Showing posts with label southeast asia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label southeast asia. Show all posts

Friday, July 25, 2008

25 - Ha Tien, Vietnam


On the coastal border with Cambodia.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

19 - Bicoli, Halmahera, Indonesia



On the E peninsula of the big island W of New Guinea. Here's a butterfly native to the island:

Thursday, July 17, 2008

17 - Zamboanga, Philippines



On the tip of Mindanao's western peninsula.

Zamboanga City brings its best foot forward during the popular Fiesta Pilar, celebrated in honor of the city's patron saint, La Nuestra Senora del Pilar de Zaragoza Our Lady of the Pillar of Zaragoza, Spain. A statue honoring the saint is prominently embossed above the façade on the eastern wall of the meter-thick walled fort called El Real Fuerza de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza (also called El Real Fuerza de San José in its early days). This Spanish military fort was built on June 23, 1635, by the Spanish Jesuit priest Fr. Melchor de Vera in defense against pirates and slave raiders. Zamboanga City is one of the oldest cities in the country and is the most Hispanized. It is also one of the largest cities in the world in terms of area, with over 1,480 km², including its 28 surrounding islands. Its recorded population in 2007 was 774,407.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

25 - Xieng Khoang, Laos

City in the center of the North. Also the province that's home to the famous Plain of Jars. Here's some Lao Karaoke on the subject:

P.S. Second day in a row on Plate 25 — Xs don't appear on every atlas page so I had to go for what was near.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

25 - Wiang Pa Pao, Thailand

60mi. NE of Chiang Mai. In Thai script, that's เวียงป่าเป้า. Here's what it looks like to ride a motorcycle in the area:

Sunday, March 23, 2008

19 - Quezon, Negros, Philippines

Main town on the island's E coast. It, like many other places named Quezon in the country, is named for Manuel Quezon, who was the first, or the second, or the third President of the Philippines, depending on who you ask (but who died in the USA in 1944, in exile during the Japanese occupation). All this was before the US granted the Philippines true independence on (how convenient) July 4, 1946.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

18 - Pontianak, Kalimantan, Indonesia

Borneo's westernmost midsize city, located directly on the equater. Also, pontinak is a Malay term for a sort of female vampire. There's quite a Youtube genre of purported pontianak viedos. Nor sure if any actually take place in Pontianak, though