Love at First Sight: Paris
_ By the time I’d asked the bus driver how much the fare was to Pont de Rungis… * Excusez-moi, monsieur. Combien?* _ …and bought two RER C tickets to the 7th arrondissement… * Bonjour madam! Champ de Mars, deux billet. _ …I felt like my entire supply of French had run out. For months I […]
Getting a UK Visa in Cebu: What You Need to Know
* * Thinking of traveling to England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, or Wales? The United Kingdom has a Visa Application Center (VAC) in Cebu City. (Yay!) . Here’s the catch: you’ll have to shell out an additional service fee of USD 92. It’s a bit heavy on the pocket — really heavy, actually; I’m trying my hand […]
Amsterdam
Rain puddles reflected the somber sky as I stepped outside Centraal station. The giant Christmas tree in front was brightly lit, though the clock inside clearly said 9:30. Where I lived, the 9:30 sun would render Christmas lights irrelevant — it would be high in the sky, blinding with tropical glare — but not here. […]
Chance Passengers to Ho Chi Minh
My father used to work for Philippine Airlines, and one of the best things about his job was getting to fly on PAL planes for free or at substantial discounts. All PAL employees enjoyed this perk, from managers to janitors to maintenance crew. The downside to this obviously awesome employment benefit was being the airline’s absolute […]
The Everyman’s Macau
* There’s something for everyone in Macau, even those who don’t buy into the swank and spectacle of this “Vegas of the East.” It’s hard to pull off Portuguese + Chinese + gambler, and for the most part Macau doesn’t even try. (The charming street signs are an exception.) You go where you want and […]
Delightful Venice
Venice! This waterlocked Italian city is every bit as pretty as it promises to be. When we stepped off Santa Lucia train station, we were immediately greeted by the sight of colorful old buildings, bridges, boats, birds, and the fabled Grand Canal. And tourists, of course. There are so many of them, one can’t help […]