Since my body and mind were overly battered from the bus rides during our Vietnam trip, I wasn’t really able to form coherent thoughts and insights because I was intent in holding myself together as not to give in to fatigue and near suffocation.
So, here’s a photo overload instead. *wink*
Don’t get me wrong. I still love bus rides---but don't put me for more than 60 hours inside it, please.
KAI DINH TOMB
Khai Dinh tomb belongs to Thuy Bang, Huong Thuy, Thua Thien-Hue and it is far about 10 kilometers from Hue city. Khai Dinh tomb has an area smaller than others one but it is more sparkling and sophisticated between western and oriental architecture.
Khai Dinh King chose Chau Ngu Mountain to built tomb which is far about 10 kilometers from Hue. The tomb was established on September 4th 1920 and lasted to 11 years after. The tomb has a combination between modern and traditional architecture. In comparison with those of the preceding emperors, Khai Dinh’ s tomb is much smaller in surface (117m x 48.5m) but it is very elaborate. (http://www.toursinvietnam.com)
Situated at the peak of Chau Ngu Mountain, our feat of climbing the stairs up to the tomb was rewarded by the sight of the wide expanse of the skies and the sprawling trees. Space, a lot of space----is love!
I think that the interior of this edifice is one of the best that I’ve ever been into. The details of the designs are so intricate that despite the fact that it was actually built for the purpose of being a tomb, the whole interior is such an eye-candy.
I don’t know what is it about statues and mannequins that slightly scare me----it’s as if they can move to life, anytime.
CHINESE TEMPLE, HOI AN
The sea below this mountain where the temple is located, reminded me so much of Guisi, Guimaras.
COFEE HUNTING, YET AGAIN
We found one of the best coffees in the city!
Caption this. *wink*
LAMPANG-BOUND, FINALLY
"One of the best things to look forward to when leaving for a vacation, is the warmth of being welcomed back home."
I woke up to the sound of something lashing outside that I really thought our hotel was near the sea. When I quietly tiptoed to our hotel window since Ahne was still sleeping, I was surprised to see that a storm was actually brewing outside. For two years of having not experienced a tropical storm, I actually had forgotten how a storm particularly sounds.
We were then advised to stay inside and wait for the storm to calm, before going about our travel itinerary.
"Travelling is always humbling because it makes you realize that there are certain things that you can hardly control---your emotions on a dragging bus ride and most especially, the weather."
…while waiting for the storm to calm.
THIEN MU PAGODA
The pagoda is situated on Ha Khe hill, on the left bank of the Perfume River, in Huong Long village, 5 km from Hue city.
It was built in 1601, and then Lord Nguyen Phuc Tan had it renovated in 1665. In 1710, Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu had a great bell cast (2.5m high, 3.285kg) and in 1715, he had a stele (2.58 m high) erected on the back of a marble tortoise.
The name of the pagoda comes from a legend: a long ago, an old woman appeared on the hill where the pagoda stands today. She told local people that a Lord would come and build a Buddhist pagoda for the country's prosperity. Lord Nguyen Hoang, on hearing that, ordered the construction of the pagoda of the "Heavenly Lady". (http://www.vietnamtourism.com)
HUE IMPERIAL CITY
The Imperial City at Hue is the best-preserved remnant of a vast citidel and royal quarters that once existed on the site.
In the early 19th century the Emperor Gia Long consulted geomancers to find the best place to build a new palace and citadel. The geomancers chose the present site at Hue. The Emperor wished to recreate, in abbreviated form, a replica of the Forbidden City in Beijing. At his command, tens of thousands of laborers were conscripted to dig a ten kilometer moat and earthen walls to form the outer perimeter of the citidel.
Nowadays the city has been declared a UNESCO site and the remaining buildings have been lovingly restored. (http://www.orientalarchitecture.com)
GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT
We did not pass up the chance to go out and have a late night drink…coffee drink, that is----since Vietnam is well known for its coffee.
We were so delighted with the cute Vietnamese girl who went in front of our table and started singing some local songs. All of the people in the coffee shop applauded when she finished and we also received a lot of warm smiles when they knew that we were not locals. I think that this was one of the highlights of my Vietnam trip. It is always, always, the wonderful surprise brought about by interacting with the locals in a foreign land that would always make me remember fondly a particular place.
