feeling at home

hi all, thanks for the warm welcome. *blush*
miss iggy haven't been anywhere special yet, as she's still recovering from jetlag from her long MNL-DUB flight.
she loves our back garden though with the overgrown grass, and gladly posed to celebrate ireland's lovely summer-y weather.

and here she is again, getting acquainted with mr. firefly.
they had a nice conversation it seemed, i even heard mr. firefly counting
from one to ten in Filipino to show off his skills.

anywho, we are very much delighted to be part of the sisterhood.
we're looking forward to be reporting soon what's up and about around here.

bedankt en een prettige dag!

huggles,
ms. firefly & ms. iggy

Ciao from Epcot's Italy!

Everything's "bellissima" at the Italy Pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase. There's the intricate Venetian masks to ogle at and Italian food to feast on. No gondolas, though.

Hallo from Epcot's Germany Showcase!

Germany is another country featured in Epcot's World Showcase. Here, it's always Oktoberfest with plenty of beer and bratwurst! Beer for Miss Iggy, bratwurst for her baby.

We Are The World

There's no denying that the world is mourning the sudden loss of "The Gloved One," "The King of Pop," the one and only Michael Jackson.

That's why Miss Iggy is joining hands with the rest of the world in singing "We Are The World," a tag inspired by the song created by Emila Yusof which aims to unite bloggers around the world.

*Start Copy Here*

You do not have to be tagged to play along. The game is simple and so are the rules.

1. Copy from *Start Copy Here* through *End Copy Here*

2. Add your site(s) to the list. Just be sure to post at each site you add.

3. Tag as many bloggers as you like so the list keeps on growing.

4. Let me know your blog’s name and url by leaving me a comment HERE. I will add you to the master list.

5. Come back and copy the master list back to your site, often. This process will allow late-comers to get as much link benefit as the first ones in.

We Are The World Bloggers Master List:

1. Emila Yusof 2. The Other Side of Emila 3. Mariuca 4. Mariuca’s Perfume Gallery 5. Meow Diaries 11. Unlisted One 7. Spiff, the Spaceman 8. My Sweet Escape 9. Nota Nurul 10. Life’s Tapestry 11. Spontaneous Insignificancy 12. LadyJava 13. Miss Igorota 14. AnnyBoo 15. Yoon See 16. Jia’s Life 17. Nessa’s Mumblings 18. Also Mommy 19. The Walk of Life 20.Pretty Firefly 21. Untouchable EARTH 22. Baterya 23. Comedy Plus 24. Bain Cardin 25. Strawberry Milkshake 26. Turn-U-Off 27. Jom Heboh Di Sini 28. Notes by Marvic 29. Memoir Mez 30.Origena 31.Walking Newspaper 32. Nurul Aqilah 33. Bluedreamer 34. Breaking the Boundaries 35. Life According to Me 36. A Great Pleasure 37. Time Goes By 38. Kancing itu Butang 39. In my Kitchen 41. Fyzal’s Territory 40. Wiggy’s World 40. A Simple Life 41. A Taxi Ride 42. Single Life of Me 43. Little Bits of Info 44. Ode to Adrienne 45. KMP 46. Mommy’s Little Corner 47. Wondermom 48. Tom’s Place 4 Well Whatever 49. Empty Streets 50. Crafty Heart 51. Phat Wallet 52. AtheAthirahTaha 53. Phat Woman 54. Off The Top Of My Head 55. Simple Happy Life 56. Moore Blog Life 57. Twisted Sister 58. Fickleminded 59. Sweet Nothings 60. Fida Abbot 61.Business Matters 62.5577 Studio 63. Embrace Life 64.KuE 65. Mom’s Special Diary 66.You’re next!

*End Copy Here*

The Mask

Random aboriginal mask spotted at The Outpost in Disney World's Epcot theme park in Orlando, Florida. Suddenly, she remembered that Jim Carey movie about a mysterious mask with magical powers.

Temple of Heaven

At Disney World's China Pavilion, Miss Iggy saw a gorgeous replica of Beijing's Temple of Heaven.

Inside, you'll see an exhibit called "Reflections of China," which includes a small-scale version of the Terra Cotta Warriors.

hungry for hungary?

Euro Iggy has been quite a busy doll these days, but she's happy to share all about her recent trip to Budapest soon! Stay tuned!

Ni Hao from Epcot's China Pavilion!

