Ghana is a rising tourist destination in West Africa. According to its Tourism Department, foreign tourists come to this African nation to enjoy its all-year-round tropical warm climate and the wildlife, particularly the spectacular natural parks and natural reserves. However, tourists also come to Ghana to experience the historical castles and forts along the coastal…
Category: Lakwacha
Somewhere in the Arabian Sea: The Elephanta Caves of India
I mentioned elsewhere that my idea of Mumbai was the Juhu slums as depicted in the Hollywood blockbuster Slumdog Millionaire. As I also wrote previously, this perception was demystified when I got a chance to see the city myself and hinted that Mumbai’s charm is peculiarly beautiful because of its furiously chaos-in-order aesthetic. What I…
The Pyramids at Giza, and what we can learn about death
The Great Pyramids at Giza Complex is another highlight of the Holy Land Tour I was part of in December 2022. To describe the pyramids at the complex as “great” is an understatement methinks. They are massive. They are really, really overwhelmingly amazing. Since arriving in Cairo on 9 December, I have been anticipating this…
Yogyakarta: Journey Towards Inscription as a World Heritage Site
It’s the time of the year for the United Nations through UNESCO to inscribe new world heritage sites (WHS). The period between July and August is often the World Heritage Convention (WHC). UNESCO cancelled its usual face-to-face conventions since 2020 due to the global health crisis caused by Covid-19. July last year, UNESCO announced on…
Forts and Castles in Ghana: The Stories Must Go On (Part 1 of 2)
My expectations about traveling to Ghana were a combination of fear and excitement. I was afraid because of the current socio-political standpoint of the nation’s legal framework against homosexuality which is found in the 2021 Promotion of Appropriate Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill of the country. The bill is set to criminalize the promotion,…
Moses supposes his toes are roses? The Sinai Experience
Finally, I have been to Egypt! I told my friends. Too excited, they anticipated stories about the Sphinx and the Pyramids but instead I recalled my Sinai experience first and thought it would also excite them. Did it excite them? Well, I think it did. From Eilat in Israel, the first Egyptian city to welcome…
Walking the Galilee Journeys of Jesus and His Apostles: Tiberias (Part 1 of 2)
We were told that we would spend at least two hours in the Allenby (Palestine) – King Hussein (Jordan) border before finally having our passports stamped by the immigration officers and enter Palestine, the gateway to Israel via Jordan. By 10 AM, we already crossed the King Hussein Bridge and we were already lined up…
The end of the Jordan leg of the Holy Land Tour or the way to Canaan
Petra was very tiring but it was also really fantastic. We arrived back at Amman around 5:30 in the afternoon – too early for Dinner. Our guide asked us to take some rest or do some walking nearby. As soon as I got inside the hotel room, I immediately started packing my stuff for the…
Mount Nebo in Jordan or Where Moses Had a Good View of the Promised Land
I am so grateful that I had this opportunity to follow the Bible trail via the Holy Land Tour that I and four other family members participated from 2 to 13 December 2022. We were part of a group of 49 individuals plus one tour leader from the Philippines. For most members, this was a…
My first Ati-Atihan Festival (January 2020)
Hala Bira literally means ‘dispense all means.’ Many times, it also means ‘blessings to us all’. It is an Aklanon phrase that is usually chanted during the Ati-atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan. Today’s the phrase is chanted almost all over the archipelago during festivals, parties, and other social gatherings. The last time I heard the phrase chanted live was in…
Tanghal Kultura 