HOLLAND

This is my husband's country so, i have to explore also in this country of tulips flowers, the windmills, the woodenshoes,water and dikes.

A country in northwestern Europe,capital city is Amsterdam and the official language is Dutch with a population of 16,500 million.

Queen Beatrix succeeded her mother as Queen of the Netherlands in 1980. From that date, Her Majesty formed part of the government. The Queen was married to Prince Claus. They had three sons: Prince Willem-Alexander, Prince Friso and Prince Constantijn. The eldest, Prince Willem-Alexander – the Prince of Orange – will succeed her.

Dutch make the land out of the sea, and there is a saying that: the sea is thier best friend but also their greatest enemy.

They are also great in high tech country in transportation,sea-toweling and constructing worldwide big water works.

And of course there are many boats (also sailing boats), We tried once with a cousin of my husband,it was so windy and the boat was shaking and makes me dizzy and makes me uncomfortable, i feel sorry, instead i had to enjoy.

What about woonboot,where the people living aboard.

Caravan- a little house behind the car, when you go to vacation with a caravan you dont need a hotel.

the camper- traveling with a combination of a car and a house.
Bike- biking to the city? its great and fun! no need a parking fee.

We live in the North part of Holland on a ship (25m) which is renovated for a comfortable life.

COSTARICA

Costarica is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east and south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east.

Costarica translates literally as "Rich Coast" with a population of 4,509,290.
Capital city is SanJose and the official language is Spanish and 5% can speak and understand english and the rest only spanish.

We stay in Costarica during summer, we have also a house there.

Costarica in generally, the best time to visit Costa Rica is the dry season from December through April, which locals refer to as verano (summer). Dry season does not mean it does not rain; it just rains less (so perhaps should be called the ‘drier season’). Costa Rican schools are closed from December to February, when beach towns are busy, especially on weekends. Lodgings during Semana Santa are usually booked months ahead.
In May begins the rainy season, or invierno (winter) as it’s known locally. The tourism ministry has come up with the more attractive denomination of ‘green season’. The early months of the rainy season are actually a wonderful time to travel to Costa Rica: you can avoid the tourist bustle and lodging is slightly cheaper. During this time, however, rivers start to swell and dirt roads get muddy, making travel more challenging. Some more remote roads may not be accessible to public transportation, so always ask locally before setting out. Bring your umbrella and a little patience.

I am posting also some photos when we went to Manuel Antonio for Mangrove forest tour, we really had a great time! bringing some palm nuts to give to the monkeys and had seen many more animals in the forest. The nature and the beach is just fantastic!

United Kingdom

An island country located in the northwestern coast of continental Europe with a population of 61,612,300.

London is the capital city.

I visited only very short time in London and Manchester city, the old castle and the city of Manchester stadium since they are the wealthiest football club in the world.

ITALY

Italy is located in the southern part of Europe with two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Official language is Italian with 60,045,068 population.

I visited only in island of sardegna, and i stay at the Fortevillage hotel.

What a great hotel, fronting the sea with all those nice flowers and trees around!
Sardegna is the second largest island in the Mediterranean and is formed by a series of mountainous massifs, hills and narrow highlands. The coasts are jagged and rocky, interspersed with marvelous beaches of very fine sand and countless inlets. The seaside landscapes, especially on the Costa Smeralda, are among the most beautiful in the world. Numerous small, enchanting islets are scattered in front of the coasts.Cities: Cagliari is the capital of Sardinia, ruled by a special statute. Other provinces are Sassari, Nuoro, Oristano, Carbonia-Iglesias, Olbia-Tempio, Medio Campidano, and Ogliastra.

In my next visit together with my husband to Italy im planning to visit Sicily and Tuscany.

FRANCE

Paris is the countries largest city,situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region.

Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with 45 million tourists every year in the Paris Region, 60% of whom are foreign visitors.

Oh! what a nice old buildings in the town, the old churches, the Louvre and many more!

I visited also the Disneyland,and wanted to visit there again someday,somehow.

