A(mazing) BCD Trip: Part II

Monday, 12 February 2024

 

An overcast day and it drizzled for the whole day today. We left at 11:00 and R dropped AT and I at University of St. La Salle and after registering at the guard, we walked into the campus and headed for Museo de la Salle Bacolod. The museum features various collections of local artwork and religious artifacts on the ground floor and textiles from more than 71 countries on the upper floor. We spent about 40 minutes there. R then picked us up and we drove to Negros Museum. This museum provides a history of the province of Negros Occidental to the colonial oppression and rise of the sugar industry. We spent half an hour there before driving to the Public Plaza and then spent some time in Plaza Mart searching for Maranao Food Stall. This stall sells halal food of the Maranao people. We had rice and chicken pastil, curried jackfruit and fried fish and it was a cheap, delicious and fulfilling meal.

 

After lunch, we drove to Balay ni Tana Dicang, one of Negros’ most preserved ancestral homes which now functions as a lifestyle museum. The matriarch was so important than even President Quezon and his Vice President visited her at her house. It was a beautifully preserved house and I enjoyed visiting it and learning about the history behind the house and its matriarch owner. We spent 45 minutes there then we drove back because I wanted to perform prayers. We did pass by The Ruins but it was closed today. We stopped at the food court at Ayala Malls where there were some stalls selling local food stuff. I bought some mango puffs there. Then we headed back to the apartment as I wanted to perform prayers.

 

We left at 17:45 for Gina’s for seafood dinner. AT’s younger sister and her family joined us for dinner. We ate a lot and still had room for churros for dessert.

 

I was so full and sleepy when we got back that I dozed off after performing prayers.

 

Tuesday, 13 February 2024

 

Another overcast day with drizzles and some rain throughout the day. We drove to Campuestohan Highland Resort this morning. The resort was devoid of crowds seeing it was a work and school day. There was a group doing outdoor challenges which consisted of ten obstacles one way (twenty in total). There were pools for swimming and a few other outdoor challenges. AT and I finally decided to have a body massage and R patiently waited for us. I decided to perform prayers there after the massage. Alhamdulillah.

 

After the massage we went to have lunch. All menus had pork in it except for the bangus fish so we had it with rice and AT ordered a vegetarian pizza and some dessert too. We left after lunch and dropped by a sugar mill factory before driving to Bernardino Jalandoni House Museum, an ancestral house in Silay City. There were a number of fine ancestral houses in Silay City, all built on sugar money. I enjoyed my time at the ancestral house.

 

We then had tea at El Ideal, on the ground floor of Cesar Lacson Locsin Ancestral House turned into a bakery.

 

After tea, we drove back and stopped en route at a supermarket for me to buy some food stuff to bring back. We then had dinner at Green Label Café, a vegetarian restaurant near the apartment.

 

When we got back, I started packing, showered and performed prayers before dozing off.

 

Wednesday, 14 February 2024

 

I woke at 03:40 and showered. Finished packing and we left at 04:33 for the airport. We arrived at the airport just before 05:00 and I had to say farewell to AT outside the airport and only passenger with their air tickets could enter the terminal. We had to get our bags screened before proceeding to the counter. After dropping off my bag, I went to perform ablutions and found a corner for me to perform prayers. No one bothered, chased or disturbed me, Alhamdulillah. After prayers, I went up to departure and it was full as Philippine Airlines also had a morning flight to Manila.

 

We finally boarded at 06:20 (ETA was 06:05, harrumph!). I dozed off during the flight. We landed at 07:20 thereabouts and I fought my way among the oblivious passengers in the rows behind me to exit the plane from the rear door. We had to board a bus to the terminal building and my, the terminal is sooo huge that it took us 15 minutes to reach the terminal. And of course, our bags were very late in appearing too but the bags had to also travel from the cargo hold to the terminal building…

 

AT had thoughtfully packed some fried rice and noodles for me and I gratefully had them for breakfast. Bless your kind thoughts, AT!

 

I sat and read my book and at around 10:30, walked to the shuttle bus counter. Was told the shuttle would be in 40 minutes and that I probably should take a cab instead as I wouldn’t have enough time to check in. I told the bloke at the counter that I had already checked in online and that I would take the shuttle. And true enough, it took less than ten minutes for me to drop off my bag later at Terminal 1.

 

The queues to clear passport control and security were long so I was glad I decided to join them early instead. I had a quick browse at the duty-free shops then headed for my gate. The airport staff checked my boarding pass and I told her I wanted to perform prayers and she pointed to a corner. Again I managed to perform prayers peacefully, Alhamdulillah. I could perform prayers after I’d landed at KLIA but I wanted to rush to catch the train immediately upon retrieving my bag at the baggage carousel.

 

We landed into a wet KLIA at 17:30. It slipped my mind that it was a weekday and that the trains ran every 15 minutes during peak hours. I missed the 17:52 train and took the 18:05 train. Alhamdulillah.

