ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!

A vacation is like love

anticipated with pleasure, experienced with discomfort, and remembered with nostalgia.

the Cave Connection team with Jeff, Jeffrey & Sundae

That would sum up our experience. To Jeff, who guided my lone adventure last month and this trip again, thanks heaps from all of us, Mo, June, Leda & Cla. You rock!
@left: if you want to have a picture with jeff, you have to go with him, huli ka! nyahahaha @right: on the way to the Underground river
@left: Sunrise @ Kiltepan w/ Jeff @right: Single File! Jeff, June, Mo, Leda & Cla after the Cave Connection experience
And to Jeffrey & Sundae, chill. : ) wink* wink*.

our last night in Sagada. Thanks for the bonfire, guys!

Submitted by Mo Pestano
Tour Dates: March 13 - 17

Have your experiences featured at the Saggas Blog
Send photos and Write ups to Crazyhim16@yahoo.com

SAGADA - a Getaway to Paradise

(The DULCES' Adventure Trip)Ms. Charm & Alvin @ the Rock Curtain Formation

Conquering Sagada in just an overnight stay, sounds impossible??
Of course! With all the sites Sagada can offer to first timers like us,
an overnight stay is definitely insufficient to explore every place...
But with the help of SAGGAS especially Kuya Kirky,we managed to experience
the best offers a first timer could get.
We have done cave connection on the first day; LUMIANG BURIAL CAVE - SUMAGUING CAVE.
Kiltepan view pointSt Mary's Episcopal Church
plus the famous Echo Valley and Hanging coffins on the second day.
Sure it was tiring, not to mention the muscle pains we had after all these activities.
However the ironic part was, we just felt it on our way back to Manila! hahaha
I'll just end this up saying :

" We'll be coming back ------- SOON!"

a feature submmited by miss Charmain Camaligan
March 13, 2010

if you want to post your experiences here.. send your photos and write ups to crazyhim16@yahoo.com

Unique Heritage and Culture Tourism in Bogor

A bit further away from Bandung about forty-five hours drive is Bogor, also called the city of rain. Previously known as "Buitenzorg" (Sans soucis or Without worries), during the Dutch colonial era, Bogor actually lies closer to Jakarta (50 km) than it does to Bandung (120 km). Appropriately named by the Dutch as a town "without worries", they chose Bogor to be the site for constructing the first palace of the Dutch Governor General way back in 1745. Later restored in 1832, the palace still stands solid and elegant today with its stretched out gardens where deer roam freely on the green grass under majestically tall old trees.
The inhabitants of Bogor work in agriculture, forestry, industry, as civil are Christians, Catholics, Hindus and Buddhists. From a historical point of view, the Bogor Regency still has a close relationship with the history of the Pakuan Padjajaran Kingdom, which was built between the 13th - 15th centuries. This is supported by some historical objects in the form of inscriptions as old manuscript written by some historians, which were found in the area.

Bogor, is famous with its botanical garden. This botanical garden and in the garden is the palace "Buitenzorg" On a not so busy day on the road a visit to Bogor and Taman Safari tourism can be done on the same day. The world-famous Bogor Botanical Garden borders the Palace Grounds, covering an area of 87 hectares with thousands of species of plant life from all over the world. There are over 15,000 species of trees and plants, 400 varieties of palms alone. The orchid houses contain over 3000 orchid varieties. We don't have to be a horticulturalist to enjoy the gardens, it is a masterpiece of design and a wonderful place to just stroll and enjoy the company of family and friends. See the original "Havea Brazilliensis" rubber tree, formerly imported from Brazil, and world's largest flower, the Rafflesia, a foul smelling and stem less as well as leafless plant. When visiting this Garden, arrange for a permit to visit the neighboring Presidential Palace, which belonged to the Dutch Governor General before Indonesia's independence. Doing this may be a daylong visit by leaving Jakarta in the morning and spend the night in Puncak mountainous region on the way to Bandung the next day. Here again, the whole car trip will be memorable, as scenic tropical beauty all around is really astonishing. We will also pass by another smaller Presidential Palace at Cipanas, the setting of which is in a colorful and flowery vast garden around this wooden but stylish palace.

