For two weeks they’re not the forgotten. They’re the stars. And it was a privilege to be there on the opening night to see them twinkle. “The exhibit entitled ‘The Forgotten Ten’ will showcase a year and a half of Jacob Maentz’s documentary work from various indigenous communities around the Philippines. In partnership with Asia…
Author: Gay Mitra
The Linden Suites, Ortigas: Sweet Suite Review
Faces, battered and blooming/raucous and reserved trickled in past meetup o’ clock. I was one of them late birds who arrived looking befuddled after tearing my way through the rowdy check-in crowd at the under-refurbishment lobby. When introduced to The Linden Suites’ Marketing Communications Manager Michael Sagaran in Mesclun Restaurant and Café, I waved a…
2013 Year-Ender: When Travel Turned Into A Black Hole
And I got sucked in. In 2012, we were armed with all sorts of excuses: Extended honeymoon stage. A break from the mundane. Discounted airfares for tots. “Still saving up for a house (and/or still haven’t decided where to buy)“. Backpacking while young. Living in the now… The list went on and echoed through the…
2013: The Last Quarter
On some occasions, it feels good to eat your own words. Especially when your words are in such sequence: We’re not traveling for a while. About three months ago, hubby and I went about talking to skeptic minds on the subject of finally settling down. And we were thrown with the response “That’s what you…
The Travel Blogging Calendar 2014: Save The Elephants
Her eyes lit up when she could finally make out the charcoal-gray figure I was pointing at.She gasped and squealed and ran towards it without looking back. “Dumbooo!” A few strides away from the elephant, she stopped in her tracks. She seemed terrified. Upon closer look, there was blood splattered on the elephant’s face and…
Tiruchirapalli Rock Fort, Tamil Nadu, India: Ending Where It Began
I crossed the street, unfazed by what was becoming a familiar scene of bedlam: Tuktuks hurtling from all directions, sidewalks hosting a welter of portable stalls, cows strolling alongside pedestrians, merchants coming up with the most imaginative ways to lure tourists to their shops, and locals that gape at us until we’re out of their…
Travel With Your Bensimon Sneaker Chic On: A Review Plus A Giveaway
Bonjour messieurs and mesdemoiselles — oh yes I’m feeling like a Parisian in Manila today. Pourquoi? It’s because iconic and symbolic French sneakers, Bensimon (pronounced benˈ-see-mon), has finally stepped onto Philippine streets this year and am actually donning a bright yellow pair this very sunny moment. My Bensimon pair is a splash of happy to…
Nepal Tourist Visa On Arrival For Filipinos
Easy peasy. A polar opposite of even the most undemanding Himalayan trek. Okay, that comparison’s quite silly. Nepal tourist visa is available on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport (at its land borders as well) and can be obtained fuss-free by almost all nationalities so long as requirements are met. How to apply, you ask? Requirements…
Maubara Fort, East Timor: Stories Between The Cracks
On the back of a detour sign was a brightly painted “Salamat po!” (‘thank you’ in Tagalog) which the hubby noticed as he glanced back at the cloud of dust our speeding cab produced. We found two more similar signs along the under-construction highway, an evident indication of the Filipino workers’ presence on this side…
Hotel 878 Libis: Loft And Cafe 878 Review
There was a festival of dangerous party ideas that eve. Ideas which we knew will never materialize, but we had a ball playing with our imaginations anyway. I gasped for breath as Ron of fliptravels.com descended the loft’s stairs while hip-thrusting with his tongue sticking out. Not the most ridiculous Miley Cyrus impersonation I had…