incessant rambling

The Opera House. One of the city's most prominent landmarks, the Opera House was custom built in 1897 by French architect Eugene Ferret. in 1955 it was transformed into South Vietnam's Assembly House and has undergone several refurbishment since. It is only open to the public during events. 7 Lam Son Square, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Saigon City Pass

At the end of Nguyen Hue (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) sits the magnificent office of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. Completed in 1908 by the French, the former Hotel de Ville's design is based on the original in Paris. It remains as one of the most stunning colonial monuments, floodlit at night. Don't forget to take a look at the statue of Ho Chi Minh on the median strip outside. - Saigon City Pass

WARNING! SEXUALLY EXPLICIT TRIVIA AHEAD! READ FOR YOUR OWN ENTERTAINMENT. do you know that a pig's orgasm can last as long as 30 minutes? that a female praying mantis needs to rip off the male mantis' head before he can ejaculate? (yan ang tinatawag na "deadly experience"). similarly, black widows kill their mates after having sex (naman, pag sinabi sa yo "kainin mo ako" wag naman gawing literal. pero kung baboy sila, maiintindihan ko kasi pagod na siguro si mareng black widow pagkatapos ng 30 minutes.) that according to a survey, half the men who were raised in farms have had a sexual encounter with an animal (i'm guessing duck and chicken are the usual victims. this gives a new meaning to the term "dog style"). dolphins are the only other mammals aside from men that have sex for pleasure (i bet you, they haven't met the pig) some fish are asexual and can change gender based on certain environmental or hormonal cycles. (sila ...

Jade Emperor Pagoda, 73 Mai Thi Luu, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam put this atmospheric cantonese pagoda built in 1909 as the top of your temple list when visiting Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. The jade emperor watches over one incense filled room, while hidden rooms harbour woodcarvings and altars depicting scenes from Taoist and Buddhist myths. One hall houses the go-to diety if you're seeking fertility. The upstairs section represents heaven, housing the "kwan ying" goddess. - Saigon City Pass

Porkchop sleeping with his eyes and mouth slightly open. Complete with snoreeeee. My cousin said that dogs that sleep with their eyes half closed are usually intelligent. hmm CUTENESS and brains :) how can you NOT fall in love with Porkchop?!?! Porkchop is a chinese miniature sharpei and i fell in love with him the moment i saw him in tita carms house. hmmm isn't he the cutest?!?!? i think i have to take myka up on her offer for me to babysit porkchop he he he. - photo credits, myka lizares :)

i am honestly thinking twice before letting you all in this secret. possibly the best kept secret of San Francisco in Camotes. i mean, every day, a bit of paradise is lost and the usual culprit would be me, you, the tourists. we discover a spot of heaven on earth and before you know it, a karaoke joint is set up right smack in the middle of nowhere. of course that's being melodramatic, but you probably get my point. and i hope, i sincerely hope, that it's going to take years, decades before anyone decides they want a piece of bakhaw and turn it into boracay. no disrespect for boracay, i've had my share of good memories of the place, but bakhaw brings me back to the days when things were simpler, quieter and one gets a sense of being one with nature. one way to get to bakhaw is to rent one of the motorbikes that ply their service near the standard resorts in camotes. alternately, you can rent out a jeep for the day and make bakhaw part of your iti...

okay, that's a line from Temptation Island. beaches are in and definitely there are no bitches in Camotes (except for the native dogs that run free along the shores of Santiago Bay). this one is a continuation of the Enchanting Camotes post where we started the tour with Bukilat cave.  Cebu has some amazing beaches (and biatches - but that's another story) that line the coastal roads as well as the component islands that make up the province (gilutongan, sta. rosa, pandanon, bantayan, camotes etc) and a lot of debate about which beach is the best. moalboal, badian, bantayan, malapascua, sumilon, san remigio all claim to have the best natural beach front.  i've been to all these places but the best beaches are in san francisco, camotes. imagine pristine, white, sugary sandy shoreline with waters shaded azure, green and pale blue. The other places have varying degrees of this "description" but what sets the beaches of Camotes apart from the other p...

Bukilat Cave, Tudela, Poro Island, Camotes, Cebu unplanned trips are usually the best. it was close to midnight when the group decided they wanted to go to Camotes the following day. and when I say "following day", that means we should be in the RoRo (Roll On, Roll Off) seaport by 4:30AM so we can reserve a car space in the boat. which means we had less than three hours to get some sleep, pack our sunblock and get ready for the trip. needless to say, Ron woke up late around 3:30AM and i ended up driving the car (after a couple of red bull) after we picked up andrew. any last vestige of sleepiness quickly disappeared as ron and andrew shrieked while i raced, skidded, flew over potholes and bumps and practically flew to Danao from Cebu City. a little under 30 minutes and we were able to make it at 4:30AM to meet up with the rest of the gang. nobody told me that we didn't have to be there THAT early as the other group could have reserved or slot. oh well. i...