14 posts tagged “vacation”
The end was anticlimactic, as i've found many endings to be.
With neither family being a fan of long, drawn-out emotional goodbyes, we had a quiet dinner on the night before we left for the US. As is usual for a first apo, Adrian was the focal point of the evening. Eventually we did get around to snapping a full family picture, which - aside from a moderately informal one at our wedding - is the only one we have of both families together. If i do say so myself - it does look pretty decent.
The actual trip back to Grand Rapids was nowhere near as exciting as the one to Manila; no delays aside from those expected at airports, and no surprises, and no more "accidental vacations."
(As an aside, to the Filipino travelers out there carrying H1B visas, don't forget to obtain an Overseas Employment Certificate from your local Philippine embassy. For the cost of $5, it'll save you a substantial amount of money in taxes and fees when flying out of NAIA. I forget the exact amount, but rest assured that if El Cheapo says so, it must be significant.)
Here's a few snapshots of the airport in Taiwan, and one from ORD waiting to fly back to GRR:
We returned to Grand Rapids on May 18th, 2009. And the rest is history.
EPILOGUE
It's been almost three months since we got back to Grand Rapids, and things have gone back to normalcy. I've gotten back into the groove of working in the hospital, Gianina is hard at work trying to get into an MBA program, and Adrian is busy wreaking havoc in his usual fashion. In unrelated news, i am dutifully training for my half-marathon this October and Gianina is addicted to 5Ks. All is well.
Reflecting on everything that went on during our nearly-three-week vacation, i am struck by how normal it felt to be back in the Philippines; how right everything seemed. Despite the atrocious heat and humidity, the pollution, the ever-present traffic, and the rampant graft and corruption that always greeted me on the front page of the daily newspapers, walking on Philippine soil reminded me what it feels like to really belong.
I don't remember exactly when, but at one point right in the middle of our vacation Manang Vi inquired of me (in Tagalog, of course): "So - when are you going back home?"
"But where would we go?" i replied without missing a beat. "We're already here."
When
I first met him he was (at least in my estimation) "just" the studious
guy at the top of the class. I clearly remember that when he'd give
reports in Araling Panlipupan, the question-and-answer segment would
always be replete with prizes for the ones getting the right answers;
cheap stuff such as candy and pencils to be sure, but decent enough
spoils for fourth graders. And of course, he was the son of Mrs.
Matic, one of the most-feared teachers in all of De La Salle-Zobel.
As time went by and we became constant classmates every year - from sixth grade all the way through Medical School, our friendship grew. We learned to play the guitar, went to various UAAP games with the Dedma Boys, lifted weights on-and-off (but still ended up flabby), pioneered Human Biology in DLSU, became "Histology Majors" in college, started a car "footwash" (a step below a car "pool"), tried to start a garage band, completed innumerable class projects, wasted countless hours playing Battle Realms/Starcraft/Warcraft 3 when we should have been studying for Evals, and lost a good friend to cancer. The list goes on and on, but suffice to say that short of homoerotic experiences, we've gone through almost everything.
One central "theme" to many of our interminable conversations was always the opposite sex. Of course, we started getting interested in girls in early high school... and of course, those early years were equal parts awkward and traumatic. How to do ligaw (courtship)? What was the proper diskarte (technique)? Where to buy cheap but not cheap-looking flowers? Where to go on a cheap but not cheap-looking date? Where to buy cheap but not cheap-looking presents?
(Obviously another central theme was how to save money. Unfortunately we were not as blessed as some of our classmates with overflowing coffers and parents eager to disburse the contents thereof. If you detect a little bitterness in my tone, rest assured that it's not just "a little," but that's neither here nor there.)
One spark of "brilliance" that we hit upon was the concept of a ligaw company. I forget the details, but I think there was talk of sliding scales for specific events, such as a standard date vis-a-vis the Junior-Senior Prom. We wouldn't be cheap, but we would be full service - from providing you with the appropriate script to ask the girl out to actually purchasing a nice corsage to tie to her wrist (the ones you pinned to the chest were allegedly passé).
In retrospect, it seems like the kind of idea that only some nerdy kids in high school would cook up, which is okay because we really were just nerdy kids in high school. Still, despite our bumbling efforts, we seem to have hit on some good ideas, because we are now both happily married - and not to each other.
Not being a person who frequents weddings (in fact I've missed two important ones - Francis' and Jerome's - which I will regret for the rest of my days), I'm not a good judge, but I think he managed to pull off a rather nice extravaganza. The wedding ceremony was at the recently-renovated Magallanes Church and the reception was at the Manila Peninsula. The only wedding I really have to compare it with was mine, which - while I am undoubtedly proud of it - was practically DIY. But more important than all the guest lists, all the presents, all the speeches, and the final bill however is the fact that my best friend is beginning this new chapter in his life, a grand adventure into forever with his new bride.
Here's to Marwin and Cathy - I wish them all the best. Mabuhay ang bagong kasal!
