Month: February 2016

Tokyo and Kyoto

Published by Rio

Japan has always been one of the first countries I’ve always dreamed about visiting. As a kid, I remember watching all these short documentaries about Japan on TV that were frequently shown on this local channel in the Philippines. It would talk about the cherry blossoms, the festivals, their special cuisine and the beautiful places of interest. I was a big fan of these documentaries that greatly influenced my interest in this country.

I finally got to visit it in October 2009 to see my Japanese friend, Yoshie. I met her back in my voluteering days in the Philippines. She was working in Tokyo then for The Red Cross and was living in Shinjuku. She was kind enough to let me stay at her place and to serve as my guide.

New York, New York

Published by Rio

When I hear the words New York, my thoughts always gravitate towards the famous Liza Minelli song. Maybe it’s because I was born at a certain period in time when the song’s lyrics were the perfect embodiment of the place and the culture.

Sight-seeing Sydney

Published by Rio

There is so much to see in Sydney. I was surprised to find this lovely city filled with buzzling activity of a typical urban setting, but also, providing easy escapes for a quick nature fix. The long stretch of coastal walks from Bondi Beach to Coogee beach was just the perfect relaxing break from the city life for me.

Kathmandu and Pokhara, Nepal

Published by Rio

Nepal will always be a special place for me because this was the last place I visited before getting married. It was a last-minute decision to fly to Nepal as a consequence of my trip to Japan being cancelled because of the tsunami in 2011.

Saint Emilion, France

Published by Rio

A trip to the one of the fabulous vineyard villages in France

The Maldives

Published by Rio

From high above, these lovely dots of islands on the Indian Ocean looked like an abstract painting. I couldn’t wait to get down on one of those lovely blue dots and surround myself in its countless shades of blue that I had never known existed.

Welcome to Escapecapades

Published by Rio

Hello and welcome to Escapecapades! This is my online travel journal. In this little corner on the world wide web, I will talk about all my travels, and experiences during my travels — all the wonders, the pleasures and maybe even the pains of travel. For now, I will be sharing my past travels — all from the more recent to the ones from over ten years ago. I shall be posting once a week for the time being. In the future, I will also include ideas, tips and other treats that fellow travel enthusiasts will find helpful and useful… and hopefully, enjoyable to read too. Thanks for dropping by! – Rio