In a few week's time...

I will be in another hectic trip. I have recently renewed my passport (which turned out to be a harrowing experience) and I have so far visited the DFA 3x just for a renewal (can you believe that?). Since i was a child, I have never set foot at the DFA. It was always through a travel agent. Now I gag at the thought of ever visiting the DFA again ... and those darn scourge of our lives - the "fixers"- may they rot in hell! Oops sorry. Got carried away. ;-) (P.S. The next photos are courtesy of some sites on Myanmar.)

On a more personal note, I have noticed that this blogsite has had a good number of hits in just less than a month. I started this blogsite last week of October, just a few weeks after my arrival from the mind-blowing Siem Reap and Phnom Penh of Cambodia; and Hanoi and Saigon in Vietnam. I had the intentions of documenting my solo travel in Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as sharing my travels to help other Filipino travelers with the little details that would help the anxious wanderlust. I didn't really care much if i had readership, although I did invite all my friends to visit this site to share my adventures with them as early as November. This will somehow serve as a journal. Besides, the pics look better when posted here than on an album, I dunno why?!!




Last December - during the holiday respite nearing the recent New Year - I decided to employ a "counter" to somehow document the number of hits. I was awed by the number of hits!!! I honestly didn't think anyone would "visit" besides my friends (I don't think I have THAT MUCH friends who would keep visiting too.) To my surprise, in a span of less than a month, this site actually got almost 500 hits! Deduct my visits (which is once every 3 days or so), it still is a good number for just a span of a month. In fact, just from yesterday, I have had a spectacular 34 hits/"visits" within 24 hours.

In relation to this, if any of you gets to visit this site, please do say hello, and tell me what's on your mind. Would be nice to have a friendly living being making their presence felt. If you have been to an amazing place that needs to be shared, I'd gladly feature it here so we can share them with others. I would appreciate details and tips that would be "useful" to other travellers. As you have noticed, this blog-site is also picture-heavy so I would encourage you to share those photos. I can't promise to post all of them, but I'll pick my favorites.

Lastly, I will be visiting several places in Thailand again (I've been there several times) but the more notable visit would be that of Myanmar (Burma). I just saw Stallone's "John Rambo" (the 4th incarnation) set in Myanmar, which "demonized" the country's situation. Of course I understand that dictatorship runs this country, but it can't be that bad. Either way, I will find out! (As a footnote, go watch "John Rambo", the action is amazing! And Stallone is back!!! Soooo back!)

The itinerary in Myanmar will be pretty exciting: Yangon (the former capital - I recently read that it's Naypyidaw now, some 300 kms from Yangon), Bagan (my most anticipated), Mandalay and Mount Popa. If Cambodia's Angkor boasts of some 50 temples or so, Bagan has an astounding 4,400 temples!!! And I am fraught with excitement!

If any of you has been to Myanmar, I would appreciate any tips! I am posting herewith some photos I saw from my surfing.

And yeah, do say hi!

These last 3 photos were taken from a well documented backpacking all over Asia, especially of Myanmar. Please visit the site if you enjoy GREAT PHOTOS and a prolific retelling of a travelogue: http://willthedutch.blogspot.com/

London's Kew Gardens

In relation to my visit to the gardens and palace in Bogor City, Indonesia, I am posting a piece to revisit Kew Gardens, since what made me visit Bogor was the heavy reference to the Royal Botanic Garden of Kew. It is claimed that the architects and designers of both places were the same. Of course this couldn’t have been possible since the whole premises of Kew dates as far back as the mid-1700s.

Kew Garden, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site like Ha Long Bay and our Banaue Rice Terraces, is a far visit from central London. Though it is accessible by trains, there are several train changes involving the tube (Waterloo and District Line) and finally the British Rails (Silverlink services).


The Princess of Wales Conservatory

In the far reaches of southwest London (even farther than the sleepy borough of Wimbledon), one has to walk a few blocks before reaching the main gate of the 120-hectare premises. On it still stands a Chinese pagoda which was constructed 1761. The grounds also house an almost-exact replica of Gateway of the Messenger of the Nishi Buddhist Temple situated in Kyoto Japan (which is a commemorative structure for the friendship between the UK and Japan).

Kew is a huge botanical garden, research facility and conservatory, as it employs about 700 employees. For the year 2006 alone, it boasted an annual income of 44 million pounds or $ 86.5 million. This is considering the fact that not a lot of foreigners know about Kew Gardens. The admission charge for adults is 12.25 pounds or $24 (Php 980) and is free for concessionaires (minors, students and elderlies).

The highlight seems to be the relatively new Princess of Wales Conservatory (a 20-year old structure specially supported and inaugurated by Princess Diana). The conservatory houses 10 perfectly simulated climatic zones all over the world, made possible by a computer-generated program. There are species endemic to several regions and climatic zones all over the world. I remember an area which had those Sumatran gigantic phallic-looking flowers (the same structures which surround the Monas in Jakarta). Some areas were very moist, some very humid; some even had “fumes” generated by contraptions.