III
If everything had gone according to MY plan, Day 3 would have consisted of the Honda Bay Tour. Unfortunately the resort manager apparently had another plan that was communicated neither to the clients (us), nor the person who was supposed to take us. FLASHBACK: when we sat down for lunch at the hotel restaurant on Day One, the manager introduced himself to us and asked whether or not we had already gone to Honda Day. Upon telling him that we didn't know we were supposed to, he asked whether or not our driver had told us, and we said no. Eventually he offered to have us go snorkeling instead on Day 3; i replied that it would be fine, as long as it was financially equivalent. Chuckling, he said that it was actually more "expensive" and acquiesced. Now why a half-day snorkeling tour would be more expensive than a whole day tour of Honda Bay (which includes snorkeling and lunch) is beyond me, but i wasn't there to argue...
At any rate, we got on a bangka early in the morning and proceeded to our first snorkeling destination. Before any diving, we were required to sign-in at the local tourism office which also doubled as a pawikan (sea turtle) farm of sorts.
This is my third try at snorkeling and Gianina's second. I do find it somewhat enjoyable (except for the little stings i get on my skin when i pass by a patch of seaweed) and it whets my appetite for something more. Mayhap one day when we're living lives of leisure we'll take up actual scuba diving. For now i'm content to enjoy the sights in the shallow parts of the sea.
On the way back we passed by a waterfall which serves as the main water source for the town of Sabang (which is where our resort was located). If the weather had been more cooperative we would have kayaked there with a guide.
Here's a video of Gianina kayaking, subtitled for the non-Filipino-speakers among us:
The main event for Day Four was the City Tour.
First on our itinerary was lunch (of course - no Chong ever goes hungry). One of the more famous restaurants in Puerto Princesa is called Ka Lui's (Brother Louie's). I'm no architect, but they seem to have constructed and decorated the place in the native fashion. Their "gimmick" is that there are no shoes allowed in the whole restaurant. Aside from keeping the floor clean, i guess it projects a little bit of local color. The food was good and relatively inexpensive... and we got to try some STINGRAY! There was the weird picture in the bathroom however that seemed out of place (it's the last picture - do not click on it if you are under 18).
Next up was the "Crocodile Farm," although the official name of the place is obviously much longer.
Inside the museum proper there's the skin of a sixteen-foot crocodile that's been hung out to dry, as well as some assorted odds and ends from local wildlife. There's also a nature park where you can see "wild" animals that have been caged for all to see. But the big thing is the crocodile "farm" itself.
For thirty pesos you can have your picture taken with a baby crocodile. In this picture, Gianina is genuinely enjoying herself while i am getting ready to pee in my pants:
A short drive away from the Crocodile Farm is the Iwahig Penitentiary, which is a weird tourist attraction in that it consists only of a large prisoner settlement where the low-security prisoners are actually allowed to roam free. We have no pictures of the place as i found it equal parts depressing and creepy; the less that is said about it, the better.
The third stop was the ranch of the late great Congressman Ramon Mitra. The place looked deserted, but the security would let us through the gate; i guess someone still lives there. At least we could frolic in the garden and enjoy the spectacular view.
Half a mile down the road is "Baker's Hill," where we picked up some local hopia. Seen from the road, it looks like a simple stall in someone's garage where they sell pastries. It's a lot more when you walk inside the property, though. It's hard to describe, but it's something like a cross between a sculpture park and a zoo for exotic animals, with a fancy snack bar. The pictures do it absolutely no justice.
There's a big house on the property which i assume is the owner's residence. If he's really a baker, then i wonder if i got into the wrong profession.
(As an interesting aside, another half-mile from Baker's Hill is a big house with a big sign announcing that it's the residence of a certain retired Commodore. We asked our driver if it was open to the public, and he replied in the negative. Why the heck would you want to advertise who lives in a house if you don't let visitors in?)
The last destination of the day was the Butterfly Garden. The name is pretty self-explanatory. We spent the better part of a half-hour chasing around butterflies and i was able to snap at least one decent picture. Not bad for a dinky little point-and-shoot, i think.
After that we headed straight to the airport, waited for our flight, and headed home.
PALAWAN POSTSCRIPT:
I do have to point out that our City Tour was more than just mildly disappointing. For the large sum of money we shelled out (a little over $2000 for our mini-vacation, excluding airfare), i did expect to at least have the various nominal entrance fees included. They were measly sums to be sure, but being asked to pay "a little" more after just having paid a lot is just nasty and unprofessional. Another thing that got my goat later on was how limited the experience was. Although it was almost the exact same city tour i had when i went to Puerto Princesa with my family a few years ago, when i looked up sights to see at the WOW Philippines website after the fact, there were a lot more historical places we could have gone that were not even suggested. This was a far cry from the uber-professional tour we got in Bohol last year, but i guess that's what you get when you go see the "frontier."
Anyway, after the Palawan experience, there was one last big event: Marwin's wedding.
The Underground River is actually only navigable until a quarter of the way in (or half for the intrepid traveler who is willing to take the time to obtain a special permit), and consists mostly of looking at interesting rock formations, and avoiding accidentally drinking bat or bird urine (we were advised to keep our mouths closed when looking up). Not really much for the casual tourist, but interesting enough if you're into geology or even history.
