Location is Nijmegen, Gelderland Netherlands 2009 It was one weekend and the weather was not perfect but I have to say, it was NOT bad either. My friends/colleagues and I decided (a few weeks back) to explore the city. Yes, the city of Nijmegen may not that big as The Hague or Amsterdam but I was really surpeised that this city is equally worth seeing and it was a whole lot of fun. Thanks to our expert guide, Helma, who's a local blood but all the same, she researched on what we'd gonna see.Certainly the photos posted here are from that weekend (maybe 4 weeks ago) and I can say that the weather now has changed... to a much lower temperature, in short, colder!

Going back to that weekend we have had a great time. I can only share the photos of what we say, I think the photos alone indicate that the place, small as it may be, can digest the viewers' eyes as well.And historically? Well, there's the old castle, some parts/section already broken/demolished or missing but it is a lovely feeling toimagine what might have transpired in there centuries back.

The Kronen park and the watch tower..andmany other stuff... even the blackswan, YES, those black swans! It was my first time to see them! I will also post the here in bigger sizes so that everyone can see.

Knowing a person or a country is not simply through getting there "literally". Last Friday I was a witness to this fact. It was like I knew more Poland just by staying in a house more than walking in physically in some streets in Poland. That Friday started with a good afternoon and ended into a wonderful satisfying night of little gathering. Everyone was satisfied and this Monday, everyone tried to ask of the photos! Guess what? We were all busy dancing the Peruvian dances that none of us remembered taking more/good photos! Only one photo has people and and I am not in that photo.


One of the photos while everyone was busy preparing their own "national food" contribution or mixing the drinks.... Click the image to see more of the photos...

The food that everyone shared were all interesting and tasty and the good thing was, we all shared even to the last portion by taking home exchanged extra food. I brought home some Peruvian and Bulgarian delights plus the tiramisu that the host prepared.

The opinions we shared as expatriated and as females in this country was invaluable. The dance was amazing! After that great success, we plan to set another little gathering again, in yet another location.

To know something, to experience something, one does not need to be physically there--- a lesson learned.

Last Sunday was a real blast! Cycling for an hour to reach our destination under the Dutch rain was a real adventure. The good thing is, the weather was not so cold yet, thus, we were able to survive the activity without getting sick the next day nor even getting muscle pains. I am not aware of the real address of the theetuin or the tea garden where we visited, thus, I cannot pin-point at this very moment where it was or how many kilometers it took us to reach there. It was an effort though using my small-wheeled city bike.

Just click the images to see more of the photos in my photo sites.

Kites! Kites are great! Just before I left the Hague, from the region of Zuid Holland in Netherlands (Some photos from the Hague may be viewed The Hague 1 and The Hague 2 ) and transfer to Nijmegen, which is in Gelderland region, I was able to view the stadhouse display near my previous apartment. Every month there is a display of some arts and concepts in the city hall or the stadhouse and they always get my attention. This time it is a set of kites with various colors. See the two photos I was able to steal when I was there.


Try to scroll up and down the mouse/page while looking at these kites and the same with the other image down, you will be amazed! I just discovered.
In fact the presence of these kites here, my friend from previous job advised me to view this, especially because it's just very near the place where I used to stay. He is a passionate fan of kites, playing them since he was a child in Surinam and until now that he is 60 years old in Netherlands.

His story and expertise for and the love of kites is really admirable. Once I told him to sell them online but he told it is not very simple because of tax reasons and the fact that web stuff is not so simple for him with his age.

I am so inspired with his story that I want to post a story of his love for kites here in this composition haven and I will be linking the story in this post. I hope I can do it soon. I miss my friend, he is still in the Hague now. I wish he is all right with good health and enjoying the visits of his grandchildren from another city.

Blank area.. VI. Taking the Ship to Our Beach of Choice -- We had to be aboard the ship because there were no fast crafts available in the area. The trip was supposed to last for only an hour but it was three hours for us. It was really boring since we feel very tired to do anything and we were hungry as well. I remembered sleeping and waking up three times in that trip to our port of destination. The ship was really slow and there was nothing to do inside of it. There were few of us aboard. It was the most impatient part of my day for the travel. The bad thing is, we have had no any better choice but to take that ship! 

