TravelswithCharie

Lagen Island When choosing an island getaway, the best options (in my opinion) are in the Philippines. Why do I say this? There are 7,107 islands in the archipelago and not all are created equal. So if you visit Batanes islands in the north, you will find a landscape of green, rolling hills like that of Ireland. Or get a taste of Santorini at Bellaroca in Marinduque. At El Nido Resorts in Palawan, the bay is dotted with limestone karsts similar to the backdrop in the photo above. Miniloc Island If your ideal getaway is to do absolutely nothing but sit by the pool and read a book, then this is the place to do it. But if you feel like indulging in various adventures out at sea, there are a number of possibilities. Island hopping is de rigueur here. For starters, we took a short motorized outrigger ride to Miniloc Island for buffet breakfast before feeding the jackfishes in the protected area right in front of the restaurant. We also had the option of snorkeling (equipment provided fre

Walking by the salt ponds in late afternoon, I took this photo of blue waters, crystallizing salt and packed salt beds beyond. After a few days, note the red pinkish hue of the water. In researching the reason for this coloration, I found this is due to the presence in the salt pond of "halophilic archeabacteria" bearing carotenoid compounds. These microorganisms thrive in areas of high salinity. Live and learn! *  *  * Images by Charie

After a good 2-mile walk, here's my reward. A blazing sunset which reminds me of my favorite poem, The Day is Done  by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Thank you Lord for the beauty that surrounds me. Here are a few stanzas from the poem to whet your literary appetite: The day is done, and the darkness   Falls from the wings of night, As a feather is wafted downward   From an eagle in his flight.    I see the lights of the village       Gleam through the rain and the mist, And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me   That my soul cannot resist:    A feeling of sadness and longing,   That is not akin to pain, And resembles sorrow only   As the mist resembles the rain Come, read to me some poem,   Some simple and heartfelt lay, That shall soothe this restless feeling,      And banish the thoughts of day. For the rest of this lovely poem, here's the link: http://www.bartleby.com/102/65.html . *  *  * Image by Charie

Glacia Inside Crystals Retail and Entertainment District in Las Vegas, WET Design wows shoppers with its wetworks. Glacia is an installation of pillars of ice which "transmogrify by exposure to air" (this according to an article from Las Vegas Weekly). I've had to look up the word "transmogrify" and it means, to transform into a different shape. In this case, sculpted ice is transformed into these ethereal forms. Halo It's easy to be mesmerized by Halo . In every tube is a whirlwind or tornado waiting to be born. WET (Water Entertainment Technologies) lives up to its name. Water can be calming or it can be entertaining. And with Halo, it can be thought provoking. Focus at Aria Focus is a 270 foot long curved wall at the entrance to the Aria hotel lobby.  This is such a refreshing treat when temperatures climb to the 100's. Listening to water flow down the expanse of the wall, I'm transported to the rainforest or to the tropics where rain pour

We couldn't get into the Dale Chihuly Gallery in Las Vegas as there was a private event the afternoon of our visit so we had to make do with admiring Chihuly's works through the glass window.  The images were a challenge to take because the reflection of outdoor lights and the Lumia fountain in the central courtyard compete with the works of Chihuly.  Despite that, this group of blue glass candles or reeds of blue ( I don't know the title of this work) is a showstopper.  We saw enough to make us want to come back for more. Hopefully we'll be lucky on our next visit and get a closer look at these beautiful chandeliers that are bursting with color. You can see through the delicate glass vases and coffee table art. Notice the varying hues of orange of these floral inspired bowls. The Dale Chihuly Gallery is at Aria at City Center on the Strip in Las Vegas. *  *  * Images by Charie

Mastro's Ocean Club at Crystals Retail District It's refreshing to see how the City Center Complex has transformed the Las Vegas skyline with its brash and dynamic architecture and its fine art collection thoughtfully displayed in public spaces. I love to walk around the complex and discover a Henry Moore in one of its courtyards or a Claes Oldenburg en plein air or stop and gape at the leaning Veer Towers and be mesmerized by the incredible and colorful works of Dale Chiluly in one of the galleries. Even at Crystals Retail District there are a number of  artworks like the Ocean Club Restaurant inside a treehouse that rises up three stories (picture above).  Here are more images to give you a bird's eye view of the new Complex. Looking up at Aria Hotel from the outdoor fountains Reclining Connected Forms by Henry Moore (1969-1974)  Typewriter Eraser, Scale X by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen Tony Cragg's stainless steel sculptures Veer Towers *  *  * Im

The Watchman Long before entering park grounds, we drove through a countryside of sandstone mesas and towering cliffs of incredible colors. I was thinking that we were inside Zion National Park until we passed through the south gate and parked our car at the Visitor Center. The soaring cliffs in the photo above was our welcome committee. View from the Temple of Sinawava It was late afternoon, the heat had dissipated and most of the tourists had left for the day. We took the shuttle that goes around the park and stops at several places along the way to drop off and pick up passengers. It takes about 80 minutes roundtrip from the Visitor Center to the Temple of Sinawava which is the last stop before it returns to point of origin. I got off at Sinawava to gape at towering monoliths and get a full view of the clifftops which is a stretch to see from the windows of the shuttle. It would be a great idea to have glass roofs for these shuttles to better see the corridor of sandstone cliffs