Author Archives: rob

at pearl farm

Posted by rob on

a former cultivation farm for south sea pearls, pearl farm beach resort in samal island davao city was a primary choice for me for a well-deserved stay during my vacation last june.  i was with my good friend, chyng and a night at this resort was included in our plan for a weekend trip in davao.

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i made an advanced reservation through contacting the resort from the e-mail address i got from their website.  i was still in my workplace then at the mideast so e-mail correspondence was convenient for me and having a room reserved that way worked out fine for their staff was courteous enough to follow-up everything including credit card payment.

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I reserved one of their “samal houses” which are built on stilts on the water.

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it reminded me of the accommodation I stayed on at el rio, where i spent a weekend alone in that resort in coron, palawan.

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the house that we were assigned to was the first one to reach from the reception and the restaurant.

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the room was of native décor.  though the room looked old, it was clean and well maintained.

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there was enough closet space and complimentary toiletries are available.

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the shower room and the toilet are separate – i still prefer one which is not.

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a welcoming letter from the management and yes, the resort is undergoing renovation.

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the best part of the room of course, was the balcony.

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school of fishes can be observed in the clear water.  it feels great to have this kind of view in the morning as you wake up from a good sleep.

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we had buffet breakfast at their restaurant which was included in the package i got.

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the food choices was okay but i was more interested with the sweet jams they serve.

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unique flavors of mangosteen, durian and tamarind.  i loved the mangosteen jam, i actually tried to look for one at the stores at the airport so i can take some home but there was none available.  the least i liked was the durian, i’m really not a fan of this fruit anyway.

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watermelon juice and some slices of fresh fruits.

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this is the resort pool.

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there was a scheduled boat ride that chyng and i took to the island that pearl farm also owns which was named as malipano.

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a lush of greenery of towering coconut trees and grass was calming.

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felt a soft breeze and i ran towards a discovery.

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a part of the island which was isolated?!  naaah.

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light brown colored sand as fine as polvoron! haha!

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well, hello there!

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you really don’t need to go that far if you want the best beaches. 🙂

india chronicles: dirty pictures

Posted by rob on

i woke up early to catch my morning train ride back to new delhi.  i hailed an auto rickshaw infront of the hotel i was staying and asked the driver to drop me off at  agra cantt railway station.

passengers were waiting for the next train when i got there.

this is one of the trains.

a busy platform.

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these crows in the rail tracks were feeding on dead rats.  i was taking pictures of them when a man called out behind me. i looked at my back and saw that it was a middle-aged local man.  i backed out a little at arms length as a precaution.  he asked how was i doing and i said i’m good.  he then said – “are you taking dirty pictures?”  “what do you mean ‘dirty’ pictures?”  i asked him back.

he explained that tourists takes photos of dirty stuff and post it at the internet and tell the whole world how dirty india is.  he added that visitors should post nice things about india.  i was surprised of what he just told me and said from where i come from we also have dirty places – we also have dirty railway tracks.  i told him that it was the first time i saw crows feeding and it fascinated me so i took their pictures.  i smiled at him and said – “i went to india to see the taj mahal and it was beautiful”. 

i was left with good memories of my solo travel to india – and that will never be a dirty picture.

india chronicles: three tombs

Posted by rob on

there are a lot of tombs to visit in agra and I was able to see three of the well-known ones.

tomb of akbar the great

tomb of itmad-ud-daulah

tomb of mumtaz mahal

i took these last four pictures at mehtab bagh, which is opposite the taj mahal along the yamuna river and gives the mausoleum a different view.  it used to be a complex with a garden and fountains.  i was told that this site offers a good picture of the taj mahal during night time.