Flower festivals in Taiwan are wonderful events that I love to attend, but my favorite by far is the Taiwan Calla Lily Festival on Yangming Mountain. I’ve been to a number of different calla lily farms in Taiwan and I just love wandering through rich, green fields of white trumpet blossoms.

We’ve lived here for over six years now and we have attended Taiwan’s Spring Flower Festival and the Calla Lily Festival on Yangming Mountain each year. These flower festivals are one of many reasons why I love living in Taipei. There is always something going on, and having easy access to a beautiful volcanic mountain that brims with flowers of every kind, hot springs and walking trails is pretty much the icing on the cake.

This year was even more memorable because I got to share it with my parents in person. I can’t even begin to describe how excited I was to take them to a festival. My mother and grandmother are both green thumbs, and some of my fondest and earliest childhood memories are of time spent with them learning about the world of nature. I was very young, but I remember my mom taking me out for a walk and telling me the names of the flowers we came across: Queen Anne’s lace, trilliums, tiger lilies and Black Eyed Susans. My mothers own personal gardens included giant lilac bushes, peony bushes, tulips, irises and wild poppies. It’s hard not to think of my mom when I go to these places in Taiwan because I’ve always wanted to share them with her and I never thought I’d have that chance. These flower festivals are a very unique part of Taiwan and the experience of walking the beautiful landscaped trails of Yangming Mountain and wandering through giant fields of calla lilies is an experience that I wanted her to take home.

We stopped at our favorite spot in Yang Ming Park  (Houshan Park)  first. This area is cool and shaded from the hot sun and it’s an excellent place to start at if you’re going here early in the afternoon. Most of the cherry blossoms were gone, but there were still plenty of azaleas in bloom. (March is the time to go if you want to see the cherry blossoms.)

Next up was the beautiful koi and turtle pond at Guangfu Building, a Northern Chinese palace style building that was built in 1971 to commemorate the Xinhai Revolution. There’s a snack store and several souvenir shops inside the building, but we were more interested in watching the dozens of brightly colored koi swimming lazily in the warm water. It seems that this young duck was just as entranced as I was!

Guangfu Building

Once we’d finished wandering around the area, we packed up and moved on to Zhuzihu Valley, otherwise known as Bamboo Lake. It’s one of the few places in Taiwan where calla lilies can be cultivated. The cool mountain air and natural mountain spring water of Zhuzihu Valley produce over 90% of Taiwan’s calla lily market.

In early spring, the calla lily farms around Bamboo Lake become one of the main attractions for visitors, who pay around $3USD to pick a bouquet of eight long-stemmed flowers. With more than 30 calla lily farms in the area, it’s easily one of the most popular tourist venues in Taiwan, attracting more than half a million visitors each year.

This year we found a new farm to visit. The family who owned the farm have opened a cute little coffee shop called Caffee Alto International. The shop is filled with hand-made stone vases, flower displays, and calla lilies.

They’ve also  created a beautiful little spot to enjoy flower-viewing. Grab a coffee and sit outside on their beautiful wood patio overlooking the fields. John and Dad seemed quite content to sit back and us pick our own flowers, and my mother discovered that picking calla lilies is more difficult than it looks. Despite the careful instructions that the owner gave us, we still managed to break a few flower stalks.

The sun was setting fast as we picked our last blossom and bundled up our treasures to head home for the evening, but we left feeling revived from the fresh mountain air. It’s hard not to have a smile on your face when you’ve got a beautiful bouquet of calla lilies to take home with you.

Thanks again, Taiwan, for such an excellent day!

For more information on Taiwan’s flower festivals, please read this article that I wrote for Culture.Tw called Spring Flower Viewing on Yangminshan.

It has been wonderful getting back into hiking again. As a young girl, I spent all of my summers romping around the trails of the Appalachian Mountains.  Though I love the coast, I constantly crave mountain energy.  70% of Korea’s landscape is filled with mountainous terrain, so there are countless places to adventure and explore. Now that the weather is slowly warming up, I decided it was time to take an expedition down south.

