digital_explorer

I HAVE MY FINAL CHECK OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS to be carried during my 6-day trip. A day before the flight, I was relaxed and not harassed thinking that I might forget something valuable which jeopardise my trip. Having 16 kg check-in bag and one hand carry for my laptop, I was ready to go and looking forward to meeting the Pope in Vatican and David in Florence! My friend was accommodating enough to drive me to Belfast International airport, almost 45 minutes drive from the university. My Aer Lingus flight was on time (1530 departure time) and after 2.5 hours on air, the plane finally landed at the Da Vinci Airport. It was not a busy Friday night (past 7pm, 2 hours advance from UK time)) and the waiting time in the immigration area was ... read more

Last weekend, I joined my Irish friends to visit the western part of the Republic of Ireland. We stayed overnight in Ballymote and visited Ballina, Inniscrone, and the place called Knock. I dont have any idea about this small town in County Mayo. Even my Irish friends did not bother to tell me prior to the visit, until we reached the place - the Knock Shrine. As I stepped out from the car, my friends started to explain the significance of the place for the Irish Catholic community, or even for Christians around the world! Why? Because the apparation of our Virgin Mary, St Joseph and St John (the Evangelist) appeared in the gable of the church way back in August 1879. It is a timely visit in preparation for the Holy Week. We did not ... read more

My recent visit to Dublin in the middle of August has a different purpose. I was invited by a friend to be interviewed and will be featured in a Filipino local magazine. The mag is currently circulated in Dublin catering to Filipino community. Without hesitation I decided to agree to visit Dublin and stayed overnight. I took the opportunity to know the family and joined them in a morning walk along a popular waterway. It was a lovely day and I really enjoyed their company, including the family dog - happy to swim for a wood stick! I also had the chance to visit a newly developed subdivision/village which is really an ideal place to live - everything is there, from school to public transport. After my appointment with my lady friend, I decided to join ... read more

BEING A FREQUENT TRAVELLER, having reliable sources of information is essential. One of them is being part of this TRAVEL BLOG community. It provides hands-on information from the members. A month ago, I signed up for another free travel site, TRIVAGO. As a member, I can post photographs and travel reviews and get extra incentives through the shares from every operation I contributed to the site. There are several levels for me to undergo to increase my involvement and responsibilities in the site. The site has German, French and Spanish portals to cater non-English travellers. Briefly, as quoted from Trivago's Philosophy: At trivago we strive to gather the best information on travel and destinations that the internet has to offer. Undecided as to where you'd like to spend your next vacation? Our travel guides provide ... read more

I am one of the avid fans of any festival celebration in Belfast City. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the Maritime Festival last year (2006) since I was in the US to take my one month summer vacation in some areas of California. But this year, I did my best to attend this annual celebration of wooden ships, including the SS Nomadic which is the last ship that carry the passengers from Titanic during the disaster in 1912. The festival was a 3-day event (30 June- 1 July) showcasing historical wooden tall ships/boats such as the following: 1. Zebu - built in 1938 from Sweden 2. Ruth - built in 1914 from Sweden 3. Kaskelot - built in 1948 from Greenland 4. Artemis - built in 1926 from Netherlands 5. Grand Turk - ... read more