 

~~~~~

 

It would be thoughtless of me not to give a big shout out to AT and R for welcoming me so warmly into their home and for their amazing superb hospitality (I doubt I’d be able to extend anyone the same level and standard of hospitality myself). They brought me places, paid for my meals, AT cooked breakfast for me and they forbade me from even washing up (!), paid for my souvenirs (unbelievable!!!) and bent over backwards in welcoming me. Words cannot express how thankful and grateful I am to them for making my visit a very memorable and amazing experience. And I am thankful and grateful to God for this friendship that started and continued all these years, for the emails exchanged, for the knowledge gained from our emails and from visits to the museum and ancestral houses and chats, for the opportunity and rezeki to visit them and Negros Occidental. Alhamdulillah.

A(mazing) BCD Trip: Part I

My Pinoy mate, AT, moved to Bacolod, Negros Occidental, after she got married and I hadn’t met her since my last visit to Manila in 2012. I was mulling where to go during Chinese New Year and asked if I could visit to which she enthusiastically said yes. So I redeemed my MAS flypass and purchased return ticket from Manila from Philippine Air Asia (and of course they cancelled the flight and replaced with another that only departed at 21:20, trust AirAsia to always spoil people’s travel plans!). I didn’t want to sit around at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for hours and decided to see if I could change the flight from KL. Alhamdulillah, I was able to and at no extra charge too.

 

Saturday, 10 February 2024

 

I left home after 09:00 and made my way to the airport. I wanted to ride the LRT to Sungai Besi and changed there for the MRT but for some reason, trains bound for Putra Heights ran on another platform that morning and would only go as far as Salak Selatan so I took the MRT from Chan Sow Lin instead (I was trying to avoid taking the MRT from Chan Sow Lin as the platform is a few levels underground). Despite this change in plans, I managed to meet the connecting 10:52 KLIA Transit train, Alhamdulillah. There was an extended family of about six adults and three kids who boarded the train at one of the Serdang stations and they were making such a racket. Thankfully they moved to another coach of the train to terrorise.

 

I bagged a complimentary Golden Lounge access when I purchased my flypass so after dropping off my bag, I stopped by the Golden Lounge before making my way to the gate.

 

We took off slightly later than scheduled and landed at NAIA T1 around 16:30. There was an announcement on the plane about visitors having to fill up Philippine Travel Information System (eTravel) and I quickly connected to WiFi and scanned the QR code I saw on the wall just before joining the queue to clear immigration. The process was quick but our bags took a while to appear. After getting my bag, I went to ask at the Information Counter for directions to the prayer room. He said the chapel is at the fourth floor. Chapel? I know the Philippines is a Catholic country but I specifically mentioned prayer room. I made my way up and some helpful bloke pointed out the direction to me so I walked over and turned into a corner and another and walked down a quiet deserted corridor. I wouldn’t say it was eerie but I did wonder if I was going the right way and even turned back once before continuing. And then I found the prayer room. Threadbare carpet and no AC but there was a standing fan. I performed prayers and waited until it was dusk to perform evening prayers.

 

After prayers, I went down to find the shuttle bus counter. I registered and was told it’d be a forty-minute wait. The bus came and looked a little worse for wear. Still, it did its job to ferry us from T1 to T2. There’s a separate building for Philippine AirAsia. I went into the boarding area after dropping off my bag. I browsed some food kiosks and restaurant and all had menus with pork in them. Well, Alhamdulillah I packed some sandwich.

 

We finally boarded and landed about 70 minutes later at Bacolod-Silay International Airport (airport code: BCD). This time, my bag was out early and I rushed out to meet AT who was waving excitedly to me. I said hi to R, her husband, and after loading my bag, we set off. We stopped en route to watch the CNY celebration – there was some street party with performance on two different stages and street food being sold. I looked around and saw most of the Bacoleños looked like Malays.

 

We stayed for about thirty minutes before making our way to their place which is in downtown Bacolod itself. I slept at almost 01:00.

 

Sunday, 11 February 2024

 

I woke up at 05:20 to perform morning prayers, yes, sunrise is early in this part of the world. After prayers, I stayed in bed and got up again at 08:30 to bathe. R’s niece and nephew joined us for breakfast. There were piaya (a muscovado-filled flatbread), rice cakes, vegetarian fried rice, oranges and bananas, hash browns. AT really outdid herself!

 

We left after 11:30 and drove to Bacolod Public Plaza. We headed first for San Sebastian Cathedral first, one of the two cathedrals in the whole of the Philippines which Pope St John Paul II visited besides the one in Manila, before crossing to the public plaza. There is the Unknown Soldiers Monument, some statutes and a gazebo which has stood there since 1920s and maybe even before then. Then we drove over to the old City Hall, and the Fountain of Justice which marks the very spot where the Spanish surrendered the city to local forces. There was no water in the fountain though.

 

Next, we drove to the Provincial Capitol of Negros Occidental and walked around the lagoon in front of the building. It had started to drizzle then but it was alright as it’d be too hot otherwise.

 

We then drove to Philistan Restaurant and had halal briyani for lunch. We then returned to the apartment and I went to perform prayers.

 

We drove to R’s sugarcane and poultry farm after that and stopped en route at an Iron Dinosaur, a vintage steam locomotive. Locomotives were used in Bacolod as a mode of transportation for sugar canes and played their part in making Bacolod the sugar bowl of the Philippines. The sun had reappeared then and we drove down to a small creek. We spent some time there before driving back, stopping at another Iron Dinosaur (a sanitised modern version this time) at The Upper East. After that, we drove to the New Government Centre. We walked around a bit before going to Aghaz Briyani for dinner then returned to the New Government Centre for more photos. We debated if we should get some massage by blind masseuses but decided not to in the end. R stopped by the University of St. La Salle to find out about the museum opening hours before returning to the apartment. AT and I stayed in the kitchen, chatting.

 

To be continued

Trip to Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, the Philippines: July 2012

I was pondering where to go on my birthday this year and finally decided to revisit Manila. Contacted my mate, Andrea, and she suggested some places to visit. In the end, we agreed to go to Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, two provinces on the north-west of the Luzon island. Ticket to Manila was bought in February while the ticket to Laoag was bought in May by Andrea. Andrea had informed that her friend, Din Din, would be joining and later on managed to persuade her sister, Abi to come along too. Andrea also arranged a driver to ferry us around and accommodation at Vigan in Ilocos Sur.

