Canada bans passenger flights from India, Pakistan for 30 days

OTTAWA - Canada suspended all passenger flights from India and Pakistan on Thursday for 30 days, Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra announced, citing increased Covid-19 cases detected in travelers arriving from these countries.

"Given the higher number of cases of Covid-19 detected in air passengers arriving in Canada from India and Pakistan... I am suspending all commercial and private passenger flights arriving in Canada from Indian and Pakistan for 30 days," Alghabra told a news conference.

"This is a temporary measure, while we assess the evolving situation and determine appropriate measures going forward," he added.

The restriction will go into effect at 11:30 pm Eastern Time Thursday (0330 GMT Friday).

It will not apply to cargo flights, Alghabra said, particularly to ensure the continued shipment of vaccines, personal protective equipment and other essential goods.

India, which is undergoing an alarming surge being blamed on a "double mutant" variant and super-spreader events, reported a single-day high of more than 300,000 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu said that overall only 1.8 percent of travelers to Canada have tested positive for coronavirus.

While India accounts for 20 percent of recent air travel to Canada, more than half of all positive tests at the border were from flights arriving from the country, she said, adding that "a similarly high level of cases... have also been linked to Pakistan."

"It is a significant volume," she said, "and given the epidemiological situation in India, it makes sense to pause travel from that region while our scientists and researchers (try) to better understand this variance of interest, to better understand where the trajectory of the cases in that region are going."

BAN ON NON-ESSENTIAL FLIGHTS

Health Canada data showed 18 flights from Delhi and two from Lahore, to Toronto or Vancouver, in the past two weeks had at least one passenger onboard who was diagnosed with the illness.

Canada last December briefly suspended flights from Britain over concerns about outbreaks of a Covid variant. 

Earlier on Thursday Parliament voted unanimously to urge the government to ban non-essential flights from Covid hotspots where variants have surged, including India and Brazil.

Alghabra said there are currently no scheduled flights between Canada and Brazil, but added that "we will not hesitate to ban travel to other countries if the science bears that out."

Several dozen cases of the variant of the virus initially declared in India have already been identified in Canada, according to media reports.

Some countries have taken similar steps to prevent worsening outbreaks due to this variant: the United Arab Emirates announced Thursday that it will suspend all flights from India.

Britain also this week banned entry to travelers from India, and France has announced that they will be subject to a 10-day quarantine upon arrival in the country.

All travelers to Canada are already subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine. They must also present a negative Covid test before boarding an international flight, and another upon arrival in Canada.

Struggling with a third wave of infections, Canada recorded 9,000 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, bringing its total to 1,151,276 cases and 23,812 deaths.

Agence France-Presse

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil —  A tourist who was robbed while vacationing in Rio de Janeiro posted a disgusted message online... only to have Brazil's national tourism board post it to its official Instagram account by mistake.

"Rio is such a beautiful city," begins the message posted by Instagram user @withlai -- and that is perhaps as far as the Brazilian Tourist Board's social media department read before clicking "share."

But the message continues: "Beautiful is not enough."

During a three-day stay in Rio, @withlai wrote, "my family and I were robbed and my nine-year-old sister witnessed a violent robbery. I can't recommend a visit to a city where I felt afraid of even leaving the apartment."

Embratur, as the tourism board is known, shared the message on its own Instagram account Tuesday evening, leaving it up long enough for the gaffe to go viral before deleting the post.

"This message was shared by mistake," Embratur said in a red-faced statement, adding that it was in fact working to "publicize the drop in violent crime (in Brazil) in 2019."

Rio, the port of entry for many of the millions of tourists who visit Brazil each year, is known for the breathtaking beauty of its sun-soaked beaches and emerald mountains, but also its violent crime.

Rio de Janeiro state, of which the city is the capital, registered nearly 4,000 murders and 120,500 muggings last year -- though that was a drop of 19 percent and eight percent, respectively.

Agence France-Presse

Zero-tolerance vs litterbugs in Boracay

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will adopt a zero-tolerance policy against litterbugs in Boracay after trash was found on the beaches during the first day of the dry run of the island’s reopening, an official said yesterday.

Photos of discarded trash along Boracay’s famous White Beach went viral on social media hours after the island was reopened to local tourists for a test run ahead of its scheduled reopening on Oct. 26.

DENR Undersecretary for solid waste management and local government unit Benny Antiporda said they would strictly enforce the guidelines against littering on the island.


Antiporda said they held a dialogue with the Compliant Association of Boracay (CAB) whose members include owners of hotels, resorts, retail shops and restaurants.

He said the DENR and other government agencies in charge of Boracay’s rehabilitation support the CAB’s proposal to designate its pollution officers as marshals to go after litterbugs.

He asked CAB members to use social media to remind Boracay visitors to dispose of their trash properly.

The DENR also recommended citizen’s arrest against litterbugs, Antiporda said.

The CAB earlier asked Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to deputize its members as Boracay marshals to police public areas on the island.

As marshals, the CAB said their pollution officers would be on the lookout for litterbugs.

The DENR said littering is a criminal offense and violators may face a fine or be made to render community service from eight to 16 hours.

Under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, establishments are required to designate a pollution control officer who would ensure compliance with the law, among others.

source: philstar.com

Thai bay made famous in 'The Beach' shut indefinitely

BANGKOK, Thailand — The glittering Thai bay immortalized in the movie "The Beach" will be closed indefinitely to allow it to recover from the impact of hordes of tourists, an official said Wednesday, as a temporary ban on visitors expired.

Maya Bay, ringed by cliffs on Ko Phi Phi Ley island, was made famous when it featured in the 2000 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

It was initially shut for four months in June due to beach erosion and pollution as the white-sand paradise sagged under pressure from thousands of day-trippers arriving by boat.

But a survey of the problem during the temporary ban made clear that the short-term fix was not going to work and that the damage was worse than originally thought.

"We have evaluated each month and found out that the ecological system was seriously destroyed from tourism of up to 5,000 people daily," Songtam Suksawang, director of the National Parks office, told AFP.

"It's very difficult to remedy and rehabilitate because its beach was completely destroyed as well the plants which cover it," he said, adding it was "impossible" for recovery to occur in the allotted time.

Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation announced the indefinite closure in a royal gazette published on October 1.

It said that the restrictions on tourism would not be lifted until the ecosystem "fully recovers to a normal situation".

Besides beach erosion, heavy traffic around the azure waters can also damage sensitive coral reefs, already vulnerable to rising sea temperatures and climate change.

Countries across the region from the Philippines to Indonesia are waking up to the problem of beach tourism overload and the plastic waste and degradation that can come with it.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte announced in April a six-month closure of the popular Boracay beach resort, calling the destination a "cesspool".

And Indonesia declared a "garbage emergency" last year along a stretch of the resort island of Bali, after coastal pollution was highlighted in a viral video that showed a diver swimming through waters full of trash.

source: philstar.com

SC asked to stop Boracay shutdown

MANILA, Philippines — On the eve of the six-month closure of Boracay Island, the Supreme Court (SC) was asked yesterday to halt the government-mandated shutdown aimed at cleaning up the world-renowned tourist destination.

In a 29-page petition, three residents of the island – Mark Anthony Zabal, Thiting Estoso Jacosalem and Odeon Bandiola – sought a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the closure.

The petitioners questioned the authority of President Duterte to close the island to tourists and non-residents, accusing him of violating constitutional rights to travel and due process, and arguing that only Congress can shut down the island.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said only a court TRO can stop the shutdown of Boracay. But the SC is in recess and may not be able to issue a TRO today even if the petition might have merit.

