Quickie: 48 Hours In…Penang

Posted by: Gypsygal Prime

Located at the northwest part of the Malaysian peninsula, Penang island was established as the first British settlement in Malaysia in 1791. Its capital, Georgetown, evolved into a colonial administrative center, with Captain Francis Light, who once worked in a European trading house, as its superintendent.

Penang was a part of what was then known as the Straits Settlement (which also included Singapore and Melaka), and was a major trading port for traders plying through the Straits of Melaka. Penang’s status as a key trading center in the 18th and 19th centuries have enticed migrants from all over the world to
settle and build communities here.

This is why the island is now such a cosmopolitan haven. I was in Georgetown – a UNESCO World Heritage City – a few weeks ago and I enjoyed walking around here, taking photos of Chinese shophouses or observing Indian-Muslim “Mamaks” preparing nasi kandar popular Penang rice-with-curry meal – in their makeshift stalls. I wake up in the mornings, listening to the muzim’s call to prayer for those of the Islamic faith. And while I’m not a Muslim, I often find myself praying and asking for
God/dess blessings for the day.

The city is the perfect place for artsy fartsy travelers like me who want to know about Southeast Asian history and just can’t get enough of the many temples, museums, shophouses and delicious cuisine that the city offers.

Chinese shophouses in Georgetown

But more than that, I believe that if you who can get some time off during the Chinese New Year holiday, you should consider visiting Penang. My wonderful tour guide CK Lau told me that Chinese immigrants from the U.S. and Australia usually go to Penang to discover their roots.

The island, after all, is home to a big community of Peranakan Chinese – descendants of Southern Chinese traders (most of whom are from Fujian) who married local Malay women. Peranakans developed a unique culture which combined Malay, Chinese and colonial British influences, and their architecture, cuisine and traditions remain a big part of Penang.

I have listed some things that you can do if you can only spare a weekend in Penang:

1. Join the guided tour at the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion – Also known as the Blue House owing to its distinct indigo-blue outer wall, the mansion was built by the wealthy cantonese merchant Cheong Fatt Tze at the end of 19th century. It has 38 rooms, 5 granite-paved courtyards, 7 staircases, 220 vernacular timber louvre windows and was built based on feng shui principles.

The Blue Mansion

You need to sign up for one of the guided tours conducted twice a day everyday. No visitors are allowed unless they’re part of the guided tour.This is because the mansion not only serves as a museum but also as a boutique hotel where a deluxe room costs $100/night (inclusive of a breakfast for 2)

Address: 14 Leith Street
Daily Tour Schedule: 11 am and 3 pm. The tour lasts for about an hour.
Entrance Fee: 10 Ringgit (about — U.S. dollars)
Website: http://www.cheongfatttzemansion.com
Facilities: toilet, souvenir shop, parking space
Note: Videography and photography are not allowed inside the mansion

2. Visit the Peranakan Mansion — The museum contains over 1,000 pieces of antiques and collectibles and offers visitors a glimpse of how a wealthy Peranakan family lived in the 19th century. I loved looking at the elaborately designed porcelain covered jars (kamcheng), beaded slippers (kasut manik), traditional wooden chairs inlaid with mother-of-pearl and wooden biscuit molders.

porcelain jars in Peranakan Museum

at the Peranakan Mansion

Entrance Fee: 10 ringgit
Address: 9 Church street
Schedule: Monday to Sunday including Public Holidays from 9:30 am to 5 pm. Guided tours are available all day. You can take
photos/videos inside the mansion
Website: http://www.pinangperanakanmansion.com.my
Facilities: Toilet, souvenir shop, parking space

3. Go to Khoo Kongsi — This is the most famous Hokkien clan house in Penang. Walk around this centuries-old family compound and immerse yourself in the rich history of Chinese immigrants in Penang. The compound is home two rows of 19th century terrace houses, he opera stage and a majestic temple.

Khoo Kongsi

Entrance Fee: 5 Ringgit
Address: 18 Canon Square, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: Daily, including Sundays and Public Holidays, 9 am to 5 pm

4. Temple tour -- Penang is home to some of the country’s oldest and interesting places of worship. If you just want to stay in the downtown area you can just go to Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling which runs parallel to Lebuh King and is at the center of Georgetown. Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling is popularly known as the “Street of Harmony” as this is home to major religious houses here including the Kwan Yin temple, the Sri Mariamman Hindu temple and the Kapitan Keling Indian Muslim Mosque.

You can also go to Air Itam and visit the Kek Lok Si (the Temple of Supreme Bliss) – one of the largest Buddhist temples in southeast Asia. Constructed in 1890, its main attraction is its seven-storey pagoda and the huge bronze statue of Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.

The Pagoda at Kek Lok Si

I was raised as a Catholic but this didn’t stop me from paying my respects to other deities. While in Kek Lok Si, I offered some incense and said my prayers to Kuan Yin.

5. Food tripping – Penang is the perfect place for foodies as you don’t really have to spend much eating all over the place, with hawkers selling meals at less than three U.S. dollars per serving.

Penang-born food blogger Bee Yin Low recommended some Penang food and hawker stalls to try. I heeded her advice and I had to say that she really knows her Penang food.

I especially enjoyed Assam Laksa – Penang’s famous noodle soup. This laksa is made of thick white rice noodles in tangy and sour fish broth, served with fresh mint leaves, onions, cucumber, lettuce, pineapple, red chili, and bunga kantan (torch ginger bud) and I had the opportunity to have for lunch the famous Assam Laksa at Air Itam (beside the Air Itam market)

And to satisfy my sweet tooth, I had Ice Kacang - shaved ice with red beans, sweet corns, grass jelly and sweet syrup at at the New World Park Hawker Center, which is just beside Tune Hotel, where I stayed.

