tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62266181439993198602024-02-20T15:43:55.736-08:00National Carine-ographic'National Carine-ographic' showcases the travel adventures and misadventures of Carine, her family and friends.Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-84145455849913884972008-12-02T17:07:00.000-08:002010-04-21T14:39:07.600-07:00Gold and Geisha at Kyoto<div>January 2007</div><div><br /></div><div>It was my first and only time to experience staying in a backpacker hostel/ryokan. I lived in a dorm style room with shared bathrooms for a few nights. It was safe and clean but I just had to be careful with my valuables.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2a0oYbZ6i35_83I0M3DPZ4uqMLR2N8Ydyjy_r53CCVLVfydMEpakzB3E_DIuzXUcjFBjHcZKapzHHok6CxOFimLqUWSA-ZEVRvY6lZJpQDrCK06Rx3fQmoeRi-Xx9KB2wC1qKZ0YqeB4/s1600-h/DSC04765.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2a0oYbZ6i35_83I0M3DPZ4uqMLR2N8Ydyjy_r53CCVLVfydMEpakzB3E_DIuzXUcjFBjHcZKapzHHok6CxOFimLqUWSA-ZEVRvY6lZJpQDrCK06Rx3fQmoeRi-Xx9KB2wC1qKZ0YqeB4/s200/DSC04765.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275427397577811010" border="0" style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>My bed</i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Kyoto</b> is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million and was formerly the imperial capital of Japan.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOmn5zmFF4wOTxJS6VZRsel7gTqqOB3qrdxrqkJWHKEUXsfEmoGnecn4yEP6BWtRq5x9m_V6-4Rhrpj8nh94uj6p54SgrxpvucZOa87ANSjhTMgqxEmbhu3ckGE5eOt6leibppCWWHg9Q/s200/DSC04706.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275427377182961410" border="0" /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8p96q_kN81-Pw1oPKt26HGvMN8hYp0KXDXZa8LmwLAg4tZtqmkjkfdP4yrJfurMVuGQFhlfc5194dP_AhpuzhK83iEbpA9xRx6uUuqYZFhcOTdF6WdBjKvh0f8g2s2toBMlcR36chxPaF/s1600-h/DSC04743.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8p96q_kN81-Pw1oPKt26HGvMN8hYp0KXDXZa8LmwLAg4tZtqmkjkfdP4yrJfurMVuGQFhlfc5194dP_AhpuzhK83iEbpA9xRx6uUuqYZFhcOTdF6WdBjKvh0f8g2s2toBMlcR36chxPaF/s200/DSC04743.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275427382208567970" border="0" style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8p96q_kN81-Pw1oPKt26HGvMN8hYp0KXDXZa8LmwLAg4tZtqmkjkfdP4yrJfurMVuGQFhlfc5194dP_AhpuzhK83iEbpA9xRx6uUuqYZFhcOTdF6WdBjKvh0f8g2s2toBMlcR36chxPaF/s1600-h/DSC04743.JPG"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjYP1tAG6YDoPUy9G_5Y77uEFIuo4iXO3LnZK0XK93ki7-_KKz2NT-4C6UNDNvL3Cie_rkaSwoKD2dZHkun4Q3gaJ0OrsAA4_ZzLdq5ZZVm-dmmQbmnhnDDFqowVRgO8VDtVHU93icaP3/s1600-h/DSC04749.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjYP1tAG6YDoPUy9G_5Y77uEFIuo4iXO3LnZK0XK93ki7-_KKz2NT-4C6UNDNvL3Cie_rkaSwoKD2dZHkun4Q3gaJ0OrsAA4_ZzLdq5ZZVm-dmmQbmnhnDDFqowVRgO8VDtVHU93icaP3/s200/DSC04749.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275427385468504834" border="0" style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPlctH5D6TvbxtoA64qufkz2nXM0YbB3ayTf6cbynbkMUAlIR3zz5j-GiHzqZr5vkIK8KO708nqHYOrUWZ4CagkLK3NJXzxqRe8iD6fUKg7EBmd0aFR3rh8clDszQgzst4LA7FNQGBFER/s1600-h/DSC04763.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPlctH5D6TvbxtoA64qufkz2nXM0YbB3ayTf6cbynbkMUAlIR3zz5j-GiHzqZr5vkIK8KO708nqHYOrUWZ4CagkLK3NJXzxqRe8iD6fUKg7EBmd0aFR3rh8clDszQgzst4LA7FNQGBFER/s200/DSC04763.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275427391706068818" border="0" style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQMFkB4iMtnUIhmFXWNwfGksgWEbCctY0oCB1nF9-ze0_2uL0ZaVE6cS1_7yI_tW6KxrCV5iwX5G51rga0yRO_djby7TncwXp56ol3-DO8gT53tjI5aG4rUGksp0t2rgb2PfzEAMJGJP3/s1600-h/DSC04973.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQMFkB4iMtnUIhmFXWNwfGksgWEbCctY0oCB1nF9-ze0_2uL0ZaVE6cS1_7yI_tW6KxrCV5iwX5G51rga0yRO_djby7TncwXp56ol3-DO8gT53tjI5aG4rUGksp0t2rgb2PfzEAMJGJP3/s200/DSC04973.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275690674546705778" border="0" style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Gion</b> is the Geisha district in Kyoto. I was lucky enough to see real geisha's walking around and performing at the Gion theatre. Dont be fooled though, there are a lot of tourists in geisha costume due to the numerous "Geisha for a Day" tours.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid86eR9PrQnMH-_jS2ojO9dtukXvE9YZDSTWXBObOgIhLy_hFmxHxrg6uG0iIsZxwa7MyjmXuxrONXbpo94i-vBHsI0k2f-K_lPEemgM72gExvyNsGDGos44GpV5-vGzAoDiUb8F0E0Wos/s200/DSC04926.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275690663940079458" border="0" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>At 2nd row of Gion theatre</i></div><div><br /></div><div>One of the most outstanding Zen buddhist temple in the world is in Kyoto. The world renown <b>Golden Pavilion</b> is covered with pure gold leaves. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaO0J4lKoyCxRZ-NLsA0AQ-VLi94nOOHPuSLlqlusGCPpc9KW7GjVQsmyWGXWyxSQ8_RoO7KITG0wqt1dsjQabq7ZvXPdMAr2HCUC4QX9FY72LPoW2wv1KTlOyyjKLcmzW9C_PliQYTg7/s1600-h/DSC04804.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaO0J4lKoyCxRZ-NLsA0AQ-VLi94nOOHPuSLlqlusGCPpc9KW7GjVQsmyWGXWyxSQ8_RoO7KITG0wqt1dsjQabq7ZvXPdMAr2HCUC4QX9FY72LPoW2wv1KTlOyyjKLcmzW9C_PliQYTg7/s200/DSC04804.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275469724294037698" border="0" style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Its neighboring city, <b>Nara</b>, also boasts of its own temples specifically, <b>Todajii</b>, which houses Japan's largest buddha. By the time the Buddha was completed in 751, it had consumed most of Japan's bronze production for several years and left the country almost bankrupt.</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMschkFyaaDxeUQjtxNqmNI51pnuN2mkGifs_XnxZogSAqPIs4Xpg_os_izvoao6YHEZEfziYXnzWUIrEzv621jopT2xIXlD5hEpjmkAd6VFrDSqHPHUNVyp9kjWJILDFPkKzayMhv_aiF/s1600-h/DSC04847.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMschkFyaaDxeUQjtxNqmNI51pnuN2mkGifs_XnxZogSAqPIs4Xpg_os_izvoao6YHEZEfziYXnzWUIrEzv621jopT2xIXlD5hEpjmkAd6VFrDSqHPHUNVyp9kjWJILDFPkKzayMhv_aiF/s200/DSC04847.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275469738872980882" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div>Plan a trip to Kyoto/Nara if you are visiting Japan for this first time!</div>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-85362384014412034202008-12-01T18:45:00.000-08:002010-04-21T14:38:49.552-07:00Kamakura with Mom and Alpi<span style="font-size:85%;"><div>December 2006</div><div><br /></div>When my mom visited me in Tokyo, Alpi took us to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Kamakura (鎌倉市)</span> which is a city located 50 km southwest of Tokyo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiz6llKMdmQkacSzgEi998h0AjLowyOG4nnQcHORKMMPZ5u8TB1UrCtX-YycaLRstG97UEL4KDY37FSJQ_09xZ53IN9ihJlWbxU0TW-vP3Jz607_lkoc6jrI9Mce1WF0j82CQuSkKyUTIp/s1600-h/DSC04642.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiz6llKMdmQkacSzgEi998h0AjLowyOG4nnQcHORKMMPZ5u8TB1UrCtX-YycaLRstG97UEL4KDY37FSJQ_09xZ53IN9ihJlWbxU0TW-vP3Jz607_lkoc6jrI9Mce1WF0j82CQuSkKyUTIp/s200/DSC04642.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275081808489270226" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Kamakura is famous for its <span style="font-weight: bold;">Kōtoku-in</span>, with its monumental outdoor bronze statue of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Amida Buddha</span>. A 15th century tsunami destroyed the temple that once housed the Great Buddha, but the statue survived and has remained outdoors ever since.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsN3Co2MbhCIpfSQUDtIAgaW7aEYX9hcnF1ZacQ9tBOsiuh29ovcTNgWIv-WZacE58OLmaabM6h_QVs5ok09MshQQs2zWVKbygcqD4hZn6793VoLLvmqZytD1D9PfXu5kA25LB5PEZzvxB/s1600-h/DSC04656.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsN3Co2MbhCIpfSQUDtIAgaW7aEYX9hcnF1ZacQ9tBOsiuh29ovcTNgWIv-WZacE58OLmaabM6h_QVs5ok09MshQQs2zWVKbygcqD4hZn6793VoLLvmqZytD1D9PfXu5kA25LB5PEZzvxB/s200/DSC04656.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275357607804656274" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEQkE4JvUfme5SjfJFfl1Ey1LueP4tj9H20zQUMhDkYZN3QY-LDtf4GcujAKvaPf3ExRlmbJnEVna1gE38-ofmqOr_e98TOhA9ZgFDWkmcBoFO5jytIXrz0riXxAV92mpvPsDyx_xhVUk/s1600-h/DSC04652.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEQkE4JvUfme5SjfJFfl1Ey1LueP4tj9H20zQUMhDkYZN3QY-LDtf4GcujAKvaPf3ExRlmbJnEVna1gE38-ofmqOr_e98TOhA9ZgFDWkmcBoFO5jytIXrz0riXxAV92mpvPsDyx_xhVUk/s200/DSC04652.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275356724605107730" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū (鶴岡八幡宮)</span> is the most important shrine in the city of Kamakura. Both the shrine and the city were built with <span style="font-weight: bold;">Feng Shui</span> in mind. The present location was carefully chosen as the most propitious after consultation with a diviner because it had the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;">Hokuzan 北山 </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">mountain to the north</span>, the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;">Namerikawa </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">river to the east</span>, a <span style="font-weight: bold;">great road to the west (the Kotō Kaidō 古東街道)</span> and was <span style="font-weight: bold;">open to the south (on Sagami Bay)</span>. Each direction was protected by a god.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAB8t94drX6VPnwNczPxRPnTnkD1J1pg6eM787szVljtkLoD1pZbkwF5nQ1AKOV00zlxdByACjnz1uEns-DtbzmqDKDbFYS2OyQkyZlE7dDknYjQlu9Nvl4Y5ttMYtrueYjdatVC3evRgv/s1600-h/475px-Turu_h_kei.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAB8t94drX6VPnwNczPxRPnTnkD1J1pg6eM787szVljtkLoD1pZbkwF5nQ1AKOV00zlxdByACjnz1uEns-DtbzmqDKDbFYS2OyQkyZlE7dDknYjQlu9Nvl4Y5ttMYtrueYjdatVC3evRgv/s200/475px-Turu_h_kei.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275359002949025746" border="0" /></a> </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbRHHRWUGxocPQNKUq3Z3GmYunW8BlnrTUnAI34Ti7p8LtM_5LOJ0aFk4uiqoiZ3HgDCcfBGlW08NRI0vSIh_e5xJi_5kt_f6XWYfW4gqc5psJFCIj8VnwcQqeIVf8P0nozeHBJQRSK-7/s1600-h/DSC04621.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbRHHRWUGxocPQNKUq3Z3GmYunW8BlnrTUnAI34Ti7p8LtM_5LOJ0aFk4uiqoiZ3HgDCcfBGlW08NRI0vSIh_e5xJi_5kt_f6XWYfW4gqc5psJFCIj8VnwcQqeIVf8P0nozeHBJQRSK-7/s200/DSC04621.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275081781483508930" border="0" /></a><br />(Old picture of the shrine)<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizS5pUyOYcKMwA2ZcmU3_0gbZf36gYEgyVaIhowRRK1yz-lug99Xo5ptO8PnPs7CPAdw58G0NKSAY8f5Brhy5UqIdkNO2gifCERKunrboFsLpJG1s34DVisEvdWLzKXFzRSYZJ_8BHXlgY/s1600-h/DSC04628.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizS5pUyOYcKMwA2ZcmU3_0gbZf36gYEgyVaIhowRRK1yz-lug99Xo5ptO8PnPs7CPAdw58G0NKSAY8f5Brhy5UqIdkNO2gifCERKunrboFsLpJG1s34DVisEvdWLzKXFzRSYZJ_8BHXlgY/s200/DSC04628.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275081787702929362" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNA5nEgHusQN3x3oXQXnFADWEZ4jYMQ1n1HUwrmMjoJE43EeynFwQXzj6AhKv_ZhXQtlHE28kw5fdjdYqJBM2K23yiPaHlulKw1h5X-YN9cs08AeJnPtKbobqT8lhSzyyRqRGK17Vxz2T/s1600-h/DSC04635.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNA5nEgHusQN3x3oXQXnFADWEZ4jYMQ1n1HUwrmMjoJE43EeynFwQXzj6AhKv_ZhXQtlHE28kw5fdjdYqJBM2K23yiPaHlulKw1h5X-YN9cs08AeJnPtKbobqT8lhSzyyRqRGK17Vxz2T/s200/DSC04635.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275081787893839138" border="0" /></a><br />(Wishes written at wooden plates and hung everywhere)</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-79772878382819175142008-11-27T19:26:00.000-08:002008-12-01T18:41:48.510-08:00How can I not love Japan?<span style="font-size:85%;">November 2006<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVzeLji5sol7RPRDlKrCi98z2ZjQN3NOjeY5S82VtiMA5UneRP_h2KU_Esv-zdazkvemV37QDpzhs_z7eGIeTongTNzTOvqz8AxkTZ95h6-A1UzdgBo3RQzUpDMS5Nqq-IDuNe0HaX97Q/s1600-h/DSC04543.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVzeLji5sol7RPRDlKrCi98z2ZjQN3NOjeY5S82VtiMA5UneRP_h2KU_Esv-zdazkvemV37QDpzhs_z7eGIeTongTNzTOvqz8AxkTZ95h6-A1UzdgBo3RQzUpDMS5Nqq-IDuNe0HaX97Q/s200/DSC04543.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274951932248509938" border="0" /></a><br />(The day I met Alpi...)<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;">Besides the unique culture of Japan, how can I not love the country where I met my husband? I met <span style="font-weight: bold;">Alpi Bacani</span> on November 2006 on a cold Saturday in Shinagawa, Tokyo... and a year & 4mos later, he became my husband and 親友 (best friend).<br /><br />I was assigned to work on a 3 month project in Tokyo, Japan and met lots of cool people.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtVnaaoY2eA73YAAX2HiRgSA2HAeD2v-AozQtmofa_R7hFdz0IwGD9qv8Ap0D76SCzsfQ3jKthgx43JCeX1PMNre5PKITVFBBK-EkmzLRvDd0LGs16gEWZleFzlYA6BXW-Iqy_ZPbYa6G/s1600-h/DSC04692.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtVnaaoY2eA73YAAX2HiRgSA2HAeD2v-AozQtmofa_R7hFdz0IwGD9qv8Ap0D76SCzsfQ3jKthgx43JCeX1PMNre5PKITVFBBK-EkmzLRvDd0LGs16gEWZleFzlYA6BXW-Iqy_ZPbYa6G/s200/DSC04692.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274985135193306226" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0DcdQHFR5Gx8GqBnLtioiJyiYuQsmk018g9fUlb6tGCihD757wK9HxDMZxvyH-HRyi8sdcEOz9ZQzmoyVgeIu0wtzqSlhULWV9E_LlOa-ObCxlVVjE4DHjnqvjSfMMTWFiVDCU4xBu8P/s1600-h/DSC04678.JPG"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0DcdQHFR5Gx8GqBnLtioiJyiYuQsmk018g9fUlb6tGCihD757wK9HxDMZxvyH-HRyi8sdcEOz9ZQzmoyVgeIu0wtzqSlhULWV9E_LlOa-ObCxlVVjE4DHjnqvjSfMMTWFiVDCU4xBu8P/s200/DSC04678.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274985141196360034" border="0" /></a><br /><br />When Alpi and I met for the first time, he took me on a short tour of Tokyo. We went to the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Asakusa (浅草) district</span> famous for the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sensō-ji Buddhist temple</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sUSM0a1He43wsfsXcsIV9qHq2_UWdfMTq6CQNjUPc_iP97kuvNA_GlwoK3bim75two0JQdQqjkRI9Dy3jcKlq4jQcCvHoJMxnB7wxYpJDuOAwZUT1PUlITO9EfrNEyml-PMdOPjdliaS/s1600-h/DSC04517.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sUSM0a1He43wsfsXcsIV9qHq2_UWdfMTq6CQNjUPc_iP97kuvNA_GlwoK3bim75two0JQdQqjkRI9Dy3jcKlq4jQcCvHoJMxnB7wxYpJDuOAwZUT1PUlITO9EfrNEyml-PMdOPjdliaS/s200/DSC04517.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274951921747879074" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91CFFvSTUhiaDqsxqXsTwbmkGxAYB7i4Yu1LPO56X7StrBy2gircRbk-VDUKFqSgsGwvI8NTnur1udaVUTQz8SGrkLGWih97BeQ5TroyxNiP9BQj4-hI53njBej5zF7Tq0R6YU1qY3TsY/s1600-h/DSC04508.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91CFFvSTUhiaDqsxqXsTwbmkGxAYB7i4Yu1LPO56X7StrBy2gircRbk-VDUKFqSgsGwvI8NTnur1udaVUTQz8SGrkLGWih97BeQ5TroyxNiP9BQj4-hI53njBej5zF7Tq0R6YU1qY3TsY/s200/DSC04508.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274951919182846994" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We also went to the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Yasukuni Shinto shrine,</span> built in honor of of <span style="font-weight: bold;">kamikaze</span> (suicide) soldiers, where they would say before death "<span style="font-style: italic;">See you in Yasakuni</span>".<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEIiF4Sx_XJWaUvy7h1HIxo66M3arxuRHMqat9q87KDbhMcpuVyqDZt97TU-JIGMcJfS_215sjdKb5XgSgRAfVnzRu1dXufIbZQXP52SzJkDdHihkbMtNnaworM8aFsuR6OmirA4lL4wF/s1600-h/DSC04551.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEIiF4Sx_XJWaUvy7h1HIxo66M3arxuRHMqat9q87KDbhMcpuVyqDZt97TU-JIGMcJfS_215sjdKb5XgSgRAfVnzRu1dXufIbZQXP52SzJkDdHihkbMtNnaworM8aFsuR6OmirA4lL4wF/s200/DSC04551.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274978894853607442" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFCSVPWpxJ3i8H-85DHI3WxoexIER_yDdafUetyN3TFAV2aGuREJzge98sQTD0z7m8bcExjzVurUpTIXUd4IHXNBFdblFPwePokUZPs3DstYxoKM4X3_4PuWoMSGL_nMsus_Gh2uNZKQi/s1600-h/DSC04557.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFCSVPWpxJ3i8H-85DHI3WxoexIER_yDdafUetyN3TFAV2aGuREJzge98sQTD0z7m8bcExjzVurUpTIXUd4IHXNBFdblFPwePokUZPs3DstYxoKM4X3_4PuWoMSGL_nMsus_Gh2uNZKQi/s200/DSC04557.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274951935430728098" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Ofcourse, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Akihabara Electronic Town</span> is a MUST when in Tokyo. It is a major shopping area for electronic, computer, anime, and otaku goods, including new and used items.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GJYnVJfVrmUrlBz1lnKIcQlmPDGSIEp496OvvYrNfNo1sIniAljRhZMheG9PMfbj-RA3fTi515tBeSY27MVB8Q2cTNV-yC3Jsqf1hd_2c_KwgvKt3M27z8O9fh9O3Km28z5YldvsiSsM/s1600-h/DSC04597.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GJYnVJfVrmUrlBz1lnKIcQlmPDGSIEp496OvvYrNfNo1sIniAljRhZMheG9PMfbj-RA3fTi515tBeSY27MVB8Q2cTNV-yC3Jsqf1hd_2c_KwgvKt3M27z8O9fh9O3Km28z5YldvsiSsM/s200/DSC04597.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274953972809242658" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGHMfBxojn-R6Qd2_SlpJ-j2UDuzzTNfPi9-fSm1uCp1G7Q620xn8Rl9jtSjng5LjCBse_JCNQoBRleKBXJYP46cFTHogzLEgVkzlrpwoVXxjfUXOQuepq7Y2tNf3h1nlsOftpy-pzcm4/s1600-h/DSC04569.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGHMfBxojn-R6Qd2_SlpJ-j2UDuzzTNfPi9-fSm1uCp1G7Q620xn8Rl9jtSjng5LjCBse_JCNQoBRleKBXJYP46cFTHogzLEgVkzlrpwoVXxjfUXOQuepq7Y2tNf3h1nlsOftpy-pzcm4/s200/DSC04569.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274953968369766162" border="0" /></a><br />(Promo girls/boys in anime costumes at Akihabara)<br /><br />It was the first time for me and Alpi to go to an <span style="font-weight: bold;">ABSOLUT ICEBAR</span> and it was too cool! We were only allowed to stay for 45 minutes because you can get sick but it was worth it. Everything was made of ice - sofa, tables, bar, glasses, paintings, everything! Awesome.