Through lawyer Angelo Karlo Guillen of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL)-Panay chapter, the petitioners argued that the order violated the separation of powers under the 1987 Constitution since the executive branch has no authority to close down the island based on its supposed police power.

“Police power is exercised through legislative bodies. It is the plenary power vested in the legislature to make statutes and ordinances to promote the health, morals, peace, education, good order or safety and general welfare of the people,” the petitioners argued.

They alleged that Duterte stepped on the power of Congress in issuing the closure order.

“Despite having the highest position in the land, President Duterte simply cannot, under our system of law, arrogate unto himself a power which the Constitution does not give him,” they stressed.

They further argued the order is unconstitutional insofar as it restricts the movement of the people within the country in violation of their right to travel under Article III Section 6 of the Charter.

“In this case, the ground for the restriction (of right to travel) has not been shown to exist. There is no national security, public safety or public health situation calling for the curtailment of the right to travel,” read the petition.

The petitioners also claimed violation of their right to due process under Article III Section 1 of the Constitution, which they said includes their “property rights and right to work and earn a living.”

“The petitioners and all those who work, do business or earn living on the island are deprived of their livelihood,” they pointed out, adding the closure order is “unreasonable, arbitrary and excessive,” especially since the government has not provided a clear alternative to the 17,000  registered workers affected by the measure.

The petition named President Duterte, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Department of the Interior and Local Government officer-incharge Eduardo Año as respondents.

Guillen explained the implementation of today’s closure order would not make their prayer for issuance of TRO moot since the SC could still issue a status quo ante order upon hearing the petition.

Inherent power

The government is preparing to shut down Boracay starting today to rehabilitate the world-famous island resort.

President Duterte has ordered the holiday destination off-limits to tourists, saying the tiny island has become a “cesspool” tainted by sewage.

“Unless a TRO is issued, the planned closure of Boracay to tourists shall proceed,” Roque said.

Roque shrugged off the petition, saying the government can impose the closure since the island is owned by the state. He added the stay of private persons in the area was just allowed by the government.

“While the President respects the Court, we see absolutely no merit for any private party to restrain the closure of Boracay to tourists given that SC itself has previously ruled that Boracay is owned primarily by the state,” Roque said.

“We see no reason how private persons can allege and prove irreparable injuries, a prerequisite for TRO, given that their stay on the island is by mere tolerance of the state,” he said.

Roque invoked the government’s inherent police powers for the closure. He said the government has the “inherent police power of the state to protect the environment in Boracay.”

In a speech last March, Duterte warned courts against issuing TROs in the cleanup while he geared up for the declaration of a state of calamity in Boracay due to sewage and environmental concerns.

Duterte invoked public safety, interest and health issues in ordering the closure of the world famous island resort.  

Boracay was known as the crown jewel of Philippine tourism with its world-famous powdery white sand, but unchecked tourism and environmental degradation made it far from the tropical paradise it was decades ago.

Authorities said some of the hundreds of hotels and restaurants use the island’s drainage system to send untreated sewage into its surrounding turquoise waters.

The closure threatens the livelihood of 17,000 hotel, restaurant and other tourism workers, plus about 11,000 construction workers.

The island saw some two million visitors last year, pumping roughly $1 billion in revenue into the Philippine economy.

The government has promised to release P2 billion to help the estimated 35,000 workers affected by the island’s closure. 

On the eve of the closure, restaurants and bars had put up signs offering discounts, with most items on the menu already unavailable. 

Vendors slashed 50 percent off sunglasses and selfie sticks while tourists scrambled to get hold of Boracay souvenir shirts sold at half price.

“We call it the closure sale. We used to sell key chains in a buy one, get one promo. But now we sell ‘Buy one, get 10’,” said vendor Jenie Dagunan.

“We can’t eat these bracelets, might as well turn them into money,” she said.

Oversight

Malacañang said the President has not issued the proclamation placing the island under state of calamity as of yesterday, a day before the temporary closure of the tourist destination. 

Officials, however, claimed the funds for the rehabilitation of Boracay can be released pending the issuance of a proclamation.

Roque said the document can be released even after the island has been closed for rehabilitation. 

“They know that it (proclamation) will come out. So it’s a matter of issuing the document. So there is no problem with that. Before the implementation of the closure, it will come out. Even after the closure, it can still be issued because the closure will serve as the legal basis to fast track all the projects in Boracay. 

Otherwise, they will be subjected to regular processes of government procurement,” Roque told GMA News. 

“These projects will not start at once. My point is they know what will happen and anytime, the President would issue the proclamation,” he added. 

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director Oscar Albayalde said they would push through with the order to close Boracay today.

While acknowledging that the closure would adversely affect the tourism industry, Albayalde stressed it would just be temporary.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, for his part, said they have started implementing the emergency employment assistance to displaced workers in Boracay.

He added some 2,500 workers on the island were given emergency livelihood assistance.

Lawmakers, on the other hand, said they will closely watch the rehabilitation work on Boracay to make sure the closure will not be wasted.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said they will exercise oversight functions, especially as the closure comes at huge costs, particularly the loss of revenues and jobs.

“We will conduct oversight if the government really kept its promise,” Pimentel said.

He said the closure, which is viewed by many as a step backwards for tourism, could turn out to be “two steps forward.”

“We need to do this – if that is cleaned and we open and reintroduce the brilliant Boracay, then it will become precious again,” Pimentel said.

While Congress may come up with new legislation to prevent a similar degradation of the country’s other tourist attractions, Pimentel stressed the responsibility lies primarily with the concerned local government units (LGUs).

“That’s why we want to find out why despite the many complaints from Boracay, the LGU did not act,” he said.

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano said the closure order on Boracay was just a “knee-jerk” reaction on the part of the government.

Alejano claimed the government had no concrete plans on how to address the problem on environment and congestion in Boracay.

Alejano said if a certain place is closed for the purpose of rehabilitation, there must be activities in that area from day one to six months.

“There must be daily activities but to them, there is none,” Alejano said. “What would they do? What’s the purpose?”

Alejano stressed the closure of Boracay should have been done in phases because thousands will be affected by a complete closure.

Overkill

Alejano added the closure should not be implemented all at the same time.

“This is like overkill. There are military, police and coast guard in the sea. It’s like martial law in Boracay. It’s really overkill,” he said.

The police preparing to implement the closure of Boracay staged drills in riot gear yesterday, startling the laid-back beach community as workers mounted a last-ditch effort to halt the six-month closure.

“The capability demonstration exercises were done to ensure that we have the appropriate and well-crafted response to any contingency that may arise as a result of the temporary closure of the world-renowned island,” Western Visayas regional police director Chief Supt. Cesar Hawthorne Binag said.

Some residents in the island, however, were not enthusiastic.

“I think it’s too much. We don’t think that any resident of Boracay would be swayed to go into protest or conduct violent actions against the closure,” said Elvira, a Boracay resident.

Facebook user Bill McGrath said, “This can’t happen in reality.”

Another netizen, Martina Sacapaño, said the police and military exercises might show that Boracay island is preparing for war.

Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao agreed the security measures the administration has taken in Boracay were an overkill.

“The Navy, Coast Guard and the Armed Forces of the Philippines should deploy their ships and personnel to patrol the West Philippine Sea, not Boracay,” he said.

He said state agencies were imposing “overacting” security measures.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate said Duterte is imposing “virtual martial law” in Boracay.

He said restricting the entry of residents, businessmen and workers and requiring identification cards for them “violate their constitutional rights.”

