Nordic Art Nouveau in Helsinki Well, I think I’ve finally landed in gull heaven. Helsinki is the perfect place for me. A beautiful coastal city with dozens of sea inlets, promenades, beaches and islands not far offshore… and seagulls rule the roost! The proof is in all the signs warning about gulls. Yes. We gulls are a force to be reckoned with here. I couldn’t wait to hit the South Harbour, just a short stroll from the city centre. What…
Old town centre of Melaka, Malaysia I’ve seen many a weird sight while on the road with the Oldies, but this one has got to top the list: monkeys on the motorway! I’d dozed off on the flight from Manila to Kuala Lumpur and woke up in a rental car headed to Melaka, just in time to spot a troop of monkeys hopping around on the verge. What next? Fish flying overhead? Well actually, that was exactly what I saw…
Shopping Malls in Metro Manila I’d learned a fair bit about Spanish colonialism in Intramuros, but hadn’t realised that the Philippines had been a US colony for so long. In spite of it being independent of the US since 1946, I found the American influence is still very obvious today. English is widely spoken, most signage is in English and US brand names and chains proliferate. And like Americans, Filipinos sure love their malls. I soon came to see the…
A week in Boracay, Philippines Now this was a dream come true! We were on a beautiful island in the South China Sea, the 4 km long white beach (aptly named White Beach) stretching before me, traditional double-outrigger wooden boats dotted across the turquoise waters, the Oldies, quiet for once, sitting at a beach bar under the shade of the palm trees, sipping their beers and nibbling freshly baked Bavarian pretzels. Wait a minute. What? Only in the Philippines! Apparently…
Visit to Intramuros and Rizal Park, Manila The Dynamic Duo finally managed to shake off their body guards and slip into Manila city centre. Their first port of call was Intramuros, the old walled city from the Spanish colonial era … only it was basically a reconstruction. The entire city was destroyed by shelling by the US forces as they fought the Japanese in World War II. I found this monument to the 100,000 innocent victims of the Battle of…