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRs8-zguKDqMwVPCXAsdL4KausUUkIgkBKIzG65lBmpA4EDkV_miWd-PN0BZZBDo5sf0nGyalHM39yp_QWO7wFd54N4xS_ep1JOPPLUKnqGwrcow-A2hiJvRxbkSi7jZYZszUIDRhKeF4L/s1600-h/DSC05130.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRs8-zguKDqMwVPCXAsdL4KausUUkIgkBKIzG65lBmpA4EDkV_miWd-PN0BZZBDo5sf0nGyalHM39yp_QWO7wFd54N4xS_ep1JOPPLUKnqGwrcow-A2hiJvRxbkSi7jZYZszUIDRhKeF4L/s200/DSC05130.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275016278013053186" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nCaJX1fx8FxPaMC-vQLzbM4fuLEIaK7maovcjmp8g7XOGxweyxvpuwt37rfBraicxZG7rKnDRoSPFxZ7O0KMcOFGEu5EZHJu_7hVhKiO4OBT3USy5Ao4X8VFPtJVp3owNR9QlUaU8FQ8/s1600-h/DSC05116.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nCaJX1fx8FxPaMC-vQLzbM4fuLEIaK7maovcjmp8g7XOGxweyxvpuwt37rfBraicxZG7rKnDRoSPFxZ7O0KMcOFGEu5EZHJu_7hVhKiO4OBT3USy5Ao4X8VFPtJVp3owNR9QlUaU8FQ8/s200/DSC05116.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275015666619354834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-J57D_M6Y94UxNt8gTFzl6aQ8UIoc5ItdBc6ZtYS5Z4taPNdB29O2tpMgOXvplQv5W92b3jQXlT_7rhjtdogduIInxyucENysjw8tsR6lmfF_L07cQwqoH4kirINZicGA57a_K6Icc5w/s1600-h/DSC05117.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-J57D_M6Y94UxNt8gTFzl6aQ8UIoc5ItdBc6ZtYS5Z4taPNdB29O2tpMgOXvplQv5W92b3jQXlT_7rhjtdogduIInxyucENysjw8tsR6lmfF_L07cQwqoH4kirINZicGA57a_K6Icc5w/s200/DSC05117.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275015697868339698" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IujOfb8mzo_VtH9lzr-BM6UVQntDhrEEVFYQQgX7i3zWw4tVWuLyppPV-cacEJySOJJcA3zcUCQSN25M8iYEG1PPHkXhMcwO5QUPhXGCcKwVlNT_GbyvYzhSNgqxZCANtpeS5_rgVigP/s1600-h/DSC05111.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IujOfb8mzo_VtH9lzr-BM6UVQntDhrEEVFYQQgX7i3zWw4tVWuLyppPV-cacEJySOJJcA3zcUCQSN25M8iYEG1PPHkXhMcwO5QUPhXGCcKwVlNT_GbyvYzhSNgqxZCANtpeS5_rgVigP/s200/DSC05111.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275015661801037138" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I want to go back to TOKYOOOO!<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-84402506983144186292008-11-26T21:34:00.000-08:002008-11-27T15:06:17.762-08:00Italy Overdose<span style="font-size:85%;">October 2006<br /><br />3 weeks around Italy!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1st stop: MILAN</span> to meet Marga and Vito. It is the second largest city of Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy and one of the world capitals of design and fashion.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GuDO0D2F-ztouDUuxXe_4LxeBqR5W060C-UJEawgoJEJu1z_UPMD3U5yPVFdM2QLAAZ-VS-ke9Vp8AyTtfdnU-j13nIA_XKtF5yRnHVefovsZQR5oJq-UtT38kEqMJpsL5QP3IbP8vkO/s1600-h/marga+and+vito.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GuDO0D2F-ztouDUuxXe_4LxeBqR5W060C-UJEawgoJEJu1z_UPMD3U5yPVFdM2QLAAZ-VS-ke9Vp8AyTtfdnU-j13nIA_XKtF5yRnHVefovsZQR5oJq-UtT38kEqMJpsL5QP3IbP8vkO/s200/marga+and+vito.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273209142498099778" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTLbAKXgXPcXrxp7yquvYgw32wWTpEe8Z_g6w-hnnASRRbqqqZNSPV3PB8CIaJ6SvgTHpgD3jp8AWGUtARKw-WX2M14KdaTjoPHyOtuiAw9uV58A-KUEgZgLp4gCcP45sA4rMp56sKaZE/s1600-h/DSC04461.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTLbAKXgXPcXrxp7yquvYgw32wWTpEe8Z_g6w-hnnASRRbqqqZNSPV3PB8CIaJ6SvgTHpgD3jp8AWGUtARKw-WX2M14KdaTjoPHyOtuiAw9uV58A-KUEgZgLp4gCcP45sA4rMp56sKaZE/s200/DSC04461.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273209146959316066" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Vito and Marga)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6rFMNamghiQ7H0zjMAuXcm_a_J0o00a4Ht-3Vm8wV841Ss8HBpHXQJaLM8cZUsMGsTK4exTAVXZtQU5XR_5Mp2G_wxcfakMHcbwrOpNJcthypxCJYQWt5tYFjl2iYZULH0f4bKJh1OAj/s1600-h/gothic.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6rFMNamghiQ7H0zjMAuXcm_a_J0o00a4Ht-3Vm8wV841Ss8HBpHXQJaLM8cZUsMGsTK4exTAVXZtQU5XR_5Mp2G_wxcfakMHcbwrOpNJcthypxCJYQWt5tYFjl2iYZULH0f4bKJh1OAj/s200/gothic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273211569289195394" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(On top of the Milan Cathedral)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLYtlljvEONslYQSQBHZSfTxusp_sNyoSzBdQbYrUUPfca_VXBRYdNZ6ALFolCrsnQ3QYXH8XezwP0zX4kiOraehpyDwM2wkxhlihcYxxoXtAFsdxKQE3xpsZeCafzhIyDoMjtRjnzEMn/s1600-h/pieta.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLYtlljvEONslYQSQBHZSfTxusp_sNyoSzBdQbYrUUPfca_VXBRYdNZ6ALFolCrsnQ3QYXH8XezwP0zX4kiOraehpyDwM2wkxhlihcYxxoXtAFsdxKQE3xpsZeCafzhIyDoMjtRjnzEMn/s200/pieta.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273211570376340370" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIBc5vJT19b13wF0_Dzyj85XGJVTRNUN0REWkRpJm6YiSMdivAB9qvcz69D4DdmdKCml13817tcfrKT-u60tcOMASdKHPsAQpVmrBJyOJL2El3VgwZuWqCm113Qj7RntoAm0ELEE08d-M/s1600-h/da+vinci.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIBc5vJT19b13wF0_Dzyj85XGJVTRNUN0REWkRpJm6YiSMdivAB9qvcz69D4DdmdKCml13817tcfrKT-u60tcOMASdKHPsAQpVmrBJyOJL2El3VgwZuWqCm113Qj7RntoAm0ELEE08d-M/s200/da+vinci.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273211132952175362" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" class="framecap-black" >Michaelangelos Rondanini Pieta</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">, and Virgin of the Rocks)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2nd stop: Lake Como</span> is a popular tourist destination. It is a venue for sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing. In 1818 Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote to Thomas Love Peacock: <span style="font-style: italic;">“This lake exceeds anything I ever beheld in beauty, with the exception of the arbutus islands of Killarney. It is long and narrow, and has the appearance of a mighty river winding among the mountains and the forests”.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0f0i9e_mbUCx0tyXTGgR-xg6SK4e6pbG-YDQxQkKRKXlc1-kFOyDMwhzhl805Q9bOC8-p8pu8n87z0EDsT85C0DoE1QcqLrpbiIJBP20i0_eBOvxG0qdvJrKvgR4XAZiHH6lIRWECpYtL/s1600-h/como.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0f0i9e_mbUCx0tyXTGgR-xg6SK4e6pbG-YDQxQkKRKXlc1-kFOyDMwhzhl805Q9bOC8-p8pu8n87z0EDsT85C0DoE1QcqLrpbiIJBP20i0_eBOvxG0qdvJrKvgR4XAZiHH6lIRWECpYtL/s200/como.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273211126159208482" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3rd stop: Venice</span> is world-famous for its canals. It is built on an archipelago of 118 islands formed by about 150 canals in a shallow lagoon. The classical Venetian boat is the <span style="font-weight: bold;">gondola</span>, although it is now mostly used for tourists, or for weddings, funerals, or other ceremonies.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_oIQe80Wjfi7ouMcG3XRPyhKedeCvQaKS5SorsWlPZRShAqXxA3P9gYErdu86UrOprET-FS7Abh6c3pKwlCVKWggxWlYaUSpkZb6PBT3e_AvZA_aEtp5-YBDNVfOgMLyJkObv6OLXozh/s1600-h/venice.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_oIQe80Wjfi7ouMcG3XRPyhKedeCvQaKS5SorsWlPZRShAqXxA3P9gYErdu86UrOprET-FS7Abh6c3pKwlCVKWggxWlYaUSpkZb6PBT3e_AvZA_aEtp5-YBDNVfOgMLyJkObv6OLXozh/s200/venice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273212609626389490" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskyMoOGWqByWS8f7_998L9tY7YMMeyde6ynuNQbO5QwlSofnU-ThXRMJN8GYIKNQ-8y_JOlXlSbT1Bl5rdn59j3l7znk_pY2hGjljXMoayxHTnBeF724VVfIQv1ubGdOfU4C7rvWINU73/s1600-h/grand+canal.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskyMoOGWqByWS8f7_998L9tY7YMMeyde6ynuNQbO5QwlSofnU-ThXRMJN8GYIKNQ-8y_JOlXlSbT1Bl5rdn59j3l7znk_pY2hGjljXMoayxHTnBeF724VVfIQv1ubGdOfU4C7rvWINU73/s200/grand+canal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273211569667650610" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfnpQ51ppF3X4KEsVpcRDWEDdUJr7d7Zv5aUc6uuH1j8o2BfG4bdIpcpowFyn2t6qgSIew5nNF0aloBjIHCGyJXSkN4wXyIrjvfwJOmTcZ95WRaouZpOGbB71MDA2IYGlPdWMTD4fhInH/s1600-h/DSC04197.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfnpQ51ppF3X4KEsVpcRDWEDdUJr7d7Zv5aUc6uuH1j8o2BfG4bdIpcpowFyn2t6qgSIew5nNF0aloBjIHCGyJXSkN4wXyIrjvfwJOmTcZ95WRaouZpOGbB71MDA2IYGlPdWMTD4fhInH/s200/DSC04197.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273209151440234130" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(At Piazza San Marco)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4th stop: TUSCANY.</span> I loved this place so much that I made it the theme of our wedding when we held it at Tagaytay.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnm6f1a1FRZObvZm-x4Yv9eA0D9-W8yD8-osjHvxIMQ39tYtfnYp4AXi7lwUfCWu7iWq87q66TVAEMLIKhonw_D2yvJcz6AG8Wiq3dCf9eBfuTlOHlpIbq28jcqQgJGKmgpHYdiWIvqaub/s1600-h/florence.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnm6f1a1FRZObvZm-x4Yv9eA0D9-W8yD8-osjHvxIMQ39tYtfnYp4AXi7lwUfCWu7iWq87q66TVAEMLIKhonw_D2yvJcz6AG8Wiq3dCf9eBfuTlOHlpIbq28jcqQgJGKmgpHYdiWIvqaub/s200/florence.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273211562259338514" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDVX__GPyISxjnmIMw9a3tG8G0qNxe3pZi8SzRcQxA3EInSMgajZDBbXQHpTn15dRE8UD-qDgd8vPS5I4mKIvF3IB_NSsXBXf8Ln80PaM2tEWJnK3um_Wu2p1jmE3ZajpO_qpAC8YE6fX/s1600-h/david.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDVX__GPyISxjnmIMw9a3tG8G0qNxe3pZi8SzRcQxA3EInSMgajZDBbXQHpTn15dRE8UD-qDgd8vPS5I4mKIvF3IB_NSsXBXf8Ln80PaM2tEWJnK3um_Wu2p1jmE3ZajpO_qpAC8YE6fX/s200/david.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273211564931702306" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(At the capital of Tuscany, Florence where the famous </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">DAVID</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> can be found)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglueaa_NPd-1_Rq19U4i7zfh3KeRKYKA5u51UJ8Tm8rLBoTGZXZBh1uOkg77gYzocLa4r5WDwoIdytE0i5tt1a-2iIYtwdfkl074IboAgF8Xxicvsmxs5Oc37ewlTFYiBXjWFd1ZAdtDuk/s1600-h/tuscany.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglueaa_NPd-1_Rq19U4i7zfh3KeRKYKA5u51UJ8Tm8rLBoTGZXZBh1uOkg77gYzocLa4r5WDwoIdytE0i5tt1a-2iIYtwdfkl074IboAgF8Xxicvsmxs5Oc37ewlTFYiBXjWFd1ZAdtDuk/s200/tuscany.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273212396233363218" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpz5ScGd6WVUYb7EosRFaoy2d9I1UTTBY83bNVD-vEvsePA_8zFGYJ6dIw8YZhVJ1YkMPuJEPmPTWQr7aVudzgTVRAt2QgwlJH1D_XNizNLI0bvk2f9EUPpYRZf8awwrDu0pXdwc9ghyphenhyphenq/s1600-h/castllina.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpz5ScGd6WVUYb7EosRFaoy2d9I1UTTBY83bNVD-vEvsePA_8zFGYJ6dIw8YZhVJ1YkMPuJEPmPTWQr7aVudzgTVRAt2QgwlJH1D_XNizNLI0bvk2f9EUPpYRZf8awwrDu0pXdwc9ghyphenhyphenq/s200/castllina.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273211121029510274" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Castellina, Tuscany)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOhnQLaUSZt3_cUP8HcEo65GSuQnjHuY-nphmQCRNUac86Y36mK6LH8uFAdw4hyhjDrHXo2dL5Y-eLa5-SspIoAsmUBqpU_dMNQ9D3vpLjMR83XQEFo9U8a_4Ki3gbmCKVpFbpdr0dnyL/s1600-h/bolgeri.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 141px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOhnQLaUSZt3_cUP8HcEo65GSuQnjHuY-nphmQCRNUac86Y36mK6LH8uFAdw4hyhjDrHXo2dL5Y-eLa5-SspIoAsmUBqpU_dMNQ9D3vpLjMR83XQEFo9U8a_4Ki3gbmCKVpFbpdr0dnyL/s200/bolgeri.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273211122956748514" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(At Bolgari, Tuscany)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5th stop: Pisa</span> is a city in Tuscany and is known worldwide for its famous bell tower.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvQVnGSGXUukZnfzCUWU2UgFjjvIARhgMNbbS929jsAXG3TDMFsOsrgvo-x_8vwjfQl-XuCC2uPNf3qqrjFWj9b5ugxrqmRMqC8quUOgUWacXZYNadgAbdhCCiS-JC1jrXZ3syidbiKsf/s1600-h/pisa.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvQVnGSGXUukZnfzCUWU2UgFjjvIARhgMNbbS929jsAXG3TDMFsOsrgvo-x_8vwjfQl-XuCC2uPNf3qqrjFWj9b5ugxrqmRMqC8quUOgUWacXZYNadgAbdhCCiS-JC1jrXZ3syidbiKsf/s200/pisa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273212381936313442" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6th stop: The historical Pompeii.</span> Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples. Along with Herculaneum, its sister city, Pompeii was destroyed, and completely buried, during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mount Vesuvius</span> spanning two days in AD 79.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_svhxscouOrKoSX5pB2YmMzNAQCsq3PfoPcVprcZIDa2hWaWvvUE1C5GxhSMz3KTlis3DNgqkpJ80Jij53B4jegyyhEW_n4kYtXe6qmKspwySe-aueICDvGdC1hN0lKEr0eMQyCkVVNu/s1600-h/vesuvius.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 101px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_svhxscouOrKoSX5pB2YmMzNAQCsq3PfoPcVprcZIDa2hWaWvvUE1C5GxhSMz3KTlis3DNgqkpJ80Jij53B4jegyyhEW_n4kYtXe6qmKspwySe-aueICDvGdC1hN0lKEr0eMQyCkVVNu/s200/vesuvius.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273212609957747410" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdx4DQdumewbTnHqahUs1mSnc2jIqzKS2emGIGCGEG2pQOWzhpP-ZteYcb8cuSP5JSO-F2Kk5fKsMkZHcCBi9P2bCBcfS91fbpmdDHaSzTyPEAp44PXHy34v_4vVaq1E_YuZYGVhEFlf5/s1600-h/pompei.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdx4DQdumewbTnHqahUs1mSnc2jIqzKS2emGIGCGEG2pQOWzhpP-ZteYcb8cuSP5JSO-F2Kk5fKsMkZHcCBi9P2bCBcfS91fbpmdDHaSzTyPEAp44PXHy34v_4vVaq1E_YuZYGVhEFlf5/s200/pompei.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273212391040629698" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Mt. Vesuvius)</span><br /><br />The volcano buried Pompeii under many meters of ash and pumice, and it was lost for nearly 1700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748. Today, it is both one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzSYikDMbNda75ot1yWurenxoe-91rESzce0Pqjku3eUbfd3s7z2ZrBmIBqXcgZWU-KvRurpCn6DL_vQdYc_ZD9Ce6nHa8nZq3XLsbIuqymMZm-Lc1B9rKUbR8EMDejcipYRR5A1JButu/s1600-h/pomp.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzSYikDMbNda75ot1yWurenxoe-91rESzce0Pqjku3eUbfd3s7z2ZrBmIBqXcgZWU-KvRurpCn6DL_vQdYc_ZD9Ce6nHa8nZq3XLsbIuqymMZm-Lc1B9rKUbR8EMDejcipYRR5A1JButu/s200/pomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273212388540578066" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdhow4mZp_D8qmSc9Prj9HaYagzobXM0-aBuuEVJ3YU2C02C1q2VoZ6rmTN15YfSfjcUHYPoBH79YQl7WCgAGH5zhy-oQ0eT8tKD98JcAZFR9a9aJ9IcCc20d6JgGRgfI4euoSnHfTNKb/s1600-h/pom.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdhow4mZp_D8qmSc9Prj9HaYagzobXM0-aBuuEVJ3YU2C02C1q2VoZ6rmTN15YfSfjcUHYPoBH79YQl7WCgAGH5zhy-oQ0eT8tKD98JcAZFR9a9aJ9IcCc20d6JgGRgfI4euoSnHfTNKb/s200/pom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273212387524618242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Last Stop and my favorite: The Amalfi Coast</span>, or Costiera Amalfitana in Italian, is a stretch of coastline on the southern side of the Sorrentine Peninsula of Italy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirqriWaxmzjKJS7Ektt3DWCPrTkcOWMHSOGxHt_duKOd1OeI-p8fNw-k8FqgrI9kx7ESdg2EEK7SepX4zT8VrwSbk5rgSJgx1w51NFXtztgr01FILfh_O-ZzAMvvWQ_b8meV0FiY5_QFN9/s1600-h/amalfi2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirqriWaxmzjKJS7Ektt3DWCPrTkcOWMHSOGxHt_duKOd1OeI-p8fNw-k8FqgrI9kx7ESdg2EEK7SepX4zT8VrwSbk5rgSJgx1w51NFXtztgr01FILfh_O-ZzAMvvWQ_b8meV0FiY5_QFN9/s200/amalfi2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273211109406232802" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVD39V5DxzYCuijbvW23oF8LV2dRHPqH1-X1pJWPLbfFCqEvRMUqDkon_KSMAf399OSb4RZIQdy1S_ZPORaMYjzChAn9dFZ1ajRm0tQ8KGSydABfiIYQMNCnaVFQZLeXKRZWDM8VRuFfj/s1600-h/DSC04429.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVD39V5DxzYCuijbvW23oF8LV2dRHPqH1-X1pJWPLbfFCqEvRMUqDkon_KSMAf399OSb4RZIQdy1S_ZPORaMYjzChAn9dFZ1ajRm0tQ8KGSydABfiIYQMNCnaVFQZLeXKRZWDM8VRuFfj/s200/DSC04429.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273209152980027298" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Renowned for its rugged terrain, scenic beauty, picturesque towns and diversity, the Amalfi Coast is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.<br /><br />I recommend Italy to all travelers and stay for at least 2 weeks :) 5 stars from National Carine-ographic.<br /><img src="file:///Users/Carine/Desktop/marga%20and%20vito.jpg" alt="" /></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-61238076862878703132008-09-11T17:56:00.000-07:002008-10-21T21:44:20.037-07:00I love Palawan!<span style="font-size:85%;">El Nido 2006, 2008<br /><br />I went to El Nido, Palawan for the first time on 2006 with my family, then again on 2008 with my husband.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9IMT6ID655OLJsU4AkicgvQTGTfhUMzM8a8kb9sX_yUeq8IEybk6T0NJPdb_c95wTnDdSx1xYOJDavyeUDkukVacsKCH7RDme0quTOmU1vxBKSJzAYGmKqmCvBwwapBB4ptxoOn4f0di/s1600-h/IMG_1377.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9IMT6ID655OLJsU4AkicgvQTGTfhUMzM8a8kb9sX_yUeq8IEybk6T0NJPdb_c95wTnDdSx1xYOJDavyeUDkukVacsKCH7RDme0quTOmU1vxBKSJzAYGmKqmCvBwwapBB4ptxoOn4f0di/s200/IMG_1377.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244976297419445586" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuozuD7VrvuSLULcN5lPU8D1K1xWwv7iG9VJ2_k-GWTYWG5OzQifEGHwk_wPOlHybCqCS5l3DjJjJYvs_HtX0mMP7Wf-pHZno3FGodCPGout7PHMQMWIPHH_S-Bt11g1uz-ztDdTCfr7_/s1600-h/DSC00167.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuozuD7VrvuSLULcN5lPU8D1K1xWwv7iG9VJ2_k-GWTYWG5OzQifEGHwk_wPOlHybCqCS5l3DjJjJYvs_HtX0mMP7Wf-pHZno3FGodCPGout7PHMQMWIPHH_S-Bt11g1uz-ztDdTCfr7_/s200/DSC00167.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244976270925384530" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiB9kSv9Z22r-p0z36W2aFHVF74X4cwskdKd0FGW4yI-ND4MuuKnSwJUoVDOJYTDlV1ETlCUGZ3L-8okdGxdphAXu699y4dwYUTdvLOmcdgtllv5Z9MAtVpzbHKbdChf1ADh3-YLJt9o64/s1600-h/DSC00168.