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait... Rank: wait... Traffic: wait... Price: wait... C: wait...

Optical World

This glass looks cool know ? Want to buy such a glass for you too means visit Zenni opticals. It contains a variety of glasses that make you look beautiful. There a number of variety of glasses each made of different kinds of frame. The frame also comes with a number of colors and the material it can be made of may be fiber, metal or plastic. You can also have the view of each of the type of glasses and then choose the color and material with which the frame should be made. Some opt for contact lens and some for frames. Half frame and full frame are also available. You can see the details of each of the glasses also. So if are going to buy glasses have a look at Zenni Opticals the perfect place for glasses

Back home in PNG

Finally we are back home in Papua New Guinea.
As the airplane was approaching Jackson International Airport, Port Moresby, we saw the the ever-green landscape & reef-fringed blue ocean.
We normally complain about the heat & humid, but for now, the warm sunshine is comfortable for the body after spending sometime in ice-covered land.
The words came out naturally - "Thanks God, we are back in Paradise..."

It is funny we always admire sophisticated & efficient society in "developed" countries, but when we come back to Papua New Guinea, we always feel healed from inside. It is difficult to express in words, but Papua New Guinea has something special, for sure.

As soon as we were back, we ate Kaukau (sweet potato), Banana and chicken cooked with coconut milk. Although I like Eisbein & Pilsner, nothing is better than home food with SP Beer !

Resorts For You - Hedonism Resorts

Have you ever been to Jamaica to enjoy your holidays ? Jamaica, the Island on the Caribbean Sea is one of the important tourist destination. It is visited by more than one million tourist every year. It is well known for its beach holidays. So eventually there will a number of resorts which will give you the magnificent view of the island. If you are planning a trip to Jamaica for singles vacation then take a look at Hedonism Resorts. It offers all facilities that is needed for a perfect enjoyment. It is one of the best resort in Jamaica. There are some nudist resort in this area too. Special packages are available for adult vacations too. This is a perfect time to enjoy the beach holiday at Jamaica and its a honeymoon destination for many . Have a wonderful trip!

Shanghai World Expo 2010 - China

Shanghai World Expo 2010 Video

Shanghai  will witness the largest gathering of people for the Expo to be conducted by it in 2010. The world expo 2010 Shanghai, China dates have been announced. It will take place from 1st of May 2010 and will continue upto October 31 2010. It is expected that more that 70million people will visit the expo 2010 at Shangai. Exhibitors from more that 190 countries will be participating in this expo. It theme is "Better City Better Life". The event will be held at the center of Shanghai i.e., Nanpu Bridge and Lupu Bridge. If you wish to book tickets to this expo you can do it online itself. There are nine type of tickets. The pre sale of tickets  will be open till 30th of April

Live From Oaxaca

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy -All Rights Reserved
After suffering the trauma of temporarily losing my checked-in luggage between Newark, Mexico City and Oaxaca, I was delighted to be reunited with my belongings a mere 4 hours later. Not too bad Mexicana Click!! Of course, I jumped the gun and bought toothpaste/toothbrush and some other essentials (even a t-shirt) just in case, but that story ended well.

So here I am typing/blogging away in the patio of the delightful Hotel Aitana in the Centro Historico de Oaxaca, after a morning replete with photo ops in the two main markets of the town. We were glad to photograph a Guelaguetza rehearsal of young boys and girls at the Zocalo, who were prepping for a main event next Saturday.

We are waiting for one more member to join our group this afternoon, and we will then start the afternoon session. In the meantime, here's an image of a Oaxacan laborer. I can't tell if it sharp, or well processed as I'm using my Acer netbook...but it'll do for now.

