A Good Day Not to be a Turtle: Being Unwitting Witnesses to a Group of Orcas Playing with their Food
We are on Day 5 of our 7-day sea safari on the Sea of Cortez. As has been our daily routine, we meet our guests at their La Ventana beachfront hotel a few minutes before 7 AM. The mood remains jovial, albeit slightly subdued. Spending long days at sea can be physically draining, especially if you don’t keep yourself properly hydrated. The waves give you a beating, while the wind blows the moisture out of you.
Seoul-ed Out: Less Touristy Alternatives to 10 Things to Do in Seoul
Just like most travelers, we entered South Korea through Incheon International Airport, which is approximately 50 km west of Seoul. After settling in to our share-house in Jongno district (Jongno-gu), we mapped out our itinerary for the next four days. We don’t enjoy being in crowded places, so we intentionally excluded touristy areas from our list of things to do in Seoul.
Seoul Impressions: A brief glimpse of the South Korean capital
While we have spent many long layovers at Incheon International Airport in the past, this was our first time to go beyond the transit terminal. The entry process at Immigrations was smooth and efficient. After we had our faces photographed and our passports stamped, we proceeded to collect our luggage. We moved along with the line at Customs, waiting for our turn to have our bags scanned. As we were picking up our suitcases at the other end of the x-ray machine, an officer politely asked me, “Please bring your bag over to this side.”
Kalinga Batok: Journeying into the Heart of the Highlands
As what has become customary for us, Sten and I came up with a vague plan of visiting the mountainous northern region of the Philippines, where rice fields and vegetable crops cover giant staircases that lead up to the skies. After completing a cursory research, we set out in our loaner A/T SUV and left the busy streets of Manila. A few missed turns later, we found ourselves cruising along the expressway. I listened to my brother’s collection of music from the unfortunate 80’s while Sten snoozed in the passenger seat.
Getting a Tattoo from Apo Whang-od: FAQs
If you landed on this page, you’ve probably heard of and want to learn more about Apo Whang-od. Maria Oggay is a famous centenarian who practices a traditional technique of inscribing ink on skin in the Philippine Cordilleras. She became well-known for being the oldest Kalinga mambabatok (a traditional tattoo practitioner) alive, and for a time, was the last of her kind. That is, until she started passing on her knowledge to her two apprentices, Grace and Ilyang.
We didn’t do a lot of research before we embarked on our journey to Apo Whang-od’s home. We hope that you’ll find the information below useful and that it will help you prepare better for your trip.
The Double-Edged Smartphone
We were born in the advent of personal computers. As Generation X-ers, we are more familiar with Atari, floppy disks, and DVD players than emojis, reels, and hashtags. Our fondest childhood memories include walking over to the neighbor’s house next door, hanging out with friends at the local grocer, and playing outside. Rain, shine, or snow, it didn’t matter to us because we loved the outdoors. When we stayed in, by choice or otherwise, we built a fort, played board games, and watched television. Most activities were communal events back then.
Choosing the Right Tour Operator
With our love for travel and having worked for various tour companies in the last 15+ years, we have experienced the travel industry from the perspective of a tourist as well as from that of a tour operator. Over the years, we have developed our own guidelines when it comes to choosing the right tour company. We understand that we may not follow the same standards as that of others. After all, each one of us is different.