Bee’s brother and my tour guide, CK, brought me to Cecil Street market where I had coffee and Nyonya Kuih for snack. These are little colorful Peranakan cakes, made of rice and/or cassava and flavored with pandan, brown sugar and coconut cream can be compared to Philippine kakanin. Love love love them.

My only complaint? – Penang food ruined my diet, and once back in Manila, I had to go to the gym pronto to lose some pounds.

6. Shop till you drop at Little India – I usually find myself in this enclave (which encompasses Lebuh Queen, Lebuh King, Lebuh Penang, Lebuh Chulia, Lebuh Pasar and Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling) not only to change money but to shop and bargain with storekeepers selling Indian saris, kurta and jewelry. After spending all my shopping money (which is quite modest, anyway) I walk along its streets listening to Hindi pop songs blasting through the speakers from some shops selling CDs/DVDs of Bollywood movies and records.

****

Gypsygal Prime’s Recommendations:

1. Online Penang Culture Resources: There are some online sites you can check if you want to know more about Penang culture. Penangite culinary instructor and food blogger Nazlina Hussin maintains a website http://www.penangheritagecity.com/ where you can learn anything and everything about Penang. One of my favorite food bloggers, Bee Yin Low of Rasa Malaysia fame has launched a new site dedicated entirely to Peranakan cuisine: http://nyonyafood.com/ where she shares not only recipes on how to make Peranakan delicacies like sambal okra and pineapple tarts but also notes on its culinary traditions.

2. Customized Tours: CK Lau provides private tours around Penang and his knowledge not only of Penang historic’s sites but the various hawker stalls that sell yummy and cheap food made my Penang tour enjoyable. You may contact him at ck.taste.travel.penang@gmail.com or via http://rasamalaysia.com/penang-private-tour-and-culinary-tour.

3. Accommodation: I stayed at Tune Hotel, which is truly value-for-money. It’s clean, safe, affordable and accessible. Credit cards are accepted and you can book rooms online. The rooms are a bit small, though and there’s no tv. But I really don’t care as I have wi-fi and aircon. Check http://www.tunehotels.com/

Channeling Lara Croft in Ta Prohm

[/caption]

Next only to Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm is perhaps the most recognizable Cambodian site, having served as a location for the Angelina Jolie starrer-Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Ta Prohm (“ancestor Brahma”) was built in the 12th century the Khmer King Jayavarman VII. It served as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. The temple’s main deity is the Prajnaparamita, an aspect of a bodhisattva’s personality.

Look's familiar?

The Prajnaparamita was modeled after the king’s mother. I guess that is how you show your love to your folks And before you cry ‘Mama’s boy!’, King Jayavarman VII also built a satellite temple with the boddhistava Lokesvara as the main image and was modeled after the king’s father.

The temple complex housed over 12,000 people -including priests and temple dancers and was sustained by more than 80,000 people who worked to provide it with services and supplies.

Ta Prohm was abandoned at the rise of a new kingdom in the 13th century. After suffering from centuries of neglects, archaeologists from the Paris-based École Française d’Extrême-Orient came in the early part of the 20th century to restore and conserve mot only Ta Prohm, but the rest of the Angkor ruins.

caption id=”" align=”alignleft” width=”351″ caption=”REady?”]

One of Ta Prohm’s main attractions are the stone reliefs of lovely apsaras (the celestial nymphs) and narrative bas reliefs depicting the “Great Departure” of Siddhartha.”

Friezes

The most distinctive feature of the Ta Promh are the trees growing out of the ruins. You can see silk cotton trees with its roots coiling around the temple like it is trying to engulf it. Oh and yes this where the movie “Tomb Raider” was filmed, so feel free to imagine that you are Lara Croft.

A lot of temples in Cambodia are being restored, but Ta Promh will not be getting any major face lift.

After clearing of a path for visitors and strengthening the structures to preserve them, the conservators who came here decided to keep it in its natural state .

In his popular guide to Angkor temples published in 1944, Maurice Glaze, French architect and archeologist and Conservator of Angkor from 1937 to 1945, explains why it’s important to retain Ta Prohm in its “natural state”:

“Ta Prohm – one of the most imposing and the one which had best merged with the jungle, but not yet to the point of becoming a part of it – as but one specimen typical of a form of Khmer art of which there were already other models.”

Resources:

If you’re in Siem Reap and looking for tourist guides, we gypsygals recommend Vichet Chou who helped us arranged everything (booked our hotel, helped schedule our tour, secured a car and driver for us) . You can email him at chouvichet@hotmail.com.

Cliffs of Moher

posted by Gypsygal Nina

I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say that one of the first things that will come into mind when someone mentioned “Ireland” would be the Cliffs of Moher.

blue green and spots of pink

Cliffs of Moher (Aillte an Mhothair in Gaelic) – roughly means the “cliffs of ruins.” Located at County Clare, at the west coast of Ireland, the cliffs rise 120 meters above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag’s Head.

From a city bum’s perspective like me, the cliffs look like nature’s dominoes standing neatly in a line, with raging waves whipping on its sides. The view from the cliffs is simply… SPECTACULAR! On a clear day, the Galway Bay, Aran islands, and the mountains of Connemara are visible.

O'brien tower

The Cliffs of Moher is also a haven for several avian species – the best place for bird watchers.

Oh and did I mention the raging waves of Atlantic Ocean? Surfers, take your cue! On a good season, surfing on the cliffs is available

Just take note that this is a developed site, probably due to conservation,probably due to safety concerns (accidents do happen) and probably to make it easier for a lot of people to walk, the trail is paved and there are some hmmm…. “mini-walls”.

Perfect for contemplation

But this shouldn’t deter you from going here. I’ve seen the pics of the Cliffs of Moher before but that wasn’t enough. I just had to go here and just marvel on how beautiful it is!

