liliram
Retired early, but still active. Very involved in celebrating life! liliram
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......
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Travel Blog Posts
Going Cheap On Day Trips from Madrid
Published: May 13th 2012Europe » Spain » District of Madrid » Madrid
May 6th 2012
A weekend in Barcelona. Semana Santa in Sevilla and Cordoba. They didn't come cheap, especially for babes from the Tropics where our currency struggles against the Euro. What's Cheap? When Westerners go RTW, their $, € or £ will go a long way in Asian countries. Not so with Asians (with the exception of the Japanese, maybe) on holiday with their hard-earned savings in local currency. In our case, we easily spend quadruple or more over what we would otherwise pay back home. Like a canned soda costs 4x what it costs from home. So it ain't easy to take off from my "nest" in Madrid without budgeting for it. Since transport and hotels take the lion's share of expenses, I lined up a few day trips from Madrid. Out in the morning or noon, back ... read more
April 17th 2012
The past 7 weeks I've been revisiting old familiar places around and outside Madrid. I am headed home in 3 weeks, but not without paying Toledo a visit. This "El Greco" fav city has so much to offer, and not a tad bit difficult to visit from Madrid. Like Segovia and Avila, it is just a short train or bus ride away. It's Been 10 Years Has it been 10 years? Back In 2002, I traveled to Toledo for the first time with my nephew and good friend. I enjoyed that tripbut this recent one even more. At the time, we joined a tour group and allowed ourselves to be herded around this lovely city brimming with art, history and culture. I remember the winding narrow alleys. The many churches and museums, shops selling jewelry so ... read more
April 8th 2012
Just a week before, I was in Segoviawith some friends. We made it for late lunch here after a morning spent in Avila. That time, the sun was out and we made it through the day with light jackets. Snow in April? Not this time. By the time we got off the AVE train from Madrid, it was raining and the field across the Segovia-Guiomar Train Station was fully blanketed with snow! Bus #11 was jampacked with train passengers eager to reach the heart of the historic city of Segovia some 7 kilometers away. The bus stopped right before the 2,000 year old Roman aqueduct. We had the good sense to make reservations for late lunch at the Meson de Candido by the Azoguejo, now run by the fourth generation of the same family who made ... read more
April 5th 2012
I've done Semana Santa in Sevilla back in 2002. So I actually planned on spending the Holy Week based in Madrid this time around, perhaps doing day trips to Toledo, Avila, Segovia or Valladolid and heading back to the city where I have been based for 6 weeks now. Back In Andalusia Well, guess what. My itchy feet led me back to Andalusia. The Madrid procession last Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) must have whetted my appetite to see more of those Nazarenos with their pointed hoods, costaleros swaying in rhythm bearing the "Pasos" on their shoulders. Truly, Semana Santa is at its best in this corner of the world. It was easy to buy an AVE ticket for that fast train ride to Cordoba. No hotel reservations were made as my niece and I were ... read more
Madrid Photowalk: Where is Tio Pepe?
Published: February 27th 2012Europe » Spain » District of Madrid
February 26th 2012
It's been 10 years since I last visited. Easily, these things come to mind. Chocolate con Churros at Chocolateria de San Gines, Prado Museum, Bullfights, Puerta del Sol, Tio Pepe, Callos, Jamon Iberico, Quezo Manchego, cafe con Leche, paella, CASA Botin, cuchinillo, Retiro Park and Plaza Mayor. Surely there's more. As soon as we slept off our jet lag, I was ready for my first chocolate con churros. That sticky hot choco and crunchy churros from Chocolateria San Gines makes a determined glutton out of me. The Jamon, Quezo, Paella, Callos can wait. But just like 10 years ago, getting lost searching for this Chocolateria seems to be the norm. I'm willing to bet I'd get lost again the next time I go for my churros con chocolate fix. But that cup and those crunchies are ... read more
Take Us To Orienten! Not Oriental Hotel in Bangkok.
