Not far from the once-notorious glitz party island of Mykonos in Greece lies the uninhabited (since the 7th century AD) island of Delos. It is considered the most sacred island in the peninsula-archipelago as it is the mythical birthplace of Apollo and Artemis.
You must arrive early for the short boat ride from Mykonos. Delos is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (bestowed in 1990), but the island is deemed an archeological site with no inhabitants except for a handful of workers doing the restorations.
While tourism is ongoing (partly to defray the restoration expenses), Greek authorities ensure it is limited.
Visitors to Delos will have this view of the island after alighting from their boats and passing through the reception center.
Hands down, the island’s main draw is the enigmatic yet nostalgic Terrace of the Lions. But getting there would be the last segment of our guided island tour.
But, it boggles the mind that the island was inhabited by the ancient Greeks as early as the 3rd millennium BC (3000 – 2001 BC) and became a rich trading port in the eastern Mediterranean after 167 BC. While the more ancient Egyptians were still dreaming about their pyramids, the Greeks were already building settlements in this part of the Aegean Sea.
The floor of the home of one of the wealthier Greek families in Delos features intricate mosaic tile patterns. The house could have been built between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, when Delos prospered as a cosmopolitan trading port in the Mediterranean.
Delos also served as one of the Pan-Hellenic sanctuaries, like Athens. Every four years, they celebrate the feast of the Delians, similar to the Olympic and Pythian Games (held in Delphi).
Ruins of an amphitheater where the Delians celebrate their feast every four (4) years, like the Olympics and Pythian Games. It also serves as a venue for theatrical productions, banquets, musicals, poetry, and dance competitions., The author is between two Ionic-style columns. The area is near the House of the Lake in Delos.
After we visited some of the other, more preserved points of interest on the island, the trip culminated at the famous Terrace of the Lions, where we could see a few workers doing restoration work from a distance.
Note that some of the more important sculptures uncovered on the island, including the Naxian Lions, are kept inside the museum and replaced with exact replicas. This protects the fragile marble structures (quarried from the island of Naxos, also in the Cyclades) from constant exposure due to the north wind.
A stroll along the Terrace of the Lions on the island of Delos instantly transports one back about 2600 years. The Naxian Lions are exact replicas to protect the originals (housed in the museum) from damage, particularly the north winds that sweep through the island.
After admiring all the island’s wonders—natural and man-made—including a short visit inside the small archeological museum (not always accessible to visitors), we took the longer road back to the visitors’ center, where the boat that will take us back to Mykonos -and, back to modern civilization- awaits.
After watching numerous videos on YouTube about how beautiful the drive along the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper in Alberta, Canada, is, we finally got to experience it ourselves in early September 2014.
The beautiful morning drive from Banff to Jasper (the “Canadian Rockies”) in Alberta, Canada.A short photo break to take in all the natural beauty — on the road going to Jasper (Alberta, Canada)
No wonder it always comes up at the top of the list if you do a Google search for the “most scenic drives in North America.” No adjective can aptly describe the beauty of the Canadian Rockies.
We also got a bargain when we had difficulties finding a hotel in Jasper—our max budget was US$300 a night—since the day of our visit coincided with the long weekend, Labor Day.
oTentiks are pre-built lodging facilities that resemble tents and loghouses. They have wooden floors, a locking door, mattresses, chairs, a table, and, on some units, a wall switch-powered light plus a small baseboard heater. However, all units have no electrical (AC/DC) outlets.
We rented a unit with a heater and light, which cost C$90, while a basic unit cost C$70—ideal for camping in summer.
Group photo in front of our oTentik accommodation inside Jasper’s Whistler campgrounds in Alberta, Canada
After registering and picking up our firewood at the Whistler campgrounds in Jasper (not to be confused with the popular Whistler Ski Resort in British Columbia), we left at 4:15 PM. We made the short trip to the Miette Hot Springs.
The natural hot springs water flows from the mountain at 54°C (129°F), and the water is then cooled to a comfortable temperature of 40°C (104°F) as it enters the hot springs’ pool
In early spring of this year, we embarked on a three-week trip across South America with a 10-hour flight from Los Angeles to Santiago, Chile. We flew via LATAM Airlines (a merger between Chile’s former national carrier, LAT, and Brazil’s TAM Linhas Aereas in 2012) — time mostly spent trying our best to get some decent sleep.
We arrived tired early in Santiago primarily because of the plus (+) three (3) hour time difference. Carlos, our shuttle driver (from the reliable airportstaxitransfers service), was punctual. As soon as we emerged from the arrival gate, in no time, he whisked us to the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport‘s parking garage.
The trip aboard a Mercedes Sprinter van toward the Condes district in Santiago, where our hotel was situated, was quiet and uneventful. It was a Saturday in Chile, and most of the shops we saw along the way were still closed, but there were early risers who either jogged or took their dogs for a walk.
When we got inside the elegant multi-story condo building just before 8 AM, an elderly man who barely spoke English greeted us. I sidled to one side of the counter and informed him I could understand and speak some Spanish. He showed me the guest book and explained, in halting Spanish, that our studio unit wouldn’t be available until 3 PM.
To our delight, a few minutes later, an amiable senora who spoke fluent English took over the reception desk and explained that we could use the 2nd-floor lounge area with a toilet. She also took all our luggage for safekeeping and ensured that they were all accounted for in case we decided to go out while waiting for our unit to become available.
Across the street, next to a Pizza Hut, Don (my brother-in-law) and Ruby managed to get some beef “empanadas” (turnovers) and cups of coffee using the Chilean pesos Don and Ellen ( Don’s spouse and also my older sister) had exchanged through their bank in the US just a few days before our trip. Using Chilean pesos exclusively won’t be an issue since almost all shops in Chile would gladly take credit cards in exchange for a small convenience fee.
While the rest of the group tried their best to sleep after getting a few bites off their empanadas and sips of the morning brew, I busied myself figuring out how to get the ride-sharing app, Cabify (popular in Spain and other Latin American countries), working on my phone. The Chileño (local) who sat next to us on the plane from LAX informed us that it (Cabify) was the safest and best way to get around Chile, other than Uber. He also gave us tips on nearby places we could visit during our short stay in Santiago.
A day before our trip, I had pre-loaded my phone with an eSIM for the entire South American continent. I received a good data signal in Chile via Movistar (another Spain-based telco provider). Some eSIMS, however, don’t provide you with a phone number, which is a requirement today when trying to confirm your identitywhen activating an app that requires a mode of payment.
It was about 10 AM, and I asked Giorka (the amiable señora) which direction most shops were in the area. She told me to turn right at the corner of La Capitania and Avenida Apoquindo, and I should see a few shops selling mobile phones and accessories. I was tempted to walk into a few restaurants and grocery stores along the way, but I did get a 30-day physical SIM card with a Chilean # tied to it for just Chilean Peso 10.
We agreed to go to downtown Santiago as we still had a few hours to wait before our unit became available. After checking that the Cabify app worked, we took our first private ride (aboard a Suzuki Swift) in South America towards Avenida Andres Bello, ending at a nearby mall that houses a 62-story building called the Gran Torre Costanera.
I was able to snap this photo of the Gran Torre as our ride approached the Costanera Mall in downtown Santiago, Chile
The elevator ride that will take us to 61 floors up to “Sky Costanera” is located on the 4th level of the mall and conspicuously hidden by the maze of shops inside. The entrance fee for foreigners is about US$ 18, but considerably lower for all Chilean residents. Personal belongings go through a scanner, but bottled water is allowed. A high-speed elevator whisked us up the tower, but not after a brief do’s and don’ts and what to expect on top—both in Spanish and English, as the case may be.
The view from the tower is fascinatingly spectacular. The Andes Mountain range can be seen from a distance. The tower also has a restaurant and an open view on the topmost floor.
We spent more than an hour on the topmost floors enjoying the panoramic views until we asked around about the white statue on the hill, where several telecommunication antennas are conspicuous.
After a late lunch (including a few bottles of the best Chilean beers) at a row of several restaurants just a block away from the mall, we hailed our short Cabify ride to the Estación Pio Nono Funicular. As expected, a tram (funicular) ride will take us up Cerro San Cristóbal, the third-highest hill in the city (after Cerro Manquehue and Cerro Renca), where the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary sits atop its peak.
When we purchase our ride tickets at the medieval-looking visitors center, guests can take the same funicular ride up and down the hill -the cheaper option- or opt for the teleferico (cable car) ride going down.