***
In a Nutshell:

Getting there:
1. Driving – you can easily get your direction on this site, allow around 90 minutes for the journey:

http://www.cliffs-moher.com/directions-car.php

2.Commuting:
From Galway City: You can avail of package tours that will take you there and to The Burren

Admission price: It’s free to walk in the cliffs. But there is an eight euros admission fee per car (consider this as a facility fee for the parking, maintenance and conservation funds).

What to bring: Comfy shoes, jacket and camera

For more info, visit this site: http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/

Postcard Moment: Temple Offerings in Ubud,Bali

Postcard Moment: Walk the rocky road

The Burren (Irish: Boireann) meaning “great rock” is a karst landscape (landscape with layers and layers of soluble bedrock like limestone) region in Co.Clare, Ireland. The spring-summer season, with its floral blooms, is the best time to hike in this place.

The Donkeys seems to be happy as well

About A Wedding

posted by: Gypsygal Prime

(Para kay Foyan,…at sa mga patuloy naniniwala; mga gustong maniwala; at ayaw maniwala)

“Journeys end in lovers meeting,
Every wise man’s son doth know.”

Twelfth Night (II, iii, 44-45)

Shakespeare

I never cry at weddings. But I wish I could, considering that I’m one of those hopeless romantics who feel happy whenever I see a friend finally finding someone she can grow old with.

I know that sounds odd for a thirty-something journalist who witnessed far too many break-ups and heard too many philandering husbands (and wives too!) claiming that they had affairs because the “romance” is gone.

I went to Singapore last month just to attend a wedding. And this is one time that I really, really wish I do cry at weddings. Not that there’s much drama during Malvin and Foyan’s nuptials (or better known as MalFoy. Apo, alam konng it’s corny. Parang Brangelina at Korimar. But what to do? Pag in -love ka, corny ka). In fact, I never had so much fun attending a wedding (never mind that I probably gained another 20 pounds just eating all those grilled shrimp at the dinner banquet) or that my (flat) feet were hurting for days as I danced for hours with the wedding entourage at the Pump Room.

I’m not Foyan’s confidante. The honor belongs to Nina, my lil sis. I am therefore not aware of the specifics of this whirlwind romance that started with – and this is too Web 2.0 for this Gen Xer – a social media network catering to travelers (the couple both love to travel) – that ended at the Singapore Registry of Marriages. All these happened in the span of a few months.

I admit was cynical. I don’t know why I continued to hold on to the notion of a long engagement, when I’ve seen too many couples who dated for years either ending up divorced or not getting married at all.

And sometimes, I can’t help question my own beliefs on relationship – do you really need to date for a long time just to get to know your partner more?

But this I know. I know that Foyan, who confided in me once upon a time, how sad she was that she cant find a serious relationship. That was wayyyyy before she met Malvin.

This is also what I know – based from tidbits I gathered from my little – and will not be named- spies ( a journalist will always protect her sources :

That they started out as friends, that they never planned to fall in love, that it’s true, cynical Virginia, love just happens; and that this is one relationship that Foyan enjoyed so much. To quote one of my, eherm, informed sources:, “nawala ang lahat ng angst ni Foyan.”

I only met the “MalFoy” couple during the wedding. But it was enough to convince me that this was one marriage where friendship and fun trumped passion and intensity (the two things that I always looked for in a relationship – but also proved to be the most destructive elements in one relationship I valued most.).

I’ve seen them made their grand entrance, at a wedding banquet. The two dressed in their white seventies disco get up -Malvin in his Elvis finest gear and Foyan in her miniskirt, go-go boots and shades.

I had my share of bad break ups, the last one was so intense, it took me years to finally get over it. But I never stopped believing.

When I see the MalFoy couple, at the Pump Room, where they danced the night away , drinking champagne, while a showband played “Dancing Queen”…. I continued to believe and hope that happy endings do happen.

Shakespeare said that journey’s end when lovers meet.

That may be true.

But perhaps, and this is with all due respects to the Great Bard, it’s also true that a meeting of lovers may just be a start of another wonderful journey.

This is why, sometimes, I wish, at least once in my life, that I’ll learn how to cry during weddings.

A New Year means A New Beginning

My first blog post for the year 2010 is a re-posting of an essay I wrote for BootsnAll I believe that this article, published in 2006, best captures what a new year means to me – savoring a new beginning by letting go of the past. Travelling light and get rid of that baggage.

Have a wonderful new year everyone!

How I Got My Voice (and My Groove) Back

In a workshop on “Eros and the Divine” and its significance to our writing, Jan Cornall, our writing guru, noted that the principle of eros is about “being alive and feeling alive.”

Tapping into that energy, according to this Aussie playwright/poet/songwriter will help us in our writing process. Meditating, Jan said, will help us utilize that energy, adding that as a writer and as a practicing Tibetan Buddhist, “desire and longing are intrinsically linked to my meditation practice.” She them proceeded to guide us to meditate — with our eyes closed, our backs straight, breathing deeply. In her soft modulated voice, Jan asked us to think about a time that we felt some huge passion. To feel it, taste it, smell it, hear it.

After about ten minutes of meditation, she asked us to center ourselves, open our eyes and just write all about it in our journal. She urged us to write freely, without censoring ourselves. So I wrote, my pen scribbling the memories of a long forgotten passion, feelings of desire and longing filled the pages of my journal.

The workshop was held in Casa Luna, one of the western-style cafes that dot Jalan Raya -the main thoroughfare in Ubud, Bali. We were at a private conference room, surrounded by intricately designed furniture made of teakwood, Balinese paintings and loads of creative energy. In fact, not just in Casa Luna, but the whole village of Ubud seems to generate a creative energy. Not surprising considering that Ubud is better known as Bali’s cultural center.

An hour’s drive away from the Ngurah Rai international airport in the Balinese capital of Denpasar and situated at the heart of Bali, Ubud’s landscape is dominated by temples and rice paddies, museums and art galleries.