VII. The Island Near Cebu -- It was a small island where we docked and we had to get down the slow ship that we have boarded. The only good news is that the small van was already at the exist of the small port waiting for us. At least we had a little consolation for the bad trip that we had. The resort that we were to go was only five minutes from the port by car or jeepney. When we arrived, food in the table was waiting for us. It was supposed to be our lunch but we arrived so late so we had to eat it cold. It was cold and it was not very good with taste too. 

VIII. The Good Beach Things-- After eating, we settled to our respective cottages. The name of the resort that we were in was Cota Beach. It was quiet and not very commercialized, thus very relaxing. There were few more cottages occupied aside from what we have rented. There are various diners at the beach's in-house restaurant although as I have mentioned. The food must be from the beach managment because it is not easy to find food around since we are in the small island where malls and grocery stores are not that abundant. It's a white sand beach and the more the sun shines, the whiter the sand becomes. We played much games in the sand like volleyball, various relays and we have also made a bonfire during the night where we grilled some dried squids, hotdogs and "danggit" to munch while we watch and listen to the waves with the light of our little fire. It was a great experience. 

IX. Snorkeling in the Nearby Seas -- The next morning, which was Friday, we prepared early for our snorkeling in the clear waters of the sea surroundling the island. We hired a boat and rented snorkeling fascilities. It was only seventy five pesos or 1.25 euros to rent. We were two boats in total and there were eighteen of us. We travelled for around an hour before locating the snorkeling point in the area. We also had our breakfast in the boat. It was a sunny side up with fried rice, danggit and tapa. Very tasty and satisfying. The fishes are really beautiful and the corals are moving smoothly along with the direction of the wave at the bottom of the sea. It was a fantastic experience. 

X. Island Hopping Near Cebu Islands -- After snorkeling and after making sure that everyone had the breakfast, we decided to go to some nearby islands near the area to see what it offers. We went to a certain island full of dead corals making the place look white. The dead corals make the sand white after a long process and a long period of time. In the island however, the corals were not yet pulverized and hurts the feet when stepped upon. The place was also inhabited by villagers and was not very clean to enjoy its waters. In fact some garbage were floating at the shore's water. The villagers were friendly though. When we asked for a bathroom, they readily offered theirs for us and it was without fee. 

||| As I remember, I noted of our short island trips back in the Philippines. I think I just miss the blue beaches, the soft sand and the camaraderie that I found within my friends and fellows from the university and from the office. In fact the following article that I share here with you was also shared in a tourist website but since it has been more than a year, I believe that it is high time to share it as well with my own blog readers. I divided the whole articles into two parts while each part has 5 subtitles.

My very fist office as an auditor in Ayala Avenue: Photo courtesy of cocktales.ph
I. Meeting Friends at the Philippine Central Business District--  I had to wake up early and be ready with all my luggage for our 4-day outing to various islands in the country. It was vacationouting time for me and my friends. Arriving at the business center of the Philippines, which is the Ayala Avenue of Makati City, I proceeed to meet friends at the Jollibee Fastffood. The city was still quiet and the streets were very organized since it was before six in the morning and people are slowly arriving to commence the working day that Thursday. Before seven o'clock each working day is unlike the rest or other times of the day that is totally chaotic especially along the front of Makati Stock Exchange where there is a bus stop and jeepney stop for loading passengers. Unloading is not allowed. It is in another area. This avenue though is one among the most popular in the country for its revenue generating power and the amount of employment it provides to the whole country.

II. Makati City to Cabu Pacific Domestic Airport-- Ayala Avenue is the place very familiar to me and my friends thus, it was our meeting place that day. We had our traditional hotdog, egg, fried rice and hot choco (for drink) breakfast at the fastfood and had about an hour to waste before we start ourselves towards the airport. We were to go at the Manila Domestic Airport where Cebu Pacific lands and departs for its domestic flights. When we finished our breakfast we had to hire a taxi and it was not too bad paying three euro from Makati to the Airport at the Pasay area. After all there were six of us and we have hired two taxis. The travel was quick since it was early in the morning and it was Thursday.