From Cerro San Cristobal, we can see Gran Torre Santiago (aka, Gran Torre Costanera or “Sky Costanera” – the same 62-story building we visited a few hours ago!
In modern-day Greece, where everything seems to look from the past, one place that has a futuristic name is Meteora. It’s a small town in the administrative region of Thessaly that’s about a five (5) hour bus ride from Athens, including a 30-minute break for refreshments in a restaurant called Makadonia after the first 2-hour drive from the capital city.
We visited the place late this year (2023), and despite the long trip, our senses were treated to some of the awe-inspiring vistas in this much-fabled country.
It was supposed to be a train ride from the Larissa Station in Athens to the old, almost run-down station in Kalabaka (for the Greeks, it’s Kalambaka or Kalampaka). From the train station in Kalabaka, small buses will take you up the steep slopes of Meteora. But some railway tracks were still unpassable after floods hit the towns on the way to Kalabaka.
From Athens, the highway going to Meteora (also towards Thessaloniki) heads north, and particularly in Agios Konstantinos (part of Central Greece), bus passengers will have magnificent vistas of the tributaries of the Aegean Sea, like the Malian and North Euboean gulfs.
Olive groves are abundant in the area, which had provided for the country – just like in ancient times – a steady source of revenue — whether as food, oil, or any other by-products like soap, cream, or lotions. It takes about 35 to 40 lbs. of olives to produce a liter of olive oil, but Greek olive oil is one –if not the best– of the best olive oils on the planet.
After the long but comfortable bus ride –mainly paved highways– we parked right across the train station where we should have disembarked in Kalabaka had the trains from Athens been operational. We would also get our bus rides back to Athens in this area.
You will have to crane your neck up upon arrival in Meteora. The place seems to have sprouted from nowhere and appeared like humongous mushrooms made of sandstone in the plains of Thessaly.
The unique and steep rock formations that took millions of years and the resulting caves within these rocks attracted a group of ascetic monks -as early as the 9th century AD- to live a secluded life as high as they could above the plains.
Due to time constraints and the lung-busting steep terrain, we could visit only two (2) of the six (6) active monasteries in Meteora, but we were able to view most of them from afar along the asphalted roads that meander through these cliffs.
The photo below is the Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapafsas, founded in the 14th century.
Ruby (photo below) is on her way via the multitude of steps to the Holy Monastery of Vaarlam (founded in 1350 by the ascetic Vaarlam). From a distance, on the right, the Monastery of Rousanou ( founded in 1388* by the priest-monks Nikodemus and Benedict) can seen.
The views (two photos below) inside the chapel at the Holy Monastery of Vaarlam. The nave was painted in 1548 according to an inscription on its south wall, while the frescoes -because of the technique, colors, and figure arrangements- can be attributed to the painter Frango Katelano from Thebes.
In ancient times, nettings, ropes, and a wooden winch (next photos) were utilized to bring supplies and the monks/people up the steep slopes. Today, these metal cages and a movable motorized winch are utilized for the same purpose.
A restored wooden winch brings goods and the monks/people up and down the perilously steep slopes of Meteora’s sandstone cliff walls. Wooden ladders preceded these contraptions, which posed a great threat to the lives of the monks.
Before heading back to Kalabaka train station for our bus ride back to Athens, we made a final stop at the Monastery of St. Stephen – the closest one to the town and easiest to visit. It is connected with female monasticism and is run by a group of nuns.
Not all monasteries allow visitors, but those who do charge a modest fee of three (3) Euros. Visitors must dress appropriately (long pants for men; no tank tops and long skirts/leg and shoulder coverings for women) – as a show of respect.
Beautiful Madrid was overcrowded that summer, so we headed north from the capital city and took a short train ride to Segovia – one of the thirteen (13) cities in Spain that UNESCO endowed as a World Heritage site.
Our hotel in Madrid was just a spitting distance from the Metro subway station. Since we were traveling in Europe with our carry-on bags, we got to the Madrid -Chamartín-Clara Campoamor train station virtually hassle-free.
This train station should not be confused with the bigger and famous Madrid – Puerta de Atocha – Almudena Grandes- home to Spain’s AVE bullet trains and a leisure area with a spectacular tropical garden.
The RENFE-operated train ride from Madrid to Segovia (Euro 11.10 each) was quick and comfortable. Most European countries are served well by trains, but Spain has better ones. We stayed longer at the Chamartín station waiting for our train than the ride to the Guiomar Station in Segovia.
The small yet modern-looking Guiomar station (above photo) was not particularly busy during those last days of June, and you could feel the summer heat that awaited visitors from the vast plains outside.
Although there’s a public bus that serves the Guiomar train station to the city proper, we opted for a taxi ride (Euro 10) to escape the heat while taking advantage of long daylight and give ourselves some time to relax in our hotel room before exploring the historic Castilian city.
The taxi dropped us off in a parking lot -just off from a roundabout- as most vehicles are prohibited from entering the city. This is done to prevent congestion and better preserve all the historical structures, including the two-thousand-year-old Roman aqueduct that dominates the entrance to the medieval city.
A statue of the mythical founders of Rome (Remus and Romulus) being nurtured by a she-wolf, along with a 1974 plaque (photo above ) commemorating the aqueduct’s 2,000-year history -will greet visitors just before entering the city. However, the exact date could not be verified; it’s widely speculated that it was built during the 2nd half of the first century AD — spanning the reigns of Roman emperors Domitian, Nerva, and Trajan.
It took us about 1.5 hours after we boarded the Renfe train from Madrid to check in at our hotel in Segovia — Hotel Real Segovia. And, as luck would have it, our standard room got upgraded to a studio with a balcony that faced the main street. The studio’s floor area is more than double the hotel room in downtown Madrid and features an ultra-modern bathroom to boot!
From our studio’s balcony, the Iglesia de San Martin, a medieval Romanesque-style Catholic church established in 1117, and a small plaza -Plazuela de San Martin- with the statue of Juan Bravo (1483-1521), the rebel leader who led the uprising against Charles I in the “Castilian Revolt of the Comuneros” (Castilian War of the Communities). The street where our hotel is located is also named after him.
Spain, a predominantly Catholic country, is noted for its numerous churches and dotted with statues because of its rich cultural heritage. Still, the long-standing Roman-built aqueduct, the Gothic-style Segovia Cathedral, and the Alcazár (castle) draw this trip to this medieval Castilian city.
Along the way to the main square (Plaza Mayor) where the Segovia Cathedral is situated, one can’t help but be drawn to the window displays of baked treats and various meat delicacies Spain is noted for – the variety of jamon, chorizo, morcilla, chicharrones that goes well with any drinks and widely available all day.
The Gothic-style Segovia Cathedral was built between 1525 and 1577 when Spain, neighboring Portugal, the Dutch, and other European naval powers were racing to colonize (aka, ‘discover’) other territories -including the Americas- in the “New World.”
Ruby at one of the three (3) main entrances –Puerta de San Frutos– (eastern side, along Calle Marques del Arco) of the Segovia Cathedral (top photo) and a portion of the awe-inspiring interior (bottom photo). Inside are twenty-three (23) chapels and numerous works of art.
The author behind an 1862 artwork (oil on canvas) of painter Carlos María Esquivel y Rivas – “Visit of San Francisco de Borja to Emperor Charles V in the Yuste Monastery.” The massive door on the right leads to one of the chapels inside.
We spent several hours inside the massive cathedral admiring the architecture, gilded altars and all the artworks – paintings, sculptures, frescoes– without losing the mind-boggling fact that while other countries today are yet to be discovered, Spain already has this magnificent cathedral built.
After changing to more comfortable clothes to temper the noonday heat, we wasted no time and took off to the Plaza del Azogueo – just a few yards from where the taxi dropped us off an hour ago.
And this is what you’ll see as soon as you emerge from Calle Cervantez. as you head towards Plaza del Azogueo.
We took pictures of the spectacular aqueduct –two-tiered and no mortar between those huge granite stone blocks.
For food lovers, there’s another treat in Segovia one shouldn’t miss: having a meal at Restaurante Mesón de Cándido. Segovia is noted for its Castilian dishes, but one item on the menu that you shouldn’t miss is the “cochinillo asado” – roasted suckling pig.
Aside from the cochinillo asado, we had beans with pork cheeks, salad, bread, beer, and some of the best red wine in Segovia for dinner, then soaked in as much history and views of the Roman aqueduct until the late hours of the evening.
We woke up early the following morning to visit the Alcazar, and, to our delight, the Plaza Mayor, bustling with visitors the day before, was quiet except for a few early risers and early morning deliveries of supplies. Our driver informed us that, on average, the medieval city gets about 2,000 visitors daily.
