My Saturday afternoon in San Francisco turned out to be interesting.

Arriving around lunch time September 20 (Pacific time), I decided to take the train instead of the more expensive taxi from the airport to the Grand Hyatt hotel. Several minutes later, I emerged in the Powell St. Station, which is three to four blocks from the Union Square. Placards saying,” No to Scientology” greeted me, as I exited toward Powell St.

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QUEZON CITY, Philippines — University of the Philippines Diliman starts the UP Padyak, a project that promotes the use of bicycles as the primary method of transportation within the huge campus. The project was started by UP Mountaineers who want to encourage students to live healthier lifestyles, and help conserve the environment by reducing the use of smoke-belching vehicles that deplete the ozone layer. Bicycles are rented to the enrolled students per semester after a payment of P500 to the UP Mountaineers organization. INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Alex Villafania talks to Jojo Gutierrez of the UP Mountaineers about this project.

THREE hours can be a boring trip but if you let your eyes be amused by the green scenery and the atmosphere of a province, it won’t be.

As we were on our way to the Pantabangan Dam, the sights of the green fields and the bathing carabao (water buffalo) in a stream tell me how serene and simple life can be in the province.

Though the landscape of the province can be relaxing to the eyes, the zigzag road can make one feel dizzy. No wonder why some of our companions chose to sleep.

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By Alexander Villafania
INQUIRER.net

THAILAND is known for its beautiful beaches like Phuket and Ko Samui. Most tourists tend to stay near the country’s fine shores instead of the countryside. In comparison, there are wonderful places in Thailand not often seen by visitors but are worthy of praise as the country’s beaches. Seven hundred kilometers north of Bangkok is a land-locked city known as Chiang Mai. After visiting a couple of Thailand’s beaches in the past, I got the chance to go to Chiang Mai recently. It takes about one hour by plane to reach the city or about a day’s travel by bus. Lucky for me, I took the shorter and more comfortable way.

My trip to Chiang Mai was part of an IT conference organized by IBM. I stayed at the wonderful Chiang Mai Shangri-La Hotel where most of IBM’s partners and clients also stayed. The walk around the hotel alone was superb. The entire structure had been designed with historic Northern Thailand architecture in mind but with many modern touches. The path leading to the main entrance had four elephant sculptures that welcomed visitors. The façade had three tiered gazebos with wood shingles and designed to look like traditional temples. [Read the rest of this entry »]

CATCH several teams from the Philippine Daily Inquirer and INQUIRER.net race in Day 1 of the Rush Hour Commute.

The objective of the race is to determine the fastest and cheapest commute in three routes in Metro Manila during a rush hour.

“Rush Hour Commute” is a project of the Philippine Daily Inquirer with the help of sister company INQUIRER.net. The idea behind the project was brought about by the recent hike in fares instituted by the government, according to Juan Sarmiento Jr., PDI senior desk editor and the project’s leader.

By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

On a recent trip to Hong Kong, I visited a good friend of mine who lives with his family in Lamma Island, about 20 minutes by ferry from the mainland.

It was my first time there and I had this wild guess that Lamma (not Llama as I earlier thought) is filled with somewhat luxurious beach houses for vacationing Hong Kong residents. As pictured above when I boarded down the ferry, it looks more like a quiet and peaceful fishing village, away from the hustle and bustle of mainland Hong Kong.

Walking along the narrow and somewhat crowded streets, it reminded me of Sabang Beach in Puerto Galera. I learned that Lamma is famous for its restaurants. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo paid Sampan restaurant a visit during a recent trip to Hong Kong.

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By Jerome Quinto, Contributor
INQUIRER.net

I’VE always thought that a trip to Australia is as easy as climbing down a flight of staircases. Well, if a million steps down a thousand-storey building is for you a snap, the former rings true — for you.

For a Filipino (with the Pinoy passport, of course), going to Australia, or any developed country for that matter, starts with getting a visa. Well this wasn’t a problem for me, though preparing the papers needed to get the visa is a hassle. Not to mention the agony of the waiting period where I’m caught between being prepared for the trip and likewise uncertain for I don’t know whether I’m getting a visa or not. Good thing the dilemma wasn’t that long. Just about three weeks (compared to a month or more for most).

I don’t intend to plot in detail the pre-departure process. Suffice it to say that IT IS NOT EASY and one should consider so many factors before one’s flight. So how did I get “Down Under”?

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By Fung Yu, Contributor
INQUIRER.net

Author’s note: This article uses QuickTime and Adobe Flash in providing an immersive experience by means of virtual reality technology. QuickTime and/or Flash 9.0 are required to view the 360-degree VRs. Average VR size is 2.3Mb each.

WHEN news first broke out that Manila will soon have an oceanarium at par with those in other Asian countries, I just couldn’t contain my anticipation! So after a long construction wait, and a few supposed openings that got postponed, the Manila Ocean Park finally opened its “waters” last February 28.

The park’s journey starts with “Agos,” one of the seven water environments. This exhibit simulates the flow of fresh water from the land out to the seas. Other environments include “Bahura,” the reef with its myriad of colorful corals and fishes; “Laot,” the fishing ground features mostly bigger fishes, including some that you’ll find in your tables; “Buhay na Karagatan,” the living ocean is the main attraction of the ocean park, with its 220-degree tunnel, where you will witness the interaction of many marine animals in their natural habitat; “Ang Kalaliman,” the deep ocean, which displays the pelagic barracudas; “Pagi,” stingrays viewed from an overhead tank; and “Pating,” with young sharks that seem to fascinate just about everyone.

Agos (The Flow)

View in Flash

View in QuickTime

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By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

ARRIVING in Bangkok past midnight without a hotel booking, I took my chances on Khao San Road tagging along with two French women I met at the airport. I figured it was a lot easier to find a place to stay there. Turns out I had to cherry pick hotels in the wee hours of the morning.

Khao San greeted me with its bright lights, thumping music (Blur’s “Girls Against Boys” mixed with this shalala-la ditty), streetwalkers and all the revelry — exactly like that scene in ”The Beach” as I remember it.

After scouring through every available signboard I laid my eyes on, I spotted one leading to an alley — Sawasdee Bangkok Inn, the familiar purple giving me some sort of comfort after flying Thai Airways thrice in the last two days.

Patience is indeed a virtue, it was the most decent-looking room I found — the rest were either too big or too ratty, depending on your tolerance. D&D Inn (where the two French women were staying — WITH RESERVATION) looked really nice but it was full, apparently a traveler’s favorite. Stay away from Khao San Palace, shitty rooms. O

My room was cozy enough in size, the TV small but an essential antidote to loneliness. Hot shower, check. With breakfast, check. 1,375 baht for a three-day promo, not bad.

Nevermind the not-so-picturesque window view, the al-fresco restaurant downstairs makes up for it. A Continental breakfast and watching the NBA Finals on their big screen TV while I was writing this was a huge plus — and they have wifi.

THE FLORES de Mayo, a Catholic festival held in May, is celebrated extravagantly at Barangay Bungahan in Cuenca, Batangas.

Video interviews of Let Javier and Cornalia Marasigan conducted by INQUIRER.net multimedia specialist Erika Tapalla. Video taken by Eribelle Tapalla.