It was part of my bucket list to ride the Mi Teleférica in La Paz, Bolivia and I had a remarkable experience!

Here's a video I made to prove it.

 https://youtu.be/IDY7-m0et2U 

Chiang Mai (Chiengmai or Chiangmai) is the largest city in Northern Thailand, 700 kilometers north of the capital, Bangkok. It can be reached by train (I will write a separate post on how to get there from Bangkok)  or plane from the capital. The last time I travelled to Chiang Mai was in August 2013 where they were celebrating the International Lantern Festival around the city to celebrate the birthday of Queen Sirikit. Major lantern installations were seen around the city and at the Tha Pae Gate. Famous world landmarks were also featured.

This lantern festival is separate and different from Yi Peng, the Festival of Lights celebrated around Thailand with Loi Krathongs (lotus-shaped receptacles) released on water to bring luck and fulfill wishes. Yi Peng happens every November.

I travelled to northwestern India and Vanarassi in 2012 and back then, I only applied for a visa on arrival at the Delhi Airport which was quick and easy. I am toying the idea of going back there because I miss the food and culture of this hate-it-or-love-it destination. Also, I’m going to Myanmar January next year so it will be cheaper to fly from there to India. This time, I’m planning to do Mumbai because well, Bollywood.

The Ganges River, Varanasi, India

Seems like three years is quite a long time as India already change its visa policies for tourists and businessmen. I am quite surprised that, for Filipinos at least, you have to secure an e-Tourist Visa (eTV) at least four (4) days before your planned date of arrival. (I have to note that three years ago, Myanmar, despite its ASEAN membership, required Filipinos to secure tourist visas which isn’t the case at present.)

The eTV is also applicable not only to the Philippines but to other countries: Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Island,Chile, China, China- SAR Hongkong, China- SAR Macau, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand,Nicaragua, Niue Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Macedonia, Russia, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Turks & Caicos Island, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vatican City-Holy See, Venezuela, Vietnam.

The Taj Mahal, Agra, India.

The good news though is everything is done online so you won’t have to go through the burden of appearing at the Indian Embassy for an interview. Fill out the online forms then upload 1) Scanned first page of your passport in PDF format, 10-300kb only; 2) Your jpeg photo, 10kb-1mb, the height and width should be equal (350 x 350 – 1000 x 1000 pixels), the background should be plain light colored or white, without borders and no shadow on your face nor on the background.

After uploading the requirements, you can now pay via debit or credit card. Visa fee is country-specific and non-refundable. Filipinos will have to pay US$48. Click here if you’re a non-Philippine passport holder. Once payment is done, the eTV will sent to your email.

City Palace, Jaipur, India.

The visa’s validity is 30 days from arrival in India and you have to carry your eTV to be presented at the Indian immigration. The eTV is valid for entry at any of the 16 designated Indian airports:  Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum & Varanasi.

Going out of India is much easier as you can exit from any of the authorized Immigration Check Posts (ICPs) in India.  The eTV is allowed for a maximum of two visits in a calendar year but once it’s issued on arrival, it is valid for single entry only.

Also, the Indian Immigration Officer may ask for your return or onward journey ticket and money enough to be spent during your stay in India.

Agra Fort, Agra, India.

So there, I might pursue my plan on January and jai ho my way to Mumbai and Goa maybe?

Taken on September 2012.

I wonder how it feels to be inside this bar. Must be devilish. Taken in Pattaya, Thailand.

Of the two times that I've been to Angkor Wat, I realized it's not as picturesque in real life as in the pictures. Though I love the experience of biking from the Old Market going to the temple, one visit to the temple would suffice.

So I tried something different on my second visit there. I took a picture of the temple using my iPhone 4s using the its Panorama feature and here's how it looks. 

This one is the entrance to the main temple, the lake really looks beautiful in the photo.

Taken on September 2012.

This photo of the road along the tail end of Charles de Gaulle going towards the main gate of the temple is a serene place to chill at side of the lake, watching locals fish or children playing. I haven't seen tourists stop by this side of the lake but locals, especially lovers and families, spend time here during late in the afternoon or at dusk.

Taken on September 2012.

Taken in Phat Phong, Bangkok, Thailand. August 2012.

The heavy traffic of tourists in the red district area of Phat Phong in Bangkok is popular for its night market and sex tourism. Men are always on standby outside a club offering passersby bizaare sex shows like the Ping-Pong Show, Lesbian Show, S&M Show and the likes. Most of these clubs have open doors so passersby can get a glimpse of what's going on inside. The one in the photo, the Heart Beat Club, is surely a crowd drawer.

Taken in Mae Sot, Thailand. March 2012.

Disneyland may be Hongkong's most popular landmark but no tourist should brush off what this city offers best: food. The rich influence of Eastern and Western culture in Hongkong's cuisine is prevalent in its restaurants and street stalls. From noodles, dimsum fish balls, pastry, rice pots, Peking duck, you'll never run out of choices for something to eat. The first time I went to Hongkong in 2008,  I was particularly drawn to their tasty egg tarts, nothing I've ever eaten anywhere. These HK$3 egg tarts are the best! Unfortunately I haven't taken pictures of them.

A typical restaurant in Mong Kok, Hongkong. December 2011.

