The Viewing Deck Collections; Inspirational Travel Quotes

the words that inspire me, truly kills boredom and awakens the dormant interest
the world has full of wonders, how far will I go ...

01. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

02. No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow. ~ Lin Yutang

03. To get away from one's working environment is, in a sense, to get away from one's self; and this is often the chief advantage of travel and change. ~ Charles Horton Cooley

04.Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts ~ Rachel Carson

05. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~ Mark Twain

06. What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road. ~ William Least Heat Moon

07. Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. ~ Miriam Beard

08. To travel is to take a journey into yourself. ~ Danny Kaye

09. To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” ~ Bill Bryson

internalizing travel quotes (Bataan)

See the Mindanao Tourist Destinations (visited all 28 Provinces)

Mabuhay tayong mga Filipinong Manlalakbay para sa Turismo ng Pilipinas! ^_^

I have visited all 28 provinces in the Mindanao region on my quest to sight-see and recognize entire 82 provinces of the Philippines' nature and man-made wonders. Mindanao is the second largest island in the Philippines and is called The Land of Promise. Mindanao is the only area of the Philippines with a significant Muslim presence.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT MINDANAO

1. Mindanao is Philippines second largest island.

2. Mindanao is comprised of 28 provinces and six regions.

3. Mindanao is home to 3 sultanates: Maguindanao, Maranao and Sulu.

4. Philippines highest mountain, Mt. Apo (2,954masl), is located in Mindanao.

5. Among the 3 main islands, Mindanao is regarded as having the warmest temperature at 29'C average

See the Mindanao Tourist Destinations (visited all 28 Provinces)

MINDANAO ARCHIPELAGO
Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX)	SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII)
55. Zamboanga del Norte	68. Cotabato
56. Zamboanga del Sur	69. Sarangani
57. Zamboanga Sibugay	70. South Cotabato
	71. Sultan Kudarat
Northern Mindanao (Region X)
58. Bukidnon	CARAGA (Region XIII)
59. Camiguin	72. Agusan del Norte
60. Lanao del Norte	73. Agusan del Sur
61. Misamis Occidental	74. Dinagat Islands
62. Misamis Oriental	75. Surigao del Norte
	76. Surigao del Sur
Davao Peninsula (Region XI)
63. Davao de Oro	Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
64. Davao del Norte	77. Basilan
65. Davao del Sur	78. Lanao del Sur
66. Davao Occidental	79. Maguindanao del Norte / 80. Mg. del Sur
67. Davao Oriental	81. Sulu
	82. Tawi-Tawi

What Tourist Spots Visayas has (visited all 16 Provinces)

Mabuhay tayong mga Filipinong Manlalakbay para sa Turismo ng Pilipinas! ^_^

I have completely visited all 16 provinces in the Visayas region on my quest to sight-see and recognize entire 81 provinces of the Philippines' nature and man-made wonders. Visayas is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast extremity of the entire Sulu Sea. The peoples of the Visaya Islands are known as the Visayans. 

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT VISAYAS

1. The 3 administrative regions in the Visayas are Eastern Visayas Region, Central Visayas Region and Western Visayas Region.

2. The 6 major islands of the Visayas are Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Panay, Negros and and Samar.

3. Negros is the 3rd largest island in the Philippines. Samar is 4th, Panay is 6th, Leyte is 8th, Cebu is 9th and Bohol is the 10th largest island in the country.

4. Negros Island, with an area of 13,328 km², is the 62nd largest island in the world and the 3rd in the Philippines.

5. Cebu City, the Queen City of the South and a highly urbanized city, is the most progressive city in Cebu Island and is regarded as the oldest city in the Philippines.