But a 30-hour bus ride from Thailand through Laos going to Vietnam---that’s a different story. It made me wish to just sleep through the entire trip and just wake up finally, in Vietnam. But that’s not the case. The crammed bus seat and the occasional bumpy roads that we passed on made sleep almost impossible. And, I need my 8-hour uninterrupted sleep for my brain to function normally. Without that sleep, all you get from me are the occasional nods and halfhearted replies that my disoriented brain can muster.
This whole trip, though it made me occasionally cranky and irritable due to exhaustion, made me realize a lot of things and one of it is the importance of comfort while travelling. This trip was a teachers’ trip of our school, so everything was basically free. And so, another thing which I realized was that an arranged group tour by a travel agency is okay, but I’m definitely not going to be a big fan of it in my future travels. I am still pro-independent travel and backpacking.
I believe a foreign city or country becomes more personal to you when you are involved in the planning of the whole trip and without really having any fixed or rigid schedule for the entire trip. The charm of independent travel is in interacting with the locals, and being really out in the streets of a city and getting lost and finding your way through it. Although this Vietnam trip was already pre-planned and pre-arranged, but we also somehow made sure that there was something to remember about it.
"What I find weird is a night sky without any stars. I think stars give us this certain sense of being connected, most especially to people whom we can only share but the wide expanse of the night sky with."---bus ride, sometime between the 13th and 14th of October
LAOS ROADTRIP
Laos is a relatively small, landlocked country and its population is living below the international poverty line. Travelling opens your eyes not only to the wonders that this world can offer but also to its realities. Passing through Laos was a very humbling experience. The moment we passed through the national highway of Laos which connects Thailand and Vietnam, I was reminded of the dusty roads of the far-flung barrios in the Philippines.
Honestly, I did complain a bit. Okay, I did complain about the bumpy ride along the country’s national highway---but that was the exhaustion and the ball of emotions that I had become because of the length of the trip. But what I really appreciated was that, despite the state of this country’s economy, the Laos tour guides were very proud in talking about their country for the whole duration of the trip. I think taking pride in one’s country despite of, is something that we have to learn from the Laotian.
STORMY VIETNAM
"Travelling is always humbling because it makes you realize that there are certain things that you can hardly control---your emotions on a dragging bus ride and most especially, the weather."
I woke up to the lashing of the winds and rain on our hotel room window. When I drew the curtains aside, we were greeted with a tropical stormy Vietnamese morning.
I’m sorry but despite the lashing of the tropical storm which actually destroyed a lot of homes and establishments in Vietnam, at that moment, I smiled nostalgically upon remembrance of stormy mornings way back home. So, we waited for several hours inside the hotel for the storm to calm down before doing our travel itinerary. In the midst of waiting, we were astounded with the heartbreaking earthquake news from the Philippines. A couple of our colleagues who are from Cebu and Bohol had difficulty contacting their families, and although the Filipino spirit of resilience and faith surfaced among us during that moment, but the agony of waiting for any news from home made us contemplative all throughout that first day.
The scenes along the roads of Vietnam were no foreign to us Filipinos. They were like images from home during a calamity and after that, when we are picking ourselves up right after the storm. We even waved back to and shared some kind smiles with some young Vietnamese soldiers who were doing some clean-up and relief operations along the shores of Danang, one of the cities badly hit by the storm.
The scenes of the Vietnamese people, picking pieces of their homes and businesses, or whatever were left of it to rebuild it again, were truly heartbreaking. But it also inspired admiration for the fortitude that they were showing. Because of that, I was a little bit pacified in knowing that since the spirit of fortitude and resilience is universal, the Filipinos way back home can definitely rise back again right after the striking of the earthquake---for we are one of the strongest people that I know of.
Vietnam, right after the tropical storm.
"If there is anything else that I would remember about this trip aside from having had a week-long love affair with my bus seat is that, I was able to have a glimpse of the Filipino spirit in the Vietnamese people while they were picking themselves up, right after the lashing of the tropical storm---which reminded me that the spirit of human fortitude and strength is indeed universal. Plus, the gift of knowing that on the other side of the long stretch of sea before us was actually home."
