes so far — Siquijor is simply one of those places that just makes me grow fonder about growing up in a blessed archipelago. Enjoy!
If you’re interested to read the what-how-where’s of our Siquijor adventure, you can check out the all-about-Siquijor post here.
Song: One day / Reckoning Song (Wankelmut Remix) by Asaf Avidan
Nothing beats good, lasting friendships, especially when things don’t go as planned…
I impulse-booked my ticket to Taipei based on street food alone; I’ve heard the chow was phenomenal. That being said, I didn’t have much of a plan when I landed in Taipei, aside from the Lantern festivities in Pingxi on the coming Sunday. Happily, Taipei was a fun place to play it by ear.
My adventure started on an early Friday morning. Our plane touched down on the break of dawn, and with the Taipei transport being very easy to figure out, I arrived way ahead of everyone in the hostel, including the receptionist. It was a good thing that the Bangka district was precisely where you’d want to be if you’re killing time in the morn. I strolled through the alleys behind our hostel, where the wet market was slowly coming to life. Colorful meat balls and vegetables decked the tables to tempt you to brew a hotpot. Butchers went about carving out whole carcasses of pork, while live chickens clucked away, perhaps in mourning for their fallen comrades, undressed and hawked on display. Continue reading Taipei Day 1: A Time to Be Bright, and a Time to Get Steamy
Along with the thousands of wishing lanterns floating around that day, there was definitely a hint of whimsy in the air. I always knew only good can come out from still watching cartoons — after learning that the floating lanterns scene from Tangled (a movie adaptation of Rapunzel) was inspired from an actual festival in the town of Pingxi in Taiwan, I had my heart set on joining the festivities and having my own wishing lantern soar. Continue reading Floating Wishes at Pingxi
It was hard to believe what was right in front of our eyes — the cascades of crystalline blue-green water had me hypnotized, and we had the waterfalls all to ourselves. I look around and think — friends, we’ve made it to paradise.
Siquijor is a gem of a find, one of the places that really makes me want to know my home country better. It blew my mind thinking how an island as accessible and gorgeous as this one could stay under the radar for so long. As I looked around to see my co-passengers at the ferry from Dumaguete, almost more than half were actually foreigners, aside from the few locals making their way home. And then there were us, a gang of giddy local backpackers — not a usual sighting, I guess. Continue reading Enchanting Siquijor
My heart beats hard against my chest. The guide calls for my niece to cling on to the rope and descend into a dark abyss. I steal a peek over the edge and my eyes bulge at how easy it is to slip and break all arms and feet. My niece makes it all the way down; I draw a breath.
My sister is about to go next. As I see her dangling on the rope, all I can think of is, ‘What have I gotten ourselves into?!’
I still can’t get over how crystal-clear the Aegean waters are. Or how the cliffs look snow-capped from the white Cycladic houses dotting its sides. Or how Greek tomatoes are simply food for the gods.
This is for Sheng and Mara, two lovely lasses who embraced the eat-book-pray-love way of life with me! A shout-out to Rebecca and Sana as well, our new friends who made our trip to Greece all the more awesome. Til our next adventure!
Song: Island in the Sun by Weezer
With that being said, I guess this is going to be a very sparse post, eh?
Santorini is much like the pretty gal that every other girl would love to hate. You know, the one who gets out of bed looking every inch exquisite, the one who exudes charm without even trying, the type who you would compliment all day and would just shrug it all off, as if gorgeousness was something you got for free with your kiddie snack.
Yes, it seems this island is blessed — with its amazing vantage points overlooking the sea, its picturesque artisan town of Oia, a muti-faceted terrain which allows one to comb through vineyards at one hour, climb a volcano the next, all before having a pick of whether to lounge the day away at a black, red or white beach. Continue reading I Dream of Santorini
Even party girls need some chill-time. After busy, lively Mykonos, the almost sleepy-town of Paroikia in Paros was a welcome breather.
We were booked to stay for two nights at Jimmy’s Hostel, and who else would be the first person at the pier who would greet us? No less but Jimmy himself! Quite a character with his booming voice and ubiquitous grin, he helped us load our bags onto to his van and whisked us off to the apartments, which was only a few blocks away from the pier. Continue reading Catching Our Breath at Paros
.: ishcapades 