A Charmed Life: Life's a Play!

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oh, it's been quite a while, since my last travel.

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waz chillin' in the beach in two thousand six.

Chinese temple in Penang. I think it's called Kek Lok Si, or something that sounds as esoteric as that.

shy and young...
i danced the 'pot' dance







that cigarillo is a prop
two thousand two in shinjuku







Buskers, Malacca old ruins in zer0 7
they sing international songs. they sang "Anak" by Fredie Aguilar. ha! They were good!








kutie boutique in I don't remember where.
could it be in KLCC? Central Market? or China town?
..... Oh nohs, in some obscure shopping mall in Bukit Bintang!





till the next random act..


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Where, of all the places you have never been, do you want to go to most?

ahh, where indeed? an old friend from Denmark emailed me several days ago, just to say hello and asked about how life has been going these days, months, and years that quickly passed by. his life-update about living in his country suddenly reminded me of the memory of those far, far away lands that got my interest as a child. i got acquainted with these countries through a small table picture calendar of different countries around the world. the places that most intrigued me are the countryside photos of the Scandinavian countries: Norway, Sweden and Denmark. with my friend's email, I just realized that the feeling of interest is still there. these countries seemed sooo distant that, to me, they're mysterious, exotic and exciting. i'd like to go there.



Where do you most want to go back to?

ohhh, where indeed? I usually don't want to go back to places I've already been! but yes, to be honest, there are a few places i want to go back to, not much for sightseeing but to visit friends who are living in those places. i guess this means that it is the warmth, hospitality and friendliness of people that which brings you back to places.

i'd like to go back to Batanes (but in summer time!)

tokyo, tokyo, tokyo! - fast paced and busy but not chaotic; highly modern yet can be very traditional; crowded, yet can be an oasis of calm - a metropolis of paradox! I still have my favorite hang-outs there, and yes, a bunch of quirky, funny friends. (someday, again, will be back!)






and, yes, I want to go back to China. China is such a huge country to explore, a world/empire/kingdom? in its own right. very diverse, very colorful, amazing nature and culture.




Favourite City?

i've seen only a few cities since i'm not a city person. as a passionate anthropologist would do, i'd prefer exploring the countrysides, the mountains and caves, the ruins, and tinkering with whatever remaining artifacts that may still exist.

but ok, of the few cities i really spent time in, i'd choose the idiosyncrasies of tokyo, and the soft charm and aliveness of Khao San rd in Bangkok.




Least favourite city?

awww! shall i say manila? i'm never fond of the place but i guess, if i live in a less dense, less polluted location, or in other words, in an upscale neighborhood, i'd tolerate this city and maybe even come to love it. i had such a brief experience for a week or so, staying at the Intercontinental hotel, a 2 minute sweat-less walk to the big malls, shopping, dining, watching movie and getting spa massage (ahh, shall i think that i had a privileged life back then? haha...). but those were occasional perks and not everyday occurrences (at least for me), so it doesn't really change my hard-wired biased opinion about the city.



















Do you speak other languages?

Japanese, and bits of Bahasa - just enough to get by, but perhaps i've forgotten it by now really.




How do you get by without being fluent?

that, i'd say, is a miracle.




Best airport?

what? oh, backpack traveling does not require airports does it? specially when you only explored Southeast Asia which is a string of connected countries where you can easily reach through buses, trains, boats, and even on foot!

but ok, to satisfy the question, my best bet would be the Narita International Airport.



Worst airport?

i'm not being bitchy here but NAIA I honestly gives me the creeps. specially that part across the exit where the people are waiting behind a metal fence as if they're, uhh... words to describe just eludes me at the moment.




Best travel tips?

pack light, don't bring along your wardrobe.

learn a few useful phrases of the country you are visiting. english is maybe the declared international language but the Chinese don't give a damn.




Biggest travel mistake?

hmmm... i could enumerate a few but i tell you, all the mistakes i would point out here were all based in one thing - "fear." stay in the safe side but do not be paranoid. examples: fear that someone out there is there to harm /cheat you; fear that you're going to run out of money and so you go really dirt cheap compromising the fun and comfort of the trip. so what's the use of traveling if no fun? huh?