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiB9kSv9Z22r-p0z36W2aFHVF74X4cwskdKd0FGW4yI-ND4MuuKnSwJUoVDOJYTDlV1ETlCUGZ3L-8okdGxdphAXu699y4dwYUTdvLOmcdgtllv5Z9MAtVpzbHKbdChf1ADh3-YLJt9o64/s200/DSC00168.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244976284902633026" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSVZ0COAceDA4Zzpuf4OfoQRMfI94597XuoXwOUtzPUxDa0w1zvQ0R2BL3tcgYl0Jzkbiea-gDNy0MXSijwDZzbRydRteKvWUSr93QAkY4rXtjWeTFXJIAGAhGWtuWrRYbXCON6QFO9AF/s1600-h/DSC00179.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSVZ0COAceDA4Zzpuf4OfoQRMfI94597XuoXwOUtzPUxDa0w1zvQ0R2BL3tcgYl0Jzkbiea-gDNy0MXSijwDZzbRydRteKvWUSr93QAkY4rXtjWeTFXJIAGAhGWtuWrRYbXCON6QFO9AF/s200/DSC00179.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244976288301449186" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">At Lagen El Nido Resorts, El Nido Palawan</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Palawan</span><span style="font-size:85%;">'s almost 2,000 kilometers of irregular coastline are dotted with 1,780 islands and islets, rocky coves, and sugar-white sandy beaches. It also harbors a vast stretch of virgin forests that carpet its chain of mountain ranges.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7w0O_OIhRF_CDMfrOwR3mqkhCHJgcc15OB-YJ_L0PJK7CQg8XFerYRsn8Nv4YCx45bDS_bk9dOEdtoHmJICss-lwV_KF3kRF9NIq1gPLl8tx_8j4SrX5bWNL5maHrhlRGOwfiIBvN4x4f/s1600-h/DSC02995.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7w0O_OIhRF_CDMfrOwR3mqkhCHJgcc15OB-YJ_L0PJK7CQg8XFerYRsn8Nv4YCx45bDS_bk9dOEdtoHmJICss-lwV_KF3kRF9NIq1gPLl8tx_8j4SrX5bWNL5maHrhlRGOwfiIBvN4x4f/s200/DSC02995.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244979199032136578" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMK_hd-x9eTZMG3lhavURTDI2ft2UNcUSW22LKzJgj3bTEjs_drG_JADjfenUKjZ10rJ2N5p7VFy-cbvGewSXYDiduUu5ioS3as3-o2foLe8ai4OM3ISW9smh-q_g2S3dwUqo_BqYtJQ6C/s1600-h/DSC02901.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMK_hd-x9eTZMG3lhavURTDI2ft2UNcUSW22LKzJgj3bTEjs_drG_JADjfenUKjZ10rJ2N5p7VFy-cbvGewSXYDiduUu5ioS3as3-o2foLe8ai4OM3ISW9smh-q_g2S3dwUqo_BqYtJQ6C/s200/DSC02901.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244976293065116994" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >We swam into a hole to get into this Secret Beach, Dad kayaking at the Small Lagoon</span><br /><br />I recommend El Nido Palawan for honeymooners who want to enjoy each other's company in a serene beach setting! 5 stars from National Carine-o-grahic!</span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-49777672877334424182008-09-10T20:32:00.000-07:002008-09-12T17:30:24.401-07:00I love Boracay!<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Boracay</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> - I don't know where to start! Too many trips, too many drinks, too many friends, too many memories ... and I love it!<br /><br />So far, I have never found a beach that beats the powdery white sands of Boracay.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiza91WJ6XlZFnLw4e154BYBMi3dj8lB1y7a4oP4mH9oLr6MqCaO4DNp5uy0ATpJpyNY1KrQwgulvSjvP5M_DaidxMD7JegWduKbc7fWakE8t9xHUP4jslij6jLSRAHUYPkMbS9h1GD6kZG/s1600-h/Sea+Wind.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiza91WJ6XlZFnLw4e154BYBMi3dj8lB1y7a4oP4mH9oLr6MqCaO4DNp5uy0ATpJpyNY1KrQwgulvSjvP5M_DaidxMD7JegWduKbc7fWakE8t9xHUP4jslij6jLSRAHUYPkMbS9h1GD6kZG/s200/Sea+Wind.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244607577683761538" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJhHSXKvuI6DH5limwJRa47NrtoHSJwb0NjBh9khkuXCDPAnXWXX-kXC6_g8gPNVh6IOyQJ_-msy75u1k_EsvWayzNS2iX_NJCdwbUA3-DCsvTjCchc7nP4MNhbeHjEVawuahbhxUHVKy/s1600-h/DSC03361.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJhHSXKvuI6DH5limwJRa47NrtoHSJwb0NjBh9khkuXCDPAnXWXX-kXC6_g8gPNVh6IOyQJ_-msy75u1k_EsvWayzNS2iX_NJCdwbUA3-DCsvTjCchc7nP4MNhbeHjEVawuahbhxUHVKy/s200/DSC03361.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244605252119162498" border="0" /></a><br />(At White beach, at Puka beach)<br /><br />Boracay is a tropical island located approximately 315km (200 miles) south of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Manila</span> and 2km off the northwest tip of the island of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Panay</span> in the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Western Visayas </span>region of the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Philippines</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48a1CFlSs6D97WvvwP7LRQB0Jflf48KnsSZ2MJ6XNmCnVDZwQOzi3qg3H6wSEsP1v7XXu6XIjtQKPhs-3NyRZIdl-Wbyf0SQ6gPmUQjUI5T7g-Oh0SdJnv2D3NIpYvGKtGv_Qkj5KiZ_p/s1600-h/DSC00716.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48a1CFlSs6D97WvvwP7LRQB0Jflf48KnsSZ2MJ6XNmCnVDZwQOzi3qg3H6wSEsP1v7XXu6XIjtQKPhs-3NyRZIdl-Wbyf0SQ6gPmUQjUI5T7g-Oh0SdJnv2D3NIpYvGKtGv_Qkj5KiZ_p/s200/DSC00716.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244607580189215650" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wVOSPeR-t6M8FSCpvARC2IX3k3R0eyjYngkFnn6VJGtNXEbFiM71XZ8r4RbVek_ucW5sEisvHR_maBaiAw0MEJzUtGSjBx3cD342YtaGWmvJzOSNCMpExnrcwKPxjKmE6ZHG4AjV0RB2/s1600-h/IMG_3124.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wVOSPeR-t6M8FSCpvARC2IX3k3R0eyjYngkFnn6VJGtNXEbFiM71XZ8r4RbVek_ucW5sEisvHR_maBaiAw0MEJzUtGSjBx3cD342YtaGWmvJzOSNCMpExnrcwKPxjKmE6ZHG4AjV0RB2/s200/IMG_3124.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244607588855481362" border="0" /></a><br />(with my highschool friends-Marga, Trina, Arlene, with my work friends- Rach, Mash, Vane, Pat)<br /><br />Boracay Island slowly ceased to be a private travelers hangout and eventually became a favorite tourist destination in the Philippines.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFCenmRZJ0ruSLdZKXh0Hi953EMbvLpeXvGFrozo4ZBrOimQrev5kc9CnpPKey3leEJ7GfDC6LUUqmEXN3zp2j3a0FaG27CP8JAaWAv1Vcztfwdf5a4YBxbJQ2xs1kazMpjZttgjlM9uM/s1600-h/DSC03421.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFCenmRZJ0ruSLdZKXh0Hi953EMbvLpeXvGFrozo4ZBrOimQrev5kc9CnpPKey3leEJ7GfDC6LUUqmEXN3zp2j3a0FaG27CP8JAaWAv1Vcztfwdf5a4YBxbJQ2xs1kazMpjZttgjlM9uM/s200/DSC03421.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244605257330777986" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9OmW8AHH1Ui72evC6uUCzHnf5PBV3otX_LLDamxjdtAeEUT7WlUhF58tcEI4ZyyZmuojiLqFJ6ONtRo-Lpjl8TgcdetEiv6WoHsN8R8u5kGkix2UMcV9Ev4QWUqKORPDDJIQD06Kr5BY/s1600-h/DSC06050.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9OmW8AHH1Ui72evC6uUCzHnf5PBV3otX_LLDamxjdtAeEUT7WlUhF58tcEI4ZyyZmuojiLqFJ6ONtRo-Lpjl8TgcdetEiv6WoHsN8R8u5kGkix2UMcV9Ev4QWUqKORPDDJIQD06Kr5BY/s200/DSC06050.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244605259713559874" border="0" /></a><br />(Zipping during sunrise, eating at <span style="font-weight: bold;">Manana</span> with Kina, Arlene, Diego, Dric, Crissie)<br /><br />White Beach is the main tourism beach. It is a bit over four kilometers long and is lined with resorts, hotels, lodging houses, restaurants, and other tourism-related businesses. I love the beach parties here especially during holidays!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GaEATtNi1at9UTPKfHqTyjjv9kEahu6vElCG87UYJqpjWjU_JT3-CTdPwJNmWGsDs0JU3NViQEDRd4RtpRTeKhmlEubnaAIhWint-Wq3Z__emIjcrxhFjU6mfHnentlW6n_b6uG7Iuc2/s1600-h/DSC00710.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GaEATtNi1at9UTPKfHqTyjjv9kEahu6vElCG87UYJqpjWjU_JT3-CTdPwJNmWGsDs0JU3NViQEDRd4RtpRTeKhmlEubnaAIhWint-Wq3Z__emIjcrxhFjU6mfHnentlW6n_b6uG7Iuc2/s200/DSC00710.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244605241958107234" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRsnWjRsZAcfr84a8qySgz_eaLjDw06qaEVyePBhznGa_AEr8mS-NRnOoCxgn_xvkLEjxmnrJm5Wtfh9CI7VaSkM_4af6L6IvlJJlYjkHwApXuMd_3JyIbKkZ6WKrb6cNG_saMvp4bZIX/s1600-h/boracayparty3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRsnWjRsZAcfr84a8qySgz_eaLjDw06qaEVyePBhznGa_AEr8mS-NRnOoCxgn_xvkLEjxmnrJm5Wtfh9CI7VaSkM_4af6L6IvlJJlYjkHwApXuMd_3JyIbKkZ6WKrb6cNG_saMvp4bZIX/s200/boracayparty3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244607577298557922" border="0" /></a><br />(sunset party at <span style="font-weight: bold;">Waling Waling</span>, beach parties)<br /><br />I go to Boracay almost every year... and I cant wait to go back again with my hubby!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2zN156zdmBksWwDn_maTOrX2nF9OIVzLg7uEao6f7fPTiVdEJ8OY3p0bblGFynVcfGIqi-pTPYfZJ0Oe6YUjoMJmU4oesH898vT4hqYKdncYPYy29oBqdoTRjIGTHog7h4BslvPCG8WB/s1600-h/DSC06117.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2zN156zdmBksWwDn_maTOrX2nF9OIVzLg7uEao6f7fPTiVdEJ8OY3p0bblGFynVcfGIqi-pTPYfZJ0Oe6YUjoMJmU4oesH898vT4hqYKdncYPYy29oBqdoTRjIGTHog7h4BslvPCG8WB/s200/DSC06117.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244605264159741218" border="0" /></a><br /></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-33320968351027249082008-09-10T18:39:00.000-07:002008-09-10T20:28:48.300-07:00Golden Triangle India<span style="font-size:85%;">March 2006<br /><br />India's Golden Triangle is a tourist circuit which includes: </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Jaipur</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Agra</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> (including the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Taj Mahal</span><span style="font-size:85%;">), and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Delhi</span><span style="font-size:85%;">.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLd2eDmaqsi8lcpEg8w4CF6Jqfyb3ITcx4pgLKuhSogKm60pbuLJl3_yTBbr8x-OPymP0qABIiBkYm8GYhIFnX0P5bxPYNSxk-nwDkvjMsp4Wz_Ix43T33YtYR28fTwCG7WmMzlrftyti0/s1600-h/golden-triangle-map.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLd2eDmaqsi8lcpEg8w4CF6Jqfyb3ITcx4pgLKuhSogKm60pbuLJl3_yTBbr8x-OPymP0qABIiBkYm8GYhIFnX0P5bxPYNSxk-nwDkvjMsp4Wz_Ix43T33YtYR28fTwCG7WmMzlrftyti0/s200/golden-triangle-map.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244573856048081874" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >JAIPUR</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br />We took a road trip across the desert to go to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jaipur</span>. Our first stop was the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jaipur Amber Fort</span> where the Maharaja once lived, with his 12 wives and no electricity! He would hold his meetings under the moonlight.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPzbkRaMnUca28IKH8-yCdUO-rVhNF5lG5lBop0D5bDGkgRIIRDmQrv8p-xA4Iiq95QVI8LtZQPXgauaoOfE_GFN6j1lDGhy5raynafIKQQ6eqazP9D7mmLmOU51C3tKcnu4z0zV6n6l0/s1600-h/DSC02686.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPzbkRaMnUca28IKH8-yCdUO-rVhNF5lG5lBop0D5bDGkgRIIRDmQrv8p-xA4Iiq95QVI8LtZQPXgauaoOfE_GFN6j1lDGhy5raynafIKQQ6eqazP9D7mmLmOU51C3tKcnu4z0zV6n6l0/s200/DSC02686.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244578715691681938" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LJWrL83BrPlgZzuBccimjdryi-QG1OI_ub5xqEkqb9RLoezpOgTt9C7H5lwsjur9VafJ2oCIWwrCPOUTv6Bn_Fa8F_TbVtTMGrtVWQ_PkqLEil8ejFHoR0hN6LBFWuZ1fyLwen34zElY/s1600-h/DSC02668.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LJWrL83BrPlgZzuBccimjdryi-QG1OI_ub5xqEkqb9RLoezpOgTt9C7H5lwsjur9VafJ2oCIWwrCPOUTv6Bn_Fa8F_TbVtTMGrtVWQ_PkqLEil8ejFHoR0hN6LBFWuZ1fyLwen34zElY/s200/DSC02668.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244578723059517730" border="0" /></a><br />(Jaipur Amber Fort, more beautiful at night - now has lights/electricity!)<br /><br />We also went to the <span style="font-weight: bold;">City Palace</span> where the current Maharajah lives and the biggest silver jar in the world. The following day, en route to Agra, we stopped by a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Monkey Temple</span>... with lots of monkeys everywhere!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQIZrqu4nIbVN-B6evN87AkktQlBcSG2IapigFUi9TE9UxMUKPVkEE5pRQ0b37gU-qbq4Tn2jvCHdrnqInDK3z11wnLhCFoFQ8zZiC0WvuQGlR5U52Efnl_4Nn47zsP9dDq4pTzGVhyphenhyphenXz/s1600-h/DSC02678.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQIZrqu4nIbVN-B6evN87AkktQlBcSG2IapigFUi9TE9UxMUKPVkEE5pRQ0b37gU-qbq4Tn2jvCHdrnqInDK3z11wnLhCFoFQ8zZiC0WvuQGlR5U52Efnl_4Nn47zsP9dDq4pTzGVhyphenhyphenXz/s200/DSC02678.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244578733985544482" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDH_hb9xGftmb1f1WJHfDzSyBS2UV30ETFk_-JP89dLEphyphenhypheneoygDknHegUY-1Me6rcr3fhumvIeNi8VYgVtDN_8R9qriQj_DpQMAksgsRJe43bGnDp4bYalAT4hl7sKoMKvMfRDHz-DaBQ/s1600-h/DSC02708.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDH_hb9xGftmb1f1WJHfDzSyBS2UV30ETFk_-JP89dLEphyphenhypheneoygDknHegUY-1Me6rcr3fhumvIeNi8VYgVtDN_8R9qriQj_DpQMAksgsRJe43bGnDp4bYalAT4hl7sKoMKvMfRDHz-DaBQ/s200/DSC02708.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244590237410131074" border="0" /></a><br />(Biggest silver jar behind Pat and myself, Monkey Temple in between mountains)<br /><br />Closer to Agra, we stopped by the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fatehpur Sikri</span> which showcases both Hindu and Muslim architecture.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPkO1aKKUCm-xaMPmKgpkZDsJEbfLheMRk1S256DMMS5s2kw846NtqrmgpHZEP0KCwcyh4lpwgXeJVn1Ln1AQL2MDMfxwPRjICIiNZ6aY_HfS9vY_VAe_Ntwg4Az2cKulP4tyLoVR2725/s1600-h/DSC02736.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPkO1aKKUCm-xaMPmKgpkZDsJEbfLheMRk1S256DMMS5s2kw846NtqrmgpHZEP0KCwcyh4lpwgXeJVn1Ln1AQL2MDMfxwPRjICIiNZ6aY_HfS9vY_VAe_Ntwg4Az2cKulP4tyLoVR2725/s200/DSC02736.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244590246952225490" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFH1xbl-mO6YmI_qVhG2Tl8arIa9AECBamU1JcaIaB_pOHJeiGL36nJzbnbANaIVstA_ISwR4OLfN5FglMnFP6yTxwuBf1mDXNZuYqFjZO-Fd6ZcYQtaDHUeTYn-V-xOtpvsadgwDrv_V4/s1600-h/IMG_0896.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFH1xbl-mO6YmI_qVhG2Tl8arIa9AECBamU1JcaIaB_pOHJeiGL36nJzbnbANaIVstA_ISwR4OLfN5FglMnFP6yTxwuBf1mDXNZuYqFjZO-Fd6ZcYQtaDHUeTYn-V-xOtpvsadgwDrv_V4/s200/IMG_0896.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244590254928649362" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></span> </div></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >AGRA</span><br /><br />Agra is known for the famous monument of love. Mughal Emperor <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shah Jahan </span>built the<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Taj Mahal</span> in memory of his favorite wife, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mumtaz Maha</span>l. Itis considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDE8rF8Y8Wohu02mGxSS7BUYTotG08LjD_-w7cMpVZKgTFxQDKYKsqU2WfY20kaOso7C96EtGIuZ9-WhKLXJe-Q27DNGWYJ9J6vkrpq6pG9BRQIaFZjOf3cKjZEZ640eKH4nJ14rZMOxXb/s1600-h/DSC02779.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDE8rF8Y8Wohu02mGxSS7BUYTotG08LjD_-w7cMpVZKgTFxQDKYKsqU2WfY20kaOso7C96EtGIuZ9-WhKLXJe-Q27DNGWYJ9J6vkrpq6pG9BRQIaFZjOf3cKjZEZ640eKH4nJ14rZMOxXb/s200/DSC02779.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244593096322783922" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPT2yqQebIOmNSQ-7cl6_chByz2uo5o30eOyRehW6k99nQjMnvM46Bqx0E3a0a1-9OgKROfOwsacGr_scBxxbDaLAc9GaNGzBWcKV7zqVhUfi-cPF_VIKfY2gmcV3xd6Wuo9JzmaxTKH1-/s1600-h/DSC02822.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPT2yqQebIOmNSQ-7cl6_chByz2uo5o30eOyRehW6k99nQjMnvM46Bqx0E3a0a1-9OgKROfOwsacGr_scBxxbDaLAc9GaNGzBWcKV7zqVhUfi-cPF_VIKfY2gmcV3xd6Wuo9JzmaxTKH1-/s200/DSC02822.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244593106769772322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >DELHI</span><br /><br />We zoomed by Delhi straight to the airport to catch our flights. So no sightseeing and no pictures!<br /><br />Click <a href="http://carinedelros.multiply.com/photos/album/13/Golden_Triangle_Tour_India">here</a> for more pictures at my online album.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">From wikipedia</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Delhi</span> has grown to be a cosmopolitan city. Its rapid development and urbanisation, coupled with the relatively high average income of its population, has transformed the city. Today, Delhi is a major cultural, political, and commercial center of India.<br /></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-53773224047191062942008-09-10T16:41:00.000-07:002008-09-10T18:28:48.137-07:00Goa, India<span style="font-size:85%;">March 2006<br /><br />Patricia, Suzanne, and I went to GOA, India to experience its famous beaches and Portuguese influenced city.<br /><br />In 1498, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Vasco da Gama </span><span style="font-size:85%;">became the first European to set foot in India through a sea route, landing in Kerala, followed by an arrival in what is now known as </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Goa</span><span style="font-size:85%;">. Goa was the largest trading centre on India's western coast. The Portuguese arrived with the intention of setting up a colony and seizing control of the spice trade from other European powers. Later, in </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >1510</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, Portuguese admiral </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Afonso de Albuquerque</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> defeated the ruling Bijapur kings with the help of a local ally, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Timayya</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, leading to the establishment of a permanent settlement in </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Goa</span><span style="font-size:85%;">.