Zarate added journalists are limited to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. coverage, and are required to be escorted at all times and to get out of the island before darkness sets in.  – With  Alexis Romero, Christina Mendez, Jennifer Rendon, Paolo Romero, Eva Visperas, Artemio Dumlao, Jess Diaz, Rainier Allan Ronda, Sheila Crisostomo, AFP

source: philstar.com

Boracay named top winter escape destination

MANILA, Philippines — Boracay continues to gain global recognition as it was named the top winter escape destination in the world by an international travel magazine.

Conde Nast Traveler recently ranked the 30 “Most Beautiful Winter Escapes in the World,” which included Boracay.

“Voted the world’s top island in our 2017 Reader’s Choice Awards, this itty-bitty speck (just under four square miles) in the western Philippines is as close to a tropical idyll as you’ll find in Southeast Asia, with gentle coastlines and Instagram-worthy sunsets,” Conde Nast Traveler said.

The international travel magazine also lauded Boracay for its thriving night scene, making it another attraction for tourists.

Among the other world destinations joining Boracay in the top 30 list are Baja California Sur in Mexico, Cape Town in South Africa and Hawaii.

Last October, Boracay, along with Cebu and Palawan, were voted as the top three best islands in the world outside of the United States by readers of Conde Nast Traveler.

Boracay’s powdery white sand and shallow azure water ideal for swimming and snorkeling were identified as among the main draws of the island.

Meanwhile, Cebu and the Visayan islands were recognized for the more personal vibe they gives off and the many up-and-coming restaurants and shopping options.

In contrast, the magazine highlighted that Palawan is home to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

“Palawan’s natural wonder is one of the longest underground rivers in the world, traveling five miles through a subterranean cave system. Guided boat tours take visitors down a portion of the waterway, where karsts, natural rock formations created by dissolving limestone loom in every direction,” the magazine said.

Last July, Boracay and Palawan were voted by readers of the international Travel+Leisure magazine as the third and first best island in the world, respectively.

Palawan received a score of 93.15, while Boracay scored 89.67.

source: beta.philstar.com

Boracay named top 'hookie' destination for Chrismas

MANILA, Philippines - Aside from the clear waters and white sand that Boracay has to offer, the island is also famous for its vibrant nightlife, which is why travel dating site MissTravel.com has ranked it as the top destination for people who want to skip family gatherings during the holidays.

A recent study showed that many youngsters are opting for romantic getaways, rather than dealing with the stress and anxiety brought on by the awkward family encounters during Christmas season.

“Family get togethers can be a source of anxiety for many people, especially those who have a hard time answering questions about their personal lives,” said Brandon Wade, founder and
CEO of MissTravel.com.

According to a recent poll conducted by the Las Vegas-based site, out of the 6,036 trips planned by its users between December 20 and 27, most are going to Boracay.

Top December Hookie Destinations (6,036 Trips Planned Between December 20 and 27)

1. Boracay Island, Philippines ­ 689
2. New York, NY ­ 488
3. Las Vegas, NV ­ 187


"The Philippines is famous for its festive celebration of Christmas, making Boracay Island a traveler favorite," the website said.

Boracay has consistently been part of the list of the best beaches in the world. Early this year, it has been declared as the "Favorite Beach Destination 2015" by the Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents for its annual MATTA Fair. Moreover, TripAdvisor listed Boracay as seventh best beach in the world for 2015.

source: philstar.com

Stinking mats of seaweed piling up on Caribbean beaches

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The picture-perfect beaches and turquoise waters that people expect on their visits to the Caribbean are increasingly being fouled by mats of decaying seaweed that attract biting sand fleas and smell like rotten eggs.

Clumps of the brownish seaweed known as sargassum have long washed up on Caribbean coastlines, but researchers say the algae blooms have exploded in extent and frequency in recent years. The 2015 seaweed invasion appears to be a bumper crop, with a number of shorelines so severely hit that some tourists have canceled summer trips and lawmakers on Tobago have termed it a "natural disaster."

From the Dominican Republic in the north, to Barbados in the east, and Mexico's Caribbean resorts to the west, officials are authorizing emergency money to fund cleanup efforts and clear stinking mounds of seaweed that in some cases have piled up nearly 10 feet high on beaches, choked scenic coves and cut off moored boats.

With the start of the region's high tourism season a few months away, some officials are calling for an emergency meeting of the 15-nation Caribbean Community, worried that the worsening seaweed influx could become a chronic dilemma for the globe's most tourism-dependent region.

"This has been the worst year we've seen so far. We really need to have a regional effort on this because this unsightly seaweed could end up affecting the image of the Caribbean," said Christopher James, chairman of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association.

There are various ideas about what is causing the seaweed boom that scientists say started in 2011, including warming ocean temperatures and changes in the ocean currents due to climate change. Some researchers believe it is primarily due to increased land-based nutrients and pollutants washing into the water, including nitrogen-heavy fertilizers and sewage waste that fuel the blooms.


Brian Lapointe, a sargassum expert at Florida Atlantic University, says that while the sargassum washing up in normal amounts has long been good for the Caribbean, severe influxes like those seen lately are "harmful algal blooms" because they can cause fish kills, beach fouling, tourism losses and even coastal dead zones.

"Considering that these events have been happening since 2011, this could be the 'new normal.' Time will tell," Lapointe said by email.

The mats of drifting sargassum covered with berry-like sacs have become so numerous in the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean they are even drifting as far away as to West Africa, where they've been piling up fast in Sierre Leone and Ghana.

Sargassum, which gets its name from the Portuguese word for grape, is a floating brownish algae that generally blooms in the Sargasso Sea, a 2 million-square-mile (3 million-square-kilometer) body of warm water in the North Atlantic that is a major habitat and nursery for numerous marine species. Like coral reefs, the algae mats are critical habitats and mahi-mahi, tuna, billfish, eels, shrimp, crabs and sea turtles all use the algae to spawn, feed or hide from predators.

But some scientists believe the sargassum besieging a growing number of beaches may actually be due to blooms in the Atlantic's equatorial region, perhaps because of a high flow of nutrients from South America's Amazon and Orinoco Rivers mixing with warmer ocean temperatures.

"We think this is an ongoing equatorial regional event and our research has found no direct connection with the Sargasso Sea," said Jim Franks, senior research scientist at the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory.

Whatever the reason, the massive sargassum flow is becoming a major challenge for tourism-dependent countries. In large doses, the algae harms coastal environments, even causing the deaths of endangered sea turtle hatchlings after they wriggle out of the sand where their eggs were buried. Cleanup efforts by work crews may also worsen beach erosion.

"We have heard reports of recently hatched sea turtles getting caught in the seaweed. If removal of seaweed involves large machinery that will also obviously cause impacts to the beaches and the ecosystems there," said Faith Bulger, program officer at the Washington-based Sargasso Sea Commission.

Mexican authorities recently said they will spend about $9.1 million and hire 4,600 temporary workers to clean up seaweed mounds accumulating along that country's Caribbean coast. Part of the money will be used to test whether the sargassum can be collected at sea before it reaches shore.

Some tourists in hard-hit areas are trying to prevent their summer vacations from being ruined by the stinking algae.

"The smell of seaweed is terrible, but I'm enjoying the sun," German tourist Oliver Pahlke said during a visit to Cancun, Mexico.

Sitting at a picnic table on the south coast of Barbados, Canadian vacationer Anne Alma said reports of the rotting seaweed mounds she'd heard from friends did not dissuade her from visiting the Eastern Caribbean island.