The medieval castle of Segovia had been around since the 12th century and is where Isabela I (the Catholic) sought refuge before being proclaimed Queen of Castile and Leon in 1474. It was also the site of the last meeting between Christopher Columbus and King Ferdinand II (the Catholic) before the explorer’s death.
From the Alcazar, we opted to walk along parts of its fortification walls that meanders down towards the city and where vehicular traffic is allowed.
While we bade goodbye to the Alcazar, we were offered magnificent views of the Segovia Cathedral and its 108-meter tower.
I woke up at 5:40 AM, and despite being dead tired after our half-day part-walking, part-by-bus trips to the endless places of interest in hilly Athens, I was in an upbeat mood that early Tuesday morning. Today, we’ll visit the Oracle of Delphi.
Here are my notes on the trip:
May 3– I woke up at 5:40 AM and watched a replay of the Dallas Mavs vs. Phoenix Suns semis game one via my FireTV 4K Stick while having coffee (I used five decaf pods on the percolator). I showered by 6:10 and then ate a piece of cookie along with the leftover spanakopita from last night’s dinner at a restaurant in Monastiraki Square, which overlooks the Parthenon atop the Acropolis.
We were out of the hotel by 7:08 AM and created an email to my younger brother back in the U.S. while we waited for our tour bus. Key Tours operated the trip, and the bus finally arrived at 7:26 AM.
We were whisked out of the city by 7:35, and Ruby paid the driver our fare (€108—about $115 per person) via Wi-Fi credit card reader after he made the first of his many stops inside the city proper to pick up more passengers.
From 7:47 until about 8:28 AM, the bus made four more stops and picked up 16 more passengers as it meandered around the city proper. All the while, the bus seemingly looked to be on its way to the first highway that would take us to our destination — the ancient town of Delphi.
From the Dorian Inn Hotel, we stopped at a square at the corner of Xenofontos Street and Filellinon that overlooks two government-owned glass & steel buildings with huge Greek signage. One of the buildings houses the Ministry of Tourism. The other building seems to deal with their pension system, like the Social Security Administration in the U.S. From here, it stopped at the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
After the last passengers were picked up, our tour guide, Mariana, started talking on the bus PA system. We’re aboard bus #1 (Setra). The bus finally made its way down the road to the highway. I tried to read some information about the Oracle of Delphi on my phone – thanks to the eSIM I purchased for $13 (5GB of data, valid for a month covering all of Greece) before our trip. There’s a bit of traffic inside the city near the new Archaeological Museum, along Andrea Syngrou Avenue. It’s now 8:35 AM.
It looked like it would be a long day as we encountered some traffic near the approach to Hadrian’s Arch and Temple of Olympian Zeus at about 8:46 AM. We passed along the Zappeio Roman Baths and St. Paul’s Anglican Church, where the Seven Hills of Athens seem to congregate. Our guide quickly pointed out that only Lycabettus Hill has a funicular for the physically challenged traveler.
The rightmost bus (Key Tours #1 – Setra) took us to Delphi. In Livadia, we stopped briefly for coffee and snacks.
By 8:50 AM, the bus had snaked through Greece’s morning traffic, along University Street with its numerous ancient Greek buildings and educational establishments. We then followed the north exit of Athens to our destination.
Our tour guide informed us that our first stop would be in Livadia for a coffee break. Once in Delphi, the first part would be visiting the Temple of Apollo on Mount Parnassus (Parnassós in Greek). Then there would be an hour-long trip to the museum and lunch at the Symposium.
Hearing the word, my mind briefly got muddled about whether we’d have a meeting and not lunch at the place—truly Greek, in every sense! Our guide added that near the valley, on the way up to Mt. Parnassos, we might be able to see some snow and that there will be some stops for photo-taking along the way.
It’s already 9:03 AM, but we’re still on the city’s outskirts. Our bus would cover about 400 kilometers or 250 miles round-trip.
We were out of Athens by 9:11 AM, near an industrial area with numerous pharmaceutical offices and a Coke factory—they seem to be near each other in most places in the world. Along the way, we saw many JUMBO edifices (a toy retail chain of stores in Greece). Mountains are now visible along the road.
At 9:15 AM, we’re on a highway outside the city. To our right, but from a distance, we saw the famous site of the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. It’s now 9:26 AM, and we’re at a toll entrance near Marathon. The adjacent highway along the famous town is about 1.5 kilometers (0.92 miles) long, about the same length as Athenian and Plataean troops who lined up to face the formidable and greater number of Persian soldiers who arrived by ship during the first attempt by King Darius I to conquer Greece.
The author at the ruins of the Temple of Apollo, where the High Priestess, Pythia, proclaimed the oracles. The prestige of the Oracle of Delphi was at its height between the 6th and 4th centuries B.C.
We’ll pass by the city of Thebes (Theva). Greece is comprised of 25 provinces, with Athens situated in the province of Attica. It’s now 9:34 AM, and the bus cruises along the nicely paved highway as we approach the next town.
At 10:02, we approach the mountains and a lake with an exit toll plaza. I still have a good signal with WIND (4G LTE). Lake Yliki, a vital source of fresh water for Athenians, is visible on my right as the bus heads toward the mountains.
Per our tour guide, there are two underground rooms at the Oracle of Delphi – one for Pythia (the chief priestess) and the other for the rest of the high priests and priestesses. We approach the city of Livadia (Livadeia) at 10:15 AM on the 2-lane roads of the divided highway. Mt. Helicon can be seen from here as well. In ancient Greek lore, it is the home of the 9 Muses and 3 Graces (beauty, harmony & symmetry).
By 10:23 AM, we’re almost at Livadia (pop. 20K), about 20 km from Delphi. Delphi was closed by the Byzantine emperor Theodosius around 393 BC, who introduced Christianity instead of paganism.
Arachova is one of the beautiful towns along the way as you head up Mount Parnassus.
The surge in gas prices due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February made me note that the gas price is €2.059 per liter (Shell station) in the area. This would equal about $8.39 per gallon back in the States. In the SFO Bay Area, regular gas (rated 89 octane) was about $5.60 per gallon when we left in late April, so I’m not going to complain. By 10:32 AM, we stopped at the cafeteria (Tholos), owned and operated by Key Tours, for 37 minutes.
We had two coffees, cookies, and a pizza wrap at the appropriately named café, which has a circular structure and vaulted ceiling. I was back on the bus at 11:04 a.m. Inside the café, I also found the thin guidebook about the Oracle of Delphi, which was €10, a bit expensive.
We left the café at 11:09 am and drove through 2 short tunnels as we approached Delphi. A small town popular with skiers during the winter would greet us after passing through the second. That would be Arachova.
From our guide through the P/A: Croesus (Kroisos for the Greeks) was king of Lydia. He consulted the Oracle to ask if he could win his war with Cyrus the Great of Persia. The Oracle gave him a vague answer: “A great empire would fall if he attacked.” Thinking that the “great empire” was Persia, Croesus underestimated his enemy and lost to Cyrus the Great.
The ancient Greeks also asked the Oracle about the best places to establish new colonies or cities. Modern-day examples would be Syracuse in Italy (Great Greece), Iona (off western Scotland), Ephesus (Turkey), Philadelphia (off the Aegean region of Turkey); Marseille – (aka Massalia in France), Barcelona (Spain), and Odessa (Russia).
Taken on the way up, where an amphitheater and stadium can also be found, the ruins of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi sit majestically on a nice spot on Mount Parnassus
Delphi is also where the ‘omphalos‘ (navel) can be found. The ancient Greeks considered it the ‘center of the world‘, set upon by the god of gods, Zeus. It’s now 11:25 AM as our bus cruises along the Parnassos mountains. Rocks become deeper in color as we go higher. Aluminum and bauxite abound in the area. We approach the village of Arachova, known as the “balcony of Mt. Parnassos.”
Arachova is a quaint ski town with a monument to the inventor of the ‘pap smear‘ – Georgios Papanikolaou. The bus went down the slope to get to the site of the Oracle ruins. It’s now 11:38. COVID vaccination cards might be required at the museum.
The location is truly spectacular despite its age of more than 2500 years. The ancient Greeks knew how to choose the sites for all the gods they venerated.
The museum in Delphi was a treasure trove of ancient Greek artifacts that would be the envy of all the biggest, well-known museums in the world. I am not a fan of museum visits, but what I saw in Delphi brought back the same question: “Did they do all these more than 2,500 years ago?” They were truly spectacular.
