Yearly Archives: 2012

Fatehpur Sikri

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After breakfast, we drove to the Fatehpur Sikri

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There was this guy inside the fort

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That dove into that green water

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Eventually to earn something.  He climbed the wall to where we were to ask for money

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Dad and Tito Joe reenacting Emperor Akbar playing chess here- Apparently the Emperor would use people as the pawns to move around

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The room and bed of the Emperor

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On the side of his bed was a secret passage which led to the quarters of the concubines and they would pass here to get to the Emperor

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Artwork on the wall which has faded already

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Living quarters of the concubines 

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The front is the office that took care of the needs of all the concubines of the emperor

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Moghul earrings design on the walls.  Jewellers would copy this as designs for their jewelry.   Not one is the same

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Breakfast by the Taj

By | Foodie, Travel | No Comments

Breakfast is included in the room charge and you go down to have the buffet.  But on our last day in Agra, I wanted to have breakfast in our balcony which we did not have time to use!  So we ordered room service which was also included already in the room.  You can have it in the room instead of down at the buffet

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Beautiful view of the Taj before we say goodbye

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We had hot food- omelette- which I forgot to take a photo of.  It is under the trolley in the food warmer

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Best Photos of First Half of 2012

By | Best of, Photography | No Comments

1.                  A seahorse inspects a diver’s watch

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2.                  An illuminated snow tunnel in Russia

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3.                  Everybody was kung fu fighting

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4.                  The honeybee’s final sting

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5.                  Street artist Sainer goes big in Poland

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6.                  Mount Rainier casting a shadow on clouds

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7.                  First contact

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8.                  The Irish Sky Garden crater

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9.                  Moon bridge in Dahu Park, Taipei

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10.              Flight of the devil rays

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11.              Gásadalur Village in the Faroe Islands

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12.              World’s edge

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13.              The Capilano suspension bridge in Vancouver

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14.              Fractal patterns in dried out desert rivers

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15.              Meditating monks at Pongour Falls

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16.              A sunset eclipse

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17.              Bora Bora from space

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18.              The largest raft of canoes and kayaks in the world

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19.              Adaptive roots in the concrete jungle

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20.              The Hamilton Pool Nature Preserve

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21.              Above the canopy

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22.              Colliding rivers in Geneva, Switzerland

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23.              The stunning green vine snake

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24.              Aurora australis (southern lights) from space

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25.              Mount Kilimanjaro from above

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Dining at Solaire Resort and Casino Manila

By | Entertainment, Foodie | One Comment

Solaire’s taste for the good life is highlighted by a wide selection of dining options that include four signature restaurants

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headed by experienced and world-class chefs.

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With seating up to 240 persons, ‘Red Lantern’ is Solaire’s toast to traditional Cantonese Cuisine, featuring an array of authentic Cantonese cuisine with specialty Chinese teas and international wines.

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Authentic Japanese cuisine, on the other hand, takes center stage at ‘Yakumi’, a 150-seat fine-dining restaurant that takes sushi and teppanyaki to sublime heights.

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A nod to true-blue Western-Style Steak House is ‘Strip’, an innovative steakhouse that offers a variety of prime-cut meats from the United States, Europe, and Australia, complemented accordingly by inventive side-dish options, all set in an upbeat restaurant rhythm which is sure to make the ‘Strip’ the place to see and be seen .

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And lastly, ‘Finestra’ takes the flavors of Italy and presents it in a fine-blend of the traditional and the contemporary. For guests looking to impress or be impressed, ‘Finestra’ will be their venue.

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For those who desire to dine in a more relaxed setting, ‘Fresh’, a casual dining establishment that celebrates vibrant life and fresh flavors in an international buffet environment featuring various ethnic cuisines as well as indulging pastry and sweets. 

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‘Lucky Noodles’, on the other hand, serves Asian delights and favorites, including hand-made noodle dishes 24/7.

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And if those choices are still not enough, Solaire will also feature an impressively designed, 220-seat Food Court for those on the go.

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And for those looking to take in Manila Bay’s spectacular sunsets by the poolside, the ‘Breeze Bar & Grill’ will be their choice.

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Embroidery of Shams and Kohinoor Jewellers Agra

By | Great Achievements, Travel | 4 Comments

Another must see place if you are already in Agra!  The beautiful embroidery museum by Shams

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Photography is not allowed – I got this from the brochure – it is much much more beautiful in person.  So if you are visiting the Taj, give 30 minutes to come see this – it is spectacular.  The embroidery is mixed with jewelry by Kohinoor Jewellers.  Very rare pieces which took Shams many years to make.  He eventually went blind because of the strain the embroidery put on his eyes 

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Outside the museum are pieces made by students of Shams – these are the only ones for sale but of course not as beautiful as the master

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Visit the website to read more about Shams

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On the second level is a jewelry store

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– owned by the family that supplied Shams his jewelry.  Now the 5th Generation has taken over. Ruchira Mathur, who is a gemologist and designs the jewelry

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She showed us many rare pieces their family owns

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The son, Milind Mathur, who is also a gemologist and takes care of quality control and if the Creative Director of the company

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 A jewelry piece of Mumtaz Mahal!  They let me wear it to try on!!  I made sure I had a souvenir photo

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Burger Bar

By | Foodie | 4 Comments

Heart2Heart loves loves burgers!!!  I was so happy to hear from our friend, Jon, that they were opening a burger place!!

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From the same partners who own the now very successful Cue and now they are partnering again for more restaurant concepts!! Congratulations Jon and Pebbles Syjuco, Eliza Antonioand Abba Napa.  You guys are a great team!!!

Previous entry:  Cue Modern Barbecue June 2, 2012 

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The restaurant opens tonight at Greenbelt 2!!!!  And soon they will be opening a Filipino concept on the ground floor

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Yum!! All my favorites!!! 

Golden Cheddar Mozzarela sticks, Good Ol Hot Fried Wings and Buttermilk Chicken Tenders 

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An extensive menu for burgers!!!!!!

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The 4 Cheese Chuck

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The Piggy

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Double Cheeseburger

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And you can create your own burger!!!

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A unique feature of this concept is the burger patties which are burger blends

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Chocolate Milkshake

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Caramel Vanilla Bread Pudding

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 Greenbelt 2, Makati City Tel. No. 625-2792, 0917-539-9661

Open from 12 p.m. to 1 a.m. (Sunday to Wednesday); 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. (Thursday to Saturday)

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Indian Dinner at Esphahan The Oberoi Amarvilas Agra

By | Foodie, Travel | One Comment

About a week in India and we are turning Indian 🙂  We love how the Indians all wear their national costumes and they wear them so nicely.  We love the outfits too and we bought some to wear during the trip so we can blend in and really feel the Indian spirit 🙂  I told them we need to look Indian in our photos so it matches the backdrops haha!!  I am so happy my husband is “game” to do these things 🙂

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Tita Mary Ann was able to get a complete Saree!  Nice!  With matching bindi!

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We had dinner in the Indian restaurant of the hotel!  James and I and Paul and Maricar love Indian food

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Indian Musician entertaining for the evening with Tito Joe posing 🙂

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Compliments 🙂

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