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Traveling As A Passion


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pare what on earth will you be doing in Myanmar? Don't take the Stilwell Road, ok :P

 

pare, i got a junket from phuket air, w/c is starting a phuket-rangoon flight next month...am not really that excited given the fact that it is a police state...been warned that cameras can be seized anytime if the authorities deem it as being used for anti-govt purposes...on the other hand, this is one of the last countries in asia not yet ravaged by crass commercialism...we'll see

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pare, i got a junket from phuket air, w/c is starting a phuket-rangoon flight next month...am not really that excited given the fact that it is a police state...been warned that cameras can be seized anytime if the authorities deem it as being used for anti-govt purposes...on the other hand, this is one of the last countries in asia not yet ravaged by crass commercialism...we'll see

 

good luck, pare! we await you Trip Report :P

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hi....i love travelling...been to the US (Ohio, Arizona, Oregon, Washington State, California, Las Vegas, New York, Florida and New Jersey), Singapore, Malaysia (KL, Penang and Ipoh), China (HongKong, Shanghai, SuZhou and Beijing), Thailand, Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Narita and Nagoya) and Costa Rica...these are both on Business and Pleasure trips...by Feb or Mar..will be going to UK .. yeheeeyy..kaso on personal trip :(

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bods, postponed uli ang myanmar...there was supposedly a coup monday night...sayng just got my visa today

 

hahaha....oh well, masaya talaga dyan sa Myanmar :D

sayang if you got in a day or two earlier you would have been caught in a real-life adventure - shades of Manila 1989...

Pare - have you read Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places - quite a fun read!

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hahaha....oh well, masaya talaga dyan sa Myanmar :D

sayang if you got in a day or two earlier you would have been caught in a real-life adventure - shades of Manila 1989...

Pare - have you read Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places - quite a fun read!

 

Pareng bods and sallyBM:

 

This reminds me of my last trip to Cambodia.

 

On the way to my meeting, we passed by a road where a crowd is gathering in front of a building. I was thinking it was a rally or something. The driver, not being articulate in English, couldn't explain what was going on. Sabi namin, no big deal. On the way back to the hotel in the late afternoon, we passed by a building that was on fire. Oh well, sabi ko, no big deal.

 

After Phnom Pehn, I had meetings in Bangkok. I had the chance to read the English language newspaper and that's when it all made sense.

 

The building that we passed by in Phnom Pehn was the Thai Embassy. The crowd were protesting against a certain Thai actress who publicly said that the Ankor Wat should be made part of Thailand. The crowd stormed the embassy building and the officials there retreated to a Thai-owned hotel together with other Thai nationals in the area. The crowd eventually caught up with them and set the hotel on fire. Yun pala iyong sunog na nadaanan namin.

 

Ang mga Pinoy, bandera lang ng Singapore ang sinusunog nung panahon nang Flor Contemplacion isyu. Eto palang mga Cambodians, grabe kung magalit. Pati hotel sinusunog. :wacko:

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Heto pa isang kwento tungkol sa Cambodia:

 

I am a golfer and I try to make it a point to play golf in every country that I visit. During my first time to Cambodia, naturally, I wanted to play. And so I made arrangements. The morning after our meeting, we went to one of 2 or 3 courses in the Phnom Pehn area. We teed off. Okay naman. It was just like playing a public course in Manila. The course conditions are not comparable to the private clubs anywhere else in world but hey, we were there for the bragging rights. Kaya sige lang. Laro lang.

 

Pag-dating namin sa 3rd or 4th hole, tee-off ako. Tapos, tee-off din iyong kasama ko. Slice. Labas sa fairway. He started walking toward the side of the fairway where his ball landed under the trees. Inawat siya nung caddie. Huwag daw. Di kami magka-intindihan. We were trying to explain that we have to play the ball as it lies. Nagpapaliwanag yung caddie. Di pa rin namin maintindihan. Finally, hinawakan niya yung kasama ko sa braso at inakay papunta sa may gilid nung fairway. Tinuro yung sign. Bungo at buto. Apparently, the sides of the fairways HAVE NOT YET BEEN CLEARED OF LAND MINES!!!! Retrieve your ball at your own risk.

