I have read several reviews in backpacking in Europe.  Their are group backpackers and there are also solo backpackers.  The thing with solo travel is that if you don’t have a big budget then hiring a car would not be a practical decision.  If if you go on a group tour at least 4, then I would surely recommend services for a car hire in Italy.  Sharing hiring expenses between 4 and even 5 would not be that bad.

The up side of having a private transportation is the convenience of getting on the go any time and stopping at any places anytime.  I can imagine a trip between cities and stopping somewhere to take a beautiful shot of countryside and other scenic views.   When I go visit new places and am in a public transportation and passes by a beautiful view, I had always wish that am on a different mode of transportation.  At times I wish to let the driver stop so that I can take pictures but I know it would be impossible to do that and I persist then it would be real embarrassing.  So, if me and my friends will go one day to Italy, then we will surely get a hire a car service.  That me and friends as I dunno how to drive.

One important thing before booking for a car is that, one of you must have a valid International License.   So one must be ready with that because car hire is available all throughout Italy if not all major places in Europe.

I am not a perfume person in the sense that I would buy one for me.  I rather have cologne or VS lotion to make me have a pleasant fragrance everyday.  But if given one of the perfumes like the one displayed designer perfume counter then I would not turn my back on it. They said, it is a bad luck to turn down gifts, so surely I will receive it with an open hand.

Valentine’s day is just around the corner.  I thought of getting me a new fragrance of cologne but maybe someone nice will give a nice girly perfume, then I’d just wish for a flowers.  :)

I am beginning to feel this inability to withstand the cold.  I even cannot stand being hit directly with the air from the fan without being covered with blanket or jacket.  Gone are the days when I can just enjoy the coolness of a room with thin clothing or less clothing.    The worst case is my mom, she is turning seventy this year and oh my, we have to close all the windows at night even it is sweltering hot.  She feels so cold.  She wears a bonnet to sleep.  She has her thick jacket on as well as she is wearing woolen socks  to really avoid the cold or else she will have a lot of gas in her and she would start burping.  And the burping leads to chest pains.  If I will be given the time and money, I will purchase for her a heated blanket if the heated mattress pad would be too expensive. But I can imagine that if we buy a heated mattress pad now, I can also use it in later life…hmmm maybe around 10 years later.

Anyway, we just allow my mom to cover herself to the max so that she will be warmed because it is better than multiple chest pains attacks and hospitalization that costs more than heated blankets.

My daughter is not in the picture because she was the one who clicked the shot.  But this gave me an idea on what she and her classmates wore during their flight back to the Philippines.   One their flight going to Kinabalu, they were dressed to ward off the coldness of the weather because the night before they left, it rained.  And on the day of their flight – flying from Cagayan de Oro to Manila and then road trip to Olongapo to catch their flight to Kota Kinabalu, it was raining.  So mostly wore jackets and jeans. Just the type teens casual wear these days. Though some they looked stylish in their hip hop clothing especially the boys. The girls are a bit more formal in their casual wear as they were on jean, tees or polo shirts and then cold breaker or jacket.  Parents were just concerned of the children because the thought of being sick far away from home and in another country could be a cause for endless worry.  Good thing they had very responsible chaperons plus they were also served vegetarian foods and surely they had some fruits every meal.

When on travel, one can still chose to eat healthy because fruits abound in places especially countries within Southeast Asia.

I saw this Golden Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand during my first visit in August 2008.  It was really golden.  I wish I could touch it but did not but it made me wonder where did they buy gold to make up a whole golden image of the Buddha.  I am sure they need a lot of gold to make up that image.  I think this is not the only golden Buddha in Bangkok but according to the guide, it’s the only whole golden Buddha there is to see.  The Laying Buddha is not golden from head to toe but this one in the photo is really golden.

Now I am wishing I could travel soon.  I thought of buying a ticket to Thailand during the Php1 sale but then I decided to go somewhere else.  So Thailand and China — 2013 only.