"I just wonder where the seaweed is going to go," the Toronto resident said one recent morning, watching more of mats drift to shore even after crews had already trucked away big piles to use as mulch and fertilizers.

source: philstar.com

Hip-hug hostel

Creak… Squeak… The spring bed above me started moving ever so slightly. A hint of a rhythmic rattle. Slowly at first — just a steady to and fro — then the pace quickened and the pace was more definite and the sounds of the springs on the bed were forceful. It was a cheaper hostel so the bed squeaked loudly and the upper bunk bed was only an arm’s reach from my head, very close to me. I could hear the heavy breathing of the sleeper above me climb to full volume, in tune with the rapid shaking of the springs… then, silence. Finished. And since it was two in the morning, I was relieved — until a few minutes later when the steady, slow chirping of the bunk bed springs started their rhythm again.

The scene played all night, and by the fifth episode, I could not help myself from whispering,  “ Please… enough!” It was 5 a.m. and the bunkmate was too far into the beat; he could not stop.

Welcome to the world of hostels in Edinburgh, Scotland. After spending four months in many hostels, I have become a pro at meeting people from different countries. Some would describe hostels as a place where one can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, and guests are free to behave as they wish. Sleeping dormitory-style, there are no mother superiors to regulate, and with a majority of guests under the age of 30, the forms of acceptable conduct are very flexible. Strangers have beds beside one another, men and women mixed in a room. Prices vary, with a four-bunk bedroom in Scotland charging about 19 British pounds on weekends and a dorm with 16 bunk beds costing 12 pounds per night on weekdays. Shared bathrooms, kitchens and lounges are designed to give guests an atmosphere whereby one can meet and be met.

Castle Rock has 300 beds and windows looking out onto the Edinburgh Castle. Cowgate Hostel, another favorite, swings with its 120 beds set up apartment-style. Many tourists are new college graduates, or candidates writing their theses for their doctorates; then there are the elders; very few bring children. Each guest averages two nights before they move on to their next adventure. In such an atmosphere, close friendships are made quickly, knowing there are only hours before it is time to say goodbye.

Every day is different and more so in a hostel where one is exposed to 12 strangers upon waking up. A plan to cook breakfast turned into bop dancing in the kitchen with Misha, an art student who is preparing to take her master’s in Switzerland. The Swiss subsidize their universities so citizens have free education. Her boyfriend had just graduated from an art school in New York. Together they have been hitchhiking for three weeks around the northern part of Scotland, getting off wherever the scene takes their fancy and climbing mountains whenever they please. Staying in a hostel where they can have a proper shower and a bed serves as a refreshing change for backpackers like them.

One afternoon, three adventurous, fully made-up ladies walked into the kitchen and asked if they could switch my music from Chopin’s mellow piano symphony to their contagious rhythmic beat. What started as a session to prepare for dinner became a booty-bumping, swirling dance led by these beautiful girls from Fife, an area in Scotland; we jiggled our bodies for over two hours as we danced the butt dance to the bass sounds which came from my Samsung phone.

That’s hostel life. A lady whom I came to call Turkish Delight transferred from the room we were in and moved into another dorm where a man she had been eyeing was staying.  By morning, they were sharing the same bed.

Just beside them, three Brazilian students were discussing their plans. It turns out that they joined a one-year course to learn how to speak English. Brazilians are also fortunate because all they have to do is send a letter of acceptance from any learning institution and their government will pay the tuition fees.

It’s easy to start a conversation in hostels: “Where are you from? Where are you going? How long are you staying…?” And after taking the effort to translate into their language whatever greeting we give, the friendship begins. Somehow, guests end up helping one another: sharing food, lending shampoo and letting each other know how to move around and where to go. 

Bathroom use is the tricky part. Hovering over the loo (the British term for the toilet) — well, “hovering over the loo” is literally the act of floating above the toilet seat. One needs to use his or her wits to conquer the loo problem. In every hostel, there are some toilets and showers that work better than others. Learning the timing of when to use the bathrooms is also a useful skill. The cleaners wait until most of the guests finish using the showers before they start to clean. I wait for the cleaners to do the bathrooms before I shower.

Every day there is a story to tell and this one is particularly memorable. It was Saturday early morning, about 5 a.m.  Many partygoers were trickling into their beds, complete with makeup and tattered jeans, struggling to creep up silently on the wooden bunk beds. This time the handmade wooden beds were solid — no creaking platforms — when suddenly I heard a THUMP. Oh, no! The thought that one of these youngsters had fallen off her bed from a drunken state concerned me. “Are you all right?” I whispered into the dark cold room.

There were 16 beds in this room and no light shone. “Are you all right?” I again asked the girl whose moans aroused my hesitant concern. Then, in the dark, I heard a Scottish lad saying, “You are so tight.” (Note: “Tight” can mean two things here: the Brits use it to describe someone who’s drunk; or else, it can mean something else…) Anyway, he repeated this about 10 times — that is when I knew that the lady had survived and the loud thump was not someone falling off the bed. Soon enough, the male voice repeated over and over again: “I am sorry… I am sorry…”

Next morning, I saw a foil of king-size condoms near the bed. Unopened.

source: philstar.com

Mexico struggles to clean seaweed surge from Cancun beaches

MEXICO CITY  — Authorities on Mexico's Caribbean coast said Monday they are redoubling efforts to remove tons of sargassum seaweed that has been washing ashore in recent weeks.

The state government of Quintana Roo, where the resort of Cancun is located, said there have been no reports of tourists cancelling visits because of the problem.

Gov. Roberto Borge said the seaweed removal efforts will focus on much of the coast, from Holbox in the north down past Tulum to the south.

Photos issued by the Cancun city government show piles of brown seaweed on some normally pristine white beaches. By last week, the city said it had raked or shoveled up 500 cubic meters of sargassum.

Borge said the cause of the invasion is still unknown, though it could be due to high levels of nutrients in ocean water or changes in ocean temperatures, currents or wind patterns.

Authorities have to be careful, because there are two groups of visitors they don't want to disturb with overly aggressive removal efforts: nesting sea turtles that return to the Caribbean beaches to lay their eggs, and tourists.

Borge said the effort would take care not to cause erosion on the beaches, which has been a problem in Cancun in the past.

The government announced the formation of a task force of naval and environmental authorities to study the problem. Authorities are also researching ways to use or dispose of the seaweed mounds.

Sargassum is an algae that grows in the Sargasso Sea, a large body of warm water in the mid-Atlantic.

Officials in the Caribbean island of Barbados have also struggled with seaweed washing ashore, and large piles of sargassum washed up on the shore in Galveston, Texas, in 2014 after drifting into the Gulf of Mexico.

source: philstar.com

Caribbean reports record number of tourists, spending in '14

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A record 26.3 million people traveled to the Caribbean last year and spent an unprecedented amount of money in what is considered the world's most tourism-dependent region, officials said Tuesday.

It is the fifth consecutive year that the Caribbean has reported an increase in tourists following an economic crisis that forced resorts to shut down and caused a drop in visitors and spending.

Hugh Riley, the Caribbean Tourism Organization's secretary general, said Caribbean tourism rose by 5.3 percent, while the worldwide tourism growth rate was 4.7 percent.

Officials attributed the increase in part to improvements at airports around the region, the opening of new hotel chains and an increase in direct flights and airline seat capacity.

The Dutch Caribbean saw the most growth, with Aruba for the first time reporting more than 1 million visitors. The Dominican Republic, Cuba and Jamaica also saw an unprecedented number of visitors. Smaller destinations including Haiti, St. Lucia and Belize reported a record number of stay-over arrivals.

A surge in visitors from Canada, the U.S. and Europe helped set those records.


"It tells us that stability is returning to the market," said Richard Sealy, chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

Tourists overall spent more than $29 billion in the Caribbean last year, an increase of more than $1 billion over the previous year.

