Field Notes by a Casual Tourist

HK 2012: Hong Kong Disneyland

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 21:49:00 +0800

If there’s one place in Hong Kong I could go back time and time again, that would be Disneyland. It’s a holding place for happy thoughts. I remember when I was a kid, the only time I could see Disney characters and its other animated film was through a Betamax tape, watching in my grandma’s house. Recalling those memories makes me feel so fortunate today.

Another memorable event was seeing my fellow Filipino — Bataan Peninsula State University Chamber Chorale — performing live in Disneyland in front of hundreds of people.

Inside Disneyland, we went to one of their newest attraction — Toy Story Land. We tried the Toy Soldier Parachute Drop.

HK.2012: The Peak

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 17:23:00 +0800

In my previous post I’ve said that one of my highlights in my second trip in Hong Kong would go to the places I’ve never been and to try things that I’ve missed. This time around, the highlight was shooting the Victoria Harbor from The Peak at sundown. And it ain’t easy because I didn’t bring a tripod with me all along the trip — everything was hand held. I don’t want to exhaust myself by carrying with me extra 2 kg weight. I want to enjoy my trip casually. So, I make sure that I am shooting the harbor at sundown NOT at night time.

And let me walk you through…

The most challenging part of shooting the harbor was staying warm. It’s no joke. The longer you stay out, the colder it gets from The Peak.

HK.2012: Kowloon

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 01:41:00 +0800

Kowloon, arguably the most busiest urban area in Hong Kong especially at night. Identifiable with its side by side shops and malls; corner street food shops; and its entertaining night market scene.

HK.2012: Charlie Brown Café

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 22:31:00 +0800

The highlights of my second trip in Hong Kong was to visit the places I haven’t been — like the Charlie Brown Café in Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. We arrived too early in the morning hoping for a cup of joe but the café opens at 11am. This was probably one of my highlights of disappointment as well. Maybe there’s a call for a third trip.

Sneak Peak: Goin' Analog

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 11:35:36 +0800

Will give the full details soon, from why I’m doing it the analog way to collation of materials needed and setting it up.

F/Stop (Food Stop): Streetside Feast @ Lock Road

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 23:12:00 +0800

Street food. To some, it’s a poor man’s cuisine. But from a traveler’s point of view, this is where one should start, eat what the locals eat — to know more about a country.

This joint at the corner of Lock Road and Haiphong Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong has become one of my favorite food stop after a tedious day’s trip. My fave was the pan-fried turnip drowned in hot sauce. Second was, the pan fried dumplings. And third was the sharks fin soup. Everything was quick, hot and above all, it’s cheap.

The place was always packed with crowds, from all walks of life.

This kind of food joint is ubiquitous in Hong Kong. Most are in the shopping district of Kowloon.

This is my first post of my recent trip in Hong Kong and my last for 2012. More of my Hong Kong photo essay next year. ‘Til then.

Room with a View

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 09:40:33 +0800

“Fundacion Pacita belongs to a friend of mine. I like it because it’s up on a mountain. The view is so breathtaking it’s like you’re in Brittany or in Scotland, only more beautiful. And I like the way they fixed the rooms. I prefer cool air to the warm. I prefer nature to city life.” – Alberto Lim, former Department of Tourism secretary

Excerpt from What’s Your Favorite Room?, InFlight September 2012 Issue

Ways to Combat Smelly Air

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 20:13:19 +0800

Ways to combat pollution? Try using air fresheners at the same time. I would like to +5 for the driver’s effort of having a tissue and “three” air fresheners inside his jeepney cockpit. Only in the Philippines.

Haunted Baguio

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 21:58:00 +0800

The days of the month of October are literally numbered and it’ll be All Saints Day this coming November 1. I remembered a dispatch we did in Baguio City, as one of the 10 haunted places in the Philippines.

In Baguio, we covered the Cemetery of Negativism, also called The Lost Cemetery.

The Dominican Hill’s Diplomat Hotel.

The Laperal White House.

Loakan Road.

Copra: Liquid Gold

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:05:00 +0800

It was a fortunate time when I and the rest of our dispatch crew was invited by a local family in Cagbalete Island, Quezon Province to witness the copra making process. They offered us fresh, sweet coconut juice and tubo or coconut fruit as a welcome treat.

Copra making is very widespread production in the Philippines. It is one of the major source of income to both locals and government as this coconut oil are for export. It’s a long, elaborate and laborious process to extract these liquid gold, but every drop of it is worth the hard labor.

Spin, Spin the Mad Hatter Tea Cups

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 08:11:00 +0800

It has been more than a year now since I first set foot in Hong Kong for a personal trip. Until now, it’s still feels like yesterday. Come December, God willing, will be in Hong Kong again. This time, with the whole family and will go back to Disneyland again.

I’m openly admitting that I’ve enjoyed Disneyland. I’ll be reuniting the child in me once again.

F/Stop (Food Stop): Villa Café

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:20:24 +0800

When in Manila, try Villa Café’s fresh pacu (local ferns) and prawn salad with colorful edible flowers served with pineapple vinaigrette.

Also the pastel de lengua, a boneless crispy pata (pork thigh) served with kare-kare sauce or sauce made from ground peanut.

Soft lamb shank caldereta, with soft moist meat falling off the bone.

Quezon Road Trip: Cagbalete Island

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 20:46:00 +0800

For this particular post, I’ll be excerpting some lines from a piece “Crossing Wild Quezon by Mini Van” written by photographer, writer and friend Oggie Ramos for InFlight’s July-August 2012 issue.

