Some of Lisette’s Contributions

Overcoming Language Barriers
The Power of Iguazu Falls – Photo Journal
A City Within a City: Visiting Rio’s Favelas
Culinary Delights: A Brazilian Food Tour With Eat Rio
Battle of the Oranges
30 Foreign Words With No English Equivalent
Massage and Spa Treatments in Bali
Sweltering at the Il Palio Festival
Gili Trawangan – An Island Paradise
Bali – First Impressions

Emigrating to Australia with my parents at the age of two, growing up was still a very Filipino affair – we ate rice with every meal, spoke Tagalog all the time, while family vacations were extensive trips back to the provinces of the Philippines to reminisce of the simple life back “home.”

Growing up with friends whose parents had emigrated from countries like Pakistan, Peru, Croatia, I became fascinated with the history, culture, and cuisine of other countries. Coupled with an inclination towards learning more languages and a desire to break away from the expectations of what a “normal life” should be, my first big trip was a study abroad to Japan. After a solo trip to Finland, Russia and Estonia that had me petrified (I was also deported from Russia due to a visa mix-up), I realized this was just the start of a travel love affair.

Today, I’ve been to 24 countries, speak Japanese, Russian, Spanish and Old Icelandic, savored blood sausage in Estonia, tried salty yak tea in Mongolia and Portuguese tarts in Macau. I believe that both food and festivals are the heart of any country, so a few years ago I decided to try and go to a festival with every holiday. So far I’ve been to the snow festival (Japan), Naadam (Mongolia), Il Palio (Siena), La Tomatina (Spain), Burning Man (USA) and Junkanoo (Bahamas).

For the last five years San Francisco has been home, where my day job is at a public relations agency working for a range of technology companies.