Intramuros, Manila - Philippines' Historical city

 

Fort Santiago Gate
Intramuros, Manila, Philippines



INTRAMUROS, Manila - My idea was to have nice-looking, fascinating and historical structures as background on our pre-nuptial pictorial so pictures would look like they were taken from Europe. Intramuros, Manila's oldest district, was the perfect place that is within the metro. The place is a Spanish-style walled city with plenty of nice architectures that I are truly appreciate. Thanks to these Spanish-era structures that are still standing the test of time, we were able to take great-looking photos for our wedding.

According to wikipedia.org, Intramuros is the oldest district and historic core of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Known as the Walled City, the original fortified city of Manila was the seat of the Spanish government during the Spanish colonial period. The walled part of Manila was called intramuros, which is Latin for "within the walls"; districts beyond the walls were referred as the extramuros of Manila, meaning "outside the walls".

Guardia Civil inside Intramuros

Construction of the defensive walls was started by the Spaniards in the late 16th century to protect the city from foreign invasions. The 0.67-square-kilometre (0.26 sq mi) walled city was originally located along the shores of the Manila Bay, south of the entrance to Pasig River. The reclamations during the early 20th-century obscured the walls from the bay. Guarding the old city is Fort Santiago, its citadel located at the mouth of the river.

Intramuros was heavily damaged during the battle to recapture the city from the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second World War. Reconstruction of the walls was started in 1951 when Intramuros was declared a National Historical Monument, which is continued to this day by the Intramuros Administration. I hope the government would give enough attention in preserving historical places like Intramuros.

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Sunset Series - St. Kilda Beach - Victoria, Australia

Sunset at St. Kilda Beach - Melbourne, Australia
Photo was taken through Iphone

MELBOURNE, Australia - To continue with my sunset photo series.



3. Sunset at Saint Kilda Beach - Victoria, Australia. It was only on my sixth time to come to  Melbourne in November 2012 when I first came to St. Kilda beach.

My collegue and I attempted to come here in August 2012 to see the penguins and have our dinner but we missed the Tram stop.

We ended up going to the last stop of the Tram so we decided to take dinner in the city instead.  

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Federation Square and Flinder's Station - two of Melbourne's busiest spots

Federation Square, Melbourne
Photo was taken through Instragram

MELBOURNE, Australia - Everytime I come to Melbourne, I always visit Federation Square. After going to the city for shopping, I usually drop by the square to chill out and watch people passing by. I love coming here on weekends because they usually have shows/performances. I get entertained by looking at children actively participating in the show.

On one Saturday morning, my colleague and I decided to visit the Melbourne Visitor Center to book free tour. We initially thought that the free tour goes around the city, but it was a walking tour just around the Federation Square. The tour guide was very passionate about sharing with us the history of Federation Square and how things were built, by considering certain things to make it more sustainable. He told us that buildings were built so that it only require lower consumption of electricity by utilizing natural resources like sunlight and air. It was an interesting tour indeed.



Federation Square and Flinders Station, Melbourne
Photo was taken through Instagram

Federation Square sits on a 3.2 hectares land. It is location at the intersection of Flinders Street and Swanston Street/St. Kilda Road in the Central Business District, and is adjacent to Melbourne's busiest railway station, the Flinders Street Station.

The square was opened in 2002. There is a big screen at the square where people can watch sports and certain TV programs. According to our tour guide, people come and watch soccer games on the big screen despite the very cold weather during winter. The square can accommodate thousands of people.

National Gallery of Victoria (www.ngv.vic.gov.au), SBS TV network (www.sbs.com.au), Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) (www.acmi.net.au), BMW Edge Amphitheatre, Melbourne Visitor Centre, bars, restaurants and coffee shops are all in the square. 



City Circle Tram - Free ride around the city
Photo was taken through Instagram

In front of the Flinder's Street Station, we always take the City Circle Tram on weekends. Its a free ride around the city.  While most of the cities in Asia have the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) system, Melbourne is one of the few cities I know in Asia that have this type of mode of transportation. Dalian in China, also, has this type of train.  