We were greatly blessed to have been given the chance to meet Nick Vujicic in Chiang Mai. I mean, what are the chances of meeting and hearing the story of a living inspiration? I remember seeing him first in YouTube about 5 years ago and his story has a way of getting into you and never leaving you at all.
There were about 10,000 people who were there and sure, Nick was just like a dot from where we were seated, but his story and his positive presence had altogether created this large amount of empowering energy which encompassed the large number of crowd.
You cannot leave after hearing Nick’s story without feeling that great desire in you to live your life with a purpose as well. I think this is how God works through His people---He speaks to us not always exactly in supernatural and magnanimous ways, but through each other.
I went home that night, physically dead tired, but with a happy and full heart knowing that my God loves me, broken pieces and all.
I am just a regular coffee drinker, not exactly coffee dependent. I really don’t have insane episodes like some, whose cravings for a cup of coffee is really a matter of life of death.
I occasionally enjoy my cup of coffee whether it may be coupled with silence, deep or nonsensical talks, or hearty laughter. I don’t know what is it about having a warm cup of coffee, clasped in between your palms, that makes the world a little bit slower, giving you a momentary sense of calm.
It’s amusing how this post started about coffee and is about to end being a bit philosophical. I think I enjoy my occasional, brief coffee breaks not because my blood is screaming out for caffeine, but because during those moments, I have an excuse to slow down. During those moments, I have all the right to just be momentarily an observer, to be still, and to just breathe.
With all the conflicting research results regarding the effects of coffee on human health, the non-health-buff-slash-trying-hard-philosopher me, thinks that one of the best moments in life is actually spent sipping a cup of warm, creamy coffee.
I am a product of the Philippine public school system---that means my elementary and high school years were spent in our local central school and in our city’s national high school, not to mention my university training in a state university. I certainly know about the bad publicity of our country’s public school, all right. The selling of ice candies and tocinos and other chichirias by the teachers inside the classrooms are actually true. So is the one-(obsolete)-book-per-five-students ratio. But despite all these negative facts and for whatever it’s worth, I’ll have to say that the best teachers and the most promising youth of the country are actually found in the public school system.
Perhaps, I had been so lucky to have been under the training and to have sat in the classes of some of the best and the most resourceful public school teachers. My learning foundations were deeply embedded in me, thanks to my dedicated and very supportive elementary teachers at Man-it Central Elementary School. Right after graduating from elementary, I qualified in the Special Science Program of our public high school and it was there that I was trained to excel in my studies. I was so enthusiastic to learn, and the education and training that were given to us pushed us to transcend from being grade conscious students and to become young people who dream big and who are not afraid to start working hard for those dreams. And when I say, start working hard for those dreams, I mean studying hard to cope with what were expected of us and at the same time, to take advantage of our training and learn as much as we can.
I believe it was at a certain moment in high school when I decided to become a teacher. Sure, we were lucky to have received such good training that it never happened at one point that being in a public school became an issue to me, or made me feel inferior to those who were studying in far more expensive private institutions. At such a young age, I was already deeply moved by stories of other kids who have to cross rivers and mountains just to receive a formal education, of students who don’t get the quality of education that they deserve just because a number of their teachers are misplaced or lack the proper training. I deemed it unfair that I and my classmates get to have some of the best teachers and facilities, while a big portion of students in schools around the country have to be victims of poor service and quality of education.
We all go through that stage when we want to change the world---that’s what happened to me at the age of 14 or 16, maybe. That’s what fired my desire in pursuing a teaching course in the university, despite my parents’ slight disapproval and the raising of eyebrows from most people whom I know of which suggests, “Why take up education?”
The passion to teach, to actually change the world through it, was gradually forgotten between letting life happen and amidst the issues and concerns that I have to deal with as a young teacher and as a young adult who was (and still is) just starting out to grasp the rules of the game in the big, grown up world.