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMSm2d0KmJhjS3Bnk-_Q6p-mQnDmI_BHjOH7xtK6KZKDym5rSI9QTlcObgikb5t9w7fJkgGTeDPUuOwLCJm1zEAHN9ZPpGotz6aomyMWWRO1mt9arL2Y4ACz2vDybGE7znAEU4qiM8MG5/s1600-h/DSC02574.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMSm2d0KmJhjS3Bnk-_Q6p-mQnDmI_BHjOH7xtK6KZKDym5rSI9QTlcObgikb5t9w7fJkgGTeDPUuOwLCJm1zEAHN9ZPpGotz6aomyMWWRO1mt9arL2Y4ACz2vDybGE7znAEU4qiM8MG5/s200/DSC02574.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244550372646843890" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdVZtL-UKRyVkzsPuscGBvYygDKMkPw08y10aRYkA8M00v31oxQwCU_paERd6fxj_1ByF5RlNs0y_VrF5tkg87w4U3OjyO4wcPGjpvTbijhFISxBAecWFFnzDQfqRzxAUeD9nYhMLo-JX/s1600-h/IMG_0713.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdVZtL-UKRyVkzsPuscGBvYygDKMkPw08y10aRYkA8M00v31oxQwCU_paERd6fxj_1ByF5RlNs0y_VrF5tkg87w4U3OjyO4wcPGjpvTbijhFISxBAecWFFnzDQfqRzxAUeD9nYhMLo-JX/s200/IMG_0713.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244550976434468466" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Goa is popular among European tourists for its beach parties and huge raves. We went to the beaches during the day so I was not able to see any party :( I rate the Goa beaches a 7/10. Nothing beats </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Boracay</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, Philippines!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbbxkVjh2yQQFZ5aamB8G-418AZQLHNf1GXso6AcjoThF0Iit03MwK8bvnSWqwdS3kAPpAKHk-6nQ9jycxjnTA4BZR6Uvh87srCk4ENcIhBdTC3FjOnSonTGcba4C3e-51SJGftd1Bgsw/s1600-h/DSC02611.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbbxkVjh2yQQFZ5aamB8G-418AZQLHNf1GXso6AcjoThF0Iit03MwK8bvnSWqwdS3kAPpAKHk-6nQ9jycxjnTA4BZR6Uvh87srCk4ENcIhBdTC3FjOnSonTGcba4C3e-51SJGftd1Bgsw/s200/DSC02611.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244550381655545074" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3zUaHjCeomUgtkutMBH9BssXofJ4gjNVROMAxl5pvdSQkLGVypnxR50yerDUJvpl7Catjm9oPzq5cTPmWrLzRbWKaVuA1Esj6XHt5IN3GpRYkRWIIzzLpy5laHFuJt5ZdiB0wd0eKuoV/s1600-h/DSC02613.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3zUaHjCeomUgtkutMBH9BssXofJ4gjNVROMAxl5pvdSQkLGVypnxR50yerDUJvpl7Catjm9oPzq5cTPmWrLzRbWKaVuA1Esj6XHt5IN3GpRYkRWIIzzLpy5laHFuJt5ZdiB0wd0eKuoV/s200/DSC02613.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244550382358888834" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Since this is a very famous destination for Europeans, a lot of them end up staying in GOA for good! They make a living out of trading and selling stuff at the markets. We were very surprised to see that all the market vendors were white!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqD-8asgRD-7hQ2HC8Xp86Uo0YxIg8eJbVGxYoMRFsNnzSho_-OiXxNnOLi4_4XnBC9mJEu4D7YCQNyVSJHc5TOuRKPnIYN0ln_BgwS4GAyFCRb2aG0dnULDhQIwgH6bYO1IXVpTUey0os/s1600-h/DSC02609.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqD-8asgRD-7hQ2HC8Xp86Uo0YxIg8eJbVGxYoMRFsNnzSho_-OiXxNnOLi4_4XnBC9mJEu4D7YCQNyVSJHc5TOuRKPnIYN0ln_BgwS4GAyFCRb2aG0dnULDhQIwgH6bYO1IXVpTUey0os/s200/DSC02609.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244550375085003634" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVE0tvbFrwJsBh5KHcSoNqN2iZ1TcPIH6X4u-jJyKBCig9vpY1t_-MaJrtrTvJw4jN35BaYjABsCp6xQpuh40VhqPlwEKDVBS6MzCE329XJ8D1lXD-Q1UEGugkCu3ACXsLD5shUaYvhMEw/s1600-h/7d0fscd.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVE0tvbFrwJsBh5KHcSoNqN2iZ1TcPIH6X4u-jJyKBCig9vpY1t_-MaJrtrTvJw4jN35BaYjABsCp6xQpuh40VhqPlwEKDVBS6MzCE329XJ8D1lXD-Q1UEGugkCu3ACXsLD5shUaYvhMEw/s200/7d0fscd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244550971585198658" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If they travel all the way to Boracay .. I wonder if they will do the same thing? Hmmm... I dont think so. We lack the huge beach parties!</span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-12488906248059143612008-09-10T05:44:00.000-07:002008-09-10T06:17:48.838-07:00Scotch in Sheepland<span class="framecap-black" style="font-size:85%;">Edinburgh, Scotland<br /><br />My cousins and I went to the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh, for the weekend. Which, by the way, should be renamed to <span style="font-weight: bold;">SHEEPland</span>.. because there are more sheep than people there! We took a bus tour and witnessed sheep after sheep after sheep.<br /><br />Population of Scotland: 5 Million<br />SHEEP population of Scotland: 12.5 Million<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrNetT3KVUFtOClJJh-Vbqtx_R9d9tYZ2yquhQWZ9Kc2oUZ-E4f8dUbVlJKbdvLhn_6gRNxipVnQXldcv-096Y9Wm8Tvh8khtkFh0fvE0rG8G9kgfzMPeMy_2PAo7aL_pe13Q7squ_ln2/s1600-h/DSC01661.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrNetT3KVUFtOClJJh-Vbqtx_R9d9tYZ2yquhQWZ9Kc2oUZ-E4f8dUbVlJKbdvLhn_6gRNxipVnQXldcv-096Y9Wm8Tvh8khtkFh0fvE0rG8G9kgfzMPeMy_2PAo7aL_pe13Q7squ_ln2/s200/DSC01661.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244375926269527602" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Our bus tour included </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >The Stirling Castle</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> with views of the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >William Wallace Monument</span> (made famous by the movie Braveheart), cruise ride on a loch or lake and Glasgow city with its wonderful architecture.<span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7D7aHVw277qZVv4JovA1Iu7YujRGQKiWVvd-Eq2RGVlkZdr_sob3TvrWrczLg8nwYq03QYIbqLbGjX5rbM677xk4BOGEPTdrEdJPUqybbVjGVu4spoiGxP87eu29E8EVYv2O6f5Uwm7e/s1600-h/DSC01736.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7D7aHVw277qZVv4JovA1Iu7YujRGQKiWVvd-Eq2RGVlkZdr_sob3TvrWrczLg8nwYq03QYIbqLbGjX5rbM677xk4BOGEPTdrEdJPUqybbVjGVu4spoiGxP87eu29E8EVYv2O6f5Uwm7e/s200/DSC01736.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244379960506926674" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDQEvHl-Ow4BLbROc5sThQrGvMl_w3ToN0AOhzCdtogWxLAKU0KnAK8LIy3Rl5G_ycwhiRBgYaAqTy6U2DeaCZA2FhQrEpiOau7CqGv5gs-uSW5tR1EWBXgscTmT8h-ZAkw17oqMhxbzS/s1600-h/DSC01617.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDQEvHl-Ow4BLbROc5sThQrGvMl_w3ToN0AOhzCdtogWxLAKU0KnAK8LIy3Rl5G_ycwhiRBgYaAqTy6U2DeaCZA2FhQrEpiOau7CqGv5gs-uSW5tR1EWBXgscTmT8h-ZAkw17oqMhxbzS/s200/DSC01617.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244379956608758690" border="0" /></a><br />(William Wallace monument seen at a distance, Glasgow city)<br /><br />However, the best part of our trip was the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >SCOTCH tour </span><span style="font-size:85%;">and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >eating at the same restaurant on the same table where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter</span><span style="font-size:85%;">!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ro7R3H8ZBPCODIt3GbQvcsmxPacSVzV-kBp9g-53hjBkuFLYlpdDAwfaGLqDLxiLiDEzWEuwdLfU6s0OMyfUCFjQ6Jnh8gEM8izd5AIck7LDXVj9bTJMPkrgZ32kTmWn762q46n0_Ca6/s1600-h/DSC01585.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ro7R3H8ZBPCODIt3GbQvcsmxPacSVzV-kBp9g-53hjBkuFLYlpdDAwfaGLqDLxiLiDEzWEuwdLfU6s0OMyfUCFjQ6Jnh8gEM8izd5AIck7LDXVj9bTJMPkrgZ32kTmWn762q46n0_Ca6/s200/DSC01585.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244379950836465586" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJy-B9EfcVPfZ-1UpxoI6uvAhwI5FIJ5dXYhN7PSc9PHBfHJy0iqEd2XInOQcQRz0ZUYuNwjiXgFSkeeFosiUsZ5xYXnOQcEulRDympwYySzrq4hA_ROwr3EeFyCvSMKlkWvtirs_38GzP/s1600-h/DSC01763.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJy-B9EfcVPfZ-1UpxoI6uvAhwI5FIJ5dXYhN7PSc9PHBfHJy0iqEd2XInOQcQRz0ZUYuNwjiXgFSkeeFosiUsZ5xYXnOQcEulRDympwYySzrq4hA_ROwr3EeFyCvSMKlkWvtirs_38GzP/s200/DSC01763.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244379962385233538" border="0" /></a><br /></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-21340142366118646542008-09-09T23:50:00.000-07:002008-09-10T05:42:12.051-07:00United Kingdom<span style="font-size:85%;">London and Around London, UK 2005<br /><br />I met up with lots and lots of people in london...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5E56Ua8JTKhv72qyt-NAbceYtKlEuX4x-I9cNB-4uTu9Pvf0toX7tqElXTB4_3Z5Zt4zSvujXUmAmm8kj3TKtpSzweiVWks3Yo3TVBopGWbMCfrv0QIzeJcP_ORMzkeOgSKOTaCvLmBB/s1600-h/DSC01657.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5E56Ua8JTKhv72qyt-NAbceYtKlEuX4x-I9cNB-4uTu9Pvf0toX7tqElXTB4_3Z5Zt4zSvujXUmAmm8kj3TKtpSzweiVWks3Yo3TVBopGWbMCfrv0QIzeJcP_ORMzkeOgSKOTaCvLmBB/s200/DSC01657.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244360766101003170" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwIVf-3f4eE96LzCQXq6pgPT0G1ULYm3aUaAsWIaeipnwBRycU4idlGOKrjTF4BQch6p46ofRyNdi5FqhKjlNoi_72nwLmdCerQfpBIan3qOKEIxpBcJSK5JPWyB1zitwRRy_eYnu0Jko/s1600-h/DSC01428.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwIVf-3f4eE96LzCQXq6pgPT0G1ULYm3aUaAsWIaeipnwBRycU4idlGOKrjTF4BQch6p46ofRyNdi5FqhKjlNoi_72nwLmdCerQfpBIan3qOKEIxpBcJSK5JPWyB1zitwRRy_eYnu0Jko/s200/DSC01428.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244360768043817426" border="0" /></a><br />(Cousins Cherry Pie and Rex, and their kids - Joshua, Chesca, and Jolo)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfMll__sjYAJxxEpaS5tkAX4gxTRLpAXLhe7qORhZMiB9U6pDEWoqry1H3T0Js37HcLDwBoZSNeYFrur8ogbXOjHEdNpKfOuN4LR1Edr3UEQwltzFULm71ec6wYCWjRq4oBFhc4uOq9aX/s1600-h/DSC01424.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfMll__sjYAJxxEpaS5tkAX4gxTRLpAXLhe7qORhZMiB9U6pDEWoqry1H3T0Js37HcLDwBoZSNeYFrur8ogbXOjHEdNpKfOuN4LR1Edr3UEQwltzFULm71ec6wYCWjRq4oBFhc4uOq9aX/s200/DSC01424.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244360779682921906" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGPdqI5Wi6tvqXu7Fn3l_1aN09quXg9Vddjs1Cw4qup_2xiCQN96Cfyft7ys7qYgon0B5ZYvKmVTEI0-xm_awVIp9R7ckmj67dJinet-3VGmUJRFxmC5zlaQPrP4TJKDIHBHf7OH1Dnb_/s1600-h/DSC01801.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGPdqI5Wi6tvqXu7Fn3l_1aN09quXg9Vddjs1Cw4qup_2xiCQN96Cfyft7ys7qYgon0B5ZYvKmVTEI0-xm_awVIp9R7ckmj67dJinet-3VGmUJRFxmC5zlaQPrP4TJKDIHBHf7OH1Dnb_/s200/DSC01801.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244361764736109074" border="0" /></a><br />(Tanya, friend from woodrose and Chad, friend from dlsu)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-haA9k9FlJeSqjCjOvdkPrGkqFFEWwLDabv1lWeXB8am7XFRbC7Zr7JVqTxi-rIFQI88evC5UdE982Yg47SDkgPk9cW2zlTds-pux8O1CPEMo4PngQRjaxe94_Ztk_gj2S1lOmhuIygs/s1600-h/DSC01346.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-haA9k9FlJeSqjCjOvdkPrGkqFFEWwLDabv1lWeXB8am7XFRbC7Zr7JVqTxi-rIFQI88evC5UdE982Yg47SDkgPk9cW2zlTds-pux8O1CPEMo4PngQRjaxe94_Ztk_gj2S1lOmhuIygs/s200/DSC01346.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244360783212731122" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkSafV-UNrRWfmwoet1gK-8bus0IZVLNzkB340XnvHE4TK0dV89YvfPPrC9bGofeIcf-1yWCTTk0WfZGVvWohJygc5ybm26dn3neVfey5bo5na-nAJYGbrWK_7Hl5DR9-JNNjHC9j9Qpz/s1600-h/DSC01458.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkSafV-UNrRWfmwoet1gK-8bus0IZVLNzkB340XnvHE4TK0dV89YvfPPrC9bGofeIcf-1yWCTTk0WfZGVvWohJygc5ybm26dn3neVfey5bo5na-nAJYGbrWK_7Hl5DR9-JNNjHC9j9Qpz/s200/DSC01458.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244360787257491282" border="0" /></a><br />(Ant from Citi and his friends, I met up with my ex Tom)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJ6pCxmE4zt8EhtTwGBo2whZ_kyoW0LA6CmIIsQ_EXBjM8wISBGlvEKfuqRH4JjwU0AHcUCbRMATOdN9CKsT1kjIyjAKcdarEfTl779wYDJGRc4HucFNRS6xZINH7toMjjVPHl4w9T5o9/s1600-h/DSC01823.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJ6pCxmE4zt8EhtTwGBo2whZ_kyoW0LA6CmIIsQ_EXBjM8wISBGlvEKfuqRH4JjwU0AHcUCbRMATOdN9CKsT1kjIyjAKcdarEfTl779wYDJGRc4HucFNRS6xZINH7toMjjVPHl4w9T5o9/s200/DSC01823.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244361768546525218" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UnWZTRo_PtJKnzvy2dCQQPeBiyZFeDh6Bs4u0_xl9i9bq1GDh2r2IaHbOLwnYOAtpmTOVaUYrjtbVh9dTMwPWHQT4CQrwzwqDbnW6VR1fxWBj0em5Vv169EbG3V7m305hjaeuz9gBwOs/s1600-h/DSC01511.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UnWZTRo_PtJKnzvy2dCQQPeBiyZFeDh6Bs4u0_xl9i9bq1GDh2r2IaHbOLwnYOAtpmTOVaUYrjtbVh9dTMwPWHQT4CQrwzwqDbnW6VR1fxWBj0em5Vv169EbG3V7m305hjaeuz9gBwOs/s200/DSC01511.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244361772569279154" border="0" /></a><br />(Annalee my brother's friend, Jocson and Nicky)<br /><br />I went to LOTS and LOTS of sights but the highlight of this trip was<span style="font-weight: bold;"> good company</span>! So thanks to everyone coz I had a really good time.<br /><br />If you want to see more pictures of my sightseeing, click <a href="http://carinedelros.multiply.com/photos/album/7/United_Kingdom_2005">here</a> but I am posting some of my favorite ones.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQv6c8gAXZiAu8wk-HIBwEPvLrJ7KdnGYoEmr43AZLMFD2CdN8Uupw8KDE6o6E1nyvaoQdoD6pMmJIiU7qJ2c8lSvpIsecXWmbZUPbcbRiS35EFOb6V4Gt70xSUNcp66wCDCKfUXrtNg8M/s1600-h/DSC01158.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQv6c8gAXZiAu8wk-HIBwEPvLrJ7KdnGYoEmr43AZLMFD2CdN8Uupw8KDE6o6E1nyvaoQdoD6pMmJIiU7qJ2c8lSvpIsecXWmbZUPbcbRiS35EFOb6V4Gt70xSUNcp66wCDCKfUXrtNg8M/s200/DSC01158.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244371298774577378" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0UAqYalZkHsJXHJG_E9n6woO5wqB9uoFiD8C5ZgySSVR94egL-61D6vw7nrwD7Oxu6BgEExPLa_7GnsePIWbnlRq7kwzmEPVDS6Er1ftbpVpLbvhhgBluJmVrhqvjKuOnds0QQtVBVLsg/s1600-h/DSC01151.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0UAqYalZkHsJXHJG_E9n6woO5wqB9uoFiD8C5ZgySSVR94egL-61D6vw7nrwD7Oxu6BgEExPLa_7GnsePIWbnlRq7kwzmEPVDS6Er1ftbpVpLbvhhgBluJmVrhqvjKuOnds0QQtVBVLsg/s200/DSC01151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244370774279922002" border="0" /></a><br />(Big B)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhax6OqDyNLtvDNcwSAJqEryK2L7gXbApLAegxN_iHMjNnRBltY-pZwPuisRzVJZ-R9I-tegn5EDLl6n48WnYp_SwnIz4yezQSBMK5Kvt9BU8kslP6_0mLl9HHvZUBdC23LXlyaBKPjDOFh/s1600-h/DSC01050.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhax6OqDyNLtvDNcwSAJqEryK2L7gXbApLAegxN_iHMjNnRBltY-pZwPuisRzVJZ-R9I-tegn5EDLl6n48WnYp_SwnIz4yezQSBMK5Kvt9BU8kslP6_0mLl9HHvZUBdC23LXlyaBKPjDOFh/s200/DSC01050.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244370758606674322" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpxjXvD-1l6CfmOpG2Lf20nn1E9iIqAt8P4uYiy05CTWlGmtjipAuQslONIFE9CXIxUL1reDC05TCFgd0dGctGAetICmmMJikzKbNz_gOxacysZ3kJXXV0pAMeCUv8BqX7jm1mCIhGzeK/s1600-h/DSC01080.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpxjXvD-1l6CfmOpG2Lf20nn1E9iIqAt8P4uYiy05CTWlGmtjipAuQslONIFE9CXIxUL1reDC05TCFgd0dGctGAetICmmMJikzKbNz_gOxacysZ3kJXXV0pAMeCUv8BqX7jm1mCIhGzeK/s200/DSC01080.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244370769336854994" border="0" /></a><br />(Tower of London)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hTHHz2VK2OpHeL1wb30i6fD945nevilgEbcetYTkRwp62lZ4o5Yl8WQMYyQ_I9WO0_Brl5n0IFBCRP-8-Fy88qQzff4YPJdRqPbLjk0FNlIkc2pjU2Zcs9FUlQ1t3UXZ0wYcL_QUy4WA/s1600-h/DSC01155.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hTHHz2VK2OpHeL1wb30i6fD945nevilgEbcetYTkRwp62lZ4o5Yl8WQMYyQ_I9WO0_Brl5n0IFBCRP-8-Fy88qQzff4YPJdRqPbLjk0FNlIkc2pjU2Zcs9FUlQ1t3UXZ0wYcL_QUy4WA/s200/DSC01155.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244370771173286658" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">(The London Eye)<br /></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-15114026374656183722008-09-09T23:04:00.000-07:002008-09-09T23:49:57.232-07:00China Part 3 : Xian with mom and Ria Chua<span style="font-size:85%;">Xian, China<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img src="file:///Users/Carine/Desktop/DSC00792.JPG" alt="" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUr8bREJE4z9RJuqqrNVdUr8swG5yITDY6_cAhbe9wLtVkZxRFENrKwDf9TtDL2MBMjV10gzTkqTg6AxUfZw9OhhzTI91Q0eM5G7kZKBkGt6TjPupbJokSzQ09FgdCtXzmYkysaGfbrQRa/s1600-h/DSC00789.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUr8bREJE4z9RJuqqrNVdUr8swG5yITDY6_cAhbe9wLtVkZxRFENrKwDf9TtDL2MBMjV10gzTkqTg6AxUfZw9OhhzTI91Q0eM5G7kZKBkGt6TjPupbJokSzQ09FgdCtXzmYkysaGfbrQRa/s200/DSC00789.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244272492502505298" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv6sEIWmw3_N01lyDiqhoMezrP7yQIhIL1KwNCjInD4e-2UXou_14zwBnNDeotm6DanhCBDGs02v-XCGsnzDfjPk1IraXdgDUXednt4TCHXhTaMWfBligkDTF-d9DZWiNjilPjZvjI3c4O/s1600-h/DSC00792.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv6sEIWmw3_N01lyDiqhoMezrP7yQIhIL1KwNCjInD4e-2UXou_14zwBnNDeotm6DanhCBDGs02v-XCGsnzDfjPk1IraXdgDUXednt4TCHXhTaMWfBligkDTF-d9DZWiNjilPjZvjI3c4O/s200/DSC00792.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244272488634729970" border="0" /></a><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />The city has many important historical sites, and some are ongoing archaeological projects, such as the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> and his </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Terracotta Army</span><span style="font-size:85%;">.<br /><br />The </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Terracotta Army</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> are the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang the First Emperor of China. The terracotta figures, dating from </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >210 BC</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, were discovered in </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >1974</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> by several local farmers near Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China near the Mausouleum of the First Qin Emperor.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGw6eJoEaTN2fM8giofnb82-8pKKvEvFMbHIK3FiFux3kjO_U3neXxGz5fXw-bGQtxZAKWfWpf3TdA4nBf7RSIohOwL03zCn8fdlOU50rKVM9VK7WWUH5fGnRKIncjLVty1LepRrtsV9E-/s1600-h/DSC00825.