Wander Woman

                      "We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment."
                                                                                     -Hillaire Belloc                                          

i started travelling when i was in medical school. i was given a 1 month travel grant in Japan in 1987 under the JICA program  (japan international cooperation agency)  .

it was a fascinating experience to ride the plane d  first time. i was so amazed on how beautiful Japan is!

 truly there is a different world out there and a lot different from where i grew up.

wearing their traditional kimono with my foster family

first time living in a foster family for a week...

first time to ride on a bullet train (shinkansen)

first time in disney....tokyo disneyland!

a lot of firsts on my first trip outside the philippines.

and i promised  myself i study and work hard so i can travel in the future.

then after i finished medicine i travelled more...and more.
i went to hong kong with my siblings and some friends in the early 90's.

i enjoyed the freedom and adventure that travel brings.

i couldnt forget the first time i went to usa. my mayor kuya arnel  and sister mates were residing there in the 90's.

 they brought me  to places which i only read before.

crookedest street in the world

grand canyon

since i was in my 20's i went to all the theme parks in california. i was so daring that i tried all the rollercoaster rides with lots of loops. oh... how one can be so young and so carefree!!!

magic mountain

universal studios

for sightseeing i wander on the beauty of grand canyon, reno, lake tahoe, las vegas, sf and palm spring ...

with kuya mayor arnel

reno

i was mesmerized with phantom of the opera play . later i made it a point to see a play whenever i travel. so far i have added lion king,  beauty and the beast and the cats in my list.

cherry picking

first time to see snow !

first time to see squirrel

when we  got married , our honeymoon was in hong kong.

fertlity buddha?

then riki became my travelling companion .
we've been to singapore, thailand, malaysia, japan n china

floating market-bangkok

tokyo

 we also went to usa for a west and east coast tour.

washington dc 2005

san francisco bridge

philadelpia

we really enjoyed celine dion live concert at las vegas as well as circus de soleil at the treasure island hotel.

harvard university

jay leno behind !

with Ninong n Tita Sandy Sumpaico at FIGO 2000

FIGO 2000 Washington DC

i  have a travel buddy ochie  who  also loves to travel.  weve been to many places like hong kong, china, new jersey, maryland and new york usa

shenzhen group tour

my two kids were still in stroller when we went to HK with the whole mendoza clan. it was a real disaster as rico was very playful and could get lost easily.

rico n nica in a stroller

at the harbour 

lolo, elene , rico n nica at Ocean Park

i was in for a real test as "mom"  the first time i   travel with my kids with no maids in the states for a month long vacation. rj was even in a stroller!

legoland

jelly belly factory

knotts berry farm

it was like "extra challenge" for me as i am a both a mom and nanny to them.

big bear with my mama n papa

universal studios

when my three kids were older (meaning we dont carry a stroller anymore) i brought them to hk many times and some asian countries.

malaysia

hong kong became a friendly getaway for us since then.

chinese new year in HK 2004

2008

2009

our ever gracious host in hong kong- annie and raymund corpuz with their kids

2004

2008

nicole,nica,rico n kelvin

it was a different adventure when riki and i went to australia to visit his brother. my in- laws travelled with us.

captain cook cruise along sydney harbour

kuya rollie n family

ate rona's house

brisbane is a quiet place where malls closed at 6pm. queensland is a place where most of the theme parks are located but i didnt bring along my kids : (  sydney is sydney with its opera house.
mmmm

i  felt so blessed beause i had a chance to  travel with my parents and sister mafe to the holy land israel, jordan n egypt.  it was a rare moment wishing on the wailing wall in jerusalem.

wailing wall

Jordan River cruise where Jesus once stood

turkish bath is something i would never forget.

as well a bath in the dead sea and sea of galilee.

dead sea

sea of galilee

petra was a rare sight to see as well as arum wadi in jordan. both wonders of the world!

raiders of the lost ark here!

petra

camel ride on our way to mt. sinai at 3 am is a unique experience. this is where the 10 commandments were given to moses. it was breathtaking as we see the sunrise!

mafe n ate

having a picture taken at the famous sphinx n pyramids of giza and see how a mummy looks like is a fascinating experience in egypt.

but of all the places I had been, europe had different kind of beauty and splendor.
from oberramergau and munich in germany

oberranergau is a place where passion play of jesus is held every 10 years

munich

 to picturesque innsbruck and breathtaking vienna in austria.

bustos group

trying their famous sacher cake at hotel sacher

 to statusque venice, italy

st. mark's square

venice canal 

and luxurious milan, italy

can i buy an LV? 

....amazing budapest, hungary

bulakenos

and last ....old but rich prague,  czeck republic.

charles bridge

astronomical clock in the old town square

old town square

they are all places with different works of art all over. they all have a very rich history and culture.

of the 196 countries in the world i have been to 20 of them or approx 10% . of the seven continents, i havent been only in south america as antartica is non habitable.

as st. augustine says "the world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

making this blog is a lot of fun although time consuming as there are lots of pictures to choose from.

travels gives me a sense of  fulfillment. it broadens my horizon ....   makes me want to strive more and keep myself healthy so i can see more places in the future.

it also brings back memories of when i was younger and innocent...to what i am now... experienced and matured...meaning old : )