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Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam's financial center



Panorama view of Ho Chi Minh City Hall
Photo was taken through Iphone

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam - My recent business trip to this city was in October 2012, two years after I first came in 2010. The business operation of our company is not big so it is only visited once every two years. Things were the same when I first came. But I noticed that buildings are continuously sprouting which means to investors confidence in the country. However, the city does not have metro train system yet.

While Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh city remained the financial and business center in the country. Most head offices of multinational companies are here. Ho Chi Minh City, formerly named Saigon, is the largest city in Vietnam.



Business district in Ho Chi Minh city
Photo was taken through Iphone

According to wikipedia.com, Ho Chi Minh City under the name Saigon, was the capital of the French colony of Cochin-china and later of the independent republic of South Vietnam from 1955–75. South Vietnam, as an anti-communist, capitalist republic, fought against the communist North Vietnamese and Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. Saigon fell when it was captured by the communists on 30 April 1975, ending the war with a Communist victory. Vietnam was then turned into a communist state with the South overtaken. On July 2, 1976, Saigon merged with the surrounding Gia Định Province and was officially renamed Ho Chi Minh City after Hồ Chí Minh (although the name Sài Gòn is still commonly used).

The metropolitan area, which consists of the Ho Chi Minh City metropolitan area, Thủ Dầu Một, Dĩ An, Biên Hòa and surrounding towns, is populated by more than 9,000,000 people, making it the most populous metropolitan area in Vietnam.



Chicken Noodle soup
Photo was taken through Iphone

Similar to its neighbor country, Thailand, Vietnam is also famous for tourist attractions, food and shopping. One of the famous cuisine in Vietnam is Pho. According to wikipedia.com, Pho is a Vietnamese dish consisting of broth, noodles made from rice, a few herbs, and meat. It is a popular street dish, and the specialty of several restaurant chains. The two main varieties are chicken pho and beef pho. There is also Saigon-style pho (sweetened) and Hanoi-style pho (no sugar). The word "pho" may be derived from French pot-au-feu (beef stew).

We stayed in Vietnam for more than 2 weeks. Though I was not feeling well on certain days of the assignment, it was an enjoyable trip after all as we were able to shop at the market and eat authentic Vietnamese food.

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Bangkok, Thailand - Top tourists destinations in the world



Sukhumvit, one of Bangkok's busiest road

BANGKOK, Thailand - Sawasdee krup! (How are you!) Khob Khun krup! (Thank you!) Aroi mak! (Very delicious!) 

Bangkok, Thailand is close to my heart because it is where I had my first business trip outside the country. I was assigned here for a month just a week after I joined my second company. I've been to country for more than 10 times since 2003. I spent a total of 8 months during my 3-year stay with the company. I even remember my former boss telling me to consider Bangkok as my second home.

It was not only me who considered Bangkok as my favorite destination. According to a forum,  Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Deputy Governor Prakit Piriyakiet said that a survey by MasterCard Worldwide, published on www.CNNGo.com which is a popular international leisure and travel website, found that Bangkok was international holiday-makers's third-most favorite destination in 2012. There are a lot of things you can do in the city. To name a few:



Green mango and Papaya salad

1. Food haven. If you are lover of spicy food, Thailand is the perfect place for you. Most foods are generally spicy, that even if you request for mild spice, you can still taste the kick of the spice. Tom Yum Goong (spicy shrimp soup in coconut milk) is the most popular spicy soup. Other popular dishes are Tom Ka Kai (Chicken soup in coconut oil), catfish salad, green mango & papaya salad, pineapple rice and a lot more. Check the website Bangkok.com for listing and reviews of restaurants in the city.  

2. Tourist attractions. There are countless tourist attractions in Bangkok, from palaces to temples and river attractions. Grand Palace and Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) are the 2 most famous among the tourist attractions. Check the website, Bangkok.com, for listing of good tourist attractions to visit in the city.

 

Siam Paragon, Bangkok



3. Shopping. Bangkok is a shopping paradise. There are street vendors, night markets, shopping centers and malls that sell anything a tourist would like to buy at cheap prices. Check the website, Bangkok.com for listing of top shopping destinations in Bangkok.

4. Bars and night spots. Nights are never dull but always alive in Bangkok, with all types of activities catered for all generation. Check the website, Bangkok.com for listing of good bars and nightspots to visit in Bangkok.

