Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Lea Salonga
Broadway star Lea Salonga's latest role is in "Allegiance." Starring opposite George Takei, she portrays an American woman of Japanese descent whose family is locked away in an internment camp during World War II. Based out of Manila, Salonga has relocated to New York for the production's run. Just 17 when she auditioned for "Miss Saigon" -- a role that would win her a Tony Award -- Salonga has gone on to star in musicals such as "Les Miserables." She was also the singing voice for Jasmine and Mulan in the Disney animated films, "Aladdin" and "Mulan," respectively. Fans may read more about her on her website (http://www.leasalonga.com/), or follow her on Twitter (https://twitter.com/MsLeaSalonga).
Q. Where have you traveled to that you never expected to visit?
A. I recently made a trip around Eastern Europe. I toured with Il Divo last year and we went to so many interesting places where there had been plenty of war and strife. I wasn't sure what to expect. The places ranged from breathtaking to cosmopolitan to modern to quaint. It's a beautiful part of the world. I had lived in London and had traveled around Germany, but I had never been to Serbia or Croatia and hadn't really thought about going there prior to the tour. I highly recommend it.
Q. What do you remember the most about the trip?
A. My husband is a morning person and he walked around Zagreb (Croatia) while I was sleeping. When he got back to the hotel, he told me, "I have to take you somewhere." We walked a good 20 minutes from our hotel and he was leading me the whole way. When we were about to make a turn, he said, "Just wait..." And then there it was, the Zagreb Cathedral. It was breathtaking and majestic and -- oh, my gosh -- I don't know how many pictures I took of the front of this church. I also remember the food, the delicious food. We ate at this little bistro almost every day where the food was gourmet quality, but the prices were so cheap. We ate our way through Eastern Europe and loved it.
Q. Are you a tour bus or a walking around kind of tourist?
A. Walking, if possible, especially in Europe. There's so much to see and you can just stop and spend time exploring, which is difficult to do if you're on a bus. The places are so picturesque that you want to walk and rubberneck and look up at the spires. I like walking on cobblestones if we happen to find any and just soak it all in. It's a lot of fun.
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?
A. It was to Honolulu when I was about 10, and I loved it. It was so much fun, even though it was for work. I was performing at a travel agency conference. As a reward for a job well done, they then sent me to Disneyland on the same trip.
Q. You're based predominantly in Manila. Are you super-famous there?
...continued
(c) 2015 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