My favorite is the outdoor grounds, with very colorful flowers jutting out of the rolling greens. I also like the magnificent architecture of the Orangery (constructed 1791) which houses a restaurant and the Kew Shop. The Chinese Pagoda and the Japanese Buddhist Temple are amazingly well maintained. There is a North Gallery which houses more than 830 botanical paintings of a lady adventurer who collected plant paintings from all the continents that she visited. Being inside the gallery was like stepping back into time, with antique bookcases and a stately Victorian ambiance.

Bogor Gardens is comparatively more “natural” and the selection of plants are limited to those endemic to Indonesia ; trees everywhere (huge ones in fact) and there are hiking trails that can’t be easy for the elderlies, the children and the handicap. Wheelchairs are available at the Victoria Gate of the Kew. Also, the floral gardens of the Kew are mind-numbingly beautiful and more breathtaking (as do “any” of the Royal Botanic Gardens of London – my personal favorite is the Rose Garden of Regent’s Park).

Giant Water Lilies are being seeded every year.

The Orangery

Chinese Pagoda, era 1761

The Gateway of the Messenger of the Nishi Buddhist Temple

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Comparison of Copenhagen and Bogor's "Little Mermaid"

I was fortunate to have chanced upon the Little Mermaid’s statue in the heart of Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen (which they locally spell Kobenhavn). In a low key area, by the city harbor, with not much fanfare, sits Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved fairy tale character. (Andersen’s statue - with a long hat and coat tails - also stands near the city square).

The statue, which is about 3 feet tall (including the granite boulder it perches on) doesn’t even have signage’s, and is very near the rows of palaces where the “changing of the guards” occur. I remembered taking my usual walks until I reached the boardwalk. Most of the nearby harbor walk was not notable.

Bogor's Little Mermaid.

Copenhagen is an ideal place for “walkers” - this is where the word “pedestrian” originated. I also chanced upon a majestic statue of David nearby. To date, Denmark, the southernmost Scandinavian country, is still not part of the newly expanded Schengen territory, but is easily accessible from Central Europe by train. From Hamburg (which is the northernmost central European city), the train is derailed from its land rails and loaded to a ferry boat that will traverse the icy North Seas. In about an hour, the ferry reaches the shores of Denmark. The Eurail train is re-railed to its land tracks, and travel to Copenhagen resumes.

Copenhagen's Little Mermaid. It was hard to get a good photograph of the statue's face, although it was obviously closer than the one in Bogor, Indonesia.

I am not sure if Bogor’s “Little Mermaid” has any important historical connection with Copenhagen’s little one. Probably the garden designers from London’s Kew Gardens got their idea from their Danish neighbor? Probably not.

I needed a good light to get a decent view of the statue's face. Aww!

Trivia on the statue:

The statue (which was 4 years in the making) was created by the sculptor Edward Eriksen and was presented to the city in 1913 by the famous brewer of Carlsberg beer, Carl Jacobsen. Although many think that the statue is a symbol of the old seaport, the inspiration was Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid”.

This is a postcard photo I bought from some newstand in Copenhagen.

In 1909, brewer Carl Jacobsen saw solo dancer Ellen Price dance in Fini Henriques' ballet interpretation of Andersen’s "The Little Mermaid" at the Royal Theatre. He was so taken with her that he asked her if she would pose naked for the statue. She agreed in principle, but was not very interested in posing without any clothes on, when she found out just how public the statue would be.

Instead, the sculptor’s wife stepped in and modeled for the body. On April 23, 1964, the vandals decapitated the Little Mermaid and her original head was never found. A new head was made from the original cast. Most visitors to Copenhagen have their pictures taken next to the Little Mermaid. The statue's birthday is celebrated in various ways every year on August 23.

Nice views along the harbor where the Little Mermaid statue sits nearby.

Majestic statue of David. When my 5-year-old niece saw this, she said, "It is a boy, tito! Ewww!" Almost fell off my chair and laughed so hard!

Check out: Davao City's Little Mermaid here - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2010/07/little-mermaid-finds-another-home-in.html

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The Garden City of Bogor - the Rain City of Java

Bogor Station Platform (no overpasses so you walk through the empty cars and then over the tracks)


On my 5th day in Jakarta, while I was coming out of my hotel room, the concierge asked me, “So where else have you gone around the state (Java) ?” This made me rethink my itinerary. I wanted to go somewhere out of Jakarta (turns out that Jakarta is not a city but a province, thus its head of government is the governor). Though I

was a little wary of the random horror stories I've heard about Gambir (the main train station) as well as the other train stations in the world like Madrid’s Atocha (where I let a pickpocket “explore ” my trench coat’s pockets knowing it was empty anyway-) or even of Paris’ south station at Montparnasse,

Pakuan Express Train

A Jakartan friend, Ummi, whom I met through “Yahoo Answers” gave me the impression that most Jakartans would rather avoid the trains, “especially the ekonomi, commuter train”. She said, “I only ride train for long distance. It's the coal train (KA)one, not KRL. You might want to travel in executive class (with AC) because the business class doesn't have AC. Do not - ever - ride the economy class. Best choice would be the rapid train (the train name starts with Argo)."





