TravelswithCharie

Josefa Villanueva Reyes (Josefa Arnaldo) started her ballet training in the Philippines with Roberta and Ricardo Cassell (a student of Vincenzo Celli, an acclaimed ballet master, teacher and choreographer). She was formerly a member of the San Francisco Ballet Company, the San Francisco Opera Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet Celeste. Her performing experience includes multiple principal roles from the classical repertory.  Villanueva Reyes received a Certificate for taking part in the International Vaganova Conference/Demonstration in St. Petersburg, Russia which featured the entire 8-year system including Classical Dance, Character, History Dance and Variations. She has taken master classes from renowned Russian teachers including Sergeyev, Dudinskay, Golovkina, Kirsten Ralov and from Dina Bjorn. Further, she has taken classes under distinguished teachers in New York City including Valentina Pereyslavic, Leon Danelien, Frederic Franklin, David Howard and Juergen Schneider. Vill...

  Check out Christian’s Chronicles on Friday nights for some tips on writing. Charie Albar from TravelswithCharie.com will be the guest writer on Friday, January 29, 2021.  http://christiangeorgeacevedo.blogspot.com/2021/01/fridaynightwritersseries-charie-albar.html Excerpt from the interview: How did you discover that you have the passion and the talent for travel writing? There’s a quote that explains how I started writing. Ibn Battuta, a medieval Moroccan scholar and explorer once said, “Traveling leaves you speechless and then turns you into a storyteller”.  I became a storyteller after traveling a few times to Europe. My blog, TravelswithCharie, was and still is my journal and travel guide. When my travel articles were published by Fil-Am newspapers in the San Francisco Bay Area, I was more motivated than ever to write about my travel experiences. *****

Can’t wait to go back to Paris Dare we plan? Definitely! After a year of staying at home, many of us are eager to go somewhere and with the increasing availability of Covid-19 vaccines, we are seeing some hope of healthier days ahead. It will take some time to vaccinate billions of people worldwide and unfortunately, not all countries have the means to purchase these vaccines. But with adequate preparation, the possibility for travel in 2021 is looking up. There are many things to consider before you’re airborne or on the road. Among these are travel restrictions, covid testing, quarantine and vaccination requirements, travel insurance, travel cancellation fees and where to go. Travel Restrictions For international health and travel advisories, check  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/map-and-travel-notices.html   and travel.state.gov .  The Board of Tourism of the country you’re traveling to will usually list travel restrictions for visitors. These are ...

Mackerel Sky (cirrocumulus clouds) I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills When all at once I saw a crowd, A host of golden daffodils. Excerpt from Daffodils by William Wordsworth Lenticular cloud  I am the daughter of Earth and Water And the nursling of the sky; I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores; I change, but I can not die. For after the rain when with never a stain.  The pavilion of heaven is bare, And the winds and sunbeams with their convex gleams Build up the blue dome of air. Excerpt from The Cloud by Percy Bysshe Shelley “Clouds come floating into my life,  No longer to carry rain or  usher storm But to add color to my sunset sky.” Ravindranath Tagore “I think I will be able to, in the end, rise above the clouds and climb the stairs to heaven, and I will look down on my beautiful life.”  Yayoi Kusama “I owned the world that hour as I rode over it. Free of the earth. Free of the mountains. Free of the clouds...

The Year Time Stood Still The year is almost gone And what have I done? Did I waste the time away And left things in disarray? Because I chose to play. There’s just days to go Better write a list to do Before we say adieu And remember to thank Godot For the bad and the beau. TravelswithCharie I had so many planned travels in 2020. In fact my suitcase was packed for a trip to the Philippines the last week of January. My cottage there was partially destroyed by a typhoon and I had repairs to see to. But the suitcase with presents for friends and family never took flight. Covid-19 ruled our lives.  Among the things I had packed were boxes of chocolates I had bought to give as gifts. I ended up eating all of them rather than have them expire. Reading, meditating while basking in the sun, and learning to prepare new dishes became my support system as were calls from relatives and friends and the “care” packages my sister sent to me.  My cousin introduced me to Instacart so I didn’t...

Awake, glad heart! Get up and sing! It is the birthday of thy King! Awake, awake! The sun doth shake Light from his locks and all the way Breathing perfumes, doth spice the day. Excerpt from Christ’s Nativity by Henry Vaughan  ****** Image by TravelswithCharie

Lilia Hernandez Chung, Ph.D. graduated with a degree in Philosophy and Letters  from the University of Santo Tomas where she taught for four years after graduation. In 1958, she won a Fullbright scholarship and received a fellowship for graduate studies from Syracuse University in New York where she earned her doctorate degree in the Humanities. She met her husband, Kai Lai Chung, at said university where he was a Professor of Mathematics. They later moved to Stanford, California where she taught Ethnic Studies at Foothill College for 24 years and also served as one of its directors of Multicultural Affairs. Dr. Chung received the Women of Achievement Award from the League of Friends of Santa Clara County Commission on the Status of Women in 1980. She has three children and four grandchildren. She divides her time between the Philippines and California. Aside from being an educator, Dr. Chung is a published author. Her publications include Peninsular Prose Fiction of the Philippine...

Pumpkins come in all shapes, sizes and colors!  Pumpkin, pumpkin  Sitting on a wall Pumpkin, pumpkin Tip and fall. Double, double toil and trouble Fire burn and caldron bubble Fillet of a fenny snake In the caldron boil and bake Eye of newt and toe of frog Wool of bat and tongue of dog Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing For a charm of powerful trouble Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. Double, double toil and trouble Fire burn and caldron bubble Cool it with a baboon’s blood Then the charm is firm and good. William Shakespeare, Macbeth I only have pies for you, warts included. “There are three things I’ve learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin .” It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown ***** Images by TravelswithCharie

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Oregon It’s been a year since my last trip to the beach. It felt so good to feel the sand at my feet, listen to the roar of the surf and the cry of seagulls and see the expanse of blue sky caress the ocean. White sand stretches all the way to Seaside where we stopped for lunch at a seafood restaurant. Ripples of sand flutter along the shore at the slightest breathe of summer wind.  I grew up by the sea It’s always with me No matter where I go I hear its warm hello. It’s been too long Since I’ve heard her song  Feeling her today Nevermore shall I stray. Charie Albar ***** Images by TravelswithCharie