I found a particular trip labled “Jagged Ridge Island Hike and Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival”. Just the title of the trip sounded enticing, but it was the description that sold me. The description said, “Let’s hike Sa Ryang Do Island! Sa Ryang Do Island hike is one of those hikes avid Korean hikers know about, but much of the non-hiking population does not. The island is a small island (40min ferry ride from Tong Young) but has an interesting hiking route . . .  The entire trail provides spectacular views of the surrounding blue ocean almost the entire time. Some have said this is the best hiking they have ever done in Korea. Its that good.”  “Wow!” I thought. I knew this would be a special trip, and I did not want to miss out!

Typically weekend trips leave on Friday nights in order to cram as much as possible into the short weekend. I got off work from my hogwon at 10:00pm, so I only had enough time to stop at my apartment, grab my bags, then rush to the subway. Our bus departed around 11:30pm, and we drove through the night to arrive at Tong Yeong around 6:00am.

We arrived at the harbor, just as the sun was rising over the mountains.  It was so refreshing to breathe in the ocean air. We boarded the ferry, where we all sat on the heated floors. It is Korean custom to take of your shoes in sitting areas, so the room was slightly stinky of feet.  It seemed almost everyone on the ferry was there for hiking purposes. One group of men particularly amused me. There were about 12-15 of them, all sitting in a circle. They were eating kimbap and drinking beer and soju at 7:00 in the morning! They were troupers!

As we arrived at the island, our guide kept making comments that we may hate him at the end of the day. He kept warning us that this hike was going to be challenging and wanted to make sure we were prepared for what was about to happen. I felt a slight tinge of nervousness run through my body, but my friend Rachel, who I have been hiking with before, assured me I was more than capable to handle it. As we began the hike, I found it to be a steep climb, but nothing that I was not used to. I was relieved and thought to myself, Oh this is not bad at all . . . Let’s just say I was quite unprepared for what was coming next! All of the sudden, the rocks became very jagged and steep. Maneuvering began to get very tricky. In order to climb down, I literally had to get into a crab walk position, so I would not go tumbling down.  I was very nervous, but I was glad to meet two other people that were feeling the same as I was. We decided to sing a silly song as we crab walked, to make the descent less daunting. As we carefully maneuvered each ledge with great caution, I kept thinking to myself, “well it can’t get any more challenging than this . . .” Again, I was wrong.

All of the sudden this gigantic boulder emerged at the peak. Attached was a rope with people rock climbing up. I had to sit down for about ten minutes, staring at the massive boulder. I honestly considered giving up. There was no way I was going to scale a mountain on a rope! My guide guaranteed, that once I got closer I would see that it was not as intimidating as it looked. I took a deep breath and decided, “alright, it’s now or never”. I said a prayer to myself and began the ascent. Half way up, I accidentally looked down, and had a small internal panic attack. My breathing began to get rapid, as fear shot through every vein in my body. I took a deep breath, and then I continued the climb. Reaching the top was the most incredible feeling. I was full of adrenalin and had an incredible sense of accomplishment. I thought that I had conquered the most challenging feat of my life, but then I remembered, “Uh-oh, I have to climb down”.  Luckily my adrenalin rush had not subsided, so I was able to use this newfound energy to conquer the rest of the hike.

When I finished the hike I was utterly exhausted! I could barely even eat! We had a late lunch in the island harbor. I had a delicious soup with handmade noodles. When we got back on the ferry, I passed out for the entire ride home. We got back on the bus, then rode about an hour towards the district of Tong Yeong.

For those who enjoy the great outdoors, Facebook is the number one place to network to find likeminded people and hiking clubs. I highly recommend taking group trips because generally it is cheaper than doing it on your own, and you also get to meet a ton of great people!   Seoul Hiking Group is one of the largest Facebook groups for those who live in the Seoul Area. Seoul is a basin and is surrounded by mountains on all sides, so there are tons of places to explore right in the Seoul Area.  If you do not live in Seoul, “Adventure Korea” and “When in Korea” also provide tons of awesome adventure trips. Both “Adventure Korea” and “When in Korea” offer other types of trips too;  you can take trips to the DMZ, temple stays, trips to Jeju Island, booze cruises, or getaways to various festivals and events all over Korea!

The Marshalls have invaded Taiwan!