After the museum visit inside Delphi, the bus took us further north for lunch in a low-slung restaurant with the Greek name, Symposium.
We stayed at the restaurant for over an hour and had our prepaid lunch, except for our drinks. We were seated at a table for 4, which was perfect. After we had ordered our drinks, our food arrived. We had bread, appetizers of spanakopita & zucchini fritters, a small plate of salad, and chicken with saffron-infused rice (it tasted like the Filipino version of ‘adobo’), and dessert of revani (orange/lemon cake), which was, ironically, named after a Turkish poet.
The bus left the restaurant at 3:47 PM. It stopped again at a down-sloping area where our tour guide went down and asked those who liked to see the vista point where ancient Greek athletes and soldiers trained in Delphi because of its high altitude.
Many of us got off the bus, not wanting to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and followed Mariana down a small path leading to a clearing with remnants of a magnificent, circular building and rows of massive boulders neatly arranged in rows all over the place, which came into view.
These training grounds of ancient Greek soldiers and athletes are not too far from the ‘navel of the world’. The high altitude and mineral-rich water near Castalian Spring helped them become warriors and elite sportsmen
These training grounds can also be seen from the Oracle, but at a distance and partly obstructed by trees. There was also a stream and a hot spring nearby where the athletes and soldiers supposedly soaked their tired bodies after training. After our phones and cameras had done their jobs and we returned to the bus again, I tried to get some sleep. By this time, my bad left foot was hurting.
Again, the bus stopped at a vista point in the village of Arachova, where my sister, Ellen, and Ruby posed before the modern, all-white signage of the town. Don and I did not leave the bus as the former was already deep in slumber in his seat, while I was tired after the steep, up-and-down walks in Delphi. This would be the penultimate stop of the trip.
At 4:50 PM, the bus headed back to Athens. I tried to get some rest for the early trip to the Greek Cyclades the next morning, but the fantastic views along the Greek countryside that fine afternoon just won’t let me.
The Naxian Sphinx is on display inside the museum in Delphi. Its origins are from the East and are connected with the myth of Oedipus. The mythical being had a lion’s body, an eagle’s wings, and a woman’s head
The last stop to use the WC (restroom) was from 5:50 to 6:00 PM before the final drive to Athens. I got up and used the restroom inside a food court with a burger joint and a mini-mart. The bus left at 6:03 PM. The weather got a bit cooler as we cruised slowly back towards Athens.
It is now 6:07 PM, and there is lots of sunlight for a day that started with much promise. The tour was lovely, informative, and, overall, worth the price that we paid.
I had long dreamt of and prayed to the gods—or God in the religion I had known since I was a child—of visiting the Oracle of Delphi, and on that fine day of May 2022, I realized that dream.
More than 2500 years ago did not seem to be that distant.
It was Wednesday morning in mid-December 2018 in Paris, and we had expected to arrive in Barcelona just right after lunch to scout the city with some daylight to spare. But bad weather & maintenance snags at Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport delayed our less than 2-hour flight for almost an hour.
CDG is notorious for delayed flights as the huge airport – just like the capital city’s maze-like layout- could be very difficult to navigate. Moreover, even for transit passengers, you have to pass through security checks and passport control – all over again.
Despite the hassles, we got to our connecting flight in time and got seated in the mid-section of a much smaller plane operated by Joon (the budget airline of Air France servicing Europe). But give it credit for serving complimentary drinks along with free WiFi.
We finally arrived in Barcelona at 2:25 pm – after another 15-minute flight delay while we were high above the clouds.
We passed passport control without a hitch until we arrived at the designated luggage carousel to retrieve ours. Like being doused with ice-cold water, all our excitement vanished after we realized that we were the only ones left in the area after almost an hour had swiftly passed – still hoping & waiting for the conveyor to spit our luggage.
I got an e-mail that our luggage got stuck in Paris and should arrive on the next flight – at 5:25 PM. We nevertheless proceeded to the lost baggage area to report the snafu. The amiable señora that manned the desk spoke fluent English and assured us they would trace and even deliver them to our hotel in downtown Barcelona for free.
Barcelona’s arrival terminal was relatively quiet that December afternoon while we waited in vain for the carousel to spit out our luggage.
Not wanting to take our chance to be separated from our luggage as we had a cruise ship waiting for us at the port in Barcelona the next morning, we decided to wait for the luggage to arrive at the airport.
We stared in agony at the incoming flight monitors for the next Air France flight from Paris – the 5:25 PM had become 5:37 PM. Again, we went to the assigned carousel and looked for our luggage.
That is not a good sign. Our luggage is still not in the carousel after the arrival of the 5:37 PM flight from Paris.
With relief, we scrambled back to the lost baggage area and saw our two luggage among a pile of others stuck in Paris or elsewhere. After signing some paperwork, we finally strolled out of the arrival area with our beloved luggage and looked for a ride to our hotel.
My watch read 6:05 PM. The luggage delay cost us almost 4 hours of daylight.
We had difficulty getting a ride to our hotel as the 1st Cabify driver we hailed gave directions for the pickup, which we didn’t understand. We went up to the arrival area & hailed another Cabify. The ride was through high-traffic areas, took about an hour & cost €45.
At the hotel, decent with a nice bathroom although a bit small, I took a shower & took in all that transpired in the day. The adrenaline rush had worn off, and I felt so tired. Ruby alleviated the aches and pains by giving me a brief massage –especially on my worn-down legs.
After a brief rest in our hotel in Barcelona, Ruby checks out the directions to the Basilica Sagrada de Familia, where we’ll have our late dinner.
After converting some of our US $ to Euros, we looked for a place to eat & decided on some kebabs from a place called Bellako, which Google Maps informed us was just a 10-minute walk.
Including Spain, some countries in Europe have been using the Euro for quite some time now as their official currency. In late 2018, it was worth almost the same as the US dollar.
After crossing our first 2 Barcelona streets, the spires of the popular tourist spot, La Sagrada de Familia Basilica, towered from a distance.
We headed towards it. Along the way, we could not ignore our stomach grumbles and quickly ate three pieces of ’empanaditas’ (small puff pastries filled with meat or seafood) with a glass of Coke from a small bakery Ruby had spotted. They were still a bit cold despite our request to heat them and, therefore, not appetizing.
Barcelona at midnight. Until today, the Basilica Sagrada de Familia, one of Antoni Gaudi’s great architectural works, remains in ‘perpetual’ construction.
By 9:30 pm, we took several pictures of the famous basilica and continued our hunt for the elusive kebabs along the now-cold streets.
Barcelona’s streets are confusing as most blocks culminate in a rotunda (a roundabout). Google Maps helped little as the orientation seemed reversed. After half an hour of walking, with a Repsol gas station as our landmark, we finally spotted the elusive eatery.
The place is quaint and smells like something good to come as soon as you enter. The menu is on the wall close to thecajera (cashier). You tick your choices on paper, pay, look for a seating spot in the rather small main seating area (a small upper & bigger basement seating area), and wait for the goodies to arrive.
Don’t forget to get your snack, lunch, or dinner from this awesome artisanal kebab resto, Bellako, after you make that trip to La Sagrada de Familia Basilica- just three blocks away.
We had two kinds of beef kebabs with extra toppings of their ‘Secreto Ibérico‘Jamon, a bottle of local beer & a glass of wine, all for about €24. The food and the red wine were so good that we could not resist but order a ración (small) size bag of fries-fried in olive oil – to go.
And, in the stillness of that particular night in Barcelona, we quietly returned to our hotel.
Day 1 – Feb. 5, 2017 – (Sunday): Puerto Princesa on Two Wheels
“The place is orderly and clean” was our initial impression of Puerto Princesa as our driver made his way around the city towards Socrates Road after he picked us up in an old, white van at the small airport in this capital city of Palawan.
Subli Guest Cabinswould be our overnight shelter in the city that day as Matthew & Johan would be jetting-in from Manila the next morning for our northbound, overland trip to the touristy and popular but more remote El Nido.
We arrived in high spirits at the guest cabins – made of concrete and bamboo- despite our red-eye flight from Siem Reap that included a 6-hour sleep-depriving wait inside Manila’s newer and spacious Terminal 3airport.
After we verbally agreed with the young and bubbly receptionist that we would rent their only Honda scooter for PHP 600 (USD 12) that day, we wasted no time showering and getting some sleep as soon as we checked in.
One of the hammocks underneath the huge mango tree that dominates the compound
Quiet surroundings provided deep sleep despite the spartan amenities inside these huts
This 125 cc Honda scooter would take us around the city – and beyond!
