Poconos Pt. 2 (Skiing and Split Rock)

If skiing were on everyone's bucket list, no one would leave this earth discontent. After all, if you go skiing for the first time, you're really not far from kicking the bucket, haha! There's this certain high you get from flying high up and, instead of landing on your feet, you slide even more all the way down. You pick up speed along the way and, once you attempt to halt abruptly, you find yourself accelerating and before you know it, you've got gymnasts beat with your tumbling and splitting.

I have to say it takes guts and bruises, or if you're unlucky- a broken knee, to learn how to ski. Also, it must be gradual. You don't expect to learn if you start with the most deadly trail; more often than not, you'll just end up head first. Having said that, you also have to keep your momentum by challenging yourself sooner than you can.

One great thing about Poconos is that it has several "adventures" corresponding to different levels of difficulty. You can start taking lessons in the morning and, at the end of the day, you will have conquered the steepest slope. If you get bored, there's always snowboarding or sledding.

So why should skiing merit a spot on your things to do before I die? It is fun because you know you're gonna die but you still end up alive. No seriously, there are no words that can justify the feeling you get. Just get out and do it!

Tip for the Indio: Poconos is a range of mountains. If you're from Penn, you'll most likely prefer Big Boulders (by proximity). Also, if you intend to spend a night or two, Split Rock is highly recommended: luxurious rooms, copious food, friendly hosts and a whole lot of amenities plus shuttle services to the ski sites.

Poconos Mountains

Way up north of Philadelphia, off the northeastern tip of Pennsylvania where it meets New Jersey lies, in tranquil nobility, a mountain range called the Poconos.

Poconos' recalcitrant beauty does not conform to the standards of the world. The mountains do not have a perfect cone shape; in fact, the slopes are close to rugged. The terrains are near boring that not a mountaineer would find them worth an adventure. What it has are landscapes that are witnesses to nature's magnificence as each season unfolds.

*Credits to NOC people, Xiao Qing and Junhao, for some of the pics

Unlike in many parts of the world, the mountains within that region enjoy equal turns of spring, summer, fall and winter. Lakes turn into layers of ice, and snowflakes give way to budding bloodroots as the ethereal view of the same sun-lit sky pleases tourists. Despite this, Poconos needs no reason to delight tourists; it is not pretentious, but sublime.

While you see celebrities and skilled skiers in Aspen, you see common people in Poconos. The houses and resorts do not compare, but they give as much fun, nonetheless. The bottomline, really, is in the fact that it is not commercialized and, thus, it is not commonplace; it's a new experience.

There is no reason to impress because Poconos is not famed to begin with but the fact that it is regularly visited by people from Penn, Jersey, New York and other states makes it a worthwhile experience. Many even start to migrate and permanently live in the area. These are the very warm people you casually meet on the slopes or the lakeside. They won't tell you how woderful the place is but they'll make you feel wonderful.

Poconos may not be as picturesque as Aspen in Colorado, or as vast as Killington in Vermont, but it's magical all the same. But unlike Aspen or Killington, its simple magic knows neither a reason nor a season.

Cirque du Soleil

I am waiting on history books to write Cirque du Soleil as the quintessential marketing strategy via creating a new marketplace. It is a "dramatic mix of circus art and street entertainment" but, for me, it is so much more. By mixing elements of circus, broadway, film and stand-up comedy, Cirque du Soleil reaches out to a whole new genre of entertainment and followers.

Almost a misnomer, Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun) is not about the sun but of everything under the sun. It showcases moves, figures, humor and culture from all over the world. The man on the left, for example, depicts the Chinese art of balancing and maneuvering a path to the top through deconstructed chair patterns. Along the way, he demonstrates figures from martial arts.

There is, indeed, a gamut of styles to feast upon from acrobatics, gymnastics, dance, magic down to comedy and new media- all in for your dollars' worth. The excessive flamboyance of the decorations and the talented cast make the show even more appealing. It is not just circus, it's a whole new experience altogether.

Most importantly, unlike any other acrobatics show, it has a storyline. That which celebrates the diversity of people and, contrary to reality, that which ends in harmony and hope. And I think that's the reason why it sells. It takes your imagination to a place where art and peace can co-exist, it makes you feel good. It encourages taking up many a different masks of personalities yet celebrates the uniqueness of every individual as the bottomline of every pretention. And then it leads you all the way to a circumspect end: beauty that is beyond what your eyes had seen, it touches your soul all the same. I'm a huge fan!


Tip for the Indio: For cheaper deals, make sure to book your tickets way ahead of the show dates. Also, avoid Disneyland or Universal Studios Cirque du Soleil slates; they are much more expensive. Instead, check out the cast's regular tours. And no cameras allowed; I was breaking the rule on that one.