After nine years in Asia, John and I felt that it was time for my parents to visit, so we decided to fly them over for five weeks as a combined Christmas/birthday/anniversary present all rolled into one. We called them in December to let them know that their tickets had been purchased and that they would be joining us for the month of April. My dad immediately returned our gesture with an offer of free accommodations through their rental group in Bali, so we got an unexpected bonus with their trip in that we are all going to spend a week in Bali. (More on that later…)

It’s been a long time since I’ve done any honest-to-goodness blogging, and what better excuse than to regale y’all with tales of our adventures in Formosa!

Mom and Dad arrived on April 4th, on Tomb Sweeping Day. For John and I, it meant that we didn’t have to deal with much traffic going to or from the airport. Their flight arrived on time and they arrived looking quite fresh and fairly relaxed despite the long journey. Thursday and Friday were ‘rest’ days for them, although we managed to squeeze in some Japanese BBQ on Friday. Dad’s first comment as we sat down to eat was not to order anything too weird. Mom ate with gusto and Dad did a great job using chopsticks for the very first time. While we abided to his request not too order anything too off the wall, I think the whole concept of cooking our own meal at the table ended up being a strange, but terrific experience for them.

We spent Saturday touring Taipei and managed to squeeze in a visit to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. We spent some time wandering the perfectly symmetrical grounds of the complex and admiring the flowers and beautiful koi ponds, and as luck would have it, we had just in time to see the Changing of the Guard before moving on to our next destination, Taipei 101.

Most shopping malls in Canada don’t even come close to the luxurious mall decor found in 101. We wandered 101 for a bit while we waited for our table at Din Tai Fung, and ended up skipping a visit to the Observation Deck. $25 per person is much too steep in my opinion. My parents seemed to agree. We can view the city from the rooftop of our 36 floor apartment complex and while we might not get a downtown view of Taipei, we figured what we have at home is good enough and our hard-earned dollars will be put to good use elsewhere.

Taiwan’s very own Michelin Star restaurant, Din Tai Fung, is always a top notch dining experience for John and I, although my parents expressed slight doubts to begin with. It didn’t take long for my mom to become a fan of Din Tai Fung’s famous xiao long bao, and my dad seemed pleasantly surprised. It seemed as though he had made up his mind about the meal before we got started, but once the wonton soup arrived, he was clearly enjoying his meal.

We capped our day off with a walk through Ximending, where they got to see the Saturday artisan’s market and watch as dusk settled in over the city and the streets come alive with people, lights and music. Ximen probably wasn’t a good way to end the day, as they were clearly experiencing sensory overload when we left, but that’s Taiwan for you. Nothing is ever done here on a small scale.

On April 4^th, 2012, the often neglected hillside cemeteries and graveyards of Taiwan will become hives of activity as families prepare for Tomb Sweeping Day (Ching Ming Jie). The Chinese equivalent of Memorial Day, Tomb Sweeping Day is a day when Taiwanese families show their love and respect for their ancestors by visiting their graves. It is traditionally celebrated on the 15^th day of the Spring Equinox.

The custom of ancestor worship originated in China during the Tang Dynasty and the ancient tradition eventually made its way to Taiwan. The holiday is observed a statutory public holiday in Taiwan, and most businesses and schools are closed for the day.

Tomb Sweeping Day is a designated day for demonstrating filial piety and funeral rites by cleaning the grave, burning ghost money and making offerings of fruit, food, and incense. Vegetation that has grown up and around the tombs is cut back and the tomb is swept clear of debris.

A visit to any graveyard in Taiwan on this day will reveal large groups of people scattered around the traditional family burial plots that generally belong to parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents. The day begins with cleaning the tombs, but once that business has been concluded, food offerings are made.

The foods offered to family ancestors on this day vary from region to region, but the most common dishes in Taiwan are grave cakes such as hung kuei cakes, fa cakes, and taso tsai cakes, and jun ping, which is a type of flour roll stuffed with dried tofu, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, and bamboo meat.

As family members pray, ghost money (also known as spirit money) is burned in piles in front of the tomb to offer to the ancestors or planted in the dirt. The money isn’t real currency, though. Ghost money is made of bamboo or rice paper and it is offered to ancestors to invoke their help and guidance.

Although every family pays their respects in different ways, the rites mentioned above are generally performed prior to or following Ching Ming Jie (Tomb Sweeping Day).