Ubud’s reputation as Bali’s arts haven was established in the 18th century, under the reign of the Sukawati family. Dewa Agung Anom, who founded the Sukawati royal household, called in musicians, dancers, puppeteers and sculptors from all over the island to live and practice their craft in his court. His descendant, Cokorda Gedeng Agung Sukawati, who ruled in the 20th century, also focused his attention on the arts and even invited foreign artists to live in Ubud. These include German artist and musician Walter Spies, Dutch artist Rudolf Bonnet, American musician Colin Mcphee and anthropologist Jane Belo.

Today, Ubud remains a magnet of creativity, attracting not only painters, sculptors, musicians and dancers but also yoginis, healers, priestesses, goddess worshippers and writers from all over the world.

Ubud in fact is a place teeming with people who let go of their former lives, recreated themselves, and in the process managed to live again.

Take for instance Salena Oppenheimer – former model, former designer, former IT professional. The London-born Salena traveled all over Asia to learn more about meditation, healing and goddess worship. She’s now based in Penestanan, a quiet and secluded hamlet in Ubud, and making a living as a facilitator of Women’s Goddess Wisdom Workshops, creator of sacred and healing space, weaver of ritual, meditation guide, astrologer and aromatherapist.

“When I was 18,I began to realize that meditation was something that I was naturally drawn to. I think that this initial attraction to meditation was rooted in some kind of knowing that I would never be truly fulfilled from following a life of purely conventional values and that there was something deeper and more mysterious to our existence than this striving for a kind of superficial and impermanent happiness and a mere avoidance of pain, ” Salena said, explaining why she pursued a spiritual path.

I met another Jan, in Ubud. She’s a tarot card reader and a co-owner of a new age cafe in Peliatan. Jan, ex-corporate lawyer in London, ex-english teacher in Thailand, went to Ubud a few years ago because one of her friends told her that she will find whatever she’s looking for in this Balinese village.

For someone who’s into arts and spirituality, Ubud proved to be an ideal place for Jan. She eventually settled in Ubud, married a Javanese painter/musician and is now offering workshops on reading tarot cards.

The Melbourne-based travel writer Liz is also moving to Ubud later this year to try her hand in the handicrafts export business and concentrate more on her writing. And then there’s our writing workshop guru, Jan, who’s based in Sydney but visits Ubud every now and then not only to hold workshops, but to seek inspiration for her writing.

In one of the pieces she wrote for her own zine, Jan sang: “Drive me forever to your rice paddy temple/I don’t want to go back to my life, it’s that simple/I want to stay forever, I never want to leave/It’s here where I begin my rice paddy dream.”

Writers, like myself, are among the many people who go to Ubud as the craft of writing, after all, is about letting go. It’s about going deeper into yourself, confronting your inner demons and releasing whatever it is that’s hindering you from surrendering to life.

In the bestselling book The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche, a renown guru of Tibetan Buddhism, noted “we are terrified of letting go, terrified in fact of living at all, since learning to liver is learning to let go.”

Rinpoche’s words echoed on my mind as I lay down on my yoga mat, savoring the breezy morning air in Bali Spirit, a rustic yoga studio in Jalan Hanoman, a few blocks away from the main road.

All of us yoginis were in the Savasana pose (lifeless body posture in yoga; total relaxation mode)- legs and arms apart, eyes closed, breathing in and out. And in her soothing voice, Nicky, our yoga teacher lulls us “To let go. Surrender. Trust. Nowhere to go. Nothing to do.”

I remembered the time, not so long ago, that I refused to let go and just live. I was stuck in a job in Singapore which practically retarded my growth as a human being and as a journalist. I was miserable but I was too scared to quit my job. I can’t give up the hefty salary, my fabulous flat, the annual vacation overseas, the comfortable lifestyle.

Then one day, I woke up and it hit me: I can’t live like this anymore. So after weeks of thinking and reflecting, feeling and seeking, meditating and praying, I finally let go. I quit my job and followed my gypsy heart – the heart that finds stability in movement. I backpacked around Asia€” snorkeled in Pulau Sibu, photographed temples in Luang Prabang, worked on my breathing and asanas in Kuala Lumpur, trekked in Nepal, marveled at the blue skies and forested hills of Bhutan.

And then I returned to Ubud – my spiritual home, a place where I know I belong.

I harbor no romantic notions of Ubud, though. For me to believe that Ubud, or the rest of Bali, for that matter, as a paradise where one can escape cable tv and buzzing mobile phones, is naivete on my part. Bali, the crown jewel of Indonesian tourism, draws in over two million tourists a year – a blessing to the Balinese economy but a curse to those who still harbor illusions that Bali will remain a mystical paradise.

In Ubud, bars, cafes and luxurious spas have sprouted amongst verdant rice fields, touts were everywhere offering tours to various Hindu temples, cars for hire, paintings and silver jewelry. Ubud has also become a part of the global spiritual hypermarket. This is a world where prayers, mantras, mala beads and yoga which once belonged to the sacred realm, were packaged and marketed like chocolate bars in the marketplace of the profane. Eternal bliss is available to anyone with cash and credit card.

When confronted by such crass display of spiritual commercialism, I just comfort myself with the words penned by the clairvoyant doctor of psychology Doreen Virtue. In her autobiography, The Lightworkers Way: Awakening your Spiritual Path to Know and Heal, Virtue wrote, “Too often we look to externals….to fill the emptiness within us. Nothing external can quench our inner longings for love. Only heavenly love, from within, fills the void.”

It’s from meditating and feeling that deep spiritual connection when I finally learned to listen to that small voice which I suppressed for so long.

“We have a deep reason why we write,” Jan said, as she encouraged us participants in the workshop to pursue the craft of writing.

