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Suen Douh Camp Hong Kong
I mentioned on my previous blog that one of the things that inspired me the most to go back to Hong Kong was to visit a place called Suen Douh Camp. It was an estate that was purchased for $1 that was donated by a 14-year-old girl. The property is located in Fan Ling, New Territories, east of Hong Kong. I heard about this incredible story from several Christian messages on YouTube particularly by Michael Ramsden (the International Director of RZIM and one of the founders of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA), England. There are various articles in print and online about this story, for this blog I…
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Plunged Into Earth’s Lowest Point: The Dead Sea
The Lowest Point on Earth (430.5 Metres Below Sea Level) After Mount Nebo and Bethany beyond the Jordan, we headed to our next and final destination for the day: the Dead Sea. It is around fifteen minutes’ drive from the baptism site. The Jordan side of the Dead Sea has higher mountains, providing spectacular panoramic views of the Dead Sea; thus, numerous beach resorts and international hotels lined up. Our tour guide took us for lunch in one of the best restaurants in the area, and then we spent the entire afternoon relaxing and watching the curious tourists take their turn at covering their bodies with mud and then dipping…
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Amman Citadel
The Amman Citadel is a historic site that sits on the highest hill at the centre of downtown Amman in Jordan. It is the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon that occupied the site since the Bronze Age. Archaeologists have excavated numerous artifacts that prove that the area has been inhabited by different peoples of different cultures; therefore, it is considered important because of its long history of occupation by many great civilisations. It is surrounded by a long wall, which has been rebuilt many times but remarkably still serves its purpose even to this day. The small archaeological museum on the hill features and exhibits some items that date…
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A TASTE OF THE BIG APPLE – NEW YORK
“Start spreading the news I am leaving today I want to be a part of it. New York, New York…” This timeless song “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra kept ringing in my head while on the train from my chosen hostel in Central Park area. It was the beginning of my American exploration that started in New York. The very first thing I did was to go to Times Square which is the heart of the city to collect The New York Pass that I purchased days before my flight from Dubai. I decided to collect it at the Big Bus Information Desk at Madame Tussauds and had…
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An Insightful Travel Experience – Nepal
Before I started my own travels, I had been reading the articles found on https://www.hillmanwonders.com. I was fascinated by the insights Howard Hillman put into words about his passion for travelling and at the same time creating interesting and helpful tips for other would-be travellers. I wish I could travel as much as he accomplished and could document not only the famous places but also the weird and wonderful sites that I would encounter on my journeys. His website became my benchmark that I would gladly cross out the relevant places as soon as I was back from travelling. Given the ways and means, I would definitely visit all of…
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My Own Piece of Hollywood Glamour
It was one of my dreams that if and when given a chance to travel to America, I would definitely visit California. There must be something to this state that the majority of my Kabayans choose to stay in and call it their home. Apparently, as of 2018, there are more than a million Filipinos living in California alone. California is a huge State with so many well-known attractions which made it difficult to decide where to go especially for someone who had limited time and resources to travel. Enticed by the glitz and glamour of Hollywood movies, I chose to visit a city in Southern California that is called…
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My Book’s First Review
I would like to, once again, say special thanks to Jan Schwetzingen who posted his insightful review about my book entitled INSPIRED TO TRAVEL, TRAVEL TO INSPIRE – A TRAVEL MEMOIR. He is the first person to completely read my book and post his review after it was published on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com websites. To all those others who have kindly got a copy of my book, I would also love to receive your honest comments about it. For your information, I share with you below Jan’s appraisal: “My review on Amazon: This is not your ordinary travel guide. What you will find in your hands is an essay…
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Searching for the Lighthouse of Alexandria
It’s been a month now since my book INSPIRED TO TRAVEL; TRAVEL TO INSPIRE – A TRAVEL MEMOIR was published and made available online via Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. I am pleased with the current interest especially to hear comments and suggestions from those who got their copies and have already read the book. One of my friends was so pleased that I had included Egypt as she is interested to visit the country and is considering traveling probably by the end of this summer. Like most of the questions that I have been asked so far, she wanted to know what made me decide to travel to Egypt…
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Salzburg “The Sound of Music” Tour Experience
“The hills are alive with the sound of music . . .” Salzburg is where the movie The Sound of Music was filmed. It may have been released in 1965, almost a decade before I was born but I must admit that I have seen this film several times. It stars the adorable Maria (Julie Andrews), with the Von Trapp family; the father played by Christopher Plummer. When I decided to travel to Austria and naturally Salzburg I made sure to pre-book The Sound of Music tour. I simply had to watch this classic film all over again. Luckily,…
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Discover Norwich
It was in December 2016 when I first set foot in England via Heathrow Airport where my partner Richard met me. From London we then traveled by train to Norwich, the capital city of the County of Norfolk, in the East Anglia region of England where we spent Christmas with his family. I will be writing a separate blog about my first English Christmas experience but for this blog, I will share with you my perception of Norwich and some of the surrounding areas. Speaking of “Norwich” what initially came to my head was that it’s just a name of an insurance company but not as a place or a…