 

Needless to say, since we hit a couple of shots out of line, we lost a lot of balls that day . . . :blink:

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hahaha....oh well, masaya talaga dyan sa Myanmar :D

sayang if you got in a day or two earlier you would have been caught in a real-life adventure - shades of Manila 1989...

Pare - have you read Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places - quite a fun read!

 

exactly...would've been able to do an exclusive...actually, reporter ako pare from 89-91...those 10 days from nov 30-dec 9, 1989 were the best of my radio career!...hopefully, tuloy kami next week...we were told that while you can bring in a camera to myanmar, you'll always be accompanied by a guide who'll tell you whether something or someone can be photographed...ano ba yan, first time postponed dahil walang visa, 2nd time may visa na pero nagkaroon naman ng power struggle...ano kaya ang mangyayari sa susunod?...abangan

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Pareng bods and sallyBM:

 

This reminds me of my last trip to Cambodia.

 

On the way to my meeting, we passed by a road where a crowd is gathering in front of a building.  I was thinking it was a rally or something.  The driver, not being articulate in English, couldn't explain what was going on.  Sabi namin, no big deal.  On the way back to the hotel in the late afternoon, we passed by a building that was on fire.  Oh well, sabi ko, no big deal.

 

After Phnom Pehn, I had meetings in Bangkok.  I had the chance to read the English language newspaper and that's when it all made sense. 

 

The building that we passed by in Phnom Pehn was the Thai Embassy.  The crowd were protesting against a certain Thai actress who publicly said that the Ankor Wat should be made part of Thailand.  The crowd stormed the embassy building and the officials there retreated to a Thai-owned hotel together with other Thai nationals in the area.  The crowd eventually caught up with them and set the hotel on fire.  Yun pala iyong sunog na nadaanan namin.

 

Ang mga Pinoy, bandera lang ng Singapore ang sinusunog nung panahon nang Flor Contemplacion isyu.  Eto palang mga Cambodians, grabe kung magalit.  Pati hotel sinusunog. :wacko:

 

pare, you have to understand that the cambodians have yet to recover from the disastrous rule of the khmer rouge...they are very traumatized by war, and that's one reason why they are are quick to snap at any slight or insult...a thai i know pretended to be a filipino because the cambodians were going house to house, asking who was thai...many were nearly lynched...i think every thai establishment was burned to the ground

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Heto pa isang kwento tungkol sa Cambodia:

 

I am a golfer and I try to make it a point to play golf in every country that I visit.  During my first time to Cambodia, naturally, I wanted to play.  And so I made arrangements.  The morning after our meeting, we went to one of 2 or 3 courses in the Phnom Pehn area.  We teed off.  Okay naman.  It was just like playing a public course in Manila.  The course conditions are not comparable to the private clubs anywhere else in world but hey, we were there for the bragging rights.  Kaya sige lang. Laro lang.

 

Pag-dating namin sa 3rd or 4th hole, tee-off ako.  Tapos, tee-off din iyong kasama ko.  Slice.  Labas sa fairway.  He started walking toward the side of the fairway where his ball landed under the trees.  Inawat siya nung caddie.  Huwag daw.  Di kami magka-intindihan.  We were trying to explain that we have to play the ball as it lies.  Nagpapaliwanag yung caddie.  Di pa rin namin maintindihan.  Finally, hinawakan niya yung kasama ko sa braso at inakay papunta sa may gilid nung fairway.  Tinuro yung sign.  Bungo at buto.  Apparently, the sides of the fairways HAVE NOT YET BEEN CLEARED OF LAND MINES!!!!  Retrieve your ball at your own risk.

 

Needless to say, since we hit a couple of shots out of line, we lost a lot of balls that day . . .  :blink:

 

 

yup, cambodia is the most heavily mined country in the world...the most heavily bombed was laos...did you get to visit angkhor wat? everyone who's been there says it is magnificent...i've only been to poi pet, the part that borders the thai province of aranyaprathet...lots of casinos were built here and are visited daily by thousands of thais and chinese...that's because gambling is illegal in thailand

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This is getting to be educational!