When I went there last December, I spent a lot of time in Mong Kok. A place popular as a shopping area where new trends in fashion, electronics, gadgets are sold at bargain prices. I've heard that a popular GFX and post-production house is located in Mong Kok as well as several love hotels (inspired by Filipino short-time motels, yes). After a tiring day of bargaining and shopping, the restos around Mong Kok are the best places to spend your dinner.

An interesting menu offering exotic rice pots. Fresh frog and preserved duck's legs, anyone? December 2011.

The typical Hongkong restaurant is small, crowded and noisy, located beside the street. Usually, they have pieces of pre-cooked Peking ducks or pork meat hanging in front, not a reason to be intimidated though. The first time I ate in a jampacked small resto there, I was caught off guard when the owner pulled someone in to sit at a chair in my table that was good for two . A funny, awkward situation where I had to eat in front of a stranger. I guess that's how they maximize their space. Also note that most restaurant staff shout at each other but I reckon they're not fighting.

Not one with a stomach for frogs, I ordered chicken with mushroom rice pot.

In Mongkok, restaurants start to get full of hungry shoppers by 6pm, most of them have tables located outside occupying the sidewalk space and parts of the street. I particularly like the rice pots, a kind of dish where rice in a claypot with your choice of topping is cooked over charcoal. You can end your meal scraping pieces of crispy burnt rice at the bottom of the pot.

The best way to quench your thirst after a day's shopping is the milk tea.

And here's the best part. Milk teas. A form of beverage made of black tea and milk which can be consumed either hot or cold. Bubble teas, the ones that came from Taiwan, have become quite popular in Hongkong, too. Bubble tea is a tea-based drink mixed with fruit or milk usually with ice and small chewy black tapioca balls commonly known as "pearls". A lovely way to quench your thirst when shopping's done at the end of the day.

Don't forget to check out the Tsim Sha Tsui area if you're up for exotic food. 

Chiang Mai Train Station. July 2012.

There's something about trains that is romantic. Probably because I grew up not seeing or riding one until early this year. What a sight looking at the hustle of intertwining lives bumping into one another that make up the organized chaos that makes sense and doesn't at the same time. Different stories of people going to the same destination, lost pairs of feet trying to make it on time, weary eyes waiting for their time of departure, crying babies wanting so bad to be taken cared of.

Casablanca Train Station in Morocco. June 2012.

What could a family of five be doing out of a poor town? Seeking for greener pastures on the other side perhaps, or going back to the place they were from after a failed attempt at finding a bright future in the big city. I stand at the ticket line watching that happy couple on their backpacks, probably on their first trip together hoping they'll make it to their 1st-year anniversary so they can share memories to talk about when they get home.

Graffiti on the wall on the way to Rabat, Morocco. June 2012.

Or that woman squatting on the floor, travelling alone, reading her favorite novel as she waits for her train to arrive. She could be a divorcee, mending a broken heart. Was she the one who left her man or was she left behind? That middle-aged man with the attache case on a business trip, most likely unhappy with his marriage and his strained relationship with his teenage kids pushes him to uninspired trips to the office and conferences. And the happiness he thought he found in his mistress' embrace made him realize his inadequacies.

Chiang Mai Train Station. June 2012.

That songwriter stretching his hand out of the window to feel the rush of wind on his arms. He closes his eyes, swaying to the rhythm of the wheels kiss the the infinite tracks. The laughter of a group of friends looking forward to a vacation together, talking about office or school gossip but avoiding the weight of talking about their families and relationship troubles. Or the filmmaker in deep thought, thinking of another story to tell, perhaps a story that happened in a train trip. A love story that isn't lasting and he knows that the uncertainty it brings is what makes its tragedy fun to watch. A love story that just happened to pass through time, both parties knew it would end sooner than later and the temporary high it brought them was something to cherish when they walk apart at their destination's exit stairs.

Yes, trains are romantic.

Upon arrival at Rabat Station in Morocco, taken by my brother James. June 2012.

They have stories to tell. Or am I just romanticizing the density of loneliness that trains bring? Maybe I watch too much 'Before Sunrise'.

Some street signs in Casablanca.

Taken on May 2012. Casablanca, Morocco.

Taken on May 2012. Casablanca, Morocco.

Casablanca wasn't what I expected it to be. Not romantic, as depicted in the movie. Very crowded, too but it was a good starting point for the whole Moroccan journey with my brother last June (more about these stories in my coming entries).  I must say I love the weather there!

Back in April, I used to stay in an apartment hotel in Al Rigga, Dubai. Not only the restaurants, Filipino OFWs nor the Chinese women prostitutes charm the area but also the busy Al Rigga Metro Station where I ride to going to work in GGICO.

Taken on April 2012

Photo taken at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia. September 2012.

Saw an old Japanese couple watching the sunset together. What a romantic sight at one of the world's well-loved temples.

Ilocos Norte, June 15, 2011

Taken on December 16, 2010 at the Dubai International Film Festival venue.

Taken on December 16, 2010 at the Dubai International Film Festival Film Market.

Taken while inside the taxi on December 16, 2010.

Just like the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, located in Dubai, I will reach for the sky this 2011. It shall happen.

Taken on December 16, 2010 when I went to the 7th Dubai International Film Festival.

Taken November 26, 2010

A night view of Hongkong Island taken from the ferry we rode coming from Kowloon. We were already feeling the Christmas season as most of the buildings there had neon lights with season's greetings.