Refreshed from our 3 plus hours of rest, we strapped our helmets and ventured out at 3 PM along with a bagful of dirty clothes– only to run out of gas just a few meters away from the compound.
Ruby flagged a passing ‘tricycle’ (a common form of paid transport in the country similar to ‘tuk-tuks” – a motorcycle with a ‘sidecar’ for extra seating passengers), and they returned with petrol in a 2-liter PET plastic bottle. We filled up the tank another PHP 90 (USD 1.80) at a nearby Shell gas station along Malvar Road after we finally got going.
Riding a scooter, motorcycle, or even a bicycle is one of the simple joys of life that we, as human beings, tend to overlook. With the wind on your face and the sights and sounds of the surroundings all over you, one’s sense of adventure is elevated by having that constant awareness of the dangers being on the road so that you hold on to dear life on that handlebar.
We saw a body of water to our right immediately after we passed by the public market, so we made a right turn at the next intersection. The road narrowed markedly and took us to a sweeping descent at a small park -the Puerto Princesa Baywalk. Along its stretch were numerous open-air food stalls that overlooked a cove part of the Palawan Sea.
It was just about 4 PM, but 2 or 3 food stalls were already doing some business, so we opted -for K’na Boyet sa Baywok- for the one where a couple of tables were occupied by a group of tourists. Once seated, the aroma of that familiar calamansi and soy sauce-flavored BBQs that are popular all over the archipelago sharpened the hunger fangs even more. We sidled towards the charcoal-fed grill, where several pans filled with assorted sea offerings vied for our attention.
Helmet off, Ruby at the Baywalk in Puerto Princesa
Ruby enjoys her green mango shake while waiting for the food to arrive
An order of grilled “pork liempo” (grilled, marinated pork belly), shrimps sautéed in butter and garlic, rice, a mango shake & two bottles of San Miguel Light beer set us back for about PHP 750 (USD 14.50).
Bellies filled, we then set our sights for Baker’s Hilland asked for directions from the very amiable waitress who suggested that we might as well visit Mitra Ranchas both were in the same area.
Amidst moderate traffic, as it was a weekend, it didn’t take us long to find our way towards the city’s main highway, Puerto Princesa North Road, but we had to ask directions from locals twice to get to the junction of PP South Road that would lead us to our destination. We dropped off our laundry bag at a shop along the cemented two-lane highway while trying to find our way towards Baker’s Hill.
Like most roads in the city outskirts, the narrow road that goes up towards Baker’s Hill was so puzzlingly unmarked that we overshot it by a few miles despite asking directions 2 or 3 more times — the last one from a mechanic working on a wheel of a small truck along the grass-lined fringes of the highway. The tall trees behind the shop gave us glimpses of the rice fields. They would punctuate the highway the farther we got away from the city proper.
Baker’s Hill was just a family compound with –you guessed it– a bakery, an open-air restaurant, and a souvenir stall. It became a ‘snack-stop’ for visitors going to Mitra Ranch. It tries hard to become a major tourist attraction in the city simply through word of mouth and recommendations by past visitors on travel websites. The bakery sells mostly pastries and snacks, notably the varieties of the ‘hopia‘ (thin, flaky pastry filled with mung bean paste).
Locals and tourists mill around the entrance to the bakery at Baker’s Hill, Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
Inside the bakery – all the good stuff for the sweet tooth.
Just a few meters uphill, Mitra Ranch, offered a better view of the city atop the hill, horseback riding, and zip-lining. The place was opened to the public after the death of the family patriarch, Ramon ‘Monching’ Mitra, Jr., who was an esteemed senator. Unfortunately, he lost in the 1992 Philippine presidential elections despite being tagged as the early favorite to win it all.
Dusk was upon us after we picked up our laundry and headed back to the city. We had decided to have an early bedtime since we needed to be up early to meet the couple at the airport for our morning trip to El Nido. Moreover, with our weather-beaten faces and aboard two small wheels that offered minimal comforts, tiredness had crept in on our bodies once again.
It was already dark once we reached the city proper and got lost once more, only to find ourselves buying some delicious ‘lechon‘ (roasted pig) for dinner from a makeshift stall in front of a shop that sold various solar-powered devices.
After handing us the take-out goodie in a plastic bag, the middle-aged vendor summoned us at the edge of the sidewalk and pointed to an intersection where we would make a right towards Malvar Road. His instructions sounded like music to our ears.
It was about 8:30 PM when we made the final turn back to the comforts of Subli’s compound aboard our trusty scooter.
Day 2 – Feb. 6, 2017 – (Monday): The Road to El Nido
It was about 8:45 in the morning, and the air was crisp with a light gust from the east. It made the flowers -protected by a low, concrete encasement- sway to its rhythm. I spotted the driver holding a sign with Matthew’s name on it while he waited just a few yards away from the exit gates of the Puerto Princesa airport and chatted with him.
Just an hour ago, we had checked out at Subli and had taken a tricycle to meet Matthew and Johan for our van ride to El Nido. Matthew had arranged for the rides as well as our accommodations in that popular destination north of Puerto Princesa. We would be out of the airport by 9:15 aboard a van that badly needed a new set of shock absorbers.
Ruby at Subli’s dining area the morning we checked out to meet Mat & Johan
Johan, Mat & Ruby at Palawan’s Puerto Princesa airport
The driver briefly stopped by a hotel with a cheesy name-D’ Lucky Garden Inn– and picked up a young couple from the U.K. who joined us for the trip. The four of us would stay for a night in Puerto Princesa at this hotel after our El Nido escapade.
D’ Lucky Garden Inn’s very eclectic landscaping left an impression on us.
The very long (almost 5 hrs.) and tiring ride, mainly along the two-lane but cemented Puerto Princesa North Road, was uneventful except for a few stops where the driver loaded up on a few more passengers along the way to augment his earnings. There was a mandatory stop at an ‘agricultural checkpoint‘ where we bought some drinks from a nearby store. At kilometer 131, just along the highway, we had our lunch break at Elfredo’s Manokan & Seafood Restaurant in the sleepy municipality of Roxas.
Mat & Johan about to clean up their plates at Elfredo’s restaurant
Along the Puerto Princesa North Highway towards El Nido
We would pass through undulating roads along the fringes of the municipalities of San Vicente and Taytay (the first capital of Palawan dating back to the Spanish colonial period and where the small Fort Santa Isabel – constructed in 1667- still stands until, on a small rotunda, we bade goodbye to the PPNR and veered west towards the Taytay-El Nido National Highway.
Previews of what to expect in El Nido would manifest along the T-ENNH as the road got steeper while it followed the Malampaya River. Majestic views of a few islands would behold our eyes as soon as the van crested a steep hill.
We finally arrived at the terminal in El Nido at about 3 PM, and a short tricycle ride (PHP 50 or USD) whisked us to our hotel’s downtown office along Calle Hama.
A woman in her mid-20s with hints of Middle Eastern ancestry confirmed our reservations and radioed for 2 smaller tricycles to pick us up. She also gave some insights and impressions about the entire place and handed out a simple map of El Nido that included a list of massage parlors, bars, and restaurants nearby.
Simple map guide in downtown El Nido, Palawan, provided by Caalan Beach Resort.
The road that led to Caalan Beach Resortwas too narrow -barely a meter wide in some areas- that on several occasions along the way, either our ride or the incoming one had to stop and give way to the other.
The cemented road followed the shoreline until you hit an unsealed portion lined by coconut, banana & other small fruit trees as well as a variety of ornamental plants with nipa huts, slow-slung houses, two-story concrete hostels, ‘sari-sari’stores (a small, family-operated shop that sells sodas, snacks & various household goods typically attached to the house), makeshift food-stands, dogs by the roadside, all mingled in a locale called “Barrio Taiyo” (Taiyo Village).
At the resort, we were greeted and offered welcome drinks by Bee, who informed us that she’s simply helping her parents run the place along with her husband, John, when they’re in the country for a vacation. She added that her father -married to a Japanese- was an engineer from South Korea who decided to settle in this part of Palawan when he got assigned near the area during a road construction project.
We finally settled in our second-level room with a balcony that offered magnificent views of several islands in the bay, the immediate & largest one among them being Cadlao Island.
That’s our room on the right, 2nd level inside the Caalan Beach Resort in Barrio Taiyo, El Nido, Palawan
This is the view from the terrace if you stay in the room seen in the preceding picture.
Mat & Johan checked out the beachfront but found it too rocky and the nearby waters too shallow to take a quick swim, so we all just had a quick nap before heading out back to town to have dinner after briefly waiting out the mild drizzle brought by dark clouds that passed by.
