My Travel Story

I think this is a season of travel. Both Cebu Pacific and Air Asia have ongoing promotions on their fare. Not to mention that other airlines like Asian Spirit and Philippine Airlines have also reduced their rates for the summer. And since I wrote about my dilemma of going to Hanoi next month, let me tell you my travel story.

When I was a kid, I was never fond of travelling. I hate the waiting time inside the vehicle. I also hate the preparations that I have to do like packing my things and making sure that all the necessities are inside my bag.  And most of all, I dont like the unpacking part of travelling. So many things to return in their proper places.

My love for travelling started when I was in high school. I loved it when we have field trips. Exploring new places while having fun with ur friends. The most memorable field trip was when we visited Corregidor.  It was our first time. And that was the time when I realized that Manila Bay is not at all bad. I couldn’t believe that the waters in Corregidor is part of Manila Bay.

Also,  Scouting gave the opportunity to travel to different places.  My first trip to Baguio was for the Summer Camp. I literally kissed the ground the moment we arrived in Baguio just to make sure that it wouldnt be the first and the last. True, it was the first of the my many trips to the Summer Capital.

My first taste of overseas travel was because of Scouting.  I was in Mt. Makiling for the 1st ASEAN Jamboree when I was chosen to represent the Philippines in the Asia-Pacific Jamboree and Youth Forum in Mouchak, Bangladesh.  You can just imagine how excited I was to hear that. I’m going abroad and I am going abroad alone without my family. And of all place, I am going to Bangladesh which I guess if not for this Jamboree thing, wouldnt really be part of my dream destinations Maybe scary to some but for me, it was more of excitement and adventure! Because of this, it made Bangladesh a memorable country for me.

After the Jamboree, we made a side trip to Thailand. That was the time when Bangkok was notoriously known to have a traffic nightmare. I remember we had to leave the place where we stayed early just to catch our flight back home. This is was also the first time when I saw lots of elephants roaming around the zoo. We only have a pair of elephants in Manila Zoo and finding many in Bangkok was amazing! And then we ate the world’s largest floating restaurants during that time. Of course the trip wouldn’t be complete without a visit to a Grand Palace and riding a tuktuk.

That trip made me realized that it is fun to travel to new places. I get to earn new friends, try new culture and learn new ideas. And since then, I’ve always wanted to travel. But, traveling entails costs. That’s why I had to wait until I finish college and get a job to resume travelling.

While I was saving for the next trip, internet satisfied my craving to travel. Internet allowed me to explore the world without leaving home and in just one click of the mouse. Also, I was able to make new friends with people around the world through internet. It makes me feel that I have a friend in every part of the globe. However, this only make me crave more to travel. 

One of the friends I met online was a Malaysian. After a year of chatting, he and his wife came over to the Philippines to visit me. I toured them around the city and brought them to interesting sites. However, that visit made me realized that I have to return the favor… return the trip they made. But for me, it was really a return favor… it was more of a good reason to travel again!

I went to Malaysia to “return” the trip that my friend made. Malaysia is a good destination. And I have to say that Kuala Lumpur is one of the best cities in the world. The infrastructures are very good… good roads, nice buildings and efficient public transport. And this is the time that I realized that the Philippines is being left behind by her neighbors. Though I’ve read about that in the news, I didnt believe that until I visited Malaysia.

Since I was in Malaysia, I asked my friend to get me a side trip to Singapore. Since they are busy and I dont want to disturb their work, I went to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur by bus. That was my first time to cross the border by land and I was fascinated of the fact that I am crossing countries via a causeway bridge. It was a memorable trip to Singapore because I forgot that chewing gum is prohibited in Singapore and I have one pack of it in my bag! Good thing I was not subjected to random search in the border.  But the person before me was and her things was really checked by the customs officers.

My friend booked me a half-day city tour of Singapore only to realize that packaged city tours is not a good way to explore a new city. Tour operators will just bring you to the stores which are not really interesting (eg jewelries) and just pass by interesting places on the way to the stores. After that boring tour of the jewelry shop, I decided not to finish the whole tour. I explored Singapore on foot which is very easy because of efficient public transport.

Truly, Singapore leads the pack in South East Asia in terms of economy, tourism… everything. Realizing that, however, didnt make me feel envious of Singapore, unlike Malaysia.

Why? Let me share with you two stories that happened to me in Singapore. 

Story No. 1. My celfon ran out of battery and I needed to recharge. Since Singapore uses three-proned outlets, I needed an adaptor for my charger. I went down to the front desk and asked if I could borrow one. The hotel staff looked at me for a moment and checked if indeed I was a guest before answering my request. And before handing over the adapter, she twice repeated to me that if ever I lose the adapter, I will be paying for it and it is expensive one! I was surprised by the treatment of that hotel staff… it was rude! I think it was because I was not dressed up well and I was checked-in in their five-star hotel.

Story No. 2. I was in the subway station going to Suntec City. Being new to the city, I didnt know which platform to take. I overheard group of young univeristy students from NUS talking in English and I thought of asking directions from them since I am sure they can understand and speak English. I went over them and asked. To my surprise, they just look me from head to tea and ignored me! Good thing there was a Filipina maid who overheard me and took me to the right platform. That incident was a big turn off to Singapore! And I told my friend that I would take a long time for me to visit Singapore again. And to my surprise, he told me that same thing happens to Malaysians crossing the border.

Until that trip, I have not gone back to Singapore. I think if there is one thing that the Philippines can truly be proud is the people… the Filipinos! We may not be rich, not as educated as Singaporeans but we have a big heart. It made me appreciate the warm hospitality which Filipinos are known for.

