The Nomadic Pranksters Goes to Bagan

July 25, 2013

A few more hours under the guidance of Moe Hitler, the irrepressible tour proprietor we hired in Yangon, and he would have succeeded in mind controlling us to join a cult. Ron - in particular bore the brunt of the emotional torture under the, well - in fairness to Moe, was an unintentional attempt at a dictatorship ruling of our group. When Moe orders you to "Take a picture of that temple" you ask him "how many shots?" "panorama or portrait?". During our whole day of going around Yangon, cute baby Luna wasn't Gaye Emami's daughter. She was, during that day the own flesh and blood of Moe Hitler. But hey, you take the crazy with the good and we cannot deny Moe was such a character himself, an Asian version of the late Dennis Farina. We were all dog-tired upon arriving at Yangon from the long travel and lack of sleep, somehow he made our Yangon trip a more memorable one than expected. 
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The Simple Life at Alibijaban Island

July 15, 2013

(updated June 2020 with travel guide)

It didn't take much effort getting there. Us having to endure a six-hour bus ride is nothing compared to the bare living conditions on the island. As seen from my outsider's point of view, the scarcity of everything I couldn't live without, flashes right in front of my eyes. It was an initial impression that proved to be inaccurate  a mere hour into our stay there. We were greeted by a middle-aged woman whom everyone simply calls as "Kapitana", while to some, who have strict odes about current politics prefer to call her "Ex-kapitana". It doesn't matter whether she won or lost in the last barangay elections, what stuck out to us then was her hospitality and eagerness to cut the rope of unfamiliarity between her and the two visitors who came to Alibijaban island. 

the white sand beach of Alibijaban Island

A Gastronomical Roundabout at La Union Without Dr. Hannibal

July 11, 2013

During our recent weekend stay at the Circle Hostel in La Union, we were not only duped into getting ourselves drunk by agreeing to play a seemingly harmless, but super fun drinking game called "random games, random games" (you don't say it aloud with a poker face, you chant it out like the other half of the Bushwackers). We were also hogtied, dragged into a van and was forcibly fed with weight-watching battering and diet killing, sumptuous and delicious meals. Its safe to say that it was a case of kidnapping nobody wants to file any charges.

Urbiztondo Grill - Photo by: Kaiye Pallarco of the Two Broke Girls