miss iggy and mountains

a windswept miss iggy with the mountains of benguet as her backdrop. taken with a plastic toy camera. cos she's analog like that.

Miss Iggy and the Orient Express

Miss Euro Iggy at the Sirkeci Railway Station, in Istanbul. From 1883 to 1977, the Sirkeci Station was the final stop of the Orient Express. The 3,094 kilometer route passed through several cities in France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. Miss Iggy was amazed to find out that that trainride would have lasted 80 hours!

cactus!

fake cactus to add to "south of the border's" already campy atmosphere in south carolina. by the way, did you know that cacti are actually edible?

miss iggy at the strawberry farm

miss iggy at the strawberry farm in la trinidad, benguet, philippines. this is where she was originally acquired and she's now right back from where she started from! all sorts of strawberry products can be found here such as jams, wines, ice cream, candies, and of course, the freshly-picked fruit. there are also other sundries such as woven textiles, plants, souvenir shirts, bags and yes- iggy dolls!

another benguet staple is the "walis" or broom. people who go to baguio, benguet's prime tourist trap, often bring home these brooms as gifts to friends or family or for their own houses.

top left corner: everlasting flowers, which are supposed to, well, last for ever.

freshly-picked strawberries. yum.

strawberry jam.

strawberry ice cream with strawberry bits.

el greengo

miss iggy was amused to see a mexican statue wearing irish-green clothing at south carolina's "south of the border." see the shamrocks? ah well, miss iggy thought the mini-golf area called "the GOLF of mexico" was funny, too!

FYI: "gringo" is what latin americans call people from the united states, or generally non-spanish-speaking caucasians.

mr. iggy and megamall

the ortigas business district's prime mall. it is one of the largest in the country!

gorilla in the midst (of SOB)

jersey iggy thinks this giant gorilla at south carolina's "south of the border" is happy to see her. this is a popular photo op statue, and he even appears on an actual SOB postcard. you won't miss this gorilla, he guards a souvenir shop.

mr. iggy and marching band

because a proper parade in the philippines is not complete without your very own marching band!

vote for pedro!

miss iggy hollers ¡hola! at you from "south of the border!" (otherwise known as SOB)

this kitschy tourist trap/rest stop/roadside attraction in dillon, south carolina seems like a mirage in I-95, because what can a giant mexican bandido named pedro with his giant sombrero be doing here? certainly, miss iggy hasn't crossed the US-mexican border!

"south of the border" really means south of the north carolina border, and is your gateway to south carolina. you won't miss this place because you'll see wacky billboards along the highway starting from 175 miles away luring you to come visit. signs like, "you never sausage a place" and "chili today, hot tamale."

aside from pedro, there's also this yellow sombrero tower that has an elevator that can take you to the observation deck above. miss iggy didn't go up, though.

mr. iggy and the ducati riders

mr. iggy and the philippine ducati riders. they are usually a force to contend with on weekends at either the south luzon expresway or the north luzon expressway, when they make their weekly rides. vroom vroom!

happy earth day from the "palmetto state!"

april 22nd is earth day! miss iggy implores you to hug a tree! or better yet, plant one! love the planet you live in!

miss iggy was ecstatic to see these sabal palmetto trees in south carolina. she really felt she was in a warmer climate. the palmetto is the state tree of south carolina and even appears on their state flag with a one-third moon. they love their palmettos so much that their nickname is "the palmetto state."

miss iggy was palmetto-crazy that she even posed for a night shot by a palmetto tree.

SingapurpleIggy@Sentosa Island

It's official. Singapurple Iggy loves the beach. Easter Sunday saw her purple highness strolling the imported (oh yes, it is!) white sands of Sentosa Island for the annual TSOLEYT* Easter Egg Hunting. Now--"Sentosa", which means peace and tranquility in Malay--receives 5 million visitors annually. This is a must-stop for tourists, which boasts of different attractions, like the luge, cable cars, Sentosa express train, fort siloso, dolphin lagoon, animal shows (for free!), family accommodations, two five star hotels and upcoming Resorts World which will feature Universal Studios Singapore. While the beach water is incomparable to Boracay or Phuket even, the resort makes up for such loss by bringing in oh-so pampered convenience and various activities for everyone.

enjoy!

see all these signs? that's Singapore for you. heh.

they even show you where to swim! unbelievable.