Miss Iggy at the grandiose arch leading to the China Pavilion at Epcot, where she witnessed some awesome Chinese acrobats perform balancing acts with simultaneous twirling action. There's actually one more girl at the bottom, but it was hard to zoom in on the action with so many people in front of us.

Miss Iggy felt like watching the Artistic Gymnastics competitions at the Olympics, or the circus. They're so amazing!

Under Miss Iggy's Umbrellas

Miss Iggy loved the colorful parasols at the China Pavilion of DisneyWorld's Epcot. There's a World Showcase in the theme park featuring select countries from around the world and China is one of such countries.

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Disney's Animal Kingdom is a 9-5 kind of theme park in Spring because of the live animals featured therein that require special care. They close as late as 8PM during summer, though. It is highly advised that visitors arrive as soon as the theme park opens to maximize the precious hours you have to see the sights, attractions and enjoy the rides.

Ride-wise, its highlight is the Expedition Everest roller coaster ride. A Yeti hides somewhere in that snowy mountain to scare the living daylights out of you and to capture that Kodak moment of you screaming your lungs out in an instant photo souvenir.

"The Pirate and the Parrot"

Miss Igorota sends warm Father's Day greetings from the "El Pirata y El Perico" restaurant at Magic Kingdom to all the dads and father figures out there. Where will your family take you on your special day?

It should be a double celebration, because today also marks the official First Day of Summer in the States! Woohooo!

Yo-ho, Yo-ho...Wherefore Art Thou, Jack Sparrow?

Land Ho! It's the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride at Magic Kingdom's Adventureland! This audio-animatronic boat ride was the last attraction that Walt Disney himself participated in with respect to designing it and is of course the inspiration for the movie trilogy of the same name....starring Johnny Depp as the savvy Capt. Jack Sparrow.

The entrance leads you to a dungeon-like place where you get on board a boat that sails through dimly-lit scenes from the movie. Pillaging pirates and gypsies and near the end....Capt. Jack Sparrow surrounded by treasures singing this pirate hymn.

Just outside this attraction is the live Jack Sparrow himself, teaching little kids how to fence (with a blunt wooden sword for safety). Much to the disappointment of the swooning females in the crowd (including Miss Iggy), Jack Sparrow does not do autographs!

Dumbo-dore

Dum-bo-dore:

1. (v.) To express adoration or fascination for Dumbo, or anything akin to this flying elephant of Disney lore.

2. (n.) "Genetically modified" character from the wildly popular wizard-themed novels by J.K. Rowling.

e.g. "I dumbodore your cute ears!," said Miss Iggy at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida.

Oh Mickey You're So Fine

Miss Iggy at the welcoming statue of Walt Disney himself and Mickey Mouse in front of the Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. The sculpture is called "Partners." This is one photo op you shouldn't miss when visiting the Magic Kingdom.

The inscription beneath the statue reads, "We believe in our ideas: a family park where parents and children can have fun -- together." Walt Disney dreamt of such a family park when he built Disneyland in California, and look at how his theme parks have expanded globally!

A Whole New World at Walt Disney World!

Miss Iggy couldn't contain her excitement as they entered Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The welcome sign reads that it's "Where Dreams Come True!" It's also where kids of all ages celebrate with their favorite Disney characters.

The area occupied by the entire Walt Disney World Resort is so vast that it's like a city by itself! Disney World comprises four theme parks and thus has the tagline "Four Parks, One World."

First on the itinerary was Magic Kingdom. We arrived just in time for the street parade!

Catch a snippet of the parade fun here:

The Cinderella Castle: the epitome of where all "Once Upon a Time" stories begin (and where Happily Ever Afters end), and also where you want to be at night for the magical "Wishes Fireworks" display. Right after such spectacle, Miss Iggy spied a marriage proposal amongst the crowd. It was so romantic!

Mother and Child Outdoor Chapel

To the right of the Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando, Florida is an outdoor chapel dedicated to the Mother and Child. Your path is lined with lovely palm trees, the same ones she saw in Myrtle Beach. Those bells actually chime at certain times.

It's a tranquil place for prayer and meditation where you can also light candles.

Miss Iggy admired the statue of the Mother and Child inside. After all, she herself is a mother...with a child!

After a solemn moment, she was ready to head out to Disney World!

Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine

Miss Iggy sends warm, sunshiny greetings from the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando, Florida. She was here one sunny Sunday last April. It's the closest Catholic church in the DisneyWorld area.

It's a large church once you're inside with a seating capacity of 2,000. It has a museum and gift shop.