I started my first year of teaching in a promising new private school in our city---but never forgetting that I have to pay back to the system that had educated me well and provided me means to pave my way towards my dreams. Two, three, and now, five years have passed and I’m still in the private school system. Furthermore, I am teaching away from the country, away from the young people of my country whom I once promised to dedicate my profession and service to.
Yes, I’ve tried getting through to the Philippine public system. I marched on to several qualifying examinations and interviews in my province without any connections, armed only by my young and idealistic spirit, confident that I have it in me the capacity and the grace to teach. With all humility, I have to say that I have topped the examinations and the interviews and with my training, I am certain that I have aced through the class demonstrations. Though I have yet so much to learn and to improve, but teaching is one of the few things that I can do excellently---and I can say that with humility, and without batting an eyelash. But then just like any warrior who marches on with blind faith and optimism, I thought that I was prepared to see the ugly truths inside the system but my spirit was crushed, nonetheless. I have experienced it first hand how a lack of political connection would render you almost powerless and voiceless, I have proven that in some cases (I would not generalize because I still believe in the system despite what I’ve proven to be true), ranking #1 in the whole qualifying and hiring process wouldn’t get you a teaching post, whom you know actually would. For all that I know and have come to accept about the internal workings and the ugly truths about the public school system from years of being under its nurturing and training, the young teacher that I have become was not prepared from the impact of those blows even though I’ve emotionally and mentally psyched myself about that.
This is one of the reasons perhaps why I decided to work here in Thailand, and never actually looked back for almost 2 years. Perhaps, I totally lost my faith in our country’s public school system, or maybe in our country as a whole.
But one can only stay away for too long. Weeks ago, I was blaming my recurrent grumpy moments to my claim of quarter-life crisis. For almost a month since May, I started to get alarmed with the fact that I had been thinking of having a career switch. I think for a month or more since the opening of this academic year, I had become so mechanical, both in my teaching and in forcing myself to wake up every morning. I was seriously, really seriously considering the idea of quitting.
And then, it hit me. I need to go back to the country and teach there. If I had to break walls and pave my own trail into the public school system, then I will do it. Here in Thailand, I had become just any other teacher because I don’t actually have a clear sense of purpose if why am I here. Yes, I’ve learned a lot and gained several insights and experiences which may come in handy once I go back home. But I need to bring back my sense of purpose and to remind myself why I have become a teacher in the first place. I need to be able to wake up not only for myself but for my country as well. It’s not heroism on my part, no---that’s definitely far from it. It’s but a sheer need felt by all teachers who understand that teaching is really indeed a calling. I just need to redeem my faith in our country’s educational system, in our country as a whole, in our leaders, in my own teaching---and I can only do all of those if I’ll go back home. And by that time, for good.
Tonight, I asked my roommate Ahne, if which country would she really want to go to but thinks that it would be impossible to do so.
She answered, Paris. Extremely expensive airfare.
I answered, Ireland. I do not know of anybody who goes for a vacation in Ireland. (Do you? Please let me know.)
Ahne and I were the same persons who would have gone ballistic had anybody told us about a year and a half ago that we would one day, get lost in the streets of South Korea. And we later learned the lesson that no “almost impossible” pinings and wishlist items are really that impossible when we were already on the soils of Seoul, ready to get lost and be lost.
The bottomline: always prepare to be surprised.
I grew up in a family whose both parents are working to make both ends meet. Although our lifestyle was modest, but we were still lucky to have some of our little wishes be granted from time to time. But the granting of these wishes didn’t come easily. In exchange, we had to do our part in the household chores, be extra well-mannered kids, and get good grades in school. Our parents made us understood from an early age that we have to work hard to receive what we want because the money that they will be using to buy it was also from hard work.
Living by that lesson that our parents taught us also paid off. I was able to travel to some parts of the country (for free) while still studying, from joining competitions during elementary and high school. In the university, being a student writer allowed me the perk of travelling for free to different places. My parents understood and supported these little trips that I had to make, and it was also one way of gaining their trust by showing them that I can take care of and handle myself given any situations, amidst different people, and even away from home.