Penn Bookstore

Leges sine moribus vanae

Many of my fondest memories come from this brick and glass tower with letters that read Penn Bookstore forming its facade. In here, one of my closest friends met a European guy that would soon take her out on a date. In here, a professor and I occasionally met to discuss the dreams I have for my life. In here, I read paradigm-changing books that carved an impact on my relationships. In here, I spent the loneliest of my times in Philly. But, in here, I was happiest and most content, as every minute fleeted with the turn of every page in a book, so did my past mistakes and sorrows.

It's strategically-located at 36th and Walnut, it's hard to miss. Two blocks from the Engineering building where I did most of my courses. Two blocks from Huntsmall Hall (Wharton School) where I did all my homeworks. Two blocks from the Science Center where I did full-time for a biomedical start-up. And a little less than five blocks from my apartment at Pine St., but if home is where the heart is, it's never a single block away for it's so strategic, it's hard to miss.

Upto now, my impression of the place is vivid. It's a bookstore, a library, a coffee shop and a mall rolled in one. If you know me so well, those are all I need to complete a day. To me, nothing beats finishing a book just about the time you sip the last of your espresso, or lazing around the company of non-fiction until Peihiang signals it's closing time already.

But it's not the books but what you make out of them that matters. I have very great memories of Penn Bookstore because this is where I spend an evening after a depressing day at work. This is where I vent my frustrations- one a many books witness un-accomplishments and too many coffee cups of broken dreams. This is where I climb up and walk down from strained relationships, never walking out nor quitting a climb.

Most of all, this is where I made sense out of my life. Many people saw the big change in my character, but not how difficult it was. That's why Penn Bookstore is so important to me- it was the only one that saw my struggles. Of long-term goals and ambitions that eventually became "things that will make me happy." Of too many ideals that turned second to valuing relationships.

It was too much of a struggle because I was sent to the University of Pennsylvania to cut throat and be the best that I can be. But it was rewarding, at the same time, because there's a place like Penn Bookstore where I can be myself and prioritize the things that are more important to me. Three years after, they are the same things that keep me moving. They are not the laws that I made for my life, rather the passion that comes with them. And if you only look past the brick and glass facade of Penn, you'll know that is really what it's trying to tell you.

Laws without morals are in vain, UPenn motto

Bonifacio High Street

Whoever said 'there's no place like Atlantic City' has not been to Manila. Even a cursory look at Bonificio High Street in Taguig City, Philippines will tell you that it's right out the Jerseyan movies. The architecture, the big shops and the skyline of Global City littering the background give the exact same feel of Atlantic City minus the beach and the boardwalk.

I surmise the concept is the same: leisure and 'comprehensive' shopping amidst a busy district which naturally creates a cosmopolitan atmosphere. It's like premium outlets spread in perimeters of green much like designer shops juxtaposed for models on go-sees. Needless to say, the Boni High Street is at the ranks of high fashion what with the many premium outlets and specialty stores that highlight the place.

If Atlantic City has the boardwalk and a sophisticated gambling reputation, Boni High St. compensates through a more high-end food and bar culture opposite, Serendra. The vibrant scene is made even more vibrant by gallivanting locals and tourists; you realize you don't need to be in Atlantic City to see quality hosts and escorts.

The next time you're in Boni, try balancing yourself while walking along the metal tiles lining the park, grab a Taffy and chew it as slowly as you can, close your eyes and imagine the sea breeze from the Atlantic. And then you'll figure that the Boardwalk experience is nothing but 10,000 miles away from home with only a few pesos in your pocket for the cab fare.

Puerto Rico

One gawks at majestic sunsets, another conquers terrains and still another discovers culture and tradition. The best thing about traveling to a country like Puerto Rico is that you get all these and more; you experience people. To say that Puerto Ricans are the most hospitable in the world is still a gross understatement.

One great thing about hovering the globe is that you begin to challenge notions, say your standard of hospitality. I grew up in a country where guests and gods are equals but it never occured to me that one main criterion to qualify a god is omnipresence. While I was busy serving my guest, my counterparts in Puerto Rico were not merely servants but companions to a visitor.

One day you walk the parks of Ceiba and someone offers to guide your hike up El yunque mountains, every step of the way. He patiently waits while you catch your breath and he willingly takes your pictures from the edge of a cliff a meter from the foreground. When you reach the peak, he shows you what un fantastico mundo we have but, at the back of your head, you begin to realize that it's really warm strangers that make a wonderful world. He walks you down and drives you to the best markets that serve the best local food as you admire the quiet majesty of Luquillo Beach. And then he says goodbye, and you know you're definitely better than before you met.

One night, you walk the strips of Old San Juan from calle to calle and someone grabs you by your shoulder and lets you in for empanadilla and pina colada. You admire their way of life, how it's so easy and relaxed, how it reminds you of home.