Published: January 22nd 2012Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Bangkok
January 22nd 2012
A trip to Bangkok is always made more pleasurable with a visit to Oriental Hotel by the banks of the lovely Chao Phraya River. I have not stayed in this hotel even for a night, but I have definitely visited it , dined in it, enjoyed quite a few high teas many times in the past. There are 2 spots in this hotel which I so love. The Authors' Lounge in the Authors' Wing, the original part of this century-old hotel. And the Riverside Terrace. But it has been years since my last visit. And I do remember being driven there by my friend in the past. This time around, we hailed a cab and asked to be taken to Oriental Hotel. The taxi driver asked us many times, and each time felt frustrated failing to ... read more
December 6th 2011
Spending a week in Bhutan yielded 3 blog posts here and I feel I'm not done yet. Not until I write about this. Of all the cultures I have experienced, theirs is markedly different in a way I feel compelled to explain. After all, it is not everyday that you find houses with hanging phalluses and the same subject painted on their walls. Some in full color, even beribboned, with matching pubic background. Excuse me, did you say THAT is the phallus of one of your favorite saints? Yes, this requires some good explaining. Our tour guide Sonam Norbu gave us a glimpse of Bhutanese culture as he narrated the story of the "Thunderbolt of Flaming Wisdom" which is how they referred to THAT. He narrated it so matter-of-factly that one begins to believe how seriously ... read more
December 4th 2011
I have been looking at photos and videos. Been reading travelers' accounts about their trek up the Taktshang Monastery.This is Bhutan's most famoust monastery perched on a cliff overlooking the valley of Paro. My mind was set that I would at least hike up to the Halfway Station where the Cafeteria is, and where one is able to look at the pilgrims' site at eye level, but for the deep abyss separating the Cafeteria site and the cliff-hugging Monastery on the other side. From the base up to the Halfway Station, the trail crossing a pine forest is basically a copper-colored dirt path following a stream for some time , then winding up the mountain. After that it's stone steps down the side of a hill and back up to the temple. About 900 meters above ... read more
Bhutan: Land of Dzongs, Goembas, Lha Khangs, and Chortens
Published: December 17th 2011Asia » Bhutan » Thimphu
December 3rd 2011
I would have thought I stepped into my own imagination. My own dream. This trip to Bhutan is so markedly off the usual, beaten paths. Not being melodramatic, but Bhutan is truly one fairyland. Men and women in local costumes, dogs blending in with the locals like they are members of the small Bhutanese populace (they are still under 1 Million as of this writing), mountain views and bubbling streams, a culture so unique, a very strong national identity. Dzongs as Fortresses and Monasteries White monoliths dominate the landscape. Like castles. Some on dry, dead mountains. Others at the junction of flowing rivers. We have been to three dzongs, but managed to explore only 2. We regret having missed exploring the interiors of the Paro Dzong (Rinpung Dzong) as we were dead tired after that climb ... read more
December 1st 2011
The Himalayas. Shangrila. Gross National Happiness. The Mystique of Tibetan Buddhism in Bhutan. Young and Newly-Married Monarch... A young King at 27. Prime Minister Thinley looking more like a Dalai Lama to me, speaking of a country's collective pursuit of HAPPINESS. Monasteries which also house state offices and serving as fortresses, called Dzongs. Church and State ruling under one roof. Houses painted with phalluses, in memory of the Divine Madman, one of its revered saints. The same phallic symbols turned into hanging ornaments decorating both village houses and urban buildings. Mini-monks, bald chanting nuns and local folks --- so pious, so polite and so amazingly trusting. Where and how do I begin my story about my week in Bhutan?... read more
liliram
| Joined | November 15th 2008 | Trips | 17 |
| Last Login | May 17th 2012 | Followers | 47 |
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Trips
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
World Expo in Shanghai 2010
May 18th 2010 -» July 26th 2010
The Temples of Siem Reap
November 17th 2010 -» November 22nd 2010
Cruising As A Family: Singapore and Melaka 2011
January 7th 2011 -» January 10th 2011
Short Trips Around the Country
January 11th 2011 -» November 8th 2011
A Quick Trip to Vietnam, Then Back Home
November 14th 2011 -» November 30th 2011
Mystique of Bhutan
December 1st 2011 -» December 8th 2011
La Segunda Vez En España
February 22nd 2012 -» May 6th 2012
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
World Expo in Shanghai 2010
May 18th 2010 -» July 26th 2010
The Temples of Siem Reap
November 17th 2010 -» November 22nd 2010
Cruising As A Family: Singapore and Melaka 2011
January 7th 2011 -» January 10th 2011
Short Trips Around the Country
January 11th 2011 -» November 8th 2011
A Quick Trip to Vietnam, Then Back Home
November 14th 2011 -» November 30th 2011
Mystique of Bhutan
December 1st 2011 -» December 8th 2011
La Segunda Vez En España
February 22nd 2012 -» May 6th 2012
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