Foot and Fire

I can't believe I was not able to churn out something about Xi'an in my blog.  So here is my late blog of my February 2012 Xi'an trip. Xi'an is the old capital of China. This is a photo of me with the thousands of dug terracotta army behind me. This is literally a complex of terracotta army and horses as well as weaponry.  The digging is not yet complete and it is still being continued. This is how a human can go only to assure of his immortality. Contrary to some grumbling by foreigners, I don't mind that these armies are far from the touch and smell of the tourists since  these images are centuries old, and so they should be preserved very well.  And even if preserving them means keeping them meters away from the tourists.. *** An army and his horse in a glass casing, for up close scrutiny of the tourists. *** Encased kneeling army. *** Close up photo of the digging. *** Unfinished diggings. ...

BOHOL BUTTERFLY GARDEN. I wish today that I can narrate how tickled I was  when these two butterflies were placed right on my ears like earrings. yeeeeey. ***        One of the reasons I travel is because I want to write. And I discovered lately that in order to chronicle my travels itself, I have to write right away. Otherwise, the thrill, the zest, the freshness of the recollection will be abandoned to almost forgetfulness. Photos help but it is not everything there is. There is a crisp quality in one's writing when done right after the travel as well as magical feeling after putting everything down. I am not referring to insights and essays which can be written even years after as a reflection. I just miss the chronicling of what happened. Those moments one do not want to forget because they are fleeting moments. I don't even want to forget the name of the guide or places we went to. While I have a lot of backlog of travels to tell (One reason...

In this photo, I am with Mr. Vudao, a former tour guide and now the bubbly owner of a bookstore with English books in Sa Pa Valley. He accepts swaps of books too. I bought the bio of Ho Chi Minh and Vietnamese Folktales, and he gave me discounts. This is his first time to meet Filipinos... He said he will still be in that bookstore when we get back... and even after a thousand more years, he added... His email add is vudaosapa@gmail.com. ***             My friend Bernadette sitting beside Peter Thoung of Peter Coffeeshop  and now the recently opened Sapa Backpackers.. This makeshift coffee corner is facing the small classroom where minority children were taught basic English so they can communicate with tourists. Tourism is one source of income for the minorities in SaPa Valley. More information on Sapa Backpackers  here . *** We added our Philippine Flag and Mabuhay greetings on the wall of the classroom. **...

We freely roamed the park in the middle of SaPa Valley and had a great time with the tripod and our poses. We love the relaxing atmosphere of SaPa, despite the fact that Vietnamese walk fast as in brisk walking for us. We also love the maintenance of the plants in the park...  ****  A Catholic Church in Sapa is near the market where the tribal people are selling their goods from bags to dresses to peaches. *** We passed by a stall roasting Lechon de leche... *** By the lake of the Sapa Park. *** Sorry, I have no flashy flash. I just got this hazy photo. But this is for your bird's eyeview of Sapa at night only. *** The intricately designed plant at the park. *** By the garden in the park. Nice flowers. Pretty ladies. *** Click, click before she breezes through me, lol. At the lake. In the morning, one can ride in their duck boat for sure. ***

With our cheerful Guide Lala of the Black H'mong Tribe. Reaching Sapa Valley from Hanoi is one fun overnight ride of 12 hours via train. It was a smooth sleep for all of us when we were going there (we left nighttime and arrived in the morning) but it was like sleeping under a bowling lane when we rode an old train going back to Hanoi (we left in the afternoon and arrived around past midnight). We anticipated the stop to Lao Cai Train Station upon arriving a town away from Sapa. Since English just made it to Vietnam, we listened to the announcements very well as to which station are we already in. While our Vietnamese neighbors in the bunk seemed to be too happy to help and exchange words with us, the language just gets in the way. DAY ONE When we arrived in Sapa, we were greeted by a cool weather (think of Baguio City) and in fact, it drizzled. On our first day we went up to the Muong Hoa valley mountain and down to a waterfall in our Cat cat trekking. We enjo...