"Cher My World" Cherr08's Profile

Link: Egypt, Jordan, Israel Pics

Disney Princesses

Another unforgettable trip to Hong Kong because...

1. I traveled with my cousins who are more like my sisters since we practically grew up together.
2. I traveled without an agenda, I don't know where I am most of the time, I just followed everyone, and I didn't care about the time. Coming from a person who travels for photography, architecture, history, culture, and has a well planned agenda? This is so not me, it was crazy and I totally love it!
3. Everyone was already in Hong Kong and has been waiting for my arrival for 2.5 hrs. Imagine the warm welcome!
4. Going to Hong Kong is all about food and more food. We took a picture of each dish we ordered! It makes me hungry whenever I look at it.
5. Another reason to go to Hong Kong is shopping! Ouch, where can I buy flip flops?
6. I usually travel with my Canon SLR and I gave up on photography by day 2. Why? Because I'm not with Shelley who’s my photography and cultural travel buddy, I'm with my cousins who’s my eating, shopping, partying, and take-a-picture-of-us buddies :)
7. Nothing can beat grown-ups enjoying a day at Disneyland. Let's start looking for Hidden Mickeys! Wait, where's Tarzan first?
8. My return flight back home was wrong. Why? Because my cousin is so reliable with information. Same cousin who got us into exam trouble back in College, same cousin who cause us to get left behind and lost in Hong Kong when we were 16, same cousin who taught me how to skip class at the age of 5, and so on so forth.

Cher san! :)

Packing Time

Cher: "I’ve decided…I may not know how to be a backpack traveler, but I will travel light--er!" (Taking out a small luggage and started packing)
After an hour...
Cher: "Shoot! I almost made it! Where will I put this one last pair of shoes???" (Torn between taking the shoes or sticking with the travel light plan)
Cher: "I need those shoes!!! Where’s my Big Luggage!"
------------
Know-it-all Dan

Dan: (Walking ahead w/ I’m a local know it all look. Inserted the Train Ticket and continued walking, Cher & Jac closely behind him)
Dan: (Wondering…hmm, I can’t remember the train ticket having a magnetic strip…)
Cher: (Inserted the Train Ticket…Green…Hmm that was easy)
Guard: (…Just noticed the wrong ticket alert)
Jac: (Inserted the Train Ticket…Green…)
Guard to Jac: "Sumimasen, kippu kudasai?" (Your Ticket Please)
Jac: (Presenting her ticket...What’s wrong with this guy, I inserted the right ticket!)
Dan: (Walking back) "Errr, I think it’s me. I inserted my plane ticket."
------------
The Experts

Normal Tourist: "Wow! That building is so tall and beautiful!" (Taking Picture of the building)
Our Group: "The way they cut and installed the floor tiles is so precise. Floor Grinding is excellent. Is that wall acrylic, glass, or polycarbonate?" (Taking Picture of the tiles, wood laminate, lighting fixtures)
------------
We almost lost Marina

Marina: "Hurry, we will miss our train! Where’s car 12?" (Our reserved cabin)? At the far end!!! (Running and Cher running behind her)
Jac/Wilfred: "Why are they running? We still have time!!!"
Marina: (Transformed into Flash and entered car number 8)
Cher: "Wait! Where you going?" (While looking at the far end of the train for number 12"
Marina: (Shouting coz she’s inside the train) "We can enter this car and cross to 12"
Cher: (Counting the remaining cars quickly, 8..9..10………???) "Wait Marina! There’s no 12!!! Not our train!!!"
Jac/Wilfred: (Trying to keep up with us while shouting...) "Not our train, not our train!"
------------
Sake Story

Cher: "I want Hot Sake!" (Excited, haven’t tried sake before)
Lady Server: "Hai, Dozo!" (presenting me a small bottle of Sake)
Cher: "Errr, I won’t be able to finish a bottle." (But accepting it anyway)
Cher: "Itadakimas! ooh yum! It’s so smooth."
Few hours later…
Cher: "Jac, I can’t go back to Bar More anymore. I’m floating." (…and was sound asleep)
Few hours later…
Jac: "Cher, wake up!!! Hot spa! Onsen Time!"
Cher: "Okay" (Was up and ready to go in no time!)
------------
Manga! Manga!