VISAYAS ARCHIPELAGO
Western Visayas (Region VI)	Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)
39. Aklan	49. Biliran
40. Antique	50. Eastern Samar
41. Capiz	51. Leyte
42. Guimaras	52. Northern Samar
43. Iloilo	53. Samar
44. Negros Occidental	54. Southern Leyte
Central Visayas (Region VII)
45. Bohol
46. Cebu
47. Negros Oriental
58. Siquijor

What Tourist Spots Visayas has (visited 16 of 16 Provinces)

Best of Luzon Tourist Attraction (visited all 38 Provinces)

Mabuhay tayong mga Filipinong Manlalakbay para sa Turismo ng Pilipinas! ^_^

I have completely visited all 38 provinces in the Luzon region on my quest to sight-see and recognize entire 81 provinces of the Philippines' nature and man-made wonders. Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important island in the Philippines. It is also the name for one of the three island groups in the country and home to the capital city, Manila.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT LUZON

1. The island of Luzon is the 15th largest island in the whole world and the 7th in Asia with an area of 109,965 km².

2. Luzon is the 5th largest in the world with a population of over 46 million people and 3rd most densely populated island in the world with 538.9 people per km².

3. Some of the most popular and most active volcanoes in the country are located in Luzon such as Mount Mayon, Taal Volcano, Mount Bulusan, Didicas Volcano, Babuyan Claro, Deguey Volcano and the explosive Mount Pinatubo.

4. Central Luzon is the “rice granary of the Philippines” producing the largest quantity of rice in the archipelago. It ha a total land area of 11,000 km².

5. Sierra Madre, a mountain range in Luzon, is the longest in the Philippine archipelago. Its highest point is Mount Anacuao with an elevation of 1,849.83 meters.

6. The second largest province in the Philippines in terms of land area is Isabela in Cagayan Valley with an area of 12,556.8 km2.

7. The largest lake in the Philippines is located also in Luzon – Laguna de Bay. It has area of 949 km². This notable lake is drained by the Pasig River into Manila Bay.

Best of Luzon Tourist Attraction (visited all 38 Provinces)

LUZON ARCHIPELAGO
Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)	CALABARZON (Region IV-A)
01. Abra	23. Batangas
02. Apayao	24. Cavite
03. Benguet	25. Quezon
04. Ifugao	26. Rizal
05. Kalinga	27. Laguna
06. Mountain Province
	MIMAROPA (Region IV-B)
Ilocos Region (Region I)	28. Marinduque
07. Ilocos Norte	29. Occidental Mindoro
08. Ilocos Sur	30. Oriental Mindoro
09. La Union	31. Palawan
10. Pangasinan	32. Romblon
Cagayan Valley (Region II)	Bicol Region (Region V)
11. Batanes	33. Albay
12. Cagayan	34. Camarines Norte
13. Isabela	35. Camarines Sur
14. Nueva Vizcaya	36. Catanduanes
15. Quirino	37. Masbate
	38. Sorsogon
Central Luzon (Region III)
16. Aurora
17. Bataan
18. Bulacan
19. Nueva Ecija
20. Pampanga
21. Tarlac
22. Zambales

The Viewing Deck Collections; Dan Brown's "Inferno" Tour

sightseeing the intriguing places in Florence, Venice and Istanbul mentioned in the Novel

"The human mind has a primitive ego defense mechanism that negates all realities that produce too much stress for the brain to handle. It’s called Denial." - Chapter 50, pp. 176-177

I made this post due to curiousness and fascination on Dan Brown's famous novels, on how he played my imagination while reading his book and incorporating my backpacking passion to wander them around. The adventure started in Florence, Italy last October 2013 where I headed to Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens first going to the Vasari Corridor, to Palazzo Vecchio where I found the mysterious Dante Alighieri's Death Mask, to St. John's Baptistry and its Gate of Paradise, then to St. Margaret's Church also known as Dante's Chapel. The pursuit continues on the same month in Venice, Italy by visiting the four horses in St. Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace. Finalizing the itinerary to Istanbul, Turkey last July 2014 in Sultanahmet's Hagia Sophia and Basilica Cistern.

Inferno's film adaptation to be released on October 14, 2016 with Ron Howard as director and Tom Hanks reprising his role as Robert Langdon. Filming is due to start in April 2015.

