Got 2 see what's out there! - garcia
this is it... we really are going. been 4 years coming. places to see, strangers to make friends with, families to reunite with, unfamiliar things to familirize with...
we're young, we're...

Hello, San Francisco!
San Francisco, United States
our big, crazy, but beautiful auckland family @ Auckland Airport
We left Auckland yesterday (30th) @ 7:40 pm. Arrived in San Francisco today (30th) @ 12 noon, which makes us technically 1 day younger. Haha! After going through the customs clearance (customs officer was a stern-looking Filipino man), we were really surprised – confused even that the big anxiously anticipated baggage inspection, was – well, there was none. We picked our backpacks off the carousel, dragged them a few meters to one doorway, and that was it. Out to the shuttle parking we went, took a shuttle driven by another Filipino man, hailed for us by yet another Filipino porter. It almost felt like we were in Manila.
Kennox helping out at the hostel
Our hostel is in Chinatown. We still feel a bit awkward about being a married couple in a mixed dorm room. Fortunately, our roomies – at least for tonight are another couple from Germany. We are slowly getting used to the setup. The hostel manager guy is quite a pleasant young guy who has lived in NZ before. He called us JAFAs! Oh well… and we just learned tonight that 'come to the roof top' means an invitation to go 'magsiga ng damo'. ooops!
These are just some photos we took this afternoon as we strolled down California & Sacramento Streets to find some grocery shop. A loaf of brown bread is US$4!!! A plain croissant is US$1! Heeeelllppp!
Joia in front of some building along California St.
kennox still food-bag-hugging in front of some chapelly-looking building
Grace Cathedral
kanuto hugging our food bag in some street in chinatown
We miss Auckland already and we haven’t even been here 24hrs. boohoo!
written by  garcia on October 30, 2007 from San Francisco, United States
from the travel blog: Got 2 see what's out there!

our second home
Auckland, New Zealand
Auckland's Sky Tower by the Waitemata Harbour
we've called Auckland our home for the past 4-5 years. its relaxed feel was quite a treat after living in busy metropolitan Manila for 4 years. now, we love the fact that we are able to keep up with technological (& other) advances and still enjoy the abundance in nature - pollution free. The CBD's skytower changes colour occassionally. eg: pink during National Breast Cancer Foundation Day, red/green for xmas, etc. The colours on the photo: not quite sure what they're supposed to mean.
our bedsit by the far edge of grandma&pa's lounge
we weren't kidding about the 'bedsit' by the far end of grandma/pa's lounge. it's a bit cluttery but hey, it's a small sacrifice for a greater gain.
Volcanic Rangitoto Island
The volcanic Rangitoto Island is a picturesque vision constant along the East Coast of the North Shore.
The New Zealand Koru
while the New Zealand "koru" is always a pretty neat find when walking in gardens, treks, etc. This one, was taken by kanootz in Settler's Lodge gardens at a wedding in Whenuapai. It's the size of a large fist. some can be larger though... there's a small colonnial village called Devonport several minutes southeast of where we live. In the summer, we love picnicking on one of its beaches (Cheltenham).
a church in devonport
In winter time, we like to drive around looking at its pretty little victorian houses and chapels as this one on the right... next, sunset shot taken on a main road in our neighborhood.
sunset on Sunset rd.
we better stop here as it is 3:46 a.m. Auckland time. we've backpacks to pack and stuff to do as we'll still be working full time this coming week & kanootz has quotas to reach at work before he can go. thanks for stopping by.
written by  garcia on October 20, 2007 from Auckland, New Zealand
from the travel blog: Got 2 see what's out there!

pre-trip events
North Shore, New Zealand
Pre-trip events:
Joia @ Paul & Sweeny's wedding
07 October 2007 – Joia was bride’s maid at Paul & Sweeny’s wedding, together with Radda and Sweeny’s friend Sophie. The wedding was quite tiring but beautiful anyway.
Paul & Sweeny's bridal party
21 October 2007 – Steph took Joia with her for a day of photo shooting at the zoo. Here are two of the many practice shots:
bench
insy winsy waterfall @ auckland zoo
Joia's Bollywood look!
25 October 2007 – fun day at Joia’s work. Diwali festival for the school. Joia got to wear this really neat Sari dress.
Bollywood!
souvenir (?spelling?x*%?) from the Travel Doctor's Clinic-29/10/07
Reunited with uncle Darwin
29 October 2007 – Uncle Darwin arrives at Auckland Airport the day before our flight to SFO. Following is a photo of our big crazy but beautiful Auckland family.
Familia
written by  garcia on October 29, 2007 from North Shore, New Zealand
from the travel blog: Got 2 see what's out there!

San Pranksisco (Day 2)
San Francisco, United States
Prankster in action
we planned to head out the door by 8am today but thanks to jetlag, we only woke at 11am. we walked some blocks and ended up in Union Square where we bought city passports each. this we used to get on the cable car to Pier 39. our funny story today:
Prankster on Beach St.
San Francisco is home to many street performers. Our favourite so far is this man who hides behind bundles of leafy branches waiting for some happy wanderers to frighten. Fortunately, we spotted him from across the street doing his act to some other passersby. We had a good laugh! Well, the rest of the day, we basically were typical tourists exploring the city - which ic slowly growing in us.
some tunnel
this tunnel reminds me of a place in... it looks like, and even smells like it. since this is our first walk in a tunnel for a while now, we thought it was worth a shot. at the end of the tunnel was union square.
Fountain on Union Square
Thirsty?
beauty (wink!) and the beast
The park itself is beautiful and mostly clean. It's surrounded by probly a dozen of highend shopping malls. We even braved going into Saks fifth ave and came out alive - whew! There was a woman begging some people for money - but she was wearing nice-looking reebok trainers...
white horse
From Union square, we walked along to Powell station where we caught the historic cable car from. the ride was funny but certainly much easier than last night's walk uphill and down.
Cable Car
This lead us to Hyde Station near Pier 39. We saw this nice horse and carriage along Embarcadero which we thought was quite romantic, until we learned the coach charged $15/ride. Well, we got the better deal in this photograph - for nothing!
junk mail
Kenneth wanted a shot of this line of junk mailboxes. There's heaps of them in the city. ???
uhm... a boat
Alcatraz through a peephole
Walking further along the beach, we found ourselves heading to the end of a pier which offered a great view of Alcatraz Island. Took some shots for you folks.
big wheels keep on turning!
Sail away...
The following shots were taken at the Maritime Museum. They sell tickets to go onboard the ships, but we were quite happy just enjoying the displays on the free-walk:
hoot! hoot!
Nee-nor! Nee-nor!
We got hungry so we looked for some cafe. we ended up at starbucks. we took this shot (Right) of a nice cartoon art along the way and this shot (to the left) too... hehe!
Pier 39 - also known by us as Pier Massive Rip-off If Sucked In - is where you can get CRABS!
CRAB city
More photos at Pier 39:
missing North Shore City
Blokey shop... American Football
guitars for caesar
Distortion
ground details
bed of seals
honk! honk!
trick or treat!
and man, those seals, do they stink!
Coit Tower
green Trick or treater on wheels
We also climbed uphill to the coit tower, which is well, a tower. On the way up, we got our first best view of the Bay Bridge (the other less popular but much longer and newer bridge on the other end of San Francisco). On the way down, we passed through a posh-looking neighborhood and spotted this funky looking pumpkin(above). Also walked further downhill through Little Italy, which was also a very pleasent and clean place.
Little Italy
We came home to some holloween-hyped up hostel peepz. They went to a street party which we were gonna go along to (kuno), except I (unintenionally???) crashed into bed before they even got out of the door.
Holloween w/ them hostel peepz
Six hours of walking meant some really tired JAFAs. Ngorrrrkk! Enjoy the photos... more to come.
written by  garcia on November 1, 2007 from San Francisco, United States

Sweet Sausalito
San Francisco, United States
detailing @ palace of arts
sorry guys, been 2 busy for blogging. here's 2 sum up the rest of our time in Sweet San Francisco. We decided that afterall, we do have great memories that we could take from this city.
Bottle brush
There are some very kind people here, very accomodating of tourists. The other day, we had a very proper lady offer us directions. Yesterday, a very kind and pleasant looking man offered to take pictures of us in a quaint little town along the coast - he even thanked us for visiting their place. And today, on the bus to the church, we didnt have the exact amount for fares - we had an angel in an older lady sitting next to us who gave us her ticket as she was getting off at next stop, and even gave us a dime to complete the other fare needed.
Day 3: Tandem Biking
pit stop
we took the cable car again from Powell to Hyde at the wharf. From there, we rented a tandem bike (a first for the both of us) for the day @ $45. we got on the seats - on tiptoes - given our ungenerous heights, and started pedalling. It was surprisingly easier than it looked. The funny thing about tandem biking is that people you
pass by the road always seem to find it humorous and you get these very funny but friendly grins all the time. Just as we were starting to enjoy it, we were heading uphill. Then the arguements and uncoordination set in. We were basically fighting halfway thorugh the route, yelling at each other everytime we get a chance (away from pedestrians). And then back to being the perfect team again when we get to a crowded area. haha!
Kanootz being the Captain relied on his stalker, Joia for directions. But she isnt a big fan of maps. Plainly, her navigational skills suck! The good thing about this is that we were always pleasantly surprised when we got 2 a really cool place that we hadnt expected.
Palace of Arts
Just like taking an impromptu turn when we saw a big dome which turned out to be the Palace of Arts. Jane, remember the place? movie? papa Richard G? haha! It was next to an exploratorium - which required a ticket - so obviously, we decided that best things in life are... ehrm, FREE!
pillars @ palace of arts
Leaving the exploratorium meant an uphill ride to the Golden Gate Bridge. It also meant a lot of arguing. Kanootz would change gears without telling, and this would make Joia's pedals jerk so that her feet would slip off of them.
black & white golden gate
It wasnt until we got on the bridge that we figured out that sometimes, it can actually be easier for Joia if Kanootz lifted his feet and just drove, while Joia pedalled. Yay, now we're a happier team! haha!. And Kanootz got to rest on some parts of the route.
Riding on the bridge is an amazing feeling! The view is needless to say - magnifico! The city is partly covered in fog, the bridge beams in the sunshine... WOW!
Kanootz on Golden Gate Bridge
Following bike routes, we got to this pretty little town called Sausalito. Overall, this is our sweetest memory of San Francisco. Mostly because it reminded us a lot of certain parts of Auckland. Funny that, it's like that quote we read somewhere saying we actually really travel to seek the familiar in the unfamiliar.
Sweet Sausalito Shore
Haha! Sausalito is a quaint little town along the coast, posh-looking and very scenic, peaceful, victorian homes, romantic. For lunch, we had creamcheese & bagel and then we shared an icecream while waiting for the ferry back to San Francisco. The icecream, man, $4 a scoop. oh, but it was worth it - Ultra Chocolate, it was called, and yes, it was ULTRAH!
gelato del cioccolato in Sausalito
On the ferry from Sausalito back to San Francisco
On the ferry back, there was this seagull sitting on the flag pole. We were taking a photo of it when it - pooped! Haha!
Ferry Flag
Just as well the wind wasnt in our direction. And from the ferry is where Kenneth got a pretty shot of the San Francisco Skyline. We were knackered! What with the sun constantly on our necks, our legs sore from pedalling, and our bottoms scorched from the tough bike seats and bumpy hills, of course we would be. Ngorrk! That was us for the day.
San Francisco Skyline
Day 4: Alcatraz... not!
Tired from yesterday's tandem biking, we only got up at mid-day. We took the cable car to the wharf only to be told that tickets to Alcatraz were sold out for the day. It was amazing how we quickly shrugged our shoulders at the little disappointment. We had some help from the hostel manager telling us last night that he's never been to Alcatraz. Apparently, the city government chose to lease Alcatraz licence to a company who hired less skilled people at cheaper wages.
Ferry Building
We then decided to just take in the atmosphere, do some people-watching - which is always interesting anyway. The money we save on the Alcatraz, we agreed that we'd spend it on 1 decent San Francisco dinner. We had grilled salmon - teriyaki for Joia, mango seared for kanootz. Ooooh, that was yum, smokey!We stayed out till late so we were able to grab some sunset photos.
Day 5: Rest Day
By this time, we are pretty tired and as much as we've enjoyed our short stay here, we have had enough. shame though, as we've only just figured out their MUNI public tranport system. In the morning we went to church. We were just happy we could keep Sabbath this week. Anyway, the afternoon meant packing up and finishing this blog entry for you guys. We love you, and y'all stay well.
written by  garcia on November 4, 2007 from San Francisco, United States