So now that I am working, I make sure that I set some amount of money for travelling or for a short vacation, even just once a year. I would like to think that I’m a wise traveler, I don’t spend overboard (a cheap but clean, well-researched hotel is waaaay okay for me) and I do everything “old school”---I save for it. I don’t even have a single credit card.
So, here are my “almost impossible” dream destination list. Also included are the things that I will do if by God’s grace, I’d be given the chance to set foot on them one day. As a recall, I hugged the Gyongbukgong gates (take note: gates, not gate) in South Korea.
I’ll just let luck, hardwork (savings for airfare and accommodations, uuuugh!), and my gypsy feet surprise me.
Toss a coin while wearing a gypsy outfit on the cliffs of IRELAND.
Have a photo of the Sphinx, kissing me on the cheeks, in EGYPT.
Camp in the SAHARA. Sleep and wake up to all of that immense space----I’m still undecided whether that immensity will scare me or leave me awed.
Picnic under the cherry blossoms in JAPAN.
Wave and shout, “Hey Moon, can you see me from out there?”, in the Great Wall of CHINA.
Fall in love Sing my all time favorite, “Does the Moonlight Shine in Paris”, by Paolo Santos under the Eiffel Tower in PARIS.
Touch the peak of Mount Everest from a distance in NEPAL.
Toast myself in the waters of Santorini in GREECE.
Sip hot chocolate in the middle of nowhere in ALASKA, while witnessing the Aurora spectacle.
For the past months, this blog has become such a happy place, my very own piece of happy bubble that it had been filled with entries about my travels, adventures, and amusing anecdotes.
And in the process of using my bubbly spirit as the medium of documenting my activities and thoughts for the past months, by trying hard to be light and always perked-up in my entries, I have forgotten some vital things that before I knew it, I backslid yet again into a cranky and grumpy person that I myself, even hate to deal with.
For the past months, while basking over my happy bubble, I ignored the part of me that asks questions and cries out for meaning. I’ve forgotten my “writing voice”---that particular tone and pattern in my writing which has been like my definite identity. I even consciously ignored the voices of anger and pain and melancholy, all in my effort to only recognize and write “happy”.
Now, what I’ve proven is the fact that whatever it is that one tries to cover will always, by any means, find a way to resurface---even haunt you in your dreams, especially in those moments when you feel that your happy bubble is indestructible. Maturity in writing and in life as well, isn’t about the capacity of masking any fears and doubts and going about with a happy face. I think, it’s more of acknowledging the presence of these not-so-happy elements, finding the courage to let them wash over but not overpower you, and in the end, choosing happiness over them. I think these two approaches, are entirely different, if not worlds apart in meaning.
Happy or sad, bubbly or melancholic, light or heavy---I need to always remember that all of these are part of my writing voice, are part of what makes me as a person.
So this blog is again welcoming entries with emotions which are as volatile, as raw, and as honest (hopefully) as its owner.
There’s nothing like a Frenchwoman when it comes to wearing scarfs---there’s always this breath of au naturale when it comes to how they twist and turn their scarfs around their necks.
I couldn’t exactly trace if when or how did I start to like scarfs soooo much that if somebody would impose that I should be wearing one every day, I wouldn’t complain a bit.
How can one not love scarfs? They are perfect instant light blankets for long trips, sun protector for people like me who believe that umbrellas were just invented for the rainy days, and they can instantly spice up a boring outfit on days when you are too lazy to play doll up. Sometimes, I think that being bundled up in a soft scarf can be a good substitute to an actual hug---though I’m still partial on this, okay?
Honestly, I only have four scarfs and all of them are so overly used that I wouldn’t be surprised to hear them call out for surrender. This reminds me to invest a little bit more in them. So, my future daughter might be astounded that aside from good genes (Do I hear any complaints? Ahahahaha!), all that she might possibly inherit from me are my good old books and my collection of scarfs.
The cyber community is again buzzing with a recently viral video of the actress, Maricar Reyes.
…but this time, it’s about her beautiful and heartfelt wedding to local singer, Richard Poon.
From her infamous and scandalous video years ago, Maricar rose up from that controversy into a woman who proves that amidst the uproars and forces to crumble one’s dignity and spirit, taking the high roads is always the best defense. She proved that silence isn’t for the weak and sometimes, to remain so despite the strong urge to defend one’s wounded pride, is a true test of strength of character.