Friday, 6 July 2012 (yes, my birthday)

I left for the airport at 3 pm today. I had ample time before boarding so decided to check out the duty-free stores at KLIA. There was some renovation to the airport stores with new brands to be added soon. I ended up having to drag myself away from the bargains. My flight out was supposed to take off at 1730 but we had to await clearance from the Air Traffic Control. It was not a full flight and yet I was assigned seat at row 27 so the minute the door closed, I moved 5 rows to the front. We finally took off at 1745. I managed to finish one novel and feeling bored, started writing a new blog entry (see last post). We landed just before 9.30 pm and I noticed that the ground was wet. I rushed out and headed for the immigration. I remembered having to queue pretty long on my last trip here exactly two years ago and was keen to avoid that. Even if I couldn’t do anything about the queue, I could at least ensure I joined it early.

Well, I needn’t have worried. There was no queue at all, I was served quickly and my bag even emerged on the conveyor belt early. I headed out and walked to the metred taxi area. You can take a metred taxi or a fixed coupon taxi (at PHP450 I think). Andrea had advised me to take a fixed coupon taxi as sometimes the metred taxi will bring passengers on a joyride to squeeze out money from their poor victims. I had PHP360 left over from my previous trip - I had arranged to change money with Andrea – so I decided to take the risk and ride a metred taxi.

The cabbie wasn’t familiar with the hotel location so he drove slowly when we got to Arnaiz Street. We finally located it after asking a security guard. My fare came to PHP378 (I’m not sure how he counted that as a different number was shown on the meter but hey it was still less than PHP450 had I taken a coupon taxi) so I gave him all the pesos I had and RM10 thrown in too. Good thing he accepted it. Bad thing was I was literally peso-less.

I checked in and settled in for the night.

Saturday, 7 July 2012
Andrea had informed she would come over at 0930 on Saturday but she texted to say she was running late. She and Abi arrived at 10 and we went to nearby Glorietta. I wanted to check out the book store (there was a good sale when I was last in Manila so I was hoping there’d be a similar sale this time around) but there was no sale at all. I was disappointed and went to window-shop instead while waiting for Andrea and Abi to have their breakfast.

We left after 11 and drove to the airport (Terminal 3). You see, Manila has three airports (terminals) all serving different destinations or airlines. Amazingly all three are in the city. And this of course contributes to the traffic jam. Terminal 3 serves Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines. Andrea had already checked in online for us so we went in. I was pleasantly surprised to find a prayer room there and I also saw a lot of Muslims at the airport.

We were the last to board the plane. The flight took a while to lift off and, having had a poor night’s sleep, I dozed off before long.

We landed at Laoag Airport (Andrea informed that it’s an international airport as it serves flights to Taiwan and southern China as there is a casino in Laoag) at 1335. We didn’t check in any bag so we made out of the terminal to find our driver. The driver drove promptly along and we boarded it. We drove first to Laoag city and the driver, having been informed we wanted to have lunch first, brought us to La Preciosa restaurant. I like the ambience of the resto but we waited too long for our food. We weren’t that famished but were keen to push off as we had a long drive ahead so we were a bit restless at having to wait.

We finally left after 3 pm (!) – we spent less time eating than it took to prepare (and we only ordered vegetarian dishes too) – and drove to Marcos’ birthplace in Sarrat. The former president is still referred to reverently in this region. We spent a short time there before driving off to Santa Monica church nearby, the biggest church in Ilocos Norte. We left after 20 minutes.

We drove on and when I woke up, we had reached the Marcos Museum and Mausoleum in Batac. We managed to get the guard to open the door for us. The mausoleum is where the glass-entombed, preserved corpse of the deposed president Ferdinand Edralin Marcos is laid to rest. The room was dark with some piped music and full-blowing air-condition. There was a strong scent of flowers (I remember wondering how much it’d cost to buy fresh flowers every day!). Photography is not allowed (but you can Google for the picture).

We left soon after and drove on to Malacañang of the North aka the White House of the North at Paoay. This used to be the official residence of the former President Marcos and family when they were in Ilocos. There was a grand staircase leading to the President’s bedroom, Imelda’s bedroom (I was surprised to note that they didn’t share a room especially considering the size of Marcos’ bed), their daughters’ shared room, dining area and the various bathrooms and dressing rooms. The palace overlooks Paoay Lake and the President’s room has a good view of the lake. We spent 20 minutes there.

The Paoay sand dunes are nearby so we headed there. I wasn’t too keen on riding a 4x4 vehicle (PHP2,500 for an hour or PHP1,800 for half an hour). It was getting late so we decided to push on.

We continued our journey to Church of San Agustin aka Paoay Church. The church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the best examples of ‘Earthquake Baroque’ architecture. I think this means the church was primarily designed for earthquake protection. Indeed, the coral stone bell tower stands at some distance from the church for earthquake protection. Philippine bell towers were constructed at a distance from the main church structure to avoid its falling on the church during earthquakes. There was a wedding ceremony in the church so we only peeked in.

We then went to Herencia Café, famous for its pinakbet pizza. In fact, we ordered two pizzas: one mushroom with cheese and one pinakbet pizza and they were sooo good. So, so good, they were literally gone in 60 seconds. Actually, I think they were gone before 60 seconds were up. Yes, they were that good.

We left twenty minutes to 7 pm and drove on to Vigan in Ilocos Sur. Robert the driver had told us it’d take us 1.5 hours to get there and it took exactly that even taking into account the bad roads particularly at two stretches. We checked in at Villa Angela. This was where Tom Cruise, William Dafoe and some others spent the night while filming Born on the Fourth of July in the vicinity in 1989. I chose the single bed without thinking; otherwise who knows I might have slept on the same bed Tom did. Heh. He’s still eligible now that he’s single again.

We went out after 15 minutes and walked to the nearby Mestizo District, the city’s old town. It contains the largest concentration of ancestral homes and other colonial-era architecture. As it is one of the few Hispanic towns left in the Philippines and well-known for its cobblestone streets, a unique architecture that fuses Philippine and Oriental building designs and construction, with colonial European architecture, Vigan is unsurprisingly designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I love the buildings but am never good at taking pictures at night.

