Category: Lists

5 Quirky Things To Do in Manila

Manila is a vibrant city where everything seems to be possible. People are loud, full of life and know of no embarrassment- at least that’s what it looks like to an outsider. I only spent a couple of days in the metropolis, but I immediately LOVED it. It’s fun, hectic, crazy and weird. There’s no other place quite like it. So I put together a list of the quirky things I did in Manila, hopefully it inspires you to discover some of Manila’s quirks!

1. See the pro’s at work after a cockfight

Although cockfighting is popular in several countries, there aren’t many places where it’s perfectly legal to do so in the foreseen cockpit arena’s. In these arena’s the cock’s fight till death.

But what happens to the wounded winner? I always thought they were put out of their misery, plucked and prepared for dinner. But that’s not the way they do it in Manila! The wounded winners are brought to the “cock surgeons” who patch them up quite professionally. Their wounds are examined meticulously, cleaned up with antiseptic and carefully sown up… All right outside the arena. And here I thought the excitement of a cockfighting arena was quirky enough… These improvised surgery stations haven proven to be even more so.

at the arena

cockfighting as a national sport

the doctor will fix it

cleaning up

closing up the wounded winner

TIP: “La Loma cockpit” in Quezon City is a great place to see the fights and the surgeons at work.

2. Be a rockstar for a night with “Rockeoke”

Why would you settle for regular karaoke when you can have a live band headbanging while accompanying your singing? Filipinos take their karaoke very seriously and have taken it to the next level. A live band plays the requested songs and all you have to do is (get drunk first,) look fabulous and sing your heart out.

anyone can be a rockstar…

TIP: during the past decade, at least half a dozen people in the Philippines have been murdered after singing Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”. The ‘my way murders’ have even caused the song to be banned from some karaoke bars. You’ve been warned!

3. Visit the Chinese Cemetery, where graves have toilets and air-con

The Chinese like to treat their dead well. VERY well. Their graves are mind-boggling! Most are equipped with at least a toilet and a mailbox- how else would you send letters to your deceased family members? Some have air-conditioning, others are two stories high. Some have jacuzzis and wifi, others even have a full time guard standing by their “entrances”… Most of these graves are bigger and more luxurious than my house!

It’s not everyday you get to roam around endless streets of “fancy shmancy zombie cribs”. Visiting this cemetery is not only quirky; it’s a real eye-opener on cultural differences regarding the after-life.

basic toilet and sink

wo storey church-like grave

personalised simple graves

mansion graves with pet dogs

TIP: the cemetery is enormous. You could walk around for days and still not see everything. Hire a guide at the entrance for a maximised experience. They are caretakers of the cemetery and know the area by heart. They will show you the most impressive graves and will tell you all about the why’s and the how’s. Besides they are hilarious, in true Filipino-style.

4. MC for a night at a Midget Boxing Match

Yes, midget boxing… It’s a thing. A humorous show where little people get into the boxing ring and smash each other’s faces. Cheering on the fight is the crowd, which consists of one more-or-less lost, older tourist and 30 prostitutes working at the bar. They cheer on their favourite fighter and laugh like the world will end if they don’t. ‘Weird’ doesn’t even begin to describe this. As soon as the fight is over and the “staff” notices you’re not there to get a girl, the prostitutes go back to their seats and continue doing what they were doing before you entered; looking incredibly bored. Four of them enter the ring and perform some badly choreographed dances, similar to the ones you did at a 3rd grade dance recital; very PG.

Although it’s more an act than an actual fight, it’s bizarre enough to be funny. They might offer you to MC the boxing match. Go ahead if you dare!

welcoming sign right outside the bar

midget boxing

we have a winner!

If you care to see a short video Midget Boxing Manila

TIP: you’ll find this place in the Burgos area. The entrance is free but the drinks are very pricy so order a beer and consider it your entry ticket.

5. Slurp up the embryonic juices of a young duck

Walking around in the streets, you will hear vendors shouting: “Balut! Balut!” Street food that’s worth a try, a true delicacy in the Philippines. It’s a developing duck embryo that is boiled alive and eaten in the shell. Add salt and vinegar, slurp up the broth surrounding the embryo, then eat the embryo. Not for the faint of heart!

TIP: eating this peculiar snack can get pretty messy if you’re not a seasoned balut-eater. Have something ready to wipe your hands and face with.

note the staring eye

A special thanks to my friend Aubrey Aliguyon for pointing me in the right direction for a quirky Manila experience

Do you enjoy doing quirky things while traveling?

