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war memorial

Philippines 2011: Day 1 — Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Fort Bonifacio

By Mithun Divakaran
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Aug 11, 2011
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Philippines, Travel

Date: 17th April 2011

Technically yesterday was day one in Philippines, but today was when I would officially begin my sightseeing. After a good hearty sleep, I woke up in time for breakfast at Kabayan (they start serving really early).

Kabayan hotel Pasay reception Manila Philippines — The reception

Kabayan hotel Pasay Pinoy Star cafe Manila — Where they serve breakfast and lunch

The breakfast and lunch isn’t your usual buffet offering. You queue up and get served your choice of dishes. No seconds.

Kabayan hotel Pasay breakfast Manila Philippines — Still, they give you a mouthful

It was enough to kick-start my day.

Filipino animal expert TV show Kabayan hotel — Although, I went back to my room and ended up watching TV for some time. This Filipino Steve Irwin was showcasing the natural wonders of Palawan, a place I was going to. So I considered it ‘research’ (even though he spoke mostly Tagalog).

As per my trip itinerary, I was going to be leaving Manila tonight for Banaue, but thanks to Aimee who already bought the bus ticket for me, it freed me up today to go see the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial — which wasn’t far from where I was staying.

I had to check out by noon — and I duly did so by noon. I kept my luggage at the reception and told them I would collect it in the evening. Since it was already 12pm, I had lunch from Kabayan before leaving.

Kabayan hotel pasay lunch Manila Philippines — My first taste of Filipino cuisine. First impression: dry. Not a whole lot of varied flavour. Unlike Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, I guess curry isn’t common here. I only had chicken stock to flavour the hard sticky rice.

Done with lunch, I made my way to a very busy Pasay MRT station. Bought myself a one way ticket to Ayala station (as that’s where Aimee told me I needed to go first).

Pasay MRT terminal Manila Philippines — Ticket cost ₱10

Ayala MRT station Manila — It was a short 5 minute ride to Ayala

SM Glorietta mall Ascott Taguig city Manila — This stop is is a popular shopping hub because of SM and the Glorietta malls here

I also saw a Convergys office here, not that I was surprised to know big Indian BPOs have offices here in the Philippines.

Manila Taguig city road — I took a taxi because the cemetery was to be a short drive from here

But the taxi driver in his broken English started hinting as though he had no idea about the cemetery, its existence or how to get there — which I knew was just an act. The cemetery is quite famous and located in the posh Fort Bonifacio area in Taguig. Plus, its freaking huge!

Manila Taguig city office buildings — I was getting a little irritated by the taxi driver as we were slowly driving around business parks with the cemetery nowhere in sight

Fortunately, there was a traffic policeman up ahead and I forced him to stop so that I could ask the officer as to how to get to the cemetery. The officer gave the taxi driver instructions and I could see a smile on the driver’s face as if he was thinking “yeah, yeah, I know where it is. Fine, I’ll take him there!”

A few minutes later, I arrived at the cemetery. The fare: ₱135 ($3/€2.2). Way too much!

Manila American war cemetery entrance gates — Anyway… phone camera in, time for the DSLR to begin its usage

There isn’t an entry fee for the memorial. The security guard only asked me to sign my name in and advised me not to step on the grass or walk through the first two lanes (don’t know why).

Manila American War Cemetery and memorial view from entrance — Didn’t look like there were many people inside

Manila American War Cemetery Memorial left trees — Stuck to the left side

Manila American War Cemetery War Memorial big tree — With over 17,000 graves, this is the largest war cemetery outside the United States

Manila American War Cemetery Memorial tombstones Taguig panorama — I shot a lot of panoramas because there was no other way I could capture the scale of the cemetery

Manila American War Cemetery War Memorial plaza — The Memorial Plaza

Manila American War Cemetery Memorial fountain caretaker — I didn’t seem many workers here

Manila American War Cemetery & Memorial airplane flying over — I could see the cemetery from the sky just as I was about land yesterday

Manila American War Cemetery Memorial Jewish tombstone — You find the occasional Jew among the crosses

Manila American War Cemetery Memorial tombstone hill — This cemetery is a symmetrical haven

Manila American War Cemetery war Memorial tombstones wide panorama — (Panorama comprised of 12 shots)

Manila American War Cemetery war memorial uncut trees — I like how they decided not to cut some trees

Manila American War Cemetery War Memorial white tombstones wide panorama — Panorama comprised of 11 shots

Manila American War Cemetery war memorial white tombstones wide angle panorama — Panorama comprised of 13 shots

Manila American War Cemetery memorial chapel panorama — Back of the Memorial Plaza chapel

Manila American War cemetery & memorial afternoon — I took a break from the circle and decided to check out the Memorial plaza

Manila American War cemetery & memorial chapel front — The chapel

I wrote a note in the visitor’s book they have inside the chapel and left.

