The lyrics of a popular Filipino song goes “Manila, Manila! I’m coming back to Manila. The only place that I call home!” That was definitely the case when I left the Philippines as a young and energetic 18 year old to study in the US. As I dearly missed my family and friends, I took [...]

I love to travel, though I assume you already know that by now. But what you might not know is how obsessed I am with visiting a new country each year. Yes, I really find pleasure in ticking off countries in the world map. This year, it’s my 47th country: Vietnam. My intention in this [...]

With its perfectly preserved city wall, a castle, and a beautiful lake, Murten is a very picturesque medieval town to visit off the beaten track. Only 35 minutes from the Swiss capital city of Bern, you can easily reach it with the Lötscherberger train. Murten makes for an ideal day trip: you can climb up [...]

The first time I visited Singapore almost a decade ago I remember a buzzling yet relaxed Asian city. While the skyscrapers were already on the rise, the place still felt “Asian” just with different cultures living in one melting pot. I went back in late 2010 and was utterly surprised of the change, and to [...]

Salzburg: Mozart’s birthplace and one of Austria’s most picturesque cities. It was even catapulted to Hollywood fame with the film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical “The Sound of Music.” While I, and now my two-year-old daughter, grew up singing “Do, Re, Mi” with the Von Trapp family, most Europeans are oblivious of the movie [...]