Skywatch#98 The Blue Hour

It's called the blue hour. The time when the twilight in the morning or in the evening when daylight or darkness is not full yet. The period actually lasts for just a few minutes than an hour. Still, it's one of my favorite of day because of the play of light not only in the skies but also on earth.

Photo was taken just outside Abreeza Mall by the fountain when the blue hour was transpiring and the moon looked like a hanging comb facing up on the dark blue sky.

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Lamdag Dabaw Floats

These are some of the participants of the Christmas Lights (Lamdag Dabaw) float parade held last December 21, 2011 along the main streets of Davao City.

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2nd Lamdag Dabaw Characters

The 2nd Lamdag Dabaw (Lights Parade) was held in the evening of the 21st December, 2011. It was scheduled 6:00 in the evening but for some reason, it started past 7:00 in the evening. By that time, there were already too many people waiting impatiently along Roxas Ave. where we also stood waiting. Nonetheless, the parade was colorful, exciting and fun. Here are some of the character-participants of the parade.

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Skywatch#97 Heaven And Sea

Photo was taken while in the plane on our way from Tacloban City to Cebu City last month. The flight was in the early morning and the overcast skies disappointed my wish for blue skies. Nevertheless, this view more than compensated for the disappointment because it looked like there was no boundary between the overcast greyish skies and still waters off the coast of Mactan Island, Cebu.

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Skywatch#96 MacArthur Landing Memorial, Leyte

The weather was cranky that day. Rain and sunshine battled with each other while we were on our way to the MacArthur Landing Memorial in Palo, Leyte. Relief washed over me when the sun won out the rain when we arrived at the memorial but the relief was only for a few minutes because rain came hard even if the sun was shining. We decided to have our lunch while waiting out for the rain to stop. Thankfully, our timing was right because the sun shone again after we finished our lunch.

wikipedia:
The MacArthur Landing Memorial in Red Beach, Palo, marks the spot where the American liberation forces landed. The Palo Cathedral was converted into an evacuation hospital for Allied forces during World War II. Hill 522 in Palo was the entrance to the first liberated town in 1944.

I decided to take a photo of the water reflections of the statues of General MacArthur with his soldiers but when I looked closer on my camera, I saw a rider on top of the hat of one of the soldiers. Can you see him?

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Skywatch#95 Rainbow Over San Juanico Strait

The day started as very sunny and hot but when we got to San Juanico Bridge, the overcast skies came in fast. Suddenly, we were drenched in rain but we kept taking photos. Our driver could not stay on the bridge for fear of getting caught by the police so he had to drive down at the end of the bridge towards Sta. Rita, Samar and came back for us. He did it thrice. The first two tries we wouldn't budge from taking photos while walking down the more than two kilometers length of San Juanico Bridge. By then, the rain and sun already battled it out several times. In between, this rainbow showed over San Juanico Strait. Glorious!

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Skywatch#94 Carmel Monastery of Davao

Overcast skies threatened my annual church visit last Holy Week. Thankfuly, the rain started when I was already half-way through the list of the churches I was planning to visit that week.

Anyway, this is the Carmel Monastery of Davao or the Carmel of Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary. It has been more than a decade since I last visited the church and it did not actually changed much. Nevertheless, it is one of the churches that I could actually some real peace and quiet that is conducive to meditation and prayer unlike the bigger churches of the city wherein people can get quite noisy.

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Skywatch#93 Mactan International Airport

Once again, Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) got the flak for being on the top 10 worst airports in the world. Most complaints were made against NAIA I which is the oldest among the three NAIA's. Sure, the airport made some improvements all through the years but if comparing it with other airports in the region, there are just too much to be done.

While NAIA is getting bad reviews, airport officials of other airports throughout the country should start taking stock of their own airports which likely have the same problems as that of NAIA.

Photos were taken while we were taking off from the Mactan International Airport. The said airport is the gateway to Cebu City and surrounding areas.

