"People to see. Places to visit! " Ramonq's Profile

CYBERSPACE, the new frontier...

NEW

SWITZERLAND: Geneva, Lausanne, Luzern.
SLOVENIA: Ljubljana, Bled.
CROATIA: Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik
MONTENEGRO: Kotor, Perast, Budva
ALBANIA: Tirana, Durres, Berat
MACEDONIA: Ohrid, Skopje
KOSOVO: Prizren
BULGARIA: Sofia, Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo
ROMANIA: Bucharest, Brasov, Sibiu, Timisoara
SERBIA: Belgrade, Nis
BOSNIA-HERCEGOVINA: Sarajevo, Mostar
NORWAY: Oslo, Bergen, Sognefjord
SWEDEN: Stockholm
HOLLAND: Rotterdam
BELGIUM: Antwerp
IRELAND: Killarney, Galway, Dublin
MALTA: Valleta, Victoria
TUNISIA: Tunis, Carthage, Sousse, El Jem
FRANCE: Nice
MONACO: Monte Carlo
ITALY: Pisa, Rimini
SAN MARINO: San Marino
UK: Liverpool, Cardiff, Manchester,
CYPRUS: Larnaca, Nicosia
KUWAIT: Kuwait City
BAHRAIN: Manama
QATAR: Doha
ISRAEL: Jerusalem
PALESTINE: Bethlehem

Things that made me go.. "W O W !!"...

1. Santorini, Greece

awesome sunset

Spectacular sunsets can be viewed from the town of Oia in the dramatic island of Santorini (Thira). A quiet picturesque white-washed Greek village overlooks a dormant volcanic crater that's now filled with the deep blue Aegean Sea. Man's simplicity and nature's awesome forces provide a contrasting symphony.

My Thira Page

2. Machu Pichu, Peru

spell-binding lost city

After an exhausting three day trek through the Inca Trail, this apparition of Machu Pichu, the impregnable Inca fortress high up the mountains surrounded by misty dense green forest, appears like a mirage. A spell-binding example of man's eternal quest to commune with the universe.

My Cusco Page

3. Petra, Jordan

dramatic setting

The teasing yet dramatic appearance of the ancient Nabatean city of Petra at the end of the long claustrophobic gorge, is marked with suspenseful anticipation. The pink-hued Treasury Building carved from the mountain slowly peeks from the gorge's narrow opening and then punches you right on-your-face with its sheer beauty as soon as you enter the city. A very clever use of natural settings to dramatise man's need for perfection.

My Petra Page

4. New York City, USA

stunning vista

A rather mundane elevator ride builds up your tension, then transports you to a stunning vista of the world's densest clusters of skyscrapers from atop the Empire State Building in Midtown New York City. Up here, human ingenuity is displayed arrogantly. Man destroys forests and replaces them with artificial ones, the urban concrete jungle.

My New York City Page

5. Serengeti, Tanzania

majestic nature

Looking far down at the Ngoro Ngoro crater in Tanzania and witnessing vast hordes of wilderbeests migrating south like ants on a mission, moves one to tears. This panorama certainly brings out the majesty and harshness of life on planet Earth. Nature at its best and wildest.

My Serengeti Page

6. Corcovado, Brazil

marvelous view

The marvelous view of "Cidade Maravilhosa", ie., Rio de Janeiro from Cristo Redentor statue at Corcovado must be seen to be believed. The Samba city is lovingly laid out below against the backdrop of mountains and hills and bays and ocean and more mountains. Ironic religious symbolism for a city known for its hedonistic pleasures.

My Rio Page

7. Giza, Luxor, Aswan, Egypt

spectacular monuments

All the ancient Egyptian legacies, from the Valley of the Kings to Abu Simbel to the Pyramids and to the Egyptian Museum treasures are simply mind-boggling to behold. The ancient Egyptians certainly know how to put on a spectacular show yet still manage to exude so much enigma to modern man. A majestic testament to man's relentless pursuit of life after death.