I thought about Jan’s words and asked myself again why, despite the small paycheck, the long hours, nitpicking editors, politicking and intrigues among media people, what is it that’s driving my desire to remain a journalist?

I closed my eyes again, breathed deeply, listened to my heart and in my journal I wrote: Because I need to tell my stories.

I took a stroll down the old long walk Of the day I-ay-I-ay

text and photos by: Gypsygal Nina

I took a stroll down the old long walk
Of the day I-ay-I-ay
I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
On a grand soft day I-ay

And I ask you friends, what’s a fella to do?
Because her hair was black and her eyes were blue
And I knew right then, I’d be takin a whirl

—Down the Salthill Prom with a Galway Girl

You probably heard this song a thousand times before. Especially if you’re like me who watched – and loved – the movie “PS, I Love You I often sing this song, never expecting that I will find myself strolling in the western ireland city of Galway.

I have heard several stories s on how Galway (known in Old Irish as “Gaillimh”) got its name.

One version claims that he city took its name from the Gaillimh river (otherwise known as the River Corrib) that formed the western boundary of the earliest settlement, which was called Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe (meaning “fort at the foot of the Gaillimh”). The word Gaillimh means “stony” – as in “stony river” . Others said that Galway was derived from the word “galls” – the old Irish term for “foreigners”- reflecting the presence of foreign -mostly English – settlers in this place. Those of a more romantic bent believe that Galway was named after the mythological pre-Celtic princess Galvia who drowned in the River Corrib.

It might be an old settlement but Galway is, in many ways, a “young” city. Galway is home to some of Ireland’s biggest universities – including the National University of Ireland and the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. This is why you can see pubs in every corner of the city, catering mostly to students who need that pint of ale to wash those homework blues away.

Idyllic SHops at GAlway City Centre

The main landmark of the city is Eyre Square – a park where the locals usually hang out.The plot of land that became Eyre Square was officially presented to the city in 1710 by Mayor Edward Eyre, from whom it took its name. The square was officially renamed “Kennedy Memorial Park” in 1965 in honor of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, who visited Galway city shortly before his assassination in 1963.

Eyre Square

All time favorite pastime-sleeping under the tree

It is also in Eyre Square where one can see the statue of beloved Galway-born author Padhraig O Conaire.

Another must see site in Galway is the Lynch castle, home of of what was once the most powerful family in Galway. The castle, which is made of limestone and built in the 16th century, is one of the fine examples of Irish Gothic architecture.

If you walk by the quay side, you will see the remnants of a wall and an arch which were built in the 1600’s to protect merchant ships from looting. The arch is more known as the “Spanish arch” as Spanish galleons often dock under its protection.Spanish Arch, which is located on the banks of the river Corrib, was built in 1584. It was originally an extension of the famous city walls, designed to protect the quays

Hola Spanish Arches

The Salthill Prom (in old Irish it’s called Bóthar na Tra which means “Beach Road”) is a promenade overlooking the Galway bay – the perfect place to stroll, meet someone special, fall in love while humming the song “Galway Girl”..

The world is my oyster

Seven Ways to a Stress-Free Holiday Travel

posted by: Gypsygal Prime

I don’t usually travel during the holidays as I don’t see the point of paying for peak season (i.e. overpriced) tickets/accommodations, or jostling for seats and space in crowded places. A holiday for me means relaxing in my own space, without having to deal with noise and nosy people.

But I ‘m the first to concede that sometimes, we just need to, well, brave it out – the crowds, the expense – and travel during the holidays due to some family obligations and other personal commitments. This week, for instance, I had to go to Singapore to attend a friend’s wedding. And in between packing and completing work commitments and basically cramming, I was thinking how I can manage to do everything and still attend a wedding without looking frazzled and tired.

Below are some ways that helped me in keeping stress levels low while coping with the holiday travel rush:

1. Ask for help

-  You don’t have to do everything on your own just because you’re traveling alone.  Don’t hesitate to  ask  your family/friends/virtual

photo by Heath Doman for www.dreamstime.com

assistant for help while preparing for your trip or when you can’t cope with the many things that you need to do while traveling.

2. Prepare a list(s)

Get a notebook and jot down all the things that you need to do or finish before you travel. Write down also a list of things that you need to pack, your travel itinerary, the must-see sites that you want to visit and even a list of souvenirs that you want to buy. Writing everything down will clear your head, keep you focused and help you in sorting out your priorities.

3. Make reservations

Not only of the plane/bus tickets towards your destination, but the return tickets a well. Use the internet and search for a hotel which can still accept reservations even in such a short notice. Ask your friends or relatives if they can spare a couch for you for at least a night. Traveling during the holidays is tiring, and at the end of the day, all you really want is to lie down on bed/couch/mat and have some precious sleep.

4. Bring a book

This is a time for waiting – waiting for the much delayed flight to take off, waiting for the hotel staff to clean your room, waiting for the harassed waiter to bring the meal that you ordered in a restaurant filled with tourists. There’s nothing you can do  about it so you might as well keep yourself entertained. I always bring books and newspapers with me, as nothing beats the long wait than being absorbed in a good novel.

5. Bring your own food and medicine kit

A must for those who have particular health/dietary needs. A sandwich, a salad or an apple is better than having to endure unhealthy instant noodles and soda that most airlines offer on board.

6. Keep small change ready – and put it in your belt bag.

That way you don’t need to fumble inside your luggage, just looking for some money to pay for the terminal fee, cab fare or a cup of coffee that gives that much needed caffeine jolt.

7.  Remember to breathe

Take a deep breath, close your eyes for a moment and just savor  these few moments for yourself. A brief moment of tranquility will keep you at peace and in focus.
Enjoy your trip. Merry Christmas!

References:

Here are some links which can help you with beating the holiday travel-stress

1. Ann Pizer’s About.com’s  yoga site: Yoga teacher Ann Pizer offers a step by step guide on how to use asanas and simple breathing exercises as a quick fix to stress.  It’s so simple  and you can do it anywhere.

