Having been to a number of ancient sites now (from Angkor Wat, to Giza, to Machu Picchu), it’s become a fascinating pattern to me to see how commercial these supposed “spiritual” sites have become (if you’ve ever been to Angkor Wat, the vendors at Chichén Itzá are like that on steroids when it comes to getting you to buy souvenirs or grift you into spending more money than you initially intended).
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Truth be told, Tara and I were a little incredulous about going to an all-inclusive before embarking on this trip. Spending most of our travel adventures in hostels, hotels, and Airbnbs, while mainly taking the time to explore outside meant we paid very little attention to “relaxing” when travelling. Not to mention, most of the people we knew who went to an all-inclusive didn’t speak very highly of their experiences…
But boy were we wrong on this one.
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From the shows, to the venues, to the food, to the architecture, Las Vegas really shines in its ability to create cool stuff. Granted, I’m still a huge proponent of Asia when it comes to technological advancement, but what really sets Las Vegas apart from other Eastern technology-driven locations (like Hong Kong, Singapore, Macao, and Japan) is its central focus on entertainment consumption.
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For all you gamers out there, Halifax’s boardwalk kind of reminds me of Final Fantasy 8’s Balamb Town, and is loaded with many great spots to eat, with some of my top recommendations being: The Bicycle Thief and Dave’s Lobsters (home to easily the best Lobster Roll in Halifax—trust me, I tried a bunch!). Though, if you’re in for a bit of a drive, my other top two recommendations in Halifax would be The Canteen and The Knot Pub.
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Located roughly two-hours away from Toronto next to Peterborough in Woodview, Ontario, contains the largest collection of Petroglyphs in North America with carvings dating as far back as 6,000 years ago with newer carvings etched in as early as 600 years ago.
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A project I’m pretty proud to have been a part of; in an industry traditionally divided, we were able to bring together over 60 outdoor organizations nationally across Vancouver, Halifax and Toronto to discuss building program resiliency as it relates to climate change.
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The world is lucky to have you, Dr. Tara, and you’re just getting started! Can’t wait to witness the difference you will be making in the future (and I secretly can’t wait to have one of my photographs be used in a future magazine article about you)!
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To think that those little made-up adventures were just over 10 years ago (that’s when I picked up my first camera, though Brentley has been shooting ever since early high school and has already been on international shoots without me—that’s why he’ll always be my senpai; aka “upperclassman”), it’s wild to imagine that what was once fantasy has now become reality.
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If you’re even a casual listener of the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast, you’ll know that Joe’s been promoting Austin, Texas, pretty hard; with many guests also talking about how amazing the city is, even going so far as to move there themselves (most notably, Elon Musk with his new Tesla Gigafactory).
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Though it’s still a work in progress, the vision is clearly there and the bottom-floor rooms are now built up enough to be used, along with the fourth floor rooftop balcony/event space. I’m now pretty stoked to help my dad further it along, even coming up with the name ‘Hilltop Lodge’!
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Interestingly enough, it turns out that pearls actually hold a strong cultural significance in the Philippines (the South Sea pearl even adorning the Philippines’ 1000-peso bill), with many women (and, more recently, men) sporting them as luxury items in place of other materials like gold and silver.
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Voted as one of the top islands to visit in the world by Condé Nast Traveler magazine and the Best Island in the World by Travel + Leisure magazine, Boracay has come a long way since I first visited in 2008.
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Though my work relies heavily on the digital world (I pretty much work remote and do a myriad of things online), and I’m deeply fascinated by technology, spending time in a place where things move at a much slower pace and people are more focused on what’s right in front of them versus what’s online is quite comforting.
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I know I’ve written about fishermen and fishponds already, but the highlight I want to showcase here isn’t actually the the pond or fishermen, but the ingenuity of the Filipino people.
Two highly creative endeavours seen here are the three-story treehouse currently being built and designed by my Uncle Denis, along with the improvised rifle held by my uncle’s friend Michael.
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A common trait that most immigrants possess when they first come to Canada is an aversion to treating animals like their kin; whereas, here, it’s become an increasingly common place practice to treat your “pet” like your “child”.
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A recent craze in the West has become the notion of ‘Farm-to-Table’, but what about ‘Pond-to-Table’?
I know I said it in my last Story/Photo Series, but you honestly cannot get any fresher than harvesting fish that same day to be cooked later and put right on to your plate.
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Easily one of the coolest parts about spending time in a fishing village is waking up early as the catch comes in to not only witness the day’s harvest, but also pick up some fresh fish. When we talk about food being fresh and organic here in the West, nothing truly compares to meat, fish and produce being collected and prepared right in your own backyard!
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Every Filipino and Filipina knows that a core foundational component to the culture of the Philippines is family. Despite distance, time, circumstance or previous history, family will always be family. The best part is when friends become family and family become friends. ♡
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