The region also welcomed nearly 24 million cruise ship passengers last year, an 8 percent increase, though Winfield Griffith, the organization's research director, said he expected "another shift away from the Caribbean as the cruise lines try to diversity their product" in 2015.

Tourism officials also are keeping an eye on Cuba, with the island expected to attract far more tourists this year as relations between the U.S. and Cuba begin to thaw.

Riley said the organization plans to promote multi-destination travel to ease the potential impact on other islands.

source: philstar.com

Refund your Oyster or help charity

Do you have an Oyster card which you bought for lols that time you went to London and then completely forgot about?

Well then you should check out if you can get the spare money back, as there’s £124 million on them (not yours, but loads in general)

Transport for London reckon – out of the 75 million cards issued since time began (2003) – that there’s around 28 million cards that haven’t been used for over a year, and THESE have a combined amount of £64 million on them. Lordy. TfL also has £59.5 million in deposits on these cards too.

Once you’ve found your card, here’s what you can do:

Phone: call 0343 222 1234 with your Oyster number to hand and go through all the security questions, get the nice person on the other end to cancel your card, which you then send to TfL’s customer services HQ to get a full refund of your credit and deposit via bank transfer, cheque, or TfL website credit.

Post: Complete a TfL refund form and send it in to TfL with your Oyster. (Admittedly, if you live in, say, outside of London, a TfL refund form may be difficult to come by).

Person: You can apply for a refund at any London Underground ticket office (BE QUICK WHILE THEY STILL USE HUMANS) and someone will be able to help you.

If the payment method you originally used was a debit or credit card that’s since expired, you can ask for the refund to be transferred to a nominated bank account or to receive it via cheque. If you haven’t registered your card, you’ll need to show some form of ID in order to get the refund. You can’t get a refund on behalf of someone else.

If you can’t be arsed to do any of this, and fancy being nice, TfL donate unused cards to charity, and the spare cash goes to the Railway Children charity which helps nippers on the streets of Africa, India and the UK. Which is quite nice isn’t it? (Although you’ll probably go for the refund though eh?).

source: bitterwallet.com

Affairs of the heart in Brunei

I often say, “Fairy tales do come true.” In Brunei, they still do. This thought was further validated when I recently attended the book launch of the fashion doyenne of Brunei, Dayang Anyati Abdullah Orcullo. She launched her book Brunei Malay Wedding in festive ceremonies at her family-owned Rizqun International Hotel at the heart of  Abdul Razak Complex in Gadong, Brunei.

Beautiful photographs of real Brunei-Malay weddings and personal accounts of Anyati’s beginnings and her journey in her most illustrious career were highlighted. These stunning life-size photographs that looked more like oil paintings displayed in the executive floor of the Rizqun Hotel come from her vast repository of distinguished clients whose royal ensemble Anyati lovingly and magnificently created.

This multi-talented lady is not just a book author and a fashion designer but also a lady who cooks and bakes very well for family and friends on special occasions. Anyati loves to prepare beautiful table arrangements and hosts the most gracious parties. She is also in the process of completing her lifestyle cook book, which will feature not just amazing recipes but will also give advice on how to prepare the most simple to the most elaborate party or event settings.

A former English teacher at Western Mindanao State University, Anyati hails from Zamboanga and Davao and has ingenuously integrated into the Brunei-Malay culture yet cherishes her Filipino ancestry as well.

Her lavish book launch was attended by her guest of honor, Brunei’s Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Datin Paduka Dayang Hajah Adina binti Ohtman, among numerous ambassadors, high-placed officials, uppity clients and well-meaning friends from Manila. Anyati shared that the new coffee table book is in line with the ratification of the UNESCO convention for the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011 and the commitment to protecting cultural and natural heritage.

The Deputy Minister further said that this coffee table book is a “national treasure” with its priceless documentation of the rich ancestry and heritage of Brunei Darussalam — known as the Abode of Peace. “Preserving tangible works like these is not just for posterity but also for the continuous survival of these cultural practices,” he said. The book showcased the traditional Malayan wear with a special and ingenuous twist that only Anyati can think of.


It is a very engaging book that features not just stunning gowns, but also instills in the reader the beauty and glory of this very rich culture. Anyati’s fabulous collections of Brunei Malay wedding dresses, Baju Kurung and Baju Kebaya, are, in her words, fashionably rich in traditional heritage yet designed to remain classic in a society where cultural values require modesty. She encourages everyone to experience a kaleidoscope of colors in traditional wedding ensembles, priceless jewels and exquisitely hand-woven Tenunan, embellished with a fusion of embroidery and bead works. Truly, this book proves that Anyati is a fashion designer who has a deep comprehension and respect for tradition and culture.

The photos showcased fairytale weddings that many dream of. Anyati shared that in the past, couples would get married at least eight times in very lavish ceremonies. Today, couples renew their vows regularly.

She mentioned in a very poignant video presentation the uniqueness of Brunei’s identity and highlighted the need to preserve and safeguard the continued tradition of Malay weddings.

Anyati thanked her gorgeous brides and other clients who collaborated with her in creating her coffee table book and lending their wedding gowns to be exhibited. She cited their valuable contributions, which will be remembered throughout history. She said, “Your beautiful images captured by our very talented local photographers, enhanced by the creative hands of the makeup artists, are together frozen in time, encapsulated in one collection that tells a story of traditions, culture and heritage. Be proud of your heritage, be proud of your identity, and be proud of being a Bruneian.”

After attending the book launch of Anyati, our Miladay creative consultant Mike Mina, who used to work for Brunei’s six-star Empire Hotel where we first met him, dear friends Carlo Rojas and Vernon Prieto and I embarked on a tour around Brunei to discover this nation’s beauty and culture furthermore.





For the uninitiated, Brunei is just an hour and a half away by flight from Manila. A country rich in culture and heritage, it is a small, peaceful, prayerful and prosperous kingdom on the southern shore of the ecologically rich and island of Borneo. The oil-rich country invites one and all to discover its unexpected treasures.

Brunei is best known as an oil producing country whose history dates back more than 1,500 years. Today, it remains the world’s only Malay Islamic monarchy with an unbroken royal lineage that has ruled the nation for the past 600 years.

Stunning attractions include the Omar “Ali” Saifuddien Mosque, an iconic landmark completed in 1958; Istana Nurul Iman, which is the official residence of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, the Royal Sultan and his family. It is only open to the public during the Raya Aidil Fitri. With its golden domes and vaulted roof, it resembled a magical fairyland that glistened under a bright full moon. The Royal Regalia Building is home to a collection of royal regalia including the royal chariot in gold and silver armory. It also houses jewel-encrusted crowns used during the coronation.

Where in the world will you find a nation with approximately 450,000 people and 600,000 cars, where each citizen is cared for by the Sultan who provides for housing, schooling and even health care? If there is no doctor who can attend to your specific illness, the government will send you to any part of the world where your specialist can be found. The Sultan sends the citizens of Brunei to where they wish to pursue further studies in the field of medicine; engineering and the like provided they return to their country to give back what they have learned.

Aboard Royal Brunei Air en route to Hong Kong, prayers on the video screen were dedicated to travellers — those left behind, those who would be met along the way. It is touching that this airline has prayers before takeoff. I gently turned the glorious pages of the Brunei-Malay Wedding book and fell in love with this rich culture of beauty and diversity.

Indeed, I will always associate the majestic kingdom of Brunei with dreamy weddings, new beginnings and happy endings. Anyati has captured and celebrated several “I do” ceremonies where life and love take center stage.

After all, fairy tales do come true, in the coffee table book Brunei-Malay Wedding, you will witness vicariously that they still do.

