Yes, there is a China Post near the Mt. Everest Base Camp! Amazing, right? Actually, we were unable to send anybody a postcard primarily because we didn't have anyone's address. Email and Facebook were way faster anyway. We just breezed through the rest of Tibet -- 2-day road trip to Everest Base Camp and 1-day (more) travel to cross the border to Nepal. As much as I would like to dwell longer, another charming country was waiting for us. Bye "Sunshine City," Hello Shigatse They say that the best way to travel across Tibet is through a rented 4-wheel drive vehicle (which is expensive by the way so try to look for at least 2-3 other people to share the costs with). Good luck with finding a public transportation that would take you to the other ... read more

At the Beginning "Wo Pu Tong." Means I don't understand (or something like that). My friend Yla often uttered this whenever it became too hard to understand what the locals were saying. Me? "I don't have a clue what he just said." The language barrier is so thick that it hindered us from maximizing our sojourn in Shanghai. First stop: Shanghai. This is where we boarded the Qinghai-Tibet Train going to Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. The fantastic urban planning, road design, and efficient and well-developed railway system are difficult not to notice. Our local city engineers and chief executives could learn a lot from Shanghai urban planners. Manila's traffic problems would be a thing of the past if only we have similarly well-designed structures. The cool weather is a welcome respite from Manila's sweltering ... read more

I came to train. I got more than what I had bargained for. A friend and I suddenly decided to climb up Mt. Pulag in preparation for our Everest Base Camp trip (yes, we are preparing even if it's just the base camp). It is the highest peak in Luzon and 3rd highest in the entire Philippines at 2,922 meters above sea level. Upon learning from another friend about an open climb (2 days on Labor Day), we registered without a blink. And a great decision it was. The Trip With 36 other strangers, we embarked on this 2-day journey through a 7-hour bus ride to Baguio City. From Baguio, 2 jeepneys took us to the DENR Visitors Center and Protected Area Office in Ambangeg, Benguet for registration and an orientation. On our way, we passed ... read more