Nature in our Hands Continue reading »
Filed under India …
Would You Like a Cup of Tea?
Why don’t you join me next time in the mountains of Munnar, Kerala and share the unique experience of seeing for yourself how a your fresh cup of tea reaches your table. Continue reading »
10 Things I Love About India
“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman Continue reading »
Saffron Sunsets
The little prince said: “One day, I saw the sunset forty-four times!”
And he added: “You know–one loves the sunset, when one is so sad . . .”
“Were you so sad, then?” I asked, “on the day of the forty-four sunsets?”
But the little prince made no reply. Continue reading »
When Words Paint and Photos Speak
Once in a while, you see a photo that incites a thousand words. Once in while you read words that show you a whole different world. Continue reading »
Untouched, Unchanged: Drifting along the Backwaters of Kerala
We felt like a part of nature, in all its bareness, abundance and beauty. I woke up the next day with the sound of gentle waves. I could hear our companions busy preparing at the back of the houseboat. The inviting smell of coffee woke up my senses. I looked outside and the fog blurs the horizon, like a veil hiding a mystery, waiting to be uncovered. Continue reading »
Hotel Review: Tea County in Munnar, Kerala
Sipping a warm cup of tea at a balcony of the Tea County Hotel while overlooking the vast tea plantations of Munnar is my perfect morning. For 2 days, Tea County Hotel offers me more than the tranquility of its surrounding landscapes. Continue reading »
Kerala, India Travel Expenses
Here is an accounting of our travel expenses incurred during our 5-day post-wedding trip in Kerala, India. Continue reading »
My Conversations with God in Kerala
Kerala is a major spice producer/exporter, it has a language of its own called Malayalam and traditions different from the rest of India. True to it’s slogan, I had my quiet conversations with God as we traverse the zigzag roads to Munnar, sail the backwaters of Kumarakom and revisit history in Kochi. Continue reading »
A Glimpse of Kerala
Kerala, India perfectly embodies “God’s Own Country.” Here is a short video of clips I shot and edited while on a 5-day trip around Munnar, Kumarakom and Cochin. Continue reading »
A Nameless Elephant
She had a name once but lost it years after years, tourist after tourist, chains after chains. I met her in Kerala. Continue reading »
How to Apply for an Indian Tourist Visa in the Philippines
Early this year, the Indian Embassy in the Philippines announced that it has started outsourcing its visa processing to BLS International effective January 12, 2012. The embassy no longer accepts personal applications and all visa applications must go thru BLS International. Continue reading »
How I Found Peace Among Ancient Caves of India
Once in a while, a girl basking in the conveniences of modernity needs to travel back in time, figuratively, to find inner peace. Continue reading »
My First Henna in India
Part of my itinerary in India is to get a henna from a local henna artist in the most culturally-indulging possible way. I got mine from a group selling their artistic skills at a market in Mumbai. For almost an hour, I sat on a small wooden stool, getting used to the coldness of henna paste while watching people doing last-minute shopping of vegetables or hailing auto rickshaws to bring them home. It is the scenario I envisioned and it is in the perfect scenario to get something that is highly important in Indian culture. Continue reading »
INDIA: Comfortable Strangeness
Tearing every roti with my bare hands, walking along the dusty path before sunrise, and welcoming the purple skies with prayer, I feel closer to this land where culture must extend its definition. Continue reading »
Eating in India is Swadisht (स्वादिष्ट)
Swadisht (स्वादिष्ट) is the Hindi word for “delicious.”
India is a gastronomic paradise! I haven’t been to many places but no doubt that India tops my palate list. It has the best I’ve tasted so far and, whether my friends believe me or not, it’s so easy to be vegetarian as long as you are eating Indian cuisine. Continue reading »
Everyday India
I thought my country is rough enough to train me to be fit, mean and survive. In India, I felt like a war casualty–tired, beaten and dirty but with a shining medal of valor hanging around my bruised neck. The battle is half-lost and there’s another half I have to win. Continue reading »
The People of India
India was beyond hospitable to me and it is nowhere far from home. Continue reading »
