liliram - liliram

Retired early, but still active. Very involved in celebrating life!

I love traveling because I always come back with less cobwebs in my mind. It is as if I empty my mind of all clutter upon departure, and fill it with many happy memories upon arrival. I also like the idea that life is so focused on the present, and my senses are all playing to listen, feel , see, smell and taste everything novel or not so new. The fact that I only have to choose from a limited wardrobe, or use the same pair of shoes throughout my holiday , or work and survive on a single budget make life so much simpler. Sure, you sometimes get a raw deal in a few trips, or feel hassled by flight delays and cancellations, but the joys and simplicity of the present far outweigh the negatives. Oh, btw, I always end up gaining more friends after each trip. Many I kept......

Ancient Europe 1996
April 26th 1996 -» June 3rd 1996 Spain, Portugal and France 2002
March 18th 2002 -» April 6th 2002 Central and Eastern Europe 2004
August 22nd 2004 -» September 15th 2004 Bonding with Sarah in US of A (2005)
March 11th 2005 -» April 9th 2005 Touring Europe with Shellane 2006
March 21st 2006 -» April 26th 2006 West Coast USA and Alaska 2007
May 16th 2007 -» June 4th 2007 New Year Holiday in Hongkong and Macau 2009
December 31st 2008 -» January 3rd 2009 Turkish and Greek Delights 2009
March 12th 2009 -» April 4th 2009 Meeting Friends and Family in China 2009
April 5th 2009 -» June 1st 2009 Indonesian Holiday 2009
October 20th 2009 -» October 28th 2009

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Joined on: November 15th 2008
Last Login: November 8th 2009

Blog Entries: 70
Photos: 1208
Recommended by 21, Recommends 29

TB Code: [blogger=99705]
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Blogs & Travel Journals

by liliram, order by Date newest first.

By liliram
October 25th 2009

Murphy's Law at Work in Bali, Indonesia Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Nusa Dua

Sunset in Tanah Lot
Would we ever meet that man sitting on that rock? He sat there for just a few minutes, but he made this amateur shot more interesting, I think. How can we not witness this beautiful sunset in Bali?

From the temples of Prambanan and Borobudur to the beaches and ricefields of Bali. Dreams of sunrise and sunset photos of Tanah Lot and Uluwatu Temples and other Balinese-inspired architecture. So when our local guide Diwa told me that there may not be enough time to cover all the sites listed in our itinerary in time to catch the sunset at Tanah Lot, I was on a warpath. Well, not exactly. But you can say it did not draw out the best in me. One by one, we checked out the sites only to find that Diwa has included visits to [View Full Entry]

By liliram
October 23rd 2009

Prambanan @High Noon+Ramayana Ballet @ Night Asia » Indonesia » Java » Prambanan

Prambanan Temple Complex
Too early to check in, we were whisked from the airport to our 1st Yogya temple. Spent the whole morning till high noon as our shirts clung to our skin and sweat drops ran down our necks.

As soon as we landed in Yogyakarta, I received a text message from Paul. The message read: "I guess it is not that difficult to spot a long-haired man with a beard." And it wasn't. Piece of cake. ;-) Paul drove us straight on to the Hindu temple complex in Prambanan . Just before entering the complex, we decided to buy our hats. This is when I remembered I forgot to bring my sunscreen. Oh well, let's hope the hat does the trick. Best sunny than wet. Prambanan Temple This ancient masterpiece is unquestionably the greatest Hindu archite [View Full Entry]

By liliram
October 20th 2009

Underrated Borobudur in Yogyakarta (Java, Indonesia) Asia » Indonesia » Java » Borobudur

Borobudur Temple
Borobudur means mountain of terraces. The ancient structure is older than Angkor Wat in Cambodia. From above, the structure has several square patterns from the base, then circular designs at the to... [more]

We have only seen it in photos. Yet we were not prepared for it. We were not discouraged that one of my friends suffered a leg problem on our first day in Yogyakarta and had to drag her leg while clocking it around the temple as locals do. But it certainly helped that we were with very competent local guides Bellong and Yantong who made sure their Ibu (mother in Bahasa Indonesia) did not miss this highlight of our trip. Awesome Borobudur This 9th century Buddhist temple is enough reason to make this trip to Yogyakarta. Or for that matter, to [View Full Entry]

By liliram
October 9th 2009

Southern Philippines: Davao In Focus Asia » Philippines » Davao

Davao By Day
Viewed from our room in Marco Polo Hotel

What to do in Davao? I have made many visits to Davao in the past, and have felt I have run out of things to do. There is the famous Pearl Farm in Samal Island. I would not mind going back again, but surely , there has got to be other things to do. Then there is the Eden Nature Park where I remember fishing with my little Patricia, then aged 3. She caught a small one, yet that was one of her proudest moments then. Having made this 90 minute plane ride from Manila to this part of Southern Philippines, [View Full Entry]

By liliram
October 4th 2009

The Aftermath: Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) Leaves Manila In Misery Asia » Philippines » Manila

Flooded Streets
Right in makati! This one is right in front of our condominium building.