Cher: "I want Manga! I want Manga!" (Scanning the area for Manga stores)
Wilfred: "There! Manga store. Let’s check it out" (Proceeding to Basement Level, Cher eagerly following him)
Cher to Lady at counter: "Konnichiwa! Do you have Manga in English? Ego Manga?"
Lady: "ie, no English." (While giving me a knowing smile…what’s up with that?)
Wilfred: "Cher, what’s with the porno comics here?" (Pointing at the Manga near the cashier counter)
Cher: "Dunno, probably marketing strategy and it’s near the cashier" (Looking around…)
Cher: (Why is this floor full of men??? Scanning the room and the shelves…)
Cher: "Shoot! This floor is Hentai [Porn] floor!!!" (Walking out fast with a red face)
Lesson Learned: Never follow Wilfredo-san!
------------
Packing Time:

Cher: "Lots of shopping goodies and stuff that I’ll be taking home!" (Thank god I took the big luggage)
Started Packing…after 30 minutes
Cher: "Shoot, it won’t fit!" (Putting everything inside the bag, sat on it, then tried zipping the bag again)
Lesson Learned: I will not attempt to travel light. I will not attempt to travel light. I will not attempt to travel light.

1. The Liquid Sunshine - Sunny, Cloudless day but its drizzling.
2. The Rainbow – Its always visible like it should always be a part of the scene.
3. The People – Feels like home. Partly because Filipinos is the 4th largest community in Hawaii.
4. The Culture – Graceful Hula dance, beautiful language, a place where I can blend in without looking like a foreigner.
5. The Company – Group Travel is always fun. Walking around not knowing where you are and where you want to go, Soaked in rain coz you weren’t prepared, trying to outdo each other on who can pronounce the street names, crossing a red light, and relying on unreliable GPS.

Ta Prohm, Eastern Angkor

On February 7, 2006 around 4pm at Preah Khan Temple in North Eastern Angkor Cambodia. Two friends [We can call them Loony and Toony] decided to escape the tourist crowd by deviating from the “common” tour path within the Temple. They felt that they needed more space for their "artistic inclination" and more time to appreciate "what nature can offer". So what did they do? Yes, they chose the Road Less Traveled By. And so they started their journey and totally loving it! Peace and quiet at last! Not a single human being in sight!

There goes Loony, totally enjoying the serenity. Even taking off her flip-flops to enjoy the fine white sand beneath her feet. Wondering how the white sand got there in the first place and how far they are from the world of chaos called Work. And there goes Toony, yours truly, with her artistic inclination trying to capture this ancient and lost world through her lens while trying to catch up with history through her book.

And so Loony and Toony walked ever slowly, immersed in their own little world and totally oblivious of the fact that back home everyone is working and is stuck in numerous conference calls [snicker and wicked laugh]. What else could they ever wish for? Ancient temple walls, white sand, warm wind, blue sky, smiling sun, chirping birds, rustling leaves... and rustling leaves... and more rustling leaves... Wait! Way too much rustling for Toony’s taste.

Toony still trapped in her dream world thought “It sounds more like a rattle... but is there such thing as rattling leaves when you stepped on it?” Dream world faded quickly when Toony saw two small gleaming eyes staring at her. Two small eyes owned by a very long and green... and very long Tree Snake. And so Toony [whose running ability is limited to Dodgeball back in grade school] started running like a Marathon Athlete.

Loony on the other hand witnessing the whole encounter started running after Toony. And being a smart aleck she shouted at Toony telling her to stop coz “It’s just a Tree Snake you know”. Toony not stopping, but at the same time thinking “What is she saying? Just a Tree Snake? It’s too long, its too green, and its too free!” Still Toony came to her senses and realized that indeed it must be gone by now. [After all, she’s been running and screaming for so long and she almost reached the end of the path right?] And so Toony suddenly stopped and Loony sto.......Crack! Toony stepped on a dried twig. Toony, thinking that she stepped on a snake again started running and Loony being such a sweet friend ran after her.

Moral of the Story – Never choose a road less traveled by. It is too ‘nature’ friendly. Especially when your smart aleck friend sneaks and starts throwing rubber snakes at you while you guys are at the market and when your Tour Guide takes you to a Cobra show in Thailand and you end up waiting outside for your Tour Group while drinking Coke and listening to the Cobra Master telling his audience... “Now look! Many Cobras, they look like spaghetti! [Gong!] Cobra very dangerous, they kill many Thailand [Gong!]”