CYPRUS

Cyprus is situated in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey, west of Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, east of Greece, and north of Egypt with a total population of 784,301.
It is third largest island, and one of its most popular tourist destinations, attracting over 2.4 million tourists per year.A former British colony, it became an independent republic in 1960 and a member of Europian Union since May 1, 2004.
I stayed in really huge Le Meridien hotel in Limassol, with huge area of swimmingpool, playing area, restaurant and disco house.I was really satisfied with my stay, i meet also 2 filipinas working in that hotel they very nice.
Limasol is the main port and an essential tourist's choice. It is the center of the wine production and also well known for its extensive hotel accommodation in and around the city.
You know what i noticed in the sorroundings? cats! a lot of nice cats, i like cats but I have to take care they have such shap nails! They are just wild cats, you cant touch them.
Religion:
The Greeks are Greek Orthodox Christians which represent 78% of the population while the Turks are Muslims represents 18% of the population and Maronite, Armenian, Apostolic, Latin, and others 4%.
Weather and Climate
Cyprus has a typical Mediterranean climate, warm and rather dry, with rainfall mainly between November and March. In general, the island experiences mild wet winters and dry hot summers which are separated by short autumn and spring seasons. The higher mountain areas are cooler and moister than the rest of the island.
Cyprus LanguagesThe official languages are Greek and Turkish with English often used as a second language and widely understood by both ethnic groups.
Cyprus CurrencyThe official currency in North is Turkish Lira (TL) and the currency in South is Pound (CP) however the English sterling is highly accepted.
Currency in South Cyprus
The legal tender of the South Cyprus is the Euro. Former Cyprus Pound was used until 31 December 2008. Check current exchange rates.
Currency in North Cyprus
The Turkish Lira (TRL - Türk Lirasi) is the current legal tender of Turkey and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, issued on January 1, 2005. The currency was accompanied with its inflation mostly in 1994; in summer 2001 seven banks failed. At present unit of 1 YTL is equivalent to 1 million old Turkish Lira that was introduced in 1983 (and remains valid until the end of 2005). The Turkish Lira is divisible into 100 new kurus (cents).
Electricity
voltage is supplied at 220/240 volts AC, supplied at 50 Hz. Plugs at 5 amp or 13 amp are generally of British type with 3 pins, but also exist some 2 pinned.
Time:
is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT/UTC), and seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST). Clocks go forward one hour for summer time at 3 am on the last Sunday in March and back again at 3 am on the last Sunday in October. In South Cyprus a recorded time message can be heard by dialling 193.

United Arab Emirates

Dubai is the most populous city of the United Arab Emirates.

The official language is Arabic and English, very beautiful and busy city, many tourist coming.

I stayed in Dar Al Masyap Madinat Jumeirah hotel, very nice hotel located in very nice location in Dubai,200 meters from wild wadi waterpark. I am traveling with my Lebanese employer, I feel i'm not alone in the country, because of so many filipinos also in there to speak with my own language as well.

An admirable nightlife could be enjoyed to its fullest, many huge shopping malls, the beaches are so blue, swimmingpool are clean, and womens who wants to swim can wear swimsuits and same as man too unlike in Kuwait, one time i go with the daughter of my boss to the swimming poll, My boss allow's me to wear swimsuit,and do you know what happen? A manager of that hotel came and told me, I'm not allowed to wear a swimsuit because I am a nanny and that only my employer can do that, what an mentality!

LEBANON

I visited lebanon two times.
Lebanese speaks arabic and french mostly epeaks also english.
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2.1 million.
Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's coastline with the Mediterranean sea, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan Area, which consists of the city and its suburbs.
The cedar forests of Lebanon enjoy the unique distinction as the oldest documented forests in history. The mountains are very nice especially in the summer time in August.
There are two main religions in lebanon the Islam and the Christianity.
Also many filipinos there, mostly they works in households.

KUWAIT

I did travel to kuwait through working for 2 years for the first time when i was 23.

Kuwait is a sovereign Arab emirate bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north and west.
I've learn many things in the country, about the arab people,and thier mentality.
There is no freedom for woman,and for the people,They dont have any idea about humanity and that is the problem.
Woman and man are not allowed to shake hands and no eye to eye contact. The big difference with cultures and religions.
Many womens are rape and beaten with thier own employers.
For the household workers, not allowed to have cellfones, not allowed to have contact with other people, and not allowed to go out like a prison, no restday and low salary. My hardlife in kuwait,1 month was so long enough but how much more my 2 years? i consider it as a good experience and learn for it!
and never wish for coming back anymore, i was so happy to get back to my own country.