Typhoon Ondoy hit Manila last Saturday, September 26. It has been a week since, but the debris and heartbreaks left by the recent typhoon remain.......just as we braced ourselves for yet another typhoon. The days that followed the September 26 typhoon and flooding in the metropolis were blurred. I am writing this now, as I nurture a bad cold and cough, while cooped inside the house hoping and praying the misery ends. I was thankful that my entire family was fine and kept dry, busy checking on friends and distant relatives , after Mother Nature wreaked havoc on our country's capital. [View Full Entry]

Martin and Patricia Join the Relief Operations

By liliram
August 22nd 2009

Cagayan De Oro in Southern Philippines Asia » Philippines » Cagayan De Oro

A Single Classroom
Here, a single teacher handles morning and afternoon classes for indigent children. Our group takes care of the teacher's monthly salary. Hopefully, we can build more classrooms and hire more teacher... [more]

It's another long weekend. And many have planned for this long weekend. Just slightly more than an hour's plane ride from Manila and Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao welcomed us. There is work to do, and more.... Cagayan de Oro in Northern Mindanao, but in the southern part of the Philippines Cagayan de Oro looks and smells like another metropolis but there is a provincial touch to the place as people from hotel staff to vendors to the taxi driver seem to have enough time for everyone. There is no rush about how things are done . Perhaps people are [View Full Entry]

By liliram
August 21st 2009

An Outpouring of Love in the Philippines Asia » Philippines » Manila

The Filipino is Worth Dying For
Famous last words of Ninoy Aquino, the man who could have beaten Marcos as President, who came home on that fateful day on Aug 21, 1983......mercilessly shot on the tarmac of what is now known as the ... [more]

This does not pretend to be a travel blog. But I feel compelled to write about this. Some of you may have visited Manila this August 2009, and may have wondered about the recent events. This is our story. Today marks the 26th death anniversary of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. , whom many believed to be the only man who could have beaten the country's dictator for 20 years, Ferdinand Marcos. Ninoy was a man of peace. When Marcos declared Martial law, this President's most vocal and most popular opponent was Ninoy Aquino, who was promptly sent to jail for 7 [View Full Entry]

By liliram
August 6th 2009

Typhoon 101 @ Taipei 101 Asia » Taiwan » Taipei

Typhoon Day
We arrived August 6th in Taipei, just when the city government declared a Typhoon Day!

We arrived in Taipei midmorning of August 6th. A good 45 minute ride from the airport, we soon found our Leofoo Hotel in the city center. We were a group of 4 traveling from Manila, each one smarting from the superb deal we bagged from Philippine Airlines which put out a two-day promo fare of only P3,900 (about US$80) inclusive of the travel tax of P1,620. The planned 4 day/3 night holiday listed a few must-visit sites, no-mercy eating and some night market shopping for good measure. Soon after we found our hotel, we wasted no time and took a cab [View Full Entry]

By liliram
May 27th 2009

Shanghai and Zhou Zhuang: The Many Ways To Count 1-10 Asia » China » Jiangsu » Zhouzhuang

This is 6 and 8!
You want to buy 6 pieces? Or get a table for 8 pax? This is how.........(thanks for the correction, lee)

You think you know how to count? Wait till you get to China! Whether you are shopping, buying tickets to the bus, train or to a concert, or simply asking for a table for your group.............you need to know how to count "the Chinese way". As in, there is absolutely no other way! I visited Shanghai and Zhou Zhuang 2 times in the last 2 months. My 3rd visit to Shanghai in 2 years. Was here on my way back home from a trip to Turkey and Greece last April. And then a second time around, on my way back [View Full Entry]

One to 5 is the usual, but 7 and 9 is this way!

By liliram
May 25th 2009

The Mistress in Xi'an Asia » China » Shaanxi » Xi'an

Lady Yang
Her love affair with her father-in-law the Emperor, inspired a Beijing opera as well as a poem still recited to this day.

Lady Yang was one of the four beauties of China. She lived during the Tang dynasty and was briefly married to the Imperial Prince......until the prince's father fancied her and made her his favorite concubine in the Tang harem. How's that for a love story? The Hua Qing Hot Springs was a gift from Emperor Tang Ming Huang for Lady Yang to spend the cold spring months. So in love was this Emperor that relay horses transported her favorite fruit, lychees, to this palace . No wonder the Chinese call premium quality lychees as "concubine smile" , inspired by this consort's [View Full Entry]

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