For a moment at least, we felt that we're on top of the world the moment my group reached the observatory deck of the Sears Tower in Chicago. It was at the 99th floor where we were delivered by a fast-moving elevator, to the place of the Sears Tower where we could view the entire downtown area several hundred feet high. The view was breathtaking. We could see the neighboring states of Wisconsin and Indiana, as the weather on that day was sunny, clear and just fantastic. But the crowning gift of our visit to the top of the Sears Tower [View Full Entry]

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We're visiting the great city of Chicago because my son is graduating on Friday, April 3, at the Great Lakes naval training center. In as much as we are already in the area, I decided that we would spend the entire weekend to sightseeing tour of Chicago and other tourist spots that are popular with visitors. So my wife and I and daughter Emerald and family friend Ace left for Chicago in the afternoon of April 2. Our place of origin is San Jose, California, and we were driven at San Jcose international airport by my wife's sister. We were early [View Full Entry]

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The recent travel I made in the Philippines put me on longer stay in one province: Nueva Ecija. This province, which is considered one of the major rice-producing provinces of the Philippines, is located in Central Luzon. It has several major cities that are considered either economic hubs or centers of commerce, transportation and industry. One such city is Cabanatuan City, located at the southern part of the province. From Manila, a bus ride can take you to the city proper in two to three hours time, depending on the traffic on its only major highway, called Maharlika Highway. This major [View Full Entry]

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My mode of travel to popular tourist destinations in the Philippines was mostly by bus. I would go to bus terminals in Cubao, Baguio or Mabalacat to take a bus going to the place I would visit, say Angeles City or Iloilo or Banaue. While road-building was the penchant of former Presidents of the country as a step to achieve economic prosperity, it was during the Marcos years and lately, through the infrastructure programs of the current Arroyo government that roads and bridges were built and still being planned to be built with reasonable frequency. I believe the government plan is [View Full Entry]

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During the Holy Week, I happened to read a news item in a local paper about an unusual celebration of Lent in Barangay Cutud in San Fernando, Pampanga. I was staying in an hotel in Manila then, trying to cool my heels off inside an air-conditioned room after my daily travel to popular tourist spots in the city. Everyday in late March and April, it was unusually hot in Manila, more so in Central Luzon and in other parts of the country. Holy Week is observed with deep seriousness by a predominantly Christian nation like the Philippines. As early as Monday, [View Full Entry]

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UNESCO called it part of world heritage in 1995. All over the world, it is known as the eight wonder of the world. I am referring to the Banaue Rice Terraces which I visited in the third week of April, 2008. The rice terraces are still in its moment of grandeur. They are more awesome and majestic when they are viewed in actuality. It is as if the Filipino forefathers who built this ancient engineering marvel were finding a way to be closer to their gods in heaven. But no, these terraces were actually fashioned from the side of the mountain [View Full Entry]

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After leaving Boracay Island, I decided that I would visit Cebu next, and hopefully, hop in to a ferry and go to Bohol to see its famous Chocolate Hills. Going to Cebu from Boracay took a lot of courage and patience. It was a long and tiring journey. At Caticlan port, where a motorized boat from Boracay dropped me off together with the otherBoracay tourists, I was advised by a bus driver of an Iloilo-bound bus that the only way to get to Cebu was by way of Iloilo Iloilo city.From there,I would have to ride in a passenger ship that [View Full Entry]

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True to its billing as a premier tourist destination, Boracay Island puts its countless visitors in awe and at ease of its unique beauty. I was one of its visitors a couple of days back and I was really amazed at its picturesque beach. Never in my life have I seen such serene blue green waters as I walked barefooted on its famous white sand. The feeling is truly exhilirating as I my feet took measured steps and literally felt being "massaged" by the clean white sand. Excitedly, I stopped every now and then and took camera shots at every photo [View Full Entry]

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Finally, I was bound for Boracay Island and its famous pristine beaches. I took an air-conditioned ALPS bus going to Iloilo at the huge provincial bus terminal in Cubao Quezon City. The terminal itself is a living proof that this country is alive and well and is busy (24/7) to attain socio-economic prosperity. Giant buses were lined up at the huge parking lot of the terminal, waiting for passengers bound for the provinces south of Manila. People from all walks of life filled every available shaded space in the terminal. It was hot that day when I boarded the Iloilo-bound bus. [View Full Entry]

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While staying in Baguio for a certain length of time, I observed that not all areas of the city received continuous supply of water. In some places, there is always a problem with the water supply. In the place where I temporarily stayed, water came in trickles from its faucets. The owner of the place was a little apologetic to me for this inconvenience. Most hotels and inns in the city sometimes advertise to new arrivals to this popular summer destination that water is not a problem in their establishment. Indeed, water is a precious commodity in this city whose population [View Full Entry]

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