Chicago Tour

June 26 - July 1, 2006

Shots of chicago historical buildings during our boat cruise along chicago river that merges further into Lake Michigan.

I also was able to catch the "pink train" which I see it as cute...lol!

We were also able to get shots of some buildings during the night...

CHICAGO DOWNTOWN:

My second day in Chicago,Illinois.

Just a quick shot while walking along. The Water Tower place is also a good place to do malling, or if you're a food lover, there are lots of choices around.

A typical car park building in Chicago downtown. It is "head turning" for me so I took a shot :).

Filipiniana Festival

June 11, 2006 - Chessapeak, Maryland

This was my first time witnessing the festival here in Maryland and in the whole US of A! :) Of course, one thing that made me excited was the Filipino food. :) I was missing it since I was here.

Hubby wasn't sure where the exact place was, and so we were just having a tough task trying to park our car close by. Anyway, we passed through that and by the time we were able to get through the place, I was hungry. So...time to look for food! It was so hot and humid that day, and hubby was wearing his barong tagalog and so he was sweating like crazy. Anyway, we were able to take a place under the shade, while we ate our food.

It was a good thing we were able to catch a glimpse of the parade (santacruzan) and took some shots. Afterwhich we went around and looked up some stalls. There were lot of stalls around selling different products that came from the Philippines (mostly). It was actually like you're in a Baclaran area in Manila where most of the products are affordable.

There were also some cultural presentations showcasing Filipino's unique culture, dances, songs, and even the famous Filipiniana dresses and barongs.

Later in the afternoon they had some mini concerts, mostly were bands run by Fil-Ams. I find it noisy, so we just had to go home after buying little stuffs.

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Our Trip to National Aquarium, Baltimore, Maryland

May 7, 2006 - This trip ws not expected by me, but hubby was so excited to tour me around to places worth visiting. It is a 45 minutes drive going to Baltimore, but that's the most convenient drive my husband would do from the rest of our long trips. It was my first time to go around Baltimore, and see some famous landmarks such as the World Trade Center in Baltimore, where my husband partly works.

Photos Inside the National Aquarium:

The National Aquarium in Baltimore is Maryland's leading tourist attraction, and considered to be an international icon. The Aquarium addresses the challenges of protecting Earth’s aquatic treasures and mobilizes community volunteers in clean-up efforts to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay. It also features hundreds of exhibits featuring more than 16,500 animals.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

May 4-6, 2006 -

Not much of a tour, but since it was only a short stay, we had a short trip visit to Duquesne Incline. This is actually considered as one of the top romantic spots along side such landmarks as the Brooklyn Bridge and Niagara Falls" according to MSN.com

Some Photos:

"Providing safe, reliable, rapid public transportation, via funicular railway, since 1877 May 20, for the residents and businesses of the Duquesne Heights and Mount Washington sections of the City of Pittsburgh. Utilizing two original, 1877 cable cars, the Duquesne Incline is a working museum. The Upper Station, on Grandview Avenue, includes a new platform for the public to view the Incline's historic hoisting equipment, as well as displays regarding the history of the Incline and the City of Pittsburgh, and pictures of other cable and rail cars from around the world."

Inside the Duquesne Incline Cable Car!

"Additionally, the spacious Observation Deck overlooks the beautiful Golden Triangle of Downtown Pittsburgh, and surrounding area including the upper Ohio River valley and lower Allegheny River Valley, ranked the second most beautiful view in America by USA Weekend Magazine !. Constructed, owned, and operated by The Duquesne Incline Plane Company from 1877 to 1964. Since 1964, operated by the non-profit Society for the Preservation of the Duquesne Heights Incline."

Our Photo at the Observation Deck:

Road Trip:

This is one of our favorite buffet restaurant when we go for a road trip in Pittsburgh.

St. Louis, Missouri Trip

April 24-29, 2006

My second big state trip in spring, it was still very sharply chilly, weatherwise. But after we got settled checking in and getting our hotel room, I bugged hubby to take a walk outside the hotel. I didn't mind the weather being cold because my eyes were so much attracted to the pretty spring flowers in the gardens close to the hotel.