2. How to Be Mindful During the Holidays, in 350 words by Leo Babauta -  Holidays can be a crazy time  -  we try to cram in everything, beating work deadlines while wrapping and shopping for gifts and preparing for family get togethers.  But for simplicity guru Leo Babauta, the key is not to panic but to focus on what’s really important.

3. How to Cope with Holiday Flight Cancellations, Overbooked Planes, and Other Airline Adversity by Wendy Perrin – The title alone say’s it all.   Condé Nast Traveler’s award-winning advice columnist gives six tips on what do when you’re stuck in the airport.

4. Stranded in the City (of Baguio): Some  Lessons on Letting Go by Prime Sarmiento -  I was traveling in Baguio when  Parma -  one of the worst typhoons in Philippine history – hit this mountain city resort.  Yup, I was stranded for a few days, but I learned how to cope by giving up my inner control freak and letting go.

Postcard Moment: Traffic Stopper

Photo by: Gypsygal Nina

Who says only hot babes can stop  traffic?

Baaa! Baaa! Baaa!

Bulusan Lake: I should really go for some swimming lessons

Text and photos by: Gypsygal Prime

I’m a true blue city gal – born and raised in the city, and have traveled to several key cities (Melbourne, Toronto, Bangkok, Delhi – and perhaps in the very near future – Prague, New York, London, Cairo ) overseas. I love the color, the noise, the grittiness, the familiarity, the strangeness that every city has to offer.

There was a time that I wished I was living in a quiet farm or perhaps spend my days trekking and doing all these i-love-nature-thingys, But my recent forays in the terkking-hiking-whatever reveaked the many many things that I miss about city living: sipping designer coffees, browsing books in my favorite bookstores, admiring paintings in galleries and museums, connecting with my media colleagues.

But sometimes, I just need to get away from it all, so immediately packed my bags when Oxfam invited me for a brief tour of fishing communities in Sorsogon and how climate change is affecting them.

It was a very tiring interview, spending most part of my daty, listening how erratic weather changes is hurting the community and livelohood of these fishermen. While i did learn loads, by the end of the day, I was really drained and felt “heavy”. Which is why when Gil of oxfam suggested that perhaps I should see Bulusan Lake as a side trip, I immediately joined them.

It was a grueling one-hour trip, traversing over rough roads, from Sorsogon city to the municipality of Bulusan. Someone like me who enjoy her creature comforts may have balked at the mere idea of driving through these roads.
But then again, so what? I was rewarded by this stunning view of the lake – refreshing, nakakawala ng pagod! Just look at this:

Bulusan Lake

According to the U.S.-based nonprofit Lakenet
: Lake Bulusan is located within the Bulusan Volcano Natural Park.

Bulusan Lake has interesting legends. It is said that a village once stood where Bulusan Lake is currently located. The legend suggests that a pagan chieftain once managed the land, and one day when he did not honor a promise he made to set his slaves free, waters came from the skies and flooded everything creating the lake. His slaves that were working in the fields survived the floods and are believed to have been the founders of the city of Bulusan.

*******

Gypsygal Prime in Bulusan

I was so stunned by its beauty that even if I’m not into water sports (as I don’t know how to swim), I gamely joined Stef, Glen and Gil and kayaked in the lake. (But of course not without my lifesaver jacket)

Ahhh, my arms were hurting, as I wasnt used to paddling kayak. But it was fun! I told Glenn, who’s an avid surfer, that since I’ve always been keen on surfing (I saw Blue Crush

Colorful kayaks in Bulusan Lake

in Singapore several years ago. The surfer gurls and guys were so cool…) that it actually spurred me to go for swimming lessons.

I stopped my lessons when I came back to Manila to pursue a masters degree. I was very busy.

But kayaking in Bulusan (and my return to the gym to shed some of those unwanted pounds garnered by eating too much cake without doing anything to burn all those carbo and fat) is pushing me once again to renew my swimming lessons

Gypsygal’s Travel Resources:

* Salvador Adrao, a tourism officer in Sorsogon, helped us in our Sorsogon tour,His company – Eco Donsol Tours – offers guided tours to Bulusan and other parts of sorsogon. Please visit www.ecodonsoltravel.com for more details. Or e-mail him at donsol.ecotravel@yahoo.com.

* The Aggrupation of Advocates for Environmental Protection (AGAP) trains fishermen to conduct ecotourism tours in Bulusan (it was one of the fishermen who assisted me in my first kayaking adventure. The community based group promotes eco-friendly livelihood to protect Bulusan park. Aside from ecotourism, the group also sells delicious wild honey and pili oil. (Their office-cum-store is about a 15-minute ride from Bulusan lake) You may get in touch with them at agapbulusan@yahoo.com.ph Or call their president Philip Bartilet at +63-918-457-8767

Quickie: 48 Hours In….Baguio City

The view from Good Shepherd's deck

Baguio Botanical Garden

Ponies at Wright Park

Text and Photos by: Gypsygal Prime

Better known as the summer capital of the Philippines, travellers usually flock to Baguio to escape the heat and dust of Manila. Located some 1,500 meters above sea level, nestled within the Cordillera in northern Philippines, temperature in Baguio is always below 30 degrees Celsius (this even at the height of the summer months of March to April). In the colder months of January to February, temperature drops to less than 20 degrees Celsius– that’s pretty cold for a tropical country like the Philippines.

But there’s more to Baguio than its mild climate. It has the vibrancy of the city minus the pollution and the crowds.

