Travelogue – Rosalinda R Morgan

Did I visit any country this year? Oh yeah, plenty. I went all over the world.

Most people go on big vacation during the summer. Some retirees go at different times during the year. I don’t go on vacation nowadays but I visited a lot of places. Been there, done that. My husband and I used to go on vacation when we were younger. When my kids were young, we went with the kids until they reached 15 and then they don’t want to go on vacation with us anymore. Funny at that age, they were embarrassed to be seen with their parents. It was not cool. We went on a grand tour of Europe with the kids when they were 9 and 12. After 45 years of marriage and my husband having difficulty walking, long trips are not an option anymore. Besides, Charleston where we live now is a great vacation spot so we are basically on vacation all the time. Charleston is No. 1 vacation city in the United States and No. 2 in the world according to Conde Nast.

Nonetheless, I still have visited so many places this year thru my reading. It’s the most extensive, least expensive and most enjoyable trips I have undertaken. Without leaving my home and the comfort of my favorite chair, I have been to several places this year. With all the books that I read this year, I have been to so many places and thoroughly enjoy my trips. Below are some of the books I read in 2015 and the places where I visited.

I just finished reading Hawaii by James A. Michener which took me on an adventurous journey to exotic places in the Pacific – Bora Bora, Tahiti, the islands of Hawaii, an ocean voyage on the Atlantic from Massachusetts westward to Cape Verde Island, then down to Cape Horn, on to The Falklands, through small islands at the southern tip of South America then up through the Pacific to Hawaii. I visited mainland United States from San Francisco on the west coast to Connecticut on the east coast. I also visited Japan and China.
At The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder, I visited Peru and Spain.
The Bells by Richard Harvell took me to the concerts halls in Europe in Austria, Italy, and Switzerland.
Gifts from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh took me to the beach at Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod and Maine.
Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer took me to England and New York.
Mrs. De Winter by Susan Hill took me to England, Monaco, France, Italy and Spain.
With Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, I visited England, Monaco and Italy.
The Glitter and Gold by Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan took me to New York, Newport, Palm Beach in U.S. and France and England in Europe.
The Secret Mistress by Mary Balogh, I went to Cornwall in the United Kingdom.
Dead Wake by Erik Larssen took me to the coasts of England and Ireland.
Flapper by Joshua Zeitz took me to New York and Chicago.
The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber took me to the Pacific Northwest.
The Lady of the River by Philippa Gregory took me to England.
With The Iron Butterfly which I, Rosalinda Morgan wrote, I took the readers to southern Luzon in the Philippines from Batangas to Manila.
The Steep Ascent by Anne Morrow Lindbergh flew me across the Swiss Alps.
Escape from Davao by John D. Lukacs took me to the wild jungle of Mindanao in the Philippines and Australia.
Below Stairs by Margaret Powell took me to various great houses of England.
At Howards End by E.M. Forster, I visited England once more.
Winter of the World by Ken Follett took me to England, Germany, Spain, Russia and the United States.
The Landower’s Legacy by Victoria Holt, I visited more of England.
In Downtown Abbey, Rules for Household Staff, I visited England again.
Upstairs at the White House in Washington, DC, by J.B. West, I saw the inside of the most famous home in the United States.
All the Single Ladies by Dorothea Benton Frank I went back home to Charleston, South Carolina.

It never occurred to me that my 9-yr old grandchildren would read my historical novel “Bahala Na (Come What May). But surprisingly they did and love it.

I sent a copy of my book (BAHALA NA – Come What May) to my stepdaughter in Connecticut who have three kids: twin girls aged 9 and their sister, aged 11. My stepgrandchildren love reading and they are well ahead of their class in reading. A day after my daughter got the book, she decided to start reading it but she could not find the book where she placed it. She looked all over the house. She then saw one of the twins in the living room, engrossed in reading the book. My granddaughter refused to give it up and carried the book to school. She read the book whenever she could. Her teacher saw her reading it and was shocked to see her reading a historical novel and told her she could not read it. She held the book up and pointed to the author proudly. “My grandma wrote this book and it is very good!” The teacher was dumbfounded. She did not know what to say.

My granddaughter talked to me on the phone and announced, “Grandma, your book is really good.” I was thrilled to hear that and suddenly thought if there was anything in the book that a 9-yr old should not read. Luckily there was none that I could think of. There are lots of educational stuffs that could be very interesting for someone who is thirsting for knowledge. When she finished the book, her older sister read it, then their mother did and now my youngest granddaughter, the younger of the twin is in the middle of reading it. They came to visit this week and she showed me where she was at the book. My grandchildren wants to know when they can visit the Philippines and see all the places mentioned in the book.

BAHALA NA (Come What May) is written with everyone in mine, young or old. History, romance, legend, travelogue, action and suspense filled the pages. It’s a book for someone who loves to learn something, someone who thirsts for knowledge. I wrote the book with a goal to educate, to teach something. The book is based on historical facts – historical knowledge that seemed to be lacking in people’s mind nowadays. It is an excellent educational tool and I highly recommend it to be included in the school curriculum in history for both American and Filipino students.

Filipinos are a growing population here and abroad. There is so much to know about the Filipino people. If you want to learn about the Filipinos and what make them tick, read BAHALA NA (Come What May). GET YOUR COPY NOW! It is available at www.amazon.com/author/rosalindarmorgan in paperback and Kindle.