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGw6eJoEaTN2fM8giofnb82-8pKKvEvFMbHIK3FiFux3kjO_U3neXxGz5fXw-bGQtxZAKWfWpf3TdA4nBf7RSIohOwL03zCn8fdlOU50rKVM9VK7WWUH5fGnRKIncjLVty1LepRrtsV9E-/s200/DSC00825.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244276176302933698" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstb5d8Cn5pdge_MWcTKN7HdceQDNTpi3zgVO4m0uEXWoset8_bDo7tLwYJHe9KkGq7WaUdybxNMaRFATsTPoeFUeVI6H5HHppQDFdCILqihM2vCTOu6IjIzVAC1VLHP76tsq90P_IbyKV/s1600-h/DSC00802.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstb5d8Cn5pdge_MWcTKN7HdceQDNTpi3zgVO4m0uEXWoset8_bDo7tLwYJHe9KkGq7WaUdybxNMaRFATsTPoeFUeVI6H5HHppQDFdCILqihM2vCTOu6IjIzVAC1VLHP76tsq90P_IbyKV/s200/DSC00802.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244276170183227394" border="0" /></a><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />The figures vary in height (183–195cm - 6ft–6ft 5in), according to their role, the tallest being the Generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits.<br /><br />Discoveries like this make me regret not taking up archaeology...<br /><br />More pictures at <a href="http://carinedelros.multiply.com/photos/album/4/Xian">http://carinedelros.multiply.com/photos/album/4/Xian</a></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-20321069668124709542008-09-09T22:22:00.000-07:002008-09-09T23:02:28.327-07:00China Part 2 : My first F1 baby!<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">READY, SET, GO!<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzrIS-x70iqyeI_ZGRsBJfbj2ZIi1H7Y2dRBNGVh3g3brDQZG_MUjBeS6M0jabj5RM1LcsTCtOe_qU9GX5j2w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" ><br />To feel the F1 vibe - the deafening sound of engines, the smell of rubber, the cheers of die-hard fans - was one of a kind!</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br />We were lucky to find cheap but awesome seats! We were seated at the main grandstand which was at the start/finish line and in front of the pit stops!</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > <span style="font-size:78%;">(pit stop pic taken from don)</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYCIcmKch5O-dspwCqWGzl0qS8fLvB-nHjugtE1HRIbUtV0ozd22In33Mk2sUmQISC6_Ll-IJ_eoP3buqDmqkJF49IkrgJL-3M55a8W5SZrZXuTkzEBcL310GuCX3eNhDGUa9KTHSz8w7/s1600-h/DSC00424.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYCIcmKch5O-dspwCqWGzl0qS8fLvB-nHjugtE1HRIbUtV0ozd22In33Mk2sUmQISC6_Ll-IJ_eoP3buqDmqkJF49IkrgJL-3M55a8W5SZrZXuTkzEBcL310GuCX3eNhDGUa9KTHSz8w7/s200/DSC00424.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244264396411189666" border="0" /></a><img src="file:///Users/Carine/Desktop/pit%20stop%20kimi.jpg" alt="" /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44bSHPdWL2rnJA_q5EA75O9-7lLfQlPsWRMpbl5HbqSM06rZI4m29ZdZyv6jU8DhYjSBINy-Is1VKs41ZrBaD1FKM4rcQdWWrasS1cTHx1kDCHNPRreHel9Lkv8ouWlYly0KvNL90QKDo/s1600-h/pit+stop+kimi.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44bSHPdWL2rnJA_q5EA75O9-7lLfQlPsWRMpbl5HbqSM06rZI4m29ZdZyv6jU8DhYjSBINy-Is1VKs41ZrBaD1FKM4rcQdWWrasS1cTHx1kDCHNPRreHel9Lkv8ouWlYly0KvNL90QKDo/s200/pit+stop+kimi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244265042569608498" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The opening ceremony included a parade of F1 drivers and a performance by </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Jackie Chan</span><span style="font-size:85%;">.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyG9h9GetEGgQG8Tnl8WpU4RQy6gv8r-zdGf28C0cjHqluKwWbphzl8s4F7KIz3Di4NviM2c88_JEt5mBC7C7210m3aSVWHA1cnHgjuz1woqc_OrdfKsrFBdE4BSpb6qo1tDUWl2pA428/s1600-h/DSC00439.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyG9h9GetEGgQG8Tnl8WpU4RQy6gv8r-zdGf28C0cjHqluKwWbphzl8s4F7KIz3Di4NviM2c88_JEt5mBC7C7210m3aSVWHA1cnHgjuz1woqc_OrdfKsrFBdE4BSpb6qo1tDUWl2pA428/s200/DSC00439.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244266197376811906" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwQpgbr1H-PSdyDtDayfrae-QNQl5X-e4HYkjOtzjETbR8sYQSpywsvI8fsT-xZM7z-KQeb9ESCi5MGEoFY9fvIE2mokFw_Ye9uP0tBxbqsAKKtWzcuJILJzMe2Me1VS9NXF6-m3K_het/s1600-h/DSC00448.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwQpgbr1H-PSdyDtDayfrae-QNQl5X-e4HYkjOtzjETbR8sYQSpywsvI8fsT-xZM7z-KQeb9ESCi5MGEoFY9fvIE2mokFw_Ye9uP0tBxbqsAKKtWzcuJILJzMe2Me1VS9NXF6-m3K_het/s200/DSC00448.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244266208465651170" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In the end, Renault Formula 1 driver, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Fernando Alonso</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> won and I got to experience my first F1, baby!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_vjaUGgfpaDT4awU2vmCciUwYCLPSPC6yAnst9ul9frr2lM1-LZN6DRgHb95hDuMXFI8IG4imqfiL7hoH-M9xMEF-ivYLuryVZhv3GiFdvgXtiMHmgnYAPEE5r5qPHhYRVKbeK2Waeri/s1600-h/DSC00404.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_vjaUGgfpaDT4awU2vmCciUwYCLPSPC6yAnst9ul9frr2lM1-LZN6DRgHb95hDuMXFI8IG4imqfiL7hoH-M9xMEF-ivYLuryVZhv3GiFdvgXtiMHmgnYAPEE5r5qPHhYRVKbeK2Waeri/s200/DSC00404.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244268542702806194" border="0" /></a><br /></span></div></div>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-84764102335242830532008-09-09T20:23:00.001-07:002008-09-09T22:19:30.608-07:00China Part 1 : SHANGHAI<span style="font-size:85%;">Shanghai 2005<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;" class="floatleft"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Zh-Shanghai.svg" class="image" title=""Shanghai" written in Chinese"><img alt=""Shanghai" written in Chinese" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Zh-Shanghai.svg/60px-Zh-Shanghai.svg.png" border="0" height="120" width="60" /></a></span></span></div> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br />The two Chinese characters in the name "Shanghai", (上, shàng; and 海, hǎi) literally mean "up, on, or above" and "sea", respectively, evident of Shanghai's location next to the East China Sea.<br /><br />Shanghai is uber modern compared to Beijing. With its high rise buildings, shopping malls, and chic clubs, this city is for the modern individual who wants to work hard and party harder.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPjbH8JW6bN2OzyyqAGtiH-XB_dF9R2e6Ms5HaFr5CShtUb4O5H-jL_v6xLjAqapMNxqEBJHNqmj_xlQs0oTAwJS_D8PqqEHKFEYyyHMAf47G5fwAXFdckMX5DveMEGrQJFHMkr_eKyts/s1600-h/DSC00711.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPjbH8JW6bN2OzyyqAGtiH-XB_dF9R2e6Ms5HaFr5CShtUb4O5H-jL_v6xLjAqapMNxqEBJHNqmj_xlQs0oTAwJS_D8PqqEHKFEYyyHMAf47G5fwAXFdckMX5DveMEGrQJFHMkr_eKyts/s200/DSC00711.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244236693513269858" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Y5MiUa0tK1AcYoJjIfN8JLTZOphj1T5HHw0H7R4JDCqjAkuDna8XzmIXKwvuIX4-tJEkQtP9ryJzfwzEdJCPFWFw9inj2SPSgiJdR2D6SNub6XKfzvuBxeqhfVF6A1S6_1CrurnUb3eh/s1600-h/DSC00708.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Y5MiUa0tK1AcYoJjIfN8JLTZOphj1T5HHw0H7R4JDCqjAkuDna8XzmIXKwvuIX4-tJEkQtP9ryJzfwzEdJCPFWFw9inj2SPSgiJdR2D6SNub6XKfzvuBxeqhfVF6A1S6_1CrurnUb3eh/s200/DSC00708.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244236694566627906" border="0" /></a><br />(Overlooking the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >The Bund</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, Citigroup office lit up at night)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOe634FiiHf9kZ-tzD2aN5j1Mpyg2dIkbS1bgT3gmHYXSDmT4iRmP9xf0DKYYAropLQfEV_3751zwpnCYgGRcsOrJ2msJCbDzJWq0HGzh88JtyNQTlWADK97E4F-hqRJ0ugWSfYItzEJe/s1600-h/DSC00487.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOe634FiiHf9kZ-tzD2aN5j1Mpyg2dIkbS1bgT3gmHYXSDmT4iRmP9xf0DKYYAropLQfEV_3751zwpnCYgGRcsOrJ2msJCbDzJWq0HGzh88JtyNQTlWADK97E4F-hqRJ0ugWSfYItzEJe/s200/DSC00487.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244252565720777954" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lweDtcL0-27AUlQF9SUhyJ17wANKl5xbKiGlR8tMM8jX3sOL8PWVPOhdo8dzqNgr1_I8fGmyTnQxBZYOWqVvfKb6YvSAd_YZdZdH-qWBWCgbZbzTjjWdcfUTYlRhUz6DlvtqhZ89j8A3/s1600-h/Luna1.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lweDtcL0-27AUlQF9SUhyJ17wANKl5xbKiGlR8tMM8jX3sOL8PWVPOhdo8dzqNgr1_I8fGmyTnQxBZYOWqVvfKb6YvSAd_YZdZdH-qWBWCgbZbzTjjWdcfUTYlRhUz6DlvtqhZ89j8A3/s200/Luna1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244252575287950546" border="0" /></a><br />(Team dinner, Drinks at </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Xin Tian di</span><span style="font-size:85%;">)<br /><br />But ofcourse, just like any other city in China, it boasts of its historical roots and landmarks. Shanghai and China in general is a must on anyone's list of countries to see!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGcgEzid16NYz_rAsq9gJo10G622Fvuuvvqk8i4hM-DaG9V1O10n7yeQpdcH3aaxkHxC9eT55lWwdgYolOeBwP1D_KZtiGHDWjq155SHHdBtPsG1fBUJRhiulYOr9YlNg30f1WIhhd3V-g/s1600-h/DSC00343.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGcgEzid16NYz_rAsq9gJo10G622Fvuuvvqk8i4hM-DaG9V1O10n7yeQpdcH3aaxkHxC9eT55lWwdgYolOeBwP1D_KZtiGHDWjq155SHHdBtPsG1fBUJRhiulYOr9YlNg30f1WIhhd3V-g/s200/DSC00343.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244255173648337074" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGTLZTOMJzMWqTSw3NqqMKdBc8qIJkqBNWdKbX4NgSEN5ZV_wHtVvi01DpaPvJBhCFvRxPaz-2RggeIqXTm6w1fRByd0dRUV_5ntYFZnyhjS0zvE5zb6q23GLr7uNqSgQf-RyBAeRSIup/s1600-h/DSC00671.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGTLZTOMJzMWqTSw3NqqMKdBc8qIJkqBNWdKbX4NgSEN5ZV_wHtVvi01DpaPvJBhCFvRxPaz-2RggeIqXTm6w1fRByd0dRUV_5ntYFZnyhjS0zvE5zb6q23GLr7uNqSgQf-RyBAeRSIup/s200/DSC00671.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244255183890724818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxntb8oZSYQ0UMh1WjvZrXL1ImUki8JfDhaJQxMKjWjmRHUcwj-om3eVu4A8FvDnMr9tk9yu9HeAlmfgrDFq6s4PgNKvwitQ-Lz_45v05s2bSvSeXPX0Us_NSWmfPImfg5CATR9ojAOpN/s1600-h/DSC00665.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxntb8oZSYQ0UMh1WjvZrXL1ImUki8JfDhaJQxMKjWjmRHUcwj-om3eVu4A8FvDnMr9tk9yu9HeAlmfgrDFq6s4PgNKvwitQ-Lz_45v05s2bSvSeXPX0Us_NSWmfPImfg5CATR9ojAOpN/s200/DSC00665.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244255178816602066" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eZA0ant962AfzjnQ6YowbRuRNej_ERAw9jNi6PuMZNMhP_Ap3dlbB_d5bH478-mycfkb4QHtTv5VysSVHkL05TY7osAepeKT5vLtU4HDGeeUqI3gaSuqgTQUIfcYt7SNkC9jKQFbt4zx/s1600-h/DSC00680.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eZA0ant962AfzjnQ6YowbRuRNej_ERAw9jNi6PuMZNMhP_Ap3dlbB_d5bH478-mycfkb4QHtTv5VysSVHkL05TY7osAepeKT5vLtU4HDGeeUqI3gaSuqgTQUIfcYt7SNkC9jKQFbt4zx/s200/DSC00680.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244255185467602978" border="0" /></a><br /></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-22481915876028627722008-09-08T18:41:00.000-07:002008-09-09T19:24:16.538-07:00Chennai at The Park<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Chennai (Formerly Madras) 2004-2007<br /><br />Presenting the wonderful people I was with during trips to India!<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cSUV8_kwBRfaM0Wn71q5HO_PQ6qcp4aSPVNCGYkqqhyW92Ynf-mB8DlNfCVfDpqQPPEu3NQpnKLADx71oI6XgGCrptPdbbkOJqJQ88KteXVc6PKqt-6UETaP6frDyJUuuslAoYrc-QDd/s1600-h/IMG_0624.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cSUV8_kwBRfaM0Wn71q5HO_PQ6qcp4aSPVNCGYkqqhyW92Ynf-mB8DlNfCVfDpqQPPEu3NQpnKLADx71oI6XgGCrptPdbbkOJqJQ88KteXVc6PKqt-6UETaP6frDyJUuuslAoYrc-QDd/s200/IMG_0624.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243884344591905362" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">PATRICIA HONRADE</span> now known as Patricia SHANKS! She met her British husband, Nick Shanks, during her trips to INDIA!<br /></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RkJ7sJbOgYtUpcwFpNBkbT_cQHfHAglfQUZajowHvGnBgqmSN8MGCXtlwRkuNIkCjFgwAhzeF3bx0BOhLAGcT7rbSUbaNlteVO5Sqr9WwArfQ6F86WvP0xIthGRR729ipIFMMtpCJsPQ/s1600-h/IMG_0625.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9RkJ7sJbOgYtUpcwFpNBkbT_cQHfHAglfQUZajowHvGnBgqmSN8MGCXtlwRkuNIkCjFgwAhzeF3bx0BOhLAGcT7rbSUbaNlteVO5Sqr9WwArfQ6F86WvP0xIthGRR729ipIFMMtpCJsPQ/s200/IMG_0625.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243884347425405778" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">ANN TAN</span> ... soon to be... MRS.?? hehe!<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXrbarmD6lJni37qi2xs4DEeqS3wpG5kHOZOAch1eTAmCg0FvP99CqR8pl8-TYNJTXzzDGmRt5URQgkewZVdOU0FyLOJRuIqOvCqHqJamqHGepP6Jdi73SF2ZJJfvp2r5IzPIQn7n6f87p/s1600-h/DSC02125.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXrbarmD6lJni37qi2xs4DEeqS3wpG5kHOZOAch1eTAmCg0FvP99CqR8pl8-TYNJTXzzDGmRt5URQgkewZVdOU0FyLOJRuIqOvCqHqJamqHGepP6Jdi73SF2ZJJfvp2r5IzPIQn7n6f87p/s200/DSC02125.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243833426084002930" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Medalla</span>. Now a happy husband and father.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Philip Pichay.</span> Couldnt find a picture with Phil at Chennai! Now, also a happy husband and father.<br /><br />WOW, during my short 4 year stint in Citibank, a lot of us tied the knot and/or became a parent! THANK YOU CITI! haha!<br /><br />The Park hotel was like my second home for 1-2 years. It was formerly a Bollywood studio so there were cool posters all over the hotel.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNeeZiEe-5ZFhH3cflQFXlq33d5Fm5WNKOsRgIZ3cTvQvQstRzdhvfmS6FU8FzvmDI3-oA-bgT2gM7tsccQsPFwCgaDKdAFn2VcbqjZG_k_JG5i2y62dJ8246i8o0CVGhAx38OyCiSwNO/s1600-h/DSC02126.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNeeZiEe-5ZFhH3cflQFXlq33d5Fm5WNKOsRgIZ3cTvQvQstRzdhvfmS6FU8FzvmDI3-oA-bgT2gM7tsccQsPFwCgaDKdAFn2VcbqjZG_k_JG5i2y62dJ8246i8o0CVGhAx38OyCiSwNO/s200/DSC02126.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243833430296195922" border="0" /></a> </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjONz6znKnjTQvZCyP1w8evp43wFHDquwPhHEbuaxSxeTROmecckyMBtaoIBZhnFDlQEm9eElDdoA26Gq8Y_v2ewXV0dR98W4yldZNP84Mrqj6t4v9fqluM8M_jwpjJQ5ND3V-L6p3xF5/s1600-h/DSC02141.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjONz6znKnjTQvZCyP1w8evp43wFHDquwPhHEbuaxSxeTROmecckyMBtaoIBZhnFDlQEm9eElDdoA26Gq8Y_v2ewXV0dR98W4yldZNP84Mrqj6t4v9fqluM8M_jwpjJQ5ND3V-L6p3xF5/s200/DSC02141.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243833432148291426" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><b>Chennai</b> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_language" title="Tamil language">Tamil</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">: </span><a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%88" class="extiw" title="wikt:சென்னை">சென்னை</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> formerly </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_renaming_controversy" title="Indian renaming controversy" class="mw-redirect">known as</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="unicode audiolink"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e0/Madras.ogg" class="internal" title="Madras.ogg"><b>Madras</b></a></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="metadata audiolinkinfo">)</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, is the fourth largest metropolitan area of India and the capital city of the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India" title="India">Indian</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_India" title="States and territories of India">state</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Nadu" title="Tamil Nadu">Tamil Nadu</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">. Located on the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coromandel_Coast" title="Coromandel Coast">Coromandel Coast</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Bengal" title="Bay of Bengal">Bay of Bengal</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, Chennai has a population of 4.2 million.</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjH57nBiyUFXhXA2rDAlozggLIYzE51edOxfqalcEeWiy7mhDMDFiEbBiV43AyiHBpsLvC2aT5hv-G-a2Lu8czAa9d3MlbriQLnCiRXCx7YKT5R3mnYYDOPJq-_wccF_YLEZNocyTKAPFm/s1600-h/DSC02130.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjH57nBiyUFXhXA2rDAlozggLIYzE51edOxfqalcEeWiy7mhDMDFiEbBiV43AyiHBpsLvC2aT5hv-G-a2Lu8czAa9d3MlbriQLnCiRXCx7YKT5R3mnYYDOPJq-_wccF_YLEZNocyTKAPFm/s200/DSC02130.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243833430050597346" border="0" /></a> </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyUofgLyuPy09seKGUmNXc54t4m_OqBeyHFnVqcOeyTGAMfhQ9qVMHZ3rqpsY4efYQAJsSylz53_qMQ5K_1gN80yar3vjOcEo0ewC2PuKXVn-OwAQyViU9gPg9WJxd2H43buysZ8RSfp5/s1600-h/DSC02170.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyUofgLyuPy09seKGUmNXc54t4m_OqBeyHFnVqcOeyTGAMfhQ9qVMHZ3rqpsY4efYQAJsSylz53_qMQ5K_1gN80yar3vjOcEo0ewC2PuKXVn-OwAQyViU9gPg9WJxd2H43buysZ8RSfp5/s200/DSC02170.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243839089238112882" border="0" /></a> </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-AChJzO8E2TrmxMsqHImKbQcljeCJTbqffkfiKXVUqLR92NwPv4kaG7CZDL4Ti0I95Njk3qUchsCbGbPrhiVJA986ZGKXlsqduJiwP9Tn4dfHw11cczmDYuqtKXMBNMH7foD9vfwjv9U/s1600-h/DSC02155.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-AChJzO8E2TrmxMsqHImKbQcljeCJTbqffkfiKXVUqLR92NwPv4kaG7CZDL4Ti0I95Njk3qUchsCbGbPrhiVJA986ZGKXlsqduJiwP9Tn4dfHw11cczmDYuqtKXMBNMH7foD9vfwjv9U/s200/DSC02155.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243834550783580866" border="0" /></a></span></div></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-12360158772782129062007-12-03T03:24:00.001-08:002008-06-27T06:31:41.768-07:00My 1st Taste of India<span style="font-style: italic; font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" >Mumbai (formerly called Bombay) 2004</span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfqW_14sXDESKRg5rm2_i0DBUKpm_oSJTD2z00RV090qE7NCGWvhSxvgjmhSeDyXSn1l9JV2w7aDvke4HAK46vIri0wRkFxQhyphenhyphenb1MasOmsIgy-R-F15xIngag-v64bOJunqsB66keOLjP/s1600-h/DSC00503.