The post “5 Quirky Things To Do in Manila” first appeared on Travel Cake.

November 4, 2013
My Top Ten Experiences in Israel

In no particular order:

1. Shabbat dinner with an Israeli family

After more or less getting kicked off the market place by the orthodox jewish man blowing his “you better close your shop coz it’s Shabbat”-horn, we headed to our Israeli friends’s home where we were welcomed with an extensive and delicious Shabbat dinner. We learned about Shabbat practices and rituals. If you’re heading to Israel: get yourself invited for Shabbat!

announcing shabbat

Shabbat dinner

2. Bicycling in Tel Aviv

It’s certainly the best way of exploring the city. Especially during Shabbat when there is significantly less traffic. The city is flat and features long bicycle lanes and cycling routes that lead you to the city’s highlights or allow you to enjoy the back alleys. Cruising the empty streets and beach boulevard while the warm sun caresses your shoulders and the wind gently re-styles your hair, I can’t think of anything more pleasant to do in a big city. Stop anywhere interesting for a snack, a drink or a power nap.

beach boulevard

3. Tel Aviv’s hip but laid back night life

Semi-spontaneous rooftop parties, clubs you may enter wearing flip flops and quirky underground bars with retro ms. Pac-man machines. That’s the kind of nightlife I enjoy! Everyone is out doing what they like, not caring about what you’re doing or how you’re dressed. I mean how many clubs allow you to enter while carrying a huge backpack?

clubbing in backpack

4. Daily doses of hummus, falafel and charcoal grilled meat

Not a single day went by without consuming one of these staples, preferably all of them. Why? Because they’re just that tasty! I’m usually not the biggest hummus or falafel fan, but I quickly realised that what I knew as hummus and falafel, were just the ugly stepsisters of the real thing. Don’t even get started on the grilled meat…

hummus and falafel

5. Wandering the streets of Jerusalem’s old city

Despite the massive amounts of tourists, there are still plenty of back streets to be discovered by the independent traveller. There is a unusual yet calm and somewhat charged atmosphere hanging around the old city. Almost as if you could feel the weight of a thick millennia old history book pressing on you. At times, once away from the crowds, you get the impression you’ve stepped back 2000+ years. I hardly visited any churches/buildings. Just strolling through the quiet streets had a much greater impact on me.

quiet streets of the old city

6. Watching the religious and pilgrims reaching spiritual bliss in Jerusalem

Muslim, Jewish or Christian, people from all three religions have a good reason to pilgrim to Jerusalem. Christians flock to The Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Jesus Christ was allegedly crucified and buried. The Jewish community pleads by the Wailing Wall while Muslims pray in the Dome of Rock. I found it fascinating to see people complete their pilgrimages in full ecstasy and tears. Others were sliding their written requests to god into the cracks of the holy wall. I spent several hours marvelling at the way people were so intensely and positively touched by religion.

pilgrims at their point of arrival

emotions running high at J.C’s tomb

secret messages

7. Crossing into Palestine and back

It was a very bizarre and uncomfortable border crossing. One that involves strong men and women carrying heavy machine guns, endless rolls of barbed wire, an uncountable amount of security cameras, intense passport checks, high concrete walls and firmly gated passageways. It’s how I imagine a heavily guarded prison to be like. It wasn’t really a fun experience but definitely an important one; a real eye opener. I won’t get deeper into the issue, as I chose not to talk politics on this blog.

on my way to Palestine

So on a lighter note:

8. Floating in the dead sea

A big touristic cliché, but still… Such a peculiar feeling! I tried going underwater, I really couldn’t! The floating was the main draw, but I also found it quite interesting to amble on a salt beach. More fun yet, when it was time to play around in the mud!

dead sea float

salt beach

natural mud bath

9. Talking politics over beers and nargileh

When in Israel, at one point or another, politics do come up. The discussions I had with locals were so interesting and surprising, that they made my ‘top-experiences’ list. Meeting new Israeli friends made the entire trip much more fascinating… intriguing even. The beers and double apple flavoured nargileh (water pipe) added spice to the conversations. As it did to all the following conversations, for that matter. Smoking nargileh is a crucial part of the regional culture, so when in Rome…

new friends, nargileh and beer

10. Learning, Learning, Learning (and being confused)

I could cite another tourist attraction here, but one of the things that really set this trip apart from others was the amount of new things I learnt. About conflicts, about people, about religion, about history, about peace, about beliefs, about the human race… It was overwhelming and memorable. I realised that during a trip to Israel one must really open his mind and heart to get the most out of it.

