Snapshot on the road: Chefchaouen, Morocco's blue city

A Taste of Morocco

It has been quite a while since my last blog post. Some of my readers may have thought that I abandoned my blog altogether. There have been a lot of special things that happened to me during the past months and that has kept me busy.

One of the best things that happened was moving in with my husband here in Morocco. Morocco has always been on my bucket list of places to go to and I must say seeing it and actually living here is both exciting and overwhelming. I have traveled to different countries before but the culture here is different from what I have seen before. 

It is siesta time here as I write this post and I can only see one kid on the street. I hear a few cars passing by and there were birds flying all around. Life here is calm, or at least during siesta. :-)

I hope to be able to update this blog soon with more of my life here in Morocco. Let's start with some pictures below:

view from our train ride

Bab Boujloud - one of the entrances to the medina

Moroccan mint tea

Yes, smile

Dublin in Black & White

Taking a time out to pursue my other love (photography) has been a breath of fresh air when I was in Dublin. I got the inspiration to take black and white shots from the charcoal paintings that I saw along Grafton Street. Here are the fruits of my labor:

Ha'penny Bridge - this bridge is called as such because before, people need to pay a half penny in order to cross it. The Ha'penny Bridge divides Dublin to the north and the south.

A small alley leading to Temple Bar

I waited for a few minutes here until all three are reading at the same time

Arnaldo Pomodoro's "Sphere Within Sphere" sculpture in Trinity College. Versions of this sculpture can also be seen in different parts of the world.

Old books in the Long Room Library

Staircase in the Long Room Library

The Campanile, Trinity College

The Parliament Building - this building was built without windows to save on taxes. In old times, in Ireland, the more windows a building have, the more taxes they pay. This building now serves as an office of the Bank of Ireland.

Ducks at St. Stephen's Green

Cute little boy at St. Stephen's Green

Creative juices flow on Grafton Street

When I arrived in Dublin a few weeks ago, I was greeted with sunshine. It was quite unusual, I think, because from what I've read, they say it always rain in Ireland. So I was expecting that the Irish rain will be welcoming  me when I arrived. But the sunshine continued for 2 weeks and it has been a great time for me to pretty much explore the area. The one thing that I have grown to love in Ireland is the Irish's passion for art - you see musicians, painters, singers, photographers on the street. A very good place to nourish those creative juices.

busy Grafton Street - where shopping and passion for the art collide

One place to see that art is in Grafton Street. Aside from being Dublin's shopping district, Grafton Street is also where you will see a lot of performers. And the good news is you will see different sets of performers everyday!  Here are some of the creative and talented people that I have seen so far:

Men (and dog) in black

Dancers

orchestra on the street

Strip Cheese - the best I've seen so far

So when you're in Dublin, don't forget to drop by at Grafton Street and also give a few euros if you enjoyed the show. Some of these street performers rely on a few donations to get by. Walk through the entire street and who knows you might even see the flamenco dancers or the guy who eats fire!

Inspirations: Getting back on track

For the last 6 months, I have been in a transition. There have been very few posts on my blog because there were a lot of things happening in terms of my career and family. I have resigned from my previous work with all hopes that I will be pursuing the things that I loved the most - that is to travel and to write about travel. I have been in contact with a travel magazine editor and applied as a freelance writer, exchanged a few emails with them until I did not hear from them again. I was disappointed that it didn't go well but it never stopped me from dreaming. Until most recently, two of my loved ones got sick and I had to take many trips - not to exotic destinations or far flung places, but trips to the hospital. It was a sad moment and my initial thought was I had to take a job immediately (something that is related to my work experience) to pay for bills. I have to adjust to a lot of things including me working on the night shift.  My dreams would have to wait...

Putting things off because there were some things that I needed to attend to made my spirit lost that certain high. When 2013 arrived, for the first time in many years I do not have any travel plans. It was unusual of me because usually my trips were booked 6 months in advance or even more. 