III. Cheap Fares But Be Serious About It -- More friends and colleagues were already waiting us at the airport when we arrived. We purchased our ticket at a promotional rate which iwas Php1.00 (1/ 60 of a euro) but of course it was exclusive of taxes and other charges. Cebu pacific has many tourist-conducive offers. Just watch out at their site (www.cebupacificair.com). One friend who was to have the flight two hours earlier than us have missed it and he had to pay the full amount of ticket which was more than Php 2,000. Indeed, it was cheap but must not be taken for granted. It was a big lesson learned for us.

IV. The Flight To Cebu-- Flying to Cebu was easy and fast. Aside from the fact that there are three local companies for airplanes, Cebu is a big city and province making big demands for flight passengers. Since i was with friends I barely noticed the uneasiness of the flight (if there was any). It was more or less an hour to be in Cebu from Manila. It was a bright sunny day for an extended hot season in the country so the flight was so smooth and we landed without any noticeable problems. It was in the middle of the month of June.

V. Arriving at Cebu-- It was not the end of our trip for the day. It was only ten percent if the total travel was to be counted. From the city of Cebu, we had to proceed to a provincial port and take another ship to reach our destination. The trip lasted for around three hours due to the fact that we had to confirm our tickets for the next ship that we would be taking. Since it was our first time in Cebu, we enjoyed watching the countryside as we were busy talking inside our hired van. We also stopped along the way to buy some snacks because of the lunch that we have missed. Cebu people are friendly.

... Let’s admit it, if we all have the resources such as time, money and knowledge, all of use would be going here and there and everywhere, right? It seems that all of us were a born nomad and we all do love travelling. Don’t you? I have been contemplating about travelling and I know that fulfilling my dreams would surely cost me something. As mentioned, time and money. That would mean I have to save up some chunks of my earnings for travel purposes. Although my employer automatically saves for me 8% of my gross salary for my vacation purposes, it’s sad to think that the government actually taxes this amount at 50% as it is considered as “extra earnings/income”. Anyway, my consolation is to think that “50% is at least better than nothing at all!”. I am not well travelled yet. A few countries in Asia and Europe is not enough. My dream is actually to set foot on at least one of the countries of each of the seven continents that we have in this planet. That would be fun I believe… at least one in my plan. Naturally that would be great to be able to set foot and travel and explore or observe the customs, the people, the way of life in more than one of those countries but at the minimum, one would be all right. What do you think?

I don't like the idea of vacation though that was presented in the film starred by Leonardo diCaprio and entitled "The Beach". I mean, vacation is great as it changes your environment: one sees a new place, a new culture, new faces, new setup and everything very different from the daily life. If one gets stuck in a place full of beautiful surroundings and booze, I think it's only the booze that's gonna inspire that person or make that person think that he or she lives in a perfect place. The reality is, you will be tired of it soon...very soon if you are normal!

How about you? What are your plans in terms of travelling? I’d love to know.

| Turn to Series I | Turn to Series II & III | Turn to Series IV & V |Series VI. What I Like About Malaysians? -- I can say that Malaysians are courteous. In every tourist booth, they tried their best to serve tourists and answer all kinds of queries to the maximum of their knowledge. Of course there are dissatisfaction but when one sees the efforts they exert to try to help, those murmurings and clamours can just go away. In the street when we found ourselves a little confused, we simply throw a question at anyone around and they happily obligued themselves to help us. On buses, there are drivers and conductors who are also helpful especially when it comes to a location of some particular establishments, especially embassies, government offices and to be very specific, the foreign ministry office. Generally, I like the attitude of Malaysians. But as we all know, there are always exeptions to some rules. One instance in the Kuala Lumpur area near Jaan Ismael, we asked a youngster where we could find a Western Union Office.. He happily accompanied us until the ATM machine which have not any relation to WU at all. Only later we have realized that he only wanted to ask some Malaysian Ringgits (money) from us. Instead of giving him something in consideration for his information and effort (which was of no help), we hurriedly go away only to find his companion nearby. The only good thing about that time was the fact that there were lots of people around and it was a bit safe.

Series VII. Malaysian Public Service and Public Offices, What I Like So Much? -- I have transacted in Italy, I have transacted in Philippines, not privately but concerning public office and the public government. I also have transacted in Malaysian governments many times and this is the real public service that I may call. Thrice, I happen to be in the foreign ministry office and all my transactions were completed in a matter of minutes. The last time that I made a document indorsed, we went in a bad time that after we submitted the document, the lunchbreak came! Noon. I was praying that at least our number would be called before the office closes but we were 6 transactions behind. The office got closed with us inside. But know what? There were three service personnel at that time and only two went for lunch. One personnel continued serving all of us who were waiting! I was so happy and I really admire that system! How very good! How pro people.