Most graveyards in Taiwan or located on the outskirts of town or on hillsides. Since Ching Ming Jie falls in early April, many families take advantage of the nice spring weather to enjoy a day outside. This ancient tradition is not only an important time for families to enjoy together, but it also teaches younger generations about the importance of honoring their elders.

Guest Author: Caroline Hosey, An Adventure of the Seoul

When I think of March back home, I think of collecting seashells on the beach, Azalea flowers blooming, and of course the infamous St. Patrick’s Day parade. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Savannah, Georgia hosts one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the world. As a young girl, my father and I used to walk in the parade together, and throughout my college days, I always looked forward to coming back home for all of the festivities. Since I am in Korea this year, I am missing St. Patrick’s Day for the second time in my entire life! As Facebook erupted with pictures and status updates about this year’s activities, I could not help but feel a sense of nostalgia and longing to be back home.

Since there was obviously no possibility of flying home for the weekend, I decided I would attempt to create my own St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Surprisingly, Seoul is filled with Irish Pubs in every main district. Also, almost all the local 7-11’s sell Guinness.  I figured I would gather some friends together, wear a little green, and enjoy some authentic Irish food and beverages at one of these local establishments. Instead, to my astonishment, I found some much more rousing possibilities!

As I perused Facebook, I noticed a post about a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Seoul! I could not believe it! I clicked on the video, and a sudden wave of excitement and energy flowed through me as I watched the footage of last years’ parade. I found the website for the parade organization, and I discovered that this year they would host a St. Patrick’s Day festival. I figured it would be a small event, but I was still excited to experience something like this in Korea!

The Irish Festival was held in the D-cube Park in Sindorim. D-cube City is a new cultural complex in Seoul which hosts a Sheraton hotel, a stylish and modern shopping mall, an arts center, tons of fantastic restaurants, a character theme park, and 10,000 acreage of green space all in one location! The park was built as an outdoor auditorium, and it was the perfect venue for all of the performers. Here is a list of the scheduled acts:

St. Patrick’s Day Seoul 2012 Schedule:

12:30-13:00 US 8th Army Band

13:00-13:20 Introductory speeches by Irish Ambassador, Dr. Eamonn McKee and IAK chair Conor O’Reilly

13:20-13:50 Banu (traditional Irish group)

13:50-14:20 Tap Pung dancers (audience encouraged to join the Irish dancing)

14:20-15:00 Have No Name (Korean U2 tribute band)

15:00-15:30 Bard (Korean traditional Irish band)

15:30-15:45 Rince Dancers

15:45-16:00 Bard (Korean traditional Irish band)

16:00-16:30 Tap Pung dancers (audience encouraged to join the Irish dancing)

16:30-16:45 Banu (traditional Irish group)

16:45-17:20 Dara Sheehan (Irish contemporary)

17:20-18:00 Sweet Murphy’s Fancy (contemporary rock band)

I arrived at the festival around 3:00pm, and to my surprise the place was packed! The event was BYOB, so my friends and I luckily made it to the closest family mart before they ran out of beer (I heard rumors later that the near by stores all sold out!).  Most of the people in the crowd were foreigners, so it was quite amusing to watch my Korean friends’ reactions to the shenanigans. The music was fantastic, the crowd was super energetic, and overall I would definitely say that my St. Patrick’s day was a success!

Caroline Hosey grew up in Savannah, Georgia. During her studies at Emory University, she majored in English and developed a love for writing as well as a fascination for Eastern philosophy and religion. After her graduation she spent time working in the music industry where she developed a passion for life on the road. Caroline currently resides in Seoul, South Korea where she is teaching English and writing about all of her new adventures. Korea is her first experience living abroad, but it won’t be her last! 

• Follow her on Twitter.
• Follow Caroline’s blog.
• Like her on Facebook

The Mtkvari river carves its way through the lush and dramatic cliffs of Georgia.  Its course runs like a tour through Georgian history.  Ancient fortresses and castles loom over the river, and ancient trading sites attest to Georgia’s rich history as a crossroads between Europe and Asia.  Eventually, the river’s meandering course passes by the hidden tunnels leading to one of Georgia’s most remarkable sites: the cave city of Vardzia.

