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Tzu Chi Philippines

Tzu Chi Foundation was founded by Dharma Master Cheng Yen, a Taiwanese Buddhist nun, who encountered so many challenges at a young age which led her to Buddhist Monasticism with a vow to work for Buddhism and for the good of all living sentients. With over 10 million members worldwide, it is one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world. 

Last November 8, 2019, I was invited to be a part in the 25th anniversary of the Tzu Chi Foundation in the Philippines. 

The afternoon was composed of four parts: Taiwanese Street Food Market, Tour of the Eye Center, Tour of the Livelihood Center, and the book launch of Ms. Ayla Honasan's, "A Mission of Love." 




  
  
 
Out of the food I had that afternoon, this was the most intriguing one. I expected it to be milk/ milk tea shaved ice but it's taho flavor shaved ice. I want to know where else can I get this. lol

Tzu Chi Philippines
  
Tzu Chi Philippines

The portrait on the wall is Dharma Master Cheng Yen.

 Tzu Chi holds medical missions regularly to give free medical operations and surgeries to patients who have cataracts and other illness that needs surgical assistance.

Tzu Chi Philippines

They don't ask for payment but the facilities and machines are at par with those from the private hospitals. 

Tzu Chi Philippines

I am a Roman Catholic but I am also interested in Buddhism which explains all the Temples I've visited and posted about in this blog. I appreciated how they emphasize that the foundation doesn't discriminate other people's beliefs. It encompasses all religion and recipients of the help are not required to convert to Buddhism. Still, I believe that learning more about Buddhism no matter what religion we're practicing is not a bad idea. After all, it serves to provide a proper direction and guidance to life.


We went up to the third floor in time for the releasing of the free eye glasses to these students.

Tzu Chi Philippines

Next was the Livelihood Center.

They offer classes/short courses on Caregiving, Dressmaking/Sewing, Welding; Aircon & Refrigeration Repair. This program helps participants to acquire the needed skill and education so they can become income earners within a short period of time. 


Welding/ Machines

Tzu Chi Philippines

Sewing

   
Caregiving

After the tour of the center, we went back to the main building for the book launch. 



Ms. Ayla Honasan gave us a brief background of the book, "Mission of Love" 


Tzu Chi Foundation’s “Four Major Missions” consist of Charity, Medicine, Education, and Humanity. 


Tzu Chi Philippines

To know more about Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines and its activities, follow these social media pages: 

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Interested volunteers or donors may contact the following numbers:  (632) 8732-0001 and (632) 8732-0002

Location: Tzu Chi Great Love Campus, Sta. Mesa, Manila.
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 After walking around near the border of Macau and Zhuhai, we rode a bus to get here. From the border, we rode the free shuttle bus of MGM to MGM Grand. I have the backlog ready but I chose to post this first.

At first, it was more confusing to ride the city buses in Macau 'cause not only don't we have a loose change for the payment, we didn't know the routes. What usually happened was we looked for the pick-up points of the free casino hotel shuttle buses and then work our way from there since we weren't in a hurry anyway. On our third day, the places in our itinerary weren't shuttled by the hotels. We got used to riding the public city buses and we had enough smaller bills for the fare so it became easier.


MGM Grand


We didn't go inside the MGM Grand since the other MGM along Cotai Strip was the one in our itinerary. When we went home to the Philippines, we saw in one of the photos uploaded in Instagram that the interior of this MGM was beautiful too. Kinda like the Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas with big butterfly statues on display inside the main hall. 


Statue of Kun Iam - Buddhist Goddess of Love, Mercy, and Compassion

This is located in the waterfront area in Macau Peninsula. 

One of the reasons why I liked Macau is it was a mix of everything that interests me. For the religion aspect, albeit Buddhism being the predominant religion in the area, they have several Roman Catholic churches there as well. I am a practicing Roman Catholic but I observe Buddhism as a way of life/living. I see to it that I stop by and visit Buddhist temples whenever I travel. No. Actually, scratch that 'cause I like visiting temples of various religions.


The dome below the statue is a Lotus-shaped Ecumenical Center which is accessible for free to the public. 


This place is like an isolated part of Macau peninsula despite having several hotels in front of it. One the other side, btw, you can see the ferries from Hong Kong. I might blog about the border crossing of HK - Macau too. 

Singapore - Indonesia Border Crossing via Ferry

It was smoggy in Macau so the photos are gloomy. But in the photo above, there's a faint white statue of Goddess A-Ma - the goddess of seafarers and fishermen on top of the mountain. That area is Coloane, there is a cultural village and the coastal trail is there as well. I was expecting Macau to be a small country but it was smaller than what I was expecting. Have we allotted a week there, we could've toured around the whole country. 

Macau Beyond Casinos Tour: Hac Sa Long Chao Kok Coastal Trail (黑沙海濱馬路)


We knew Wynn Hotel has a fountain show outside that's why we waited until sunset in that area so we can watch it. 

