The Anthem Philatelist

   Once upon a time... an old donkey was ill- treated by his master. Tired of such unkindness, he decided to run away, and when he heard that Bremen was looking for singers with the town band, he decided that someone with a fine braying voice like his might be accepted. As he went along the road, the donkey met a skinny dog , covered with sores. “Come with me. If you have a good bark, you’ll find a job with the band too. Just wait and see!”   A little later, a stray cat , no longer able to catch mice, joined them and the trio trotted hopefully on towards the town. As they passed a farmyard, they stopped to admire an elderly rooster who, with outstretched wings, was crowing to the skies. The donkey, the dog, the cat and the rooster “You sing well,” they told him. “What are you so happy about?”   “Happy?” muttered the rooster with tears in his eyes. “They want to put me in the pot and make broth of me. I’m singing as hard as I can today, for tomorrow I’ll

The Fujian Tulou , which literally means earthen buildings are the humble abode of the Hakka , endogenous mountain dwellers, in Fujian province.  After a few hours from highly urbanized Xiamen by car, we were led by our Chinese guides, whose ancestors were originally from Fujian, to rural China.   They  were excited as us, since they have never been there before. In hour half day tour, we were able to savor an authentic Tulou meal and drink their tea, interact with the natives and buy handcrafted works of art and some delicacies. A tulou is usually a large, enclosed and fortified earth building (there were a total of 46 in varying sizes) most commonly rectangular or circular, with very thick earth walls between three and five stories high.  We only visited the largest and 2 other unique houses. Traditionally, it houses an entire clan which can number up to 800 people. Smaller interior buildings are often enclosed by these huge peripheral walls which can contain halls, store

Machu Picchu was never found by the Spanish conquistadors.  This city was abandoned by the Incas to avoid being ravaged by the colonizers.  This was a strategic move by the Incans. A move that allowed us travelers to witness the wonder of this place today. The city would have been destroyed to ruins had the Incans fought.   After deplaning from Cuzco , I could feel my chest pounding and breathing heavily.  Good that I was able to acclimatized in a few days.  My oxygen saturation dipped to a low 70%. Some of my co-travelers became sick with vomiting and headache. One thought he had a pulmonary embolism. If unhealthy and unprepared, one could really die visiting this place so get yourself fit before visiting.  Descending down to Machu Picchu made me almost vomit.  The road was winding and snake-like which may trigger severe motion sickness. One of our colleagues had intravenous fluids given due to severe nausea and emesis. The edge was so close one could almost feel like falling

The great writer, Ernest Hemingway was a prominent fixture of Havana.  Even when the United State's  relation with Cuba soured, he chose to stay in the country longer than many Americans.  I can see why he loved this place- the ambiance, the drinks, the music, the views and people that inspire.   Old cars that look new abound and are heirlooms and maintained in polished conditions since no one can buy new cars in Havana- there are no car dealerships there.   Havana captivated me. People there are generally contented.  They are poetic and artistic.  While walking down the street, an old man approached me and said a poem to me in Spanish .  Good that I have some comprehension of the language which was taught in our HS in UP Cebu and in our college in CebuDoc .  He was telling me to celebrate life and be contented of what you have.  Havana Oonana!!

It’s time to hail Havana as one of the world’s great art cities. The Cuban capital has never lacked artistic credentials, but a growing band of small private galleries, fresh interest in outlandish street art and the emergence of the extraordinary art collectives has sparked a creative renaissance that has truly put the city on the map.  Havana’s artistic roots go deep. The city is home to the olde st arts academy in Latin America, the Academia de Bellas Artes San Alejandro , housed in a colonnaded building in Marianao. Founded in 1818, the academy has bred generations of precocious talent, most notably in the 1920s when it spawned the Vanguardia , a loose collection of painters and sculptors who, rejecting the contemporary penchant for mundane landscapes, invented Cuba’s avant-garde. ( Lonely Planet )  Sand Art Mural in Habana Vieja (Old Havana)