It doesn’t look like a city or a monastery at first.  In fact, the porous, honey-combed rock face looks more like the set of a sci-fi movie.  But even today, you can see monks making their homes in this sprawling, 13-story cave complex.  Carved into the Erusheli mountain, Vardzia’s nearly 6,000 caves include residences, a church, a throne room, and steep stairways connecting them all together.  The site even has its own irrigation system and terraced farming fields.

At nearly 1,000 years old, this cave city has seen a number of changes throughout its history.  Giorgi III built the sites as a fortress. With the only entrance being hidden tunnels near the Mtkvari river, the caves were buried and secluded deep within the Erusheli mountain, making them the perfect safe haven during times of war.  Later, though, Georgia’s first female ruler, Queen Tamar, founded a monastery in the caves.  The monastery grew to become an important spiritual site for Georgia, and for Eastern European Christianity.

The monastery was dramatically altered in 1283, when an earthquake crumpled the cliff walls, destroying much of the cave city, and exposing many of the hidden caves to plain view.  It’s secrecy and isolation lost, the cave city fell to invading Persian forces in 1551.  However, with the reestablishment of Georgian power and influence, Vardzia again became a functioning monastery.  To this day, its stone walls house many monks, and its cavernous church plays host to many services and ceremonies.

It is also a popular tourist attraction.  The nearby Georgian city of Akhaltsikhe has easy transportation to Vardia cave complex.  For the more adventurous, it’s also accessible through kayak or rafting tours down the Mtkvari river.  This is a popular destination for people teaching English in Georgia.

 The Georgian Ministry of Education is offering paid flights and free accommodation to volunteer English teachers.  Find out more about how you can teach English in Georgia.

This guest post was written by Stephanie Long.

Huang Di Dian - The Emperor's Throne

Huang Di Dian, the sign reads: The Emporer’s Throne. This hiking trail, just outside of Taipei, is probably my favorite—certainly the most fun—day-trip that I’ve done hiking in Taiwan.

The hike starts in the picturesque town of Shiding. Bus number 666 runs from Muzha and Jing Mei MRT stations directly to Shiding, making this hike an easy one to get to.

The beginning of the hike is the most physically daunting part—Huang Di Dian may be infamous for its vertigo-inducing ladders and rope climbs, but it’s also infamous for the particularly grueling stairs leading up to the actual hiking trail. For over an hour, we slugged our way up non-stop stone steps before even reaching the trail itself.

Finally, when the stairs ended, the real hike began. The stone steps gave way to a muddy tangle of tree roots. It wasn’t long before we were grabbing onto ropes to pull ourselves up slippery steps, or lower ourselves down a steep rock face.

Soon, we came to the first ladder. This one was relatively short, but the metal rungs and rungs hugged the rock and made it difficult to get a hand- or foot-hold on the ladder.

And more ladders, some ascending near-vertical rock faces, and some plunging straight down into the jungle.

Much of the hike is along an exposed ridge line.

A railing has been installed on some of the more narrow and dangerous parts of the ridge. With the wind and slippery ground, having something to grab onto was much appreciated!

The ridge not only makes for a challenging and exhilarating balancing act, but also allows for some stunning views. The hike is in the mountains to the south of Taipei, and the views of Taiwan’s central mountain range are amazing.

Things To Note:

Guest Author: Caroline Hosey, An Adventure of the Seoul

Mental disorders seem to be somewhat of a taboo subject in Korea. According to the Korean Times, there is a drastic underlying fear of visiting psychiatric institutes; and many Koreans shun the idea of getting proper psychiatric help because of this social taboo. Some people believe this is why Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world.

Ashley and I took the subway to the Younsinae Station and met up with about 20 other volunteers. We ended up hopping on a bus that took us up into the mountains. Our journey was over in under 30 minutes. Upon arrival at Angel House that weekend, I was assigned to a group. There were several groups helping out in different ways, such as cooking, cleaning and doing the laundry. I originally signed up to help cook, but they needed more hands to do the laundry, so Ashley and I did that instead. It was actually a lot of fun, as I got to try my hand at hand washing clothes on a washboard. Everyone on the laundry team was in a great mood, so although the work was hard, it was still a time for laughter and I got to meet some amazing new friends.