St. Louis is sometimes called the Gateway city. I don't know why, but some day I would be able to know the real reason why. Our hotel is located few miles away from the downtown area, so it's a quiet place away from the hustling busy streets.

Our first night was the SSA group treat to a bull ride. That's usually what the place is seemed to known for, but it was a fake bull :)) I didn't try riding on it..or else for sure I would be breaking all my bones! I preferred to watch the fun. However, my husband did try it...and some other group co workers of my husband had a blast too :)

Some of my husband's co workers had a blast with the bull ride. Nobody beat the bull though, I guess lol!

April 27, 2006 - Butterfly House

We went driving down to Chesterfield, MO to see the butterfly house. In here is a vastand awesome collection of colorful butterflies. We got tons of photos for the butterflies too. I can't possibly be posting all of them here, but I have couple photos which were the best that I got :)

April 28, 2006 - We had 3 itineraries for this day: St. Louis Zoo, Missouri City Museum and Missouri Botanical Garden.

Missouri City Museum

The City Museum is an eclectic mixture of children's playground, funhouse, surrealistic pavilion, and architectural marvel made out of unique, found objects. There are at least 14 attractions inside, but we were only able to visit 4 attractions due to time constraints.

Missouri Botanical Garden

It's just so much wonderful seeing a lot of flowers full of various colors around. I had fun and enjoyed communing with nature that day too :)

Baltimore's St. Patrick's Day Parade

March 12, 2006 - Inner Harbor

We went to the Inner harbor Sunday, (March 12) just for a pleasure fun trip. We didn't know they were having the St. Patrick's Parade around the area, so we were stucked up in the traffic jam on one corner of the street.

St. Patrick's day was officially celebrated on March 17 though, but they perhaps decided to have the parade ahead from the actual event. I am not aware of this activity but it was fun watching the parade. The favorite color was green that day ..I saw green haired humans and dogs alike LOL!

Anyway, I was able to get quick shots from the parade and I was able to get some shots of the Irish hounds joining the parade too. I love dogs, and it amazed me seeing these dogs...first time in my life! LOL. They are cute!

The rest of the day was a stroll along Inner Harbor. This was my first hang out in Baltimore :) I enjoyed the photos and the scenes too!

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Trip

February 16-18, 2006

Fourteen days after I arrived, I guess I considered myself lucky to take my first trip to another State...Pennsylvania.

The Grand Concourse Restaurant, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The photo is the scene you would see when you pass through the entrance.This fascinating restaurant exactly looks like somewhat a basilica or old cathedral. Ambiance is cool, and usually has scenes that are appreciative during nightime. It is a good site when you want to witness a big fireworks display. They usually do this during the New Year's eve, where the resto would always be fully packed! Grand Concourse used to be an old subway station converted into a big restaurant, now Grand Concourse. By the way they serve good soup and rice, :)

My husband's co workers invited us for a dinner during our first night, and it was a blast! I had a hard time deciding what to get for a meal because I was still looking for the ideal Filipino meal...I was still adjusting and hadn't been eating much lately after I arrived. I wasn't used to eating vegetable salads (fresh). It was a good idea for me to get a soup...and yes, thank God, they have rice :)

We had a short walk close by our hotel (Marriott) where we were checked in. Weather was good, but sharply chilly!

The background is a cathedral church, just infront of marriot Hotel where we stayed in.

Our last day was taken cared of by my hubby's co worker, Jill, and a good friend to us. She took us to Sweet Basil & La Filipiniana Restaurant, a Filipino-Thai restaurant. I wasn't sure of the exact location of the restaurant, but it was still in Pittsburgh.

Me and Jill

We had a nice chatting time with Jill that day. I finally was able to take a good meal that day. I had pork adobo and sinigang, :) I had been eating mostly pasta the rest of the days...(that was still during my adjustment period.)

Thanks Jill.

My Trip and Arrival in the USA!

February 02, 2006

The date that I would never forget...the day I finally came to my second home, to where my husband lives.

My itinerary was MLA-HK-LAX-BWI.

It was a long trip, but at the same time excited to see our home in Maryland.

At HK International Airport, while waiting for my flight to LAX.

My first steps in America! I was at LA Int'l Airport.