Manila American war cemetery memorial plaza battles — The battles these soldiers fought are all showcased here

Manila American war cemetery memorial pacific battles — Mostly World War II and the other Pacific battles America fought in

Manila American war cemetery memorial plaza soldiers names on walls — The names of the 17,000 plus soldiers buried here are engraved on these walls

Manila American war cemetery memorial plaza Filipino soldiers names — I couldn’t help but notice there were a lot of Filipino names on the walls too

Manila American war cemetery memorial plaza filipino soldiers — Ah, that explains it. I was under the impression only American soldiers were buried here.

Manila American war cemetery memorial plaza Idaho seal — The have the respective state seal corresponding to the walls with the soldiers from the same state

Manila American war cemetery memorial gardener — Lone worker

Manila American war cemetery memorial road — I left the Memorial Plaza

Manila American war cemetery memorial sparrows — Took the 70-200mm lens out for this shot

Manila American war cemetery war memorial crosses — Even though it was scorching hot, I chose to come at this time for the lighting: I wanted shadows

Manila American war cemetery memorial road panorama — Panorama comprised of 10 shots

Manila American War cemetery memorial jeep — You can bring your vehicle inside if all you want is drive through

Manila American war cemetery memorial water evaporating — You can’t really see it but the water was evaporating as soon as it hot the hot tarmac

Manila American war cemetery war memorial section panorama — Larger the panoramas, the smaller the crops when making it fit on my website

Manila American war cemetery war memorial tombstones black & white — Had to try black & white

Manila American war cemetery memorial graves black & white — Added a bit of grain to this one

Manila American war cemetery memorial lawn graves — It was time to leave

Manila American war cemetery memorial medal of honor tombstone — A recipient of the Medal of Honor

Manila American war cemetery war memorial tombstones hill road — Took this on the Canon 450D, which I was also carrying

Manila American war cemetery memorial BGC buildings panorama — Panorama comprised of 14 shots

Manila American war cemetery memorial rainbow sprinklers — Cool huh?

Manila American war cemetery memorial plaza view panorama — I walked back to the Memorial Plaza for one final look

View from memorial plaza panorama — From a little higher up

Manila American war cemetery memorial crosses shadows — After 3 hours of sweating it out in the hot sun, I finally walked towards the gates

Manila American war cemetery memorial white lines — I felt satisfied with the photographs I took today. A good start to this trip.

American Battle Monuments Commission Manila cemetery memorial info — The memorial is maintained by a US government agency

I went inside the visitor’s lounge and stayed for a few minutes. Not that they had anything to see inside, but the room had air-conditioning and a water cooler. The retired American army colonel who manages the place smiled at me as he walked into his office and said: “Enjoy it”.

Enjoy it I did 🙂

Feeling a bit cooler, I left the memorial. The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial is one among the few attractions in Manila worth seeing. You may not want to spend 3 hours here, that too in this heat, but I found it peaceful and a calm place for a bit of photography. Of course, do keep in mind this is still a cemetery honouring soldiers and not your usual family picnic park. So do show some respect for the dead once inside.

Bonifacio Global City Taguig Manila — I took a taxi back to Ayala station

The taxi ride was through McKinley Road, and I quickly realized how posh this area was. The taxi driver told me very rich people live on McKinley Hill.

McKinley hill road to Ayala Manila Philippines — Passed a few highly fortified houses, which usually implies bureaucrats, individuals with questionable incomes sources and other high profile people live here

Ayala Malls McKinley road Manila — Unlike my rip-off taxi ride to the cemetery, the journey back was through the right path and it only cost ₱56

Glorietta malls Ayala Manila Philippines — Figuring I still had some time (and craving for some more air-conditioning), I checked out Glorietta Mall

Glorietta Ayala mall Marks & Spencer store Manila — This was the only photo I took from inside before the security man came over and told me photography is prohibited. Oh well.

SM Ayala taxi line Manila Philippines — I checked out a few floors and left soon after

I took the MRT back to Pasay, went back to Kabayan, freshened up, collected my bags and called Aimee. She asked me to come to Central station, where she would meet me there.

Once at Central, we took a taxi and went to Sampaloc, cost ₱70.

Cayco Street Espana blvd Sampaloc Philippines — We got down here

From there, it was a short walk to the Autobus office. I collected my ticket, paid Aimee back (₱450 for a one-way ticket to Banaue) and we sat a convenient store to chat for some time.

