Dilemma of a Solo Traveler
Traveling solo is not really my thing - except, of course, in line of duty. I remember reaching as far as Davao City, Davao del Sur in 2008, Legaspi City, Albay in 2009, and just recently, Cagayan de Oro City, MIsamis Oriental in October 2015 to act as field representative for special projects. In all these cities, I would just travel alone going to the place but somebody from our test centers fetch me at the airport. Para lang akong padala sa eroplano.
Internationally, the farthest I went alone was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in June 2012 to attend a workshop in Mimos Berhad. Unlike the former cities, there was no one to pick me up at the airport. Although it was not my first time visiting Kuala Lumpur, syempre iba pa rin yong may kasama akong mag-travel from the airport to the city center.
Anyway, the training went through smoothly and I was able to manage living my first 3 days of hotel-Mimos Berhad-hotel routine. My 4th was free day before going back to Manila. So I bravely spent it wandering in the city - well, actually, it was only in Central Market.
Central Market, or Pasar Seni in Malay, is one of the famous landmarks and tourist attractions in Kuala Lumpur. It is known as the center for Malaysian culture, heritage, art and crafts. Thus, it is one good place to search for items worth bringing home for tourists. The place also has stalls offering Malay cuisines and features cultural performances at certain time (before closing time during weekend ata).
Pasar Seni is a building which has been around for a long time. It was originally constructed in 1880's to serve as wet market for locals and tourists while current setup was put up in 1980's.
It is located along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock and opens daily from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Right next to Central Market is the Kasturi Walk, a covered open-air flea market featuring more stalls of souvenir knick-knacks. The ceiling is designed like wau bulan, Malay kite, symbolizing Malay heritage.
Now, my dilemma as solo traveler - with all those picture perfect corners, how will I have photo souvenir na kasama ako sa picture?!
My (survival) instinct pointed me to three resorts:
First one: use the timer feature of the camera (which is dependent on patungan). What if the patungan is short of height for the desired angle, or worse case, there's no patungan?
Second: be friendly and politely ask favor from someone, which in this case was the vendor (and s'yempre after buying some items), to take your photo. What if there's no one available?
Last resort: sariling-sikap. Even before selfies and smart phones, I already learned taking my own photo using digital cameras. May skill pala ako sa tantyahan at talaga namang kinakaya ko! :)
Internationally, the farthest I went alone was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in June 2012 to attend a workshop in Mimos Berhad. Unlike the former cities, there was no one to pick me up at the airport. Although it was not my first time visiting Kuala Lumpur, syempre iba pa rin yong may kasama akong mag-travel from the airport to the city center.
Anyway, the training went through smoothly and I was able to manage living my first 3 days of hotel-Mimos Berhad-hotel routine. My 4th was free day before going back to Manila. So I bravely spent it wandering in the city - well, actually, it was only in Central Market.
Central Market, or Pasar Seni in Malay, is one of the famous landmarks and tourist attractions in Kuala Lumpur. It is known as the center for Malaysian culture, heritage, art and crafts. Thus, it is one good place to search for items worth bringing home for tourists. The place also has stalls offering Malay cuisines and features cultural performances at certain time (before closing time during weekend ata).
Pasar Seni is a building which has been around for a long time. It was originally constructed in 1880's to serve as wet market for locals and tourists while current setup was put up in 1980's.
It is located along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock and opens daily from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Right next to Central Market is the Kasturi Walk, a covered open-air flea market featuring more stalls of souvenir knick-knacks. The ceiling is designed like wau bulan, Malay kite, symbolizing Malay heritage.
My (survival) instinct pointed me to three resorts:
First one: use the timer feature of the camera (which is dependent on patungan). What if the patungan is short of height for the desired angle, or worse case, there's no patungan?
Second: be friendly and politely ask favor from someone, which in this case was the vendor (and s'yempre after buying some items), to take your photo. What if there's no one available?
Last resort: sariling-sikap. Even before selfies and smart phones, I already learned taking my own photo using digital cameras. May skill pala ako sa tantyahan at talaga namang kinakaya ko! :)
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