A stroll in downtown Burlington

My first trip to the United States was about five years ago.

I was excited about the trip not just because it was my first time to cover an event outside Asia, but also because I have planned a nice little side-trip to visit a cousin and stay in his house for a few days.

I decided to extend my stay in the US, after completing my coverage assignment in Seattle, Washington. I also had a nice, but rather brief time in downtown Seattle, but that would be another story.

I was going to visit my cousin and his family who lived in Burlington, Vermont, a good 8 to 9 hours away from Seattle.

At the first chance, I took the first flight out of Seattle.

My dear cousin, who graciously shouldered my ticket and co-planned my itinerary, would be meeting me at the airport.

It was always part of my plan to do a bit of checking on the place I would be going to. I was able to do a quick check on Seattle, but I never really had the chance to check Burlington.

I really did not know what to expect about Burlington, considering that the city is not as high-profile as, say, Las Vegas or New York.


The airport in Burlington is not as sprawling or as expansive as JFK or LAX, but there is a 'homey,' uncrowded vibe about the place.

My cousin's house was just a few minutes away from the airport and we were soon driving along a wide highway to a tree-lined neighborhood going to his house.

My cousin and his family were gracious enough to take me in downtown Burlington one sunny day.

Burlington is mostly sub-urban with nice, clean roads, tree-lined city streets, a picturesque neighborhood of houses, a small downtown area, and a sea port.

We passed by university buildings with interesting architectural styles blending seamlessly with the surrounding trees, which have begun shedding their leaves as autumn was coming.

We visited a nice plaza in front of a church with a simple steeple. We took a stroll along some the cobblestone alleys and streets, passing by stores and shops.
We stayed for a while in the small port in a nice harbor viewing the surrounding 'islands.'

And to top it all off, we had a nice quiet time at Ben & Jerry's, the iconic ice cream house. My then four-year old nephew was gleaming with delight as we entered Ben & Jerry's.

I felt like a four-year old too, as I excitedly waited for my 'chunkey monkey' to arrive.

During the night, me and my cousin had a nice barbecue, and a few beers to cap off that interesting and memorable day.

The pizzeria at the street corner

It was the middle of the day but the barometer atop the city street flickered between 10 degrees Celsius to a relatively warm 20 degrees.

All around, trees have just begun shedding their autumn leaves, giving a brown tinge to black paved roads. The leaves rustled under the feet of a throng of commuters.

I was in Milan, Italy on assignment. It was lunchtime and the group I was with briskly walked looking for a place to eat. We were not looking for anything fancy, and what we had in mind was a place where we can taste the local flavors.

We finally found one. At first glance, the place is nothing special. There were no fancy signs, and the entrance is a gate made with wrought iron. The two-storey house typifies a ‘townhouse.’

We smiled and said the customary ‘bon journo’ to a young lady who appeared to be one of the waitresses.
This was a pizzeria which was already buzzing with activities as throngs of people go in and out.

We took our place and ordered the house specialty. Pizza, of course.
The pizzas were home-made, with very thin crust, and even thinner toppings. The appearance of the pizza was far simpler than the usual pizza I often see.

The waiter slash chef was quick on his feet delivering the pizzas, which were often stacked high up. I immediately noticed that a single customer often orders one or two of the very thin, but very wide pizza, often gulping down and finishing one in just a few mouthfuls.

‘Do as the Romans do,’ they say, and we ordered our pizza.

But we gave in to the Filipino way, and we had not so few curious glances as we began sharing the pizzas.

The pies tasted great. I gave in to temptation and ordered a mug of a nice dark brew to wash down the pizza. I was actually mimicking a customer I saw.

It was quite a gustatory experience. Home-made pizza and a home-made brew.
I would have wanted to stay longer, but after finishing the pizzas and my Italian brew, we said ‘grazie’ to the young lady and left satisfied.

Tattooed images of India

Coming from Manila, the first layover was in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

For a few hours, we waited at the elegant business lounge of the KL International Airport before boarding the flight to Chennai Madras, the next point to our final destination in Bangalore, India.