 

Although I have been travelling frequently abroad for business trips, I have never been to most part of the Philippines. That is why I envy those person telling their stories of their travel in the Philippine provinces.

 

I have been travelling to Asia, Pacific and Europe, and the unforgetable experience that I have is in Ireland. I never stayed in Dublin. Instead, I stayed County Clare where you could find the famous Bunratty Castle. Only in Ireland that I had a first hand experience of Medieval Banquet, a feast with the Kings and Queens, Prince and Princess and the noble Lords. You will also see in Ireland the Cliffs of Mojer (which is usually a venue for international movies).

 

The climate is good, and the scenery is superb. How I wish I could stay longer on this country. Nevertheless, this is a good experience, and it all happened only last month.

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exactly...would've been able to do an exclusive...actually, reporter ako pare from 89-91...those 10 days from nov 30-dec 9, 1989 were the best of my radio career!...hopefully, tuloy kami next week...we were told that while you can bring in a camera to myanmar, you'll always be accompanied by a guide who'll tell you whether something or someone can be photographed...ano ba yan, first time postponed dahil walang visa, 2nd time may visa na pero nagkaroon naman ng power struggle...ano kaya ang mangyayari sa susunod?...abangan

 

According to the papers, the Myanmar PM was "taken out of circulation" - that's how they termed it :D

Sana nga sa susunod, wala nang aberya at matuloy na ang punta nyo sa Burma, although I guess things will still be a little tense over there...Naupo na uli yung mga hardliners...

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Pareng bods and sallyBM:

 

This reminds me of my last trip to Cambodia.

 

On the way to my meeting, we passed by a road where a crowd is gathering in front of a building.  I was thinking it was a rally or something.  The driver, not being articulate in English, couldn't explain what was going on.  Sabi namin, no big deal.  On the way back to the hotel in the late afternoon, we passed by a building that was on fire.  Oh well, sabi ko, no big deal.

 

After Phnom Pehn, I had meetings in Bangkok.  I had the chance to read the English language newspaper and that's when it all made sense. 

 

The building that we passed by in Phnom Pehn was the Thai Embassy.  The crowd were protesting against a certain Thai actress who publicly said that the Ankor Wat should be made part of Thailand.  The crowd stormed the embassy building and the officials there retreated to a Thai-owned hotel together with other Thai nationals in the area.  The crowd eventually caught up with them and set the hotel on fire.  Yun pala iyong sunog na nadaanan namin.

 

Ang mga Pinoy, bandera lang ng Singapore ang sinusunog nung panahon nang Flor Contemplacion isyu.  Eto palang mga Cambodians, grabe kung magalit.  Pati hotel sinusunog. :wacko:

 

hehe ibang klase nga pala ang mga yan...I don't think those places (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar) would ever be in my list of must-see places, although it's too bad dahil puno ng cultural and historical significance yang mga lugar na yan...My take is that for well-traveled guys who's had enough of the usual travel haunts - a trip to such exotic, albeit dangerous places, is the next best thing....

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hehe ibang klase nga pala ang mga yan...I don't think those places (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar) would ever be in my list of must-see places, although it's too bad dahil puno ng cultural and historical significance yang mga lugar na yan...My take is that for well-traveled guys who's had enough of the usual travel haunts - a trip to such exotic, albeit dangerous places, is the next best thing....

My friend

Have you considered Vietnam,It is exotic yet safe,It was recently rated one of the SAFEST tourist destinations in Asia.Another option is China s southern part Yunnan Province beside Laos.Kuching is exotic yet safe :)

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According to the papers, the Myanmar PM was "taken out of circulation" - that's how they termed it :D

Sana nga sa susunod, wala nang aberya at matuloy na ang punta nyo sa Burma, although I guess things will still be a little tense over there...Naupo na uli yung mga hardliners...