While some people are not too happy with this too 'high-tech, borderline artificial' development --oh well, each to his own. You came to this beach to relax anyway, so why are you whining? :P

*Ze Becky's group of friends. responsible for late Sunday mornings, motherhood/marriage/boys counselling on Saturdays, annual events, outrageous costumes and an increase of the Singapore population by .05%.

miss iggy meets shoney bear

when hunger strikes on the road, miss iggy stops by a food joint in one of the nearest exits off the interstate highway. this was where she ate at in battleboro, north carolina: shoney's.

their restaurant offers you the choice of either ordering from their menu of american staples, or sample everything on their reasonably-priced buffet. miss iggy chose the latter, because the buffet includes steak. over all, the flavors left much to be desired, but jersey iggy had to hurry back on the road. she was refueled, that's what mattered.

she left the restaurant with a new furry friend: shoney bear. he looked all spunky with his red cap and matching hoodie sweater. i guess you can say he dresses up smarter than your average bear.

Suosdei Chhnam Thmey - 2553!

That is how we say Happy New Year and Khmer Iggy would like to say Happy New Year to her Khmer friends and to the Buddhist world.


Here Iggy poses in front of our landlord's offering to the new batch of angels. We didn't prepare any fruit offerings during the international and Chinese new years so this time, we did, thanks to our landlady:



The year here now is 2553 BE (Buddhist Era) -- that is, 2,553 years since Buddha achieved enlightenment and entered the state of nirvana. In Cambodia and other Buddhist countries, the new year is based on astrological calculations. This year the new year started Tuesday, April 14, at 1:36pm and runs until Thursday, April 16. The Cambodians call the first day of the new year maha songkran, and families dressed in their best clothes flock to wats and pay homage to Buddha. According to Buddhist beliefs, a new batch of angels, called apsaras or devatas, descend during maha songkran to replace the old ones watching over the earth. It is like the changing of guards, if you like, and families greeted them by lighting incense and candles.


Traditionally, most Cambodians take a week off and use this opportunity to go back to their hometowns and be with their families, as most of the Cambodians that work in Phnom Penh come from different provinces in Cambodia.


Most of the shops are closed and the streets are virtually empty.


Cambodians prepare food and offerings to the monks and get blessings in return. The atmosphere is electrifying, and Miss Iggy can't help but notice at how infectious the joy and the smiles of her neighbours are. Iggy remembers the same joy we Filipinos feel during the festive Christmas and New Year celebrations back in the Philippines.

Yesterday was vanabat, or the second day of the new year. This is the time when Cambodians give charity, in cash or in kind, to their less fortunate neighbors and relatives. They also go to wats for a special ceremony dedicated to their ancestors.

Today, being the third and last day of the Khmer New Year celebration, is called the leung sakk. It is the time when Cambodians wash all Buddha statues with scented water. Children also pay respect to their elders by washing their feet, and in turn, they are blessed by them. For more Khmer New Year traditions, please read here.

We didn't go out as planned today because there are locals who throw water to unsuspecting passersby and engage in water fights. Although this practice was banned long time ago (water-throwing and water-fights caused a lot of traffic accidents), there are still playful Khmers who like doing this. It would have been fun dodging water bags and running away from water gun-toting locals... but I wouldn't want Miss Iggy to get wet. *lol*

hello, "tar heel state!"

miss iggy knew that south carolina was next when she stopped by north carolina!

did you know that cape fear upon which the movie is based is in north carolina?

miss iggy knows that she's a fearless traveler!

Eurasian Iggy

Euro Iggy just got back from her trip to Istanbul, Turkey, where she spent her Easter break at. It's where East meets West - while the Eastern portion of the city is in Europe, the Western part of Istanbul is in Asia.