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfqW_14sXDESKRg5rm2_i0DBUKpm_oSJTD2z00RV090qE7NCGWvhSxvgjmhSeDyXSn1l9JV2w7aDvke4HAK46vIri0wRkFxQhyphenhyphenb1MasOmsIgy-R-F15xIngag-v64bOJunqsB66keOLjP/s200/DSC00503.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142660355426536482" border="0" /></a><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Its nice to visit a place where body art is part of their culture.<br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DsiIIlN8UdZkKDgaN8MLMHgJ-UQdcUOZFVFXcgVhvRTCgHaxXS-ty69usdkfSNUOwFjoa6wVqn8IPaC06i-zD8iNJyAZmAaUXhMHDnp-E55v5mQYFgzk78q6Yozc2R0hwTR9Is57Mhme/s1600-h/DSC00520.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DsiIIlN8UdZkKDgaN8MLMHgJ-UQdcUOZFVFXcgVhvRTCgHaxXS-ty69usdkfSNUOwFjoa6wVqn8IPaC06i-zD8iNJyAZmAaUXhMHDnp-E55v5mQYFgzk78q6Yozc2R0hwTR9Is57Mhme/s200/DSC00520.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142660351131569154" border="0" /></a><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Its nice to meet people from different cities in India..in one room.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrwMsFpMRrAK_FBVWh7tBCZY53epTKVWAFohG2TOiTOvqjfoM-QRoFU_KaYAnRiiD7NrketHM75OHUU3PJJ38MqXTiusfDV0-ULsX17Rd_vpjaDx9fIcaROeVZW4BepogVEc8yQq5jAL3/s1600-h/DSC00504.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrwMsFpMRrAK_FBVWh7tBCZY53epTKVWAFohG2TOiTOvqjfoM-QRoFU_KaYAnRiiD7NrketHM75OHUU3PJJ38MqXTiusfDV0-ULsX17Rd_vpjaDx9fIcaROeVZW4BepogVEc8yQq5jAL3/s200/DSC00504.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142660355426536498" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPD_pzkRFoRNXHtV86p3HppFPrcLCbcCt0uMY4GKLwRfbUyu3if40Bg6D_NbYposm0deRU9UHJ9vxVC2uDQcWz8v3o938tYlLrcW2XQAI3Gw4l0YarD-_jVp9oA8LDpTV_XKHuITpxCNcu/s1600-h/DSC00508.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPD_pzkRFoRNXHtV86p3HppFPrcLCbcCt0uMY4GKLwRfbUyu3if40Bg6D_NbYposm0deRU9UHJ9vxVC2uDQcWz8v3o938tYlLrcW2XQAI3Gw4l0YarD-_jVp9oA8LDpTV_XKHuITpxCNcu/s200/DSC00508.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142660355426536514" border="0" /></a><br />Its nice to experience my first Sheisha in India!<br /></span></div>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-27268668378981777902007-11-19T23:58:00.000-08:002007-12-03T03:22:24.392-08:00Eyes opened to Islam<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0hzfbasn491EvNtEAREZcVyEY0KKe5YoqL1FDBgaEsJp3TJf_RlI9O69fCWYa6BoNDLgL_-ZkRErNaJmVKtUGBi3EGfuqwNGlka8OpLR9n-MXVUHU9QbhuxWk_nEx3Yucm5G8dIkfTq-/s1600-r/DWF15-995814.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxCjX3hUftnmQAlyQPvuShaX7aW6per6QAoGCRI8rvpbBDjH7bv79wkAJqGvyXMvsRUlDe5De3yPdI0zGmLvAodVWLhtYE7kLdnFGgTpOogGshXrSsJr1Hu1zqb1SMUrcgEIZABxvt8Zl/s200/DWF15-995814.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139367962346441714" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;">(Picture taken from google.com)<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;">I had to go to Indonesia for work but only for a few days. I dont have pictures and I dont even remember what year I went ... but since this blog aims to document all my travels, I might as well write about it.<br /><br />I went to Indonesia with my then boss Joseph Avendano and my mom, who wanted to buy wooden furnitures in Jakarta.<br /><br />Here are a few things that I observed..<br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Muslim women strictly covered their hair and wore conservative clothes<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">The establishments that I went to (malls, parking lots, offices) all have prayer rooms so they can perform their </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >salat</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> or daily prayers.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">All bathrooms have an area to wash your feet because when doing </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >salat</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, it<em> </em>must always be preceded by ablutions (<em>wudu'</em>) of ritually washing the face, hands, and feet.</span></li></ul><span style="font-size:85%;">I know this may cause a debate, but nowadays, I don't see the same dedication in Catholicism in the Philippines.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> This was the first time for me to visit a Muslim country, and it was nice to see firsthand the loyal and peaceful followers of Islam. Kudos.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-31313818020023952652007-11-19T05:15:00.000-08:002007-11-21T17:27:45.195-08:00I heart NY<span style="font-size:85%;">December 2004<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsXkPg5-9eRfL1xgUvsxzo8Sjyah3dZYRyY0cfGelYSchTRS6h6WcoFzgy5mhFpklhzZZU_LbXg_-HKmkHqViproqR9hkt2s9dpMmUbFh_y6H9TftoTAmJgCn4LwxyNT0qOA5FDsgS8oA/s1600-h/DSC00994.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsXkPg5-9eRfL1xgUvsxzo8Sjyah3dZYRyY0cfGelYSchTRS6h6WcoFzgy5mhFpklhzZZU_LbXg_-HKmkHqViproqR9hkt2s9dpMmUbFh_y6H9TftoTAmJgCn4LwxyNT0qOA5FDsgS8oA/s200/DSC00994.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134546223277576146" border="0" /></a><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />While I was in Toronto, I decided to visit my Tita in New York for a few days ... which equals to free lodging! =) I was chatting with Lia when she told me that some of our college batchmates from De La Salle University migrated to New York. I immediately got in touch with them ...and voila!! .. another unexpectedly fun NY trip.<br /><br />Thanks to </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >ANGEL</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >ET</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >DEBBIE</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> for taking me out. I had loads of fun! =)<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1S_Bsfn-_vEPie2rSMKcAxV9PiKn9Ctmvau-TsoxbtLaEQiuQHtQjk2-2CspVh0LC0xjMMb0LVdWwLCMS5Hs-jLzCQ47KSCoUXrqCjpSjuVWIrhP5VdNZLH0RiRU1-SRzNtSj51-9rTTz/s1600-h/DSC01018.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1S_Bsfn-_vEPie2rSMKcAxV9PiKn9Ctmvau-TsoxbtLaEQiuQHtQjk2-2CspVh0LC0xjMMb0LVdWwLCMS5Hs-jLzCQ47KSCoUXrqCjpSjuVWIrhP5VdNZLH0RiRU1-SRzNtSj51-9rTTz/s200/DSC01018.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134546803098161234" border="0" /></a><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(At a Mexican Restaurant L-R Me, Debbie, ET, and Angel)<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">They took me to the ever famous Serendipity 3 .... and check out our big ass banana split!<br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCA2tzRApQVLy44xHNlP7Qh2M3d1XSa3k7TL2TaPo-CAhUx_9MKMYqVDQa-JYHjG09aQ0ctCpSHW5EHKOS6jxNXO7FVVmxC5JHUCWzpVqUhbA_xpWlXY4y1LotlyaVt6yk0TqTBQ2m1cOe/s1600-h/DSC01010.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCA2tzRApQVLy44xHNlP7Qh2M3d1XSa3k7TL2TaPo-CAhUx_9MKMYqVDQa-JYHjG09aQ0ctCpSHW5EHKOS6jxNXO7FVVmxC5JHUCWzpVqUhbA_xpWlXY4y1LotlyaVt6yk0TqTBQ2m1cOe/s200/DSC01010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134546249047379986" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepjjUC5XfEOBpGP0j7CMYGn7SMh_YuGhpsYgedOn2cB8bB7iP0ty_Ol8Imx35f30_I0sGWLbkgTxeE3cqC0oKgIf7wFfgMgw4rw9FcJJdux3hQwXCNZMQ4ug6m9wBDAQK4xccDUYGQ_OE/s1600-h/DSC01003.jpg"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepjjUC5XfEOBpGP0j7CMYGn7SMh_YuGhpsYgedOn2cB8bB7iP0ty_Ol8Imx35f30_I0sGWLbkgTxeE3cqC0oKgIf7wFfgMgw4rw9FcJJdux3hQwXCNZMQ4ug6m9wBDAQK4xccDUYGQ_OE/s1600-h/DSC01003.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepjjUC5XfEOBpGP0j7CMYGn7SMh_YuGhpsYgedOn2cB8bB7iP0ty_Ol8Imx35f30_I0sGWLbkgTxeE3cqC0oKgIf7wFfgMgw4rw9FcJJdux3hQwXCNZMQ4ug6m9wBDAQK4xccDUYGQ_OE/s200/DSC01003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134546781623324706" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepjjUC5XfEOBpGP0j7CMYGn7SMh_YuGhpsYgedOn2cB8bB7iP0ty_Ol8Imx35f30_I0sGWLbkgTxeE3cqC0oKgIf7wFfgMgw4rw9FcJJdux3hQwXCNZMQ4ug6m9wBDAQK4xccDUYGQ_OE/s1600-h/DSC01003.jpg"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAnRrCxIC4hE2EASodGYiOjCnAYU-X4RghaZTgJCKUIx-9Hw3Y_VuwcAP89vXOlI267LeQkE6aRGmUaAGLW-KJwnby7BBqTZHdmJVQS6jt_Eu2YbQQG-U2lS-WUdw4kSVOLSwKAnuvHeV/s1600-h/DSC01021.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAnRrCxIC4hE2EASodGYiOjCnAYU-X4RghaZTgJCKUIx-9Hw3Y_VuwcAP89vXOlI267LeQkE6aRGmUaAGLW-KJwnby7BBqTZHdmJVQS6jt_Eu2YbQQG-U2lS-WUdw4kSVOLSwKAnuvHeV/s200/DSC01021.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134546790213259314" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCA2tzRApQVLy44xHNlP7Qh2M3d1XSa3k7TL2TaPo-CAhUx_9MKMYqVDQa-JYHjG09aQ0ctCpSHW5EHKOS6jxNXO7FVVmxC5JHUCWzpVqUhbA_xpWlXY4y1LotlyaVt6yk0TqTBQ2m1cOe/s1600-h/DSC01010.jpg"> </a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br />4 women in New York City..I felt like we were in a scene of my favorite show! Till the next time we see each other again =)<br /></span></div>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-7937676074927669012007-11-13T22:02:00.000-08:002007-12-04T05:19:47.610-08:00New Years at Toronto<span style="font-size:85%;">December 2004<br /><br />Right after Christmas of 2004, I went to Toronto to spend the New Years.<br /><br />This was my FIRST TIME to experience winter. It was extremely cold, the temperature would fluctuate anywhere from -10 Celsius (14 Farenheit) to -20 C (-4 F). I remember there was even a snow storm and I was told people would wear hard core snow climbing gear just to avoid getting frostbite. YIKES.<br /><br />Luckily, I visited my Tita Sandra in New York for a few days and missed the snow storm. PHEW! (I will write about my short NY Trip after this post!)<br /><br />I was very happy to meet new friends ... most especially <span style="font-weight: bold;">PAM</span>, whom I still keep in touch with. I was also glad to see <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chad Diaz</span>, an old college barkada who currently lives in Canada, and Cholo, a very good friend of Ivan who is another college buddy of mine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzPipPmFSSAbGEnXmPnc2E8uPWar6lZtGbADSI_ukxsdqzLl3b1bPGuXOYwLy39SpAhOkDG9R6IXj0tUPKS6aXBpoyHWvaAtVcrTXXqQjjRcKbLw6fqhbbmuCFGM9yDfdhWvuYbEdv73fy/s1600-h/DSC00965.jpg"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhu875Ss9Us160IrTfa29jArn-A3ZA-mW2aqcGQUlTYdj51NQshIpmdClZ__8M7yuqwwJfGJqe_4Yeflmq5D6U1ooqwQl_cdKp8JGux2qA_wk-5jIxkwpJO9BQPzsQDnB20K3VG9-tQIy/s1600-h/DSC01024.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhu875Ss9Us160IrTfa29jArn-A3ZA-mW2aqcGQUlTYdj51NQshIpmdClZ__8M7yuqwwJfGJqe_4Yeflmq5D6U1ooqwQl_cdKp8JGux2qA_wk-5jIxkwpJO9BQPzsQDnB20K3VG9-tQIy/s200/DSC01024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132573337051078130" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRKAc6DNgliW0mjtclw9EeaW7Ah_1S57YPGvHuLsSA9RRBa8aDCtybkxVcLoINJxOPyPq8Nm2ylrkpcg9Z-17CbHB05SaNtfOdykk0t-LKvD54fUjw169ah2tatNHdBEjCQdwp4afoxnW/s1600-h/DSC01026.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRKAc6DNgliW0mjtclw9EeaW7Ah_1S57YPGvHuLsSA9RRBa8aDCtybkxVcLoINJxOPyPq8Nm2ylrkpcg9Z-17CbHB05SaNtfOdykk0t-LKvD54fUjw169ah2tatNHdBEjCQdwp4afoxnW/s200/DSC01026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132578495306800658" border="0" /></a><br /><br />From Toronto, we drove to the Niagara Falls ... and it was even colder at the site! Everything was turning into one big ice cube. Niagara Falls is located at the border that separates Canada and the U.S.. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhAp8AVlelI4cC3FC6hZruU1EORhmY1ZUqQnbJVm_tGksV6pMKBNZqLZRKPPxaXZnc1eY0PLlVGADsS57HBh_pX8-Kbm8tlBJ00fMLGhcHrC3nsgQggn0RyCAAacLzsFiK2af1flC72TY/s1600-h/DSC00954.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhAp8AVlelI4cC3FC6hZruU1EORhmY1ZUqQnbJVm_tGksV6pMKBNZqLZRKPPxaXZnc1eY0PLlVGADsS57HBh_pX8-Kbm8tlBJ00fMLGhcHrC3nsgQggn0RyCAAacLzsFiK2af1flC72TY/s200/DSC00954.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132573332756110786" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-kqtV4a1JSQ4ufAGRBEs7Ys8-aeaL5b7mOa7DG_Woa0LGe48LUPeVRtNSS5rfhbVmhNfiUSa-DTiPBnJZbLYwmmKHBsPMg5-KKAoK-Qqp3EC-tbrvKqcG3xjIdB8P3KByq8pC5uF2k00/s1600-h/DSC00953.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-kqtV4a1JSQ4ufAGRBEs7Ys8-aeaL5b7mOa7DG_Woa0LGe48LUPeVRtNSS5rfhbVmhNfiUSa-DTiPBnJZbLYwmmKHBsPMg5-KKAoK-Qqp3EC-tbrvKqcG3xjIdB8P3KByq8pC5uF2k00/s200/DSC00953.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132573337051078098" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It was generally too cold for my taste... but at least I was able to try my first winter sport - snowboarding! It was fun but I didn't know how to break so I would just fall on my butt to stop. And the result was.... a painful ass the next day! Oh, btw, thanks PAM for lending me that gorgeous blue snowboarding suit! =)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenRjEacfXGNCp9PhQ2xt9dKMAsK27otDU9MArCOtsF4_S8SRenBYYpUxcCcHkMVfhxZsElbTq0S0xTsPef6gtLG0aaN7fB_rjvLa-jGL2t4AnKNnOiuwdWhI2O_Ur-1wvFqWMuLchNUUu/s1600-h/IMG_1527.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenRjEacfXGNCp9PhQ2xt9dKMAsK27otDU9MArCOtsF4_S8SRenBYYpUxcCcHkMVfhxZsElbTq0S0xTsPef6gtLG0aaN7fB_rjvLa-jGL2t4AnKNnOiuwdWhI2O_Ur-1wvFqWMuLchNUUu/s200/IMG_1527.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132573341346045442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenRjEacfXGNCp9PhQ2xt9dKMAsK27otDU9MArCOtsF4_S8SRenBYYpUxcCcHkMVfhxZsElbTq0S0xTsPef6gtLG0aaN7fB_rjvLa-jGL2t4AnKNnOiuwdWhI2O_Ur-1wvFqWMuLchNUUu/s1600-h/IMG_1527.jpg"><br /></a></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-60624921001175235602007-11-13T01:38:00.000-08:002007-11-13T21:53:22.090-08:00My 1st Taste of China<span style="font-size:85%;">Beijing, China 2004<br /><br />My first taste of China was marvelous.... and has no connection to the picture below. But in China, they eat bugs as snacks and I found this yummy meal at a wet market.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMPyOHnn6SPWxfeCfHRVU53_Xw2yxjVNC2yj-o0aFRQEyZcZW80YoCNtZIAjjyppCzzSndtSlKjm7kLxEEcEUdIikBZMI4lzRkxbFNRrZN5eDDuy_JHNz4nR5tNPKhHWPlOvEVBuSZ_19/s1600-h/IMG_0247.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMPyOHnn6SPWxfeCfHRVU53_Xw2yxjVNC2yj-o0aFRQEyZcZW80YoCNtZIAjjyppCzzSndtSlKjm7kLxEEcEUdIikBZMI4lzRkxbFNRrZN5eDDuy_JHNz4nR5tNPKhHWPlOvEVBuSZ_19/s200/IMG_0247.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132262946361236674" border="0" /></a><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />The wet market I went to was close to our hotel. I joined my dad on his business trip to Beijing for a few days ... thanks Dad for letting me tag along!<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEWhn99EEGvegPIlyIy5gcIq7UBCkeTPYRQ92e2bEizmP8zqf5_2dGyUgprdbmgIQ5jsLk1YhcOS6xxRgH836Xc-53Ubz4-i2097QyFJ06Pdn1IgBoDuuDSbuXVy2CMJlsCVn8iERbb3b/s1600-h/IMG_0251.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEWhn99EEGvegPIlyIy5gcIq7UBCkeTPYRQ92e2bEizmP8zqf5_2dGyUgprdbmgIQ5jsLk1YhcOS6xxRgH836Xc-53Ubz4-i2097QyFJ06Pdn1IgBoDuuDSbuXVy2CMJlsCVn8iERbb3b/s200/IMG_0251.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132262950656203986" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtofxufw4datsp0mZ2_NISc-sK7y0tV2aJDikl-_3ON_EJN3JoR_yxNKXA4lWcuyg_C6b802Bg8jhhFe1TAoJ2h_fUCDN1UjSzdgTGmifcWch2l4mpjBQOAPJOrheuCCoAyxy5OaQPg0Yj/s1600-h/IMG_0253.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtofxufw4datsp0mZ2_NISc-sK7y0tV2aJDikl-_3ON_EJN3JoR_yxNKXA4lWcuyg_C6b802Bg8jhhFe1TAoJ2h_fUCDN1UjSzdgTGmifcWch2l4mpjBQOAPJOrheuCCoAyxy5OaQPg0Yj/s200/IMG_0253.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132262959246138594" border="0" /></a><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />We were also walking distance to the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square</span>.<br /><br />The <span style="font-weight: bold;">Forbidden City</span> was home to the emperors of China.. including their wives and concubines. </span><span style="font-size:85%;">The Forbidden City is the world's largest surviving palace complex and covers 72 hectares. It consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGplP5KhIAQ5a9_c_iGtnbxis4_nvi-fuSPlZFF6YpiaSBFbASCJClY9VJEIVpUyD2qgnC5f3SIyfehvP-CXDhZ54qI0hal9aa8sqUD7wWvHnoMHEIQvEtTPXXppM7ZE2K9x735c2h6H1/s1600-h/IMG_0261.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGplP5KhIAQ5a9_c_iGtnbxis4_nvi-fuSPlZFF6YpiaSBFbASCJClY9VJEIVpUyD2qgnC5f3SIyfehvP-CXDhZ54qI0hal9aa8sqUD7wWvHnoMHEIQvEtTPXXppM7ZE2K9x735c2h6H1/s200/IMG_0261.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132262967836073202" border="0" /></a><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />The <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tiananmen Square</span> is widely known for the 1989 protests also knows as the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tianenmen Square Massacre. </span>The series of demonstrations led by activists, students, and intellectuals against the goverment resulted in a military crackdown which left many dead. (Famous Photo below right entitled "The Unknown Rebel" taken from wikipedia.org)<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ioLQmZmgt7LkxEc_g0U5KAV8Jtb12Q9yJWfZQxt1ojEK5VVIIBhLmaZyoSnAkx8zQ1hyphenhyphenfBUiEtkvkPQyzR6HL1NsrbHaCqlruDjZZ9KHGLCc7-czFI05_LXNd6Eo9kEzDypedQsIIIC5/s1600-h/IMG_0262.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ioLQmZmgt7LkxEc_g0U5KAV8Jtb12Q9yJWfZQxt1ojEK5VVIIBhLmaZyoSnAkx8zQ1hyphenhyphenfBUiEtkvkPQyzR6HL1NsrbHaCqlruDjZZ9KHGLCc7-czFI05_LXNd6Eo9kEzDypedQsIIIC5/s200/IMG_0262.