After 35 minutes, the others decided to look for dinner. Still feeling full, I decided to go back alone to the guesthouse. Not to worry, it’s a safe old town and our guesthouse was only five minutes’ leisurely walk away. I stayed up watching the Wimbledon women’s single final.

Sunday, 8 July 2012
I woke up after 4 am today to perform prayers and went back to sleep. Sleep didn’t come easy after that though and I had to be up again at 0715. We had breakfast at 8 and then drove to Syquia Mansion, which is the house of former President Elpidio Quirino (the sixth President of the Republic). It was closed though so we drove on to the market. The market was a covered building with at least two storeys (I had in mind an open air market). We didn’t stay long though. Robert agreed to bring us back to Mestizo District and I was very happy as I prefer taking pictures during the day. We stayed there for about 45 minutes, including souvenir shopping.

We then made our way to the bell tower of the Saint Augustine Parish Church aka Bantay Church in nearby Bantay. The Bell Tower is atop a small hill and overlooks the stunning view of the mountains of the nearby province and the South China Sea in the far distant. During World Wars I and II, the belfry was used as a watchtower for invading enemy forces. Our ‘guide’ had great fun with our cameras, pointing us spots to pose. We spent half an hour there.

We continued on our journey and an hour later, reached Juan Luna Shrine in Badoc, Ilocos Norte. The shrine is a reconstruction of the two-storey house in which the patriot and foremost Filipino painter was born (the original house burned down in 1861). Luna was the son of Joaquin Luna and Laureana Vovicio and was instrumental in placing Philippine art and culture on the world map. Indeed, I was impressed with his paintings which have deep meaning and depict the hatred and fight against the Spanish rule. We stayed just short of an hour before moving on.

We stopped at a small roadside stall selling garlic, shallot and the local vinegar. Abi explained that each province has its own vinegar, produced from the main crop. (Andrea and Abi also later explained during dinner that night that the Ilocos regions are reliant on agriculture but the soil is not as fertile as the soil elsewhere. Hence, the residents are very careful with money. As most of them are farmers or descendants of farmers and as the region is more exposed to the bright sun, they are mainly dark-skinned. The regions also receive fewer foreign tourists compared to other regions). Andrea and Din Din bought some garlic to bring home.

We drove on, passed Laoag and headed north for Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos. We climbed the lighthouse spiral staircase half-way before turning back (we were not allowed to climb further). We stayed about fifteen minutes before resuming our journey.

Our penultimate pit-stop was the Bangui Wind Farm. There are 20 units of wind turbines there. This is one of the most northern-most tips of the Philippines. We stayed for another 20 minutes before getting back on the vehicle for the drive back to Laoag.

Our last stop was the sinking bell tower of Laoag (as it was built on a sandy foundation). It was the briefest of stops and we were off again for the airport.

We checked in and waited for our plane to arrive from Manila. I went to perform prayers at the nursing room while waiting. It rained while we were in the terminal and stopped just before we boarded so we stayed nice and dry.

We landed at Terminal 3, Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 1930. Andrea drove Din Din back to her house and then the three of us went to have dinner at Little Tokyo. Then Andrea drove me back to my hotel.

Monday, 9 July 2012
Well, all good things come to an end and that includes this journey. I woke just before 5, showered, performed prayers and had breakfast. I went down at 6 and Andrea and Abi had just arrived too. Only 6 am and there were already a lot of people on the streets all busy heading elsewhere. We drove to Terminal 1 and reached the airport in 20 minutes. I bade them farewell and went inside to check in.

The flight took off on time and we landed to a wet Klang Valley at 1115. I was back in the office at a couple of minutes to 2. Boo!

Hmm, now where shall I head to on my next birthday? It will be just the last Syaaban weekend then too.

My Fourth Of July Weekend

Saturday, 3 July 2010
I left home early Saturday morning for my morning flight out. And would you believe it, it rained just as I stepped out. Managed to reach KL Sentral just in time for the 0700 bus to KLIA. Did a bit of shopping at the airport – would you believe it, I left KLCC on Friday empty-handed? – and was happy with the bargains enjoyed.

The flight took off on time and we landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on time. Took a metred cab (as advised by Andrea) to Makati Apartelle. Audrey had already arrived (she arrived a day earlier but stayed at another hostel the night before). After resting and a light tea, we headed out and asked for jeepney directions to SM Mall of Asia. We had to change jeepneys at Gil Puyat LRT station as there was no direct service to the mall. A note of caution: be careful with your valuables when riding the jeepney as crimes have been known to occur to riders. According to Andrea, the modus operandi is to snatch riders’ jewellery when the jeepney stops at traffic lights or is caught in a jam.

There was a sale at the mall but I only bought a huge bottle of water, two novels (books are soo cheap over there! And I got a 20% discount on top of that) and a t-shirt. Then we walked to the IMAX theatre and waited for Andrea and co. as we were meeting them for dinner. We only waited for about ten minutes before Andrea pulled up and took us to a seafood place nearby. There was a wet market selling all kind of seafood (including frogs too ;p) and restaurants (complete with stages for bands!). Andrea had made reservation at one of the restos but we were still made to wait before we got our table (it was a long wait too, definitely more than half an hour). To kill time, I suggested we check out the market as I’d like to get acquainted with my food first, so to speak.

We only had dinner – and what a feast it was! – around 9 pm and we were so stuffed like stuffed crabs (well, I was a stuffed Cancerian definitely) at the end of it that we declined the offer of dessert. Also there was that matter of a football match between the Argies and Germany...

Andrea drove us back to the apartment and we managed to tune in to a bit of the first half. The second half was definitely more entertaining with three additional goals scored by the Germans. Haha Maradona. He must be nervoussshhh (reference to his statement on Schweinsteiger) and devastated. I couldn’t ask for more than this result and the one the evening before which saw Brazil being eliminated.

It was late when I finally turned in and I struggled to watch the second half of the Spain-Paraguay match.

Sunday, 4 July 2010

We were meeting up with Andrea and family today and while waiting, I managed to get a haircut! It was a much-needed haircut and I’m glad I managed it.