Konark Sun Temple Of Orissa

Konark Sun Temple is one of the well known tourist attractions of the state of Orissa near the sacred city of Puri. The temple is also known as the Black Pagoda is a masterpiece of Orissa's medieval architecture. Sun temple has been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. It was built in Orissa red sandstone (Khandolite) and black granite by King Narasimhadeva (AD 1236-1264) of the Ganga dynasty.The temple takes the form of the chariot of Surya (Arka), the sun god, andd is heavily decorated with stoneg.


Sun Temple, Konarak The Konark temple is widely known not only for its architectural grandeur but also for the intricacy and profusion of sculptural work. The entire temple has been conceived as a chariot of the sun god with 24 wheels, each about 10 feet in diameter, with a set of spokes and elaborate carvings. Seven horses drag the temple. Two lions guard the entrance, crushing elephants. A flight of steps lead to the main entrance.

In Praha

Team PNG has visited Praha after ITB Berlin for a one day work shop.

On the next day, we became tourists in the historical township.

Photo at the famous Charles Bridge on the Vltava river overlooking Phaha Castle.

Swinging World Trophy, Steenwijk

The result of this week's competition was very poor. We didn't make it to the semi-final and finish the competition in place 16 out of 24 couples in the D-class. The redance with 15 couples on the floor was extremely crowded and we decided to put our focus on movement and floor craft. We succeeded in this but lost also a lot of quality in the process. Probably this was not appreciated by the adjudicators. Better performance is expected for the next competition in two weeks.

Het resultaat van onze kompetitie deze week was zeer slecht. We zijn niet in de halve finale geraakt en eindigen op plaats 16 van 24 paren in de D-klasse. In onze herkansingsronde waren we met 15 paren op de vloer wat het enorm druk maakt. In deze ronde kozen we voor beweging om op te vallen. Hierdoor hebben we veel in kwaliteit moeten inboeten. Waarschijnlijk werd dit niet door de jury gewaardeerd. We verwachten een betere prestatie volgende wedstrijd in twee weken.


Full result: Result Page Danceplaza

Previous competition article: De Danser, Badhoevedorp
Return to main page

On The Road: Oaxaca

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy -All Rights Reserved
As you read this, I should be on my way to Newark to catch my flight to Mexico, where I'll be conducting a short photo-expedition/workshop on street photography in the always delightful Oaxaca. Our small group will be staying at the Hotel Aitana, which will be our base for these 5 days.

Although the hotel has internet facilities, I'll be posting somewhat sporadically during that time, giving myself a break as far as daily blogging is concerned. Perhaps I'll be updating my Twitter page instead...we'll see.

A Journey Through Asia: Canon 5D II

a journey through asia from ivan vania on Vimeo.

Here's a short movie shot with a Canon 5D Mark II titled "A journey through Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The photography/videography (and editing) is by Ivan Vania, a filmmaker from Italy. The lens was a 24 mm-70mm 2.8, while the software was Final Cut Pro.

Simple and effective...and an increasingly important component of travel photography. I think that ambient audio (instead of the current soundtrack) would have strengthened it considerably. And better titling would have been nice too.

My thanks to Ralph Childs for sending me this.

A Solo Trip @ the Shangril by Laurence Tagami

(a feature sent by ms. Laurence Tagami)
I was thinking of a place to have my solo travel, I never thought that Sagada would be the place for it; it wasn't even on my list. Bakit nga ba hindi, kumpleto na, may adventure, photo ops, and its climate, habulin ang lamig habang hindi pa summer

for the breathtaking ups and downs from cave connection to bomod-ok falls, it will never be this memorable without you guys, who am I talking, who else, our Saggas guides,
Thanks Kuya Ben for the non-stop riddles and jokes that you gave us
(kuya lester, kuya jason, kuya life, kuya larry, kuya james, kuya theodore ...), bwahahaha, thanks for being our photographer, our light, our stairs (sa cave), joker, teacher, and our new friend, you just made my first solo trip exhausting :P it's all worth it...pagkatpos ng hirap ang sarap sa pakiramdam, heheSee you when I see you......soon :D

to view my story .... On My Own at the Shangrila town ... Sagada
On My Own at the Shangrila town ... Sagada