Facade of Bogor Gardens/Palace
A very stately halfway house by the entrance of the garden premises (it's also mostly empty).

Colorful green-red angcots ply the city streets

(Sidebar: Car entrance at the Gambir Station collects Rp2,000 so if you would rather save that much, just get off at the entrance and walk from the gate to the building.)
The station is a lovely color of green and yellow-green panels, with policemen everywhere. Ticket inspectors roam during the ride and inspections are common. Ticket buying is systematic, and though I wasn’t sure if I had the correct platform, I just had to ask the local commuters, five of whom volunteered information more than what was asked. The thing about a lot of Jakartans is that, when they learn that you are a tourist, most of them will try to protect you from perceived dangers or scams..

Ekonomi tickets to Bogor costs Rp3,000 and takes 1 ½ hours. A train arrives every 20 minutes from 5 AM to 7 pm. I took the Pakuan Express train, which arrives hourly at Gambir (6:30 am to 6 pm). My Lonely Planet needed updating – a “bisniss” class ticket is Rp 13,000 – not Rp8,000 (PhP 42). The carriage is a huge fully air-conditioned car. Though it doesn’t have the impeccable maintenance of Malaysia’s KLIA Express, it is more serviceable than our decrepit PNR trains. We would pass by a major university station (one of the 3-4 stops of an express train). Upon arrival in Bogor, which the Indonesians call as the “Rain City” (obviously coz of its abundance of rainfall), one had to get off the car, down through a stalled carriage at the adjacent rail track, then through a pebbly ground, then the station.

Outside the station is a cramped street filled with sidewalk vendors and the local transportation of choice, the Angkot, a small fierra-FX hybrid which plies the city streets (Rp2000). As the road got wider, we reached a rotund. I was advised to get off at the other side if I wanted to see the Bogor Palace and the Gardens. What interested me about this place is its reference to London’s Kew Gardens. THIS is allegedly Indonesia’s Kew Gardens, designed by the think tank who designed London’s southwest attraction of Kew Gardens which I was able to visit – and even had fond memories (including witnessing the flowering of a species which blooms just once every 100 years). Verdict: It's a beautiful, relaxing place to unwind, but it isn't the Kew Gardens.

On Bogor, my friend Ummi comments, “That's a nice place. Bogor is called the Rain City, because it's sort-of the "home" for rain, it often rains even in dry season. Bogor is also the current President's private residence. He and other top retired generals have big houses in the Cikeas area.” Lonely Planets refers to Bogor as the Garden City.

Replica of the Copenhagen's Little Mermaid at Istana Bogor

Bogor Gardens (Kebun Raya) was a pleasant and relaxing place, with gigantic trees lining the paved lanes; a lake filled with water hyacinth, a royal palace (Istana Bogor) with a replica of Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid (it looked as small as Copenhagen’s, though the latter rested beside the North Sea). Unfortunately, you can’t go near the “little mermaid”. You can leisurely check out the garden grounds in 2 hours.

I loved the smell of fresh air and the abundance of foliage everywhere. I was alone in most of the walking trails.. As I was finishing my hike, I saw an ice cream cart selling chocolate Pinipig Crunch (popsicle). Perfect!

Istana Bogor (Bogor Palace)

Loved the solitary walks.

Those gigantic roots stood as tall as myself! In fact I was able to hide behind it.

Just before going back to the train station, I found the Ramayana Mall, a medium-sized mall – well, it was better than the tiangge-style of Plaza Bogor, just opposite the entrance of the gardens (where I bought a some scarves at Rp17,500 each (down from the selling price of Rp30,000). I got my mom a dress (Rp75,000 and Rp45,000) and several shirts for my brothers and myself. By 2 PM, I felt hunger pangs, so I went to Moka Hoka Bento and ordered a yummy meal at Rp32,000. By the time I regained my strength, I decided to walk along Jalan Juanda (with all the stuff I bought from the Ramayana).

Water hyacinths at the lake of Bogor Gardens.

Bought myself one of those masks which I got at Rp50,000 (instead of Rp75,000). At the Soeharto Hatta Airport, the same mask was worth Rp150,000.

I was told that there is also a Robinson’s nearby, but I had to catch my train soon. I walked and headed towards the Post Office I spotted earlier. Sending a postcard costs Rp5,500 – cheap! From there, I took the angkot again, never sure if it was actually going to the train station. ThenI met another kind soul, my friend Fadil, who took the time to accompany me to the train station; bought the express ticket for me, and even offered me a bottled water. He has been a texting friend ever since. (Fadil works at a chicken poultry; his boss is Filipino.) By the time I got off Gambir in Jakarta, I got a text message from him, asking if I found my way back; and that he was sorry he couldn’t help me further. Haha. (I probably looked helpless – well, I wasn’t. But I appreciated that.)


Not easy taking photos at the Bogor Market.

My sumptuous Korean meal at Moka Hoka Bento at the Ramayana Mall.

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