Andrea came just after 10 and we set off to Tagaytay, about 56 km away from Manila. We reached Tagaytay in less than two hours and enjoyed a somewhat hazy view of the Taal Lake (a lake within an island within a lake) and Taal Volcano as we drove through the town; actually we did consider hiking up to the volcano but there was a level 2 alert issued so that was out of the question. We drove on to a private house for lunch (Andrea’s brother had made reservation for us). The owner does not advertise the restaurant on the web although the place is recently featured in a magazine. Bookings can be done via email to the husband-and-wife owners. It was a charming place overlooking a valley and the restaurant is in a separate building from the house. I had spaghetti with mussels for my main course.

After lunch, we headed to The Country Club. Andrea had secured a pass for all of us beforehand (it was an exclusive club; guests need a pass before they can use the facilities). We were about to take a cable car to the club house when there was a flash of lightning and what that meant was the hourly cable car service was suspended. So we got back to the car and drove to the club instead. It started pouring as we reached the club and got too wet to do anything. We did get on the shuttle to visit the mini zoo but it was raining too heavily and I’m sure the animals were also more interested in seeking shelter than meeting us.

We returned to the club house and, for want of anything to do, decided to have some snack. Snack turned out to be pizzas... so it was early dinner for us then.

It was starting to get dark when we left the club (made worse by the dark clouds threatening more rain). The rain only hit certain areas of Manila though and despite the heavy rain on the way back, we managed to reach the apartment by 8 pm.

It was only a few minutes upon entering our room when I felt a violent, urgent need to use the washroom. It continued ... yes, I had diarrhoea. And I forgot to pack my pills too. First time I forgot to bring any medication with me and I had to have diarrhoea. After discussing it, we agreed that it must be the spaghetti I had for lunch ;’(

Monday, 5 July 2010

An early start today as we planned to cover Intramuros and Quaipo and get to the SM Mall of Asia before 12 noon as Audrey had to catch her bus to Clark Airport at 12 noon. We took the jeepney to Gil Puyat and had to wait for the third train before we could battle ourselves into the packed morning train. We finally reached Central Terminal Station and met up with Andrea. It was already a hot day at 8 am and we decided to take the jeepney instead of walking 20 minutes to Intramuros. We had to wait for ten minutes before the jeepney moved because the driver was determined to squeeze in as many passengers as he could. It was a tight affair in the jeepney – there were 16 of us squeezed at the back and two passengers squeezed next to the driver in front.

We got down near Fort Santiago and after paying for admission, went in to explore the area. Andrea was explaining the history which I only half heard as I was giddy at the old stones and walls. Then we walked across to the Manila Cathedral. After spending a few minutes in there, we continued on. We would have lingered on but time was not on our side (and the traffic there is so unpredictable) so we left and took a cab to Quaipo. Famous for its Black Nazarene, the area is also home to a sizeable Muslim population. There are two mosques there, the Green Mosque (under renovation) and the Golden Mosque. I had entered the cathedral and church and thought it’s only appropriate to visit the Golden Mosque too. Andrea and Audrey didn’t follow me though as only Muslims were allowed in. Even then, the men at the gate looked at me and asked if I was Korean. Yup, I’m a scarf-donning Korean. I told them I’m a Malaysian instead of course and was allowed into the compound. I didn’t want Andrea and Audrey to wait too long so only took quick shots of the mosque and went out again, calling out salam to the men on my way out.

We had our brunch at a halal restaurant serving chicken (I think it was roasted chicken). Well, I was hungry enough. I finished my meal with some Chinese pills supplied by Andrea for my tummy.

It proved a tad challenging to flag down a cab but finally we managed to and were rewarded with an efficient driver who knew all the back roads and shortcuts. We made it to SM Mega Mall in good time. It was pouring when we reached there though. Audrey boarded the bus just before 12 noon and Andrea and I waited to wave her off. After that, we joined the lunch crowd seeking shelter and lunch in the mall. Then we walked to Shangri-la Plaza nearby. There were some Japanese movies shown for free and we caught the 2 pm screening of ‘Fourteen’. I found it boring and was almost moved to tears (of boredom). It was painful, in fact so painful that I had another diarrhoea attack. No, I wasn’t kidding. I had to buy some Imodium pills and isotonic drink from Mercury Drugs and we went to the nearby Shangri-la Hotel. It was then that I started feeling feverish. Could things get any worse?

We left at 5 pm and took a cab to Makati where we had dinner at a Japanese restaurant. I had miso soup with udon and seaweed for dinner – no seafood for the time being, please. After dinner, we walked to the nearby Mercury Drug to buy oral re-hydration salt and more isotonic drink. Then we took a cab back to the apartment and Andrea continued on her journey home. I turned in early that night and slept through Ronaldo’s confirmation of baby Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos, born on 17 June 2010. Hey Cristina, can’t you think of another name? Talk about being narcissistic.

Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Woke up feeling slightly better and to text messages from UK, KL and Australia. Thanks mates! Left the apartment just before 10 am and took the jeepney to The Landmark store on Makati Avenue. Went to explore Glorietta too but hurried back to The Landmark and crossed back to Greenbelt. Met up with Andrea at M&S in Greenbelt 5 and we went to find lunch – Andrea’s treat. Lunch was had at a Thai restaurant. After that, I borrowed Andrea’s credit card to purchase something before crossing over to The Landmark to buy some dried mangoes.

It was 2 pm when we left and we took a cab back to the apartment. Said our farewell in the cab before I went up to perform prayers. I had earlier informed that I’d be checking out late (the apartment charges P100 an hour after the 12 noon check-out; check-out after 3 pm is will be charged as a full day stay). I checked out just before 3 and settled the rent. The hostel called up a cab for me and I settled down to wait.

The ride back to the airport took half an hour and only cost P115 (as opposed to P200 when I arrived). I gave the cabbie P150 (inclusive of tip). It was chaotic in the airport as it was the last time I was there three years ago. My flight had been re-scheduled by more than two hours to depart at 1830 (I got the text from MAS in mid-February). We took off slightly later (plane was on the runway for some time) and landed after 10 pm. There were a lot of people also descending upon KLIA at that hour – I never knew there were so many flights arriving that late – and so the queues for the autogate and normal immigration counters were long. My bag was already waiting and I ran to get it and ran on to catch the 2240 train back to KL Sentral. It took seven minutes the cabbie to reach micasa – he was speeding alright. I had a speedy unpacking before finally hitting the sack after midnight feeling most knackered.

