Josevich

I got to spend three weeks with my family in Vancouver before I moved to my new home in Winnipeg. They come to the Philippines once a year but never during the Christmas holidays so it was great to have had the chance to celebrate the holidays with them again. Since Vancouver has a mild winter, we did get to do some sightseeing. I did a lot of shopping too, to prepare for my new life in the coldest major city in Canada. My winter clothes were no match for the freezing temperatures in Winnipeg. I made a new friend before leaving Manila. She is Filipino-Canadian and we met up in Vancouver since she had a long layover there before flying back home to Calgary. She said life can get very lonely in Canada. It's very ... read more

I haven't written anything in a while. Since my last entry about Spain I've been to Italy, France, Belgium, Singapore, UAE, Ethiopia, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Turkey, Indonesia, and I've also been traveling a lot in the Philippines lately. I've been incredibly busy lately and haven't found time and energy to write. But today I found myself looking at properties in Dumaguete after my recent trip there. It's a coastal city in the island of Negros in central Philippines. I've been born and raised in Manila and I thought I wouldn't exchange it for any other city in the Philippines because it has the most vibrant art scene. You can't find theater, symphony, ballet, international touring casts of wold famous musicals, and other music acts in any other place outside of Metro Manila. I've traveled to many ... read more

Since Vatican City is supposedly a sovereign country although I find it hard to believe, I thought I'd write a separate entry just for it. It is said to be the smallest country in the world. I've heard a few other countries call themselves that. But it's really hard to wrap my mind around the idea that a place as small as the Vatican city which for me isn't even big enough to be a city is actually a country. Yes I know they issue passports so you can be a Vatican citizen. But so does Hong Kong and Taiwan. They are much bigger than the Vatican yet they are part of China. Peace out to my brothers and sisters and Hong Kong and Taiwan! There are less than 1,000 Vatican citizens. Most universities have bigger ... read more

I arrived early in the morning when none of the shops were open yet. Stepping out of the bus I was so excited! Everything looked sooo beautiful! It was just like in the movies and all the travel magazines I've read. Walking along the pathways next to the cliff facing the ocean I had to stop a few times to take in everything. What a lovely morning with clear blue sky, the peaceful Aegean sea, the Cycladic architecture; and to have that all to myself. I felt like I was in a movie. Lost in Santorini. I literally was except without the cameras. It was still winter but it wasn't so bad. It's just like spring in Korea, about 12C. I was having problems locating my hotel even with Google Maps. There were three other hotels ... read more

I want sure I was on the right train because Google maps was showing me different stops from the stations we were passing by. I think it was because I rode the local train and Google was showing the route for the express train. I didn't mind as long as it got me to my destination. I asked the lady next to me and she said it's okay. I trust the Japanese in giving directions. They never let me down. Sometimes there are train ticket machines that have no English translation ants the locals help me out by pressing the buttons for me. I was the lone guest at my hostel in Nara. Japan really does have the best hostels I've seen anywhere. It was impeccably clean. The attendant was a Spaniard so I asked him ... read more