of subways & the urban jungle
New York, United States
and this is just (official) Day 1...
inside NY subway
big beautiful buildings
Rose and Jerico fetched us from JFK in the evening of Sunday (04 Nov). Just as well... we wouldnt have found our way by ourselves. NY subway is definitely unlike anything we've ever seen. realizing how big and scary New York City really is, we felt like scared little puppies. Please understand, we're coming from Auckland City, which is like a block in comparison. sob, sob! the weather is a bit nippy but the Licups' apartment has central heating. Hoorah! we had 'Bistek' for dinner. More hoorahs! Joia was terribly jetlagged, up till 4 am. Kanootz on the other hand knocked off as early as 10pm which made Joia very jealous. more sobs!
shine sapatos!
lost... still poised
Rose woke us up with the smell of scrambled eggs on toast... sniff! Hmmm... so good after a week of microwave food. Rose kindly took the day off to show us around. After breakie, we were off to the subway station... ah, the smell of REAL New York! Out of the station and into Times Square... it was everything we imagined it to be! Busy, large, noisy... we ate pizza for lunch (they were American-sized!) before walking to the Staten Island Ferry. From there we took the... ferry, of course for FREE (yes sir, we like FREE, haha!) Following photos were taken from the ferry and Staten Island:
Manhattan Island
Ellis Island
Liberty Island
Lady Liberty herself
. When we got to Staten Island, although we hadnt planned to, we felt keen to see what was outside the terminal.
kanootz & Rose between the postcards
one of Staten's loved ones, lost but not forgotten
We were pleasently surprised to find this 9-11 Memorial by an artist named Masayuki Sono which is supposed to resemble postcards, perhaps sent to lost loved ones. From afar, the identical structures appear to be outstretched wings or a flower about to blossom...
Post Cards by Masayuki Sono - a 9-11 memorial on Staten Island
We had to run to catch the ferry back to Manhattan but we were glad we made the stop and enjoyed our very short visit to the Island.
Staten Island pier walk
Liberty comes at a price
Universal Soldier, Battery Park
When we got back to Manhattan, we walked from the ferry terminal to Battery Park. Here, we took a photo of a street busker dressed up as Lady Liberty. Joia had to take it from about 15 meters far, and really really quickly so as not to be caught and charged some buck for taking a snap. There was also this Statue of an eagle dedicated to war veterans.
Galvan... Garcia... their namesakes
blending in (Clinton Castle)
Kenneth was stoked when he found his last name as well as Ian's listed on one of the memorial walls... And to the right is a shot from the nearby Clinton Castle...
Ground Zero
From here, we walked to Ground Zero. By this time, Joia's feet were already scorched. cheap shoes are BAD NEWS! So our next mission was to find Joia a decent pair for less. We found Century 21 - a big mess of designer branded clothes, shoes, etc. @ basement prices. Went up and down the mall... no luck there.
stumped by 9-11
We left Ground Zero for (New York's) Union Square this time. Further along, still around Union Square is DSW - tada! shoes and handbags at discount prices. Finally, a decent pair which were actually friendly with Joia's fussy feet. This meant that the rest of the evening can be more pleasant for everyone, without Joia's whinging!
Empire State
From Union Square, we walked some more so we could meet up with Jerico... but it was okay because Joia's feet were okay. haha! By this time, we were getting too hungry. Just as well, the Licups had chosen this really amazing sushi place called 'Todai' where as Rose put it 'food is To-dai for'... wink! Salmon, tuna, seaweed salad, roe, salmon, and more salmon! Yum.
Anyong asseyo! @ Todai...
Our waitress was a very friendly Filipino lady. Suffice to say that we got out of the restaurant stuffed! We were so stuffed we knew that going straight home wasn't going to be more sensible than a good relaxing stroll along the city streets. We stopped at Bryant Park and enjoyed the sights from there, an iceskating rink, a water fountain, 'buildings with lights' as Kanootz describes them...
Times Square
'building with lights'
rock n roll, baby!
Soon, we found ourselves back in Times Square where we took one too many shots of the busiest point probably in the whole wide earth. It was even more beautiful and blinding at night time, with its neon lights! M&M's world was open. We had fun in there... well, we're guessing the boys did more than the girls. From there, we crossed the road to Hershey's world, which is a lot smaller but still worth the visit.
kanootz with our NYcity hosts in M&M's world
Feeling much better about our tummies, we walked back to the station for Subway train 7 which took us back to Queens on 82nd Street. Home sweet home at 10pm... Rose, Jerico, and Kenneth raced each other to sleep...
Thankyou, m&mTV!
while Joia stayed up and fought jet-lag-night #2. We hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed our very very busy first whole day in New York City. God bless, everyone!
written by  garcia on November 5, 2007 from New York, United States

Flushed away
New York, United States
Grafitti wecome here
Our 3rd day in New York, first time to wander on our own… we’ve been given instructions and directions by Jerico on how to get from Jackson Heights to Times Square in Manhattan. Rose had even given us her mobile phone for the day so we could contact Jerico (it seems he knows New York by heart) if need be. How difficult could it be? It only takes one train ride and no transfers, right? Don’t worry; we’ll be fine, we say.
@ the Philippine Embassy NY (unfriendly staff, hmpf!)
We walked out to 82nd street and up the subway terminal… waited for Train 7. When we boarded, the train was unusually bare. Sigh! At least no large suffocating crowd and we got to enjoy the views. Look, the Daily Planet! Kanootz excitedly pointed to a giant rounded metallic structure resembling the Earth. That’s funny, I thought as I don’t remember passing through that landmark yesterday when we went to Manhattan with Rose. I didn’t even see the Graffiti-covered building which Jerico had told us about (people are legally allowed to create graffiti so long as it is on that building. neat idea, huh?)
with the legends - NBA store
This is the last stop!” announces the operator. Wait a minute, this isn’t Manhattan. This is Flushing! We took the opposite train. I ran out the train hoping to catch the one on the other side. I tried to get in it but Kanootz hasn’t quite left the other train yet. He screamed… out of fear I might board the train without him. Haha! He says I scared him. Finally, we sat back in the same train we took before learning that it was scheduled to eventually go back to Manhattan.
Ian, did you order this one? (NBA store)
We didn’t have a plan for the day. Well, at least as far as I was concerned. Kanootz on the other hand has apparently made plans with Jerico’s help… to find NBA store – the world’s only. We walked along 5th ave from 42nd to 52nd street. 10 blocks seemed so short a walk having never seen the place before. There were many interesting sculptures and artworks along the building walls as well as some great spots for window shopping.
Kanootz @ central park
Further up along 5th Ave is Central Park. We got there at 3pm, which we figured gave us plenty of time to get out of there before dusk. It was also very chilly that afternoon so we couldn’t really be outdoors for too long. We ended up going back to the NBA store. Come to think of it, we spent most of the day in there anyway much to Kanootz’ delight. We were there till 6pm, and then we remembered that Jerico was baking salmon for dinner so we ran to the nearest subway station – 10 blocks away, and made sure to take the correct train back to 82nd street.
We got home in time for dinner – scrumptious! Oh, sorry, hello Rose… yeah, how was work? Not too tiring, we hope? Haha! Jerico’s baked salmon almost made us forget our sociability. It has been such a long day, but not too long to keep us from some conversation with the One that keeps us together; protects us from danger; and walks with us moment by moment through this exciting journey.
Rockafeller Center (hope we got the spelling right)
written by  garcia on November 7, 2007 from New York, United States

Is there a doctor in the house?
New York, United States
Peahen... NBC Studio
Well, yesterday is pretty easy to retell. At noon, we headed out to Manhattan again. There we came across NBC studio, took photos, climbed up to the paid-tour booth on the 2nd floor – we just wanted to see what was up there… although we had not intentions at all to pay for any tickets for anything that day. It was fun looking through all the merchandise in the NBC studio… and thinking that it’s pretty easy for tourists to get sucked in to buying stuff… but not us, ‘cause there simply isn’t much for us to spend. Haha!
lotus lamp - Moma
We walked a few minutes further and finally found Moma. We looked forward to this – our first real museum visit for the trip. I gave the ticket which Rose had so thoughtfully tucked away for us to the man at the reception. ‘This is the Moma, miss; your ticket is for the Mets’. Oh, dear! Thank God, Kanootz was quick to save my face from certain shame with a ‘Two tickets to get in, please’. $20 each. Huh? $20 each. Oh well. As always, one must approach each circumstance with much optimism. So we headed in. Some of the exhibits were pretty amazing. Some makes one question why they’re there – which is probably the point.
Pollock's She-wolf @ Moma
Monet's @ Moma
A pink fluorescent light bulb on a corner is – apparently art. Okay. ‘Look, a Pollock!’ Kanootz calls out. Now we’re talking. Great to see something we finally know about. Slowly, the feeling of being ripped off is melting away. Monet made us stand sill by the sheer size of his work. Picasso makes one smile and want to touch. Oh, and let us also mention that there’s this helicopter hanging in the middle of the building – apparently the first commercial chopper ever. The Museum of Modern Art, after all is what it’s called. At least now that we’ve been exposed to modern art, we realize we have yet to develop appreciation for it.
Picasso, Pablo @ Moma
Union Square Park
beetroots... so red!
Finally, a text from Nurse Rose who had just finished work for the day calls us to take to the subway and meet her at union square. There, we managed to catch the remaining flea market stalls surrounding the park. Interesting and refreshing. Flea markets are always a gem and an amazing touch of country culture that spring out of the metals and concretes of the urban jungle.
pumpkins @ union square
for Inang... from a NY flea
After sunset, we followed Rose’s lead to her favourite Bagel Shop. Essa. We bought a dozen, and 6 cups of crème cheese – 2 plain ones, 2 garden salad, and 2 cups of a pleasant discovery – the ‘raisin and walnut’! It was a lengthy walk but all worth it! Funny thing – realizing that we were Filipinos, the shop person was telling Rose ‘mahal-mahal kita’ haha! And this was Wednesday – the 4th day.
wheat grass. lush. union square market
Thursday, Yahoo! Phantom tonight! The whole day, we were home with Jerico, and naturally – we ate nothing else but bagels, all day! Not complaining, nu-uh! I took the chance to get some photos downloaded, organized and finally do some blogging. Very very behind now. Sorry, peepz! Suddenly, sunset. Rose was home already. We got dressed up a little – Rose lent Joia this pretty little black velvet top with frilly bits, and Joia finally got to wear her red shoes, THE red shoes, in the US of A – fun!
@ Junior's, pre-show
We got there an hour early, so we grabbed some sandwich from a place called Junior’s. Kanootz and Joia shared a Corned Beef Sandwich. The size of the thing! Just as well they were sharing. Oh, and I wouldn’t dare miss to write about the free cheesecake tasters. Between Kanootz and Jerico, the whole tray was – well, piece of cake! And we like FREE. Remember? Come to think of it, the greatest thing in life is really FREE, and not in a cliché kind of way. For us, we’ve been given the greatest gift for free; we just had to accept it. Word for the day… Amen.
Alas, time for some classical entertainment. The cue to get in was very long, amazing when you think people’s tickets have designated seats anyway. ??? Oh, and the tickets were $60USD each. Good score, Miss Rose! Without her radars, we would’ve had to pay double considering how great our seats turned out to be! We could feel Jerico’s excitement when the lights went out. The play opens with an auction. There were several merchandises including a chandelier which became the centerpiece of the story. In the middle of first scene, the Matron calls out ‘I have a note’ in a very very English accent, ‘Is there a doctor in the house?’ Huh? We look at Rose and Jerico searching for any indication as to whether that was part of the play or not. They look just as confused as us. Suddenly, the commotion upstairs which had started a while ago becomes louder and louder. ‘Is there a doctor in the house?’ The actors ask the audience, in their characters’ accents and tones. Come off of it, and you may actually be more credible, we thought. The curtain closed with some proper announcements for what really is happening. The show resumed as soon as the paramedics rushed away with the person involved. All in all, it’s been a very very interesting evening. It was special for Joia, as who would’ve thought she would be going to some opera, in New York not the least, with her college friend 5 years later who is also now married.
The Phantom of the Opera
written by  garcia on November 9, 2007 from New York, United States