~~~~~~~~

Remember the July issue of the British GQ I told you about? Well, my friend got one alright... BUT she got the one with Rio Ferdinand in front. She’s a non-footie fan and thought they all looked the same (what?!). So it means I’ll be stuck with a Ferdinand GQ (yucks) because she doesn’t want to keep him either - not that I want to own him either but she tried to pacify me by saying there’s a tiny picture of Cesc in there. Tiny? *Sob* So I spent time at KLIA and in Manila scouring the magazine sections of bookstores looking for THE right GQ with the right cover. The Philippines are more into US than the UK and it was with some surprise that I discovered some British GQ BUT with either Ferdinand or new narcissistic daddy Cristina. Ugh (repeat five times). And they cost a bomb too, at P699, that’s close to RM50!!!

A Cesc-cover July issue of British GQ for me, for my birthday, anyone? Por favor???

~~~~~~~~

Well, Oranje demolished Brazil on Friday evening and Uruguay beat Ghana while the Germans continued their blitzkrieg on the Argies and Spain saw off Paraguay the following evening. Oranje has since beaten Uruguay for a date with the winner of the Spain-Germany match. Apparently Octopus Paul predicted a win for the Spaniards but I read that it was just a hoax. Besides, the Germans are too practical to be placing their beliefs on an octopus. Am planning an early night tonight to catch the match tomorrow morning.

Oh and Cesc has shaved. Thank God.

My Long Dirty Weekend

My long weekend started after work on Wednesday. Headed to Akak’s to spend the night. I had an early flight the following morning – at 0730 and needed to be at the airport latest by 0645 to check in.

Thursday, 2 July 2009

Neither Here Nor There

My bro-in-law dropped me off at the ERL station and I took the first train to KLIA. I was late in checking in but a desk soon opened for those of us yet to check in. We were hit by a violent turbulence shortly after we were airborne and it was so bad, it was a wonder I didn't throw up.

We landed at KK International Airport 15 minutes later than scheduled (we took off late too). I was pleasantly surprised when Jas (my old schoolmate) came up to me - turned out we were not only on the same flight, but also on the same train to KLIA! She was there to attend a medical-related conference. We chatted while waiting for SK and Alice to arrive; SK, Alice and I were going to catch the 1315 flight out to Cebu. We had planned this trip way back in early November 2008, taking advantage of the MAS offers then. Just to share with you the deals I got: I could have caught the direct (but not non-stop) flight to Cebu from KL (with a stopover at KK) but that would have cost more. So instead I bought separate return tickets KL-KK-KL and KK-Cebu-KK for RM206 and RM305 respectively (or RM511 total). A direct flight (with one stop at KK) would have cost me RM1,701. Vast difference, eh. So it pays to shop around, even for air tickets!

Our plane to Cebu took off after about 20 minutes later than scheduled. It was quite an empty craft so when we landed at Mactan-Cebu International Airport, it didn't take long for us to be reunited with our bags. This airport is in Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island, and is the Philippines’ second primary gateway. I was looking for some brochures when a Caucasian guy came up and mumbled something to me. Turned out he was a Turk living in Rostov, Russia, and had no clue whatsoever what Cebu was all about. He decided to tag along with us. I asked if he was a Muslim and he said yes. I continued and said that we would have problems finding food because the Filipinos love to eat pork. He replied, ‘Oh, I’m a Muslim but I eat pork.’ There was a moment of deafening silence as our jaws dropped to the floor and our minds tried to digest this bit of information.

We took a taxi to the pier in Cebu City (Pier 1 for Ocean Jet) for our 6 pm ferry to Bohol and spent the next two hours waiting. Now, there are many ferry operators that offer transportation between Cebu and the neighbouring islands at varying prices and ferry crossing durations but we finally settled on Ocean Jet. Thanks to Andrea for helping us secure our tickets as it only cost us PHP320 per person for a return ferry trip – because we bought it a fortnight in advance (I did try emailing Ocean Jet to query if I could purchase the tickets online but didn’t receive any reply so thanks again to Andrea!). The other ferry operators charge PHP500 a way on average (so again, do shop around!). Oh, and passengers would also need to pay a terminal fee of PHP25 but our outbound fee was already covered in the ticket.

Like the flights today, the ferry was also delayed; it finally left after 6.30 pm (scheduled to sail at 6 pm). Golly, what was it with me and transportation today? And the ferry crossing took close to two hours too but at least it was a smooth crossing. We finally reached Tagbilaran Pier at almost 8 pm and the pick-up from the pension was already waiting for us.

We checked in (Atilla, the Turkish bloke, was lucky to secure himself a room) and settled in. It had been a long day and I had been up and about since 4.45 am this morning. We stayed in and didn't go out for dinner; I was just too knackered.

Friday, 3 July 2009
I’m A Celebrity Tarsier ... Get Me Out Of Here!

We checked out and had a light breakfast at the pension restaurant before setting off four our tour of Bohol. From Tagbilaran City, we drove eastward to Baclayon and Loboc before stopping to see some tarsiers. Tarsiers are the smallest (or second smallest? Either way, they are really tiny) primates in the world and because of their tiny size, would be difficult to spot in their natural habitat. There were a few of them in the enclosure and being nocturnal animals, they were either sleeping or looking at (hiding from?) visitors with big startled eyes while hanging on for dear life to the small branches. They looked a bit like Gremlins and Yoda; in fact I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the inspiration for the characters in those movies. We left after about 20 minutes there.

We then passed through an 80-acre man-made mahogany forest (which replaced the primary forest chopped down by the Spanish) near the town of Bihal. We drove on, passing towns and paddy fields and it was as if time stood still there. It started to rain as we approached Chocolate Hills near the town of Carmen. Chocolate Hills is a group of 1,268 cone-shaped hills, so named because the grass that covers the hills turns brown in summer and thus giving the hills the appearance of giant chocolate balls. We went to one of the hills which had been developed to accommodate a view-deck.

Fortunately the heavy rain stopped shortly after we reached the observation terrace. Unfortunately though, the sun that was earlier hidden by the dark clouds had by then struggled through and shone so intensely that pretty soon we were feeling the after-rain heat. We left after the obligatory Kodak moment.

We retraced our route back and stopped at Loboc for a lunch river cruise. There were some seafood dishes so it was all right. We travelled upriver to where a small waterfall was before turning back. On the way back to the ‘jetty’, we stopped at a ‘boat stop’; turned out there were a few boat stops along the river and there were a group of men and women clad in pink tops at each boat stop, ready to immediately launch themselves into greeting us by way of a cultural performance. It was quite entertaining if a bit touristy.

From Loboc, we drove back and stopped at Baclayon Church, one of the oldest stone churches in the Philippines. It was just too hot so we didn’t linger long. Our final stop was at a souvenir shop. Then we rushed back to the pension to collect our bags and perform prayers before rushing back out again to the port for our ferry back to Cebu.

This time, the ferry was on time (well, only five minutes late) and we reached Cebu at 1810. It was starting to get dark so we hurried to get a cab. As expected, there were a lot of touts at the port. And the cabs at the port (as at the airport) charged standard fare (no metered cabs at the port and airport but you can at least bargain for the fare at the port).

Atilla had taken a walk around the port area the afternoon before and told us of the poverty he saw. And that was exactly what we drove through and saw. There was a large slum area around the port and the people there lived by the streets and conducted their daily activities by the roadside – cooking, bathing, doing laundry, even relieving oneself. And there were a lot of kids too everywhere. I felt sad to see such sight of barefooted kids running around. I don’t know why people who can ill-afford to feed even themselves have large families and if they force their children into begging or working (child labour) at such a young age, it is very unfair to the kids indeed.

