Boarding Gate 101

The skull, complete with the menacingly sharp teeth, of the Tyrannosaurus Rex up close,  at the Mind Museum in Manila. by Kin Enriquez

The 8-story tall pagoda along the bank of Chao Phraya river in Bangkok, Thailand.  Pagodas originated in Nepal, and its forerunners were called a stupa , a place where sacred relics were kept. Today pagodas refer to a tiered tower with multiple eaves, common in mainland Asia [ 1 ]. by Kin Enriquez

This unusual limestone formation inside the Meramec Caverns in Stanton, Missouri is called the Wine Table. The 2 story-high formation - shaped like clusters of grapes - are said to have formed only when the cave system was underwater.  by Kin Enriquez

The Gothic-style Immanuel Lutheran Church at East 88th Street and Lexington Avenue in New York. The church was erected by German immigrants in 1886 [ 1 ] by Kin Enriquez

This view right before you land in Zamboanga International Airport in Zamboanga City will surely remind you of your mortality and spook you more if you have a fear of flying: a cemetery right next to the runway. 

Our hotel in Langkawi - FourPoints by Sheraton - has an infinity pool just a few meters from the beachfront that makes a cool place to enjoy the sunset.  by Kin Enriquez

A South Asian woman nurses her baby in a quiet corner in one of the temples in Grand Palace, Bangkok

This is for the hungry travelers who crave for authentic Thai food while in Manila. There's actually a place where you can get some: Thai Dara Bangkok Streetfood restaurant, operated by a Thai expat/chef.  Lots of choices to have, from the traditional tom yum soup, to (my favorite so far) pomelo salad with shrimps and squid, pad thai noodles (one of the best pad thai in Manila), spring rolls, and sassy fish (fried dory topped with spicy green mango salad). They have two branches, one in Granada Street in Quezon City (just a few minutes from Greenhills; check Foursquare for map), and another one in Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig. The restaurant (I've visited the one in Granada Street) have a homey, cozy feel to it, and the prices are reasonable.   by Kin Enriquez

This ceramic figurine from the Remojadas region of Veracruz, Mexico was dated to 7th-8th century A.D. The cutesy smilign figure was thought to be associated with a god of dance, music and joy.  Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gallery 358 .  by Kin Enriquez

The longest arch bridge in the world when it was completed in 1874, the Eads Bridge in St. Louis spans the Mississippi River to connect the city to East St. Louis, Illinois.  The 1,964-meter ribbed steel arch bridge was also the first to use steel as the primary structural material in a bridge project, and the first to use pneumatic caissons - which resulted to decompression sickness to workers - and cantilever support during construction [ 1 ].  The bridge has two levels, an upper road deck for cars and trucks, and a lower rail deck where a light rail line passes.   by Kin Enriquez

The Great Hall of the immigration station in Ellis Island, in New York. Immigrants entering the United States through New York from 1892 to 1954 were processed in the Great Hall. There was a scene in The Godfather II where the main protagonist, Don Vito Corleone, was held as an immigrant  boy in this hall.  by Kin Enriquez

The marble statue of Joan of Arc inside the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France , in St. Louis, Missouri.  Joan of Arc led the French army to several battles during the Hundred Years' War, and was burned by the English at the stake for heresy in 1431. She was later canonized as a saint, in 1909. by Kin Enriquez

The famed Manila Bay sunset 

Bronze, by Émile-Antoine Bourdelle, 1909   Metropolitan Museum of Art.  by Kin Enriquez

The beach of Matukad Island in Caramoan, seen from the limestone cliffs rising over the island. by Kin Enriquez

A fountain, shaped like a fish being ridden by a man, amid the bustle of Rockefeller Center. 

The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and St. Eulalia is one of the few churches in Barcelona that were not damaged by civil wars.

With concrete as his canvass, this artist paints a picture of the crucifixion on the road leading to the House of Loreto.

The 108 bronze bowls inside the Temple of Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho), representing the 108 auspicious traits of Buddha. People drop coins into the bowls for good luck . 

British band Tears for Fears performing live in Araneta Coliseum in Manila last Saturday, opening with Everybody Wants to Rule the World .

Eirene was the daughter of Zeus and Themis, and is associated with fertility and the nurturing of children. This statue was a copy of a Greek bronze statue put in an agora (or marketplace) in Athens between 375-360 B.C. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The 55-meter high MOA Eye (unimaginatively named, in my opinion) in the Mall of Asia, in Metro Manila.  Mall of Asia is the Philipines's second largest mall, 9th in Asia, and 10th largest in the world [ 1 ].  by Kin Enriquez

The jeepney - considered the King of the Road in the Philippines - is the main mode of transportation in the country. The ubiquitous vehicles were once based on the military jeeps left behind during the Second World War, but are now mostly made locally and fitted with Japanese engines.  Passengers are seated in bench-type seats facing each other, and fares are handed to the driver by one passenger to another. You signal your intention to alight by shouting "para!" to the driver. 