 

first, they said the pm was arrested for corruption...a few hours later, the pm supposedly stepped down for "health reasons" - i think he would consider his health, especially if armed personnel carriers and 20 soldiers lugging kalashnikovs were outside his residence...nearly fell out of my seat

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pare, you have to understand that the cambodians have yet to recover from the disastrous rule of the khmer rouge...they are very traumatized by war, and that's one reason why they are are quick to snap at any slight or insult...a thai i know pretended to be a filipino because the cambodians were going house to house, asking who was thai...many were nearly lynched...i think every thai establishment was burned to the ground

 

I find that the Cambodians are a very gentle and soft-spoken people. Another thing they share with us Pinoys is that they laugh quite easily. Madali sila patawanin. Yun lang, iba sila kung magalit.

 

If you get the chance to travel to Cambodia, it is not difficult to see what they had to go through . . . you can hardly find men aged 40 to 60 years old. Most of them were killed during the Pol Pot regime. And you see a lot of people as you pass by the streets missing a limb or two because of land mines. For all the crap we Filipinos went through during martial law, I am thankful we didn't have to go through something like the Khmer Rouge.

 

Kaunting FR na rin:

 

In all my 4 or 5 trips to Cambodia, unfortunately, I never had the time to see the Angkor Wat as it is quite a distance from Phnom Pehn where my meetings are. But I had the chance to see the "Killing Fields" museum. . . I understand there are plans to close this down.

 

For everyone who plans to go to Cambodia anytime soon, keep in mind that Cambodians are excellent stone carvers. I bought what could probably be the most expensive "souvenir" item in my collection: A two-feet tall, $200 stone carving of a replica Angkor Wat icon.

 

The other thing you have to remember is that to be on the safe side, don't leave your hotel after 9 pm at night unless you are accompanied by locals that you know very well. And especially not into the red light district. I've heard a lot of stories about holduppers (the dirt roads going to the red light district are not lighted in the evening) preying on (and even killing) foreigners. Besides, I don't think it's worth the trouble. Walang masyadong maganda dun (unlike Thailand, or maybe it's just a matter of personal taste).

 

BTW, no need to change to local currency. US dollars are widely accepted in all shops, restaurants, and even by taxi cab drivers. Prices are quite reasonable. The best hotel there, in my experience, is the Sunway Hotel which is right across the Wat Phnom which is a small park in the middle of the city.

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My friend

Have you considered Vietnam,It is exotic yet safe,It was recently rated one of the SAFEST tourist destinations in Asia.Another option is China s southern part Yunnan Province beside Laos.Kuching is exotic yet safe :)

 

I've heard a lot about how Vietnam has transformed itself into a great destination..it is safe, yes, but like Cambodia - have all the hidden mines in the countryside been identified and neutralized? :D Next to a Thailand revisit, I'd like to go there one day.....

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Kumusta na sa inyong lahat. Hindi ako natuloy sa Boracay kasi biglang nagdatingan ang trabaho. Kanina nag-ikot kami jan lang sa UP Diliman and nagkaligaw-ligaw kasi marami nang deadend na lugar.

 

I wish makatravel talaga ako kasama ng misis ko hanggat kaya pang maglakad nang maayos.

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I've heard a lot about how Vietnam has transformed itself into a great destination..it is safe, yes, but like Cambodia - have all the hidden mines in the countryside been identified and neutralized? :D  Next to a Thailand revisit, I'd like to go there one day.....

 

hanoi is more relaxed, and the french colonial atmosphere persists...the wide tree-lined avenues, the cafes, the architecture all combine to make it a must-see destination in southeast asia...ho chi minh is more commercialized...you'll be surprised, plenty of americana prevails...the bars play 60's music and many souvenir shops sell war paraphernalia...very much in demand are genuine zippo lighters from the soldiers...not much mining in vietnam compared to cambodia...besides, you won't really be allowed to wander off anywhere...the country is still tightly controlled by the reds

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  • 3 weeks later...
I've heard a lot about how Vietnam has transformed itself into a great destination..it is safe, yes, but like Cambodia - have all the hidden mines in the countryside been identified and neutralized? :D  Next to a Thailand revisit, I'd like to go there one day.....

 

Not to mention that, in my opinion, Vietnam has one of the highest densities of beautiful women per square kilometer in Southeast Asia. It's almost in the same league as Thailand (di ba Pareng Sally?) and, of course, the Philippines. :blush:

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