The Viewing Deck Collections; Dan Brown's "Inferno" Tour

The Viewing Deck Collections; Dan Brown's "Angels & Demons" Tour

sightseeing the intriguing places in Rome and Vatican mentioned in the Novel 

“Faith is universal. Our specific methods for understanding it are arbitrary. Some of us pray to Jesus, some of us go to Mecca, some of us study subatomic particles. In the end we are all just searching for truth, that which is greater than ourselves.” - Chapter 31, pp. 86-87

I made this post due to curiousness and fascination on Dan Brown's famous novels, on how he played my imagination while reading his book and incorporating my backpacking passion to wander them around. The adventure started in Rome, Italy last November 2013 where I walked first to The Pantheon, then to Piazza Navona and all the way to Castel Sant' Angelo. Then, continuing in the morning next day to State of Vatican  by visiting the St. Peter's Square and St. Peter's Basilica.

Angels & Demons (also known as The Da Vinci Code 2: Angels & Demons) is a 2009 American mystery thriller film directed by Ron Howard and based on Dan Brown's novel by the same name. It is the sequel to the 2006 film, The Da Vinci Code, also directed by Ron Howard. Filming of Angels & Demons took place in Rome, Italy, and features Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor and Ayelet Zurer.

The Viewing Deck Collections; Dan Brown's "Angels & Demons" Tour

The Viewing Deck Collections; Dan Brown's "Davinci Code" Tour

sightseeing the intriguing places in Paris, London and Edinburgh mentioned in the Novel

"Every faith in the world is based on fabrication. That is the definition of faith — acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove. Every religion describes God through metaphor, allegory, and exaggeration… Those who truly understand their faiths understand the stories are metaphorical” - Chapter 82, pp. 369-370

I made this post due to curiousness and fascination on Dan Brown's famous novels, on how he played my imagination while reading his book and incorporating my backpacking passion to wander them around. The adventure started in Paris, France last October 2013 where I headed to Louvre Museum first going to the Gallery, the mysterious portrait of Monalisa, exiting through the Inverted Pyramid area, then to Saint Sulpice Church. On July 2014 continued to pursuit the places in Longdon, England  by visiting Sir Isaac Newton's Sarcophagus in Westminster Abbey. Finalizing the itinerary by going to Edinburgh, Scotland last December 2014 in Rosslyn Chapel where I visited the intriguing carvings, the Apprentice Pillar and the Crypt downstairs.

The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 American mystery-thriller film directed by Ron Howard and adapted from Dan Brown's 2003 best-selling novel of the same name that stars Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou. The film, like the book, was considered controversial. It was met with especially harsh criticism by the Roman Catholic Church for the accusation that it is behind a two-thousand-year-old coverup concerning what the Holy Grail really is and the concept that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene were married and that the union produced a daughter. Many members urged the laity to boycott the film. Two organizations, the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei figure prominently in the story. In the book, Dan Brown insists that the Priory of Sion and "...all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals in this novel are accurate".

The Viewing Deck Collections; Dan Brown's "Davinci Code" Tour

The Viewing Deck Collections; Grand Europe Churches

A church is a building used for religious activities, particularly worship services. The term in its architectural sense is most often used by Christians to refer to their religious buildings but can be used by other religions. In traditional Christian architecture, the church is often arranged in the shape of a Christian cross. When viewed from plan view the longest part of a cross is represented by the aisle and the junction of the cross is located at the altar area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_%28building%29#Medieval_times

The Viewing Deck Collections; Grand Europe Christian Churches

The Viewing Deck Collections; Medieval Europe Castles

A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe during the Middle Ages by nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble. This is distinct from a palace, which is not fortified; from a fortress, which was not always a residence for nobility; and from a fortified settlement, which was a public defense – though there are many similarities among these types of construction. Over the approximately 900 years that castles were built, they took on a great many forms with many different features, although some, such as curtain walls and arrowslits, were commonplace.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle

The Viewing Deck Collections; Medieval Europe Castles

The Viewing Deck Collections; Imperial Japanese Castles

Japanese castles (Shiro) were fortresses constructed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century. Castles in Japan were built to guard important or strategic sites, such as ports, river crossings, or crossroads, and almost always incorporated the landscape into their defense.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_castle

The Viewing Deck Collections; Imperial Japanese Castles

The Viewing Deck Collections; Work / Tourist / Visitor Visa Stickers

A visa generally gives non-citizens clearance to enter a country and to remain there within specified constraints, such as a time frame for entry, a limit on the time spent in the country, and a prohibition against employment. The possession of a visa is not in itself a guarantee of entry into the country that issued it, and a visa can be revoked at any time. A visa application in advance of arrival gives the country a chance to consider the applicant's circumstance, such as financial security, reason for applying, and details of previous visits to the country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_%28document%29

the new Philippine e-passport (2010)

