travelin' light

Fourth time's a charm...

2011-01-21T04:56:00.000-08:00

Hoi An. The mere mention of the name sends goosebumps to my sun drenched dry skin. My favorite place in Vietnam. Nestled in the center of this 'S' shaped beauty that I've called home for the last 5 years, Hoi An is my refuge from the manic metropolis of Saigon.Maybe it was the season, or maybe it was because I had a warm hand to hold navigating its small winding corners, taking me deeper into

Whisphers in the stones

2010-12-03T05:51:00.000-08:00

After two months and a volcano's wrath has subsided I finally find the time to write about Borobudur. Beautiful Borobudur. A celebratory trip for me and my good friend Vince as he ventures into his fourth decade. A corner I will meet soon enough as well. And I'm sure, when I need him, he will come to take me away to marvel at yet another temple in our on-going adventures of raiding ancient

Singapore stories

2010-09-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Singapore is definitely a "fine" city. A funny caption on one of those tourist t-shirts. But the benefits of having a disciplined and iron clad governance can be quite exhilarating! There is burgeoning creativity at every corner trying to break free from the laws of the land. You see it everywhere... in schools, libraries, galleries, guerrilla advertising and even in the humorous pictogram that

men are like beach dogs

2010-06-26T06:42:00.000-07:00

june 12, 2010 pranburimen are like beach dogs. they instantly know if you are alone and will be needing company. you walk in the gate and they sniff out your crotch, lick your leg and follow you to your room.they show up at all hours, whenever you feel like the empty beach is too peaceful to govern yourself. you throw them a piece of your neatly buttered toast with jam, but they refuse the sweet

notes from a train

2010-06-26T06:30:00.000-07:00

6:15 p.m. june 7, 2010 bkki spot a traveler across from me... he looks like moss as i look like yam. outfits that scream in monochrome, a backpacker's many delights. but his grey scarf draws my eyes further to his fiery red hair. he is on the other side, do i dare wave? climb down and start a conversation? it is time... goodbye, my train chugs ahead and you disappear as the sun does below the

notes from thailand

2010-06-26T06:04:00.000-07:00

2:31 p.m. june 5, 2010 bkkthere is something about the quiet laziness of this day. the heat not helping the dream to subside. i like it. the smell of cloves in chinatown, the flavour of the sweet cake mixed with the old lady's sweaty palms, the reverberating of prayers from monks in crowd free courtyards. i don't think i'll be able to take in the whole city in just a few days. but then again,

Chelsea in Black and White

2010-04-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

Who dares wake up from the technicolor dreams of the glittering neon of the city?A FOOL.Snapping away at every tourist trap attraction to mask the emptiness of footsteps left behind in the wake of a mad rush to lap up all that one can digest.But back behind the frosted window pane of my temporary lodgings, I lie naked to the simple truth. That, in reality things are simple enough to be understood

a homestay guide for wanderlust

2009-12-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

when your sister says come visit... you don't think twice. you immediately file for a long work leave and pray you still have that job when you come back. because believe me, you would want to come back... don't get me wrong, i love spending quality time with the kwitkowski's especially during the holidays. it's probably one of the best memories i have in my life. rewind back 4 years ago when i

Manila, my Manila

2009-11-28T05:18:00.000-08:00

The dirt, grime, traffic, noise, smell... My history, my Manila.Call it what you want, look at it through a bigots' eyes. I don't care what you say, I still love the chaos reflected in the murky waters of the Pasig River and the esteros clogged with garbage. I will never abandon my love for you because you are all that I have. Every time I see you I fall in love again with your savagery. I am

Winter in Hanoi

2009-11-20T01:25:00.000-08:00

The air is crisp, clean but chilly. My boots, are not enough to warm me from the ground up as I walk about. But this is just what I need. I want to feel the snip of the cold through my bones. It makes me feel alive, it jolts me to reality that the romance of Hoan Kiem Lake will dissolve after the sun rises the next day. Yet, why do I allow the city to trick me one last time? I do this because

Open Houses... Open Hearts

2009-10-22T06:41:00.000-07:00