Finally, although groggy and tired, I am now in Maryland. The first few hours after I arrived, I started to get runny nose. No, I wasn't crying!..weather was just too cold for me to bear. That was always easy to remember that time I came to the US...winter time! It was like a culture shock for me weatherwise LOL!

Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila

January 19, 2006

Fort Santiago, in the medieval Spanish walled enclave of Intramuros, was where political prisoners through the ages, from Spanish to Japanese occupation, were held, tortured and sometimes executed.

The fort is shielded by 22-meter-high walls, with a thickness of 8 meters and an entrance measuring 40 meters high. It is located at the mouth of the Pasig River and it was once the premier defense fortress of the Spanish Government in the Philippines. During World War II it was captured by the Japanese, and sustained heavy damage from American & Filipino bombs during the Battle of Manila in February 1945. It was later restored by the Intramuros Administration during the 1980s. Today the fort serves as a museum which houses well-preserved legacies of the Spanish government, Jose Rizal (which is called the Plaza de Armas), Rizal Shrine, and the prison dungeons for criminals used by the Spanish officials.
José Rizal, the country's national hero, was imprisoned here before his execution in 1896.

Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Tour

January 19, 2006 - This was actually part of our Manila Tour which includes Fort Santiago, and some places in the city of Manila. Since I wasn't able to get much photos of the places where we toured in Manila, I would only be sharing this tour and another one from Fort Santiago. These two famous landmarks are the only places where we actually allowed to go down the tourist vehicle and take time to go around and take photos around the place. Other than that are mobile tours in which I think mostly it's not an ideal way of getting photos while you are in motion :)

The headstones:
These are arranged in concentric circular rows around the high point on which the memorial stands. Burial area is divided into 11 plots of varying sizes.

The Chapel Area: The chapel area stands between the south ends of the hemicycles. The photo below where I am is the chapel's door entrance going inside.

The Large Hemicycles - within which contains the Tablets of the Missing inscriptions.

We actually saw several missing soldiers who died during the war who carries our own family name...whether they are our relatives or not, we felt proud that we have those kind of heroes who died for our beloved countries.

Corrigedor Island Tour

January 17, 2006

We left for Corrigedor Island on board Sun Cruises and for an hour and 15 minutes boat ride. While on board, a tour guide will be giving a brief history about the island and a short movie will be played about WWII history, that includes the fall of Bataan, etc...I am not so fond of history, so I fell asleep! :)

While aboard Sun Cruises

Corregidor is strategically located at the Manila Bay entrance, about 48 kilometers west of Manila.

Arriving at our destination at North Dock of Corregidor, a pre-war type streetcars called "tramvias" picked us up for the guided tour.

Inside the tramvia

First stop: Middleside Barracks Ruins

This building ruins housed at least 5,000 men but the day it was bombed, many of them were out to their stations so it was said only 20 men died on that day. In this area, you are not allowed to go further inside the ruins, don't know why but I guess it's for the visitor's safety and security.

Filipino-American Friendship Park - the park commemorates the close friendship and camaraderie between the Philippines and the United States in times of war and in peace which is depicted by ten-foot high statues of a Filipino and American soldier. A plaque at the park bears the following statement: "In these hallowed surroundings where heroes sleep may their ashes scatter with the wind and live in the hearts of those who were left behind. They died for freedom's right and in heaven's sight. Theirs was a noble cause."

Major Gen. Jonathan Wainright Memorial:

Wainright was forced to surrender to the Japanese forces whom he was a prisoner of war in Manchuria for 3 years before he was finally rescued. Part of his letter was engraved on this memorial;

..."with broken heart and head bowed in sadness but not in shame"...

..."Please say to the nation, that my troops and I have upheld the best tradition of the United States and its Army...with profound regret and with continued pride in my gallant troops, I go to meet the Japanese commander."

It's lunch time...our tour guide said; We had a complimentary lunch at Corrigedor Hotel which was included in our tour package. We were able to taste that famous "pandan juice" that I love.

On top of the hotel, right after lunch overlooking the island.

