Author Archives: sheg4184

Manila: City of Contrasts

Posted on 5 November 2011 by sheg4184

An oxymoron is something that consists of incongruous, disparate or contradictory elements. For me, the word oxymoron describes Manila perfectly. And the first jarring disparity struck me almost the minute I stepped off the plane at Ninoy Aquino International Airport: … Continue reading →

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Jamming at the Fruit Garden

Posted on 4 November 2011 by sheg4184

“The rule is: jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never jam today” So says the White Queen to Alice in Lewis Carroll’s ‘Through the Looking Glass’ For those of us who like jam every day, I would like to introduce … Continue reading →

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Who Will Buy?

Posted on 25 October 2011 by sheg4184

The Flowers All the names I know from nurse: Gardener’s garters, Shepherd’s purse, Bachelor’s buttons, Lady’s smock, And the Lady Hollyhock… by Robert Louis Stevenson Well, we didn’t find Lady’s Smock or Hollyhocks, but then the Dangwa market is a … Continue reading →

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Volcanoes in Salcedo!

Posted on 20 October 2011 by sheg4184

Once upon a time, an Aussie wandered east to California, to train as a chocolatier. Returning to Sydney some time later, he launched a range of chocolate dipped fruit, fresh, dried and glace. He dubbed them Naughty Fruits and supplied … Continue reading →

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Drifting Down the Mekong

Posted on 15 October 2011 by sheg4184

Flying into Saigon provided a stunning aerial view of immense snaking waterways, twisting and turning through the city and surrounding countryside. Growing up in a South Australian city that boasts only a narrow creek, I am always impressed by the … Continue reading →

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Cooking up a Storm in Saigon

Posted on 15 October 2011 by sheg4184

Our day started at dawn. We were to meet Chef Bao from the Vietnam Cookery Centre at the Ben Thanh Market in downtown Saigon. Chef Bao proved hard to miss. Dressed in his white chef’s jacket, he was shaped just … Continue reading →

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Sailing across Lake Ta’al

Posted on 12 October 2011 by sheg4184

As a relative newcomer to Manila, I have been trawling the guide books and the memories of long term residents for good day or weekend trips out of Manila.  I quickly discovered that Tagatay and Lake Ta’al tend to be … Continue reading →

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Housekeeping in Tondo

Posted on 9 October 2011 by sheg4184

Brigada Eskwala is an initiative designed by the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) and organized by the Head teachers, to clean up and refurbish schools for the beginning of the school year. As part of a nationwide effort to raise … Continue reading →

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Lu’s

Posted on 4 October 2011 by sheg4184

We found Lu’s on a busy, wet Friday night after a string of unexpected turns. Firstly, the rain had prevented us walking to our intended destination, and it apparently prevented the taxis coming our way, too. We ended up walking … Continue reading →

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Messing About in Boats

Posted on 3 October 2011 by sheg4184

There are few holidays as peaceful as drifting down a river in a boat. Or as Ratty puts it so blithely in Wind in the Willows, ’there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply … Continue reading →

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