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132262967836073218" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8O4Yykxk4ZV8KBJOewK1hdOec3EeBtC1YFjOFIqVrcoxyv4OviVpGxLb5GNzmtS7FAux66e31PjKMozDwIeB6jWXjuyUuWt_adQtgYNxD7Fs46BwJdLwVarsvkiH4eRQkO1LlM33v6KW/s1600-h/Tianasquare.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8O4Yykxk4ZV8KBJOewK1hdOec3EeBtC1YFjOFIqVrcoxyv4OviVpGxLb5GNzmtS7FAux66e31PjKMozDwIeB6jWXjuyUuWt_adQtgYNxD7Fs46BwJdLwVarsvkiH4eRQkO1LlM33v6KW/s200/Tianasquare.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132277897142394178" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The <span style="font-weight: bold;">Great Wall </span>is the world's longest human-made structure, stretching over approximately 6,700 km (4,160 miles) in total. It is also the largest human-made structure ever built in terms of surface area and mass. At its peak the Ming Wall was guarded by more than one million men.It has been estimated that somewhere in the range of 2 to 3 million Chinese died as part of the centuries-long project of building the wall.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRhsU17VezrLllJSne7zcx8iIrljiQYca1mA57prePxWMkWg8yayrhca6i9mrfUMTAcn_fkQQxxjE7rKpycwcAP1Ues00jhw9rPoFi5gTLErubvtjbU5oHYjWpV39rE5WMgaEX87SRB7o/s1600-h/IMG_0318.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRhsU17VezrLllJSne7zcx8iIrljiQYca1mA57prePxWMkWg8yayrhca6i9mrfUMTAcn_fkQQxxjE7rKpycwcAP1Ues00jhw9rPoFi5gTLErubvtjbU5oHYjWpV39rE5WMgaEX87SRB7o/s200/IMG_0318.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132263229829078306" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98-MZpV0rC-TWn2uZXxX66cVeHSRLuDoScBPGSJUg2Rlna_UYGrV3lNKyb-RFoTTqyKoPJd4_eTiv4HF0UXUYQpY1qlLMJhXP7F4WILqn3Gi66RT6cZrZrYlFT1CUpJkk0CCT2XEEZRKs/s1600-h/IMG_0308.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98-MZpV0rC-TWn2uZXxX66cVeHSRLuDoScBPGSJUg2Rlna_UYGrV3lNKyb-RFoTTqyKoPJd4_eTiv4HF0UXUYQpY1qlLMJhXP7F4WILqn3Gi66RT6cZrZrYlFT1CUpJkk0CCT2XEEZRKs/s200/IMG_0308.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132263204059274514" border="0" /></a></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GREAT WALL MYTH BUSTED!!!!</span><br /><br />Ripley's Believe It or Not! cartoon from May 1932 explains the fact that the wall is "the mightiest work of man, the only one that would be visible to the human eye from the moon" and Richard Halliburton's 1938 book Second Book of Marvels makes a similar claim, but it is not true. This belief has persisted, assuming urban legend status, sometimes even entering school textbooks. Arthur Waldron, author of The Great Wall of China: From History to Myth, has speculated that the belief might go back to the fascination with the "canals" once believed to exist on Mars. (The logic was simple: If people on Earth can see Mars's canals, the Martians might be able to see the Great Wall.)<br /><br />* some text taken from wikipedia.org<br /></span></div></div>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-7760045082082416342007-11-08T21:36:00.000-08:002008-09-08T21:15:55.730-07:00Daytrip to Macau with Pawie and Mark<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>From Hong Kong, we decided to do a daytrip to Macau.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfIrFjWheldfTeWkdsOH47DvAyUNRS9gXZCdV7Yi9ZhbHiPJKZ3IQu2isbJdBXsEEsJz2jAdLyMIdWfkpSu4Kbq_nE7PBRorSpPUXkSsuJzsEACE7OKJiHxVWNCIqh1ov3Bo3eMN2Vp1m/s1600-h/hkDSC01157.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfIrFjWheldfTeWkdsOH47DvAyUNRS9gXZCdV7Yi9ZhbHiPJKZ3IQu2isbJdBXsEEsJz2jAdLyMIdWfkpSu4Kbq_nE7PBRorSpPUXkSsuJzsEACE7OKJiHxVWNCIqh1ov3Bo3eMN2Vp1m/s200/hkDSC01157.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132164711869242418" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzp-xQFKmenP8td2HbmEobUNG5IVsyvCxhTgdSI5aaFzAWJUDQ4i1mPA37NoodKHB-VN5Spqg96vy56kE0OEL_-zYTHEwpt7ZfAu53E3LXLyAraEzBBvjCOuT4D5e248YmqGf8M-bzv6z/s1600-h/DSC01155.JPG"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzp-xQFKmenP8td2HbmEobUNG5IVsyvCxhTgdSI5aaFzAWJUDQ4i1mPA37NoodKHB-VN5Spqg96vy56kE0OEL_-zYTHEwpt7ZfAu53E3LXLyAraEzBBvjCOuT4D5e248YmqGf8M-bzv6z/s200/DSC01155.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132167482123148450" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Me, Mark Soriano, Pawie Achacoso) (Pawie and "his friend" at a bus in Macau)</span><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, shortened to<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Macau or Macao</span>, is a small territory on the southern coast of China. It is 70 km southwest of Hong Kong and 145 km from Guangzhou. </span></div></div> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJxdvxLGcfQFx6PRdm5J5EZ8HN91_BfEjQwy5fT3o-0I-ttiBkeqOuSi1gg9ryvq-7iPmnpte-i0D1KqyDucTqw457ZDcpWFzoM-yyjoa-EH6290LV5Yxl0YLQjRRint_TZkUmcVHFD9I/s1600-h/DSC01140.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJxdvxLGcfQFx6PRdm5J5EZ8HN91_BfEjQwy5fT3o-0I-ttiBkeqOuSi1gg9ryvq-7iPmnpte-i0D1KqyDucTqw457ZDcpWFzoM-yyjoa-EH6290LV5Yxl0YLQjRRint_TZkUmcVHFD9I/s200/DSC01140.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132167452058377346" border="0" /> </a></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJxdvxLGcfQFx6PRdm5J5EZ8HN91_BfEjQwy5fT3o-0I-ttiBkeqOuSi1gg9ryvq-7iPmnpte-i0D1KqyDucTqw457ZDcpWFzoM-yyjoa-EH6290LV5Yxl0YLQjRRint_TZkUmcVHFD9I/s1600-h/DSC01140.JPG"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWo_ngXNyJJlNLJCTORbfb7bAzpTRjLfu0rrgAFHaac5T3k2dyZtvrJl_yB5AumSu7w8VbNAqy4rxfmrNfKhOtSiNeZE6qqqMrQFqpGOuEBEREVyXFfk_4-pQkLloLbgyTVAEkRtEP2x2/s1600-h/IMG_0151.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWo_ngXNyJJlNLJCTORbfb7bAzpTRjLfu0rrgAFHaac5T3k2dyZtvrJl_yB5AumSu7w8VbNAqy4rxfmrNfKhOtSiNeZE6qqqMrQFqpGOuEBEREVyXFfk_4-pQkLloLbgyTVAEkRtEP2x2/s200/IMG_0151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132167495008050354" border="0" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The city was the oldest European colony in China, dating back to the 16th century. The Portuguese government transferred sovereignty over Macau to the People's Republic of China in 1999 and is now run as a Special Administrative Region of the PRC. Residents of Macau mostly speak Cantonese natively.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpe4FRkFNg0Y_mby5xCSh2Mcf_Fb38vP8RsIBknxtl3nc2mB4jSL5J8l5wqeOxYBANzEUVtQD6Y6L91MsFBaHgehJ6oZdRIYy0UuSmbpxvl9sWxzo2nI8ONeWMksjtKdn-DjG0eMXpodAM/s1600-h/DSC01153.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpe4FRkFNg0Y_mby5xCSh2Mcf_Fb38vP8RsIBknxtl3nc2mB4jSL5J8l5wqeOxYBANzEUVtQD6Y6L91MsFBaHgehJ6oZdRIYy0UuSmbpxvl9sWxzo2nI8ONeWMksjtKdn-DjG0eMXpodAM/s200/DSC01153.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132167464943279250" border="0" /> </a></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpe4FRkFNg0Y_mby5xCSh2Mcf_Fb38vP8RsIBknxtl3nc2mB4jSL5J8l5wqeOxYBANzEUVtQD6Y6L91MsFBaHgehJ6oZdRIYy0UuSmbpxvl9sWxzo2nI8ONeWMksjtKdn-DjG0eMXpodAM/s1600-h/DSC01153.JPG"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1b6b3ojXooViL41pnxviOKLetVBXXuVENi_C5QXYFO66eL9DUZgTEZ10hPfUs01lErlkHowmkoQqVraHhACbOzSECUgUhM8UAObl_tqUxjFebAhfZabFzVGuMhaiO1Y7MgEb_9tIaE1Dd/s1600-h/hkDSC01138.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1b6b3ojXooViL41pnxviOKLetVBXXuVENi_C5QXYFO66eL9DUZgTEZ10hPfUs01lErlkHowmkoQqVraHhACbOzSECUgUhM8UAObl_tqUxjFebAhfZabFzVGuMhaiO1Y7MgEb_9tIaE1Dd/s200/hkDSC01138.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132164716164209730" border="0" /></a></span></p><span style="font-size:85%;">Broadly, Macanese refers to all permanent inhabitants of Macau. But narrowly, it refers to an ethnic group in Macau originating from Portuguese descent, usually mixed with Chinese blood.<br /><br />* taken from olamacauguide.com<br /></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-22918010577349713492007-11-08T04:34:00.000-08:002007-11-08T06:29:19.352-08:00Hong Kong<span style="font-size:85%;">2004, 2005<br /><br />Despite the challenging work and demanding employees, I had fun in Hong Kong. At night and during weekends, we made it a point to eat somewhere nice ... a form of reward for the exhausting day. I've tried a lot of restaurants/bars in Hong Kong and I love them! I believe Hong Kong has even better Chinese food than in Mainland China!<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiGz0py0C3vwT5JNVVGU92_PmI4sneOgUrBxUhsIbdPaTOS00PnNc_irhJ8oIvikEJjIRPKggnCx-fMIKMm7KAeAMMweYxsZhfbGhHhwl0l1ckVtPfPPabYVDmUcNP7nlSm3PZfRbbOVyA/s1600-h/IMG_0101.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiGz0py0C3vwT5JNVVGU92_PmI4sneOgUrBxUhsIbdPaTOS00PnNc_irhJ8oIvikEJjIRPKggnCx-fMIKMm7KAeAMMweYxsZhfbGhHhwl0l1ckVtPfPPabYVDmUcNP7nlSm3PZfRbbOVyA/s200/IMG_0101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130468036578565090" border="0" /></a><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;">I enjoyed the company of my colleagues, Gino, Ron, Pawie, Mark, & Ann from Manila, AND Kim & Eric from Hong Kong.<br /><br />I remember going to Lan Kwai Fong for the first time with Gino and Ron....and a year later, having lunch there everyday with Mark and his friend, Jocson. Lan Kwai Fong is a small square of streets which is the country's most popular and well known area for a night out. It has numerous bars, pubs, clubs, and restaurants.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiU1R_eMXrM-dSP5AJpFHtrehUvoyad81SPXxI1BMt3wVSE0RMpX44JEskokLS8x6j42N6cebKojZLNLUDmZnC4eNzqr5mHNL1Hun5IEMxNryb7kv7bJ5GnPK5QFwTQYkJMUnMuT97OUjW/s1600-h/DSC00847.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiU1R_eMXrM-dSP5AJpFHtrehUvoyad81SPXxI1BMt3wVSE0RMpX44JEskokLS8x6j42N6cebKojZLNLUDmZnC4eNzqr5mHNL1Hun5IEMxNryb7kv7bJ5GnPK5QFwTQYkJMUnMuT97OUjW/s200/DSC00847.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130468036578565106" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjr2SVUuLEcmqSZhlnNKCNmx-_RQBKmRaEcXWDiDulyfiJnFKUt0RB90RC3mRykOUcY1Y9qOYMceLdMbejecj1Qj5uvEf5P3p-e7ivgRAEcwfXoAxNMYURqslMG2bMmesRKtJNiUEWmGZ/s1600-h/IMG_0109.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjr2SVUuLEcmqSZhlnNKCNmx-_RQBKmRaEcXWDiDulyfiJnFKUt0RB90RC3mRykOUcY1Y9qOYMceLdMbejecj1Qj5uvEf5P3p-e7ivgRAEcwfXoAxNMYURqslMG2bMmesRKtJNiUEWmGZ/s200/IMG_0109.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130468040873532418" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiU1R_eMXrM-dSP5AJpFHtrehUvoyad81SPXxI1BMt3wVSE0RMpX44JEskokLS8x6j42N6cebKojZLNLUDmZnC4eNzqr5mHNL1Hun5IEMxNryb7kv7bJ5GnPK5QFwTQYkJMUnMuT97OUjW/s1600-h/DSC00847.jpg"> </a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(at Lan Kwai Fong)<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />I had a wonderful time trying restaurants with Ann & Pawie, and was very delighted when Kim and Eric joined the fun. I remember learning the Chinese Dice Game from Eric, which they would normally play while drinking at a bar.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRVgUYWRup8dMq5Vpp-WcTtN8uS01OOUpHEWPCc0JtM1QXt6kvwLsfUAwo1bzSNOAO-duQ_gcwF0v93fDyuzRSsa0jjMWuV98SBfMdrh56HRSnJdhy7Vh4ma84sjPUtl7nyHHwL36817Q/s1600-h/IMG_0117.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRVgUYWRup8dMq5Vpp-WcTtN8uS01OOUpHEWPCc0JtM1QXt6kvwLsfUAwo1bzSNOAO-duQ_gcwF0v93fDyuzRSsa0jjMWuV98SBfMdrh56HRSnJdhy7Vh4ma84sjPUtl7nyHHwL36817Q/s200/IMG_0117.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130471412422859794" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikh6UJD0vPovFFm1aL2zX0sPQo90s5f2YsMDAkK7Ojyb9PCkIJ6f2ZGt06zb5J2vi-sb410YApWn6rig0nqYsEe3D_TM8CY4fQv9E5qsjqJrtX1OUM47wHMGFekNJ_0keagAYxFMzAfLRX/s1600-h/IMG_0111.jpg"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikh6UJD0vPovFFm1aL2zX0sPQo90s5f2YsMDAkK7Ojyb9PCkIJ6f2ZGt06zb5J2vi-sb410YApWn6rig0nqYsEe3D_TM8CY4fQv9E5qsjqJrtX1OUM47wHMGFekNJ_0keagAYxFMzAfLRX/s1600-h/IMG_0111.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikh6UJD0vPovFFm1aL2zX0sPQo90s5f2YsMDAkK7Ojyb9PCkIJ6f2ZGt06zb5J2vi-sb410YApWn6rig0nqYsEe3D_TM8CY4fQv9E5qsjqJrtX1OUM47wHMGFekNJ_0keagAYxFMzAfLRX/s200/IMG_0111.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130471416717827106" border="0" /></a><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(1st pic: Mark holding dices for the dice game, 2nd: At Red)<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Reminiscing makes me want to go back to HONG KONG!!! :)</span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-3093071760259096162007-11-06T23:30:00.000-08:002007-11-07T19:37:34.898-08:00On Business<span style="font-size:85%;">2003-2007<br /><br />I started working for a financial institution on December 2003 under a project implementation team. Luckily, our team's scope was the Asia Pacific region which required us to travel around Asia. It was exciting at first but after a while, it became physically tiring.<br /><br />The next series of posts will mostly be the good side of our business trips or what we call WEEKENDS. I will not talk about what happened at work, which I consider the challenging part of the trip. Just remember... it was </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >NOT</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> all fun and games... even though the pictures may seem otherwise.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKdPG1f3LOpDbpzxgrEo8R55uJgPpcYt2e-tGCwk6dOzEbZasywz9oYHHzCOZNorroNO-9heGFK9036GtFGdmBYySAyrbFeZWDNAa3hJzdAq7KrcA81V9qI6x6N9nkNBdBrtYozOvXb01/s1600-h/DSC00271.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKdPG1f3LOpDbpzxgrEo8R55uJgPpcYt2e-tGCwk6dOzEbZasywz9oYHHzCOZNorroNO-9heGFK9036GtFGdmBYySAyrbFeZWDNAa3hJzdAq7KrcA81V9qI6x6N9nkNBdBrtYozOvXb01/s200/DSC00271.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130122349947641570" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ta354YnB0HZ_qcjJgiPGelP9S2TlgudVCmdOHbuD4YyxN19syfV8tdDLBysb_WiATobH3ATrm7pjwZ7C9bfTk_2BBOgUXy496HWm3YFL4Gxj9ZuGOr0z3cseUaEsLNlTegpyPK0aY_7z/s1600-h/DSC01115.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ta354YnB0HZ_qcjJgiPGelP9S2TlgudVCmdOHbuD4YyxN19syfV8tdDLBysb_WiATobH3ATrm7pjwZ7C9bfTk_2BBOgUXy496HWm3YFL4Gxj9ZuGOr0z3cseUaEsLNlTegpyPK0aY_7z/s200/DSC01115.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130122345652674258" border="0" /></a></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-48506935817298140142007-11-06T19:54:00.000-08:002007-11-07T05:19:05.033-08:00St. Petersburg, Russia<span style="font-size:85%;">May 2003<br /><br />It is Russia's second largest and Europe's third largest city after Moscow and London. 4.6 million people live in the city, and over 6 million people in the city with its vicinity. Saint Petersburg is a major European cultural center, and important Russian port on the Baltic Sea.<br /><br />Since we did not have a Russian Visa, we were not able to walk around (Im not sure if its safe to walk around anyway - especially at night). Instead, we took 2 tours sponsored by Celebrity Cruises which allows non-visa holders to enter St. Petersburg.<br /><br />The first tour took us to see Churches in St. Petersburg, and the second took us to The Hermitage Musuem.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >1. Churches</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />One of the most spectacular, and certainly the most colorful, is the <strong>Church of the Resurrection</strong>, on the Griboyedov Canal a short distance from Nevsky Prospekt. It is also known as the Church on Blood, because it was built to commemorate Tsar Alexander II, who was assassinated in 1881 where the church now stands.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcM2mk4JCtVHW-7j83mu_3YOEaRenJ4Pltf2Eqa6OWVxoD5BvSUrIw2YRb0oyeAbvtoQWGUY1Xq_7ur8c0orvbiMYOcQ-rriQvnc7G8xWS_QrfKc6VDD9FaJpHmxis_57p-x1uiwu51FA5/s1600-h/DSC00252.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcM2mk4JCtVHW-7j83mu_3YOEaRenJ4Pltf2Eqa6OWVxoD5BvSUrIw2YRb0oyeAbvtoQWGUY1Xq_7ur8c0orvbiMYOcQ-rriQvnc7G8xWS_QrfKc6VDD9FaJpHmxis_57p-x1uiwu51FA5/s200/DSC00252.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129955825475640834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpROGuGkdSEdTTMowLDcvnCvFrTqSpbbKh_1wVo3fGJz26LWekY1aDx-B4rWs6_A34YeXAg6wIf21X-DlU3M51vd-oRkJgI9OBqmYeN5UghDosJkv1YzjB4v3nBhdz3bP41WioZ1VBKj1/s1600-h/DSC00239.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpROGuGkdSEdTTMowLDcvnCvFrTqSpbbKh_1wVo3fGJz26LWekY1aDx-B4rWs6_A34YeXAg6wIf21X-DlU3M51vd-oRkJgI9OBqmYeN5UghDosJkv1YzjB4v3nBhdz3bP41WioZ1VBKj1/s200/DSC00239.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129955812590738914" border="0" /></a><br /><br />2. THE HERMITAGE MUSEUM<br /><br />The <b>State Hermitage Museum</b> (Russian: </span><span lang="ru" style="font-size:85%;">Государственный Эрмитаж, <i>Gosudarstvennyj Èrmitaž</i></span><span style="font-size:85%;">) is one of the largest museums in the world, with 3 million works of art (not all on display at once), and one of the old</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >est art galleries </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >and museums </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >of human history </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >and culture </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >in the world.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" > </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Si7C3EzFgs8J01JdCn44qFMAxJ1RAJRnVnWQbrbX2Nh2FmbdRPM4gq4B88FMOUimsKKq1sJbbmmCD30lyBxpBw80a_KIx71uUlEeYWrpqCrZmOyBb5b3t4_40mp85FS4q1Eoizulr9uC/s1600-h/DSC00266.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Si7C3EzFgs8J01JdCn44qFMAxJ1RAJRnVnWQbrbX2Nh2FmbdRPM4gq4B88FMOUimsKKq1sJbbmmCD30lyBxpBw80a_KIx71uUlEeYWrpqCrZmOyBb5b3t4_40mp85FS4q1Eoizulr9uC/s200/DSC00266.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129956508375440978" border="0" /></a><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Strong points of the Hermitage collection of Western art include Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Rubens, van Dyck, Rembrandt, Poussin, Claude Lorrain, Watteau, Tiepolo, Canaletto, Canova, Rodin, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Cézanne, van Gogh, Gauguin, Picasso, and Matisse.