God Bless America
nose-pickers in Monah
Tigerrrrrrrr!!!
Friday was Rose’s vacation leave again, thanks very much. I thought it was ridiculous that we were only planning for one activity for the day - The Monah – Museum of National History. When we got in, we realized quickly that Jerico was not kidding about spending the whole day in there. Stuffed animals of all sizes everywhere! Amazing! Our cameras couldn’t stop clicking! So much exhibits, all very very varied so difficult to get bored. And this was Friday, the 6th day.
Happy Sabbath, everyone! Early morning, that is 6am, we can already hear Jerico whisking away in the kitchen. He’s not very keen, is he? Last night, he had already planned his recipe thoroughly. Talk about excellent hospitality – makes us feel guilty as we were not paying customers. All we can say is thank you. Those pancakes were packed, and no need for jams! Except when your name is Rose and you have about 30 something sweet teeth.
yours trulalah!
After breakfast, Jerico and Kenneth got busy with fiquring out how we might find the closes church to go to. Jackson Heights SDA, it reads on the web. It turns out to be quite enjoyable with Rose walking us to the church, making certain we got there. The church service was an experience we did not expect and shall never forget. We had this big assumption that big city churches were majestic looking on the outside but scarce and poorly looking on the inside (San Francisco seemed to us that way). Well this one blew us away! It was bustling, a literal melting pot of cultures and colours. They made us stand up (embarrassing) and asked us where we’re coming from. New Zealand, we say. ‘Wow!’ the crowd chorused. A reaction we have now gotten accustomed to. The church felt very traditional but I don’t remember anybody falling asleep throughout the service. There was a quartet (Filipinos) who sang beautifully, a duet (Filipinos) who played wonderful music with a violin and a piano. Beside us was a Filipino family – Letty and her husband and daughter, very friendly and warm. At the end of the service, on our way out, Letty’s husband rushed to catch us. ‘If we don’t see each other again, sa langit na lang (in heaven we will),’ he says, melting Joia’s crybaby heart. She rushed out, away from the intensity leaving Kanootz to say goodbye to the family. Walking home, we told each other, we shall never forget Letty’s family and their faces, and will look for them on that day. We never expected to be so blessed by this experience – and in New York of all places in the world.
We got home, and Jerico had done it again! Our laundry – all washed, dried, folded. Rose is a very lucky girl! We don’t feel so terrible accepting the favor today as Joia was going to cook up a storm - Indian for dinner. Rose and Joia went to the closest Asian market to fetch some veggies, chicken and spices. Dinner was Fried Paprika Chicken and Curried Vegetables with cumin in coconut milk. We cooked tons, but were pleased with the overall outcome. I think Jerico liked the chicken, I hope.
kanootz took this... somewhere in The USA
That night, we chatted, we planned, we contemplated on our lives. It must have been the curry! Haha! We realize how very blessed we are to have friends hosting us – 5 star treatment! Tomorrow, they take us back to the air train to JFK. We don’t do very well with goodbyes. But it’s okay because we are positive we will see them again soon – in Auckland. We made quite a sales pitch, so we expect to be showing them around in the country we now call our home – in the near future.

where in the world...?
Pensacola, United States
little plane to pensacola from Charlotte, North Carolina
Where in the world is Pensacola? Well, it’s a city in the state of Florida which is rather closer to Mobile City, Alabama than it is to the other Florida cities. But just because it doesn’t sound as familiar as Miami or Orlando to you doesn’t mean that it’s any less, at least not according to our experience.
Buenavista Manor
Before we start writing about our time in Florida, you must meet some characters who are about to take on great roles in making this such a special trip that will end up making us feel that we want to come back soon (of course, this story is being written in retrospect. Otherwise, how would we know that we do want to someday go back to Pensacola?) First up: there is the Buenavista Manor situated somewhere close to the country but not too far away from the city.
Kanootz w/ the manor's saanen goats
It totally felt like country to us because you see, they have 6 very very white goats – 3 sets of sisters that graze along the front yard of the Buenavista’s second property which is right next door. Then there’s Sophie and Sammy who are outdoor dogs. They have been known to attack visitors, so for the initial introduction, they were put on a leash while we stayed a good distance. Then there’s Beanie and Whiteshoes, the two hunter cats who man the garage and keep the snakes and rats at bay. By the way, we’ve just been reminded that there are in fact snakes in some places of this world, just not in New Zealand (or at least we like to believe so).
The butcher and his wife
Then there’s little Miss Boolinzkey (we’re making the spelling up but that’s how it sounds) aka Boo-boo, who is quite aware that she is the princess of the house. She doesn’t do outdoors. And apparently she likes to mark her territory every time there is a house guest so we’ve been warned to keep all doors shut at all times. But she’s very very cute and very very clean, and so we like her. And oh yes, let’s never forget Manong Tom and Manang Grace – the ‘Mr. & Mrs.’ of the house, who kept asking us if we have enough leg room (in the truck) from since the day they fetched us from the local airport. It’s just that when you’ve been used to a small Japanese 1990s car for most of your adult life, then it isn’t that difficult to answer such questions. This reminds us to introduce of course, their big white Toyota Tundra and the other GMC truck, although the Tundra did most of the work while we’re there.
Slinkey Booleenskey... Meeeooowwww!!!
Manang Grace is Kenneth’s first degree cousin. Her husband, Manong Tom, is also an Ilocano by ethnicity (like us and manang grace). This made our time together extra special as we could share jokes and stories in our most native tongue. There is something about speaking your birth language. Ilocano, we are reminded, is a very beautiful language (yes, we dare call it a language although technically it is a dialect… but then technically, a dialect is a variation of a more popular language… and Ilocano is unlike any language, totally separate from all the other ethnic languages surrounding it, so you decide…). There are feelings and thoughts that we can never express entirely and more meaningfully in another language but Ilocano despite being perfectly fluent in other languages.
Sophie (white, feisty, young) & Sammy (black, friendly, wise)
Manang Grace tells us that Manong Tom served in the US Navy for some 20 years. Some time during those two decades, he served as Navy Chef. And to say that ‘he can cook’ is not only an understatement but also a massive assault to his actual cooking prowess. From the moment we tasted his tender beef brisket with sliced sweet Georgia onions for our first meal with them, we knew we were in for a gastronomic ride. We had some nice conversations at the table over Florida’s famous Key Lime Pie for dessert. Wow! Refusing to take siesta, they took us along to some friends of theirs. It was lovely meeting new people and hearing new accents (southern, y’all!). When we got home, Manang Grace took us to meet their dogs, and then for a tour around their other property next door and to meet their goats as well. And when we got home, we smelt something familiar… peanuts… ah, kare-kare… ‘You do eat beef, don’t you?’ asks Manong Tom. Yes! He asks us also which part of the Bible we base our diet on. The Old Testament, we say. ‘Leviticus?’ he guesses. Yes. ‘Okay,’ he says. We’re thankful he knows his Bible well and is very considerate of our dietary choices. Kare-kare… man, it was for real! As if that wasn’t good enough – he also stirred up a mixture of Bagoong and lime. This is authentic Filipino cuisine! Tomorrow, we leave at 10, mamang Grace informs us. To the beach!
JUMP!
Pensacola beach: Kanootz, and the Tundra
The next morning, after a shower in the en suite bathroom (talk about 5-star accommodation… giggles), we followed our noses to the kitchen where Manong Tom was making omelette and fried rice. Hmmmm! Scrumptious! Again, we remember and appreciate how different this (& New York) has been compared to our San Francisco when we had to make do with soup in can and very salty hotdogs on hard bread.
w/ cousin Grace
After breakfast, Joia helped manang Grace to pack our picnic boxes. Then away to the beach we went. Miles away from the beach still, and we can already see the famous white sand we’d only ever read about on the internet. Pensacola beach is a stretch of white sand dunes, sugary white sand dunes. It seemed endless.
Kanootz and Joia... by: Manong Tom (Pensacola beach
Beautiful, clean, and because of the time of the year – fall, it was still sunny but not crowded. We took so many photos here, but they’ll never be able to make up for the real experience of being in the midst of it all. In the truck on the way home, Joia remembered 2 words I heard from Jerico back in New York City. ‘Krispy Kreme, what is that?’ Joia asks Manong Tom & Manang Grace.
Sugar-white sand of pensacola beach
Mr & Mrs Buenavista
Manang Grace smiled excitedly. Manong Tom turned the truck to change directions. Then there was the big sign: ‘Krispy Kreme’! We could smell it as soon as we got out the truck. Donuts like nothing else we’ve ever tasted. We ate almost a dozen between the 4 of us! Manong Tom also bought us our first official conjugal mug as a souvenir from Krispy Kreme. Thanks. Enjoy, everyone!
lost chinelas, pensacola beach
written by  garcia on November 14, 2007 from Pensacola, United States

Katrina's Ghost
New Orleans, United States
13 November 2007 Today,
after breakfast of hot home-made brewed coffee and krispy kreme (leftover from last night… and yes, we know what you’re thinking but we’re on holiday, so shush! Haha!), we were ready for our long drive to the State of Louisianna. Manong Tom & cousin Grace left a note on the bench to let us know they’d gone to pick the rental car up (to save Tundra the mileage, sensible). We played with Boolinzky while we waited. They came back with a brand new Grand Cherokee Jeep (it hasn’t even got a proper license plate).
kanootz likes TRUCKS!
NASA - the actual ship that landed on the moon
They arrived, we hopped on board and before we knew it, we were passing ‘Beautiful Alabama’ already. We drove through Mobile City towards Mississippi, enjoying the view of the lengthy Mississippi river. From the car, it all looks like little patches of marshy grassland. In actual fact, the river is covered in reeds and seen on aerial view (from a plane or by google map), the river's massive snake-like path becomes more recognizable... Manong Tom is choir director of their home church; so naturally, we sang throughout the driving day. Inspired by the Mississippi river, he taught us to harmonize to a song with words that go "Michael rowed the boat ashore" or something... memory's not too good on this one.
Skyline New Orleans
After about 3 hours, we finally got our first sight of New Orleans’ skyline.
Mardi-gras baby!
Soon, we were in the city centre. Manong Tom parked by the main road so we could go for a walk around the city. New Orleans feels terribly empty despite several businesses obviously trying to get things going.
Bourbon lane post-Katrina
It had a distinct smell… not just an old city smell but one that tells you no matter how oblivious you are of Katrina’s coming and going some time ago, that something terrible had happened to this city. Nevertheless, the point of traveling is taking in every bit of the experience – from the fine and posh to the nitty gritties.
cable car - working one
Therefore, we walked on. Manong Tom led us to the French Quarter. The buildings are still very much reminiscent of the city’s French colonization. We walked along Bourbon St which was famous for its Jazz players, mardi-gras parties, cabarets as well as all sorts of cheap (in all the word’s connotations) entertainment. All in all, New Orleans was for us an eye opener. Where have all the people gone? Nobody knows, apparently. Such is the power of nature to dictate the course that human beings and all of civilization run through.
Katrina's ghost
It’s been a long day but not a dull one. We learned a lot today: about the lives of other human beings; the speculated future of a devastated city; about the characters of our host couple – whom we are coming to respect even more each day; and about ourselves in the midst of all this traveling.
untouched by Katrina
Tomorrow is going to be sort of a rest day. Cousin Grace has an engineering conference to go to (of which she is the presiding officer… well done! Proud of you!). Manong Tom has some appointments to go to so he will be dropping us off for a walk around the local mall.
the point is... Popeye's chicken!
written by  garcia on November 16, 2007 from New Orleans, United States

more about pensacola
Charlotte, United States
We are writing this entry on our way to the UK... hope it gets done before we land on London grounds so we can move on to new stuff...
The following are photographs from our day trip to Destin – a prime beach city to the East of Pensacola, Florida. On the way, we passed by Panama City Beach which is famous for being a favourite of college students on Spring Breaks. Apparently, the residents are not very keen on these crowd of spring breakers because of the havoc they sometimes cause.
... yeah, you can say it... 'to the world!'
white as snow... it's sand.
some ceremony that day - naval museum
Manong Tom being a Navy Veteran meant a visit to the US National Naval Museum in town. Driving to the place, we learned about the vast land area that the US Navy holds possession of, and not just some piece of land. It’ a spread of coastal land with beautiful sugar white beaches much like Pensacola beach. In the museum, Kanootz & Cousin Grace went on a Blue Angels simulator ride.
blue angels simulator
They seem to have enjoyed that.Joia’s favourite in the museum is the part where they exhibited homes and actual living conditions during the war times. Our visit was also quite special in that there was some kind of naval ceremony going on at the time. There were bunches of naval choir singers singing beautifully, and Joia watched a US Naval flag ceremony while Kanootz explored some more battle ships and fighter planes.
blue angels pilot wannabes
they actually showered in those days? haha! naval museum
kanootz' dream ride... Naval museum
The following day – Sabbath, we couldn’t go to church as the nearest one is about 30 - 45 minutes away and we knew Manong Tom & Cousin Grace were busy with preparations for their fund raising later in the evening. Cuz Grace leads a youth group and they organized some party to raise funds so some needy families could have a proper thanksgiving meal this coming week. We spent the day walking around their 4 acre property to collect leaves, twigs, berries and dry grass to decorate some hats for their harvest party.
joia's handmade autumn hats
After the walk, we gathered the hats, the stuff we collected, along with some glue & strings and we sat by the pool under the warm sun shine. We spent the rest of the day singing our favorite praise songs, chatting about our home church and the people there and just having a quiet restful day altogether.
mr. scarecrow
In the evening, we helped decorate their church hall. The party was a success! Many people bought more tickets from the front door. All in all, they were able to raise money for 6 families at the least (their goal was to raise only for 1 family). We were very impressed with how their community – though small it may be, all came together to support their youth. There really was a spirit of unity in there.
get down and boogie! - go Ms. Grace!
It was a tiring evening but a really rewarding one, especially for Cousin Grace. We were very proud of her that night. To celebrate and congratulate her, Manong Tom shouted us to some more Krispy Kreme later that night. We must have eaten 2 dozens between the 4 of us, and then took home some more. The donut store had a somewhat theatrical setting so customers could see how the donuts are made from start to finish. Exciting! Haha!
the life story of a krispy kreme...
Sunday was parting time again. We hate saying goodbye… we really suck at it! Even saying goodbye to Boolinzky and the other cats, and the goats and the dogs was very very difficult. Still, saying farewell to Manong Tom & Cuz Grace at the airport was much more unbearable. Especially, knowing how very well looked after we have been by them and then to go from here to London, it meant we had to go back to skimping as we’re about to live back on our own means again – and we really haven’t much. Waaaaa! But such is the life of travelers, and we willingly bear it... Pensacola has been a very very unexpected surprise to us and a very very pleasant experience that we will always go back to – at least in our minds, until we can afford to go visit again.
naked trees
written by  garcia on November 18, 2007 from Charlotte, United States

London Calling! ring!!! ring!!!
London, United Kingdom
London Calling! Ring! Ring!
we're knackered!... but had to get going. Checking in at Pensacola for connecting flight to London's Gatwick was - ehm, a hassle... we're getting quite used to this. somehow our bookings are either faulty, unpaid or simply difficult. at this point, we question what the use was for paying service fees to the travel agency. Already we are bracing ourselves for more hassles when we board the plane to the UK at Charlotte airport. At Charlotte airport, the ladies at the boarding gate scanned Joia's NZ passport through and through - looking for visas.Kanootz' Philippine passport is apparently okay. ??? he has a visa (which we applied and waited for 1 month).
Room 322, Etap Hotel, Silvertown
We keep telling them, NZ passport holders do not need entry visa. Anyway, finally, some guy who knew his job finally came along and let us through. ZZZZZZZZZ we tried to get as much sleep as we could in the plane... well, 'cause we had no choice. to watch tv or movie, have to buy an earphone. we miss the perks of flying AirNZ, sob!
DLR train - very CLEAN!
Our plane landed in Gatwick on 19 November at 9:00 London time. We basically remember nothing much except how confused and giddy we were. Our only goal that day was get to Silvertown where Etap hotel was. At 90UKpounds(NZ$270), taxi was not an option! We spent nearly 2 hours at the airport before we finally figured out that the best transport to our hotel was via train. Joia was teary eyed by the time we boarded the 'correct' train. 1 whole hour of train ride meant we only got to the hotel by mid day.
Picadilly Circus
we were starving. On our way to the hotel door, some stranger stopped us, asking for 2ukpounds. we said we didn't have any. he argued we just didn't want to give him any. for goodness sake! we just wanna go rest now. we told him to come to the hotel reception with us. there, he was now asking for 10pounds.?#@! Joia gave him only 2lbs as it was all we had, fortunately. We took the lift to room 322. We unpacked a little. We fetched some bread and croissants from the petrol station nearby and had them for lunch. took a shower. crashed to bed.
Oxford Streetlights
time to get up... huh? 2pm! not the same day. following. we slept from 5pm of the 19th to 2pm of the 20th. This was definitely a hall-of-famer! In a hurry, we groomed up for our first official day, rather evening in London City. We took the DLR train which was 5 minutes away from the hotel. then we took another train to Central London. Hey, we just noticed how superb London Underground is. To say it's a far cry from NY's subway is an understatement. In contrast to NY's subway, London tube is CLEAN! very clean! we like clean! we miss clean! You can actually breathe and sit in it, and even enjoy the ride no matter how long.
some noble horses... worthy of this memorabillia. ???
red phone booths behind Joia...
self-portraits... location: ESPRIT
we exited the tube through Oxford Circus. From here, we began exploring the city. The weather was really nippy by now but we were too hungry to even care about the cold. we just wanted to get some decent warm food. we found this sandwich shop called EAT. we found out later there's lots of EATs in London. Excellent! After some bite, we walked along trying to locate Langham of London where we were to catch our tour bus tomorrow. It turns out it's just 5 minutes walk from EAT. Yay! Now we won't get lost.From Langham place, we took a u-turn towards Picadilly Circus.
window shopping along Oxford St
We just learned 'Circus' in London means a big 'roundabout'! Haha! Lots of prime shops for (window only) shopping. Eye candy for Joia. By chance, they were lighting up Oxford Street that night. We were looking for a handy shoulder bag for Joia at Lacoste when the shop assistant told us about the event. We ended up staying out in the streets that evening.
Eating warm pizza @ Picadilly Circus
We bought a slab of pizza each from some Italian restaurant (with an Irish-looking chef) and kept walking around Picadilly Circus until we found ourselves in Leicester Square where we found a cheap Internet cafe. 1pound/hour or buy a drink and stay for their wifi. Goodie! means we can keep blogging. can't seem to live without internet these days.
uhm, I feenk wee bettah gettattahea! kweek!
time to go back to hotel. 11pm... we were worried that some guy was gonna follow us again on our way home from the pontoon dock station. Thank God, there were other people from the train walking in same direction as we were. The evening was so full on... but we didn't expect any less anyway. It feels like San Francisco again (except a lot cleaner, they have great big machines constantly scrubbing their cobbled streets)... we're complete strangers to the city. no one to look out for us. Really really thankful to God for our guardian angels!
written by  garcia on November 20, 2007 from London, United Kingdom

Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
London, United Kingdom
... I've been up to London... didn't visit the Queen...
kanootz in our tour bus
By now, we are starting to feel the stress of flying and being constantly on the move. Although, we are happy about our decision to forget about hostels (thanks to our hostel experience in SFO) for now, and stay in a cheap but clean hotel instead, it doesn’t exactly help that it had to be so far away from the city centre to be affordable. So, to avoid more stress, we booked to join coach tours for the next two days. Today, a London Day City tour with an evening cruise along the River Thames. Tomorrow, we go for a day tour outside of London through the same tour company.Still jet lagged, we only snoozed off at 03:00 hours in the early morning. Then, we had to get up as early as 06:00 hours to make it to Langham Hotel at 08:00 where the coach was picking us up. We had breakfast at EAT again, scrambled egg panini. Not bad.
Kanootz and Evan Evans
Richard's blue badge
The bus was 20 minutes late! Grrrr! Hmpf! Grrrr! We waited in front of the hotel. We learned later that the Langham hotel’s cheapest room is at UK350 pounds per night! What?!!! What kind of people stay in places like this? I also noticed that they had quite a few Filipino employees.
they keep them all in here!
kanootz w/ the beefeaters
the White Tower...
meticulous care...
Finally, the shuttle arrived and it took us to Victoria Coach Station where we boarded our tour bus. Our blue-badge tour guide’s name is Richard. Man, he liked to talk. We realized later, we were the only ones listening to him; everyone
he stands all day...
else had their speakers off. Oh well, at least he kept us entertained. We certainly appreciated the information spoon-feeding as we're too lazy to read up about the places.
braveheart!
ei, sisterrrr!
gotcha!
The tour started with a visit to the Tower of London, with a view of the Tower Bridge. Kenneth enjoyed the interactive exhibits at the White Tower museum. Joia was almost dizzied by all the bejeweled stuff in the Crown Jewel House. Oh, please do keep the postcards we sent you particularly the ones from the Tower of London/Crown Jewels for possible collection when we get back… haha! It’s just that we didn’t buy any souvenir.
arrgh! (Inside white tower)
From there, we drove to Buckingham Palace just in time for the finale of the changing of the guards. It was perfect timing! We didn’t get to see the whole process but we didn’t want to anyway, as apparently the middle bit is quite boring. There were Croatians in their football colours everywhere that day. We learned later that England was playing Croatia that night. England lost. They were very sore.
hop2, hop2! Guards marching in...
hop2, hop2, guards marching out!
this beautiful thing on front of Buckingham Palace
From Buckingham Palace, we were brought to an English pub for lunch – as promised. There we got chatting with the other people in the tour group. One very friendly young lady was called Julie. She’s French, 26, very well traveled; her boyfriend’s English so she took a job with Evan Evans to be able to live in the UK. She’s trying out the company’s products/services before she commences work. Sensible! There was a Filipino lady and her American husband from Connecticut; they were nice and down to earth. Then there’s this Filipino retiree couple, super YABANG! “O, yu shud bisit us in Merilend, we hab 3 extra rums becos ol our children are propeshonals and hab their own houses.” We were saying ‘Wow, you did very well then! But inside, Joia was grinding her teeth. ’Hmpf! Just the kinds of people that make one realize just how easy it is to stereotype Filipinos. Not good!
this way, that way... so many signs. yet so easy to get lost
Anyway, after lunch, we drove to Westminster Abbey. By this time, the tour was getting a bit too overloaded. Too many tombs, even Charles Darwin’s was there. ???? Doesn’t make sense ‘cause the Abbey is a church building. We did like the section where the ‘Quire’ (Old English for Choir) sits. Although there was no singing at the time, we can imagine how lovely it would have been.
outside Westminster Abbey
inside Westminster Abbey
The EYE
We then ended the day
Joia & Julie
with the beautiful evening cruise along the River Thames. We didn’t have enough time to go for a ride on the London Eye, but we were quite content with just being at the foot of it. The cruise captain was funny. He kept making us wave to the people on every bridge we passed. We were fortunate that just before the cruise ended, a big barge was approaching the Tower Bridge which meant it had to open up. What a sight!
Abra Cadabrah! The bridge opens up!
Kanootz & Joi by Westminster Abbey's walls
We didn’t really realize just how tired and stressed up we actually were until the tour finished and we were on our own. We walked around Picadilly Circus trying to locate the Internet Café we found last night. It was very frustrating; we were already hungry and tired but had to prioritize it so we could book our plane to Turin. This was yet another hall-of-famer, in a bad way, as this was our lowest point. We had a really big fight… which we won’t go about into too much detail, as you probably don’t want to hear about it anyway. The thing is, we expected and prepared ourselves for far worse situations than this. We knew there were going to be tough times. We’re still quite thankful and very proud to say, we are still very married and in love! Yippee!
Hope you enjoyed our London City tour. God bless you all!
written by  garcia on November 22, 2007 from London, United Kingdom

London aside...
Bath, United Kingdom
We’re really terribly behind with our blog now. We’re writing this entry from Turin and there is a lot more to blog about. So let us just post these photos for you and then tell you a little bit about them... or more if our memories decide to work well
Pat, our lady cheauffer
The railway station @ Windsor
bench (at windsor railway station)
Basically, we rejoined the tour company for a day trip outside of London. We chose the Windsor-Stonehenge-Bath route. We have no regrets. It was hassle free, pleasant and cruising... We even got some much needed sleep. Sweet!
Kanootz in front of an old train engine
The coach driver was a lady named Pat. She wore a silver fern pin and greeted every single passenger, asked them where they’re from, and on learning we live in NZ, she said Kia Ora… lovely lady! Our tour guide was dear old Richard again. We’re a bigger number today, approximately twice as much as yesterday.
Windsor Castle
First stop was Windsor castle. We had to climb up a bridge and into a railway station – which was very very pretty and quiet. Somewhere along the railway station you can get a lovely sight of the entire castle. The town itself is very quaint with its cobbled streets and tiny little shops in buildings that are probably as old as the castle.
this way please...
The Windsor Castle behind Kanootz
Windsor tower
a tree by the castle wall
To get into the castle grounds, you have to go through security as rigorous as those in airports. After fetching our humungous audio guides - which we only listened to for the first 3 stops, we marched along the top of the castle wall for a little orientation before our guide leaves us to ourselves. Here, we got a lovely picture of the ‘public school’ (which means elite school) which William and Harry attended.
Windsor wall
The castle interior is just as one would imagine. Overwhelmingly regal, everything seems to be lined with gold. All the ceilings are painted with beautiful murals and the walls decorated with royal portraits by some of the most famous painters / artists of the past. There was a very PINK room. Joia liked that one. Then there’s the throne room where people who get invited gets to have an audience with the queen. It’s like in that movie Ever After where the stepmother and step sisters were summoned to appear before the king and queen.
view from Windsor Castle
There was changing of the guards that day...
After a while inside the castle, we were glad to be out the door and into the sunshine again. It gets to you, if you’re like us, uncomfortable in and overwhelmed by all that regality. It’s nice and all but okay, so? It’s enough to say we’ve seen all that.
guard's shoes
Walking back into the assembly point, we finally found each other again after getting lost in all the castles chambers. But also, this castle guard / beefeater (or something) found us. He was so funny. He insisted we took a photo together with him. Then he offered to take a photo of us – wasn’t a very good shot but nevertheless, the lovely gesture more than makes up for it.
friendly guard at Windsor
shot by friendly guard
Stonehenge silhouette... (w/ lens flare)
tourist pose
Next stop was Stonehenge. The site was pretty much the same as what one would see in travel brochures and travel shows. Visitors basically go in through the reception point and through a tunnel under the road, then out the other side where the rocks are. Here, the Filipino mother and son tourists finally approached us for a photo. It took them a while… haha!
a tomb hill around stonehenge
They thought we were Vietnamese. The son, who works in London, was complaining about the weather. We said we didn’t expect much of the UK weather, that way we don’t get too depressed by gray clouds.
listening to folklore
look below...rock poops!
the lone stone
Probably the most interesting thing about Stonehenge is that as one walks around the circular formation, every now and then, one would hear – rather, feel a really large explosion which actually shakes the ground with pressure enough to make you pop the inside of your ears. We learned later that there is an Army training ground close to the site. Now, it makes sense.
another lone stone
follow the shadow
Last stop: Bath. This was a lovely finale for the day. Bath is a very beautiful city.
some quote about Bath
Bath City Centre
The stately homes and gardens make you feel as if you’re in a different era. They even have shops lined up on top of a bridge.
Bath Cathedral
Roman Baths entrance
xylophone... ah, music!
Apparently, some famous Hollywood people have got themselves properties in some of its exclusive areas. The actual Roman baths are an interesting artifact. One can really get lost in time inside the complex.
The main pool
Roman costume-wearer behind Joia
dip?
The exit end leads you into the city center. The sun slowly darkening the parish church’s façade, people walking their dogs, quaint little shops of all sorts, a busker playing delightful music on his large xylophone… It was blissful!
Roman architecture inside Bath complex
building next to bath cathedral
Harrods - on our way back to hotel
Alas, the day must come to an end. The drive back home was peaceful. We thanked God for another safe day of travels. It was time to pack up again, thankfully, we did not have any problems boarding our plane from Heathrow to Milan – because we booked this flight online ourselves. Onwards to Europa!
Kanootz @ Heathrow w/ our ride to Milan
On the wings of... Alitalia
written by  garcia on November 22, 2007 from Bath, United Kingdom

niente dire [lost for words]... literally!
Milano, Italy
23 November 2007
Our flight from London Heathrow to Milan Linate cost us 120UKpounds. Not bad really, considering we only booked the other day. This was our first time to book online on our own. It was unbelievably easy! This was also one of our easiest check-ins ever. Thank God!
I don’t know about Kanootz but as soon as we boarded the plane, I already started to feel nervous about the language issue. I wasn’t sure how we’d find our way from the airport to Milan Stazioni Centrale… ‘pero bahala na si Lord!”. In Linate airport, we found a shuttle bus that took us to the train station for 5Euro/e. Thankfully, all I had to say was “Buon Giorno! Due biglietti, per favore.” Relief!
At 30 minutes length, the bus ride to the central station was almost like an orientation tour of Milan. It went all around the city, past the Duomo. Cool! Not a bad ride at all! The only thing is, I wasn’t quite sure whether I liked what I was seeing or not. We read somewhere that unless one has a healthy heap of credit cards (for high-end shopping) and a keen liking for the nightlife, then Milan isn’t the place. Well, we have neither.
milan's duomo cathedral
Upon reaching the train station, I was even more nervous as it meant we had to buy our tickets to Turin. Somehow, my prayers were heard and we quickly made friends with a lady in a black overall tunic. Her name was Zara. She was on the same plane, and also Turin-bound. I was a bit cautious, and even more so upon learning she was originally from Somali. But she had such a kind face and was willing to help us out. So, I said to the Lord, I will take away my prejudices, and will trust Him with our safety.
milan stazione centrale
It was raining that evening. Milan’s central station was dark, damp, smokey, and sorry to say but... dirty. We waited for our train for 1 hour. Zara even insisted to buy us some cold drinks. Anyway, after an hour of secondary-smoking, the information board finally told us to go to our boarding gate. The train was even more DREADFUL! The ticket did not indicate which carriage / seats we were supposed to get. So, we picked one at random. Being a Friday evening (workers from Turin head home for the weekend), it was packed! We didn’t realize this. So, 2 great big backpacks in tow, we squeezed and squashed in / with all sorts of people and all sorts of smells. I could tell that Kanootz’ patience is running out (it must be really bad then, and it isn’t just me). Without prior seating reservations, we ended up sitting on the corridor pull-downs. This meant that within the 2-hour trip, we had to get up every 5 or so minutes to let people through. I tried to convince Kanootz (actually, myself more than him) that it’s okay, it’s not that bad. Truth was I couldn’t tell him that all this discomfort was already making me miss home terribly. In retrospect, first class tickets would have saved us more.
At least, I told myself, in 2 hours or so, we’ll be in the company of Kanootz’ family. At least, we were heading towards more familiar people, although in an unfamiliar place…
written by  garcia on November 23, 2007 from Milano, Italy

garcias reunited...
Turin, Italy
Torino at night
As we write this entry, we are both sat in front of the TV, Kanootz busy flicking the remote control for any decent channel, and Joia commenting on the shows… we both are having a laugh because Kanootz has just made an interesting comment about late-night Italian TV programmes.
beautiful moon... Palazzo Madama
‘Angel vs. Devil’ he says about the channels. One channel would be advertising lewd services/products and the next will be a Gospel music concert. Flick it again and you know what you’re going to get. They even feel the need to have these so-called models advertise home furniture and grocery stores! Anyway… we’ll write as we recollect.
23 November 2007… Kheli wagged classes that evening to fetch us from Torino’s Porta Nuova station. We didn’t think he would mind, so we didn’t apologize. Wink! Well, the photos didn’t lie… he is TALL. He had to bend down to give us both a typical Italian hug…
kheli, kholeen, kanootz
Torino's new icon...
Piazza San Carlo
Sick of dragging our backpacks in and out of buses and trains, we hailed a taxi to take us to our home for the next 7-8 weeks. Kheli seems apologetic about the apartment, mentioning that it’s like Manila. The truth is, for a metropolitan dwelling, this 2 bedroom apartment isn’t bad for 3 people. And anyway, it’s so conveniently located. 5 minutes away by foot is a shopping mall, and beside it is a first-class gourmet food market called EATALY. Then around the corner is the local flea market – open everyday till 4pm. Then there’s another (albeit smaller) shopping mall right in front of the apartment building, and a grocery store behind it. Bus stops are also right in front of and behind the apartment. To go to the central shopping area is one bus ride away. The only downfall (and quite a major one, considering we’ll be here for a considerable amount of time) is that we can’t seem to find an SDA church nearby. No surprises there… this is Italy.
winter olympic housing
kholeen buying us biglietti for the bus
We told kheli not to tell anybody of our actual arrival date/time, to surprise the rest of them. It was so funny, kholeen rang later in the evening for kheli to meet her at the local grocery shop. kenneth went instead... she said she kept looking and thought she knew the guy next to him... then the next morning, when kanootz' mum & dad got home from work, kanootz opened the door for them. Minja (mom) & Pim (Dad) were... uhm... crying. It has been close to 7 years since they saw each other. sob! sob! drama della famiglia!
hot drinks @ cafe d'arte
apperitivo @ Cafe d'arte
Anyway, to give you all a little background on the city of Turin…
Turin or Torino (Italian) is the regional capital of Piemonte. It is encircled by the Alps and host to the rivers Po, Dora, Stura and Sangone. It has a vast area of parks and gardens, therefore considered one of the greenest cities in Europe… although of course in the winter, it looks much as one would expect of a continental city – GRAY.
piazzetta reale at day time
Castello Medieval by the River Po
Just as well, during the winter months, the city’s piazzas and streets are illuminated by art and fantasy, poetry and social themes, words and numbers, canvases and carpets, flowers and wheels, thus making the winter and Christmas atmosphere more magical. Luci d’Artista [Artists’ Lights] is a major ‘open-air’ museum project which started in 1998 and the only event of its kind in the world. Of course, there’s no use describing all these in words… so we took photos for all to see:
palle di neve up close
Luci d'artista: Palle di Neve
This first one is called ‘Palle di Neve’ [Snow Balls] by a lady named Enrica Borghi. If you take a closer look, you’ll see that the snow-white balls are actually made up of several (used) plastic bottles cut in half, the necks stuck into a polystyrene ball and the bodies hot-fringed with scissors to form a rose with transparent petals. A light bulb is inserted into each of these so that when placed side-by-side, the artificial flowers become luminescent crystals in a giant snowflake.
Next one is called ‘Tappeto Volante’ [Flying Carpet] by Parisian Daniel Buren. It is an unusual “gazebo” that supports a tightly-knit mesh of steel cables to which red and white or blue and white cube lanterns are attached and illuminated at night. It’s in Piazza Palazzo di Citta, Close to what is apparently the biggest open market in Europa.
tappeto volante [flying carpet]
Luci d'artista: Planetario
A favourite one, is by Carmelo Giammello (apparently a well-known name in the world of contemporary arts), which he calls ‘Planetario’. An invisible net hanging over Via Roma supports many different illuminated shapes representing various constellations: the Plough, Little Bear, Orion, etc. The other smaller lights are the thousands of stars that crowd the universe. It really is amazing...‘Luì e l’arte di andare nel bosco’ by Luigi Mainolfi is a colourful narration of a local fable about a crazy guy who managed to find the children who were lost in the woods... This lighting work on the façade of the Porta Palazzo market is called “Amare Le Differenze” [Love Difference/Diversity]. The artist envisioned his work to bring love wherever there is tension due to diversity. And quite fittingly, Porto Palazzo is the citta’s area with the highest concentration of various ethnic, religious and cultural groups.
Luì e l’arte di andare nel bosco
Love difference
It’s a beautiful city to stroll at night. Reminds us of Fiestas back when we were younger, except the bridges, building architecture and cobbled streets definitely make you know you’re in Europa. There’s even this musical fountain. It’s mesmerizing to watch… just watch out for dog poops on the grass. Haha!
musical fountain by Parco di Valentino
beautiful building along river po
More photos of/in Turin:
street vendor along via roma
illuminated statue (Vit.Emanuele)
illuminated people...
bagoong - Italian style
lighting decors at local mall
kanootz' new 'fro... like?
cute poser... not camera shy
a little arc de triomphe along vit. emanuele
On our first weekend, Kanootz’ family took us up to Basillicatta di Superga, a gig beautiful domed structure perched on the very highest hill of the city and historical home to the Royal Savoys.
Basillicata di Superga
As beautiful as it was, the Superga was no match to what was surrounding it, what no human being could ever make / build – the magnificent Montagne Alpine! What a sight! You could really stare at it all day. So sorry that the photos can never get anywhere close to the actual experience of being surrounded by it.
view from Superga
Ate (Filipino for big sister) Kholeen also took us around the shopping center. Jane would have loved all the shoe shops over here! Joia is salivating over stilettos and boots of all kinds! Fortunately for Kanootz, Jane has sent some money for Joia to have the pleasure of shopping for a few pairs in her behalf.
our Turin Family
this way please...
It’s been a bit tougher for us when it comes to exploring independently. Joia’s Italian… SUCKS! Boohoohoo! So we wait till the evenings and weekends when Kanootz’ Dad gets off work so he can take us around by car. Don’t worry, we do use most of the free day times productively – by SLEEPING! Or in Joia’s case, sewing (a hobby she’s just taken up after a crash course from Kanootz) new curtains for Kholeen and Kheli’s rooms and kitchen. Also, she’s been busy gift-wrapping tiny little presents for Kholeen to give out to her hubby’s family here in Turin (there’s more than a battalion of them!!!).
joia's new hobby
giftwrapping for kholeen
Slowly, we are getting familiar with bus routes, actually coming out of the grocery shop with shopping bags, etc. Still, it’s a lot better when Kholeen comes out with us. Like one time, she took us to Veneria Reale – a Reggia located outside the Turin City Center where the Royal Savoys’ 17th century palace and gardens are located and newly restored. It was so funny… we got there so late because we stopped to window-shop at nearly every single boutique we passed by. We were so late; it was dark when we got there, and anyway, it was close on Mondays. Oh, but it was so much fun! We even got to enjoy some hot chocolate drink in one of the boutique cafés / cioccolatterie. The people here claim that chocolate is from the Torinese and not from the Swiss. Does Ferrero or Caffarel ring any bells? Well, these are Torinese chocolate and confectionery companies. Oh, and we should mention that a hot chocolate drink here is not hot water with a spoonful of chocolate powder… rather, it’s half-a-cup of melted chocolate blocks (latte/nero… milk/dark) and half-a-cup of whipped crème! By golly, our diabetic genes had a temporary feast!
Anyway… we‘ll blog some more tomorrow… cause Joia’s found ‘The Purpose-Driven Life’ on Kheli’s desk the other day, and it looks like a good read...
road to superga
formaggi in asti
nearby castello di moncallieri
written by  garcia on November 30, 2007 from Turin, Italy

grisini e nutella
Torino, Italy
Torino isn't just a city
road sign
We spent the whole day in Sestriere Ski fields, an hour’s drive from the city center. The small car couldn’t take the whole family, so Ate Kholeen and Kuya Veingie took the bus instead. The drive to the ‘Montagne’ (mountains) was incredibly scenic. It’s a little bit like New Zealand, except the road signs are either in Italian or French. Now and then, we pass by castle ruins, or medieval-looking structures atop steep hills, or frozen rivers and creeks.
our ride to sestriere
nice
The ride was almost perfect: we’re with Kanootz’ family, enjoying pleasant conversation with them; we are surrounded by all these magnificent snow-capped mountains; we’re all warm and snug in our down jackets; we’re snacking with grissini dipped in Nutella. That covers our senses of hearing, sight, touch, and taste… the only thing is that, something is really bothering my sense of smell. I keep sniffing at everything, and even at everybody, trying to find that unpleasant smell… only to find out, it was ME! I’ve borrowed Ate Khols’ warm boots for the ride up. What she hasn’t told me is that she’d stepped on DOG POOP the night before and hasn’t washed those boots!
mirror in cafe des alpes
cross in sestriere
khols & veing's ride to sestriere
The laughter in the car almost deafened me. Papang (dad), found a café (Café Des Alpes) nearby for a pit stop. Fortunately, there was a water fountain beside some lump of snow in front of the cafe. Kanootz and Kheli took a boot each while I changed into my snow boots (borrowed from Lola Edna – my mother’s midwife when she gave birth to her first child – that’s me).
love of my life
white is snow
ski slope
When we got to the main ski fields, we met up w/ Ate Khols and Kuya Veingie. We walked around the town a little bit and agreed that we should all have lunch first before we hit the slopes.
plantpot in resto
Famiglia Garcia-Aquino in resto
candle in resto
icicles
Famiglia Garcia-Aquino Dec 2007
We found this little ‘ristorante’ amongst the tiny boutique shops and let ourselves in. The food was average, but as they say, it’s not about the food but the company. By now, I’m also starting to learn that what I’ve read sometime ago about how restaurant / cafes in Italy treat ‘Filipinos’ isn’t always true. At least in this part of Italy, and at least in this particular restaurant, we were treated respectfully and hospitably.
wooden nativity scene
glass xmas tree
bella, bella!
ITALIA
where's he gone to?
mustn't miss his daily reposo
After lunch, Kanootz & Kheli rented snow boards while Ate Khols got us a pair of toboggans. Papang didn’t seem very interested in any physical activity. He headed back to the parking lot for a snooze soon after lunch. Mamang (Mom) on the other hand was so much fun! She tirelessly climbed and slid up and down the slopes, even racing with the boys.
almost comfy!
Mr & Mrs Garcia
che freddo!
Prince of Turin!
Mr & Mrs Aquino
Ready, set...
Well, for myself, I was perfectly content with just being in wonder of what was around me. Sometimes, I think it’s all a grandiose dream. Now I know that God really does give us more than we could ever ask for. All this was way beyond my childhood aspirations. For a little sickly girl from a tiny rice-farming village in the middle of Southeast Asia, what can I say, except that “life is beautiful”!
Go!
Yeeha!
Ouch!
Doh! ehehehehe!
help me, Mamma!
And whilst the miracle of snow remains an awe-inspiring experience for me, it was the might and magnitude of the snow-capped mountains that really showed me just how enormous the Earth is and reminded me that we are all but a speck of dust in God’s infinite universe. Still, Job (7:17) exclaims, ‘for what is man that you make so much of him? That you give him so much attention… o watcher of men?’ It really is incredible to know that the same God who made all this beauty and the whole universe in all its vastness knows every single one of us by name!
bella vista!
written by  garcia on December 2, 2007 from Torino, Italy

Roma in a Day (5 Euro... each!)
Rome, Italy
one of Roma's many basillicas
We met up with Ate Khols first and then Kheli at Torino’s Parta Nuova station after his evening classes to catch our train to Rome. Travelling time is 8 hours. There were two other passengers in our cabin but because there were more of us than them, it wasn’t that awkward for us. Well, it would have been (not ‘would of been’ – Joia gets terribly annoyed when native English speakers make this very common grammatical error!) a perfectly pleasant train ride… for even at night, the silhouettes of the Riviera, and the Tuscan hills are delightfully serene…
ate khols inside trenitalia
the only thing is that the train’s heating system turned out to be faulty. It was scorching! We had already switched our woolens with cottons. It was still super hot. We could have kept the windows open except it meant we had to listen to the train’s terrible rumbles all night. Both heat and noise were unbearable! We tried distracting ourselves by playing UNO. Finally, we reached our stop: Roma Ostense at 6:30 am. This meant ½ hour of waiting for the ‘bigliatteria’ to open. There was a distinct smell inside the terminal - similar to the smell of New York’s trains in the early mornings. We don’t really know how to say this in a politically appropriate manner… all we know is that along the corners of the terminal walls, there were several souls sleeping in dirty blankets with their bundles of belongings close to them. By now, we’re no longer as naïve as to think that people in such living conditions only exist in the 3rd world. We’d seen them in San Francisco, in New York, in London, in Milan…
The weather was threatening to turn bad, so we hurried down to the underground metro station. Well, Roma’s underground transportation was not a very pleasant experience. It’s covered in graffiti inside and out. The carriages smell. It’s a harsh contrast to Torino’s brand new (and yet unfinished) English-speaking underground metro. Our first stop was the Colosseo, except we got lost, so we didn’t really get there.
Triton of the Trevi
It was raining but still so neat, to be ‘Roaming Roma’ in the early morning when there aren’t any crowds and we had the city all to ourselves. Piazza del Campidoglio was our very first scenic stop, and although the Musei Capitollini’s facade was all covered up for renovation, it was still worth bringing our cameras out (in the rain). We were walking pass Piazza Venezia when our phone rang. It’s our Roman host, Samantha (Kuya Veingie’s cousin). We agreed to meet up with her by the Fontana di Trevi. Again, it was so pleasant to be there and not have to fight the crowds for a decent view of one of the most famous and artistically significant fountains in the world. Ever ‘mapamahiin’ (superstitious), Ate Kholeen threw a coin in – although this was already her 2nd visit to Rome.
Fontana di Trevi
As a tour guide, Samantha walks like someone from NZ – FAST! Soon, we found ourselves in the middle of Piazza di Spagna where one finds the famous Spanish steps. Although it didn’t seem to be such a big climb, the gigantic Mercedes Benz poster at the very top was more than enough commercialism to put us off the climb. And anyway, we couldn’t wait to get away from all those umbrella vendors who kept nagging us despite seeing that we already had umbrellas and were even wearing rain coats!
Spanish Steps
tapetta rosso: red carpet
fountain in piazza spagna
more @ piazza del popolo
Then, Samantha led us to Piazza del Popolo. By now, our tummies were rumbling, so we didn’t really get to appreciate the piazza as much as we ought to. We did take some photos but we were already
fountain @ piazza del popolo
thinking ‘pizza, pizza, pizza’. Samantha ignored our rants and instead got us to climb up the Pincio Hill beside the piazza. When we got to the top, we realized that no slab of pizza could ever compete with the 270-degree ‘bella vista’ of Rome.
Bella Vista: Piazza del Popolo
From there, we walked for another hour – in search of McDonald’s! We found one – smack in front of the Pantheon, no less! By now, Rome is starting to get crowded. It didn’t help that there was only 1 functioning toilet in McDonald’s and you have to cue down a skinny spiral stair case. But when you gotta go, you know you gotta go! After our well-deserved burgers and patatini (fries), we tried to get inside the Pantheon. We reached as far as the doorway and got a shot of the domed light-dispersing ceiling when we agreed that the thickness of the crowd was way beyond us.
fountain @ pantheon
Samantha @ McDo Pantheon
Pantheon dome
We then headed for the Colosseo, and this time, we made sure we got there. We stopped at the stalls for a bit to buy ourselves some souvenir. If you’re thinking that the ‘5 Euro… each’ title is about the souvenirs, well, you’re wrong. It’s about this photograph with these costumed posers in front of the ancient stadium built in 72 AD. After failing to entice us by words, they took Kanootz & Kheli by the hand, and Joia – forgetting that she’d been warned about this on the Lonely Planet website – also joined them. Then they suggested that the boys also took photos of Kholeen and Samantha with them.
eheh! this one has a story
Posing in the middle of a main road, only in Roma!
other side of Colosseo
Colosseo, Rome
After that, the woman said ‘5 Euro… each’. What???!!! Kanootz and Kheli were so angry… in fact, Kheli was fuming. For one who was born and raised in Rome, Samantha seems very shocked. She’s obviously not very familiar with tourist traps. We ended up giving them 9 Euro in total instead of 25. It was all we had. They were still harassing us with the payments and the man was already trying to catch another group to victimize. Joia yelled out ‘Don’t, they charge 5 Euro each!’ in front of the woman. She didn’t say anything. We’re glad the other group listened. Kheli was still very irritated and unhappy. He said he’d never been robbed ever in his entire life – especially not in as silly manner as this. Well, oh well… it could have been worse.
colosseo tourists
Leathersmith in Rome
this guy must be tired too
From here we followed the path leading to the Roman Forum & Palatine Hill where one finds the remains of what was considered the political, religious, and social centre of the ancient Roman world. Kheli was still very upset but because he likes being photographed, he forces a smile each time we engage the camera in front of him.
Roman Forum
The walkway was muddy and tight, and by now, our feet and legs are throbbing. But we can’t just stop, there’s so much more to see and do. Just as well, there was a bus stop nearby for the ride to the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele which is our gateway to Piazza San Pietro and nearby Castel Sant’Angelo.
Ancient Roman ruins
more ruins
BIG CROWD here
NO BIG CROWD here
volare, oh0oh! Cantare, oh-oh-oh-oh...
been walking for 10 hours
At the bus stop, Samantha decided that we should first go to Castel Sant’Angelo. So we did. We took some photos along the River Tevere with the Castel right behind us… in front of Castel Sant’Angelo were more souvenir shops, and while Kholeen and Joia were busy choosing postcards...
Castel Sant'Angelo
Arrivaderci a Roma!
Samantha casually tells everyone ‘Guarda, di la’ (Look, there)… meters away from us was a very familiar sight – albeit we’d never actually seen before: Piazza San Pietro. The Vatican. The walk towards Basilica di San Pietro was longer than we thought. Still, one has to admit that Bernini did well in laying out these four rows of colonnades. Our feet were already blistered – Roma’s cobbled streets weren’t exactly the feet-friendliest. But we were there so we thought, a bit of cueing and we’ll get to see what’s in the walls of the smallest sovereign nation in the world. We weren’t going to pay for any entrance fees so it meant we only got as close as the Basilica’s giant doors. The place is actually smaller than we thought. It always looked so big on the TV. Even the fountain is average sized. There was a poorly-looking sort of giant Christmas tree in the middle of the piazza.
towards yet another basillica
Fountain in Piazza San Pietro
Finally, we headed for Roma Termini to meet up with Samantha’s dad, Mariano, who works in a pizzeria in Roma. He’d been waiting for us an hour. Glad he wasn’t a grumpy guy. After the introductions inside their 6-seater van, we’d fallen asleep and only woke up when we stopped to fetch Samantha’s much younger twin sisters from their babysitter. By now, there were 8 persons in the van. Of course, this was Roma. The children were, let’s say, lively, so no more sleeping. Then after an hour drive out of the city and uphill, we reached our host home. ‘Intayon!’ (Ilocano for ‘let’s go!’) says Mariano who is a native Roman. At their home, Kuya Veingie’s Aunt (Samantha’s Mom) and other younger sister were waiting to meet us. Mariano’s sister and nephew were also staying there temporarily. It was a very full house, but a happy one.
(More memories of Rome:)
kheli!
Roman Cavallo
autumn leaves... in winter
fruit vendor
mobile vendor
FOR SALE -BIKE- FUTURISTIC, Belonging to PICASSO... c",)
Signor Mariano
After dinner, we brought out our UNO cards, for one round – we thought. But everyone, even Signor Mariano wanted turns so the game went on and on. Samantha’s mom must have noticed how tired we were (we haven’t slept since 40 hours ago!) and told her family to let us go to bed already. Kanootz & Joia shared the top bunk, then kheli underneath us, then ate khols on the other one while Samantha's bed was on the far end of the room. This one wasn't a forced sleep at all... we really were tired and sleep-deprived. and wake up time was 5am to catch a lift w/ signor mariano to Roma Termini...
written by  garcia on December 8, 2007 from Rome, Italy

Under my umbrella, ella, ella... (Pisa in 4 hours)
Pisa, Italy
Our train to Tuscany... kanootz being nosey
After saying our parting words and gratitudes to Signor Mariano, we went into the Roma Termini for some hot drinks frist, and then our tickets. It took little to convince ate Kholeen that Pisa was a necessary stop. Guess she always wanted to see it too, but when you live here in Italy, it can wait... for this time. We were early for our train so it was easy boarding in. Kanootz even got the chance to nose about when the train engine was being connected to the carriages.
Thank goodness, we shared the carriage with pleasent passengers and mind you, this one's heating was just right. After 2.5 hours, we were in Pisa Centrale where we had the chance to buy some souvenir and more postcards. More umbrella vendors in here... Kheli tells us, they change merchandise according to the weather...From there we caught the Linea Rossa pulman which took us to the Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles).
Kheli @ Pisa Centrale
Campo dei Miracolli / Field of Miracles (Pisa)
Before we write any further, we'd like to express disappointment about our photographs. We're a bit bummed because first, it was pouring that day! And then wind chill factor if we remember properly was about 0 deg C. This meant that Niko (our little Nikon S200 point-&-shoot) was the only one on duty. On days like this, Nikky (Nikon D80) gets too shy. Also, the weather sort of dampened the colour of what is supposed to be white marble lined Pisa Cathedral. Still, theye were our personal shots so to us, they're better than any other.
laughter in the rain....
bell fry of Pisa Cathedral
how to wear a rain coat - fabulously!
When we got to the Cathedral site, basically, everything is as it is in photos. As one would expect, there were countless souvenir stalls lining the walls of the city. Kanootz & Kheli found a shirt they liked in here which they couldn't resist. The rain and the cold were such a challenge but never enough to stop us from doing what we came here for - take photos! It was actually quite funny 'cause none of our trick poses worked.
ahahahaha! challenging photoshoot
weather got better
We got so hungry and tried to find some place to eat outside the cathedral grounds. Kheli's preference was Chinese. We also liked the thought of warm fried rice and hot chicken soup. The last thing we'd think of eating in this kind of weather was cold sandwich / tough bread. We waled along narrow streets and almost lost hope when we met a Filipino mother and daughter who directed us to a decent one. It was quiet and clean... and @ 35E for 4 starved travellers, not bad.
baptistery of Pisa cathedral
so happy @ a chinese resto!
Eat my short!
Then we walked back to the bus stop to catch the same bus to the terminal. Along the way, we managed to take a couple of shots of the beautiful buildings lining the Arno River. Our train ride back to Turin was easy and restful, thank God.
Anyway, a bit about Pisa:
hiding from the cold, Pisa train station
More UNO w/ Khols & Kheli
Pisa was a bustling maritime city in the medieval era, rivalling Genova & Venice. Perhaps Pisa's greatest claim to fame is being the birthplace & home of the Renaisssance genius Galileo Galilei who also taught at the city's historic university. The Leaning Tower of Pisa - the cathedral's belfry, is what we'd say a beautiful architectural accident - thus, the name Campo dei Miracoli. next up, Paris...
The EYE... Italian Riviera
written by  garcia on December 10, 2007 from Pisa, Italy

Crossing Borders (Caselle - Paris)
Paris, France
Joia @ Gare De Lyon
Day 1: We’d already bought our plane tickets (Kheli’s including) online even before we went to Roma (150E each). We opted for flying simply because we only just came from a 16-hour train ride to Roma and back. Because it was a last minute booking, train tickets were going to cost us more anyway. This we did knowing that there’s a very big possibility that Kheli may not be allowed to leave Italy. At the time of our scheduled trip, his permit to stay in Italy was expired and in the process of being renewed.
Still, we had to give it a try; it was worth a try, absolutely! He really wanted to come with us. Besides, if he wasn’t allowed into the plane, the worst thing that could happen was for him to forfeit his return ticket. So, with Kheli’s Italian Identity Card, Kanootz’ Schengen Visa in his Philippine passport, & my NZ passport, we cued with a daypack each (our only baggage for the 4-day trip) in front of Air France’s Boarding gate @ Caselle Airport.
cold
I reminded them both to pray – really hard. I’ve also said my prayers before we left the apartment: ‘Lord, we promise, we just want to see what Paris is like, nothing else… and we’ll be good conscientious and polite travelers… and you know Kheli is coming back to Turin with us’… “Buon Viaggio!” the airline staff finally greeted us as she handed us back our travel documents. Sigh! The flight took around 1 ½ hours. Not bad. We arrived in Paris’ Charles De Gaulle Airport at 8:30 am. From here, we took the Air France Bus to Gare De Lyon which was another hour’s ride. At Gare De Lyon, we found a Tourist Info Office and bought our 2-Day L’Open Tour Passes (35E each). We also booked our trip to Versailles for our last day in France. This drew us back another 45E each. OUCH! So we walked out the train terminal and towards our L’Open Bus Stop across the road.
The sun was shining, but the wind chill was almost unbearable. We were so excited to get to sit on the top deck… until 5 minutes later, it got too cold for me, and it turns out, for the boys just as much! With a bit of disappointment, and realizing of course for real why people would much rather endure the thick crowd of European summer, we climbed down to the lower deck – it wasn’t that much warmer either.
kanootz inside tour bus
parc de bercy
Our 2-Day pass allowed us to hop on and hop off at main tourist stops. Our first bus for the day was the Blue Line which circled the areas around Bercy and Bastille along the River Seine’s Right Bank. There were so many Ponts (Bridges) all notably beautiful, but too many to remember each by name. And really, I could spend pages and pages describing every single structure we saw… or you could simply enjoy the photos. I prefer the latter, so go ahead…
Bonjour, Paris! Who's the happier one?
Green building
IAN
oh no! poor iana...
parisienne window
our Paris L'open Tour Bus
restaurant quarter
Then next major stop was Ile de la Cite – the site of the very first settlement in Paris dating back to 3rd century BC. Our Bus stop is right in front of Place du Parvis Notre Dame (the square in front of Cathedrale De Notre Dame De Paris). We were getting hungry so we crossed a bridge towards Bd St Germain where there were shops and restaurants of all sorts. Apparently, 11 am was still too early so most restaurants were closed. But there’s always McDonalds. My toes have been numb for half an hour so anywhere warm was a good choice. After lunch, we went back to see Notre Dame Cathedral. The Place Du Parvis was also a lot more crowded than it was earlier. There were Police everywhere. Police on foot, Police on bikes, Police Buses, Police Boats…
Parisienne Police car in Notre Dame
Parisienne Police boat
Parisienne Police at work
Parisienne Police bus
demonstrators
this demonstration is for...
We were planning to go see the inside of the cathedral made famous by Victor Hugo’s Hunchback, when suddenly, the crowd began to panic. People rushing in, some running away, the city Police draw in with their sirens… The three of us found ourselves a corner away from the crowd… It turns out that there was some kind of demonstration… we decided it was sensible to stay away, so we hailed the Green Line: Paris Grand Tour bus to move on to Place de la Concorde.
Merry Xmas, Notre Dame!
bridge to Ile de la cite
Penguin hug!
Cathedral De Notre Dame
Notre Dame's left tower
cactus
Mr & Mrs Garcia
'Im in Paris!' Yeeha!
Apparently: The 3300(?) year-old pink granite obelisk in the middle of Concorde square came from Egypt. From here, we could already see the Arc De Triomphe at the other end of Champs-Elysees. For this reason, Kanootz and Kheli decided we should head there on foot. What none of us realized is that there was a 2.5K distance from one end of the Champs-Elysees to the other. It didn’t really matter that much, after all, this was one of the world’s poshest (if that’s a word) shopping avenues.It was sunset when we hailed the bus that would take us to our hotel for the evening. We had to make our way from Champs-Elysses to Porte Doree and the closest the bus could take us was Parc De Bercy.
Joia & Kheli: Concorde
Paris: from Jardin des Tuileries
art in jardin des tuileries
building around concorde
resting in place de la concorde
It was some 45 – 60 minute walk to the hotel. The cold was unbearable by now, as the sun has gone away. We regret not even checking the weather & temperature beforehand. This should teach us. Thank God, the hotel we’d booked online (Hotel de la Porte Doree) was STELLAR! For 90E (triple room), we are very pleased. It was a bit far from the city center, but was well worth it.
hotel's lift: join us?
Their website said it all ‘we are no ordinary 2 star hotel’. It was CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN! Ensuite bathroom, plush beddings, good heating, view was nothing special but the inside décor more than made up for it. Oh, their lift was funny too – so tiny but apparently able to carry 3 persons.
hotel key - so heavy!
They have very friendly staff behind the reception – which is next to a tiny but classy lobby. We dashed out for half an hour for some dinner at a Japanese resto and hurried back to the hotel and slipped into our warm beds as quickly as we could. We were snoozing at 10 pm, woke up at 10 am the next day. Love, love this hotel! We recommend people to stay here - 100%! I think they're a GREEN hotel too...
Hotel de la Portee Doree
view from hotel de la Portee Doree
Coming right up: Days 2-3 in Paris
written by  garcia on December 18, 2007 from Paris, France

Aux Champs-Elysses! (Paris Part 2)
Paris, France
fountain around montmartre
The Madeleine
Kheli's 1st KFC in a year
Paris Day 2: We took the Montmartre – Grand Boulevards route for the morning. We stopped at Madeleine and also saw views of Le Printemps (Harrods of Paris), and Gare Saint Lazarre. Near Moulin Rouge, Kheli spotted a KFC. He wasn’t going to miss it. They don’t have KFC in Turin, so he hasn’t had one since coming to Europe – a year ago. Inevitably, it was chicken for lunch. We sat next to a couple of Filipino ladies. Either they were snobs, or they thought we were. Shame, I would’ve loved to chat with them, learn about their jobs, etc. Then back to Moulin Rouge for our bus to take us around and back to Place de la Concorde… pass views of Sacre Coeur up the top of the Montmartre Hill, two more major Gares, and a few magnificent fountains all with names too difficult to pronounce or even spell…
Printemps, Paris
In Iana Traiteur near KFC Moulin Rouge
crepe vendor on Champs-Elysses
The Louvre
In the afternoon, we got stuck in Champs-Elysees again… surprise! We were there late enough to see the avenue turn into a sparkling promenade. From here, we also contacted our accommodation for the night. On the last minute, Kanootz’ eldest sister (Karen) was able to speak w/ an old friend living in Paris. He (Karen’s friend) was vacationing in the Philippines but was able to give us the number of his relative living in Central Paris.
Champs-Elysses: Arc de Triomphe end
Champs-Elysses: Concorde end
Citroen building: inside
Citroen building: outside
boys' toys
Aunty Nessy was her name. On the phone, we took directions from her for later and then enjoyed Champs-Elysses a bit longer. We even ended up having dinner in a posh Chinese/Thai resto a block away from Arc De Triomphe. That set us back another 60E. Another big OUCH! Just as well, we’ve got FREE accommodation for our last 2 nights in Paris - ahh, the perks of being a Filipino!
tip of domed church within les invalides
sort of sundial in les Invalides
Sweets in Lav. Pattis-
Lavender Patisserie
Aunty Nessy’s place is in Courcelles. Not far from Charles De Gaulle station beneath the Arc De Triomphe. It would’ve been easy enough to find, except our map didn’t have the street name she mentioned. We got lost; I even tripped and got my bottom wet by a frozen puddle on a curb. It turns out; her place was only a few meters from the Courcelles station. Aunty Nessy’s lives in a small but comfortable service room on the 5th floor provided for her by her Jewish boss. There was a lift to get to her place, even tinier than the hotel’s - less than a meter square in floor space, but still handy.
Romantic Courcelles Stataion to Aunty Nessy's
view from Aunty Nessy's
Aunty Nessy's room decor: Chocoyum!
Aunty Nessy's bedroom lighting
She was very kind, even gifted me with a matching red hat and pashmina (which I wore for the rest of the trip). Fortunately, we managed to grab a couple of French fragranced soaps for her from Sephora before leaving the shopping district. Everything was small in her place – small chairs, small table, small fridge, and small shower… except for her very large (1.5m) LCD screen TV compliments of her boss. She is a practicing Jehovah’s Witness… so, inevitably, we had a very interesting 2 nights. It’s amazing though how she just opened up to us about her story. She was very accommodating, and very caring to all 3 of us. And then she told us we’re the same age as her own children. She’s not been home since she came to France 6 years ago. I really felt for her… but she seems to me a very strong woman who takes strength from her faith. God bless her heart.
Arc de triomphe: postcard shot
Next up: Paris Day 3...
written by  garcia on December 20, 2007 from Paris, France

Versailles - Paris - Turin
Turin, Italy
Chateau de Versailles
Frozen fountain infront of Chateau
chateau guards!
Day 4: 7am, we said our good-byes and gratitude to Aunty Nessy who has generously shared her Paris place with us. Though we’ll never know how we can return the favor to her directly, we do intend to ‘play it forward’. We caught the metro from Courcelles to Pyramides where we met up with our tour bus to Versailles.
real people live & work here
Kanootz' shot of kids on field trip
Snowflake. Nah! Chandelier bottom.
9am, our bus departed from Cityrama headquarters. It was packed – with Japanese tourists! They all wanted front / top deck seats. We were quite happy occupying the whole spread of tail seats. And we got some sleep on the way, yippee! 9:45, we arrived in Versailles as scheduled. It was a sunny day but the chill was still there. The tour was much like the tour of Windsor Castle. Can’t really tell much about their differences but I do know I like Versailles better. The inside was also a lot more camera-friendly. We were able to take some shots of the great big chandeliers in the Hall of Mirrors.
Hall of Mirrors
ceiling in chateau
When we got to the landscaped gardens, Kanootz said, Inang Inday (my grandma) would have loved to be in there. We imagine that it’d look even more stunning in the summer when the frozen fountains actually do their work. The trip cost us 130E in total.
Chateau Gardens
We could have had it a bit cheaper, but we were too exhausted to sacrifice comfort. This whole leg of the trip has been the most expensive one (so far) but… we wanted Paris to be a pleasant experience, not one wherein all our memories are dominated by skimping and budget-everything!
Kheli's shot
Boys will be boys!
chandelier bigger than me
1:00 pm, we were back in the city center. We hurried to Champs-Elysses to try and grab those pair of shoes which Kheli spent the whole of last night mulling over. In the same gallery, we also found yet another ‘Turo-turo’ style Thai restaurant and their menu looked good. Most of the people dining there looked like professional office workers, so this must be a favorite local choice. Not bad for our last meal in Paris.
Chateau corner shot
The man who served Kheli at the shoe shop helped us out with some information on how to best get to the airport to catch our 4:05 pm flight. So at 2pm, we walked to the closest metro again and came out from another where Air France bus was waiting for us. It was like everything was laid out for us, and the timings were perfect. We made it to the airport in time. And Kheli was allowed into the plane – yippee! 5:30 pm and we were already in Turin’s Caselle Airport where Papang had been in the car waiting for us for an hour.
FROST at midday
seeing doubles c",)
And was Paris romantic? Well, first of all, we had Kheli with us. Then at times when we do try to kiss, our lips were freezing and wind-chapped for most of the trip. We couldn’t even hold hands because we’d rather keep them in our own pockets. We did have some moments, like dancing to some easy jazz on the cruise boat… young Kheli right next to us of course… haha! Besides, kanootz isn’t the cheesy-weepy-romantic kind of guy, & I like that about him! As well, of course, as the fact that he makes me laugh...
my pick: chateau boulders
I would never want to ever forget… that on the plane, high above the Alpine mountains bordering France and Italy, the view was so awe-inspiring! It’s such an irony that we’d paid over a thousand euros for a trip to Paris, and still the sight that was most remarkable of all – is the one that we hadn’t paid any penny for. Here it is:
French-Italian Alpine Border
written by  garcia on December 22, 2007 from Turin, Italy

Paris Day 3
Paris, France
Joialliver's travels... wink!
Paris Day 3: We didn’t get out till mid-day for 2 reasons. 1: It was freezing outside. 2: we stayed up till late last night watching a Koreanovela. Haha! Once you start one of these things, it catches you and impossible to disengage until all 8 DVDs have gone in and out of the player. Still, we knew this was the day – for Eiffel Tower. We were in Paris and it may take a while before we could come back so we had to battle the cold. It was snowing in Turin but the cold in Paris is quite different. It bites your toes even when they’re covered in 3 layers of socks.
Kheli's composition
Eiffel: on a winter's day
Bumps of Eiffel
We emerged from out of the Trocadero station. From the Trocadero, we caught a glimpse of the ever graceful century-old tower. We tried to take as many photos as we could and then finally succumbed to the cold. And anyway, we’d seen Eiffel at day time the other day.
Turo-turo: Parisienne Version
We’re looking forward to tonight when it comes alive. For now: lunch. So we walked along a major street behind the Trocadero to try and find a cheaper option. We thought, either McDo, or Chinese. We saw a Pizza Hut sign, only to be disappointed when we found out, it was a delivery joint. We needed a warm sit-down place. We walked a little further and voila! We found ourselves in front of this Chinese/Viet restaurant. ‘Turo-turo’ style – in Paris! Haha! You literally point to the viand you like. Our bill still totaled 30E but the food was so “UMAMI” and warm! And the place was clean, and the waiter even came running a block to give us our bottle of hand sanitizer which we’d forgotten. She just made our day!
The Trocadero from Tour Eiffel
Hotel Des Invalides from Tour Eiffel
All refueled, we cued under the Eiffel for our tickets to the 3rd level. Glad to know, it wasn’t just as who’s jerking in the cold. Everyone else thought it was crazy we were all willing to suffer this much for Tour Eiffel. There were tiny little bits of snow falling on us every
Eiffel
Paris to Auckland!
now and then. But the wind, ooh, it was mean! The tickets to the top cost us another 30E+. But the view from there, worth every penny! I know a lot of people say Paris is overrated. That’s okay by me. Really, there’s two ways of looking at it: either everything is overrated or nothing is, so one must find a comfortable spot in between... For me, I think, It’s amazing to see how the city spreads itself out like the tentacles of a giant octopus, to think that it was laid out many centuries ago and still holds itself together as one of the world’s greatest cultural and commercial capitals! And my observation was that, for being the world’s most visited city, Paris is impressively CLEAN! I guess this should answer my dear friend Rose's question...
River Seine from Eiffel
Paris to Manille!
Palmiers @ Fauchon
After the climb, the smell of crepes from the stall across the road gave me the cravings for some sweets. Kanootz suggested that we should go to Fauchon instead.From Trocadero to Madeleine, it was quite a distance – but a worthy one. So, if you happen to be in Paris, do drop by Pattisserie / Traiteur Fauchon “Paris in your lips” – if you intend to splurge on some gastronomic delights even once. We’re glad we did! They have anything from the humble Madeline, to crispy palmiers, to the very posh truffle-salmon pâté. Only thing is, unless you’re a girly-girl like me, you’ll just have to bear with the PINKness of the place! Kanootz & Kheli managed fine. Following are some photos of our afternoon snack in Fauchon… Enjoy!
Our snack @ Fauchon
Cakes @ Fauchon
30E-60E each!
In the evening, after watching Eiffel Tower slowly come alive – in the cold, we bought tickets to ride a Parisienne Bateau along the River Seine. We were shivering in the cold, but it was magical! Some shots in / from the boat:
love of my life, on the bateau
Kheli under a Paris bridge
Notre Dame: evening look
Notre Dame from an evening boat
love the lights!
Parisienne Bateau illuminating a bridge
Le Grande Roue, Concorde
Eiffel Classic portrait
Eiffel: from inside the boat
Eiffel: from beneath
We thought it was going to be a half-hour ride like the Thames (UK) one, but this one lasted 1.5 hours. An added bonus! There were so many beautifully illuminated buildings to look at on both sides of the river, so much to see! There were some merry souls in the boat which gave the atmosphere a lively feel. They even got everyone else chorusing with them to Joe Dassin’s ‘Les Champs-Elysses’ – including us, even though we'd never heard of this apparently classic before. "Aux Champs-Élysées... aux Champs-Élysées...au soleil, sous la pluie...à midi ou à minuit...il y a tout ce que vous voulez...aux Champs-Élysées." What a splendid day! … More portraits of Tour Eiffel:
C'est Amour!
Eiffel: from beside
Eiffel's reflection on a telephone booth
Watch out for Part 4: Versailles… up next.
written by  garcia on December 21, 2007 from Paris, France

Our Torinese Yuletide
Torino, Italy
Well, lonely planet was right... after a while, Europe begins to feel like work. To be fair, we've also had many moments that we'd like to remember for a long long time. This blog entry is really only a photo-diary of our yuletide season in Torino: things we saw and did, people we met, etc.
- we visited ate Kholeen & kuya veingie's baby's tomb. sad...
In memory of Giorgio Dillon Garcia-Aquino...
-christmas concertino by Filipinos in Torino. Funny!
Xmas variety show (Fil-Ital)
-centerpiece Joia salvaged from the rubbish
centerpiece
La Gran Madre di Dio from River Po
-more Luci d'Artista
"Reign of the Flowers"
light & dark
Day-visits, etc.
La Gran Madre di Dio
w/ in-laws in Veneria Reale
making pasta
she loves the camera!
Ate Khols e Kelly dolce
panettone
-Ate Kholeen's make-over... girly stuff!
Ate Kholeen, before...
Ate Khols: after
Ate Khols: After
-Random stuff:
hugging the heater
Basilica dei Frati Capuccini
chocolat
-La Basilica dei Frati Cappuccini: always wanted to take a shot of this blue domed church perched on top of a hill but Nikky's 135 lens never gave a clear enough shot even at closer points. but this one... i like it's reflection on the waters of the River Po.
-Snow. Frolick. Childish. Cool...
bliss!
w/ kheli
bianco e nero
snow out the window
snowy pattern
snow on rooftops
snow flakes
A day in Municipio di Moncalieri, 30 minutes from Citta di Torino...
Joia & Ate Kholeen
street named after moi!
looking over moncalieri town
watch out for next blog... thanks for dropping by. x Kanootz&Joia x
written by  garcia on January 5, 2008 from Torino, Italy

so we forgot to blog... just cause u guys aren't on holiday!!! haha!
Manila, Philippines
So sorry everyone... this blog will probably have to wait to be finalized when we get back to Auckland. wifi isn't so easy over here. I don't enjoy working on other people's computers. we're both getting bigger by the day - but no worries, we'll have plenty of time to shrink down when we get back. haha! we miss you all very much and all our host families/friends too. we're already dreading the thought of saying goodbye to the Philippines again.... kabaliw!
written by  garcia on February 10, 2008 from Manila, Philippines

Us, w/ glass xmas tree again

Doh! ehehehehe!

Mr & Mrs Garcia

Boys will be boys!

French-Italian Alpine Border