And lots of palm trees!

durian garden in polomolok

you won't miss durian garden atbp. ("atbp." is short for "at iba pa," meaning "et cetera") at barangay sulit, polomolok, south cotabato in the philippines. there's a giant sliced durian at the entrance!

the place isn't just a garden of exotic flowers such as hibiscus of all colors imaginable and other unique flora you just won't see in manila. there's also a butterfly sanctuary, mini-zoo of animals, some endangered, such as the bird on the painting which miss iggy got to see for real.

and yes, they have ostriches!

and that's not all, there's also a restaurant/gift shop where you can taste durian ice cream (see below) and durian pie! they're both delicious! there were bits of cheese in the ice cream. you can bring home some durian polvoron, too! (goldilocks surely doesn't carry that flavor!)

and what's a gift shop without a souvenir shirt, right? they have it, too! and virtually every local food product such as jams/preserves made from pineapples and guavas. also worth buying is their own version of achara or pickled papaya, sold in jars. since they contain vinegar and are in breakable containers, you must pack them separately in a box or styrofoam container and checked in when flying back to manila.

an inconvenient fruit

behold, the mighty durian..."the forbidden fruit!"

this thorny fruit is hailed by its southeast asian patrons as "the king of fruits," probably because of its intimidating appearance and odor! the exterior resembles the jackfruit, but its funky smell is its distinguishing factor. you wouldn't want to eat it before a date! breath mints will be powerless!

"durian" comes from the malay word "duri," meaning "thorn." at the durian garden in polomolok, south cotabato, philippines last december, miss iggy had her first encounter of the durian kind! the taste is the complete opposite of its smell, some may probably consider it an "acquired taste," but chef andrew zimmern of "bizarre foods" (who tried it in malaysia) thought otherwise!

water show at the pier shops at caesars

don't think that the pier shops at caesars mall in atlantic city is just about high-end shopping. drop in inside for this free, 6-minute water show aptly called "the show" which dazzles people with complex water/lights/sound spectacle every hour on the hour, from 9am to 11pm.

the water doesn't just come from below, but also from above!

check this out:

"The Show" is the world's largest indoor fountain matrix of 150 individually controlled fountain nozzles, a 19,000 gallon reflecting pool, 179 LED and intelligent lighting fixtures, which create illuminated water effects with infinite color possibilities, and state-of-the-art audio technology.

one time, they used the song "fever." it was soooo cool! (now isn't that an oxymoron?) this is just the show to keep your senses hydrated this summer! oh, and did i mention that it's free?

miss iggy about town

to native benguet folk, going to baguio city (the province's tourist capital) is referred to as going to "town":

one can ride a jeepney:

have a sumptuous meal at the famous Rose Bowl Restaurant along Harrison Road:

check out bargains at the local second-hand shops near Burnham Park:

and for the civic-oriented:

walking around town you might see bits of art on the street:

downtown in baguio is vibrant as ever!

oh say, can you SEA?

actually, it's the atlantic ocean, in atlantic city. just beyond miss iggy is "the pier shops at caesars" mall, which has a gorgeous observation area behind glass panels on the top floor where you can enjoy the atlantic scenery on adirondack chairs.

miss iggy has a winner!

miss iggy would like to thank the people who joined the first blogoversary giveaway last month and for sharing your travel suggestions. miss iggy believes that travel is an inspiring experience, and she's inspired by the destinations you've explored! she'll definitely keep those places in mind as she looks into the horizon, hopeful about the new adventures and journeys ahead of her (and mr. iggy!).

finally, the lucky winner of the hallmark "life's a trip" travel journal and lot of assorted postcards (randomly, electronically picked by random.org) is........

congratulations, msfirefly!

[photo above is at a casino in atlantic city, taken without flash because photography inside casinos is prohibited! sometimes, miss iggy likes to break some rules.]

birthday wishes for princess ody in vienna

on behalf of the sisterhood of the traveling igorota, jersey iggy sends these flowers to our "royal" correspondent in vienna celebrating her birthday today--princess ody!

princess ody has traveled with euro iggy/vienna vixen iggy to exquisite destinations (apart from her homebase in austria) such as greece, germany, and turkey! she's quite the cosmopolitan correspondent! of course, miss iggy enjoys that!

have an enchanting day!

Miss Igorota's 15 Minutes of Cyber-Fame

• JessicaRulestheUniverse.com (Jessica Zafra's blog)
  
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• AsTheCrackerheadCrumbles
  
• Litratong Pinoy
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• FuelMyBlog
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