Anyway. We travelled up and down Juana Osmena Street before finally locating the B&B. It only cost us less than RM70/person/night but still more pricey than other hotels in the area. Nevertheless, we were very pleased with the accommodation (room, bathroom, ambience, dining area, décor, etc) and service. It’s very charming and has character. The owner is a Filipino American and he said it’s his family home converted into B&B (so he must be very wealthy indeed).

We decided to go to Ayala Mall (about 10 minutes away) after checking in. Ayala Mall was a really huge mall, and the stores are comparable to Suria KLCC. Alas, there was no stall selling seafood or vegetarian food at the food court (despite the size) so I didn’t have my dinner there.

Malls in Cebu City close at 9 pm so we were already back in our room by 9.30 pm. We spent the rest of the evening resting and watching the Wimbledon men’s semi-finals.

Saturday, 4 July 2009

Born On The Fourth Of July (not me, nor Tom Cruise who starred in the movie. Tom’s birthday is on 5 July)

Today we took a city tour around Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu City at Mactan Island. Our first stop was at the Taoist Temple located on a hill overlooking the city (the hill is Beverly Hills, I kid you not). The rich and wealthy of the city live around the temple and, as we later discovered on our way down, some poor people too in squatters. We had to endure heavy traffic in the city – too many people, too many vehicles, as is the case in most major Asian cities. Poverty is evident everywhere you look. I never expected it to be this bad in Cebu and was disturbed with what I saw. It reminded me of Mumbai and Hyderabad.

We next stopped at the Magellan’s Cross and Basilica Minore del Santo Niño. The cross is a replica of the one planted by Magellan in 1521 to mark the spot where the first Christian Filipinos were baptised. We stayed here long enough to snap pictures before proceeding to the Basilica complex. There was a long queue at the side of the building of people waiting to touch the relic of Santo Niño (the relic is deemed miraculous).

After the basilica, we drove to Fort San Pedro, the smallest and oldest tri-bastion in the country. It also houses the museum that showcases the San Diego shipwreck and the Fort diggings.

We passed by the Heritage of Cebu Monument and the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House as we battled the traffic out of Cebu City. Mandaue City, which lies between Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu City isn’t too crowded, thankfully, so it was only a matter of time before we reached Mactan Island.

Ked, our driver, pointed out the squatter homes along the main road to the Mactan Shrine where Magellan Marker (it marks the spot where Magellan died) and Lapu-Lapu Monument (Lapu-Lapu was the local who killed Magellan) are and expressed his frustration over the government’s inability to help the squatters. Oh well, I suppose that’s the problems shared by most governments.

We reached the parking area of the Mactan Shrine a little after 12 noon and headed for lunch at Ked’s suggestion. Unfortunately the restaurant where we sat down to eat our lunch was not properly maintained and poorly located (it overlooked a stagnant body of sea water with a faint stench emanating from the water) – no view, no sea breeze, no atmosphere at all. And according to SK and Alice, the seafood in KK tastes so much better and fresher.

It was a hot, hot, hot cross bun day when we left the restaurant and walked to the Mactan Shrine so we didn’t linger long there.

Ked dropped us at SM Mall (another major shopping mall in Cebu City) and we parted ways with him there. The mall was super-crowded with shoppers and also those eager to escape the heat. It was here where I steadily and surely started to lose my temper and patience with Atilla. I started to find him annoying and irritating and I tried to avoid him as much as possible. Unfortunately he didn’t take the hint. It was bad enough that he kept asking where we were (at any one tourist spot), what we were eating/doing/about to do, where we were going after that, etc, etc. I mean, we were as new to Cebu as he was, for crying out loud. I just hate clingy guys like that (especially loathsome when they are so much older and are supposed to be more matured) who seek constant approval and validation and reassurance.

We returned to the B&B at 4 - the cabbie asked if we were Koreans (!) - and an hour later, headed to Ayala. We intended to shop but alas, despite the size and shopping delights of the mall, left only with mangoes from a supermarket (mangoes from Cebu are apparently among the sweetest in the world). Atilla left us claiming he was feeling unwell and while at first I was initially worried if he could find his way back (since he was so bloody dependent on us to lead the way all the time from the time we met at Cebu Airport up to that point) but SK assured me that he should be fine as he’s travelled extensively alone before. And I exclaimed, you’re right of course, he had travelled to South America, India and Borneo among others alone so he should be able to survive. And this got me really annoyed as I recalled his total dependence on us, his need to be ‘pampered’ (not by one but three girls. Which we didn’t do of course!), his hunger for attention and approval ... ughhhh!!!

We had a light dinner at Persian Palate (the only halal restaurant in the whole mall) and stayed until almost closing time.

Sunday, 5 July 2009
Any Given Sunday

I woke up late today and we all had a rather late breakfast (unfortunately Atilla was also there). I ignored him pointedly and concentrated on my magazine. After breakfast, Alice accompanied me to search for a massage place. We found one about 200 metres down the street. It was cheap (in fact there was a place that quoted a lower price as I discovered later) at P220 (less than RM17!!) for a 75-minute combination of Shiatsu and Swedish massage. Strangely enough, the masseuse asked me if I was a Korean. It was close to 1230 when my session ended and I hurried back to the B&B.

We checked out after prayers (we had earlier requested to check out at 1) and we were lucky there was a cab already waiting in the compound. As we wanted to buy salted danggit fish (apparently a well-known delicacy), Stefan, the friendly driver, agreed to drive us to Taboan Market. We spent close to half an hour in the market and left smelling faintly of dried seafood products (!!!).

Stefan also told us that there are many Korean tourists in Cebu and they all prefer to stay at Mactan Island (hence, the prices of goods in Mactan are higher than in Cebu). The Koreans even come to Cebu to learn English. Still, I don’t see why we should be mistaken as Koreans as we look South-East Asian surely.

Fortunately traffic was light on Sunday and we reached the airport at 2.10 pm. We checked in immediately. To my disappointment, there were not many shops at the airport so I brought quite some Pesos back.

As was our flight to Cebu on Thursday (originating in KL; this flight was also bound for KL with a stop at KK), the flight was empty. And instead of the female aircrew on Thursday, this time there were male aircrew and both were very cute. So cute that I even paid extra attention to the security procedure. Heh.

We landed at KK International Airport at 5.50 pm. I went to the prayer room to find my bracelet which I absent-mindedly left on Thursday and I was pleasantly surprised to find it still there. Amazing Grace Jones.

It was drizzling lightly when we landed and there was a beautiful rainbow outside the terminal building as we waited for Alice’s sister and brother-in-law to come with a car for us. Then it was a quick visit to the Filipino Market and the neighbouring dry seafood product market.

Next we drove to the nearby Hyatt Hotel to perform prayers and meet up with Delia (we went to Delia’s room). Dinner was had at Garden Restaurant (seafood dinner and yes, wayyy better than the one at Lapu-Lapu). Thanks SK and Alice for the lovely birthday dinner ;)

I slept really late watching history being made. FedEx as usual was calm and collected, too calm in fact at times that he made some errors, but finally he emerged the winner and broke Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slams (which he equalled only last month). I feel for Roddick, he has certainly reinvented himself and will be a force to be reckoned with soon.