Korea C32 tourist visa (2011)

The Viewing Deck Collections; Cheap Souvenirs (for Handcarry Backpack)

A souvenir (remembrance or memento, keepsake, or token) is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. The term souvenir brings to mind the mass-produced kitsch that is the main commodity of souvenir and gift shops in many tourist attractions around the world. But a souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and transported home by the traveler. The object itself is a symbol of past experience.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Souvenir

3-days in Batanes (2011)

2-days in Albay (2011)

The Viewing Deck Collections; trekking the mountains

A mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. The study of mountains is called Orography. Exogeology deals with planetary mountains, which in that branch of science are usually called montes (singular—mons). The highest mountain on Earth based from sea level is Mount Everest (8,848 m (29,029 ft)) in the Himalayas of Asia. The highest known mountain in the Solar System is Olympus Mons on the planet Mars at 21,171 m (69,459 ft).
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain

sightseeing the summit above

Mt. Taal, Batangas (311masl)

The Viewing Deck Collections; Cable Cars/Gondola Lifts/Ropeways

Gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, often called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal, which is connected to an engine or electric motor. They are often considered continuous systems since they feature a haul rope which continuously moves and circulates around two terminal stations. In Japan, all the systems above are regarded as a same kind of rail transport and called ropeway while telpher in China.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_lif
 

Gudauri Ice Skiing Cable Car (Republic of Georgia 2014)

Masada Palace (Israel 2014)

The Viewing Deck Collections; Scary Rollercoaster Rides

roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885. In essence a specialized railroad system, a roller coaster consists of a track that rises in designed patterns, sometimes with one or more inversions (such as vertical loops) that turn the rider briefly upside down. The track does not necessarily have to be a complete circuit, as shuttle roller coasters exhibit.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_coaster

wild wind of circle of fun, no loop (quezon city, philippines)

cyclone loop of star city, single loop (philippines)

The Viewing Deck Collections; Amusement and Theme Parks

Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people. Most amusement parks have a fixed location, as compared to traveling funfairs and carnivals. These temporary types of amusement parks are usually present for a few days or weeks per year, such as funfairs, and carnivals (temporarily set up in a vacant lot or parking lots) and fairs (temporarily operated in a fair ground). The temporary nature of these fairs helps to convey the feeling that people are in a different place or time.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amusement_park

everland themepark, south korea (2011)

universal studios, singapore (jan. 2011)

The Viewing Deck Collections; Philippine Catholic Churches

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, reporting more than a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity. The Catholic Church is among the oldest institutions in the world and has played a prominent role in the history of Western civilization.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church

iguig, cagayan

tuguegarao, cagayan

The Viewing Deck Collections; Spartan / Dormitory Rooms

spartan room is a very budgeted room with minimal or none-at-all decoration, or with less furnishings of any kind, such as a bedroom with only a bed and bare shelves. No drawers, no table, no chair, no rug, etc. In addition, I have some detailed review regarding the dormitories I checked-in during my Indochina 2011 get-away.

bangkok city, thailand (2010) @ 200thb(php260)

don det, 4,000 islands, laos (2011) @ 3usd(php132)

The Viewing Deck Collections; Fine-sand Beaches

A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones. Wild beaches are beaches which do not have lifeguards or trappings of modernity nearby, such as resorts and hotels. Wild beaches can be valued for their untouched beauty and preserved nature. Beaches often occur along coastal areas where wave or current action deposits and reworks sediments.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach

sightseeing the fine white sands

boracay island, aklan

The Viewing Deck Collections; Cave Spelunking

Caving — also occasionally known as spelunking in the United States and potholing in the United Kingdom—is the recreational pastime of exploring wild (generally non-commercial) cave systems. In contrast, speleology is the scientific study of caves and the cave environment. Climbing or crawling is often necessary, and ropes are used extensively for safe negotiation of particularly steep or slippery passages.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caving

sightseeing the stalagmites and stalactites

black island cave, palawan