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Arts & Entertainment, Blog, Culture, Discover, Explore, Fashion, Nature, Religion, Sightseeing, Travel
My travel to Uzbekistan
I always had a fascination to learn more about the Silk Road. I read about the tales of travellers in a caravan journeying through hostile regions, mostly composed of merchants and traders transporting goods from Europe to the Far East. Cementing the role of the Silk trade routes in perpetuating commerce during the Middle age years. To this day, it is believed that the Silk Road is not merely a trade route but also an exchange of artworks and cultural artifacts. My fascination intensified when I finally decided to travel to Uzbekistan, a country situated in Central Asia and the heart of the Silk Road. My journey started in the…
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The Master and Margarita: by Mikhael Bulgakov
The Master and Margarita by Mikhael Bulgakov, for me, was a difficult novel to read. I had to challenge myself and stretch my willpower considering that is it the first book that I chose to read beginning the New Year of 2023. It required intense focus, and oftentimes I had to re-read the entire chapter so as not to miss the flow of the story. It is the kind of book that covers a wide range of genres. It presents complex ideas and some strangely weird elements combined into a novel. I was enthralled by the satirical side of it. One of which is about Yeshua Ha-Notsri (Jesus of Nazareth)…
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Introduction to Cruising
I grew up in provincial Philippines where the concept of travel was a far-flung dream. Yet as I got older, the reading that I did began to occupy my thoughts more and more until eventually in 2000 I moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Since then, Travel has become my overriding passion and I have now visited 52 different countries on different continents. I became so enthused that having kept notes and taken many photos I wrote and published my own travel book in the hope that I could inspire others, especially from the Philippines to be brave enough to travel – particularly to those who wants to travel solo.…
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New Year 2023
Joan Amorganda #26-31122022 #Poetry, poem, my poem, poems & Quotes, quotes, quotation New Year, New Year 2023, NYE2023, NYE
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Church of Saint Sava Belgrade
The Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade is a Serbian Orthodox Church dedicated to Saint Sava, who is the patron saint and the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church. It is the largest Orthodox church in the country. It is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox churches and ranks among the largest churches in the world. To me, visiting the Temple of Saint Sava is one of the highlights of my travel to Belgrade. The church beautiful, especially the interior. You can also visit the lower level and the Crypt area which is richly decorated. ***
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My kababayans on a cruise ship
During my recent travel to Greece on a cruise, I did not feel lonely at all especially since there were hundreds of my kababayans working onboard the Celestyal Olympia cruise ship who made me feel at home. They took care of me and even spoilt me throughout my journey. Most of all, especially since I travel solo on this trip, there is nothing like conversing with your fellow countryfolks using your local dialect on foreign land, and in this case, on a foreign sea. Maraming Salamat po sa inyong lahat mga Kabayan. Mabuhay po kayo Thank you Celestyal Olympia for the unforgettable and awesome experience from the time I checked…
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OXFORD – The City of Dreaming Spires
Oxford “The City of Dreaming Spires”. The University of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England is known and believed to have been teaching as early as the year 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world. According to the 2023 Times Higher Education Rankings, the University of Oxford stays as the world’s top university for the seventh straight year. A note to myself: “I wish, hope, and pray that someday I will be able to study in Oxford (or in Cambridge) University. Joan, do not be ashamed to announce to the world and declare your seemingly foolish wishes. Remember, some of them in fact have already come true. Amen” (That’s…
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First time Cruise ship experience
Just a few days after getting my Schengen visa through Greece, or the Hellenic Republic Consulate, I decided to travel to Athens. There are low-cost airlines from the United Arab Emirates that land directly on some famous islands such as Mykonos and Santorini, but I preferred to go directly to Athens. As we all know, Athens is the country’s capital city and the most convenient destination, especially for first-time travelers to Greece, where you can arrange your onward travels to any of the touristy islands and ancient historical sites. Luckily, within a short period, I found an attractive deal that included airfare from Dubai via Emirates Airlines, with 2 nights…
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Gobustan Day Tour (Mud Volcanoes)
The original plan for the day was to go to Gabala, but for some reason, that trip was canceled. With the recommendation of the Baku City Tours company, I joined the Gobustan group tour instead. The Gobustan group tour package is a whole-day activity headed by a professional tour guide and includes pick-up and drop-off in shared transportation by air-conditioned minivan, as well as entry tickets to different sites. For lunch, we were taken to a countryside restaurant that served local cuisine. This part added value to our tour as we had the experience of having our meal with some locals that indicated we were indeed having authentic Azerbaijani food…
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A visit to Baku Fountains Square (Parapet) during Novruz
Time to have dinner on my first day in Azerbaijan. I thought of going to a restaurant serving authentic local cuisine. I was curious as to what their food would be like. There were several restaurants near my accommodation such as Chinese, Indian, and some of Middle Eastern origin. There were pizzeria shops and of course KFC in Fountain Square (Parapet). I learned that a branch of KFC near a former train station in Baku is known to be the World’s largest. Actually, it was the largest branch in the World, as it’s already closed now. I noticed the streets were busy, adults and children were heading in a particular…
