Elle Marie Oplas

Continuation of "travels in life, tourism in fatherhood."  Photos below taken in 2008, various occasions and places, but mostly in our house. 

This 3rd group of photos were taken mostly from her previous school, Toddlers Unltd. also in Makati. My daughter is really pretty.

Photos below were taken this year, various occasions. Her bikini shots taken at the swimming pool of The Orchards Country Club in Dasmarinas, Cavite.

Elle likes to draw a lot. Her writing is not good yet, she cannot read many words yet, but her drawings are good.

Elle in a park. Riding her small skate, climbing a bar.

I will post more photos of Elle Marie and Bien Mary in the coming days. I don't like to keep them in my laptop as this computer is already old, 4+ years old and it might commit suicide someday :-)

Bien Mary Oplas

Travels in life, tourism in fatherhood. More realization as my two girls grow up.

Today, I will post photos of my second or younger daughter, Bien Mary Oplas. She will turn two years old this coming October. I will post photos of my elder daughter, Elle Marie Oplas, in the next posting. Elle wlll turn six years old also this coming October.

Pan de Pidro

There are many bread shops now in Metro Manila and other parts of the country. The bigger, more established ones are Break Talk, Pan de Manila, Le Coeur (?), etc. But I like this new bread shop chain, Pan de Pidro. Pinoy de bisaya ang dating, Pidro ba naman instead of Pedro :-)

The owner of this franchise is a good friend actually, Peter, but he prefers to call himself as Pidro. We were friends and dormmates in Narra Residence Hall in UP Diliman way back in the mid-80s.

Yummy yummy food, at affordable prices.

Congrats Pidro, Gille.

Detroit Airport, Michigan, Part 2

My original posting about the Detroit International Airport, McNamara Terminal is here, Detroit Airport (McNamara Terminal), Michigan last April 30, 2011.

Below, I expanded the photos, but collapsed them into a few frames. My first time to see this airport was in April 2004, then visited this place several more times as I flew Northwest/Delta Airlines in most of my trips to the US. The last time I stepped there was around May 2010.

I like the elongated structure of the airport. I think it should be at least 600 meters long, so there are many walkalators, and a train for quicker transfer from one end to the other.

Nice fountain at the middle of the terminal. Moving to another wing or terminal, go down and see the multi-color lighted tunnel with nice music.

Filipino shop signs, Part 3

More funny Pinoy signs :-)

* See also Filipino Shop Signs, Part 2, May 19, 2012

Around Makati City Hall

These are the views at the 22nd floor of the Makati City Hall. Photos taken last June 09, 2012.
Below, facing Makati CBD.

Views at the back, facing Pasig River.

Divisoria, Manila

I took these photos only last Sunday, June 10, 2012. Divisoria is always full of people, seven days a week, whole year round, with thousands of sellers, buyers and plain curious visitors These are still "lean" crowd as (a) it was a Sunday afternoon and (b) there was a Pacquiao-Bradley fight.

Below, upper photos, taken from the 6th floor parking of the newest (and only high-end) mall in Divisoria, the China Luckytown Mall. Upper right photo I think, is the extended 168 Mall.

Lower photos, well not in Divisoria, but in neighboring Quiapo, a faith healer. I asked her what kind of diseases she can cure, she replied "All -- diabetis, cancer, tumor, headache,..."

Below, the creek winding around Divisoria. It's very dirty, coming from various solid waste that, although generally collected, there are still many left over wastes that are simply thrown or draining into this creek.

Below, no longer the creek of Divisoria. This is part of Pasig River draining into Manila Bay, not far from Divisoria. 

Kitzsteinhorn Ski Resort, Austria

In early November 2008, my German friend Christian Beil and his family, hosted me for the second time in his house in Miesbach, Bavaria, Germany. The first time was in October 2003, when I came from Sweden, then Netherlands, to Germany.

In my second visit, Christian brought me to a glacier in Austria. I have never been to a glacier before, so I was super-super excited for that trip. Here, the base of the ski resort, just outside the parking area. We were going to a place that is more than 3 kilometers above sea level in elevation. Mt. Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines, is about 2.9 kilometers high above sea level.

To reach our destination, we have to ride 3 different lines of cable cars. Below, views on the first of 3 cable car rides to the top.

I can't remember now if this is the 1st or 2nd of those 3 cable car rides. Austrian technology in cable cars I heard, is among the best around the world.

A ski shop after the 2nd cable car ride, going to the 3rd and final ride.

And we were climbing higher and higher...

Photos before reaching the summit -- via cable car, not by foot :-)

More photos while inside those cable cars, going up.

Finally, the main structure of the ski resort, I was super-super happy to reach that place then. At. 3,029 meters above sea level. I told Christian that I felt like hungry or tired or dizzy or what, at the top. So I ate and rested for a while. I only realized later that it was sort of an "altitude sickness". At more than 3 kilometers above sea level, oxygen level is low, the heart has to palpitate more, that's why.

It took me about 20 minutes of rest at the top, before I got used to the new environment. Ahh, the chance to walk outside, step on those ice in a glacier -- priceless for someone coming from the tropics.

Stepping on a glacier, one of my most memorable trips last decade.

* See also, Kitzsteinhorn ski resort, Austria, February 16, 2009