Kerala

We left our hotel in Goa before sunrise to catch our 8-hour train ride to Kannur.  As we approached Kerala, we started seeing lots (LOTS) of coconut trees and backwaters.  It's so green and very much looks like the landscape back home in the Philippines. When we arrived Kannur, I told the hotel owner that …

The lost city of the Incas [Machu Picchu]

July 2-4 Last Wednesday (July 1), we left Cusco and headed to the Sacred Valley. The drive to Ollantaytambo took less than 2 hours, and the views on the way was amazing. The road goes through layers of towering mountains, with some of the peaks glistening with snow. After about an hour, we started descending …

Arequipa: The White City

June 22, 2009 It takes about an hour to fly from Lima to Arequipa. We spent more time in the airport, than flying ! As the plane lands, we had a preview of Arequipa´s terrain ... the Andes, some snowcapped mountains, and what seems to be like endless desert. Big cactus plants sprout from dry …

The City of Kings : Lima

June 20, 2009 ¡Hola! from the City of Kings! Our flight arrived Lima at 5.10am. We were beyond exhausted, what with very little sleep the night before, and the 5 hour delay in SFO, you can imagine how relieved we are finally arrive in Lima. After a mixup with the hotel, mostly because the receptionist …

The center of the Inca Empire [Cusco]

June 27 - 29, 2009 Cusco, Peru The bus ride from Puno to Cusco was not bad at all, and in fact, was very pleasant. We took an inkaexpress bus, which is a very reputable tourist company. The bus ride reminded me of my Bicol-Manila trips during college in one of those Sunshine or Sarkies …

Altiplano [Puno and Lake Titicaca]

June 25-26, 2009 There´s a reason you all haven´t heard from me in a while. From Arequipa, we took a 6-hr journey by bus to Puno. The bus ride took us through vast, dry, arrid landscape as we go up higher from Arequipa´s altitude of 7,000ft to 12,500ft. At this altitude, you won´t see any …

Granada, Nicaragua

March 2010 THE COUNTRY. Nicaragua seems to be one of those destinations which almost guarantees you a questioning eyebrow as a response to the question “where are you going ?”. I probably wouldn’t blame most, because the country is still remembered for it’s wars, conflicts and revolutionaries. I’m hoping I could play the role of …