Thursday, August 22, 2013

Old and New: Shanghai Travel Diary

Pudong. Aquarium. The Bund. French Concession. Old Shanghai. Pictures now, thoughts later. 















Telepathic in Xihu - Hangzhou Diary







I am feeling nostalgic today --- One gloomy Shanghai morning, V and T decided to hop on a train to the nearest UNESCO World Heritage Site that is the West Lake, known famously as Hangzhou's Xihu. Sidenote: T has yet to track how many UNESCOs he has visited. One day, he shall conquer them all. If not, well, die trying. 

Shanghai's High Speed Rail showed concrete similarities Japan's Shinkansen, less expensive but with lower hygienic standards.

V and T shared a hostel room; the bathroom had no door. Fart filled the air. 
Get wet in these waters. 
V and T suggests spending the day on a bicycle ride. Bike rentals are all over the place. It would be impossible to tread the lakeside by foot.


Temples, pagodas and what nots surround the West Lake. Make sure to lock your bicycle when you decide to enter cultural locations.
Plum blossoms exist in China. They aren't as grand as cherry blossoms. They're more like the budget cherry blossoms. Shake the trees, and the blossoms fall. If you do, hide yourselves from pesky environmentalists. If they see you, pretend to come from Africa. 
The sky is blue, the grass, green and the pond is errr, dirty. 
T on the left and V on the right,  rowdiest Chinese boys from the Philippines!
You are aware what a pagoda looks like, no?
T set up his tripod and shot long exposure photos. 5 minutes have passed, V was nowhere to be found. Camouflaged amongst the lookalikes.
Common sense, with some imed-ness, told both of them to quit getting lost and get back on their parked bikes. Tada! 
V and T lost each other again. Not lost, merely did not know where the other wandered to, as these two possess quite the spatial orientation and geographic prowess. And without the slightest communication, they are reunited when they least expected. Hello Vincen! 

Shanghai: Part I Don't Know

Introducing the travel buddy, Jarby. Or, as some of you may know him, Vincen, the genius, the peculiar, the equally crazy pal! Learn about him at vincengregorii.blogspot.com. This blog partly sprouted from his contagious writing prowess. 

Anyway, moving on. On our first day in this foreign land, we set off to Pudong (literally translates to East of the Huang Pu), where slender giants aka skyscrapers await us. Walked, took the Shanghai Rail or whatever they call their underground train system. The Oriental Pearl Tower's huge balls greeted us like hernia patients on the OR table. Excuse my being curt, I just had to say that. To the other side, the three towers shy away. Each buildings' peak consumed by cloud and dust of spring Shanghai.  

This is annoying; pictures getting messed up I mean. I did enjoy shooting photos under the cloudy shade, meaning perfect exposure for photos! I hate overexposure; I can work with underexposure. 'Nuff of that

The next photo shows Nanjing Road, known as the shopping street of Puxi. See that Sony store right there, couldn't help myself but test the highly-rated Sony RX1. A full frame camera taking the form of a digital camera's size. AMAZING. EXPENSIVE. PORTABLE. SHARP. But Sony's contemporary for my 5DM3? Meeeh.  


Pao Tai Wan. Where the Huang Pu meets the mighty Yang Tze. I forgot what Vincen said about the width of this great river, for it is China's longest, maybe the fattest, in terms of width. 


HALO!
The photo above? Free view of the Shanghai Grand Hyatt Hotel. Hello to the people who payed 88 RMB to get the almost the same view. Sometimes you just have to be smart or desperate to achieve; I guess we were smartest of the bunch (ehem, makapal lang mukha). ' Cause we paced the high peaks of both towers! Oh, the things you would do outside the presence of family. 
Shanghai's future pride, the Shanghai Tower 
The current tallest mirroring the rise of the soon tallest. 
Hello Marc Gregory aka Smiling Ahia
Jin Mao Tower, Oriental Pearl Tower, Huang Pu and the Bund plus the Shanghai haze all captured in one shot
Tian Zi Fang is a must visit for the fancy. We are definitely not but still we enjoyed.
This photo represents both our arrival and departure from the land of our ancestors. Notice V's hair, if you know what I mean. He only took a bath once during our 5 day trip. This truly shot during our arrival.
He will fly home to Manila. I board an A330 to Hong Kong, only to struggle in Cantonese.

Mindanao Travel Diary - Agusan, Surigao, Camiguin, Davao

So last week, I flew down south to Mindanao. Despite the travel bans and warnings all over the headlines, I continued on with my newest adventure. Yes I am that, a stubborn being. Technically speaking, I visited Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Camiguin, Bukidnon and Davao del Sur in chronological order. That's an astounding 7 provinces in 8 days. But really, I only passed by some of the provinces, so it shouldn't count. 

Butuan initally started off as depressing, dusty, hot and humid. Soon enough, we found ourselves atop drizzling and cloudy Mt. Mayapay; the mountain guards the city all day long. That short climb was surprisingly a difficult one. With its steep and rocky trails, I had to hoist myself up many times by clinging to unsteady movable rocks and bladed grass. This was my worst beating from a mountain hike, unforgettable. 

The capital of Agusan del Sur is named San Frans, short for San Francisco. Really, how many San Francisco towns do we have here in the Philippines?!? The shrouded Mt. Magdiwata stands resolute by the city. Agusan Marsh, perhaps next time?
Tinuy-an Falls is situated deep within Bislig, Surigao del Sur, easily a five hour bus ride from Butuan. It is deemed the Niagara of the Philippines, but for locals, an ideal place for picnics. Disclaimer: The pictures below do not portray the majesty of this natural wonder.


In Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur exists a magical body of water, Enchanted River they called it. The name goes way back in history when diwatas or what nots existed and probably used the river for healing. Swimming in its crystal clear waters with its rich marine life easily makes it one of my trip's highlights.  


With my courageous Chinese self, I am on my way to the island born of fire, Camiguin. Balingoan port is a three hour ride from Butuan. I am now in Misamis Oriental, ready to set foot the second smallest island province next to Batanes. 
Diving for coins
Shrouded Camiguin
All aboard the ferry to Camiguin's Benoni Port, gateway of mainland Mindanao.
Benoni Port in sight
View of Old Volcano, this volcano ruined the church and sank the cemetery
This habal-habal taught me never to get off the bike's right side. ALWAYS DISENGAGE ON THE LEFT says my right leg's second-degree burn. 
Sunken Cemetery
Old church ruins
Tuasan Falls
I am alone in the tranquility of White Island.
Hibok-Hibok on center view, that withstanding volcano I soon will climb.
When in Davao, indulge in Durian. Believe me, it's best served straight from the hard shell. Aroncillo or Puyat whatever variety it may be, the creaminess, the pungent smell! Ooooh lala! Lucky me I was in Davao when the fruit seasoned. Durian shake orders here and there. I had to control myself from taking in too much D, lest I get bloated. 
Davao Task Force representatives  in the parade
Highlights of Indak Indak sa Kadayawan
Terence the traveler indulging in the Kadayawan
Cheers to my awesome Davao hosts, Genesis Villagracia, Mark Yap and the Garcia family! Thank you for feeding and housing me, and for my Bisaya lessons. I shall return! 
Meet the pastor, Genesis the Generous!
I am back in the comforts of my Quezon City home. This is my 8-day adventure last August 10-17, 2013