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Do you know any of the works below? </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Some I even remember studying in Art Class in highschool. It was awesome.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pHh8foY4VYodb0k-COUfs_4jZfABejBGjawmu3jYoVr3qRNImyXTSUZbaazwBQ9ZDaID6-JcD8eEgGuXHW_r5sIBoPwCgWAGwokmuYnjGSzJouAOBgc1GYLw8mLFozc_tadEjYtpwbtX/s1600-h/DSC00268.jpg"> </a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pHh8foY4VYodb0k-COUfs_4jZfABejBGjawmu3jYoVr3qRNImyXTSUZbaazwBQ9ZDaID6-JcD8eEgGuXHW_r5sIBoPwCgWAGwokmuYnjGSzJouAOBgc1GYLw8mLFozc_tadEjYtpwbtX/s1600-h/DSC00268.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pHh8foY4VYodb0k-COUfs_4jZfABejBGjawmu3jYoVr3qRNImyXTSUZbaazwBQ9ZDaID6-JcD8eEgGuXHW_r5sIBoPwCgWAGwokmuYnjGSzJouAOBgc1GYLw8mLFozc_tadEjYtpwbtX/s200/DSC00268.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129957225634979426" border="0" /></a></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrksjfAi9JjNm14CIwBompKJJ2E4vmlsQjuv5ON5V5LNlxaNQ-PM04SSDBlTAte_4fVLemLKBuLvqYADWSVj3-UOJTUKadEk4HDW-P4VTxpyJoxU3Hj4uggM8LpM1VZrSV9isCktjCoGED/s1600-h/DSC00273.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi367rXfNKShuwBqUa-p9tk_OvTegH7FD_kf2fw3DLMQb4fsPQaNs872v6Sn8watRfeRIY5V7sgVpzrE5EdlpzI1yE6FWvnufe0-dACkUFUoYwRgOB69oG4yWTRRUG6Qs1lMqaWXU-bUOX7/s1600-h/DSC00262.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi367rXfNKShuwBqUa-p9tk_OvTegH7FD_kf2fw3DLMQb4fsPQaNs872v6Sn8watRfeRIY5V7sgVpzrE5EdlpzI1yE6FWvnufe0-dACkUFUoYwRgOB69oG4yWTRRUG6Qs1lMqaWXU-bUOX7/s200/DSC00262.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129956478310669842" border="0" 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src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3gAHl2FmvDfjQWbQmwoDUjkM85i8Dbl7DlEA3_Kw-FJUQquPCAQAMeFa4Kzoe9-Mm0nGLzf_619J1kMAo60OWIzr6Emy7wpv4GFHYpwsVSo9BzMPvd9bSIh_QV2DM6eUdvAX-bGLLoZZ/s200/DSC00263.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129956482605637154" border="0" /></a></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3gAHl2FmvDfjQWbQmwoDUjkM85i8Dbl7DlEA3_Kw-FJUQquPCAQAMeFa4Kzoe9-Mm0nGLzf_619J1kMAo60OWIzr6Emy7wpv4GFHYpwsVSo9BzMPvd9bSIh_QV2DM6eUdvAX-bGLLoZZ/s1600-h/DSC00263.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5bu7-aWxQT8yQsAxAgsdHPOcpDoiqGd7cg8oPkhYnwamH9Yl9ECzuae0_mAcDzTiSz7KtUOsb6NdpuXeFTQKPPhyEVPOPabWtv4f4CeNk_0cJ5tIUEdUiB2DOP3VnG1oPQSlRKx6Bx7M/s1600-h/DSC00271.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5bu7-aWxQT8yQsAxAgsdHPOcpDoiqGd7cg8oPkhYnwamH9Yl9ECzuae0_mAcDzTiSz7KtUOsb6NdpuXeFTQKPPhyEVPOPabWtv4f4CeNk_0cJ5tIUEdUiB2DOP3VnG1oPQSlRKx6Bx7M/s200/DSC00271.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129957242814848642" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzAPziPI4XRMZOBMXUVbxjYdz92hyAP4cdq_TvGHp7ARbeOgk6ZGWKhI6a92LEzKC5PeFYwgdFG1mh3kutKN3txllb8N33kh7etl0DUPxkEaZIhTHcA-IxFCTVJPJcLIoMq5I1awAKhMX/s1600-h/DSC00269.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzAPziPI4XRMZOBMXUVbxjYdz92hyAP4cdq_TvGHp7ARbeOgk6ZGWKhI6a92LEzKC5PeFYwgdFG1mh3kutKN3txllb8N33kh7etl0DUPxkEaZIhTHcA-IxFCTVJPJcLIoMq5I1awAKhMX/s200/DSC00269.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129957238519881330" border="0" /></a></span><a onblur="try 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src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaQbQoFq2leZ0xP589aVwL4V_DHKDDlwH5gWBgRFJXBuJrBkv-H0POUetp-RF6gQ7btX4qYeQgnJVcAcCuO-vhDgFNgWzlPHgo0Vj4GDAGSZbaV-kRcxGRtR0VlP1zPHb1_h9Sse7jsJ_/s200/DSC00274.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129957255699750562" border="0" /></a></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaQbQoFq2leZ0xP589aVwL4V_DHKDDlwH5gWBgRFJXBuJrBkv-H0POUetp-RF6gQ7btX4qYeQgnJVcAcCuO-vhDgFNgWzlPHgo0Vj4GDAGSZbaV-kRcxGRtR0VlP1zPHb1_h9Sse7jsJ_/s1600-h/DSC00274.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi367rXfNKShuwBqUa-p9tk_OvTegH7FD_kf2fw3DLMQb4fsPQaNs872v6Sn8watRfeRIY5V7sgVpzrE5EdlpzI1yE6FWvnufe0-dACkUFUoYwRgOB69oG4yWTRRUG6Qs1lMqaWXU-bUOX7/s1600-h/DSC00262.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92F2bEGAeVXrH05pHOzMy7wUyx5U1xKkWSIqZBlvLFqLVPHOEnEreM7kENFeOnlTBBzmijc3FtKQEv-ZKtKVCGyzQjBrwrxMOs6qPuyj8Ar5aLhhlyNpnxpoDuejTqjoog9dYvRWZMk6T/s1600-h/DSC00264.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92F2bEGAeVXrH05pHOzMy7wUyx5U1xKkWSIqZBlvLFqLVPHOEnEreM7kENFeOnlTBBzmijc3FtKQEv-ZKtKVCGyzQjBrwrxMOs6qPuyj8Ar5aLhhlyNpnxpoDuejTqjoog9dYvRWZMk6T/s200/DSC00264.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129956495490539058" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><br /><br />*some text taken from wikipedia.com<br /></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-74176281084314032562007-11-06T17:48:00.000-08:002007-11-06T19:53:18.623-08:0014 night Scandinavian Cruise<span style="font-size:85%;">Scandinavia, May 2003<br /><br />14 nights. 7 cities. Unforgettable experience.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img src="http://media.celebritycruises.com/celebrity/content/images/maps_2007/LGW_OSL_CPH_ZWD_TLL_LED_HEL_STO_LGW.gif" name="body_thumb~~2~~headline_image" border="0" /><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Harwich, England</span><br />Our cruise begins! From London, my mom and I took a train to Harwich where we boarded the Constellation. Although the cabins were small, it was complete. Who cares about the cabins when everything else in the ship was wonderful!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsBqJk6p0MDFVktKpICU15DAL8z1YQYfY0I4lyZMoSTfEkHY7sJ2FHidHoNr8Tuwn_L3LGbay7JsY8vC0XczfOZwYsHbipTvw4aMbfsroKE9hL78cBtldztqlKpBscbdXgN8ZcW4AVqxj/s1600-h/DSC00257.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsBqJk6p0MDFVktKpICU15DAL8z1YQYfY0I4lyZMoSTfEkHY7sJ2FHidHoNr8Tuwn_L3LGbay7JsY8vC0XczfOZwYsHbipTvw4aMbfsroKE9hL78cBtldztqlKpBscbdXgN8ZcW4AVqxj/s200/DSC00257.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129928470828932450" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE99rTYiPetYH1Fd_K9JLRJyz2D8r6aozONb_fVcKZ5ebBt12NRL0BWVBiogwaSLqyHGZfGCmE3G_JN69XaMZYap8XVNvnwMiUUGQ4rC1IaEkvG1liScOydF3PpnLRLu063y1jaR_nOjRt/s1600-h/DSC00317.jpg"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE99rTYiPetYH1Fd_K9JLRJyz2D8r6aozONb_fVcKZ5ebBt12NRL0BWVBiogwaSLqyHGZfGCmE3G_JN69XaMZYap8XVNvnwMiUUGQ4rC1IaEkvG1liScOydF3PpnLRLu063y1jaR_nOjRt/s1600-h/DSC00317.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE99rTYiPetYH1Fd_K9JLRJyz2D8r6aozONb_fVcKZ5ebBt12NRL0BWVBiogwaSLqyHGZfGCmE3G_JN69XaMZYap8XVNvnwMiUUGQ4rC1IaEkvG1liScOydF3PpnLRLu063y1jaR_nOjRt/s200/DSC00317.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129928475123899778" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BtRBUIf0O2LxEj6a2tDETYDRUKsczMAwxdnX1QEZo5hvYSkm9MQu17hhI3ffCiCj8dRjQoIW2XLW8p1ED60nB3f_klz_u9qNzgXP2g1re4TD14HG98QO3WpnOobxeK9knHr018dB1oAz/s1600-h/DSC00306.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BtRBUIf0O2LxEj6a2tDETYDRUKsczMAwxdnX1QEZo5hvYSkm9MQu17hhI3ffCiCj8dRjQoIW2XLW8p1ED60nB3f_klz_u9qNzgXP2g1re4TD14HG98QO3WpnOobxeK9knHr018dB1oAz/s200/DSC00306.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129928475123899762" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJ2scrVaSryX8QKs9hvQPEqHr-o7fN0Fztyvd54F9kxXma1EfIOu48szgnXRu7nZTpXpT9ZqqET4XoQS5UXXCtyV63fD64wW2hJ368t1TtUom4ZlZCBoDwCfHaYPlKh4H0W3QZrKQvZYy/s1600-h/DSC00318.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJ2scrVaSryX8QKs9hvQPEqHr-o7fN0Fztyvd54F9kxXma1EfIOu48szgnXRu7nZTpXpT9ZqqET4XoQS5UXXCtyV63fD64wW2hJ368t1TtUom4ZlZCBoDwCfHaYPlKh4H0W3QZrKQvZYy/s200/DSC00318.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129928475123899794" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzfd6_ekAgWs-4BjCljVj0mO5_efOrm_MpTFDkHz2-uraN2H29ngh3VDuSxQhyphenhyphenjR9209iYXQkKMIhxV6P6afrgzf7klQIjRhw1i5KSHH3mT6E1orXwOBbakqYuG1CDzArsbaeGzPxQBozN/s1600-h/DSC00311.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzfd6_ekAgWs-4BjCljVj0mO5_efOrm_MpTFDkHz2-uraN2H29ngh3VDuSxQhyphenhyphenjR9209iYXQkKMIhxV6P6afrgzf7klQIjRhw1i5KSHH3mT6E1orXwOBbakqYuG1CDzArsbaeGzPxQBozN/s200/DSC00311.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129932211745447330" border="0" /></a><br /><br />There were other Filipinos in the same cruise, thank God! We met the founders of Repertory Philippines, Baby Barredo and the late Bibot Amador, with their friends and family. I became close to Baby's daughter, Charlie, during and after the cruise! Good times! :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBWVjcLr16fbkonYyl3LrIpL0qVPrzdTu2ShKKMfGp8Zm90E30Lz53d9K9CsOJCh4SL2QPXrOChqLP3f6jee01MoNLEWCf7I2thxXgnQaFVdvOv8_NcCCH69DjKXwj2KP_5PgpcTRF8kxO/s1600-h/DSC00324.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBWVjcLr16fbkonYyl3LrIpL0qVPrzdTu2ShKKMfGp8Zm90E30Lz53d9K9CsOJCh4SL2QPXrOChqLP3f6jee01MoNLEWCf7I2thxXgnQaFVdvOv8_NcCCH69DjKXwj2KP_5PgpcTRF8kxO/s200/DSC00324.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129933508825570738" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkPYwUlFM2vz1YXAcpU36Zi_bX18J3ncJ5wnEAOxLuuZrV6Ib6HI5OOZmQq1soqAvoIt61EZqIrCU4jYRYGAg9cth4Y_NI0zFukGWkJFKf4FjNHJhcYeSTYQEz8AlStaQYEvtum2_LVi9/s1600-h/DSC00295.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkPYwUlFM2vz1YXAcpU36Zi_bX18J3ncJ5wnEAOxLuuZrV6Ib6HI5OOZmQq1soqAvoIt61EZqIrCU4jYRYGAg9cth4Y_NI0zFukGWkJFKf4FjNHJhcYeSTYQEz8AlStaQYEvtum2_LVi9/s200/DSC00295.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129933508825570754" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Oslo, Norway</span><br />"Sail through the Oslo Fjord, and you sail back in time to 1050. All of this historic capital city's lavish history can be uncovered at the Viking Ship Museum and the Kon-Tiki museum, which serves as home to the Fram, a famous polar - exploration ship. Cross the drawbridge to the formerly impenetrable Akershus Castle and meander through the famous Vigeland Sculpture Park. In Oslo, don't forget to preserve your memories before returning to the present day."<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwUPNFXZUygA0so3XdQYsmlPR0LBZfsYC-EOL_wimjLQY59Zq2AImPoWFnqGyHR-1-KaFkzooQzKNjhtfQ-xwTKVNII4U3zI0sffCwxpzpCEuehZARyBSm8HaoSXiqGUZIginNweOSNHv/s1600-h/DSC00230.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwUPNFXZUygA0so3XdQYsmlPR0LBZfsYC-EOL_wimjLQY59Zq2AImPoWFnqGyHR-1-KaFkzooQzKNjhtfQ-xwTKVNII4U3zI0sffCwxpzpCEuehZARyBSm8HaoSXiqGUZIginNweOSNHv/s200/DSC00230.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129913910889798930" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Copenhagen, Denmark</span><br />Thank you to TIVOLI Gardens in Denmark - the 1st amusement park. We would not have Disneyland or any amusement park without this.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoE1rgBVb_5PXL3MmZla6CRRr7UJ_hcOrXqNDPhjAg6VEnsAePXCxS22837-xVbtPhL8N7pj0Gblqis9XgA0X6MYlnBelOd6eK2iRymnr0ZLb9-bwh2cpYNX8whla3WeWbKcDNrTuBq4c0/s1600-h/DSC00292.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoE1rgBVb_5PXL3MmZla6CRRr7UJ_hcOrXqNDPhjAg6VEnsAePXCxS22837-xVbtPhL8N7pj0Gblqis9XgA0X6MYlnBelOd6eK2iRymnr0ZLb9-bwh2cpYNX8whla3WeWbKcDNrTuBq4c0/s200/DSC00292.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129913919479733586" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Berlin, Germany</span><br />The first thing my mom and I did was.. drink BEER! Beer in Germany is always gut.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJj4jvWHKDD3wfF6oA3qgLI672vCn_PcxOXLUbWxpyObudEOYQYMmXmungelGKZ7DeSgsi9XdxIu5NZsy8lBRmGO0eSO5p_H12YULlMtVkuYucHaHUSLW1pi46AuHVBDxEbtf6xKKNJ63/s1600-h/DSC00288.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJj4jvWHKDD3wfF6oA3qgLI672vCn_PcxOXLUbWxpyObudEOYQYMmXmungelGKZ7DeSgsi9XdxIu5NZsy8lBRmGO0eSO5p_H12YULlMtVkuYucHaHUSLW1pi46AuHVBDxEbtf6xKKNJ63/s200/DSC00288.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129913919479733570" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />4<span style="font-weight: bold;">. Tallinn, Estonia</span><br />Surprisingly, Tallinn was a very nice city. We went to the historic town and I was amazed with the architecture of the buildings. I really felt like I was in the past, especially after seeing the locals walk around in costumes!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdxaT8yevBc9zjEE2mmWNnd5ekNBmx580glZ9ylAZm6mrwGlAW28GR3_VPApycATMb3FVlIupAjH0Jdo5GMePtGA_9E-d6Qn4atFlkM4Xl-MY4-qu7Qk8rC8hXc43uVhqkAnKlNTG-oJu/s1600-h/DSC00284.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdxaT8yevBc9zjEE2mmWNnd5ekNBmx580glZ9ylAZm6mrwGlAW28GR3_VPApycATMb3FVlIupAjH0Jdo5GMePtGA_9E-d6Qn4atFlkM4Xl-MY4-qu7Qk8rC8hXc43uVhqkAnKlNTG-oJu/s200/DSC00284.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129913915184766258" border="0" /> </a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvqSOBz4q4Lypgoqa4PTwbN93wLAUZ6anpfcv_m63Ql5GmxMaVVADW_vivWeGP-yY6Vqmve2SZZZdeLbXFL0UlhxxI1USweDsFm03WjH-Ks7766N1ptOW7yLq5cO8KN4EN0Uz_NMRkAqr/s1600-h/DSC00280.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvqSOBz4q4Lypgoqa4PTwbN93wLAUZ6anpfcv_m63Ql5GmxMaVVADW_vivWeGP-yY6Vqmve2SZZZdeLbXFL0UlhxxI1USweDsFm03WjH-Ks7766N1ptOW7yLq5cO8KN4EN0Uz_NMRkAqr/s200/DSC00280.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129938405088288210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. St. Petersburg, Russia</span><br />This deserves a whole new post. I will write and show pictures of St. Petersburg after this entry.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Helsinki, Finland</span><br />"Occupying a peninsula and several islands, Helsinki's unique location may be overshadowed by the capital city's stunning meld of old and new structures and some of the most spectacular bays you could hope to find. Strolling down broad, tree-lined streets, don't forget to take notice of the stunning neoclassically designed architecture in Senate Square."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. Stockholm, Sweden</span><br />"No fewer than fifty bridges connect this Swedish capital's fourteen islands to its mainland. Undoubtedly, this was to ensure that the Swedes could enjoy every single inch of this magnificent city steeped in parks, museums, and palaces - the most famous being the 600-room Royal Palace"<br /><br />This experience made me realize that cruise ships are the best way to travel if you intend to visit multiple countries in one trip. Thank you Celebrity Cruises for making this a memorable experience.<br /><br />* Some text taken from celebrity.com<br /></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6226618143999319860.post-60690397931196760462007-11-04T20:20:00.000-08:002007-11-04T20:22:16.618-08:00Her name was Constellation<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><em>Scandinavia, May 2003</em></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I remember being absolutely thrilled to go on vacation with <a href="http://www.celebritycruises.com/">Celebrity Cruises</a> for 14 nights! Even more excited to know that one of the countries we would visit was RUSSIA. Oooh lala. This was unreal....<br /><br />But first, lets talk about Constellation. She was beautiful.</span><br /><br /></span><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_KNWpJT0JUpA/Rw9UT9ZanlI/AAAAAAAAACU/D5E84sXO190/s1600-h/DSC00294.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5120404003218955858" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 146px; height: 85px;" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_KNWpJT0JUpA/Rw9UT9ZanlI/AAAAAAAAACU/D5E84sXO190/s200/DSC00294.JPG" border="0" height="92" width="154" /></a>"From stem to stern and on every one of her 11 decks, she radiates the elegance and ambience one would find in a grand hotel. Constellation boasts outstanding amenities, accommodations and services, all presented with the utmost taste and the inimitable Celebrity style. When you cruise on Celebrity's Constellation you are sure to desire everything - and want for nothing."</em> <strong>True. True. True. </strong></span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Our ship and new home for 14 nights was fantastic. She had 10 decks of everything you can think of,</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Deck 1 - Cabins</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Deck 2 - Cabins, Cinema & Conference Center, Restaurant #1</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Deck 3 - Casino, Bar #1, Internet Cafe, Bar #2, Theater, Restaurant #2</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Deck 4 - Shopping Center, Bar #3, Cafe #1</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Deck 5 - Cabins, Library</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Deck 6 - Cabins</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Deck 7 - Cabins</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Deck 8 - Cabins</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Deck 9 - Spa, Gym, Pool, Cafe #2, Restaurant #3</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Deck 10 - Kids Day Care Center, Conservatory, Disco Club, Golf Simulator</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://www.celebritycruises.com/multimedia/shipVirtualTour.do;jsessionid=0000J3E6B9FUV6dNR5v1i1Mg9Zg:12hdbcveb?shipCode=CS">Click this link to take a Virtual Tour of the Constellation.</a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">This vacation made me realize that cruising is the BEST way to travel. It is a 5-star hotel that takes you to your destination each morning and treats you like a Queen.</span></span>Carinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785888238950415656noreply@blogger.com1