What I wish I had done in Israel: stay at a kibbutz; have a drink in the underwater restaurant in Eilat; party at a secret desert psy trance gathering and explore the Galilee, land of milk and honey. I guess I’ll have to go back.

Have you been to Israel? Would you ever go?

The post “My Top Ten Experiences in Israel” first appeared on Travel Cake.

September 19, 2013
8 Reasons to go on a trek when you don’t like trekking

Long hikes are really not my cup of tea. But when I found myself in Nepal last year, I noticed all the shops in Kathmandu were selling all kinds of trekking gear and gadgets. Travellers where eagerly stocking up them and they was either excited about their upcoming trek or pumped up about the one they had just returned from. I knew people back home who would KILL to trek in the Himalayas, others who would spend the entire year at their desk jobs, day dreaming of their booked trekking vacation 9 months from then. “They can’t possibly all be nuts?!”, I thought…

So I decided to give it a shot. Might as well, since I was already there…

It was a 7-day teahouse trek, meaning there were small cabins where you could spend the night and buy a cup of noodles. The highest pass we had to conquer was at an altitude of 4,610m. Just to give you an idea of the level of difficulty.

The first 4 days were physically and mentally challenging. We suffered from the cold temperatures, the lack of water and a shortage of food. To add insult to injury, the weather was horrible. It rained, it was foggy and the skies were permanently grey. In other words, the view was non-existent. Even though the trek seemed like pointless suffering at the time, there was no turning back.

waiting for the rain to pass

As we pushed through the hardship, I tried to lift my spirits by coming up with other reasons why I was there. Here are the 8 reasons aside from magnificent scenery and the astonishing views:

1. To see what you will look like in 10 years if you don’t take care of yourself

The dry air at high altitude turns the lines from the grimaces you make while hiking into wrinkles on your face. A lack of showering and grooming, bad nutrition, sleep deprivation and in my case a lack of drinking water, also add marks to your face. There are pimples involved as well as bloated faces, sausage fingers, frizzy hair, cracked lips, filthy nails, smelly armpits and often a general zombie-like expression. You start to look more and more like the crazy cat lady. Staring back at you in the mirror, is an uglier, neglected and aged version of yourself that will make you swear you will vigorously start layering that day cream with SPF factor once you get home.

sparing you from an actual photo

2. To test your relationship

Whether it’s your relationship with a friend, a lover or a family member, committing to a long haul trek together will put that relationship to a test. How will you react to each other’s whining and mood swings? How do you cope with each other’s bad odours resulting from the lack of showering? These treks can be tough and may bring out the worst in you or your travel companion(s). Will you still love and care for one another after seeing each other’s dark sides?

Getting kicked off the mountain

3. To loose weight

I thought walking 6 to 8 hours a day, 5 days a week would instantly shave a few centimetres off my waistline. That’s how it seems to work in those weight loss TV reality shows. Oh how I was wrong. A full day of exercise is quickly neutralised when eating 7 snickers a day for energy… Who would have thought…

deep fried snickers

3. For the breaks in between

I found the moments in between the actual hiking most delightful. Joking around with locals. Sitting around an old fashioned wood stove with a cup of ginger tea trying to keep warm while sharing stories. Exchanging the experiences of the trek so far. Listening to the sounds of nature. Looking up at the millions of stars. Priceless.

ginger tea and funny stories

warming up with new local friends

4. To do penance

Once the physical challenge started to be almost unbearable and my mind started wondering what the heck I was doing here, regretting I had ever started. It was almost easier to just accept the pain. Accept the pain as a punishment for everything I did wrong in the past. I thought of all the people I had wronged or hurt, all the situations I handled badly because of selfishness, the unkind thoughts I’d had… and I apologised. I apologised to some kids I went to elementary school with, ex-lovers, family, friends, myself. I was suffering to do penance for my past sins. I guess is were you see that all those years of catholic school did eventually manage to slip in a few imprints my mind.

having a rough time

5. To remind yourself that you can handle a paramount problem by breaking it down into smaller problems and tackling those one by one.

Problem: one week of hiking. I couldn’t even start to wrap my mind around it. So I took it one hour at the time, one day at the time.

conquering the biggest problem

6. To have a great dinner party story to tell

The more pain you felt and the more horrible moments you had, the better the story will be. At least you’ll have some funny anecdotes to tell.