Series VIII. Malaysian Public Service and Public Offices, Something Disappointed Me! -- The world is balanced and I have to say not all servicea are good. Since I have this constant complain about taxi drivers, I decided to let this concern be treated properly with some regulation. So I happen to take the plate number of a taxi that mistreated and overcharged us. I then tried calling the Malaysian tourism office about it and ask about some regulating bodies and how this bad thing can be stopped. The person from the other side of the line, which has an Indian accent simply told me that it was pretty normal! What normal? Is it normal that people simply abuse each other? I was so angry by then but what can I do? I am in a foreign country and i could not do anything else that time, after all I was only holding a mobile phone! And I was paying for my call! With all my respect to Malaysian government, it was a bit tainted that time. But now, I am thinking and trying to realize that maybe it was only a poor CSR that don't really know nothing.

This is the last page of the series. This is the 4th page and you can always click the links going to other first three pages. Hopefully this personal experience in Malaysia can help you in your travel needs. Happy travelling.

| Turn to Series I | Turn to Series II & III | Turn to Series IV & V |

Turn to Series I ! Turn to Series II & III Series IV. Cleanliness and Sanitation -- In my eyes, Malaysia was cleaner. Why? Because I came from the Philippines! But when I happened to spend some time here in Europe, I have realized it's not that clean after all. I have seen a big rat as big as a cat crossing the street down Jalan Pudu one rainy day. And just a few blocks from Pudu Raya bus station, there was a pile of stinking garbage let out in the open beside the street. When it comes to rivers, I have seen one near Jalan India and it was the same brown river I have seen in the Philippines. In short, not very clean. One thing I appreciate though: the rest rooms. Even though there was a RM0.20 fee to use the restroom, the restrooms have abundant supply of water and handwash inside those toilets. There is also at least one maintenance person inside each ceratin resroom who mops and cleans it. Ohhh.. and if you don't have any tissue/toilet paper with you, it's another RM0.20 or 0.30 for you to shell out.

Series V. The Tropics and the Petroleum Beaches -- Was it bad luck? Or was it a spell? I cannot think of any better explanation why the only beaches we were able to visit and the beaches that were supposed to be enjoying at in Malaysia are all having oil refineries in the vicinity. First, at the Straightview Lodge in Melaka that if we go at the shore, the Petronas refinery smiled and said hello to us! Another is in Port Dickson where the supposed to be white/cream colored sand that the Sunshine beach has, has oil residues in it making the sand instead grayish.

Bronze silky skin is your dream? I find it perfect to take it from Malaysian sun. I find the sun rays in the place perfect for those who want to get tanned. Yes, because my partner has still his forehead brown after six months! You can say it's incredible but I agree with you... the sun burned his forehead! What I mean is, if you plan to get tanned, it is best in Malaysia but with proper uniform exposure to the body. Don't let it burn only your nose or your forehead. This usually happens even without direct sun contact if one is outdoors and the temperature is high.

I too have my own fair share of having sun burns and tanned left body side. The right side remained fair when we walked our way to Port Dickson center and the sun was shining on the left side. I got my left shoulder burned and my left face and my left outer leg was also more brown than the other side.
Turn to Series I ! Turn to Series II & III

|Turn to Series I, Security and Freedom in this Truly Asian Country | Turn to Series IV and Series IV, Cleanliness and Beaches in Malaysia| -- This series, I used to author it and submitted this review to a certain travel site. Since I posted it more than a year ago, I deem it is fair enough to post it here in y travel blog as well. This series is divided into 8 parts and one part is posted every two days from the first day of posting. Watch out and be guided when you plan to travel n Malaysia. Don't forget to enjoy as well.... Series II. Malaysian Food Choices ... Food..food and food! I am so glad to know that in this country, their priority in life is food. Of course food is important to all but in Malaysia, the Malaysians make it the most affordable of all the things that one can purchase around. I remebered eating a whole dish with RM1.20 which is equivalent to less than a dollar. We set aside the taste because this is relative and subjective but wherever we went, we found the food to be of abundance and to be of low price. It is aboundant and with a wide variety because Malaysia has become a meeting point for Arabs, Indians, Chinese and Malays. This means that in this country there are lots of food variations served by these various national/ethnic groups. We also tried all and on the same building as our hotel, we had an Indian food court named Maulana Food Court. It was in Jalan Pudu Malaysia. I remember to have eaten there at least 6 times because the food choices were so wide and the tastes were really great. A caution though, if you cannot handle very hot and spicy food you better ask before taking any food in an Indian restaurant.