The airport at Chennai Madras was a bit disorganized, disheveled even, and airport security was lax. The queue to the x-ray machine was so unsystematic, that some passengers were able to skip the x-ray altogether and simply proceeded to the boarding gates. Some massive bags and luggage are moved haphazardly after being tugged away from the conveyor belt.

I even spotted a huge trolley bag reeking with some fluid on its side, probably liquor. Adding to the chaos is the incessant chatter of security officers and airport personnel, passengers, and porters.

I was not squeamish at all, but I distinctly remember comparing the airport to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the KL International Airport and making mental notes.

We spent a night in simple hotel Chennai Madras, before taking a short flight to Bangalore early the next morning.

Me and some colleagues were there on assignment.

We were visiting Bangalore, touted as the next Silicon Valley of Asia. If it was not for the lack of time and resources, I would have wanted to visit the Taj Majal.

The roads in Bangalore are not very different from any other found in developing countries. The most glaring differences you will see are the cows freely roaming the streets and main thoroughfares and the tuk tuk or rickshaws buzzing around urban centers like noisy gnats.The massive billboards of India’s famed Bollywood movies dot every major road.

The number of people on the streets, commercial and tourist spots and downtown areas is also an intriguing sight. For me, the sight was a small reminder of India’s more than 900 million people.The population of the Philippines and other Asian countries stand puny next to India.

It is not very often that one can taste real Indian food, get a henna tattoo done by a real Indian artist, and watch a real, live Indian folk dance.

I got myself a henna tattoo of a cobra which the nice Indian lady doing the tattoo said was nice design. It was a symbol of strength, she said.

Overall, the stay was pleasant, save for a few hiccups.

We visited India in 1998 and much have probably changed, but the experience I won’t probably forget for a very long time.

The streets of Shinjuku

I saw the city lights of Tokyo as the airplane began its final descent to Narita Airport.

Me and a colleague were invited to a press conference in Japan arriving very late on a balmy night. We were told that our hotel is in the Shinjuku district in downtown Tokyo, and is about half-an-hour away from the airport.

I had the chance to doze off a bit, after a boarding a chartered coaster to take us directly to the hotel.

Arriving in the hotel, the first thing I noticed are the neon lights, exactly as they appear on postcards and pictures. These neon lights are probably one of the most recognized and most iconic symbols of Japan.

After the press conference, there was very little time to go around downtown.

At the first opportunity, me and my colleague headed out of the hotel to try to enjoy the street sights, deciding to find our way to the nearest bookstore. It was a bit of a struggle though, because most street signs and road directions are written in Japanese.

We had to go to a convenience store to ask for directions.
A smiling store saleslady tried to help, and after a few exchanges through improvised sign language, we finally got our bearing.

The streets of Shinjuku display a mix of vibrant and lively colors, as people go about their business. It was a thrill to see first-hand the world-famous, and quite unique fashion sense that the Japanese have.

During the night, we had the good fortune of having a Japanese executive bring us to some nice restaurant slash bar in Shinjuku.

It was a five-minute walk to a rather lively street where rows and rows of restaurants are found.We finally found one. Our gracious Japanese host told us that he frequents the place.

The elevator opens directly to the modest restaurant. The interior was rather simple, with wooden tables and wooden chairs. But the place is bustling with activity, and was almost full of mostly Japanese office workers.

My hunch was these are the so-called Japanese ‘salary men’ enjoying an after-office drink or two, their white sleeves rolled up and their neckties untied.

We had peas in a pod for starters, and some deep-fried eel as appetizers.

As customary in Japan, we shared a few rounds of the famous Asahi beer and an accompanying bottle of warm sake.

One lesson I learned is that it is not polite to nurse your beer or chug it directly, because beer served on the table is meant to be shared.

From time to time, our gracious Japanese host had to check his laptop and use a Japanese-English translator as continued our nice chat about Japan and a bit about the Philippines.