Then, I saw the blog of one of my favorite authors - Paulo Coelho. He has these e-cards showing quotations from the books he has written (most of which I am familiar with because I read almost all of his books). Those e-cards were simple reminders of having a dream, pursuing a dream, of love and of triumph. Reading them made me realize that a dream should not stop when something doesn't go as we have planned. Dreams are for those who go on even if something fails. It is a power we have in ourselves to see beyond where we are now and aspire for something or somewhere that we want to be in the future.

Today, I share with you my readers one of the ecards from Paulo Coelho's blog. Be inspired, believe in your dreams and something which I have learned to embrace right now, is to never give up.

Travel round-up for 2012

I started out this blog a year ago not knowing if people would actually spend their precious time reading what I write in it. And as the year ends, I want to thank all of you who have read, commented and joined me in my trips. This blog has opened my eyes to new horizons and have been an avenue for me to bond with friends and meet (even just online) some of the most friendly and down to earth travelers/backpackers/ nomads out there.

So as we say goodbye to 2012, let me take you to the trips that made me smile and realize that though we may have been to a lot of places, there are still a lot more waiting to be discovered and explored. Happy new year everyone! :-)

                                                        Southeast Asia

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Putrajaya, Malaysia

Putrajaya, Malaysia

Singapore

Singapore

Singapore

Philippines

Biri, Northern Samar

Biri, Northern Samar

Biri, Northern Samar

Vigan, Ilocos Sur

Mt. Pinatubo, Zambales

Angono, Rizal

Paoay, Ilocos

Kapurpurawan Rock, Ilocos

Vigan, Ilocos Sur

Mt. Pinatubo, Zambales

      

Bangui Windmills, Ilocos

                                                                                                         

Date A Girl Who Travels

Date a girl who travels. Make her feel safe, warm, and secure.  Make her believe that no matter where she goes, and however long she's gone, you'll always be there for her, the one that she can call home.

That's an excerpt from "Date A Girl Who Travels" post by Aleah Taboclaon of SolitaryWanderer.com, one of the blogs that I have been following lately. I think it was beautifully written that's why I asked Aleah's permission to share with you my readers a little portion of the post. It celebrates the unique qualities of a girl traveler and how she's different from all the rest. Read on and be proud, my sistahs!  

You can read the entire post here. 

It all started here...

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover."  - Mark Twain

These words have resonated in my soul and inspired me to dream, and know that I have the capacity to make those dreams come true.

I'm counting the days, months and years until I make my ultimate dream come true. For I will not be dictated by a society that tells me how I should live my life. One day we will all be food for worms. But when my time comes, I want to able to say to myself that I have LIVED my life and not just waited for things to happen. I may encounter failures along the way but my biggest achievement will be the thought that I fought for my dream.

Image from life123.com

Inspirations: Quote from Aleph

"Only mediocrity is sure of itself, so take risks and do what you really want to do.  Seek out people who aren't afraid of making mistakes and who, therefore, do make mistakes.  Because of that, their work often isn't recognized, but they are precisely the kind of people who change the world and, after many mistakes, do something that will transform their community completely."   - From the book, Aleph by Paulo Coelho

Inspirations: The Practical Nomad - How to Travel Around the World

Today, I introduce you to a new section on my blog.  I thought of posting some of my travel inspirations.  It could be a book, a picture, an event or anything that somehow fuels my wanderlust. My first inspiration is the book, The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World (5th edition) by Edward Hasbrouck. I have browsed through this book in a local bookstore still undecided if I would buy it or not because of its price.  I was thinking that I could use the money instead for accommodation in one of our destinations for our upcoming trip.  After reading a lot of good reviews about this book, I finally decided to buy it.  I have read a few chapters and I can say that this book really does make you wanna go out there and pursue your dream trip.

Well, I hope this book inspires you as much as I have been inspired by it.  Happy reading! :-)