Chinese restaurants were the ones we frequented the most. It is due to the fact that it is legal for Chinese to sell liquors and since my partner had a need for few beer cans each meal time we found Chinese restos to be of best choice. Muslims are supposed to be not alcoholic drinkers thus, they don't sell these drinks.

When it comes to fruit, they are very affordable as well. Or maybe we just happen to visit when fruits are in abundance but I have to say I bought some tropical fruit at $0.25 a kilo.

Series III.Afraid of Getting Lost? Don't Worry, You Wont!

Anywhere in Malaysia that I have visited have their tourism promotional tools. Be it in a bus terminal in Seremban, an airport in Selangor, a hotel in Kuala Lumpur or in a mall in Melaka, they have something to offer to the tourists. The best of these facilities are the free phone booth with direct dials to all Melaka hotels and tourist destinations. This was in the Melaka bus terminal and there are two telephones available in the self-service booth, together with the names of the hotels/attractions and their descriptions and rates.

Most of the steets, if not all, in Malaysia are with very reliable signage and I have presumed that the word "jalan" means street. It's because they have the streets as Jalan Imbi, Jalan Ismael and Jalan Petaling among others. Even it's quite tricky in Kuala Lumpur for its streets, we learned fast because of the abundance of various kinds of free maps and tourism brochures available for free in hotels and bus terminals and of course, as I have mentioned, with the reliability of the street signages.

|Turn to Series I, Security and Freedom in this Truly Asian Country | Turn to Series IV and Series IV, Cleanliness and Beaches in Malaysia|

| Turn to Series II & III, On Directions and Food Choices | Turn to Series IV and Series IV, On Cleanliness and Beaches|--This series, I used to author it and submitted this review to a certain travel site. Since I posted it more than a year ago, I deem it is fair enough to post it here in y travel blog as well. This series is divided into 8 parts and one part is posted every two days from the first day of posting. Watch out and be guided when you plan to travel n Malaysia. Don't forget to enjoy as well.... Series I. Security and Freedom in this Truly Asian Country ... "Malaysia, truly Asia." Does this phrase sound familiar to you? If your answer is yes, maybe you might have seen the tourism advertisement in some international TV channels as promoted and spoken by Michelle Yeoh. And if you have not heard of the phrase I was referring to, it's all right. At least now you know. When I was still in my home country, the Philippines, these advertisements on the television never really mattered to me, not until I came to see Malaysia. At first, when I arrived at the Kuala Lumpur Low Cost Terminal Airport, it seems to be all normal for me. People who looks like me, with my color, with my nose and with almost all like myself. It is because I am a Filipina and we are of the same Malay race. What really caught my attention is the freedom I witnessed. There are no security guards around with long and heavy guns and we could simply slip in and out of the door. The scenario was totally different from Philippine establishments full or door guards with large guns, not only in airports and banks but also to small establishments earning 20 euros a day!. Despite this situation, the place(the KL terminal) was so tranquil and safe, visible with the fact that passengers simply lye down anywhere in the terminal and take their nap while waiting for either threir flights or buses.

The Petronas Twin Tower in Kuala Lumpur. I have been in this tower at least thrice to try my luck of enlisting myself to be one among those who could cross the twin towers' bridge but always with no luck!

Others who are not comfortable just sitting or lying around spend their time at the Asian Kitchen. Others at McDonalds and those who loves coffee go to Coffe Bean.