The show in Wynn Palace along Cotai Strip is grander though this one was worth the visit as well. 

Macau: Wynn Palace, Cotai Strip


We had a lot of time to explore this area. As you can see, the tall building in the middle of this picture is Lisboa Hotel. It looks far from the water fountain but we were able to walk to a farther hotel where we had our dinner before going back to our hotel.


Ganda nito in person especially at night.

Very Downtown Vegas feels here in Macau Peninsula. Ganda ng night lights tapos may slight sea breeze pa.


From this angle, you can see where we came from. Sa dulo pa nung right most building (MGM Grand). HAHAHA! Para sa iba parusa na maglakad ng ganyang kahaba pero it was our normal. :)) Kakamiss din! Keri lang, madami naman nababalikan kagaya nito. 💓

March was a good month to visit Macau. Perfect weather! The second time I visited there was July and it was their summer so it was really hot and humid.

Macau Beyond Casinos: Afternoon Tea at Revolving Restaurant and Observation Deck Ticket


[Klook Links]
Macau Tower Admission 
Macau Tower 360° Café Lunch Buffet with Free Admission Ticket
Macau Tower 360° Café Afternoon Tea & Sky High Views
Macau Tower Skywalk with Free Admission


I don't know when will I be able to post all the places we visited in Macau but I've posted a descriptive itinerary before:

(4D4N) Macau Travel Itinerary; 'Cause it's more than a day tour

Macau Accommodation: Inn Hotel



Everything, in time. 💖

Personal Instagram | Travelling Through Food | Denden's Baking Room
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My favorite part of our Hong Kong Trip last year is Ngong Ping mainly because of the cable car ride. 


I didn't even read about what's in Ngong Ping Village beforehand 'cause the only thing I wanna do there is ride the cable car. HAHAHA!

Cable car, by the way, is my favorite mode of transportation. I like trains, buses, and airplanes too but since cable car rides don't last that long - mas special siya in a way.

Purchase tickets in advance:
[Klook Link] Hong Kong Ngong Ping Cable Car Ride

 
You have two options when it comes to the kind of gondola available to you. Unlike the one in Taiwan though where the cost is the same for both types, you pay a higher price if you want to ride the crystal cabin here in Hong Kong. We were able to cut lines since we have purchased the tickets before going there via Klook.

Maokong Gondola, Taipei, Taiwan link: here.


Central Hong Kong was crowded and full of high-rise buildings so going in Lantau Island was definitely a breather. Wide open spaces overlooking a body of water and the lush forest.


Tian Tan Buddha/ Big Buddha
Left hand: Fulfilling Wishes
Right hand: Imparting Fearlessness

The most iconic part of Ngong Ping. I was looking forward to climbing that all the way to the top but when got at the bottom - it was a bit crowded and no one wanted to go up with me so we just explored more of the place.


Kailan kaya babalik 'yung mga gala? 
I mean, hindi naman necessarily na out of the country. Nakakamiss lang 'yung freedom na napupuntahan mo gusto mo, nagagawa mo gusto mo at basta. hahaha! New found appreciation 'yan definitely pag bumalik 'yung freedom after the pandemic, noh? Sana soon. 


Health and Bliss 🙆🏻‍♀️

We didn't really do anything in Ngong Ping. Didn't even look around the stores and cafes there. We just walked and took photos. 


Ang ganda lang maglakad-lakad kahit medyo nakakapraning 'yung mga baka na nakakagala lang. Pero mas malamig dito compared sa central HK. Well, 'yun nga, mas mataas kasi na area.


This is like the Buddha in Indonesia and Singapore which makes sense since those three countries practice the same kind of Buddhism (I read about this before but I've forgotten the name).

This is different from those in Cambodia and Thailand. 


I've ridden two out of ten world's best cable car experience. I searched about this before as well and I used to dream of visiting the one in Vietnam 'cause that leads to the French Town and a tea farm but yea, postponed lang pero pwede pang puntahan. Universe, baka pwede 'yung mga nasa Europe na rin?? HAHAHA! Jusko. Kaya ayoko nagpo-post ng travel backlogs kasi heto na naman po akooooo. HAHAHA! 


Palm Springs' Aerial Tramway in California is somewhere on the list.
Link: here.


See you again, HK?

Pero ako, Macau, ikaw pa rin ata mas gusto at babalikan ko eh. 😂😂😂


Cotai Strip, Macau



Everything, in time. 💖

Personal Instagram | Travelling Through Food | Denden's Baking Room

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While it's easy to DIY Ho Chi Minh City, going to other tourist attractions like Mekong Delta, Cu Chi Tunnels etc. is more convenient and budget-friendly when joining a group tour. Since it's comfortable and not too expensive to join one, I knew from the get-go that we are joining a group tour. Lunch and a bottle of water is also included in the package. 


I've done Mekong Delta and Cu Chi Tunnels during my first time in Ho Chi Minh so we decided to join the Buddhist Vinh Trang Pagoda with Mekong Delta Tour this time.  