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Skywatch#92 Sentosa Island's Cable Car Ride

Sentosa Island's cable car ride provides very good panoramic views of the Port of Singapore, the nearby islands and the facilities of Sentosa Island, Singapore. It was the 3rd time I rode that cable car ride, there were overcast skies but the view on that ride never failed to amaze me.

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Skywatch#91 Hongkong Disneyland's Orbitron

Thank goodness, it was a clear day when we got to Hongkong Disneyland. There were scattered clouds around but the blue skies assured that it was going to be good day for some exciting fun.

Hongkong Disneyland is probably the smallest Disneyland in the world but it has some exciting features and fun rides to entertain people from all ages. One fun ride that we tried when we went there was Astro Orbitron. Its saucer-shaped rides can accommodate four persons in one ride.

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The Best Honeymoon Destinations Outside of Asia

Deciding on a location for a honeymoon is a major decision for a couple soon to be married. Should you stay close to home or travel far away? If you travel overseas, will you know enough of the language to get by? Challenges do exist, but the world has some great honeymoon destinations for couples trying to find the best location for their trip.

[View of Tequila Sunrise, a luxury villa in Anguilla, Caribbean]

With its beautiful blue skies, sandy beaches, and endless areas to have fun, the Caribbean is one of the most popular destinations in the world. Featuring a unique food culture, living that mixes the indoors with the outdoors, and spacious homes built to make the most of what land there is, the entire Caribbean region works wonders for each and every guest. Anguilla villas are particularly popular for their mix of modern convenience and island culture; pictured here is Tequila Sunrise, a private retreat in Anguilla that offers some of the greatest comforts around, including beach equipment, rafts for the infinity-edge pool, oversized en-suite bathrooms, enormous king-size beds, and some conveniently large HDTV’s for entertainment. The beautiful sunsets, elegant design, and modern convenience help to make every day exciting, and every night romantic, for any couple that sleeps within its walls.

[View of Les Palmiers, a luxury villa in St. Martin, Caribbean]

One aspect of villa travel not always apparent at the start is that in most of the world, many villas are larger structures. Rental homes tend to be constructed first as homes, after all, and they can end up being perhaps a little bit large for just a single couple. There are, however, a few villas constructed with single couples in mind, and particularly honeymoons. One of these romantic getaways is Les Palmiers, a charming single-bedroom villa on the island of St. Martin that mixes privacy with luxury to create the ideal vacation experience. The beautifully furnished rooms help provide comfort without being overbearing, allowing you to live inside the home rather than simply use it. Mosaics line the bathroom, a large HDTV adorns the living room, and a variety of staff members are available on request to do as much or as little room as you want. Perhaps the most ideal location on the entire island, maybe even the entire region, Les Palmiers is a fantastic choice for any couple.

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Skywatch#90 Cebu International Airport

Blue skies over Cebu International Airport while we bought the city's popular food souvenir, pit roasted pig (lechon) in front of the airport.

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Skywatch#89 Sea And Sky

Photo was taken on our way home from Costa Marina Beach Resort. It was a beautiful, sunny day and I  just loved the seeming endless blue and green of sky and the sea

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Skywatch#88 Heaven Is Beautiful

Going home from a business meeting in Cebu, these clouds made me think of heaven.

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Skywatch#87 Costa Marina Clouds

The weather cooperated very well that day; fluffy clouds, blue skies and calm waters. We had all the beach resort by ourselves and my friend was truly amazed. After all, Costa Marina Beach Resort is just right beside its more popular counterpart, Paradise Island Beach Resort, Samal Island, IGACOS. There, it could get quite noisy and rowdy but I prefer the quieter Costa Marina.

Too bad we had little time to stay longer on the beach but still, I was quite happy to spend time with my friend.

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Skywatch#86 Dark Clouds Over Willy's Rock

I would have preferred the blue skies and calm, azure waters of my previous visits in Boracay Island but Typhoon Mina (International name: Nanmadol) could not just cooperate. The sun did its best to come out but the dark clouds always hovered over Boracay during our stay there.

