Arrival We arrived in the capital of Laos, Vientiane, after over 28 hours of land trip from Hanoi--a trip which was supposed to be just about 20 hours. When the driver of the bus cum sumuggling vehicle announced that we've reached the center of the city, we, the three Filipinos unboarded, and the seven caucasians followed suit. As soon as we unboarded the bus, a Tuktuk was there waiting ready to take us to Thong Bay for Kip20,000.00 each. It maybe overprices but all we want was a bed to lie on and so we gave it a go. It seems [View Full Entry]

---

---

In my previous post I said that we will be travelling from Hanoi to Vientiane on the 22nd of March 2008. We were picked up at the Hotel as promised at about 4:30 in the afternoon by a motorbike and were dropped-off in a corner somewhere in the middle of the city near Elizabeth Travel and Tours. About 5 minutes after we arrived, a foreigner was also dropped-off, followed by seven more. All-in-all there were 10 of us. About 30 minutes after we were dropped-off, we were picked again this time with a taxi and dropped in another corner near the [View Full Entry]

---

---

Kuala Lumpur to Hanoi Today we arrived in Hanoi from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We left KL at about 6:30 in the morning and arrived in Hanoi at about 9:30, about three-hours' flight time. Upon arrival, we noticed that people were filling-in a sort of a form. There was no one distributing the form and asking an airport police did not help because he does not know a single English word. Eventually, we managed to find the form and helped ourselves. We were cleared from the immigration in no time and we headed to the Tourist Information Office who did furnish as [View Full Entry]

---

---

A few hours back I wrote that Vietnamese are a friendly people. I still believe they are. I also said that although the Vietnamese appear to be friendly, one must not take for granted the safety of his/her person and property. It seems though that I was not reading what I have written. I got ripped-off by half-a million dong (thats VND500,000.00) by one enterprising Vietnamese Lady. I went by myself around Hanoi just to have a feel of the City. When I arrived near a monument (near a man-made lake) a Vietnamese lady offered to take a photograph of me [View Full Entry]

---

---

I hailed from a place where there are only a few structures made of concrete (and not one made of stone). Visiting the Angkor complex with its countless stone structures constructed at a time when the Filipinos were still "up in the trees" was therefore jaw-dropping for me. The experience also proved incorrect many of my ideas about the Angkor Wat. The trip to the Angkor complex was an extension of my second ASEAN trip. We started our trip from the former US Military Base in the Philippines, Clark Air Base, which is about 60 kilometers northwest of Manila, the capital [View Full Entry]

---

---

PROLOGUE While still on the way from Kuching our party was already planning for our next trip. Dr. Burton wanted us to go to Manado in Indonesia. But I have learned enough from our trip to Kuching. I want my next trip to be planned down to the last detail. While searching for affordable means of transportation within Asia, I stumbled upon the Air Asia Website. At that time they had a promo for MLA-KL. When I computed the round-trip ticket, it only cost a little over Php4,000.00 so I grabbed the opportunity and availed of the promo. Dr. Talaroc and [View Full Entry]

---

---

Historical Background The municipality of Sarangani in Davao del Sur is known both for its remoteness and beauty. It is composed of two main Islands, Sarangani and Balut, with the capital Mabila, located in Balut Island. Created in 1978 by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1550 issued by then President Ferdinand Marcos, the municipality lies south of the equator from 5°22’50” to 5°29’50” north latitude; and from 125°16’33” to 125°29’52” east longitude. The name Sarangani was given to the municipality as a compromise over the locatio [View Full Entry]

---

---

I have always dreamt of traveling to distant lands. Part of this dream was realized in 2005 when Dr. Linda Burton, our senior Anthropologist at the Department invited us to travel with her to Sarawak. I thought then that Sarawak was a part of Indonesia. When people who knew inquires about my trip, I always tell them I am going to Indonesia. The Travel Begins December 25, 2005 8:00 A.M. 25 December 2005 -I reported early to work notwithstanding that it is Christmas. The previous night I went home late so I will be able to generate more data for my [View Full Entry]

---

---