GUN EMPLACEMENTS:

Battery Hearn - The Americans started setting up Battery Hearn in 1918 and completed work on it in 1921 at a cost of $148,105. This 12-inch seacost west-ranged guns had a maximum range of 29,000 yards and was capable of firing in all directions. It was one of the last major additions to Corregidor's defense system which was intended to defend the island against enemy naval threat from the South China Sea. Battery Hearn had been in action firing towards Cavite from February 1942 and on April 8 and 9, 1942, towards Bataan. This gun emplacement was captured nearly intact by the Japanese when Corregidor fell and it was subsequently repaired by them and put back into action. It was, however, completely neutralized by American aerial bombardment in January and February of 1945.

Pacific War Memorial - The memorial was erected to honor of the Filipino and American servicemen who participated in the Pacific War. Financed with an appropriation by the United States Congress, it was completed in 1968. The major memorial structure is a rotunda in which a circular altar falls directly under the dome's open center through which light falls on the altar during daylight hours. The altar symbolizes a wreath of victory with the following words inscribed on its rim: "Sleep, my sons, your duty done, for Freedom's light has come; sleep in the silent depths of the sea, or in your bed of hallowed sod, until you hear at dawn the low, clear reveille of God." The memorial also houses a museum which serves as the repository of relics and memorabilia related to the history of Corregidor.

Pacific War Memorial Museum

MALINTA TUNNEL - Our "Malinta Experience"

Don't miss this famous landmark. You can catch the Lights and Sound "(Malinta Experience") which is really worth seeing.

The tunnel had been dug through solid rock and offered complete protection from artillery or air attack. Command communications and medical units were located there. Gen. MacArthur set up the headquarters of USAFFE inside the tunnel where men and women would live and work during the siege of Corregidor. The tunnel was originally designed to house huge quantities of ammunition, food and supplies, and an underground hospital with a 1,000-bed capacity. The location of the tunnel beneath Malinta Hill made it ideal as a bomb-proof headquarters for the embattled Filipino and Americans defenders of Corregidor during World War II. During the siege of Corregidor, a number of shops and storage areas were added.

Malinta Tunnel also served as the seat of Philippine Commonwealth Government under President Manuel L. Quezon. At the vicinity of the tunnel's west entrance in the afternoon of Dec 30, 1941, Manuel Quezon and Sergio Osmena were inaugurated into their second term respectively as president and vice-president of the Philppine Commonwealth in simple ceremonies attended by members of the garrison.

Some of the scenes that was like during the WW2 in the tunnel. You can hear recorded voices of famous heroes such as Wainright, McArthur, Pres. Quezon and Pres. Osmena.

The tunnel served as a hospital and office while the whole island was being bomb by the Japanese forces. This was also the place where Pres. Quezon was hidden while being treated for tuberculosis during his time.

Gen. Douglas McArthur Monument
The statue depics his famous words ever in Fil-Am history "I shall return."

Behind his statue is Bataan.

Enchanted Kingdom, Laguna

January 14, 2006

Just having fun, fun and fun for the kids...nephews, niece and adults too ;)

Kiddie rides were the only ones we can get into it. No roller coasters etc...

It was super hot, but worth it for the kids. We had to buy bunch of ice cream for the whole family, as hubby was sweating like crazy. :) At least, he was relieved from the heat by eating a lot of ice cream that day, and so for the kids.

Racso's Woodland and Inland Resort (Family Trip)

September 3-4, 2005

An overnight to Racso's Woodland was an ideal treat for my family.

Racso's Woodland is located in Guimbal, and 35 minutes away from the city proper. It is considered to be the number one inland resort in Iloilo with its recreational and educational themes. They say it is a place where nature and leisure blends , fun and work combined in the magnificent splendor of mother nature.

The Various Facets:

Mini Olympic Pool - this is actually one of the main reasons why the trip was planned. A deep plunge in the pool is worth refreshing in the midst of heat.

The Kiddie Pool - we had a lot of fun swimming in here, both kids and adults alike :) well, for the adults, it's always the safest for their kids...adults too (who don't know how to swim) lol!

me and my family.

Other places worth visiting is the Rose garden and the mini zoo. Although I didn't get the chance to visit the garden, we spent most of our time in the zoo for my nephew. I know I got a bunch of photos in the zoo, but (again) I had a hard time recalling where did I file those photos. hehe..

I must find them and post them here soon.