The beachfront at Caalan Beach Resort was too rocky to take a quick swim in.
Calle Hama is the unofficial party street in El Nido since it’s where most tourists end up after their sorties along the beach. It’s a narrow, interior road; hence, it is closed at night to all vehicular traffic –except for tricycles owned by resorts along the coast– to allow enough space for all the touristy goings-on.
Because of poor or even non-existent urban planning & zoning, it suffers, just like most remote bayside resorts all over the country, from its failure to exude any charm or appeal. The area is simply a potpourri of haphazardly-erected food stalls, souvenir shops, hostels, and houses, where locals, backpackers barely out of their teens, and elderly tourists mingle and simply wander around.
After trying out a few pieces of barbeque-on-a-stick from a sidewalk stand, we got bored with the area as it was a bit early and took another tricycle ride towards Bulalo Plaza.
We stopped just a few meters after we exited the junction of Rizal Street and the Taytay-El Nido highway. Unless you’re a local, and although the place is open 24 hours every day, it is so easy to miss as the small signage is overwhelmed by the cliff walls and the surrounding greenery.
We climbed a few steps into the eatery and were ushered to a table right in the middle of the place by a pleasant, effeminate waiter who introduced himself as Megan. The entire setup looked more like a kitchen converted into a restaurant with about 8 wooden tables and bamboo benches in a squat, elevated location that fronted the highway.
Two orders of the house special, ‘bulalo‘ (beef shank soup with vegetables), a plate of ‘seafood sisig’ (a variety of minced seafood sautéed in a sizzling skillet topped with chilis & fresh egg), rice, sodas, and a bottle of beer were more than enough for our stomachs. Afterward, we decided to walk back to town to shake off some of the cholesterol deposits.
Along the way, Mat & Johan inquired from a roadside travel and tour stall for the earliest trip back to Puerto Princesa on Wednesday to catch the underground cave trip on the same day. Mat balked at the idea after learning that they would not only barely make it to PP on time but that he would also lose the money he paid for our already-booked and scheduled return trip.
Mat and Johan — just outside a travel & tour stall along the Taytay-El Nido National Highway
Back at Calle Hama to get our free ride back to the resort, the trio went shopping for souvenirs while I scoured the place for some cold beer in cans. I managed to get some, but they were not cold, so I searched in vain for some ice. Our driver suggested I could just ask them for free back at the resort, so our tricycle squeezed back into that narrow alley, it’s motor sputtering in the stillness of the early evening along the shore.
Ruby showed up later in the room holding a block of ice wrapped in plastic that Bee had given her. While they all prepared their things for the island-hopping trip the next morning, I sat back on the bed to enjoy my ice-filled glass as I slowly poured the country’s best beer –San Miguel– into it.
It was a luxury I would regret in the next few hours, in fact, for the next few days.
Day 3 – Feb. 7, 2017 – (Tuesday): Island Hopping Tour Day
Immediately after breakfast, Johntapped on our door and informed us that we must prepare for the island-hopping tour by 9. A few guests had already milled around the nipa-roofed gazebo, where we could see them choose and pick among several sizes and colors of snorkel gear neatly arranged atop a low table in the middle of the sandy floor.
Early morning in El Nido
Last night, however, my seemingly innocuous decision to ask for some ice for my warm canned beer resulted in vomiting episodes and several trips to the bathroom – bad water– that rendered me so physically exhausted. But who wants to miss a cruise of the islands on a nice day in El Nido?
He prepped 6 other guests and us on what to expect during the ‘island-hopping’ tour and offered great tips on how to ‘survive’ the almost day-long water trip. Then, without John, our boat crew of 4, led by a spunky Palaweña in her late twenties, herded us to a quarter-mile walk along the shore towards the deeper part of the bay where the resort-owned outrigger was moored.
Yesterday afternoon, before we headed downtown for our dinner, we had agreed to purchase island-hopping package C (hidden beaches and shrines), which began with almost an hour-long ride towards Tapiutan Island. Our group was barely enjoying the waters in our snorkel gear when a coast guard band of two aboard a small motorboat waved us to move to a different location to protect the coral reefs in the area we were on.
Tapiutan Island from a distance
The next stop would be ‘Secret Beach‘. It is accessible via a narrow portal that leads to a cove with shallow water surrounded by limestone walls that had seen a good slice of mankind’s history. The big boulders below the water made it just an ideal place to waddle around and enjoy the sun.
Lunch aboard the boat consisted of a salad medley made of cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, grilled ‘pork liempo’, steamed ‘tahong‘ (mussels), grilled ‘tambakol‘ (skipjack tuna) complemented with slices of watermelon and pineapple. We also bought fresh coconuts from an enterprising vendor who sold canned soda and beer on a boat.
Boats converge in the calm waters on Matinloc Island, where island-hoppers have their lunch.
After lunch, our boat headed to Hidden Beach, which was the most difficult part of the trip for non-swimmers as one had to fight a swell near the edge of the cove amidst huge rocks constantly slammed with waves. At least 2 boat crews had to assist each guest who either couldn’t swim or wouldn’t dare venture into the dangerous waters.
The last leg of the tour was a brief stop at the Helicopter Island –so-called because its silhouette resembles a heli when viewed from a distance-where, we took pictures of the majestic cliff walls. We missed those beautiful sunset views as gray skies were the theme for the rest of the afternoon.
Matt & Johan at the shore of Helicopter Island, El Nido, Palawan
Bong – the web author- in El Nido, Palawan
It was almost 5 PM when we finally made the channel crossing back to the bay and a short walk along a narrow, tree-lined path leading to the resort’s back door, where some drinks and biscuits awaited us.
Day 4 – Feb. 8, 2017 – (Wednesday): Back to Puerto Princesa on a Bum Stomach
My stomach felt better after a cup of tea and a Pepto-Bismol tablet. Breakfast consisted of two boiled eggs as I was too weak and tired to go to the restaurant. The styrofoam box with my dinner lay untouched on top of the shelf. Last night, after the boat trip, Mat & Johan went back downtown to get some food and check it out a bit more, while Ruby just opted to stay to help me out with my stomach bug.
We quietly packed all our stuff and our still-damp clothes as the lack of breeze from the bayfront and that it had been mostly overcast for the remainder of the afternoon after the boat trip didn’t help the somber mood.
A narrow tricycle with enough space for the 4 of us took us back to town for our ride back to Puerto Princesa. At the bus terminal, I looked for our luggage while they took off on foot in search of a pharmacy to get some anti-diarrheal tablets, electrolyte mix, and bottled water to stabilize my bum stomach on the long trip back to PP.
For reasons unbeknownst to us, we were transferred to another van loaded with 2 other passengers just a few miles out of El Nido. The van was more comfortable, so we didn’t complain. The return trip was uneventful except for a lunch stop at an open-air restaurant that offered a nice view of the hillside and a glimpse of the waterfront further down.
We all managed to doze off in the air-conditioned van along the way, maybe partly in anticipation of all the activities when we reach PP or partly because our bodies were still recuperating from those strenuous water activities we had yesterday. Or maybe, it was just another one of those sleepy, beginning-of-summer days in Palawan that’s perfect for a siesta?
By 2 PM, we’re back in the city of Puerto Princesa, and we had to wait for a few minutes at the odd mixed-business-and-living-room-like reception area of the enigmatic D’ Lucky Garden Inn – – our overnight shelter for the day before we head back to Manila the next morning.
The place had such an unusual appeal because of its maze of very narrow passageways that leads to several doors that will leave you guessing where they will lead you next. I suspect that the entire place is an ‘all-purpose lodge’ that can accommodate all patrons looking for a quick 3-hour ‘love motel’service to monthly renters.
Mat had booked two separate rooms for us, and both had that unmistaken scent of a love motel which I could simply describe as a mix of household bleach and a strong musk fragrance. Mat and Johan’s room even had a motif- a red mosquito-net-like fabric draped over the center of the double-sized bed.
One of the maze-like alleys inside D’Lucky Garden Inn – Puerto Princesa, Palawan
After settling down in our rooms, and cold showers, we rested for the remainder of the afternoon until the couple took off again aboard another van for the ‘firefly watching’ tripin an area of the Iwahig River where a penal colony is situated nearby. They would be the only takers for the PHP 1200 (USD 24) per head tour as the inclement weather discourage other tourists.