Setting out for Cagbalete Island
There are two boat trips going to Cagbalete daily, one at 10:30am and another at 3:30pm. We took the latter, boarding a large boat that sits anywhere from 75-100 passengers. The trip was splash-free and dry save for the time to board off in Sabang as the water has receded far from shore, necessitating a ride on a flat-bottom boat and wading near the shore.

The western side of Cagbalete is littered with houses and various commerce mainly run by migrants from the Visayas who have made the island their home. Making our way to the home of our host, a retired judge of Mauban, we had to weave through an assortment of houses, sari-sari stores, bakeries and shops.

We woke to a bright, clear morning. Fueled by a hasty breakfast of coffee and peanut butter cookies, we hiked 20 minutes through grassland to the eastern side of the island. Emerging from the windbreak rows of she-oaks (trees that resemble pine trees but grow in drier land), we found a shoreline littered by seaweeds and a deserted stretch of beach with fine, fair sand all to ourselves.

At Villa Cleofas, we watched the copra workers as they went about their business, shucking coconut and preparing them for drying. After an hour, we went for the hammocks by the beach to watch the birds and survey the empty beach.

Quezon Road Trip: Borawan Island

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 20:00:00 +0800

Going northwest to Borawan Island
The island has a wonderful stretch of pocket beaches hemmed by limestone cliffs that called to mind the karst formations of Palawan. On the easternmost end, there were basic cottages for daytrippers and overnight guests. The water is clear, tempting us to take a dip and swim in the two hours we were there.

Next post: Cagbalete Island, Quezon Province

Quezon Road Trip: Padre Burgos

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 19:39:46 +0800

Going northwest to Padre Burgos
When we arrived at Tayabas Bay, the weather was far from ideal — there was a strong gusty wind, and the waters were choppy, spewing out white caps. We thought we’d wait this one out and decided to go to Vista Playa Restaurant for a late lunch of tulingan (mackerel tuna in coconut milk) and chami (egg noodles with sweet sauce) From where we were we could still hear the waves pounding.

The view is not lacking in poetry with late afternoon fishermen sailing to and from baklad (fish fences) that lie in the distance framed by the silhouettes of the islands of Pagbilao Chika and Pagbilao Grande.

Next post: Borawan Island, Quezon Province

Quezon Road Trip: Alibijaban Island

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 20:39:00 +0800

Back to basics in Alibihaban Island
We woke up before sunrise to cross over to Alibihaban Island, 15 minutes away, on a small motorized banca. We got glimpses of the simple life on the island mainly populated by families of fishermen.

School children come to school either by banca or walking through patches of mangroves as the men sail to shore with their catch. The school house has an enviable location, right under a canopy of trees with the beach as its backyard.

Maybe even buy fresh catch, slack off and enjoy the laidback pace.

Next post: Padre Burgos, Quezon Province

Quezon Road Trip: Long Beach, San Andres

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 12:51:00 +0800

Back to basics in San Andres
While the assignment called for a roadtrip, we didn’t aim to remain landlocked all the time. Certainly not when there are islands waiting to be explored. The fishing town of San Andres at the southernmost tip of the Bondoc Peninsula is our jump-off point for Alibihaban Island.

Plan B means spending the late afternoon hours exploring Long Beach with our local host, Dina Lopinac Dela Torre, a school teacher.

Towards sunset, the shoreline recedes some hundred meters, exposing areas planted to mangroves.

Next post: Alibijaban Island, Quezon Province

Quezon Road Trip: An Introduction

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 20:19:00 +0800

I’d say the road of San Narciso, Quezon Province can be compared to a skillful bartender. Whilst the 2012 Kia Carnival we’re driving was the cocktail shaker and the four of us men were the ingredients prepared to concoct the perfect cocktail. We were dropped, mixed and shaken — up, down and sideways with brute force as we drive along the 60km of rough road of Bondoc Peninsula and passed by small houses, motorcycles and carabaos. By the time we reached the port of San Andres and got off in the town, we felt like drunken bastards. Swelling. Spinning. We were victim of our own combined intoxicating spirits.

Next post: San Andres, Quezon Province

Photo above: San Narciso end of road. Taken with iPhone 4

Quirky Apps of a Straight Guy, 4 of 4

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:30:00 +0800

So, here is the final installment of the apps that I’m currently hooked into:

Instagram: Finally, this app needs no further “quirky” introduction. What I like the most of this app are the filter effects they offer. By far, they have the most right-balance effects I’ve seen among other apps. Also, Instagram’s simplicity to share online in other social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook. (See your app store for full app details and mobile OS availability)

As you can see, the list above sums up my basic “quirk” phonecam whoring workflow.

To those who contest and ranting about phonecam whoring, if you’re into serious photography, go get yourself a decent camera with full manual controls. But for the “fun and quirky way”, let’s leave it as is.

Happy camwhoring!

Read Quirky Apps of a Straight Guy, part 3 here

Quirky Apps of a Straight Guy, 3 of 4

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 22:33:08 +0800

So, here are the apps that I’m currently hooked into:

PicFrame: Just like me, uploading photos from your phone one by one is an agonizing process, especially when you can’t contain the excitement of sharing online; and when you’re under the mercy of a slow-bandwidth connection. You can use this app by combining your multiple photos, divided by frames, into one photo. You can choose from 60 different kinds of frame available. (See your app store for full app details and mobile OS availability)

Read Quirky Apps of a Straight Guy, part 2 here