One afternoon, you find a stranger offering you arroz con pollo when all the shops sign cerrado for a local electoral parade. And then you learn that Puerto Rico's reputation for beauty does not come from beauty pageants but from the ordinary guy or girl down the aisle smiling at you as you walk by.

One day, after months have gone, you're feeling lonely, you reminisce. And then someone writes you an e-mail saying how much he misses you and thanking you for that little encounter you had even if it were just for a few fleeting hours climbing up that mountain. It touches you as you know he had to walk kilometers to the city just so he can use a computer to write you an e-mail. He says his name is Benjamin, but you know you won't forget him throughout your lifetime even if he doesn't. And that's hospitality.

It's true what they say about traveling- that you never come back the same. But when you see Puerto Rico, you never come back at all because, for starters, you had me at Hola!

Cream Cheese

If there's anything that's completely synonymous to Philadelphia, it's cream cheese that, once more, it had to be named for it. True to the purpose of this blog, I am sharing a secret. Contrary to popular belief, cream cheese is not cheapest in Pennsylvania but in New Jersey. The only plausible logic I can come up with is that the factories where these cream cheese are made are so much nearer New Jersey than Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Ironically, using cream cheese for one's Philly cheesesteak is the eighth of the capital sins. I reckon it has to do with the cheese's coarse and creamy texture which, apparently, does not work with thinly sliced tenderloin.

A year in Philadelphia had me raving about how simple ingredients can turn out to be the fanciest of flavors. The key lies in pairing the unique sweet-tanginess of Philadelphia with the neutral and acidic qualities of basic food. I have come up with my top three choices for local cream cheese-based food:

1. Blueberry bagel and cream cheese. Imagine sour and creamy cheese spread over mildly-salty freshly-baked bagel topped with sweet and juicy blueberries; heaven! And the best part is, it's so simple to make.

2. Philadelphia roll. I am not a sushi person that for me to rave about raw fish is one main feat. Much to my surprise, trying succulent fish bathed in cream cheese and wrapped with vinegar rice was actually a very pleasant surprise. Ajia is a Japanese sushi buffet bar in Center City that serves great Philadelphia rolls.

3. Cheesecakes. Yada, yada, yada, everyone knows cheesecakes are made of cream cheese. In Philadelphia, however, cream cheese is paired with sour cream and, mind you, it does more than wonders. In fact, it is so good it can work as a stand-alone, much like blueberry cheesecake sans blueberries. But it's not a New York cheesecake (which doesn't embellish toppings too) either because the New York one does not use sour cream. Aptly, it has to be Philadelphia cheesecake; another reason why Philly is so underrated.

Philadelphia

What better way to debut than to showcase the city that inspired me to start this blog.

When people say you find love in the big city, they forget to tell you it's actually a two-hour bus ride from there. Whether it's romantic or platonic is, of course, another thing. But the good part is that, while you may spend years looking for love in New York, you see it, you hear, smell, taste, feel it the moment you set foot in Philadelphia. And I didn't include 'taste' just so I could complete all human senses; if you ever chance upon a Philly cheesesteak, you'll know why. But that topic is so glorious, I'm saving it for another post.

It's a city of deep brotherly love that it had to be named for it. People call each other dude, bro, homie that it makes you feel, indeed, at home. Once you get out of your apartment, you are bombarded with compliments be it a praise on a green messenger bag you are wearing or a simple "Hi" to complete your morning cereal.

Quaint from the standards of a concrete jungle that is New York, the city skyline is more subdued, as though focusing on its rich history and even richer culture. The city architecture takes you back to ages of civil war and foreign colonization while the 'embedded' scenic parks remind you of a laidback yet equally hardworking people.

Often, Philadelphia is overlooked in the world food map, but there's really a lot more to Philadelphia than cheesesteaks. There's cream cheese and bagel, hoagies (though this is really not that exclusive) and hotdogs. I would even go as far as saying Philadelphia has the best fried chicken (Crowne) that would give Texas- and Kentucky Fried Chicken a run for their money. Of course, Crowne does not ring a louder bell, which is really the point of this blog (remember, less popular but more fulfilling).

If you are after a more classy treat, I suggest The Prime Rib and Buddakan. Philadelphia boasts of a lot of uniquely-themed restaurants but of these, the two I mentioned are my favorites. Buddakan is an Asian-fusion restaurant which serves out-of-this world dishes, while The Prime Rib grows its own top-quality cattle that end up medium rare on your China plate :D. But, but, be sure to visit these on Restaurant Week to get 5-star finds at fastfood prices. What's more, the daily happy hour in Center City right smack before dinner incites a very light and casual mood among random patrons. Great food, overflowing alcohol, people singing in the streets, there's no doubt Philly is the new New York.