Below are some of the things that you can do if you can only spare a weekend in Baguio. All the venues included here are at/and or near Session Road – - the city’s commercial center and main thoroughfare:

1. Nature Tripping at the Baguio Botanical Garden — The perfect place for people seeking for a moment of peace, the Botanical Garden is home to numerous pine trees and flowers. The park is soo huge, that you can always find a corner, where you can just let your mind wander. If staying still is not your thing, you can walk, jog, do the sun salutation, or perhaps be an amateur botanist by identifying every type of plant that you can find here. There’s also something for art lovers here – right smack at the entrance is a beautiful bronze sculpture created by Filipino artist Ben-Hur Villanueva depicting the original builders of the city – Cordillera natives, Americans, Chinese and Japanese.

Directions: Just a kilometer away from Session Road, Baguio Botanical Garden is at Leonard Wood Road. If you’re taking a cab from Session Road, just tell the driver to bring you to the Botanical Garden (cab fare is less than two dollars, one way). If you’re taking the jeep, you can take the jeep going to any of the following: Mines View, Pacdal, Beckel, Country Club, Navy Base, Tuding and Itogon.

Facilities: souvenir shop, stalls selling snacks, toilet, some benches where you can sit, eat, write, and meditate; you can bring pets and kids

Fees: None

Business hours: Open daily. The gates close around 6 or 7 pm.

2. Horseback riding at the Wright Park – This is for you all cowgirls out there! Wright Park – named after Luke Edward Wright, who once Governor-General in the Philippines from 1904-1906 during the American colonial period,- is the only place in Baguio where you can rent and ride a horse for a few hours and explore Baguio on a horseback.

Lisa, long time Baguio resident and rue-blue cowgirl, has suggested some horse riding trails here

Directions: If you have a car (or in a cab), from Session road, go pass through Leonard Wood Road, past the Botanical Garden. When you reach Pacdal Circle, go towards the road which gently climbs uphill. If you’re taking the jeep, take the jeep plying the Plaza-Mines View route.

Facilities: stalls selling souvenirs, and snacks, a small cafe called Cowboy’s Haven

Cost: 300 pesos (about 6 U.S. dollars) for a one hour ride (plus guide)

3. Picture taking at Mine’s View Park –- Stand on top of the ridge and just marvel at the view of the old cooper and gold, a reminder that mining used tp be one of the key industries here. You can have your picture taken with the view of the minesite (obviously….) and the Cordillera mountain range as the background.

Directions: If you have a car (or in a cab): from Sesion Road, climb up and turn to Leonard Wood Road and go straight up C. P. Romulo Drive. As the road climbing up curves left, you will be on Outlook Drive. Mines View Park will be at the top. Or take the jeep plying the Plaza-Mines View route. Just ask the driver to drop you off at Mines View Park.

Facilities: stalls selling snacks, souvenirs, silverwork

Entrance fees: None

Business hours: Opens daily.

4. Buy bottles of strawberry jam, ube jam and peanut brittle at Good Shepherd Convent – Very near Mines View, this is the only place for the ultimate pasalubong from Baguio. The products were produced in the Mountain Maid Training Center (MMTC)- where the Good Shepherd nuns and the lay staff employ poor Cordillera students to make jams and other yummy food products including orange marmalade, pickles, sampaloc candies, mango jams…. (are you salivating already?) to be sold in the store (at the convent entrance) and thereby earn money for their schooling

Popular Filipino food blogger Marketman just can’t get enough of these Good Shepherd products:

“They really do have some of the yummiest peanut brittle I have ever tasted. Finely chopped peanuts in a delicious wafer thin caramel and flavored with just a touch of butter that is cut and expertly packed into cylindrical plastic bottles and sell for PHP95 for 500grams… what a deal!”

If you feel a bit peckish, there’s another stall in which sells snacks like chicken empanada and cup cakes also made in MMTC.

The store also sells the Good (Food) Book for 250 pesos each (or about 4 U.S. dollars)- a compilation of recipes by the Good Shepherd’s lay affiliates who are helping the MMTC in training Cordillera students.

The store accepts credit cards, but better bring cash, because the machine sometimes don’t work.

Website: http://www.goodshepherdsisters.org.ph/baguio
Address: 15 Gibraltar Road, 2600 Baguio City
Telefax: 6374- 4423865

Bonus tip: the convent has a deck which provides an excellent view of the minesite (I got my pic taken there.). You can skip Mines View Park and just head here

5. View some artworks (and have a good meal too…) – Baguio is a creative hub ( must be the weather, or the bohemian vibe or the proliferation of many parks and gardens in the city) , and if you just need to view some good artworks produced by mostly Baguio-based artists, I suggest that you go to some of these cafes (so you can have some hearty meal – and really good coffee – while looking at some paintings and photos. A meal for each person in any of these restaurants can run from,P200 to P500 (5 to 10 U.S. dollars)

If you’re a vegetarian like me then I recommend what I believe is the best vegetarian restaurant in the Philippines: Bliss Vegetarian Cafe Its funky interiors and yummy vegetarian chicharon are just two very good reasons why you have to come to this place.

Another favorite is Oh My Gulay! (OMG!), where I usually had some pasta and calamasi juice.

Those who prefer a more vatied fare can head to the renown Café by the Ruins (which is just beside the Baguio City Hall)

a. Bliss Vegetarian Café

Address: Bliss is located in lobby of Hotel Elizabeth (Gibraltar St. Corner J Felipe). The hotel is near Wright Park.

Business hours: Opens daily

Monday: 6 pm to 9 pm Dinner Only

Tuesday to Sunday: 11 am – 9 pm Tuesday – Sunday

Website: http://blissnbaguio.multiply.com/

b. Café by the Ruins

Address: 23 Chuntug, Baguio City

Telephone: 6374-4424010 / 446-4010

Fax: 6374-442-5272

Website: http://cafebytheruins.com.ph

c. Oh My Gulay!

