About Me

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
I am married to my loving husband for more than 40 years now. I am a mother to 3 beautiful children, until years ago when I lost my youngest son. Since then my life is forever altered but yet unbroken....

My Travel Journal

"There isn't much I haven't shared with you along the road and through it all there'd always be tomorrow's episode" - Elton John

I started traveling around the world since early 80s when I had the opportunity to combine business trips with vacations. Then later when my rezeki is in abundance, there were numerous other trips along the way for vacations, most of the time with hubby and the kids when the timing is right. I have also started to compile the journal and photo-pages covering almost more than 45 years of world wide travel. Some destinations I visited just once, others many times. Many of those places are the obvious famous places people would like to visit but some, the casual traveler doesn't even think to try. I have placed links to my travel at the side bar of my personal page, My Life Reflections, and will be updating them from time to time.

My wish is to continue my travel and complete circumnavigate the globe, insyaAllah…

Tuesday 1 June 1993

Philippines 1993: Manila - Where Asia wears a smile...

"Happiness makes you smile, sorrow can crush you..."

Manila, Philippines
(18 - 21 May1993)

I was in Manila for nearly two months attending a Leadership Development Program at Asian Institute of Management. Hubby came after the program and we spent a few days in Manila and later flew to Seoul, Korea for a week of relaxing holiday.

Manila, the capital of the Philippines is as different to the delicate white flower after which it was named as you can get. A sprawling metropolis, covering nearly 250,000 sq miles and home to approximately 10 million people, it is almost the antithesis of the rest of this laid back often breathtakingly beautiful archipelago country.

(Manila Hotel)

That's not to say Manila doesn't have its charm. A cultural melting pot where East meets West, where Spanish colonial churches stand side by side with Oriental mosques, where horse drawn carriages vie for road space with jeepneys and homes with no running water or electricity stand in the shadow of steel and glass uber-towers. The largest city in Southeast Asia, Manila is not for the feint hearted, its relentless bustle and notorious nightlife are both enthralling and draining, but if it's action you're looking for, prepare yourself to be spoilt rotten.

(Rizal Memorial)

Philippines 7000 islands that comprise the Philippines are the forgotten islands of South-East Asia. Off the main overland route and with a recent history of martial law and endemic corruption, the country has struggled to attract tourists in the numbers many of its southeast Asian neighbours have. Since the demise of the authoritarian Marcos regime, the Philippines has fared better; however, the last few years have sent the country's fortunes tumbling once again. The Philippines is the most disaster-prone country on earth. It named typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, garbage landslides and military action against Muslim insurgents as just some of the problems both locals and tourists have had to deal with.

(Rizal Memorial)

Despite these difficulties, most of the Philippines is laid back, stable and relatively safe. The country likes to promote itself as the place where 'Asia wears a smile' and the locals are, by and large, an exceptionally friendly and helpful bunch. On top of this, transport is cheap, the food is good, accommodation is plentiful and English is widely spoken.

(One of the beautiful beaches)

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