Photo was taken at Willy's Rock. Willy's Rock is one of the famous landmarks of the world-renowned Boracay's White beach, considered as one of the best beaches in the world.

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Compiling All My Travel Contact Numbers

Through the years of traveling, I accumulated a lot of brochures and contact details (email addresses, landlines and cellphone numbers) of airlines, tour operators,  travel agencies, hotel accommodations, plane ticket reservations, and even those of shipping companies, boat operators, drivers including tricycle drivers and all those necessary numbers to keep my travels smooth sailing.

I kept the little notebooks that contain these numbers and from time to time, I browse them to recall some details I had forgotten or whenever somebody would request for some contact numbers of the hotels or tour operators and other what-have-yous. The task requires patience but since I like sharing travel stories, I always accommodated the request. However, because these little notebooks have been increasing in numbers, finding the necessary information has become daunting. So, I’ve been thinking of compiling all my travel contacts in one softcopy. Gotta find some time for that.

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Skywatch#85 Kiteboarding At Boracay

While dark clouds and the sun rays battle for supremacy in that afternoon, I could only watch, took photos and be amazed at the kiteboarders' derring-do as they tackled the tailwinds of Typhoon Mina (International name: Nanmadol) passing by Boracay Island last week. 

As the typhoon battered the northern part of the Philippines, the tailwinds of Typhoon Mina made the kiteboarders' play so much fun and scary to watch in Boracay. Some moments, the wind would take them flying a few meters above the waters and in some moments, the wind would slam them back to the waters that I could barely see the top of their heads. For sure, not for the faint-hearted. I wondered if I could do it, actually.

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Boracay Resorts

I had fun with my mother on our Boracay trip. It was my mother's first trip so I made sure that the resort we would have was not noisy.  Blue Mango Inn was the right choice. I shall talk more about my Boracay trip in my next posts.

Anyway, here are the contact numbers of the Boracay resorts in case someone is planning to have a Boracay vacation:

Blue Mango Inn +63.36.2885170

         Email address: www.bluemangoinn.com

St. Vincent Cottages +63.36.2884762   

         email address: http://www.stvincentcottages.com

Boracay Amigos Resort +63.09193710970

You may also contact Josette Hilario (cellphone number:09103616196) as she coordinates for more available Boracay Resorts.

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Kadayawan Headdresses

The tribes of Davao and surrounding areas have always worn colorful clothings, jewelries and accessories not only during celebrations but also while going through their daily lives. Since Kadayawan festival gives honor and tribute to these tribes, the festival is always colorful, thankful and just oozing with enthusiasm and happiness. That's why I love it more than the Araw ng Dabaw (Davao City) celebration. Aside from that, I just love the colorfully creative and indigenous costumes of the contingents for the Indak-indak sa Kadayawan (streetdancing).

Here are some of the headdresses of the Kadayawan contingents.

The headdresses' style and color combination were also worn based on the stature level of the wearer in their society. Almost always, the more colorful and decorative headdresses were worn by the royalty.

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Skywatch#84 Skies Over Davao City

Cloud skies over Davao City on the upper part of the photo

Samal Island on the foreground

Took this photos on the plane on my way to Cebu for some work-related meeting. We had overcast skies that day so I was pretty sure there would be lots of cloud formations when we got airborne.


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My World#126 Durian Time

Perhaps it was the heavy rains that have been hounding us too much this year or perhaps there is truth about old folks' saying that durian harvest alternately change volumes every year. So, if there were too many durians last year expect to have a little less this year. We had too much last year that our local hospitals reported a rise in number of admitted patients due to high blood pressure (durian is well-known to increase blood pressure).

Last year was like a record harvest not only for durian but also for some local fruits like lanzones, mangosteen, marang, pomelo and etc.

lanzones vendor

It's already mid-August, durian time should have started late July. Sadly, the fruits that we have been expecting to appear especially durian have yet to manifest themselves on the streets. I miss my durian but gee, I am not buying if it's still expensive.

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