Best coffee outside your city? Best coffee in your city?

a) - iced coffee conveniently sold anywhere in Bangkok is so far the best thirst quencher and energy (caffeine) booster. specially with Bangkok's perpetually hot days and nights.

b) - in my city, i love Mr. Donut's creamy coffee.





Best meal while on travel? Best meal in your city?


a) - countless i'd say. but as i am not so fond of foodies, i don't really keep tab of where and what I ate and consider to be the best. there are sumptuous meals everywhere, especially after a day's adventure and a warm shower and a meal is there ready for you. that, makes the meal "best" for me.





b) - what I considered the "best" meals in my city were served by a couple of international cuisines that has long disappeared: a genuine Thai restaurant and an original Indian restaurant. is this city unable to support and maintain such culinary variations? i've been wondering about that for years now.






Most breathtaking view from your travel? Most breathtaking view in your city?

a) - too many to mention, really, too many. that is because when i travel i purposely choose to go and see the "most" breathtaking views :-).

nonetheless, according to its difficulty based on accessibility, novelty, and world rank, i'd say that the most and fiercest breathtaking views are the towering, rocky, icy mountains, and very deep and frothy gorges of Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan China.


the limestone mountains and glassy waters of Coron and El Nido Palawan are also breathtaking!





the colorful fishes and corals in the deeps of Palawan and Aceh are breathtaking.







the Balinese dancers are mesmerizing, thus, also breathtaking!








the blooming cherry blossoms gracefully draping the peaceful Kyoto and Nara temples and shrines are equally breathtaking!





i could go on and on but then we have to stop somewhere...
the world is certainly full of breathtaking views!!!


b) - in my city, there's sometimes a breathtaking view of the sunset right from my window. i luv it!

mist-covered mountains remind me of somewhere far-away.

stories of old, far away, another world.

where mountains come alive

where birds sing praises

where trees do laugh

sunset; first night camp

"A sunken village... where beautiful horses used to run." That's what our new friend, a young man named Russel, a resident of Ambuklao, told us when we asked him about what was under the water before this mountain valley was dammed to supply electricity for the country.

tiny white bubbles on the spillway

"During the 50's the Ambuklao dam was the highest and biggest in the Far East. It is made of earth and rockfull which measures 129 meters in height and 452 meters in length. The elevation of its crest is 758 meters and the roadway that runs through the top of the dam has an elevation of 756 meters. The gross storage capacity of the dam's reservoir is 327,170,000 cubic meters and it has a usable storage capacity of 258,000,000 cubic meters.

mariz

When I asked Russel what happened to the inhabitants of the area, he said that a handful of the original villagers stayed and built their homes around the fringes of the lake, while most of the people dispersed and found themselves in different other places. He said that, at the least, the villagers were promised to be provided of free electricity after the dam's completion. But in the end, even such a small consolation for the villagers, who unwillingly gave-up their ancestral lands, was not complied with by the Government. Sad.

shore near the hidden village where they do tilapia farming







& villagers arriving home by boat.




...

how we got to the "hidden" village at the corner end of the lake:

After a winding uphill and downhill 2 hours bus ride from the city, we arrived at our destination, the Ambuklao dam. Walking on the roadway that runs through the top of the dam, we spotted this mother and son who seemed to be waiting or preparing to go somewhere. As far as our eyes could see, there seem to be nothing across the lake. As we were curious of where they were bound to, and as we were so excited to do some boat riding, we approached them and asked where they seem to be going, and if we could go with them. They told us they were going home to their village at the far end of the lake. I think they were too polite to refuse our request to go with them. They took us. But I detected from the mother's facial expression that she worried if we really knew what we were doing. The boy who drove the motor boat was as curious about us being curious about them.

the lake was much bigger and longer than we expected. after some relatively long but smooth ride, we arrived at the other end of the lake where we found a small village of about 20 families, hidden behind the mountains.

we spent most of our time here, front-yard of the village's primary school. it is located on top of a hill overlooking the lake. for several hours we just relaxed, chatted and laughed without a care of the busy world we left back in the city.

it was so refreshing!

it was a really beautiful weekend adventure. the high excitement was perhaps also due also to its spontaneity. we just decided about it the night before while chatting over dinner.

... by the way, this dam had not been functioning for more than a decade due to some damage. it seems that the repair was only recently started.
... strange that they have kept this huge structure idle for many years.