In the cities, I never saw anyone with a gun, even the policemen. One time, when we were at Kota Raya mall, a group of police officers were checking identification cards from a suspicious looking malaysian group of youngsters, but they never had a gun! I was really surprised because the presence of guns in the Philippines is pretty normal.

| Turn to Series II & III, On Directions and Food Choices | Turn to Series IV and Series IV, On Cleanliness and Beaches|

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It was November 2006 when I first entered the Ayala Museum. Actually, I was a bit astonished because it was not the typical museum that I have seen in the Philippines before. It was very sophisticated and posh looking, more of a modernized business that a museum. I felt intimated! The Ayala Museum is not so far away from my previous office, the mainstream of the Philippine Business District, Ayala Avenue. It is specifically standing at Makati Avenue corner De La Rosa Street, occupying a building designed by Leandro V. Locsin. This museum was visualized by the late artist, Fernando Zobel de Ayala y Montojo and is the gift of Ayala to the Filipino people. When one is passing or walking along dela Rosa walkway coming to or from The Landmark Mall, this museum is along the way. It contains sixty handcrafted dioramas form the core of the museum's historical collections and chronicles the rich tapestry of Philippine history. The scale models of maritime vessels that plied the Philippine shores enhanced these dioramas. The historical collection is complemented by archaeological, ethnographic, and fine arts collections spanning prehistory to the present. The fine arts collection features important works by Juan Luna (1857-1899), Fernando Amorsolo (1882-1972), and Fernando Zobel (1924-1984). To know all about the Ayala Museum, simply visit http://www.ayalamuseum.org/.

If you are fund of Art, both modern and old, especially thos by Filipinos, this is definitely the location for you: Ayala Museum!

This travel I review I previously shares at a travel review site with the username, redrogue.

What both Filipino and foreign shoppers like when shopping in the Philippines is its relatively low-priced items for sale. When we went here in Europe from the Philippines, we made it a point to shop for our nephew living in Milan. We bought the remote controlled helicopter toy from Toy Kingdom at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong.

The heli toy was really good and we have paid for thirty Euros for it. Comparably, when we looked for prices of toys in Italy after we arrive, it (what we bought in Philippines) was very cheap for the good quality it has and for the uniqueness it has. Since many gave helicopter toys to our nephew, no one has really given a free flying toy solely with remote control and without a cable attachment. However, we have to admit that the prices of their toy gifts ranges from thirty to one hundred Euros even without a free-flying feature. What I am trying to tell here is, if you happen to be in the Philippines, don’t miss your chance to shop for cheaper toys. There are lots of them at the Toy Kingdom stores.

Most of the SM (ShoeMart) malls in the Philippines have a Toy Kingdom store within. You might wonder why. Toy Kingdom is also part of the stores owned by the giant magnate that owns SM malls. Actually, toys from this store are not only for kids. I found myself choosing and hugging stuffed toys whenever I pay a visit to buy some toys for cousins. Moreover, kids stuffs aside from toys can be found at Toy Kingdom such as strollers, cribs, candies stands, chocolates and books, but of course they have these designs for kids. Don’t miss the fun when you are in the Philippines. Visit Toy Kingdom and see the King of toy stores in the country!

Just found the above entry as one of my submissions in one of the leading travel guide website. Click here to visit my entry in this website. I have lots of reviews and write ups there.

Was it crazy or what? I was there witnessing the icy plunge of thousand of Dutch individuals during the new year's day. Many spectators were there as well as participants. It was cold, naturally and who can think thousands of people can get naked and even dip in that icy cold water? Only to think of it I already shiver, plus the fact that I have witnessed it... brrrrrrrr...


This was my first shot as we were all approaching the shore few minutes before the plunge started... then I discovered that I dont have memory card in it. Darn!
What else can I say? The night before the event, I fully recharged my camera battery but the sad portion? When I was starting out to take images, it became full in the memory after one image taken. Why? the memory card was in my laptop at home! Holy crap! That means I have taken two photos and nothing more. All the same, I share them here with you, plus, I saw a yahoo short write up about the event.


This was my second shot and I am so happy I got this far... Just see how cold it is from the outfit of everyone and from the dark skies and see the image below that they really stripped it of... brrr... brrrr..
I actually never believed this until I saw with my own eyes. There were just too many people participating. In fact, one of my colleagues at work did this before and she swore to death she'd never do it again! Hahahah.. Well, maybe people do learn lessons, right?


As yahoo put it or AFP.. I searched for the event and here it goes.. I cut them and shared them here.. Click it and you'll be in the actual page where I took it.
HAPPY 2009!