It was only a very small ‘taste’ of Japan because my visit was very short, but Shinjuku will be always be one of the most memorable places I have ever been to.

A weekend drive and a barbecue at Pranjetto Hills

You don’t need to go far if you need to recharge your batteries after a long week of working. You can hie off to nearby Tanay, Rizal and go to Pranjetto Hills.

A mere one hour away from bustling Metro Manila, Tanay is becoming a favorite weekend getaway for denizens of the city.The trip is well-worth it.

We went there early one morning for an overnight stay. We were in a convoy of three vehicles.

After passing by the Antipolo Road, the landscape began to change from cityscape to rolling hills and winding roads.

We had a nice view of mountains and Laguna de Bay, as we passed by quaint houses and small farms along the way.

Nestled on the hills of Tanay is Pranjetto Hills.

The place is unpretentious. The courteous caretakers led us to a few bungalow-type rooms, arranged neatly into rows. There is a swimming pool, and a playground.

From our room, it took us about five minutes to reach the azure pool glistening under the sun. One good thing is that the pool was not crowded.

Developers followed the natural contours of the land, thus, we literally had to go up and down to reach the pool or explore the nearby lush greens surrounding Pranjetto Hills.

The bungalows have ample space for an outdoor barbecue. After soaking all day long in the pool, we had dinner outdoors against a backdrop of hills and trees as the sun sets. Perfect.

A trampoline in the middle of a lagoon

A few years back, I was with members of the local media invited to Grande Island.

Grande Islands is one of a few islands located along the mouth of Subic Bay.

Grande Island, we were told, has a colorful history. It was previously an outpost for American soldiers during the time that Subic is still a major US base. Later on, Grande Island became a retreat for high-ranking officers.

The island was eventually turned over to private developers and was developed to complement Subic Bay as a major tourist spot.

Getting to Grande Island itself is a nice, but rather short adventure.

After getting to Subic Bay by land, we boarded a yacht (yes, a real one) to bring us to Grande Island. We had a blast and made most of the 20 minutes or so ferry, exploring the yacht.

Grande Island is a nice, picturesque resort hotel and the rooms have a view of the sea.

At the center of island is a man-made lagoon, complete with an artificial wave-maker. What is interesting is that the water from the lagoon is sourced directly from the sea making sure that visitors will get have a genuine experience of dipping in seawater, within the confines and safety of the lagoon.

The wide lagoon has ample space for kayaking.

What I distinctly remember however were the two trampolines in the middle of the lagoon.

The trampolines are quite huge, and can accommodate a few adults.

By accommodate, I mean adults can go back to their childhood and jump, prance, and play on the trampoline like kids.

It was quite a unique experience.

Enjoying the waves at 8 Waves

Summer is a time when families and friends troop to the beach or to some favorite hideaway.

The choices for vacationers have become much wider with vacation packages now becoming more popular than ever.

But if you are pressed for time, and you do not want to burn a big hole in your pocket, then a trip by car might be your best option.

There is a nice place in nearby Bulacan that we had the chance to visit a few summers ago.

Called 8 Waves, it is a family-oriented resort hotel and is a little more than a 1-hour drive from Manila.


8 Waves has water slides, numerous swimming pools, water fountains and a huge wave pool at the center of the sprawling complex.

The kids had a blast, and one day was not enough for them to enjoy the wave pool, the slides, and the wading pools. The kids spent an hour in one pool, another hour in the wading pool, another hour playing the fountains, and finally a few hours on the wave pool.

Good thing there is a nice hotel inside the resort as well as a restaurant.

Located in San Rafael, Bulacan the trip to 8 Waves was a cinch, because we left early and took the North Luzon Expressway.

The only downside of the resort that I can remember is its proximity to farms. I am not talking about a few meters, but a few kilometers. There was a few seconds that the air became funky smelling.

It was not at all bothersome, and overall, 8 Waves is a place worthy of a return visit.