Aimee in front of Autobus station Manila — This is Aimee, and the Autobus office is in the background

I saw Aimee off and boarded my bus, a small one. I’ll talk about how the ride was in my next post but all in all, today was a good start. I had high hopes for the next few days.

Previous post:

Philippines 2011: Flying over South China Sea for the first time

Other posts in this series:

Philippines 2011: Day 2 – Banaue rice terraces; trekking to Batad village

Philippines 2011: Day 3 – Banaue town; heading to Sagada via Bontoc

Philippines 2011: Day 3 – Sagada’s Lumiang burial cave, Sumaguing cave, Hanging Coffins of Echo valley

Philippines 2011: Leaving Sagada for Baguio, and arriving in Angeles city (Days 4 & 5)

Philippines 2011: Day 6 – Good Friday in San Fernando, San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites

Philippines 2011: Day 7 – Leaving Angeles City for Manila, Mall of Asia

Philippines 2011: Day 8 – Manila tour: Rizal Park, Intramuros, Manila Cathedral, China Town

Philippines 2011: Day 9 – Cebu: Fort San Pedro, Basilica of Santo Niño, Taoist Temple

Philippines 2011: Day 10 – Bohol tour: Chocolate Hills, Loboc river cruise, Tarsiers, churches

Philippines 2011: Day 11 – Arriving in Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Philippines 2011: Day 12 – Puerto Princesa Underground River tour, Palawan

Philippines 2011: Day 13 – Puerto Princesa to El Nido by bus

Philippines 2011: Day 14 – El Nido island hopping tour A and sunset at Las Cabanas beach, Palawan

Philippines 2011: Back to Manila, shopping, and my final thoughts about the country (Final post)

Taj Mahal and New Delhi sights: Red Fort, Raj Ghat, India Gate & Rashtrapati Bhavan

By Mithun Divakaran
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Mar 31, 2010
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Agra & New Delhi, India, Travel

Date: 3rd March 2005

The next day, after Vivek’s wedding, we left Jaipur in the after noon by bus and headed for Agra. We took the state bus which was quite cheap (and very basic in every shape and form).

We reached Agra by 5pm and took an auto straight to the Taj Mahal. It was already sunset, so we really didn’t have much time.

We bought our tickets, paid for our camera fee and got in.

I was budding with excitement as I was finally going to see India’s most famous monument.

And though my photos may not paint a rosy picture, trust me, it really was beautiful!

I had no choice but to use the camera flash once inside.

There really wasn’t much else I could take as the flash would have made the photos appear as though it was already night fall (which it wasn’t yet). Plus it was closing time, so we had to make our way out.

As cliched as it may sound, the Taj Mahal really is one sight everyone (especially if you are Indian) must see before they die. It’s a hideously romantic structure to profess one’s love for someone and will probably never be attempted again.

My only regret is that I wish I had gotten there a few hours earlier.

After making our way out and surviving the hordes of vendors pushing replicas of the Taj in your face, we sat down for a coffee break. We pondered about whether we should stay in Agra that night or head straight for New Delhi which was the next stop on our ‘tour’.

But Delhi it was. So we took an auto to the Agra bus stand and boarded the bus. It was around 8pm by the time we left and we would arrive at New Delhi around 3am the next day.

New Delhi

Date: 4th March 2005

We were staying at a (crappy) 3-star hotel in the heart of the city, pretty close to all the major sights we planned on seeing. So in the morning, we headed first for Red Fort (or Lal Qila).

Red fort New Delhi Mithun — Yeah that's me. Laugh all you want.

Red fort panorama New Delhi — (Panorama comprised of 3 shots)

Red fort Indian war museum building — Indian war museum at Red Fort

Here’s a brief video I took:

We had a relaxing meal at a coffee shop/restaurant at the Lal Qila itself, which was nice. After that, we moved to our next stop (across from the Red Fort) — Raj Ghat.

The massive public park houses several memorials in honour of some of the greatest Indians that helped shape our nation. First up, the greatest of them all — the Mahatma Gandhi memorial.

We then walked down the bricked path to check out the rest of the place.

There’s a fairly large pond in the middle of the park which makes this place all the more serene.

If you like geese, here’s a video:

The day wasn’t the brightest Delhi offered, and we even got a brief moment of drizzle — but the somber skies suited the next few sights.

More memorials, these mostly honouring the Nehru clan.