The Brunei-Malay Wedding book will soon be available online. Log on to Anyati’s website www.anyati.com.

source: philstar.com

World tourist numbers surge to nearly 1.1 billion

MADRID - International tourist numbers surged to nearly 1.1 billion in 2013 in defiance of global economic troubles, with Asia-Pacific destinations enjoying the fastest growth, a United Nations body said Monday.

The rise in tourism coincided with sluggish economic growth worldwide and unrest in top destinations such as Egypt, shunned by visitors fearful of the turmoil unleashed by the army's ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July.

Despite those troubles, the number of international tourist arrivals beat expectations by soaring five percent to 1.09 billion in 2013, the UN World Tourism Organization said in a report, tipping further growth in 2014.

"The tourism sector has shown a remarkable capacity to adjust to the changing market conditions, fuelling growth and job creation around the world, despite the lingering economic and geopolitical challenges," said the UN body's secretary general, Taleb Rifai.

"Indeed, tourism has been among the few sectors generating positive news for many economies," he said, hailing 2013 as an "excellent year".

Expectations of stronger economic activity set the scene for a further expansion in tourism in 2014 with international arrivals expected to grow again by 4.0-4.5 percent in 2014, the body said, urging countries to support fair and sustainable growth in the sector.

International tourist arrivals rose at the fastest rate in the Asia-Pacific region, where numbers were up by six percent to 248 million, it said. Southeast Asia performed best, with arrivals up 10 percent.

Europe, however, remained the biggest destination overall, with international tourist arrivals up five percent to 563 million.

In the Americas, arrivals grew by four percent to 169 million.

The number of international tourists arriving in Africa grew by six percent to 56 million.

But results in the Middle East were "mixed and volatile", with arrivals from other countries unchanged at 56 million, the report said.

Among countries of origin, Chinese tourists -- already leading the way with expenditure of $102 billion in 2012 -- pushed up total spending by 28 percent in the first nine months of 2013, the UN body said.

Tourists from Russia, the fifth largest country of origin of international tourists, drove up spending by 26 percent in the same period, it said.

source: interaksyon.com

Chilling out in Germany’s Christmas markets

It’s a Filipino fantasy: snow-covered trees, horse-drawn carriages, and chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Many from this tropical paradise imagine a different kind of paradise — a snowflaked paradise — so it’s not so surprising that some Filipinos dream of a white Christmas.

Of course, Filipinos and snow may seem like an odd match: like fire and ice, oil and water, or James Franco hosting the Oscars.

But Insight Vacations makes that particular fantasy a reality. Thanks to tour sponsor Rajah Travel, we were able to experience an eight-day journey through history, rich in Christmas tradition. Imagine snowy castles in the Tyrols, or driving through the Black Forest, or ice-skating in Mozart’s city of Salzburg. With an eight-day coach ride through the Christmas markets of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the “Winter Wonderland Tour” is a unique way for Filipinos to explore — or get over — their fascination with snow.

The Christmas markets are another treat for Pinoys. Imagine all the handcrafted items you can stuff into maletas — nutcrackers and stuffed animals, train sets and wooden toys, intricate snowflake ornaments, beautiful handmade jewelry. The Philippines has its Christmas bazaars, but Germany has centuries of tradition behind it: the Christmas markets are places where everyone, young and old, gathers in town squares to listen to youth choirs, drink warmed wine or cider, ride on carousels and eat, eat, eat.

First thing to realize about an Insight Winter Wonderland Tour is that it is going to be cold: offered between mid-November and mid-December, it’s the “ber” months for real: temperatures in Germany, Austria and Switzerland can drop below zero Celsius, so bring lots of layers, warm footwear (avoid high heels because you’ll be clambering over snow and ice at times), and wool hats to preserve body heat.




DAY 1 & 2: BRATWURST IN FRANKFURT

AND ROTHENBURG

Start in the city of Frankfurt, where the local Christmas market in Mainz is warmed up by glühwein (or “glow wine”), served at helpful kiosks every five feet or so: it’s mulled wine, usually red port heated up with sugar, cinnamon, cloves and other spices. The glühwein comes in a ceramic cup that you can return for the two-euro deposit or keep as a souvenir.

Around the Mainz market, enjoy the larger-than-life wooden belen display, or take in the many handcrafted ornaments. Artisan candles and German versions of parol lanterns are on display. Everyone’s eating and drinking; some are buying. It’s charming, and instills a warm feeling of Christmas. In our travels, we even encountered a German schoolgirl choir singing and collecting money for Yolanda typhoon victims. If that doesn’t warm the cockles and put you in the spirit of giving, nothing will.

Heading southeast, we traveled to Rothenburg, a walled city with a charming town center (it was particularly charming to Adolf Hitler, who urged Germans to visit the preserved town to see what “true” Germany looked like). Walking through the market square of Alstadt, you are quickly transported back to the 16th century: listen to public performers, load up on bratwurst or schnitzel and try the area’s favorite schneeballen, or snowball pastries (which, to us, tasted like baseball-sized day-old donuts).

DAY 3: MUNCHIN’ IN MUNCHEN


It’s the place where Palestinian terrorists shattered the 1972 Olympic Games, killing nine Israeli athletes. It’s the place where Hitler staged his Munich beer hall rally at Hofbräuhaus Am Platzl to gain support for the National Socialist Party. On the other hand, Munich (or München) is home to Oktoberfest, BMW’s high-tech headquarters and lovely Marienplatz, with its Glockenspiel Tower tolling the noon hour daily. In short, there’s a lot to see in Munich, the capital of Bavaria, and a lot to buy: the Christmas market here is particularly beautiful at night, with store windows showcasing elaborate teddy bear dioramas in motion. An enormous pine tree is hauled in and lit up for the holidays. Head over to the university plazas and stop in at Hofbräuhaus for a taste of pig knuckles and sauerkraut, and a tankard of its patented beer (it still functions as a state brewery). It also operates one of the biggest beer tents during Oktoberfest. If you haven’t been, this involves tens of thousands of people drinking beer simultaneously, and constantly, for 16 days, at the chant of “Einz, Zwei, G’suffa” (“One, two, down the hatch…”) Naturally, such festivity involves a lot of daily cleanup and hosing down of the streets, as people pass out wherever (“Beer corpses”) or toss their cookies.

While still in Bavaria, our Insight Tour took us to one of Mad King Ludwig’s castles — not the one that inspired Walt Disney, but a smaller summer palace up in the snowy hills called Linderhof. Old Ludwig II wasn’t mad, exactly; just a tad eccentric, a lonely figure who loved peacocks and swans (he was known as the Swan King as well as the Moon King). His only completed castle is a cozy, restrained affair, a homage to his favorite ruler, King Louis XIV and his Sun King domain at Versailles.

Our Mercedes-Benz coach next took us to Oberammergau, a truly unique town in the Bavarian hills that stages a Passion play in its town center once every 10 years. (The next is in 2020, if you’re planning ahead.) The reason? Local clerics and townspeople during the late 1600s made a promise to God that, if He spared Oberammergau from the Bubonic Plague, they’d stage a passion play every decade. God apparently came through, so the townspeople hold an elaborate performance in a local theater called Passionspielhaus that lasts for up to seven hours. The town itself is quiet and charming, with its population of about 800 (the Passion Play cast of thousands is largely imported); its houses are decorated in Passion motifs, and stores sell the most ornate hand-carved crucifixes I’ve seen outside of Bethlehem. After a series of tourist complaints in 2000 and 2010, though, the town reportedly struck numerous anti-Semitic references from its play, which were apparently inserted at Hitler’s insistence and never quite excised. Hopefully, Mel Gibson won’t be directing the next staging.