5. Massage, spa and sauna. Bangkok is also a haven for relaxation, rejuvenation and regeneration. A lot of good places to relax at very affordable prices. Check the website, Bangkok.com, for information about spa and health centers in Bangkok.

Bangkok City at Night
Photo taken from Baiyoke Sky Tower
(Bangkok's tallest tower)

6. And so much more. Activities you can do in Bangkok do not end with the things I listed above. Come and visit Bangkok and discover for yourself.

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Mount Arayat, one of Philippines' mystical mountains

PAMPANGA, Philippines - On our way back from a vacation in Mabini, Pangasinan going to Manila, we stop by at a gasoline station in Pampanga. The gasoline stations at the expressway are usually big and have various selections of restaurants that are catered for commuters and travelers who want to take a rest and eat some food. From the gasoline station, a nice looking mountain caught my attention and took a photo of it.



Mount Ayarat, Pampanga, Philippines
(Photo was taken through Iphone)

Based on wikipedia.org, these are some interesting facts about Mount Arayat and the geographical vicinity.

1. It is an extinct stratovolcano on Luzon Island, Philippines, rising to a height of 1,026 metres (3,366 ft).

2. There is no recorded eruption of the volcano, and its last activity probably dates to the Holocene era.

3. The volcano is located in a flat agricultural region. The southern half of the mountain lies within the municipality of Arayat, Pampanga while the north half and the mountain summit lies within Magalang, Pampanga.

4. Ten miles to the west of Mount Arayat is Angeles City and the former Clark Air Base. Mount Pinatubo is located a further 16 km (10 mi) west.

5. It is considered a mystical mountain, the legendary home of Aung/Aring Sinukuan/Sinkuan/Suku or the Fairy known as diwata Mariang Sinukuan depending on which version of the story the readers or listeners prefer, but in ancient Kapampangan folklore as well as the research known to have been gathered by Kapampangan students of Henry Otley Beyer, it was and is the abode of Apung Aring Sinukuan, rival of Namalyari of Mount Pinatubo, who is in varying versions, the son of Cargon-Cargon who was mortally wounded in a fight with a giant from the Zambales Mountain Range which is said to be the home of Apu Namalyari.

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Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge

Sydney Central Business District
Photo taken by Iphone

SYDNEY, Australia - My assignment in Melbourne was supposed to end on March 23, 2012. Due to additional procedures, it was extended for another week.

When I checked my travel agent, she advised me that all the flights from Melbourne to Singapore on March 23 up to April 7 were full because of Easter holiday. I tried to find alternate routes in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. I waited for some days and fortunately, there's one more seat from Sydney to Singapore. This alternate route was more expensive but I need to extend anyway, so we took it. 

The Harbour Bridge - Sydney, Australia
Photo was taken via Iphone

I book a Qantas (www.qantas.com.au) domestic flight from Melbourne to Singapore and tried to have longer waiting time at the airport so I can still go out and visit the Opera House and Harbour Bridge which are very famous  worldwide.

I left Melbourne at 8:00 am and arrived in Sydney at 9:30 am. My next flight was at 4:00 pm  so I have enough time to go out. I quickly look for a shop where I can store my luggage and went to  the city via the double deck train. The fee to store a luggage was quite expensive in Australia. But who cares, this was the only chance I have at that moment to see these works of arts in real life.

Sydney Opera House
Photo was taken via Iphone

The Harbour Bridge was the first structure I noticed after I came out of the Metro Train Station. It was fascinating. I then walk further and followed the sign going to the Opera House. I was feeling excited while walking but was concerned on how to approach people to take me photos and have evidence that I went there. But once I arrived, it was natural to ask people around as most of them are also taking pictures. I met one local guy who talked to me for a while.  I then went back to the airport, had lunch and checked-in again. 

The extension of my assignment and the unavailability of the flights back to Singapore came out to be a blessing. I was able to visit another important city in Australia and see great structures.

Keep on following my travel blogs. Also, for all your travel needs (airfare, hotel, cruise package, holiday packages, car rental and more), please visit wow amazing holiday website.