Meanwhile, Ruby wandered all over to sort out the entire compound while I stayed inside the room to battle the bacterial infection that had now settled in the lower intestines. The numerous trips to the bathroom made me so hungry that the ham & cheese sandwich, fries, and a bottle of Sprite that I ordered did not last long on the serving tray.
Mat had sent a text message to inform me that we both were already asleep when they returned from their trip by 9:30. They would report the following morning that while they enjoyed the food at the restaurant stop before they took the boat for the firefly watching, just a few of them showed up and failed to dazzle with their fireworks as it briefly rained during the trip.
Day 5 – Feb. 9, 2017 – (Thursday): Puerto Princesa Airport in 3 Minutes
Since our one-and-a-half-hour flight back to Manila was scheduled for noon, just after having their early morning coffees, the trio took up on the offer of one of the receptionists- whose husband owns a tricycle- to give them a ride to Baker’s Hill and Mitra Ranch, at a discount. Ruby decided to return to Baker’s Hill simply to buy that delicious hopia again, this time as ‘pasalubongs‘ (presents) for the folks back in Manila.
The young couple at the zipline experience inside Mitra Ranch, PP, Palawan
Entrance to the former Mitra family residence in Palawan. It is now a family-run museum.
With renewed spirits after being in bed for almost 18 hours since we arrived, I decided to look around the place after a hearty breakfast of ‘cornisilog‘ (corned beef hash, fried egg, and fried rice). My bum stomach had markedly improved after the continuous intake of the electrolyte mix, cold Sprite, and Diatabs.
The ‘lucky garden’ was just across our room, so I made a few trips between the bathroom, the garden, and the restaurant just to the right. I took a few pictures of the surrounding areas to while away the time as I waited for the trio to return.
A nipa hut at the middle of the D’ Lucky Garden Inn’s interior garden
Probably the owner himself was the chief landscaping architect of the entire place
Sometimes you visit a place, and one bad experience would be enough to ruin your entire perception of its people. On the other side of the coin, the friendliness of the people in a particular place could be so overwhelming that you wish that you had stayed much longer.
Palawan is one of those places that could be categorized as the latter. Its people will afford you just the right amount of personal space so that you can simply introspect in your life’s journey and enjoy what the entire island has to offer.
Ruby, Johan & Mat at Puerto Princesa airport’s boarding gate
Malaysian-owned Air Asia planes at Puerto Princesa airport
After the trio arrived, an almost brand-new white van picked us up at about 10:50 AM. From PEO Road, it made a left turn towards Rizal Avenue, then turned right into an open gate after a brief moment. After that very long trip to El Nido and back, we’re all surprised by that rather brief interlude of a ride to the airport.
At 10:53 AM, we quietly unloaded our bags from the van and headed for the check-in counter of Air Asia for the flight back to Manila.
During our short trip to Siem Reap to marvel at the spectacular temples in the Angkor complex – Angkor Wat is just the centerpiece in this massive Khmer kingdom- we learned not only about the ancient past but also how young Cambodians look up to the future. Thanks to our young ‘tuk-tuk‘ driver, Lam Lot, and the universality of the English language.
Aboard his black-colored cart with that distinctive purple seat covers and pulled by a 125 cc. motorcycle, he informed us that he had invested about US$1450 ($550 for the cart & $900 for a popular Japanese-brand motorcycle) for his contraption after he left his all-around job at a hotel that paid him US$ 100 per month.
Taxis are very rare, especially in the outskirts of downtown Siem Reap which made the tuk-tuks the most convenient way to get around the city. Although shops are abundant that rent out motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, and bikes but you’re on your own to figure out your way around.
Educated by Buddhist monks, Lam Lot is the epitome of the new breed of young Cambodians who are determined to not only forget the grim, yet not-so-distant past and focus on the now but are also willing to embrace new technologies.
During the Pol Pot regime, simply being an intellectual was already a death sentence. These days, thanks to the Internet and the tourism boom, young Cambodians are much more aware of what’s going on in and outside of their country and are also willing to step up to the plate to propel their country forward.
Ducks for sale: a young Khmer woman on her way to the market
Lot -he preferred to be called by that name -is employed by the hotel (Sekla Villa Angkor) where we stayed that has a stable of about 4 or 5 tuk-tuk drivers to transport guests around for free as a marketing ploy.
We got endeared to him by his persistence to converse with us in English although we have to stick our ears to his mouth for us to comprehend what he meant.
Accompanied by hand gestures, we were able to relay most of what we wanted to accomplish while we toured the city. He also refused to take our tips (but we persisted) for the trip from the airport to our hotel and informed (yes, almost scolded) us that everything was part of the hotel deal.
Our young tuk-tuk driver proudly showed his social media profile on his smartphone
Before we headed to our room, we paid for the “grand circle tour” ($5) as well as for the “sunset viewing” ($10) in one of the temples along the way but made us wonder why the former didn’t already cover the latter. We also reminded the young lady receptionist that we wanted the same tuk-tuk driver that brought us in.
The next morning, immediately after we had our breakfasts, Lot greeted us with his sheepish smile and provided us an overview of the grand circle tour of the Angkor complex using a map that he pulled out from the canopy of his tuk-tuk. He had also brought a cooler that he filled up with ice and several bottled water.
Except for our lodging, we had done almost no research about the Angkor complex and we all thought that going to Angkor Wat was simply a matter of visiting another UNESCO World Heritage site in maybe a couple of hours, taking a few pictures, heading back to our hotel to rest and then pick another interesting spot to visit in the city. How wrong we were.
Siem Reap, despite its eclectic blend of the old and new, its provincial and small city charm, had already instilled a mixed feeling of excitement and sadness inside me yesterday after I saw piles of garbage strewn all over the place just a few miles from the airport and inside the city proper.
A small creek floating with food take-out boxes and an assortment of plastic debris nearby our hotel didn’t help to contradict that sadness–that, sometimes, borders on outright disgust.
Soon, the narrow inner roads gave way to much wider, cemented roads where, from a distance, we could see a cluster of tall, white-colored structures with bright red roofing — the Angkor Complex Visitors Center.
Tourist buses, scooters, and tuk-tuks vie for space at the Angkor Visitors’ Complex
Lot told us to get our tickets inside and pointed to a spot where he’ll meet us amidst the pandemonium of people — tourists that poured out from numerous tour buses, cars, tuk-tuks, scooters, bicycles, peddlers, tour guides, etc.– in the parking lot.
He had also explained to us along the way that ticket prices were increased from US$37 for a single day entry (usually $20) and the special “‘buy 2 days & get the 3rd day free” to $62 (usually $40) to take advantage of the influx of Chinese tourists visiting Cambodia for their holidays since it’s their Lunar New Year.
The US dollar is the unofficial and widely accepted currency in the country although locals will still gladly take Cambodian riels. Most shops will either give your change in riel or dollars depending on what’s available.
Now armed with our 3-day passes, we drove for another mile or so until we reached a checkpoint manned by two uniformed personnel who verified our faces with the pictures on the passes and punched the date we entered located at the back of our tickets.
It was after we made a short right turn towards our first stop in our grand circle tour that we all realized how massive the Angkor complex was. This is going to be a very long day.
Our first stop is Prasat Kravan (modern name: “Cardamom Sanctuary”). Features very fine interior brick bas-reliefs.
Very detailed carvings everywhere you look!
The temples in the almost 16-mile long ‘grand circle tour’ not only mesmerized, tantalized, and dazzled our eyes but also made our feet very sore. Unfortunately, I had lost my custom-made foot orthosis on the flight to Manila (we traveled to Siem Reap via Hanoi from Manila) and the off-the-shelf foot support that I used did not help much either.
There were several occasions during our 3-day sorties inside the Angkor complex that I just preferred to stay in the tuk-tuk with Lot because of the constant pain on my left ankle while my wife and her sister, Rosana, excitedly clambered up the steps of the taller stone towers.
Past noon saw us sleeping in a row of hammocks beside a roadside eatery near Neak Pean which is an artificial island with a Buddhist temple as its centerpiece. Most eateries inside the complex -as well as the tuk-tuks– have hammocks that provide a quick way to take a nap.
Tired from all the walking, tourists take a nap in hammocks provided by a roadside restaurant near Neak Pean
We were so tired after we emerged from the west gate of the next temple, Preah Khan, that we had the comforts of the hotel bed in the back of our heads as soon as we boarded Lot’s tuk-tuk once again.
Nature vs. Culture: Old trees interlaced among the ruins in Preah Khan
The Bayon was so big that we all decided to just take a few photos aboard the tuk-tuk, revisit the place the following day and head back to the hotel instead. Not after we passed by a memorial for people who died in the ‘killing fields’ during the Pol Pot regime.