Monday, 6 July 2009

It’s My Party And I Won’t Cry ‘Cause I’m Happy

I was half-awake when Delia left for work. It was a very wet morning – thank God I had gone to the Filipino Market yesterday for no brolly would be too big for that torrential downpour. Went down for breakfast after watching the highlights of the men’s final match. The rain also dashed my hope of visiting Delia at hew workplace.

SK came to pick me up at 1030 and we drove to the airport. I was nervous when I sighted the long queue; fortunately one counter opened just for those yet to check-in (just like in KL on Thursday morning – story of my life). Practically ran in but I needn’t have worried as the terminal wasn’t that large (in fact I even have time to buy an Arsenal jersey on offer at the duty-free!).

Flight took off and landed on time.

Thanks SK and Alice for coming with me on this trip, for putting up with me and for being such good sport (they were very patient with Atilla too). I had fun (despite the presence of an annoying Turkish brat). And thanks Delia for bearing with me while I watched Wimbledon (I hope I didn’t make too much noise and wake you up too often!).

Third time to KK, so will I be back again?

This is not any beach in Cebu or Bohol but Fabregas Beach at La Seyne sur Mer, France. Yes, such a beach exists!

Manila

The flight out of KUL on Tuesday was delayed and it finally took off at 1330 hours (scheduled departure was 12 noon) after an especially long taxiing down the runway. It started off as a bumpy journey but soon improved, thank God. Caught up with reading National Geographic magazine as my copy hadn’t arrived in the mail and other magazines, reasoning I could catch up with the in-flight movies on my way home, especially as the return flight was in the evening. Had venison for lunch, it was quite good and tasted a bit like beef [the accompanying mash potato tasted simply divine, I never knew it could taste sooo good].

We landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 4.44 pm - some may consider this unlucky! - Manila time [Manila is in the same time zone as KL]. I was the second one of the plane and a good thing too as there were already long queues forming at the immigration counters with only four opened for visitors; the dozen or so other counters were for Balikbayan or those Filipinos working abroad returning home for holidays or for good. This was our first taster of a few other queues to come.

After clearing immigration, collecting luggage and clearing custom, we searched for a cab. I’d read that taking a metered cab to the city is better than taking a coupon cab – though of course those we approached said metered cabs are less safe as they are not ‘registered’ and should anything untoward happen to the passenger, the authority cannot trace the cab/cabbie down. We decided to take the risk and take a metered cab anyway.

The infamous Manila jam was already in full swing but I didn’t think it was any worse than KL to be honest. And anyway, we were too busy besieging our cabbie with questions that we hardly noticed the jam. We reached our hotel in Makati about half an hour later. By the way, there are seven cities that make up Metro Manila and Makati is the financial district and where the banks, insurance companies, stock exchange and hotels are. Check-in wasn’t too smooth and we finally set off at 7 pm to explore Glorietta, which is the nearest, err, shopping malls [for they were a few of them malls and all inter-connected] for dinner and possibly some light groceries.

The omnipresent guards were all around at the entrances to public places like hotels and shopping malls and well, in Manila, do as the locals do and just bear with the bag-poking. It only takes a few seconds actually and I didn’t find it annoying. Anyway, do the locals love ‘malling’! I guess it’s because malls are all air-conditioned, covered and connected that everyone just flocks there. And besides, one might as well hang out there after work instead of braving the traffic jam. We managed to find a stall selling sizzling fish at the food court; apart from that, Filipinos evidently and clearly love their pork.

Later that night, I was glued to the news of the floods in England. There was footage of people buying bottled water from supermarkets. Guess the latest Harry Potter novel was the last thing on their minds.

The conference was over a period of two days and the first day finished slightly late, no thanks to the moderator who wasn’t a stickler for time management. It was getting late and we went out again later that evening, yes to Glorietta to find some local souvenirs to bring home and dinner. The second day of the conference ended at 5.15 pm much to our joy as we already had a date... yes, with Glorietta again. More shopping and browsing and dinner was again sizzling fish [albeit a different kind] at the food court. It rained during the day on Wednesday and Thursday but the rain had stopped by the time the conference ended.

I suppose we could have tried venturing out of Makati but it was so safe in Makati and it was already late/getting dark by the time the conference ended and the roads still jammed that we just decided to just stick to Makati and Glorietta. Being in Makati though had the effect of me feeling as if I was anywhere but in Manila with the modern amenities of a modern city and the modern and tall skycrapers - see, Manila was the second most destroyed city during the WW II after Warsaw. Well, apart from the traffic jam, the good-looking Filipinos with their Spanish names (how surreal to have an Asian look with a Spanish name!) and the Jeepneys ploughing the streets of course.

Our flight out on Friday was in the afternoon so we had the morning to ourselves for, yes, more last-minute shopping [and the shopping delights of Makati didn’t fail us!]. The malls were all opened only from 10 am onwards and as we left at 9.30 am, we had to brave the already scorching morning sun and went to Balikbayan Handicrafts at Arnaiz Avenue before returning to the comforts and coolness of Glorietta more than an hour later. Lunch was had at a Vietnamese restaurant serving seafood noodle. We then returned to the hotel to finish up packing, perform prayers and check out.

We managed to get a cab back to the airport – it’s either you wait for a cab to deliver new guests or you have to avail the hotel’s limousine which would set you back by Php1700 (almost USD38!)! We reached the airport at 2, which was actually quite early as our flight was scheduled to depart at 4.50 pm... but of course there was the horrible queue to get your bags weighed the old-fashioned way before you can check in your bags. That itself took a painful half an hour if not more. Then after paying the Php750 departure tax or what they call terminal fee [which consists of Passenger Service Charge of Php550 and Security Development Charge (?!) of Php200], we joined yet more queues to get through immigration. This was easily another painful half an hour and we were just exhausted and knackered after all that queuing.

Then it rained ever so heavily... Manila is currently facing dry weather and drought so much so some dams have reported critical water levels. What little I read from the local dailies was that the authority was trying cloud-seeding over dams to spur some rain falls.

We finally boarded the plane slightly after 5 pm and it took off shortly after. The in-flight movie schedules had been changed to the August schedules despite it still being July so there went my plan of watching Premonition and Disturbia. Finally landed at KUL at 9 pm [and yes, after another long taxiing down the runway].

Mabuhay

Another light breakfast while blogging here, another flight to catch and another sense of déjà vu. Am flying off to an Asian metropolitan which I have yet to set foot in. I have heard mixed stories about this city; let’s hope everything will turn out all right. Having been to Mumbai, I don’t really mind a visit to this city as it’d be difficult for me to go there on my own [from what I heard, it’s not exactly one place anyone can simply fly into and wander off without fear of security like Singapore]. AirAsia does fly into this country - and I could have got some free tickets previously - but from what I googled, the airport is easily three hours away from the city [so there went my plan... until today]. And yes, am keeping a very open mind about this.

Wish me luck.