2011 in 12 Pictures: My Year in Travel
2011 was a fruitful year of travel for me. I visited a few more new cities and countries, and revisited old favorites. Here is a collection of twelve photographs - one for each month - that captured what my 2011 in travel was like.
TravelTuesday Picture of the Week: Giant Lantern (San Fernando, Philippines)
This is an annual festival featuring 20 feet high Christmas lanterns. The Giant Lantern Festival Competition will be held on Saturday, 17 December 2011, 6pm at Robinsons Starmills.
Visiting Home
After nearly two years since moving to Singapore, I'm finally flying home. But this isn't a tourist trip; it's almost strictly a social visit, with its own challenges and perks.
TravelTuesday Picture of the Week – Seaside at Rizal Boulevard (Dumaguete City, Philippines)
Dumaguete is the capital city of Negros Oriental, a province in the Visayas region of the Philippines. The city is a laid back college town, anchored by Silliman University, the first Protestant and American private school in the Philippines. The seaside city has a sizable expat community, and is a popular launching pad for destinations...
TravelTuesday Picture of the Week: Inside Binondo Church (Chinatown, Manila)
This is the interior of Binondo Church, whose facade was the Picture of the Week a couple of weeks ago. It may not be as grand as other churches, but it’s still beautiful. That was this week’s TravelTuesday Picture of the Week. Enjoy the rest of TravelTuesday on Twitter and follow me @hyperren. Come back...
TravelTuesday Picture of the Week: San Diego Pro-cathedral (Silay City)
This is the San Diego Pro-cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of San Diego de Alcala. It is located in the heart of Silay City in the province of Negros Occidental in the Philippines. The pro-cathedral was designed by Italian architect Lucio Bernasconi, and was completed in 1927. Bernasconi took his inspiration from churches in...
TravelTuesday Picture of the Week: Binondo Church (Chinatown, Manila)
Binondo Church, also known as the Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, is situated at the heart of Manila’s Chinatown district. The church was founded in 1596 by Dominican priests to serve converts from the Chinese community to the Catholic faith. The original building was destroyed in 1762 by the British during their brief occupation...
TravelTuesday Picture of the Week: Slums Along Pasig River
The slums are a sadly common sight in Metro Manila. Whether it’s riverside (as in this picture), along railroad tracks, or within spitting distance of urban areas, slum communities can be found practically everywhere. Most of the people living here left the provinces to go to Manila hoping for a good life here, or are...
TravelTuesday Picture of the Week: Guadalupe Bridge and Pasig River
One week ago, my friends and I decided to try the Pasig River Ferry. It was something that intrigued us, so we headed down to the Guadalupe ferry station in order to take the ferry to Intramuros. While waiting for the ferry to arrive, I started snapping pictures along the Pasig River. This picture shows...
San Fernando, Pampanga: Part Three – Giant Lantern Festival 2008
At last, after several hours of touring as much of San Fernando, Pampanga as we could, it was time to head back to Robinson’s Starmill Pampanga for the Giant Lantern Festival 2008. This would be the 100th year of this annual tradition, and it’s one of those things that you often read about, but is...
San Fernando, Pampanga: Part Two – Heritage Sites and Buildings
After lunch at Everybody’s Cafe, we made our way on foot to A. Consunji Street, which was where a lot of the heritage buildings and houses were located. Since the Vigan trip, I discovered an appreciation of architecture, particularly of times long gone. It’s the most tangible glimpse into the past one can have. Much...
San Fernando, Pampanga: Part One – Food Tripping
Last Saturday, December 20, 2008, my mother, her friend, and I all went to SanFernando, Pampanga to experience the Giant Lantern Festival. To avoid the traffic, and to make sure that we had all the information about the festival that we needed (not to mention parking space), we left Quezon City at approximately 9:30am. We...
