Guess correctly where this photo was taken and get a postcard from me. :) Continue reading »
Filed under India …
Weekly Photo Challenge: SOLITARY (Commune with Nature)
But every morning after a cup of chai and a piece of roti, he will walk to the side of the river to soak his towel and pat his face with the cold water flowing from the mountains. Continue reading »
The Brother of Taj Mahal: Agra Fort
Agra Fort, massive and imposing, red and bricked, could be the brother monument of India’s iconic structure, and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continue reading »
New Delhi’s World Heritage Sites: Qutb Minar and Red Fort
It didn’t take long enough for me to let my guards down and be stricken in awe and wonder by the historical remnants of the city which, unlike the indifference of its climate, embraced the foreigner in me. Continue reading »
Weekly Photo Challenge: FREE SPIRIT (The Smiles of Children)
These kids smiling and laughing in front of a camera is the kind of spirit we all had when we were children but eventually worn out when we were growing up. Continue reading »
Weekly Photo Challenge: URBAN (Urban Dwellers)
Through the following photos, I hope to show how urbanization in some parts of Asia shape the lifestyle of its dwellers, from transportation to cultural preservation. Continue reading »
Weekly Photo Challenge: INSIDE (All the way through)
Inside this structure and all the way through this covered pathway is as beautiful as the history it protects. Continue reading »
Weekly Photo Challenge: DREAMING (Serenity & Solitude)
When my feet don’t travel, my mind does. Continue reading »
Weekly Photo Challenge: MOVEMENT (Fly Through the Sky)
I was moved to see beautiful birds freely enjoying the city alongside people. Continue reading »
Weekly Photo Challenge: FLEETING MOMENT (Covered)
It was the intensity of those eyes, a part of that fleeting moment, never again to emerge from the colorful covers that beautifully contrasted the dull colors of dirt and dust. Continue reading »
Weekly Photo Challenge: HANDS (Nature in our Hands)
Nature in our Hands Continue reading »
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 »
