National Museum, Manila, the Philippines

THIS IS A REVELATION. I have to start this really good as I must admit that I hate myself for not having been back to this place since long time ago. I studied in Manila for 4 years and worked there for about 5 years and never have I been back to this wonderful museum. I vaguely remember my school trip to this museum when I was in elementary. I could not even remember whether it was in elementary or high school but it is definitely more than 16 years since I have been to this place.

Sketches and Photographs: Kawah Putih and Bandung, West Java, Indonesia

When you are living in Jakarta, there are not many things to see and do than to go to malls and eat. Your only option, if you are not flying out, is to visit nearby provinces like Bandung, Bogor and other parts of West Java. But getting there can be hellish because the traffic that happens in Jakarta happens everywhere in this part of Java, which is just crazy traffic.

City Sketches: Paris, Marseille, Aix, Barcelona and Madrid.

During my trip to France and Spain, I have taken the time to sketch the places and things that I liked. I have posted this on Instagram and I have compiled it all here to show my sketches during my travel.

Port Vieux, Marseille

Alhambra and the town of Granada, Spain

This charming little town of Granada situated in the Southern part of Spain is a lush town surrounded by vineyard. It was summer when I went there but the old charm of the place is just wonderful. The town is tucked in with the view of Alhambra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which is the grandest place to see in Granada. This place is made up of Islamic architecture and have been well maintained.

Alhambra is easily accessible by local buses but if you are the adventurous type, you may hike up from center of the town. Despite the number of tourists coming here, the center of the town does not look like it gets very crowded from any time of the day. I love how laid back the whole town feels like even though there is an existence of a lot of modern establishments. Granada, or Pomegranate, or grenade if I will translate it from my language, is a place I would definitely enjoy to retire with a bottle of red wine on my hand.

Barcelona: Gaudi's city and its old modern charm.

Barcelona is a place I have dreamed of going ever since I watched the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. That was the very first Olympics I have seen and I was barely 11 years old at that time. But I did not know that there are even more fascinating places to see aside from the Olympic Stadium. Through  years of waiting, I have learned about many places you can visit in Barcelona and up until the last two years, I have met fellow The Little Prince book collectors who live in Barcelona.

This city is one place I would definitely go back to. It is just an amazing mix of art, food and culture. And its people are quite relax and easy going.

Here are photos from my trip in Barcelona from July 3 to 8, 2016.

Marseille and Aix-en-Provence

Marseille, a port city, and Aix, a landlocked town, both in Provence, Southern France are two of the best places I have seen in this country. These two cities are completely different yet it left me with the hope of coming back again.

Here are photos of Marseille.

Photographs from Paris

Paris has been blogged by many so I am just posting the pictures from my trip. But to sum it up, the best places for me are:

1. Best Museum - Musee D'Orsay

Musee D' Orsay - is an old train station that was converted into an enormous  museum and well-packed with arts that were really impressive for me. A vast collection of the best works of Claude Monet and Paul Cezanne, two of the most iconic Impressionist artists I know and some of Van Gogh's great works are here as well.

15 Things You Need To Know About Tana Toraja

Tana Toraja  is one of the most intriguing places in Indonesia because it is known for its centuries old rituals of how they celebrate the dead.The regency, as it is referred to, is surrounded by rugged mountains and cliffs all protecting this highland city. The valleys are all filled with lush green fields and coffee plantations. Toraja produces one of the best coffee beans in the world.

Towering end of a Torajan house

A stunning sunrise from Candi Borobudur

This is my 3rd time visiting Borobudur Temple, a Unesco World Heritage Site, and it just never ceases to mesmerize me with its stunning backdrop. It is a Buddhist temple built in the 9th century.

This time I got the chance to stay at the Manohara Hotel situated within the complex. I just need to wake up at 4:00 AM and get to the temple to welcome the morning sunrise. A day before, one of the personnels told me that if it rains at night, the sunrise would look even more spectacular. And yes it was. Here are my shots for this weekend trip.

Hakone and a view of Mt. Fuji

Weeping Woman by French artists Francois-Xavier and Claude Lalanne at the Hakone Open-Air Museum.

It is my first time to visit Japan and as I have a full Tokyo itinerary for 8 days, I squeezed in a day visit to its neighboring city Hakone. Little did I know that this will be the highlight of my trip. I only managed to visit 3 places, the Pola Museum of Art, The Little Prince Museum and the first of its kind in Japan, the Hakone Open Air Museum. Navigating the city was quite easy and I managed to take a ride in one of their old electric railway system, a cruise on a huge 4-tier boat and the reliable and easy to handle bus system.

Sketches and Photographs: An Instagrammed chronicle of my first visit to Japan.

My first trip to Japan and I visited Tokyo and Hakone. I have never been so excited to visit the crazy city of Tokyo and I was also well inspired that I have made a lot of sketches during the trip.

Here are the sketches I have done and some of the photographs I have taken.

City Sketches: Macau

So I spent my Christmas holiday in Macau for 3 days before going to Hong Kong and I have done some sketches while I was there and I also added some more after returning home. Here are the sketches I made.

Surprising Macau: Christmas in this wonderful city.

Oh Macau, you surprise me with your charm. I never thought I would love your city but I did despite a very tight 3 days 2 nights stay, you still managed to deliver the best of a heritage-filled city and the cosmopolitan side of all the glitz and glam of your stunning casinos. Words are not enough for me describe you but here are my best shots of your city. Enjoy.

Review: Five Foot Way Inn, Macau

Macau was a surprise for me and did not expect I would love the place and I did. Given my enduring love for well-preserved old cities, Macau, was never on my list of places to visit. I only decided to go there to meet up some friends who were travelling as well. And from deciding a day visit to an overnight stay ended up to a full 3 days and 2 nights stay in this cosmopolitan gambling and heritage city combined.

Indeed, the place is expensive. The hotel we stayed in, the food, the transportation, the shopping and mostly everything were expensive. But I could say it was worth it since I was surrounded by seemingly well-preserved and re-purposed old Portuguese-style buildings and residential areas, I could say that this place captivated me well.

But I would like to focus on the hotel that I stayed together with my 2 other friends. The hotel, aptly named Five Foot Way Inn, was listed on the hostelworld.com. My friend booked us there and I just joined them in their room. The room was only good enough for two but we managed to squeeze in an extra bed for me. Although I do not understand why it was listed on hostelworld since it's actually a hotel and not a hostel. There is a difference I suppose but apparently, they consider themselves a hostel so let it be then. Overall, it was a good stay but I can't help to get infatuated by the contemporary artworks displayed all over so I took pictures of all that I have access to and here they are: