Archive for March, 2008

The Day I Stole into the Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet

Thursday, March 20th, 2008

I am the kind of tourist the Chinese Government would love to ban, or even imprison as a lesson to others. I had not only committed a crime in their soil, I am also guilty of attempted bribery of a Chinese official.
The year was 2005 and it was my last day in Tibet before I [...]

Filipinos/Filipinas are an enigmatic lot

Sunday, March 9th, 2008

People
Strangely enough, it’s the people that either endear
or repulse you. Here, as in the physical landscape contrasts,
you have contrasting personalities. The poor are
hardcore poor, ranging from the homeless (they sleep in the park like
it’s a huge camping trip but without the tents somewhere near the expressway in
Manila itself or sometimes just on
pavements. Not even makeshift [...]

Manila - You love or hate it

Sunday, March 9th, 2008

Manila is chaotic, polluted - if you walk, you breathe
in tonnes of exhaust fumes and smells of stale urine.
If you take the jeepney, it’s very cramped but
relatively cheap. If you take the taxi, it’s 30 Pesos
flag fare. Everything except ciggi and alcohol is more
expensive than KL and Bkk. Pineapple rice costs 300
pesos (abt RM24) at [...]