DAY 4: THE HILLS ARE ALIVE…

AND A CUP IN MOZART’S FAVE CAFÉ

We cross over to Austria, and while winter is perhaps not the ideal time to explore the hometown of the Von Trapp family and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, it is a perfect time for Christmas shopping and ice skating near the Mozart statue. A UNESCO Heritage Site, Salzburg has much more to offer than its old claim to fame as “salt city” (the surrounding salt mines made the town rich in pre-Frigidaire days). Visit Mirabell Gardens where Maria taught the Von Trapp kids how to “do-re-mi” (and maybe do your own poses with the statues there), travel by funicular up to Hohensalzburg Castle for a grand view of the town below. Or, if you’re like me, start your Christmas shopping in the town square, then feast on a hot bowl of goulash before repairing to Café Tomaselli, a place that Mozart frequented daily, though he reportedly disliked the “moldy” lemonade there. Inside, it evokes old-world charm despite its obvious tourist clientele. Sit in a corner booth and enjoy coffee culture the Austrian way: with a rich froth, strong brew, and a spoon resting on the adjacent glass of water.

In the evenings, Insight offers optional excursions (these are paid for separately during the tour, ranging from 39 to 60 euros, so bring extra cash) that can range from a horse and carriage ride in the Tyrols, to a sunset cruise on Lake Lucerne, to a special dinner in a typical Austrian chalet that doubles as a dairy farm. We were pleased to dine with such a family, and it was a great opportunity to sit in a cozy chalet and try the local elderberry wine, home-baked bread and homegrown lamb, plus see how the family maintains its organic lifestyle.





DAY 5: STEP INTO INNSBRUCK’S TIME MACHINE

Still in Austria, we go for a bit of schnapps and cured beef in Innsbruck’s Christmas market. Other than its famed Golden Roof in the town center, decorated with 2,783 fire-gilded copper tiles for Emperor Maximilian I’s wedding, Innsbruck is nestled between majestic mountains and offers gorgeous views of the countryside and gabled houses from the Old Inn Bridge (crossing the river Inn). So many German and Austrian towns have preserved their old-world charm, despite heavy bombing during the Second World War; it’s a rare treat for Filipinos to take in life pretty much as it was 200 years ago (well, except for the modern street mimes and yoga cultists who contort for spare change on the cobblestoned streets).

On our way to Switzerland the next morning, our Insight coach passed through Liechtenstein, which is the sixth smallest country in the world. Honestly, I’ve been to Liechtenstein twice now, and I’ve yet to detect anything charming about it. Certainly, its secluded climes and airtight bank accounts have been attractive tax havens in the past, according to our Insight tour director, Rob Lintott. The city center has little to recommend it, other than public art that seems like an afterthought, and the chance to take a few quick snaps and say “I set foot in the sixth smallest country in the world.” It’s a place that, at the end of the day, doesn’t really want to be noticed; yet tour buses pass through it every day, for about an hour, before packing up and moving along.

DAY 6 & 7: LUCERNE’S LAKES AND STONE LIONS

Lucerne has a tragic story, about its Swiss Guards being hired to protect the French monarchy during the French Revolution, only to be sacrificed and massacred by angry crowds as King Louis XVI and family escaped unharmed. True, the Swiss were hired mercenaries, but that doesn’t detract from the overall effect of the Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal) carved in a sandstone cliff near the town’s center. Mark Twain called it  “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world,” with its lion figure (representing the Swiss soldiers) in death throes, protecting the French fleur-de-lis as a spear stabs its back. A more modern symbol of Swiss protection can be found at Bucherer, a nearby luxe shop that sells Victorinox Swiss Army knives (not to mention Rolexes) to eager tourists. The Christmas markets here are smaller, more social events than proper shopping venues; so perhaps instead spend the afternoon buying chocolate and enjoying a sunset cruise on Lake Lucerne, with Mt. Pilatus looming majestically in the background. Glimpse Richard Wagner’s lakeside house as you drift by, savoring the biting early December air while you quaff a local Eichoff beer, or perhaps a Lowenbrau. If the weather’s clear, take a cable car ride up the snow-capped Jungfrau and Eiger peaks. Nearer town, explore the Chapel Bridge, a 14th-century wooden structure that crosses the lake. Few photo ops are as pristine as this, capturing the beauty of this part of Europe.

If you happen to be in town on Dec. 5, Lucerne offers one of the stranger Christmas pageants I’ve encountered: the Santa Claus Parade here involves townspeople dressed in white hoodies clanging on barrels strapped to their waists in an almost sinister procession; behind them strides St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus, followed by black-faced and black-attired folk who represent “dark forces”; periodically, these figures streak out into the watching crowds and smear the children with charcoal. Still, it’s not as bizarre as Klausjagen (“Chasing the Claus”), held in nearby Kussnacht the same night, in which townspeople clang cowbells all night long and chase Santa through town with whips. Different strokes for different folks, as they say.

DAY 7 & 8: BLACK FOREST CAKE AND CUCKOOS

Our tour winds up passing through the Black Forest, famous for its cuckoo clocks and carvings and cherry-layered chocolate cake. It’s this pine-covered countryside that led the Brothers Grimm to head into the woods, pen quills in hand, to collect local folk beliefs and lore and compile them into fairytales that are as dark as the forests themselves.

Our Winter Wonderland landed us finally in Heidelberg, which of course has a Filipino connection: Jose Rizal studied here, and also wrote poems such as “Flowers of Heidelberg” during his stay. There is reputedly a statue of Rizal somewhere in this university town, though you’d have to work your way through a lot of schnitzel, carousels and Christmas markets to find it in snowy December.

source: philstar.com

Four days in Yangon

Yangon today reminds me of China in the early ’90s when the latter had just decided to open up to capitalism and the West.  Just 20 years ago the main form of transport for the average Beijing resident was a bicycle and the tallest buildings in Shanghai were the colonial structures along the Bund.  Then, one could look up and see a great deal of clear sky, walk around and peek into centuries-old streets and homes still populated by their original communities.  One could still immerse oneself in a type of living that was not frantic as we like it now in more developed places in Asia, but unhurried and far more in tune with a human being’s real needs-food, shelter, light company. Similarly, the urban landscape of Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar (once Burma) and still its largest city, is one I had never thought to see again, harking back, as it does, to an era I associate with the East India Company and the author of The Jungle Book.

Development is coming to Yangon — you can tell by the rising levels of dust — but so far, newer and less interesting block buildings are still outnumbered by British colonial buildings, government, religious or residential, alternating between the refurbished and crumbling.  Driving around the city, one passes brick villas succumbing to the small forests that have overrun abandoned estates, towering bright red and white cathedrals, confections of perfectly turned out colonial era government buildings and squat, sturdy and still useful early twentieth century hospitals and schools.  Walking back to my hotel from a meeting by the river, I meandered through streets lined with colorful four-, even five-story high pre-war residential structures, their upper floors accessible only by narrow steep stairs, their pocked balustrades covered with drying clothes, ropes and potted plants.

One evening I had dinner at a small restaurant, run by a street children foundation, located on the second floor of one of these buildings. I was the only one there and the young men in charge thoughtfully set my table on the small terrace overlooking the street.  As I chewed on my traditional Burmese tea leaf salad and wondered whether I would go into anaphylactic shock from the peanuts I was sure were in it, I gazed on the pretty toddler in a white dress trying to clamber onto or through the green stone balustrade bordering the terrace just opposite mine and the groups of people squatted down in low stools and tables at the yoghurt restaurant which had taken up much of the street below.

