~MVI~ (expiring pro account)'s photostream

January 2012

Not really. They were in full public view and I just happened to be in the balcony of the beach hotel. The leaves and the balcony rail were included to give that paparazzi effect. Blocking the faces was also intentional to protect privacy (January 2012).

I think the smoking rooms at the Dubai airport were designed to discourage smokers from using them and quit smoking at least while they are there. The rooms are pitifully small and cramped with poor ventilation. So I went to one of those smoking restobars which requires a minimum purchase of 35 dirhams that is the equivalent of a cup of coffee. But the cost is worth the ambiance after an overnight 8-hour flight. Plus the restobar has an almost all-Filipino crew who gave me a 50 percent discount (~MVI~ 2011 Archive).

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE. The church is strategically situated on a hill overlooking the central town plaza that makes it unique among other churches in the Philippines (January 2012).

The Ilocana poet Leona Florentino is considered as as the "mother of Philippine women's literature" and the "bridge from oral to literary tradition" according to Wikipedia. She also the mother of the great unionist Isabela Delos Reyes. Her stature above announces the gateway to Vigan's heritage town (January 2012).