Before we headed to our room, Lot informed us that he would take us to a massage parlor – they’re all over the city – to soothe our tired legs and bodies as well as a night tour of downtown Siam Reap. We had to do this impromptu trip in a jiffy as we still had the “sunrise viewing” of Angkor Wat that required us to be up by 4:30 AM the next day.
If there’s a compelling reason to return to Siam Reap, it would be those massage parlors. Not only were the massages ridiculously cheap -as low as $1.50 for an hour-long foot massage- but they also served as the perfect way to end your very, very tiring day inside the ancient complex.
You would do your conscience a big favor when you tip well those masseuses and masseurs as we all agreed that those low rates straddle the thin line between slave labor and gainful employment.
Mid-morning at the east gallery side of Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat’s east façade as captured in this GoPro clip
Very early the following morning, after we picked up our breakfasts in paper bags from the receptionist, Lot motored us to a different route for our dawn viewing of the magnificent Angkor Wat — the main reason for our Cambodian trip.
We eventually spent almost half a day inside the splendid Angkor Wat whose walls, lintels, nooks, and crevices were adorned by some of the most fascinating carvings and inscriptions the human race had ever seen. We also managed to venture as far as the outer, eastern portion of the complex.
For the Khmers, life simply goes on; content with the knowledge that the temples will remain with them for as long as they live. For us visitors, we can only enjoy every moment of this special opportunity to marvel at one of mankind’s greatest creations.
Later on, he showed us another part of downtown that’s popular among ex-pats and had lunch at a fast-food joint that featured an eclectic mix of just about everything on their menu.
This fast-food restaurant’s olive-oil fried chicken recipes were delicious.
So similar to a plate of ‘tap-si-log’ (and variants) in the Philippines. But this one had a “Korean twist” — fried rice with kimchi.
Afterward, Lot recommended that we visit the fishing village of Kompong Phluk, which took the better of 1.5 hours for the one-way, back-breaking trip on mostly unsealed roads.
It was almost like a scene from a “Mad Max” movie as our boat meandered along the murky Tonlé Sap river whose stench competed with our curiosity for any marine or human activities on this surreal backdrop.
On a muggy day, the sight of these houses on stilts is surreal — like a ‘Mad Max’ movie
Fishermen ply their trade along the riverbank of Tonlé Sap
The Tonlé Sap river ends on a lake with the same name and connects it with the 7th longest river in Asia — the Mekong. Just like the river, this huge lake had suffered great sedimentation due to the exploitation of its resources. A patina of brown seemingly tints the water as the sun’s reflection bounces from the bottom towards the surface.
Dusk arrives in Tonlé Sap Lake
A Buddhist temple sits atop the banks of the Tonlé Sap
On the way back to our hotel, Lot would point to us the dusty road that leads to his parent’s house where he and his young wife stays. He pays for the family’s food and utility expenses. A few more miles on the same highway, he would point to a grocery store owned by a relative of his wife where she helps out.
On our last day in Siem Reap, Lot would take us again to the old market early in the morning where we bought a suitcase for all our extra stuff since we arrived in Hanoi exactly a week ago. He also helped us get discounts for all our souvenirs in the tourists’ market nearby the very popular night attraction in downtown —‘Pub Street’.
Parking a tuk-tuk can be difficult in the old market
After we packed all our bags and turned them over to the front desk for custody, we checked out of our hotel and allowed Lot to decide for us how to spend the remaining 8 or so hours we had to spare before our late evening flight to Puerto Princesain the Philippines.
Without wasting any time, he drove us to the temples in Ta Phrom which is a much smaller complex east of the Bayon. Because of the humidity, I decided just to stay aboard his tuk-tuk while I peruse my newly-purchased guide book, “Ancient Angkor” by Michael Freeman and Claude Jacques.
The Ta Prohm’s entrance gate. It is a temple monastery with mostly silk-cotton trees interlaced among the ruins.
Touring the Bayon alone would take you the entire day…or, a few weeks!
While we waited for the sisters, we had our late lunch at a spot where locals and tuk-tuk drivers eat -there was a pair of tourists on backpacks- and had fried chicken wings and fish and sautéed mustard greens that went along with a heap of steamed rice.
After we had picked up the sisters, we passed by the Bayon again with the hopes of just relaxing in one of its many open spaces near the water since the noonday heat had jacked up the humidity scale much higher.
He suggested that we buy some snacks and drinks once outside the Angkor complex and suggested that we proceed to a “picnic spot where he often goes when he and his wife were still sweethearts“.
The place turned out to be West Baray, a man-made lake or reservoir that was constructed in the 11th century and was a crucial component of the Angkor complex during the heydays of the Khmer empire.
Some construction is going on on the artificial island – the West Mebon, where a magnificent bronze Vishnu still stands- located in the middle of this huge reservoir that covers an area of about 1,760 hectares (4,349 acres).
It’s very popular with locals who go there to picnic, take naps, or a quick dip in its murky, brown water. There are no gates either where you pay a fee upfront to enter. A lot simply spoke to an elderly woman who proceeded to find a spot for the 4 of us amongst the numerous huts that were on stilts.
Taking it slow and easy in West Baray after all those walks inside the Angkor complex
Ruby enjoying fresh coconut juice at the reservoir (West Baray) in Siem Reap
Each hut seems to have a few hammocks randomly strung on it but we found it more refreshing to lay on the mats strewn on the bamboo floor.
It was in this rustic setting, after we had some snacks, that I pondered long and hard on the calm waters of the West Baray. My thoughts drifted to the days when I was still a young kid growing up in a sleepy town called Baclaran.
Manila Bay was my West Baray and the nearby Redemptorist (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) Church, although not afloat in a body of water, could have been the West Mebon. The noonday heat had reached its peak and a slight breeze from the north lulled the three of us into a slumber while Lam Lot borrowed a piece of cloth from the same elderly woman as he prepared to take a swim.
In my short dream, various nostalgic moments rumbled through my head but they were not too vivid enough for me to recollect when I woke up smiling afterward – except for one: that I was walking along the grass-lined walkways inside the Angkor complex where the Khmer people were all smiling at me on a quiet day sometimes in those ancient days.
From Hanoi Old Quarter, where we stayed at a cramped but comfortable hotel –Hanoi Guest House– along Mã Mây Road, a van took us eastward for a three (3) hour drive along Vietnam’s countryside.
The ride ended at a nondescript, squat, white-washed terminal building (Tuan Chau International Marina), whose design seemed a bit out of place. Our guide instructed us to wait while he purchased our entrance tickets.
My initial impression of the place was, “here we go again, just another tourist-packed place hyped up by all those travel magazines.”
All ‘junk boat’ tours to Halong Bay start at this architecturally-inapt building.
Ruby and Rosan wait for their boat ride.
A brightly-decorated boat — always ready for the Halong Bay cruise
It was not until we went past the visitors’ building and saw the open waters as we followed the crowd of tourists queuing for their boat rides that my biased, unimpressive opinion about the whole trip slowly gave way to both astonishment and awe.
For US$72 or less (depends on what tour company you booked with) that included stops for lunch (not free) & some shopping along the way, as well as the included simple lunch during the boat ride in the bay, it was an okay deal as you’re visiting a UNESCO World Heritage spot.
Scorpion and snake-infused ‘medicinal’ wine, anyone???
A ‘cooking show’ on the boat just before serving lunch
Whether you’re part of a big group or hire a unique boat all for yourself, Halong Bay is sure to offer that special connection with nature and add credence that traveling is the best form of education. One’s romantic notion of a place, as seen in those glossy magazines and books, will now depend on your perception while you’re there. You can now paint your picture.
Among nature’s wonders
Our Halong tour had two (2) options: explore some islands by a smaller boat (maximum of 4-5 persons) helmed by an experienced boatman or paddle a kayak (for two) on your own. It also included a longish stop at an island where you’ll hike up a steep bluff to explore the caves — this sweetened the deal.
Up this steep bluff lies one of the entrances to the caves
Time and water created these mammoth formations inside the caves
Depending on your budget, it would be a good idea to spend a night or two and explore the other bay areas where you can walk along its shores and swim while having a nice view of everything.
We did not see activities like swimming or other water sports in the nearby areas where most of the tourist buses parked.
You can ride a smaller boat or paddle a kayak to explore the numerous islets.
These islets dot the Gulf of Tonkin.
On that return trip to your hotel, you’ll have that smile that you have finally visited that “famous, picturesque place in Vietnam.”