7. For a full technology detox

Spending a full week off the radar. No wifi, no e-mails, no phone calls, … Exactly the way things were when you were 7 years old. It actually feels quite good. For a while.

8. To revive your appetite for life

Not having running water, electricity, good things to eat, you favourite kind of entertainment, your friends or family around, remind you of all the great things you have. It’s a fantastic feeling to return home and be so thankful for running water, a good meal and a warm soft bed. “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”, right?

teeth cleaning with a view

For the record, in the end I did get to see the views and it was more than worth it. Just that was reason enough for me to want to go on a long haul trek again. Event hough I don’t really like trekking.

Have you ever gone trekking? Would you consider it?

The post “8 Reasons to go on a trek when you don’t like trekking” first appeared on Travel Cake.

August 22, 2013
10 Things I loved about Istanbul

There were more than 10 things I loved about Istanbul, but I’ve made a list of the most obvious and memorable reasons.

1. The Markets and Bazaars

Visiting markets are by default my favorite thing to do while I’m travelling. It’s where you can get a feel of what local life is all about. It’s the place you are most likely to be overwhelmed with curious smells, a mix of colours,foreign sounds, unfamiliar tastes, big smiles, sharp selling techniques… I hardly ever head to the market to shop, but to more to experience a new city. The markets and bazaars in Istanbul were no different. Although I did end up buying some local delights after sampling some tea’s, sweets, honey, cheeses and herbs.

fish market

lamps at the bazar

the Grand Bazar

Spice Bazar

2. The Street food + vendors

The street food I found in Istanbul was nothing I’d never seen before (except the stuffed mussels, yummy!), yet there is something very appealing about getting your food off the streets. It’s always very affordable and the vendors in Istanbul seemed to have a great time selling a show along with their product. Whether it’s your grilled sardine being thrown onto your sandwich bun from 5 meters away, or it’s the sweet nothings the vendor whispers into your ear as you reach for your döner, there is nothing ordinary about ordering a portion of street food in Istanbul. Try getting a “dondurma” (chewy Turkish ice cream), you’ll certainly get a complementary show.

kebab

getting a dondurma

3. The views from and around the Bosporus

The river flowing through the city forms the backdrop for a romantic scene. Lovers, fishermen, kids playing, families on their outing, teenagers killing time… There is life around the Bosporus, that’s certain.

romance

sunset by the river

view from the Bosporus

4. The hip boutiques in Karaköy, Beyoğlu

Even though these shops where not within my budget range, I had such a good time window shopping and browsing the “sales-racks” hoping to find a steal. I often said to myself: “I’ll come back when I have more money!” The best shops, offering unique pieces by young designers, are off the main roads and near the Galata tower. Prices here are similar to those in western Europe.

boutiques

5. Fresh juice any time of the day

Apple, carrot, pomegranate, raisin, orange, lemon, strawberry, melon, pineapple, peach… All the fruity flavours you can imagine, whenever you want, for a very sharp price. Hello vitamins!

fresh juice

6. The old town

You could spend a whole week (or more) discovering this area, in fact, many tourist never make it to the other parts of town. I didn’t visit all the mosques and museums, nor did I walk all over the old town with a tour guide, so I missed out on the thousands of historical tales and explanations on the city. However, I managed to arrive at the sites before all the other tourist did which allowed me to get a real feel of that part of town… There is such serenity and spirituality in the air. At the crack of dawn, that is…

inside the mosque

by the mosque

blue mosque at dawn

7. The street art

comic mural

mural

8. Shops selling the most random things

It makes the city all the more interesting. How often do you see a shop entirely dedicated to growing and selling medicinal leeches? (you place them on your body when you’re ill and they suck out the infested blood…)

BB guns

old personal photos for sale

9. Tea time break

I think I probably had a tea break every hour, two hours max. Just sitting along the road side or a terrace in the shade with a glass of hot tea and a book, watching people get on with their lives. Just wonderful!

tea on a terrace

tea and cigarettes

10. The surprises

I was often surprised in Istanbul. Small surprises and bigger ones. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but these are just some of the unexpected elements . Visit Istanbul to discover which surprises the city has in store for you.

heart warming street performance

movie scene

catholic church in the middle of town

Have you ever been to Istanbul? What was your favourite thing?

The post “10 Things I loved about Istanbul” first appeared on Travel Cake.

July 1, 2013