Here's Miss Iggy standing in Europe looking at Asia: 

While she's still sorting the photos she took on this trip, she's thrilled to tell you about the Orient Express, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar and other Turkish delights real soon!

staying merry in maryland

an evening stopover somewhere in maryland at a rest area aptly called "maryland house."

miss iggy thought that the cherry blossoms in washington DC should be in full bloom right now. she settled for the white ones at the rest area's parking lot. wait, are they crab apple blossoms or cherry blossoms?

miss iggy cruising through the baltimore tunnel.

"center of the universe"

jersey iggy has a bit of an obsession with visitor centers/rest stops, because not only can she stretch her legs, she can also check her road trip progress. here she is with the first one she encountered in daylight last wednesday on her way to south carolina.

this is the ashland railroad station/visitor center in virginia's hanover county. according to the town's website, it's also known as the "center of the universe" for its cental location within the state. miss iggy got to snag some free "virginia is for lovers" bumper stickers at the tourist lobby.

happy easter!

hey, y'all! miss iggy just got back from enjoying myrtle beach's flipflop-friendly weather to new jersey's flippin' freezing climate just in time for easter. miss iggy knows that easter sunday has passed for most of you around the world, but it's still easter in her part of the northern hemisphere!

miss iggy is dwarfed by the dazzling daffodils in her jersey garden. they've finally bloomed!

and yes, miss iggy met a rabbit named peter (all the way from london) and his army of lindt chocolate bunnies.

miss iggy is busy unpacking her suitcase full of souvenirs and sorting through her memory stick of vacation photos. she even had an unplanned "side trip" to savannah, georgia! that's 4 hours further down south from myrtle beach! miss iggy can't wait to show you her photos!

fertile myrtle

jersey iggy is on the road again...this time to myrtle beach in south carolina! it's a 12-hour drive from jersey to south carolina. actually, she's already there by the time you read this blog. she's spending the easter holiday there to hunt for eggs and bunny chocolates and chick peeps. will "southern hospitality" be up to par? we'll see.

y'all behave now, ya hear?

if the shoe fits!

this little iggy went to market--that is, polomolok public market in south cotabato, philippines. (december 2008)

what amused miss iggy at this particular market was that it had a huge inventory of second-hand shoes more than anything else that you'd normally see in a public market. these used shoes were imported from various countries, most notably the neighboring ones such as taiwan, hongkong, and korea. this is the countryside version of salvation army-type thrift stores. generally, filipinos call these "ukay-ukay", from the root word "ukay" which means to dig into a pile to search for your second-hand treasure. as they say, "one person's trash is another one's treasure!"

it seems the people of polomolok have a foot fetish! (warning: not for the faint of nose and germaphobes!) good luck finding your size!

Miss Iggy and Wolfgang, part 2

"Guten Tag, Sie kommen mir bekannt vor," (Good day, you look familiar) Euro Iggy said to the statue. It wasn't a pick-up line, she met a statue of the same man last year during her visit to Frankfurt, Germany. Why, it's Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, one of the greatest German writers!

pinnacle of pineapples

pineapple farms as far as the eye can see! no fruits yet, though, but still, miss iggy thought it was marvelous to be in the home of dole philippines last december in polomolok, south cotabato.

polomolok actually has a small town or baranggay called "cannery", which is home to dole's cannery plant. most, if not all, of the inhabitants here and its surrounding areas work there. tourists who visit polomolok will most likely take back cans of dole pineapple products (fresh from the cannery!) to manila as edible souvenirs.

just beyond this vast pineapple landscape is polomolok's famous mount matutum (herein partly enshrouded by clouds). this is a favorite destination for mountaineers and hikers.

there is a philippine legend about the pineapple. according to the story, the fruit used to be a girl named pina.

crazy for carambola

last december, miss iggy checked out the backyard at fortuitous faery's grandfather's house in polomolok, south cotabato (philippines) to admire the plants and trees that grow abundantly in it.

she stumbled upon a tree bearing carambola or star fruit. in tagalog, this fruit is known as "balimbing." when you slice this fruit cross-wise, it's shaped like a star.

the word "balimbing" has evolved in the philippines to refer to a person with suspect loyalty, an infidel, multi-faceted, like the way its namesake fruit is shaped. don't be one!