• Things to do in Manila

    Things to do in Manila – Experiences from A Westerner

    We never know where we end up in life.  Sometimes you wander into a bar looking for a drink. Sometimes you stumble into a country on the other side of the world. The two events are different, but not unrelated. I grew up in Europe (Slovakia, to be more precise), lived most of my adult life in the United States, and, last year, married a Filipina.  That's not a trajectory that I could have predicted when I threw rocks into ditches as a 9-year old in Slovakia. I've visited the Philippines a few times now as a westernized adult, and it is quite an interesting place.  It is marketed as…

  • Three Faces of Canada: Toronto, Niagara Falls & Vancouver

    Three Faces of Canada: Niagara Falls, Toronto, and Vancouver

      Oh, Canada! The first thing I think of when I imagine Canada is the vastness of it.  It’s the second biggest country in the world by total area, behind only Russia.  If you wanted to drive across the whole of Canada, it would take you 2 full weeks!  I also think of hockey rinks, maple syrup, moose, Arcade Fire, and bears.  And also a weird accent which seems to hook words and twist them (how about becomes ah-boot). In truth, Canada is very urbanized, since more than 80% of people live in big cities.  We recently had a chance to visit two of the three biggest states in Canada: British…