The streets of downtown Yangon are arranged in a grid and seemed each to be devoted to one or other good or trade; one was dominated by graphic design shops, another to metal tools, still another was home to a wet market and another to a large structure filled with every kind of cloth — cloths for blankets, towels, or traditional longyis. The streets to the north of the city are more winding, taking one around cool, leafy suburbs of sprawling hotels, golf courses and palatial mansions which would not look out of place in Singapore.  The latter, bordered by high walls covered by rows of lethal-looking razor wire, reminded me that, as is true for most beautiful things, Yangon, for all its grace and charm, has much darker stories to tell.

It is in this area, close to the smaller of the city’s two lakes, that the Bogyoke Aung San Museum is located.  Once open only for three hours a year on Martyr’s Day, the white and black colonial-era villa was the last home of General Aung San, founder of the country’s modern army, author of its freedom from British colonial rule and father of its most famous dissident, Aung San Suu Kyi.  Built on top of a terraced hill, one which the general apparently farmed himself, the museum houses old photographs of the family, of the General himself, a strikingly handsome man with a resolute gaze in his 30s, and, idiosyncratically, a replica of the kind of simple meal he liked to eat and a small collection of his books, including a full list of them posted on a piece of paper tacked to the wall above the locked glass book shelf.  It made sense that the list was made up mostly by books on strategy and war.  At the bottom of the hill is a small green pond where, not long after the General’s assassination, his second son drowned.



 I have saved a description of the most awe-inspiring sight in Yangon for last, seeing as the sight of what Rudyard Kipling called “Burma’s greatest pagoda” blazing in the night was the thing I saw of Myanmar before my plane wheeled away for home.  The Shwedagon Pagoda is built on top of a hill and dominates the skyline of Yangon.  Guarded at one of its four gates by two colossal lions from which issued the longest murmuration I had ever seen, it can only be reached by a waterfall of of steep stairs (there are also now escalators).  At the end of the climb one finds oneself on a platform of white stone surrounded on all sides by hundreds of Buddhas, stupas and lesser pagodas, ranging from the dazzling and filigreed to the simple and elegant, throwing in a few garish ones for good measure.   And towering above everything, gilded in actual gold, its top encrusted with thousands of diamonds, including a 70-carat one, is that, as Kipling described it, “beautiful winking wonder that blazed in the sun,” that “golden dome (which) said ‘This is Burma, and it will be quite unlike any land you know about.’”

source: philstar.com

The Peninsula Manila and The Farm at San Benito create new wellness menu

The Peninsula Manila Hotel invites us to embrace wellness and experience the restorative powers of nature with its newly expanded 360º Wellness, Naturally, Peninsula menu, a collaborative effort between the talented culinary teams of The Peninsula and The Farm at San Benito, one of the world’s foremost health and wellness resorts, located 90 minutes away from Metro Manila.

The new menu introduces a wide variety of lighter dining fare using natural herbs and spices, together with other organic produce from reputable and sustainable sources, live and raw foods and no meat, fish, fowl, dairy, eggs, butter, cholesterol or saturated fats from animals or animal by-products.

This echoes The Peninsula Manila’s “Naturally Peninsula” cuisine philosophy that focuses on a non-clinical and holistic approach to wellness by harnessing the botanical benefits of nature.

This same philosophy is shared by the chefs of The Farm at San Benito  who have won numerous best cuisine awards, including  winning the “Spa Cuisine of the Year” two years in a row from Asia Spa Magazine. Upon the guidance of The Farm’s chefs, the Peninsula Manila’s new 360° Wellness, Naturally Peninsula menu does not use any flour, wheat, grain, sugar, canned, or anything that is processed, boxed or packaged.

Dishes under this menu are also to be cooked only with certified organic extra virgin olive oil and Absolutely No Heat Process (ANH) virgin coconut oil. Working closely with the Peninsula’s Executive Chef Richard Green and his team, both stellar kitchens have identified and incorporated local ingredients into signature dishes that will ultimately enhance a guest’s destination-inspired experience.

Guest dining in the hotel’s various dining outlets will delight not just in the surprisingly more flavorful take on health food, but also in the knowledge that they are eating ingredients that are free of toxins and harmful chemicals and at the same time helping preserve the environment.

To celebrate the new collaboration, The Farm at San Benito and The Peninsula Manila are launching a joint wellness program package, starting at approximately USD873 (PhP34,916) for two, which includes one-night accommodation at The Peninsula Manila and two-nights’ accommodation at The Farm.

Early Chowbuzz recommendations includes; the Smoked Eggplant-Szechuan dip (90 calories per tablespoon), Mushroom-nut ragout stuffed, Coconut Ravioli with cumin carrot sauce (274 calories per serving), and Penang Curry (174 calories per serving).

• The Peninsula Manila, corners of Ayala and Makati Avenues, Makati City. Tel. no. (+632) 810-3456 or (+632) 887-2888.

source: interaksyon.com

A Palawan getaway at Two Seasons

MANILA, Philippines - There’s a new resort in beautiful Palawan that has been making waves with its world-class facilities and amenities that make it one of the best vacation destinations in the Philippines —Two Seasons Island Resort and Spa.




Two Seasons has two beaches — one on the west and another on the east — that are dotted by tropical gardens, lush mangroves, a house reef and a scenic sandbar that connects to an islet.

The tropical-inspired bungalow accommodations offer privacy and serenity as well as easy access to the beach. Choose from 42 bungalows with views all around and some even equipped with their own Jacuzzi on the veranda. Accommodations are luxurious, well-appointed and  filled with all the amenities you need for an indulgent stay.

A visit to Two Seasons will not be complete without experiencing the soulful bliss that the Narra Spa offers. From its inviting interiors filled with gorgeous narra furniture and indigenous artisan decor to relaxing massages, it can rival popular exclusive spa centers in the world. Highly trained massage therapists provide soothing treatments such as Asian, Polynesian and Contemporary Cosmopolitan while lying on Earthlite spa beds. There are also yoga and meditation classes for a holistic body, mind and soul rejuvenation.

The resort is home to the Pawikan Aqua Sports Center, which provides equipment rental and dive master services for certified divers while non-divers can have the same underwater thrill with the guided Hydrobob Submersible Scooter that allows 180 degrees of clear water views. For those who want to learn how to dive, the facility offers PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) Beginner Courses and PADI Advanced Courses.




Those who crave water sports action will enjoy stand-up paddle boarding, wake boarding, kite boarding, water skiing, sport fishing, banana boat ride, snorkeling and wind surfing.  Kayaking gets an extra kick with the Molokini transparent kayak that allows for visibility of coral reef and underwater sea life.


Day trips to some of the scenic landmarks of Coron that include two lakes and two snorkeling sites are must-do for guests.

Out-of-water activities include board games, computer stations, game rooms, a gymnasium, karaoke room, a pool table and adult and kiddie pools. There’s also a library, a souvenir shop and a gym for health buffs. A well-equipped conference room is available for company or business clients.


Two Seasons can also be the perfect place to have that dream wedding, in the grade or the beachfront or the chapel.

Two Seasons offers are complimentary buffet breakfast, Internet access in select areas, free use of non-motorized water sports equipment and roundtrip land and boat transfers, room service, and flight bookings and island transfer assistance among others

Two Seasons Island Resort and Spa also boasts of being the first eco-friendly island resort in Coron. For information, call 410-2075 to 80; fax  732-1747/ 411-8209, e-mail bliss@twoseasonsresorts.com, visit www.twoseasonsresorts.com or drop by the office at Nena Building, 132-A Bayani Street, corner Araneta Avenue, Quezon City, 1113.

source: philstar.com