Elephant Show, Bangkok Thailand

As a Project Manager, I am so used to planning, organizing, and budgeting. And guess what? That's exactly what I did when my friend, Shelley and I went to Bangkok Thailand. But as a Traveler, I forgot one key aspect to Project Management...Budget Buffer! And so there we were enjoying our tour in Bangkok making sure that we see every historical site, experience a different culture, shopping, and more shopping. And so one day at end of the tour, our tour guide made a one last stop at a Jewelry Store and as ladies, we felt 'inclined' to buy ;-).

In the end, I only had $100 with me and we still have another country to go to! Next Stop...ATM Machine! Well, if any machine can just give us a few bucks! And so we traveled the next day, making sure that we kept an eye on our budget or what's left of it.

Another Unforgettable Moment:
Shelley to Tour Guide: "Umm, hey is it okay for us to pay you when we return to our hotel coz we still have to withdraw some cash"

Tour Guide: "Ahh, no money. Okay, Okay. Me give you money okay?" (Shelley and Cher wondering...what is she talking about?)

Shelley: "Errr, no I meant we need to find ATM Machine...to get cash"

Tour Guide "No..no need, me (pointing to herself) give you (pointing at shelley) 500 Baht, you pay later, okay?

Shelley: "Ummm, okay" (Still confused, but taking the money, while Cher was snickering)

But, in the end we were able to find an ATM Machine and we were literally jumping for joy! Our only regret?...not spending the $100 on the stuff we’ve tried to bargain (for the fun of it) at the Floating Market. :D

Fontana di Trevi, Rome Italy

Went to Rome in 2000 to spend the Easter Celebration and the Great Jubilee Year with Pope John Paul II.

Unforgettable Moments:

1. Trying to figure out the currency. Italy was the 3rd country on our tour and it gets pretty confusing when your wallet is filled with different currency not to mention coins. Now I am wondering why I didn’t remove the other currency. Common sense!

2. Purchasing bus tickets each and every time we ride a bus. And since the ticket is in Italian, we never knew until the last day that the ticket is good for an hour. Talk about major savings!

3. Attended Good Friday and Easter Sunday Mass at the Vatican with Pope John Paul II.

4. Meeting a French Nun who gave me 2 tickets for us to enter the front section of the Vatican near the Pope’s Altar.

5. Using a map, getting lost, dealing with different language.

6. Eating! We are in Italy! Do what the Romans do! We enjoyed the pasta, pizza, cheese and coffee.

7. Tossing a coin at the Fontana di Trevi. After all, we all want to go back to Rome again.

8. Almost missed our flight back…spent too much time shopping, we literally got stuck in our van coz the door got jammed and to top it all, I left my passport at the ticketing counter so I had to go back. We got the usual stares from the passengers the minute we boarded the plane :D

9. During this tour we went through Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam 4 times. Instead of choosing the airline with direct flights, we chose KLM for the mileage. In the end, they gave us a Free Business Class Upgrade. For sure they were thanking us at the same time thinking that we were insane. ;-)

Hopewell Rocks, Hopewell Cape on the Bay of Fundy

Link: New Brunswick Photos

Top things to do in New Brunswick:

1. Visit your Best Friend in Moncton (As Shelley always brag, Canada is the 5th Country we've been to together!)

2. Eat Lobster and Scallops! A Turkey roasted by Adam for dinner.

3. Carve your name on a Pumpkin. Well, Shelley carved it, I just carved it to perfection upon knowing that it is my name :P

4. Driving from Saint John to Moncton for 3 hrs which normally takes 1.5 hrs. Why? no sense of direction, read map as..go to highway 1 instead of 100. (As Shelley says...Cher how can you miss the 2 zeros!)

5. Enjoying Highway 1 which is the old scenic highway even though we are already lost. Taking some time to take photographs, passing by historic covered bridges, getting lost again and ended up on a dirt road, and playing 'You had a bad day' on CD.

6. Driving along Bay of Fundy and going to Hopewell Rocks even though it was closed coz it was almost winter and even though there is a sign...Enter at your own risk. Warning High Tide.

7. Driving around town to pick Maple leaves with different autumn shades and sizes.

8. Spending night in Saint John trying to locate where the best Margarita in town is. Where? At the bar at Market Square of course. Not only they have the best Margarita, they also have best looking waiters.

9. Google...Mapquest...instant Light house trail!

10. Last but not the least. Getting stuck in New Jersey. After a long week of work and training, A long day at the airport waiting, After standing in line for 2 hrs to get our flights rebooked, we ended up staying in NJ. And instead of complaining and getting bored at the hotel, we decided to see the Liberty the next day!