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!
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!
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