Raj Ghat Nehru memorial New Delhi — Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru memorial

Raj Ghat Indira Gandhi memorial — Indira Gandhi memorial

Raj Ghat Rajiv Gandhi memorial — Rajiv Gandhi memorial

Vijay Ghat Lal Bahadur Shastri memorial — Lal Bahadur Shastri memorial

After walking around for nearly an hour, we took an auto and headed for India Gate.

We followed down the straight road from India Gate which took us to the Rashtrapathi Bhavan.

To our right was the parliament house…

… but we weren’t allowed near the building nor were we permitted to take photographs from up close. Oh well.

Back to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Rashtrapathi Bhavan presidents palace Mithun New Delhi — Me in front of the President's palace building. Not sure why I wasn't smiling.

As an Indian, you can’t help but feel patriotic when you are in this part of Delhi.

Of course, there is much more to the capital city. It is after all famed for its shopping and street food — but we had to catch a flight back to Bangalore the next day and we were a bit knackered with all the walking we did. So we went back to the hotel and rested.

The next day, it was checking out of the crappy hotel, hopping into a taxi and heading off to the airport.

Taken from inside the car:

Barah Murti Mahatma Gandhi statue New Delhi — Barah Murthi

Camera used: Canon Powershot A95; post processing done in Photoshop CS3

P.S: Here’s a video I took while at Rashtrapathi Bhavan and India Gate:

A monk with a tiger at the Tiger Temple, Kanchanaburi

Thailand 2009: Day 2 – Bridge over the River Kwai and Tiger Temple (Wat Pa Luangta Bua) in Kanchanaburi

Date: Dec 14th, 2009

The next day, I woke up by 7am. Went down to the reception area for breakfast, which was included in the hotel room fare. I checked out by 8:30am and took a metered taxi to the Southern Bus terminal which is where all the buses to South Thailand set out from.

Early morning traffic in Bangkok — Taken from inside the taxi on my Nokia E72

Taking the taxi to the Southern bus terminal — Heading to the Southern bus terminal

Elevated toll highways in Bangkok — Most of Bangkok city is covered by elevated toll highways

My plan was to take a day bus to Krabi where I planned to spend most of my time in Thailand.

The Southern Bus terminal, Bangkok — You need to go upstairs for the ticket counters

But it was not to be. When I inquired, from the Southern Bus terminal, apparently only evening buses were available. Or maybe the lady figured I was a tourist and thought I was expecting the luxury buses. (Tip: Found this blog in case you want to more about the Southern Bus terminal)

Southern Bus terminal where both state and private buses ply — Southern Bus terminal, where both state and private buses ply

Instead of wasting time in Bangkok, I thought I’d go to Kanchanaburi instead, which is 130kms from Bangkok city. So I bought my ticket (77 baht/Rs. 107) and boarded my bus which was departing soon.

It was pretty hot outside and the A/C in the bus was minimal. Fortunately, the bus was barely full and the journey wasn’t too long (1 & 1/2 hours).

We reached Kanchanaburi bus stand by around 11am. I was approached by taxi drivers as soon as I got down from the bus offering tours to all that Kanchanaburi has to offer but I first wanted to check my e-mail and get some water. While I was at the internet cafe-slash-computer repair shop, I checked the weather forecast for South Thailand. BBC Weather said it was going to rain in the coming days. “Oh crap” moment #2.

Kanchanaburi maybe a fairly popular tourist destination but the town is fairly small and a far cry from madness of Bangkok. After sending out a few mails, I took a Mazda pick-up truck taxi (something I haven’t done since the early Gulf years) and set out for the famous Tiger Temple which was 35kms away.

Kanchanaburi town. Taken from inside the Mazda taxi

The driver said he would first take me to the Bridge over the River Kwai, which I didn’t know was en route to the Tiger Temple. But even before that, we stopped by the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery.

Kanchanaburi War Cemetery — Over 5,000 Australian, British and Dutch prisoners of war are buried here

After that, the taxi took me to the famous Bridge over the River Kwai and you read about its history here. It’s mostly a tourist attraction now with short train rides available and surrounded by restaurants and street vendors.

The Bridge over the River Kwai — You can even walk on it

It was around 12:30pm and it was scorching hot, so I took a few more photos and then headed back to the taxi.

Jeath War Museum, Kanchanaburi — There was a war museum there as well… but I didn’t check it out

We then headed for famous Tiger Temple at Kanchanaburi.

Driving to Tiger Temple, Kanchanaburi — Taken from inside the taxi

On the road to Tiger Temple, Kanchanaburi — The pick up taxi I took

En route to the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi — The terrain looked fairly similar to what you would see in Karnataka

We reached the Tiger Temple a.k.a Wat Pa Luangta Buaat around 1pm. I was wearing a sleeveless vest and I had to change to a non-red coloured T-shirt as there is a dress code. Not to do with the fact it’s a place run by Buddhist monks but more to do with your own safety when getting close to the tigers.