Want your story to be featured in our blog?
Write a very short story, create a folder for atleast 2 - 6 photos and send it to Crazyhim16@yahoo.com
however, you have to include the photos of you with our guides (SAGGAS) :)

Peter Turnley Does Rio's Carnaval

Photo © Peter Turnley -All Rights Reserved

..."I became aware of the value of turning my attention away from the main event. So often, the temptation is to look where everyone else is looking. But, time after time, I have chosen to observe what’s going on by looking in the other direction—before, or after, or at the edges of the main attraction." - Peter Turnley

And that he did. Turnley's just featured On the Fringe of the Rio Carnaval photo essay on The Online Photographer is unusual because it doesn't concentrate on the scantily-clad gorgeous women of the Rio's Carnaval as many other photojournalists do, but it rather takes us away from the glitz of the main event to the less glamorous side show...to the fringe as he calls it.

The photographs represent moments that occurred away from the main event. It is this amazing spirit which, in Turnley's mind, exemplifies the Carnaval, and inspires him to return to Brazil year after year.

The complete photo essay is on The Online Photographer.

Dog Meets World: A Worthwhile Project

Giving a personal photograph to a stranger is one of the best, easiest and kindest things people can do for one another. It is an incredible vehicle for person-to-person diplomacy.

Dog Meets World Founder, Carolyn Lane

In late 2008, Dog Meets World was founded to fulfill a dream to photograph the children of the world. To seek children in their own settings, print their image to keep for a lifetime. The dream of Dog Meets World is to empower travelers to make real connections to people in other cultures, in essence to become photo-diplomats. A picture makes anybody a "somebody".

DMW is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. So get involved and join the movement!

Cheap Seat - Booking Tickets Easily

Every one love to watch the events live in the stadium or the theater. But now-a-days the number of people who witness the live moments have decreased to some extent. The main reason behind this is the live telecast by many television channel and another important reason is that no body like to wait in the queue for a long time or wait in the phone line to book tickets for their favorite show or events. But the people's love for watching them directly never go down. If you are a lover of golf, hockey, Basket Ball and like to watch the match between your favorite teams then you can book tickets easily within seconds. You can book tickets for concerts, sports or theater tickets by visiting acheapseat.com. Many matches are going to take place in the coming months. Are you a supporter of New York Rangers and want to book tickets then visit New York Rangers Tickets. The matches will take place in the month of march and April. There is feast for NBA lovers too. Boston Celtics is going to play about 26 matches in the coming 3 months at various places. If you are a supporter of Boston Celtics then why do you wait. Just book your Tickets by clicking Boston Celtics Tickets.There is stuff for golf lovers too. Augusta National Golf Course Schedule and Dates have been announced and you could also be a part of it. Book your tickets at Augusta National Golf Course Tickets . Now booking of tickets have been made very easy and enjoy watching your favorite shows live at the venue

Freezing

It is very unusual weather in Germany (& Europe in general).
There should be a sign of spring by now, but we had big snow fall on Sunday - Freezing !!

ITB Berlin is finished and we are on our way to Czech Republic.

Chico Sanchez: The Way North

Photo © Chico Sanchez -All Rights Reserved
One of the most recent slideshows by Chico Sanchez is The Way North, which documents the plight of the hundreds of people from South and Central America as well as Mexico's poorest regions who pass through La Lecheria, a small factory town just outside Mexico City, on their way to the borders of the United States.

Chico Sanchez is a freelance photographer based in Mexico City. Chico worked in Venezuela, collaborating with Reuters, European Pressphoto Agency, Agencia EFE, and freelances for various newspapers and magazines.

Many of Chico Sanchez's documentary/travel photography slideshows have been featured on The Travel Photographer blog and can be found here.

A number of photographers, some of whom attended the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Mexico City in 2008, have documented La Lecheria. In fact, a project produced by one of the participants in my Multimedia class was on the same subject.

You can see my own slideshow Los Migrantes about the migrants who pass through La Lecheria.