Down the Rabbit Hole

So far, we've visited the usual places that tourists gravitate to. But we were able to see the other side of Singapore; the side that residents see. Franco, Val's friend who lives in Singapore, invited us to a picnic dinner at one of the barbecue pits at the East Coast Lagoon Food Village. The cab driver said that this is a popular  makan place for locals, which (to me) meant an opportunity to experience what life in Singapore is really like. The barbecue pit we had dinner in faced the beach and gave us ringside seats to the view of more cargo ships out in the water. This place was definitely less crowded and more relaxed; it was worlds away from the chaos of Clarke Quay or Bugis, for instance. It did have a Sentosa-like vibe but without an excess of commercial establishments. Franco had prepared a delicious meal of grilled deli meats and freshly baked bread. His banter with his bubbly son provided such a nice entertainment... it felt so much like being at home ra...

The southernmost point in continental Asia That's how a portion of Palawan Beach is designated... and that's the sign we kept following. Our pace, from Fort Siloso to Palawan Beach, was gruelling for me because we were walking on the beach at around noon; Val, Leonce, Chantal, and Myra easily had longer strides; I was exhausted; and my tote bag was heavy (in which I carried tissue paper, wet wipes, my Kor Delta water bottle, towels, and medicine).  Whenever I found a shady spot (difficult to do on the beach because there weren't many trees), I rested, drank some water, and took photos. On one of my rest stops, I was able to photograph the islet we were going to and the rope bridge that connects it to Sentosa. Seeing the alleged southernmost point of continental Asia made me scratch my head in bewilderment... it's an islet connected to the content by a thread (quite literally)! This can't be considered continental Asia, right? Surely, Sentosa has other par...

Last year, I wasn't able to ride the Singapore Flyer because it was undergoing repairs. Val rode it during one of his trips and enjoyed the view, so he got me to try it (despite my dislike for riding ferris wheels). It's a good thing he insisted because the slow rotation allowed us to appreciate the different views of the city. Two of the most prominent structures we saw were the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest of Gardens by the Bay. I didn't realise how close these were to the Singapore River until I saw the view. The nearby skyscrapers were also a sight to behold. Though there were many, the did not feel crowded from where I was standing (unlike San Francisco's downtown when viewed from the Coit Tower ). The Skytrees were also quite visible. The pink twig-like structures were easy to differentiate from the real foliage. The walkway between the "trees" was also visible... I'd love to go there if we've got the time. I w...

The first time I went to the Mind Museum  was one of the first adventures with the Syanang Syalen, my group of friends who just love visiting museums. I found the museum unique because it allows visitors to touch and play with the exhibits ( yes! ), making science more personalised and relatable. Naturally, when I learned that Leonce and Chantal were bringing their 11-year old daughter, Myra, with them on their brief trip to the Philippines, I just had to include the Mind Museum in our list of places to visit. Val preferred a visit to Art in Island  but it's out of the way from the other places we were visiting the day we were going to Metro Manila.  And just like during my first visit, I zeroed in on Museum Rule No. 2: "Don't lose your adult." I knew that this was going to be a difficult rule to follow because Val tends to browse while I immerse in exhibits in a museum.  It turned out to be a non-issue because the hands-on exhibits caught his attention...

Krishna  left IRRI to pursue her PhD degree in Ghent University's South Korea campus soon after I moved to the USA. While waiting for arrangements about my Korea tour, I asked if she's around and if her schedule permits us to meet up. She said we could meet up near her university. Right after my tour, I got onto a city bus and went to our meeting place in downtown Incheon. The view going to Incheon from the airport was fascinating because the airport was really pretty when viewed from the outside. After getting more passengers at the other terminals, the bus then drove over a long bridge to go to the mainland... Incheon International Airport is on an island. Given that it's almost noon, I had a double take seeing buildings that seemingly float in thin air while the bus was on the bridge. That was just haze, I think, because once we were closer to the mainland, the buildings became clearer and the fog cover disappeared.  One of the stops that the bus made wa...

I thought I had left the Goryeo Dynasty behind when I left the Jeondeungsa Temple. However, the next stop in the tour was the Deokjinjin Fortress, a protective barrier built to protect the Ganghwa Strait. I noted the similarity between this fortress and the Samnangseong Fortress that surrounds the Jeondeungsa Temple. Just as a reference, Ganghwa is an island on the western side of Korea, by the estuary of the Han River and the Yellow Sea. The Han River flows through Seoul , the capital of both the present-day South Korea and of the ancient Joseon Dynasty. It was close to noon when we made the stop. Almost everyone in my tour group just had a glimpse of the fortress because of the heat. But I went on and explored. It's not everyday I get the chance to visit Korea, after all.  Because of the strategic location of Ganghwa Island, it became a significant outpost in protecting and controlling the capital. As a result, the Goryeo Dynasty developed military fortifications...

Are you up for a hiking trip on a really hot day, straight off a long-haul flight? That was the tour guide's question as I signed up for a four-hour temple tour during my 12-hour layover in South Korea's Incheon International Airport. Of course I was! I definitely needed the exercise. But for good measure, I refilled my Kor bottle with water and I bought a Krispy Kreme doughnut for breakfast... nothing like a sugar rush to prepare for a bit of a walk, right? After a one-hour bus ride, the tour guide brought us to the start of our hike in Ganghwa Island. Note that it's 9am and the temperature was already hovering in the mid 30's (Celsius). The paved road allowed cars to go closer to the temple but it's not intended for tour buses. So we had to walk starting from the bottom (aka the parking lot). It looked easy enough... until we actually started walking up. The road slowly grew steeper as we neared the temple. It would've been a lot easier for me...