Cu Chi Tunnel Experience
Mekong Delta Tour


Klook Link: Book your  Full-Day Excursion to Mekong Delta here.

Although it's not a requirement during the Immigration interview, I think it's better to book online especially when it's your first time going out of the country so you'd have a voucher to show the officer just in case he/she asks for it. Apart from the hotel booking confirmation and return ticket, this can serve as a proof that you're touring in Ho Chi Minh and returning to the Philippines after.


We were staying in District 1, HCMC and it was within the scope of free pick-up so we just waited at the hotel lobby for our service.

After an hour or more of driving, we had a stop over here in Mekong Rest Stop. Some spent the time picture taking (like moi), toilet break, and some bought and ate breakfast. 


Weather in Vietnam is just like Philippines.

It was summer when we travelled and it was hot but there were clouds throughout the day and even a rain shower during the afternoon so it was bearable. 


Souvenir Shop

The photos below are from Vinh Trang Pagoda of Tien Giang Province.


Laughing Buddha


There are several statues of Buddha in this area.

I like visiting temples so here are other Buddhist temples that I've gone to: 

Buddhism
Temple
Buddha

Most of the posts are from temples in South Korea.


Reclining Buddha

The first time I saw this was in Wat Pho, Bangkok. I wasn't able to blog about it and I only knew that I didn't when I was looking for the link. Haha! Hope the universe leads me to seeing more Reclining Buddha in this life. 😂 I should probably post my tour in Ayutthaya 'cause there was also a Reclining Buddha there.




The design of the pagoda is a combination of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Cambodian. Our guide even said that it resembles Angkor Wat. What do you think?

Siem Reap, Cambodia: Angkot Wat Tour


Wasn't able to resist and bought an order of Chuoi Nep Nuong. This is banana wrapped in sticky rice then grilled. It is served with a coconut sauce but I decided not to get that since it was early in the morning. 



After a short bus ride, we arrived at the port. Our tour guide explained the summary of all the places that we will be visiting that afternoon, we had a short toilet break, and headed straight to the ferry. 


This was the our boat. 

 I honestly don't remember if it was the same kind of boat that we rode back in 2017. The river water was calm so no seasickness even if we rode boat and ferry multiple times for that tour.



On the way to Unicorn Island

Our tour guide explained well though I seldom paid attention. lol HAHAHA. I was looking at the view and I was thinking of Cambodia when we were here in Mekong Delta especially when he told us that heading upstream will lead us to Cambodia. Oh no. Thank you. 

It's possible that I'm never going back to Cambodia but if I find myself there again, I would definitely opt to book tours via Klook as well and never DIY. HAHAHA. So much trauma for a few hours experience in Tonle Sap but I learned a lot during that trip. I wouldn't be the traveler that I am now if not for Cambodia. HAHAHA. I know that this is Vietnam tour but I can't not think of Cambodia whenever I talk about Mekong Delta. 😂😂😂 Grabe. Ramdam ko pa rin 'yung trauma habang sinusulat ko 'to. 



These fruits are part of the package and visitors are serenaded with Vietnamese songs while eating. Bring extra money when going here 'cause there will be a lot of souvenir shops and tipping to do although it's not gonna be too expensive. 



Rode the small boat through the smaller canals and palm trees of Mekong Delta. Quite the experience since I didn't get to wear that hat during my first time visiting here.


If you like royal jelly and bee pollen then stock up here 'cause my sister said that the bee pollen was a lot cheaper than buying here in Manila.



Definitely not for people with bee allergy. 




Coconut candy and coconut products are also famous in this place. It's just that coconut products aren't that special for me since we have a lot of those in the Philippines too. haha!



Wine with Poisonous Snake

I haven't tasted this yet. A blogger friend of mine also went to Ho Chi Minh and she posted that their group was given free sample of this to taste. 



One of my favorite photos in Ho Chi Minh. <3


There's a mini zoo in the vicinity of the restaurant. I think you can feed this crocodiles for a fee as well. 



Fried Elephant Ear Fish or Giant Gourami is the main dish but there was pork and chicken dishes as well. 

The food served here are the same for all tourists but it's more delicious than what I remembered having before. There's rice but there's also rice paper and rice noodles should you prefer to eat this wrapped like a fresh spring roll. 

During the booking, you are asked to input your allergies and food restrictions if you have any for the restaurant to adjust when you arrive.


Rain shower after we ate our lunch so it took sometime before we were able to head back to the boat.


Back to Ho Chi Minh we go.


Going back to Ho Chi Minh took a longer time because of the traffic congestion but I was asleep most of the travel time so I didn't really notice the length.

We were again dropped off at our hotel.

It's good to choose hotels near the city center of Ho Chi Minh so you're close to most of the attractions. 


Klook Link: Book your  Full-Day Excursion to Mekong Delta here.

Everything, in time. 💖

Personal Instagram | Travelling Through Food | Denden's Baking Room 

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