After that trip, I went to Japan for scholarship. Japan is the best place to explore one country. Efficient mass transportation systems are in placed which makes travelling so easy. And this is the only country that Ive been to that I feel 100% safe! The only drawback is… Japan having the most expensive cities in teh world! One really has to spend big money to explore Japan. But it is all worth every penny. And I could say, I have travelled Japan more than I travelled the Philippines… sad but true.

Having relatives in the US is a good reason to visit the land of the milk and honey. I stayed in California where my grandparents, uncles and aunts live. I was able to visit Los Angeles and San Francisco and experienced their Christmas season. I must say, nothing beats Christmas in the Philippines! Here I realized the importance of learning how to drive. I was so used to Japan where I could go anywhere using train but here, one should have a car to explore the city. Though they have trains and buses, they are not as extensive like Japan. Add to this, my relatives didnt allow me to explore the city alone… scared that something might happened to me. In short, I relied on my relatives to take me around the city.

After my scholarship, I went to Malaysia again and then to Cambodia. Having Air Asia, Kuala Lumpur is a good hub for IndoChina trip… Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and even Thailand and Singapore. One can have connecting flight at a cheaper rate. And for my trip to Cambodia, KL was my hub and stayed there for few nights before and after Cambodia.

One of the closest friends I had in Japan was a Cambodian. That was enough reason to visit Cambodia. He and his wife took me around Phnom Pehn and Siem Reap. I just fell in love with Siem Reap… the home of Angkor Wat. The place was mesmerizing with all the temples around. It’s like riding in a time machine when one enters the temples. And the people are so kind and modest. Not to mention, prices are cheap in Cambodia. I will share some pictures of Cambodia in my future post. But I have to say that Cambodia is a recommended place to visit.

This year, I took my parents to Hong Kong and Macau. This trip was long overdue. I planned this before I went to Japan but only realized it after I finished the scholarship. And this was also the first time that I travel with my parents. Hong Kong and Macau are two good places to visit for leisure trip.

So where will be my next destination? I don’t know. I am still thinking of going to Hanoi next month. Dream destination is still Europe. I could imagine myself taking pictures of the great European architectures.

And of course I want to visit Africa, South America, India, Middle East… and the list goes on and on and on!

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To Go or Not To Go…

This is the big question that is bugging me now.  Ive said in my previous that aside my photography, i love to travel. Travelling allows me to escape from the pressures of work and family. It gives me the feeling of being free with nothing to think about except to have fun and explore new things and places. Since 2004, I’ve been travelling at least once a year and usually alone. And last year, I tried doing “backpack travel”… such a difficult thing to do… hehe!

Yesterday, my urge to travel had once again attacked me when I found an email from Air Asia about their promo fare for next year. While I was making my “plan,” I recieved another email this time from Cebu Pacific. Boy oh Boy… they are also having a promo fare for June to Dec 2008 travel. The urge really has set in me this time.

But there is a BIG BUT! I have already travelled this year to Hong Kong and Macau with my parents last March. And something inside me tells me that travelling again is too much.  With the rising cost of living, spending for travel is something that one should really think about. Add to that, I told myself to explore the Philippines in my next travel.

But this is a promo!!! I don’t want to pass up this promo. This is one good opportunity to explore new place and to catch up with my friends whom I promised a visit. Imagine I could save as much as 50% in fare if I grab the promo.

Now I’m in dilemma… to go or not to go! Hopefully, I can decide before the promo ends (and seats runs out).

UPDATE: Yesterday I decided to go on with my trip. Finally, I logged on to cebupacifair.com and made the necessary reservation. Unfortunately, the original schedule was moved to a week later coz I missed out the promo seats. I am excited to see Hanoi and meet my friends there. Hopefully it will be a good vacation =)

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Kapamilya DOND at NBC

This morning, I was able to “catch” Deal or No Deal in NBC. Tonight’s episode (today in the Philippines) was taped in the Philippines using the local rule with American contestants. I had to put “” in the word catch coz I didnt really catch it on tv. I was chatting with an American friend in the US when I remembered that they would be showing that episode today. So I asked my friend to turn the TV on and tune in NBC. Since the TV was far away from the computer, we used voice chat so I could hear whats happening on TV. All the things that I will be writing here are based on what I heard only.

I could hear the music, the audience, contestant and the host well. I could even heard Kris Aquino’s voice when she was introduced by Howie Mandell and it sounded that they are having fun. My friend told me that the audience were lively and dancing. I could just imagine that they are doing the stuff in the local version. I just wondered how the hosts and the contestants think about all the things that are happening around them. Since my friend was not fan of DOND, there’s no point of comparison between the two versions.

The interesting part of the show was when the banker offered the contestant additional prize money in exchange of accepting a challenge. There were three boxes with $1000, $5000 and $10000 prize each. The contestant had to choose one box and do the challenge inside it. The challenge involved eating local delicacies. The $1000 box contain chicken feet or adidas, $5000 box has fish head which the contestant had to eat the eye. Before the host announce whats inside the $10000 box, I already figured out that it will be balut or duck egg. And I was right! The contestant didnt know whats inside the box so obviously the $10000 box was chosen. Howie was surprised to see whats inside the box! The contestant gamely took the challenge and ate balut !!! In return, additional $10000 was put in the prize money.

I didnt hear clearly how much money the contestant won but the jackpot prize of US$1,000,000 was not won.

I was able to watch a teaser of the episode on youtube and I must say that it was well produced. Kudos to the local production staff for putting up a world class show. Watching the short video made me feel proud to be Pinoy. I cant wait to catch the whole episode either in youtube or ABS-CBN.

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