Once we had dispensed with the work, it was time to spend some time with the residents of Angel House. The first group of people that I met was a group of younger children that were happy to engage in some hilarious monkey business. They thought my favorite brown hat was a hoot, and they loved it when I covered up my face and pretended I couldn’t see. Their laughter was contagious and T felt my soul fill with love and happiness.

I also shared some special moments with some of the older ladies. Even though I couldn’t speak Korean with them, I found a way to communicate with one lady who started humming a song. When I started humming along with her, her eyes lit up and she added some words and waited patiently for me to repeat after her.  Suddenly, everyone was clapping along with us and the moment turned into a sing-a-long. At the end, all we could do was smile and laugh over the connection we had made together. Now I know what it means to say that music is powerful. I won’t ever forget that moment. Just before I left, an old lady kissed my hand and made a heart shape over her head with her hands. One of the volunteers told me that the lady was telling me that I have a heart full of love.

Tips on Finding Volunteer Work in Korea

Finding volunteer groups can be slightly tricky, as many of them do not have leaders that speak fluent English. Furthermore, take note that you are required to have an E-2 visa in order to volunteer. In the past it was illegal for foreigners to volunteer, but the current laws allow it as long as you are not being compensated.

Angel House, Seoul

Angel House Facebook Group

You can visit Angel House on the first Saturday of every month. You’ll be responsible for cleaning the facilities, doing laundry, cooking food, basic personal hygiene for the residents, and having fun with the residents. Each volunteer has to pay 10,000 won to cover the cost of food for the day, as you will be cooking the food and eating it with the residents. The remainder of your payment is donated to Angel House for the residents.

I found Angel House through Facebook, but if you live in a different region of Korea, or if you want to browse other volunteer opportunities check out Always Hope. You can also read up on this site: Volunteer in Seoul

Volunteering at Angel house has been my most memorable experience thus far, so those of you in Korea for an extended amount of time, I highly recommend taking a break to volunteer. It will not only be a rewarding and unforgettable adventure, but you will also gain a completely new perspective of Korean culture.

Caroline Hosey grew up in Savannah, Georgia. During her studies at Emory University, she majored in English and developed a love for writing as well as a fascination for Eastern philosophy and religion. After her graduation she spent time working in the music industry where she developed a passion for life on the road. Caroline currently resides in Seoul, South Korea where she is teaching English and writing about all of her new adventures. Korea is her first experience living abroad, but it won’t be her last! 

• Follow her on Twitter.
• Follow Caroline’s blog.
• Like her on Facebook

MY SEVERAL WORLDS CONTRIBUTING WRITER/GUEST WRITER: PIE RIVERA

This is my first contributing article to this wonderful site My Several Worlds. Before I highlight all my travels around the thousands of islands in the Philippines, allow me thank Carrie for giving me the opportunity to share my beautiful country.

It’s heart-warming to know that there are so many travelers who appreciate my country. I am certain that there are still millions of people on this planet who have not heard of the Philippines or who don’t know where the Philippines is located, but I believe in a few years to come that the Philippines will hit the top ten list as one of the world’s most beloved vacation spots.

So why should the Philippines be part of your travel itinerary if you’re traveling to South East Asia? Apart from Aklan’s famous island – Boracay, there are 7107 islands where you can bask in the glorious sun (this is a tropical country having two seasons – dry and wet, where the sun is a constant companion when it’s not raining during the months of June to November) and choose from any of our majestic islands from the three major regions called LUZVIMIN – Luzon (upper portion), Visayas (middle section) and Mindanao (southern part).

Some of my favorite spots to travel to are Tagaytay in Luzon, Cebu in the Visayas and Davao City in Mindanao. 

Tagaytay in Luzon, ranks second to our summer Capital – Baguio City (also in Luzon) because of its cool climate, which is due to its high altitude. It isn’t more than a two-hour drive from Tagaytay to Manila. I have been to Tagaytay a number of times, often for a whole day of dining out as there are several delicious dining destinations in this part of the province of Cavite. There are numerous restaurants that dot the ridge overlooking the breathtaking Taal Volcano, and there are a number of different cuisines on offer here, so you’re sure to find something you like. The volcano and the food in Tagaytay is always a constant highlight for me whenever I’m visiting this part of the Philippines. No writing or picture can describe my feelings whenever I am viewing this spectacular sight. Adventure travelers might want to hop on a boat to visit the volcano, but you can also find some amazing hiking trails in the area. It’s simply amazing!

