Tara Na

It's rare to come across a Philippine Department tourism ad that I like (the last ones were the WOW Philippines series). This one ad - used to promote tourism among the locals - is a gem. Tara na means 'let's go,' and is the slogan used to entice Filipinos to travel more and discover their country:

[source]

Red Moon

A total lunar eclipse occurred last June 16, 2011, and I was able to observe the astronomical event at the PAGASA Observatory inside the University of the Philippines Diliman campus. 

Together with some members of the UP Astronomical Society, we observed the eclipse - the first one in 11 years - at the sun deck of the observatory. The eclipse started around 1:25am and reached maximum at 4:12 am.

This is my second major eclipse observation in recent years, the first was the total solar eclipse in China in 2009.  

pics, from top: pics, from top: the red moon at totality; the umbra becomes apparent at the start of the eclipse; members of the UP Astronomical Society with their observation gear; observing the eclipse 

[cross-posted from First Light Astronomy blog, the 2 eclipse pics are courtesy of UP AstroSoc member A.Geronimo]

Three Stars and a Sun

Celebrating the 113th Independence Day of the Republic of the Philippines.

Suvarnabhumi Airport

Suvarnabhumi Airport (IATA: BKK) is the main gateway for entering Thailand. The international airport, which has the world's third largest terminal, is located about 25 kilometers from downtown Bangkok.

The airport is the 6th busiest in Asia, serving more than 42 million passengers in 2010 [1]. Around 88 airlines have scheduled flights to the airport, including Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific from the Philippines.

The airport is accessible via taxis, buses and the Suvarnabhumi Airport Link rail system (which terminates at Phraya Thai station of the BTS). A one way taxi ride would cost around 250 baht, plus 70 baht for toll fees. A single trip using the Airport Link costs 45 baht.

pics, from top: the terminal as seen from the plane, the enormous departure hall; the Churning of the Milk Ocean sculpture inside the departure hall

Gastronomic Adventure

Finding food in Bangkok can be an adventure in itself. The city has a smorgasbord of food choices, from five-star dining to exotic choices that can be bought from food carts that line the streets. 

The first Thai dish that I had upon arriving is a piping hot bowl of authentic tom yung goong soup, at the MBK mall in downtown Bangkok.

Khao San road also has plenty of authentic Thai food around it, beside the cornucopia of restos serving banana pancakes and muesli for the farangs. 

While walking around the weekend market of Chatuchak we chanced upon a food cart selling the most exotic of food there is - fried grubs and insects. The adventurous part of me tried the fried locusts, but I could not bear chowing down on those succulent brown grubs (unless maybe if paired with a icy cold bottle of Singha beer...)

One tip for the newly initiated though: when ordering, keep in mind that they do mean it when they say "hot chili."

pics, from top: a bowl of authentic tom yung goong soup; fried insects at Chatuchak; a small stall in Khao San selling vegetarian food