My Cairo, Luxor, & Abu Simbel Pages

8. Victoria Peak, Hong Kong

mesmerising image

Hong Kong's flickering lights at dusk can be admired from atop Victoria Peak via a cable car. Brightly-lit skyscrapers stand precariously on mountain slopes like stalagmites; and their mesmerising images are reflected on the waters of the Hong Kong harbour. Man and nature in symbiosis.

My Hong Kong Page

9. Palace of Versailles, France

utterly lavish

The sheer opulence of the Palace of Versailles particularly the utterly lavish Grand Hall of Mirrors, in Versailles, just outside Paris, is stunning. It's no wonder Marie Antoinette's head got chopped off because of her complete contempt for her impoverished subjects. Human greed for wealth and power can be disturbingly manifested in a spectacular way.

My Paris Page

10. Table Mountain, South Africa

breath-taking sight

Climbing to the top of the Table Mountain in Cape Town allows you to look down at the breath-taking view of the city with both the tempestuous Indian and Atlantic Oceans in the horizons. The end of a great continent combined with the meeting of two great oceans create an awesome sight. This scenery alone makes life in this planet worth living.

My Cape Town Page

11. Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

inspirational patience

The artistic genius behind the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican is very inspiring. Michaelangelo toiled stoically for years to paint the spacious walls and ceilings for a mere pittance. With limitless patience, the awesome power of the individual to move mountains, is on full display here. Now if only I possess a tiny fraction of Michaelangelo's patience to finish my VT pages..

My Rome Page

12. Great Wall, China

Meandering along steep mountain ranges, a massive stone wall was built in the most inhospitable place to ward off foreign invaders. It's amazing what xenophobia can do. Although the Great Wall is truly an awesome in sight, its futility is highlighted, considering that thousands have died to create it. A poignant reminder that even though human insecurity can conquer mountains, it is helpless against human determination to conquer.

My Beijing Page

And here are some of the colourful local characters I've met..

Bedouins from Jordan

Mayans from Guatemala

Bamars from Myanmar

An Anglo-Saxon from Britain

Maasais from Kenya

Quechuas from Peru

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click: 'Where ever I lay my hat, that's my Home'

Intro Updated Dec 1, 2010
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Personal Pages (11)

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Comments (132)

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taigaa001 Apr 28, 2013 at 3:34 PM

Great page. Makes me tour around the world.
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DAO Apr 28, 2013 at 2:57 PM

Kung paano ito ay nagha-hang?
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  DAO Apr 30, 2013 at 2:46 AM
  
  How are you? Still alive? What's new? You need to come to a European meeting. Just thought I would say hello. My Tagalog translator just had their computer die.
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  Ramonq Apr 30, 2013 at 5:54 PM
  
  I'm fine in Makati. One day, I'll attend a European meet, not this year though.
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cachaseiro Apr 25, 2013 at 12:51 AM

Hey Ramon.
Posted another vt meet for may 3.
Come and join us mate:
members.virtualtourist.com/m...
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cachaseiro Mar 24, 2013 at 8:30 AM

Hi' Ramon.
I posted this vt meet for next month when i am back in Manila: members.virtualtourist.com/m...
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jumpingnorman Oct 6, 2012 at 3:47 PM

Hi there! Hope u enjoy this: I included your jump pic in the BEST OF VT Jumpers at
youtube.com/watch?v=4pZjQ2dh...
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  Ramonq Oct 7, 2012 at 2:27 AM
  
  Many thanks! Saw myself at 2:57!
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  jumpingnorman Oct 7, 2012 at 12:51 PM
  
  hahaha Ramon!! You are everywhere---- hahaha....
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thuyduongvn Oct 5, 2012 at 7:52 PM

your photos are really beautiful!
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Usctwin Jul 30, 2012 at 9:29 AM

Happy birthday, Ramon!
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TrendsetterME Jul 30, 2012 at 4:04 AM

Hey Ramon, "Happy Birthday", with all my best wishes ... :)
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rosata Jul 30, 2012 at 3:48 AM

Wishing you a very Happy Birthday, Ramon!
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pieter_jan_v Jul 30, 2012 at 12:38 AM

Happy Birthday greetings from Holland. PJ