The first time I ever went on a plane was in 2004 when I visited Cebu province in the Visayas region of the Philippines. I have always been hesitant about riding planes,but my trip to Cebu opened my eyes to the inspiring world of experiencing “several worlds” and meeting diverse cultures. From 2004 to 2008, I went back to Cebu for projects and I focused on exploring what the Queen City of the South has to offer its visitors in June 2009. Having their own international airport on Mactan Island makes Cebu an accessible province-city-island to travel to, and it’s a great jumping off point for a number of islands from the north to south, such as Malapascua and Bantayan in the North and Sumilon Island in the South. Sumilon Island is slowly gaining in popularity, and all of these islands offer unique traits that make visitors want to come back again and again. Furthermore, when it comes to food, you won’t find sweeter mangos in the world. Eating mangos is almost a traditional past time and and not to indulge in them is a sin.

Davao City is close to my heart because this is where I found the love of my life. It may be a long distance relationship (I am currently based in Manila) but, as they say, love knows no boundaries. But even before I met my beau, I fell in love with Davao City during my first trip there in 2006. It was another work-related trip where I did not get to explore the city’s beauty, but an abundance of one of my favorite fruits helped me make it through that ordeal. Fresh and juicy pomelo is a constant sight among many fruit stands, and with other exotic fruits like marang, mangosteen and the king of fruits durian can all be savored in this part of the archipelago for just a fraction of the cost of what’s on offer in Manila. For example, you can pay 200 to 250 pesos ($5USD) for durian in Manila, but you’ll only pay around 45 pesos ($1USD) for the same sized fruit in Davao City.

As for island adventure, the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS or simply Samal Island) is just 5 minutes away – that is if you’re heading to Babak District via Sasa Wharf riding a Roll-On-Roll-Off (RORO) boat. It costs Php10 per passenger (based on my travels there in 2010). Motorcycles, which locals call habel-habel, are the vehicles of choice for independent travelers who want to explore the island on their own time. Furthermore, I personally recommend staying at Pearl Farm Beach Resort located at the Kaputian Island, which offers tranquility despite their many guests, as you can enjoy 28,000 hectares of lush greens and white sand.

I’ve only been to a few of the 7107 majestic islands the Philippines has to offer, but I am on a mission to explore this amazing and friendly English-speaking country (Filipino is our official language and English is a must to learn even at a tender age). So join me as I continue to discover what the Philippines has to offer – one day, one island at a time.

Pie Rivera

BRIEF BIO: PIE RIVERA

After 10 years of non-stop television productions, she embraced the call of taking trips, enjoying gastronomic sojourns and living in this epigram : live well, laugh often and eat to your heart’s content. Writing has always been lurking around while producing television shows and in April 2007, her first food article was published. 2009 paved the way for travel writing and 2010 as food columnist for Republic of 7107 Island Travel Magazine. In January 2011, she braved the world of blogging and developed her food blog: Eat To Your Heart’s Content. 2012 marks the soft launch of her travel blog Savvy Sojourns. Join her as she journeys to a world of good food and pleasurable discoveries.

A Seoul cityscape photo essay of some of my favorite buildings in downtown Seoul in February 2011.

This charming little street can be found just at the entrance to Seoul’s cultural district, Insadong. It’s about a ten-minute walk from Gyeongb0k Palace.

This photo was taken at one of my favorite places in Seoul, Gyeongbok Palace. I like coming here to spend time wandering the grounds, but I especially love people watching here. This was my first time touring the complex during the winter but the brilliant blue sky and leafless trees made for a great backdrop for this series.

Jongno Tower is a 33-story office building in downtown Seoul which is famous for its view of Jongno and its surrounding areas. The tower is located directly across from Insadong-gil, a famous street in Seoul that is popular for its traditional architecture, souvenir shops, art galleries and restaurants.

A busy day for traffic in downtown Seoul.

I really liked the reflections in the side of the buildings.

I came upon Seoul’s artificial river, Cheonggyecheon, which is located in the center of Seoul just as dusk was closing in. This photo was taken from the Dongmyo District Bridge.