The ‘temple’ is only open to the general public from 12pm to 3:30pm. The entry fee is a rather steep 500 baht (Rs.700) & video cameras weren’t allowed (or you probably had to pay extra for it). I walked in and was asked by the volunteers to run and join the group who were being led to the area where you get to see the tigers.

Tiger Temple, Kanchanaburi — The volunteers there wear the golden yellow t-shirts

From here, volunteers take visitors one by one to each tiger — From here, volunteers take visitors, by hand, one by one to each tiger

There are a lot of controversies surrounding the Tiger Temple. Despite being run by monks, many accuse it of exploiting the animals for money and some even question if the stories of how the temple acquired the tigers are actually true. You can read their response to all these queries in their FAQs but I did question their money-making means.

For the 500 baht entrance fee, you get to sit next to the tigers and have your photo taken by the volunteers using your camera (& bottles of water). If you want to have a photo taken with a tiger’s head placed on your lap, that will cost you 1000 baht (Rs. 1,300). I was approached by one of their foreign volunteers, a young woman, who asked if I was interested in spending the night at the reserve, feed the tigers the next morning and see them play — all for 1500 baht (Rs. 2,100). I kindly said no, citing I had to head back. I actually had to head back and I would have loved to spend more time with the tigers, but I just didn’t feel like giving them anymore money.

Even their international volunteers looked like a questionable lot. All young guys and girls who looked like they got into some sort of trouble and sought refuge in Tiger Temple with easy jobs as supposed to actually knowing a lot about tigers. I could be wrong, but that’s how I felt.

Anyway, back to why I actually came all the way here. The tigers.

I-LOVE-tigers! I have always loved big cats — especially since I was a child when I came across a photo book my father had on wild cats. Of all the big, furry, cute (yet dangerous) wild cats, tigers have been my favourite. It’s sad to know our national animal is on the decline the world over but a chance to be this close to them was something I would not have ignored.

Me with one of the tigers at the Tiger Temple — The tiger wasn’t stuffed — he was just in that position — the whole time

A tiger at the Tiger Temple, Kanchanaburi — See, I told you.

Me with the biggest tiger they had — This was the biggest tiger there. I believe they told me it was 4 years old.

Me trying to lie down with the tigers — Me kinda wishing I could place my head on the tiger

Tiger embarrassed too be seen with me — Tiger: “Let me sleep kid! Go away… no photos!”

If you want a photo like this, you have to pay 1000 baht — The 1000 baht pose

After spending around half-an-hour there, I went back up — where they had more tigers for you to pose with.

A tiger getting a massage at the Tiger Temple — In a country famed for massages, even tigers get them

A tiger getting patted at the Tiger Temple — Mounted the Sigma 70-200 f2.8 lens for these shots

A tiger at the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi — “Great, another moron who thinks he works for National Geographic”

A young tiger staring at me. Tiger Temple, Kanchanaburi. — “Water … waaaterrrr …”

By 2:30pm, I was done. They do have few other animals at the reserve but they were all animals most Indians have seen before (buffaloes, peacocks etc.). I headed back to Kanchanaburi town in the taxi.

Kanchanaburi town, taken from inside a taxi — From inside the ‘furnished’ taxi

The driver stopped at a bus heading back to Bangkok city. The ride to all the tourist spots and back cost me 600 baht (Rs. 836) and I tipped him 50 baht (the initial quote I was given when I arrived was 800 baht).

I boarded the bus and headed back to Bangkok city. I contemplated my next move. If it was going to rain the next few days, why bother going to Krabi now itself. So, I figured I’d go to Chiang Mai instead — and do my trip in reverse order. Something, I hadn’t planned for and something that would eventually cost me a lot more than I had budgeted.

Other posts in this series:

Getting ready for my trip

The day I left for Thailand

Day 1 – Suvarnabhumi, Pantip Plaza, Fotofile & MBK

Taking the bus to Chiang Mai from Bangkok

Day 3 – Maesa elephant camp, ‘long-neck’ tribe village near Chiang Mai

Day 3 (Part 2) – Chiang Mai Night Market

Day 4 – Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai… and back in town

Day 5 – Leaving Chiang Mai for Phuket

Day 5 (Part 2) – One night in Phuket

Day 6 – Leaving Phuket for Ao Nang by bus (via Phang Nga)

Day 7 – Touring Koh Phi Phi (Maya Bay, Monkey Island & Bamboo Island)