Address: Fifth floor, La Azotea Building,upper Session Road

Just a few blocks from the SM shopping mall

6. Hear a mass at the Baguio Catholic Cathedral – or if you’re an atheist, you can always go here just to admire of the country’s most beautiful architectural structures. The rose-colored church sits on top of a hill in the heart of the city and has a view deck where you can have a bird’s eye view of Session Road.

The church was constructed Belgian Catholic Mission, consecrated in 1936 and dedicated to Our Lady of Atonement. During World War II, the church served as an evacuation center.

Directions: From Session Road, pedestrians can take the long concrete stairways (with more than a hundred steps)). If you have a car (or in a cab), you can enter the Cathedral grounds via the access road behind the Baguio Post Ofice building.

Address: Mount Mary, Cathedral Loop

Telephone: 6374- 4424256

Fax No.: 6374-3042064

Website: www. baguiocathedral.com

You can view the daily mass schedule here.

7. Shop till you drop – There are so many places to go if you need some retail therapy. In Session Road alone, you can either go to the mall, and/or haggle your way in the Baguio Public Market – cardigan, accessories, home furnishings, jam, bags, jams, strawberries. I personally recommend Narda’s Handwoven Arts and Crafts, which is just a few steps away from the Victory Liner bus station. The store sells woven bags, ponchos, placemats, tapestries and other home/fashion accessories. Oh they also accept credit cards. And store also operates a café (with Wi-Fi!) – where you can have some coffee after a day of shopping.

Narda’s
Address: 151 Upper Session Road, Engineer’s Hill
Telephone: 6374- 422 2992
Fax No.: 6374-443 9875

Website: www.nardas.com

Gypsygal’s Travel Resources

Baguo city is easily accessibly from Manila. The Victory Liner has the widest fleet catering to travelers going from Manila to Baguio. You can find schedules, ticket fare and terminal location in this site : http://www.victoryliner.com

Here’s a link to an interactive map in Baguio.

And if you want to know more about Baguio, then better head to www.gobaguio.com

the most comprehensive website on anything and everything about Baguio.

Bliss Cafe

Postcard Moment: Butter Lamps

Photo by Gypsygal Prime

Temple Offering

Butter Lamps offered at a Hindu Temple in Johor Bahru, Malysia

This is not a travel post: Stop Killing Journalists

Text by: Gypsygal Prime

Photos by Avi Olarte: Taken November 25 during the National Day of Indignation organized by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).

I need to deviate from my usual travel posts, as no working journalist can remain apathetic given such atrocity. The Maguindanao massacre – which involved the murder of 30 journalists – has been described as by the International Federation of Journalists as “the biggest single atrocity against journalists in recent history.”

A week after the murder, the top suspect has been arrested and members of the powerful political clan being investigated and just about anyone can’t hide their outrage against the perpetrators (“para lang silang pumatay ng lamok, one of my colleagues told me). I don’t know if they’re human. I can’t call them animals, because that’s an insult to my pet cat. And I don’t think even the devil will appreciate being compared to them.

It’s very hard to just forget and let the courts decide. In a country which prides itself for having the freest press in Asia, it’s ironic that several journalists have been killed in the line of duty. A lot of people, it seems don’t appreciate a critical press or a journalist who’s just doing his/her job . Walang traba-trabaho, lahat personal.

Several analysts have already offered their explanation behind such audacity. You can read them here, here , and here. In an nutshell, it all boils down to a culture of impunity — They can do this because they can . And as long as such culture persists no one can stop the killings – not only of journalists but also of anyone who will dare stand on their way.

Which is why it’s important to remain vigilant and to continue pressuring the government and all our institutions to ensure that justice will be done. I hope I can do my part as a journalist not only by blogging about it, or constantly updating and editing reports on the massacre, but also to join protest actions to ensure that justice will at least be done.

The massacre, after all, is not just an assault to press freedom, but also a crime against humanity.

Note: The National Union of Journalists of The Philippines, the November 23 Movement and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) are inviting friends and colleagues to take part in the International Day of Action against Impunity – a collective expression of outrage against the killings of journalists and innocent civilians in Maguindanao and the call for justice for all victims. They will be holding a presscon and a rally in December 9. Please check out for more details.http://nujp.wordpress.com/

Let’s raise funds to support a rural school in Cambodia

My sis and I donated 10 U.S. dollars to Passports with Purpose. It’s just a small amount but we’re hoping that this can help them raise 13,000 U.S. dollars to provide facilities for a school in one of the villages of Cambodia.

We’ve been to Cambodia to visit the Angkor Wat and we have seen how poverty has driven most children to leave school and just sell souvenirs to tourists – and they will continue doing so unless something can be done to alleviate their plight.

Last month, Passports with Purpose (led by Beth Whitman – the woman behind Wanderlust and Lipstick ), launched a fund raising campaign, calling on travellers and bloggers to raise 13,000 U.S. dollars to build a school in Cambodia. in just a few weeks, that 13k became a reality. so this time around, Passports with Purpose is raising another 13 K to provide facilities -clean water, healthy meals, and medical care – for the school..

Passports with Purpose is working with the American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC) – an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving opportunities for the youth and rural poor in Cambodia. In its website, AAfC explains why such facilities are needed:

“Many students in rural villages suffer from a lack of health care, unsafe drinking water and lack of nutritious food. Donors may add two water filters to the school to allow access to clean water at the school. A “Victory” vegetable garden in which students receive one free, nutritious meal each day, includes building materials, seeds, one gardener, one cook, and a garden well when needed. Finally, a school nurse recruited from a local clinic promotes health education and gives students regular health check-ups. These features combine reduce student malnutrition, increase attentiveness, and raise attendance.”

School improvements we hope to finance from additional funds raised:

* Hagar water filter: $300 one-time cost.
* 1 “Victory” vegetable garden,: $7,500 funds first two years, $2,000 each additional year.
* School nurse: $5400/year.”

Please click here to learn more how you can help.