Located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza , the NBC Studios in New York is where many shows of the television network are recorded, including the Today show, which is broadcasted from a street-side studio.

The Apple flagship store in Shanghai, China. The 40-foot glass cylinder, which houses the stairs going down to the below-ground store, uses the largest curve-glass panels in the world. The store is located in Pudong district, in a mall just opposite the Oriental Pearl Tower .

The belfry of the 18th-century Franciscan church in Daraga, Albay, which was buried by the eruption of Mayon volcano in 1814. The Baroque church was built in 1724.

Taking a boat ride around the islands of Langkawi

The Vincent-HRD Series C Black Shadow is a hand-built motorcycle built in 1948 by British manufacturer Vincent-HRD. It was the fastest production motorcycle at that time, capable of reaching 201kph. Museum of Modern Art, NY. photo  by Kin Enriquez

It was rainy (and a tornado struck the city just hours before) when I landed here from Detroit. The airport, named after the guy who made Listerine,  serves about 13 million passengers a year. It was the first airport (in 1925) to have an air-traffic control system (they communicated with the pilots using a system of flags). 

One of my favorite places to eat in Manhattan is Empanada Mama in Hell's Kitchen, and one of the dishes that I kept ordering, aside from the empanadas, is the Colombian style tamales, wrapped in banana leaf and served with green and red salsa ($8.50). A tamale is a dish made from steamed or boiled corn dough, filled with pork or chicken. This dish dates back to the as early as 8,000 to 5,000 B.C., in Mesoamerican civilizations of Aztecs and Mayas.  Empanada Mama is in the 9th Avenue, between 51st and 52nd Streets. 

A Late Minoan terracotta larnax (chest-shaped coffin). ca. 13th century B.C., from Crete. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

As a catharsis to the horrible weather that we in Metro Manila have experienced in the past few days, here's a picture of an island in Caramoan - with its white beach and coconut trees set in a calm blue sea.

Metro Manila is experiencing unusually heavy rains this week. Red Warning Signal was declared 1:25 PM August 7, 2012 over the metropolis. Update: As of August 8, 8:50PM, PAGASA retains Yellow Warning over MM. Expect moderate to heavy rainfall w/occasional intense rain in the next 2 hours. Second Update: Alert warning terminated at 12:20 noon, Aug 9, 2012.   Google People Finder Here are some important info to remember and take note in case of emergencies: National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council: Website:   ndrrmc.gov.ph Twitter:  @NDRRMC_Open Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ndrrmc-Opcen/103742183037609 NDRRMC hotlines:   (02) 911-1406, (02) 912-2665, (02) 912-5668; +63917-8916322 Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Twitter:   @MMDA Website:  mmda.gov.ph MMDA metrobase hotline: 136 Flooding control: 882-4177, 882-0925 PAGASA (Weather bureau) Website:  pagasa.dost...

A surfer rides the wave, in San Juan, La Union

Carabaos, which are a subspecie of the water buffalo, are mostly associated with rural life in the Philippines - as farm animals to plow the fields and for transportation. The beasts of burden are usually brought to rivers or water holes after doing duties at the farm to cool down, since they do not have sweat glands. Carabaos also provide milk and occasionally, as source of meat. 

People jockey with each other to be able to get the best shot of the New York skyline at the viewing deck of the Empire State Building .

If you're in Manila and have a hankering for strings of iridescent calcium carbonate spheres  to adorn your body then you should drop by the Greenhills shopping district, which have scores of shops like this one selling pearls. Pearls are produced by mollusks such as oysters. The largest in the world was found in the Philippines decades ago, inside a giant clam much like this one in Anilao .  

A relief of Egyptian deities are carved along the walls of the Temple of Dendur .  The pharaohs are identified by the cartouches above their figures. A cartouche is an oval inscription with a horizontal line at the end, which indicates that the name enclosed is that of a royalty.

This is the ferry that takes visitors to Corregidor Island from the jetty in Cultural Center of Philippines in Manila. The journey to the fortress island across Manila Bay is about a leisurely one hour.

The public park located at the Battery, in the southern tip of Manhattan. The waterfront in front of the park is where you take the ferry to Liberty and Ellis Island .

The Aeta kids that we passed by on our way to Mt. Pinatubo seemed to be in cloud nine as they enjoyed the Cloud 9 candies that we gave to them. The Aetas are one of the indigenous peoples that live in the mountains of the central Luzon, Philippines. They were severely affected by the eruption of the volcano in 1991.

The neo-Gothic St. Patrick's Cathedral in Fifth Avenue. It was made into an archdiocese by Pope Pius IX in 1850. by Kin Enriquez