With that, she became the perfect epitome of grace under pressure.
Maybe, God decided that for all that she had to bear, it is just right to bless her with a kind of love that has the capacity to erase all the shame and self-doubt that she felt when the shadows of her past came after her, a few years back. We all, at one point in our lives, have done crazy things (some of them are admittedly cringe-worthy enough) all for the name of LOVE. She was just one unlucky lady to have hers broadcasted all over the country. Her choice to remain silent might have raised a lot of eyebrows, but I believe that it was the best decision to save her pride (or what might have remained of it).
Her story is an inspiration to all ladies, an eye-opener that God doesn’t only give second chances, but many chances and options as well, to those who refuse to let their past mistakes define them. It gives a glimmer of hope to those ladies who feel that they are broken, reminding them that a woman’s worth can always be restored by the right choices, with the right attitude, with the right people, and by God’s abounding grace. Her story was proof that no amount of force that targets to crumble our dignity and worth as women, can ever stop us from setting and resetting our standards another bar higher.
If I will have a daughter one day, I hope that I can be able to hone her into a woman who knows her worth and strength as a woman. I will tell her that it’s always okay to set high standards because she is worth it. I will keep on reminding her, despite the popular opinion, that it’s okay to set high standards because God will help her to reach those standards. I will teach her to never settle for anything less than what she deserves.
In the present times, men like Richard Poon---men who knows how to respect, cherish, and honor the women whom they love, are definitely rare. The way he opted to have their first kiss as a couple on their wedding day might probably be too old-fashioned for the taste of others, but it was a very sweet and sincere way of showing that he honors his wife. And I’ll bet my one cent that even the most cynical among us must have had their hearts turned into slush upon seeing that first, shy kiss of this couple. That first kiss couldn’t be described any better than, sweet.
I hope that the men who got a chance to watch the video, would have gotten an idea or two on how to not only love, but to cherish and honor the women in their lives. It would be such a great joy to have more men who would start realizing that physical expression is an extremely beautiful way of confirming and showing love, but the thing is, it can always wait.
I am praying that if I get to have a son one day, I fervently pray that God would give me the grace to inculcate in him respect for every women. I hope that he would grow up into a man who perfectly knows that when he loves a lady, he loves the heart, the mind, and soul of that lady--- and that he would gain strength and manly pride in letting the lady whom he loves realize how beautiful he finds the totality of her being.
So ladies, let us never doubt that God had already reserved a beautiful story for us in his collections of love stories. Honestly, I’m starting to get jaded, what with the countless stories of heartbreaks and betrayals that we see and hear everyday.But stories like this are a confirmation that God is in control if we just let Him be.
And while waiting for our own love story to unfold, let us demand for every ounce of respect and honor that we are worthy of, as ladies of strength and of character.
*While writing this, my heart was actually terribly bleeding, for one of my ultimate crushes had already tied the knot. But Maricar’s one fine lady, so I’ll gracefully give in. *wink*
So much for my installments of our Korean adventure.
We loved Seoul so much that our flight home was kind of bittersweet---but we had to leave and pacified ourselves with the thought that we’ll surely be back.
Home...is where the snowflakes in the middle of summer are actually the delicate narra blossoms that drift and somersault in midair and eventually settle to burst its vivid orangey color to the otherwise, barren earth.
(This is after teaching (or tricking?) my one year old niece of the make-believe that we used to do (and still do) when we were kids that falling narra blossoms are actually snow flakes. Yellow snow flakes in the middle of summer? Sure.)
* * *
Home…is where the grasses grow greener, more than they’re allowed or expected to be.
I always had a thing for roads---may it be superhighways or beaten ones.
One of my old entries in my journal which I labeled as a “crazy” and a “way out there dream” is “to be able to have a road trip in Korea” . For who wouldn’t be smitten by their roads and highways in the countless Korean dramas and movies shown on 'pinoy television?
But what I know now is to NEVER ever label your dreams as “way out there”.
I am so giddy to share these photos of the Korean road system. So here it is!!!!!!