The short stretch of forest you have to walk through is also a nature park of sorts where monkeys and monitor lizards abound.
This part of the trip was actually somewhat poignant. The tour guides are volunteers (i'm not sure if they have day jobs, and i was a little afraid to ask) who have been doing these for years. When they talk about the Forest, one gets an appreciation for the love they feel for it, but it also makes you wonder - who will keep doing this once these men have passed on?
In the past year i've become quite fond of running. I like the challenge of trying to beat my PR, the time alone to collect my thoughts, and - every once in a while - the endorphin rush of the "runner's high." I was actually looking forward to increasing my mileage in the Philippines and possibly even racing one or two 5Ks during our three week vacation.
But then reality came up, slapped me in the face, gave me a suplex, and kicked me while i was down.
Upon awakening at 6 in the morning on that fateful first day, i checked the weather: eighty-seven degrees fahrenheit with 60% humidity. The run started out as planned (i.e. joints and muscles in good working order), but within five minutes i was sweating bullets. Although i didn't need to walk at any point, it felt like i dragged myself for the entire TWO MILES that i ran.
And the hills! I don't think there was ever a stretch of flat ground where we lived. It's something i've never noticed before which becomes painfully obvious after a little while. I guess that's why the place is named "Hillsborough." Serves me right for training mostly on flat ground.
I suspect my problem was mostly the weather. In the past six months i've acclimated to running in the cold, West Michigan climate. Even with temperatures routinely below fifty fahrenheit in the week prior to our departure, i was regularly finishing easy four-milers with just one layer of clothing. In fact i was running in shorts and a t-shirt at mid-fifties (to those who know me well, this is in fact a HUGE deal for me, as once the ambient temperature hits fifty degrees i already go out in longjohns). Being a person who prefers warm weather, i thought it would be a simple matter to just transplant my routine to the Philippines. Big mistake.
Subsequent runs were not much better. At least after a few days i found that i could still complete a sub-30-minute 5K (albeit with much difficulty) and finish a 4-miler. But my dreams of running a 5K in the short time i was there went down in flames.
From a techincal standpoint i wonder what i should have done better. For one, i realized that i need to incorporate more hill training into my runs. For another, i guess i need to adjust my fluid intake based on ambient conditions. I know should be obvious from the get-go to any random fool... but of course i am an exceptional fool.
At least GPS tracking works. Here's the run that i did for my 4-miler:
This was in Muntinlupa City, which is just south of Manila. For a better view:
Since we're zooming out, it's interesting to see how far that is from where i usually run:
One thing i was NOT looking forward to with this year's vacation was the inevitable weight gain. Of course as balikbayans, part of the red-carpet treatment is being practically force-fed at every meal. Where my usual Michigan breakfast usually consists of just a cup of coffee and a plate of reheated leftovers (or cold cereal), i am instead provided an unlimited supply of garlic-fried rice, three kinds of ulam (viand), pan de sal, and perhaps even two different kinds of orange juice. Over protests of "Busog na ako!" (I'm full!), i am told "Marami pang pagkain!" ("But there's plenty of food left!"). Lunch and dinner - if not at a restaurant where we will order twice as much food as necessary - is more of the same. There's also the ubiquitous merienda (mid-afternoon meal, between lunch and dinner) and after-dinner drinks with friends.
Last year i gained roughly ten pounds in a span of two weeks. Since over the past year i've managed to burn this off (and then some) with running, it should be understandable why i wasn't too keen on eating unlimited quantities of food. Unfortunately it's impossible to resist when eager relatives present you with dishes that your palate has craved for far too long.
As i said, we had litson again this year for Adrian's birthday party. It wasn't something that i planned, but my parents just spontaneously sprang for it. Who am i to refuse?
(Disclosure: while this is a Filipino litson, it is not necessarily Anthony Bourdain's "Best Pig Ever," which hailed from Cebu and was prepped with olive oil and sea salt as well as "acupunctured.")
At the second, more "intimate" get together for Adrian's birthday (including just immediate family), we got Cantonese (Chinese) take-out from Luk Foo. No General Tsao's Chicken or little takeout boxes here.
Some of the restaurants we went to were Isdaan in Tarlac (similar, but not quite the same as "Palaisdaan" in Cavite, which we also visited) and Kanin Club - a Filipino restaurant with a contemporary twist (but not fusion) on traditional dishes, such as "Crispy Dinuguan" and "Sinigang Rice" (mental note: this is probably the best way to introduce Filipino food to foreigners - if they ever look for franchisees, get in line). A particular favorite was the Japanese restaurant Omakase, where we had last year's despedida dinner. On the way to Tagaytay, we sampled the pizza and ever-fresh salad bar at Gourmet's Cafe, and on the way back we stopped by a local Bulalohan and tried our best to clog our arteries.
One place we had heard so much about but were unable to get to last year was a restaurant called HEAT at the Shangri-La Edsa Hotel. HEAT is an acronym for "Healthy Eating, Amazing Tastes" and it does not disappoint.
For a little over $30, tax-inclusive (although they of course charge in Philippine pesos), you get an international buffet in a fine dining experience. I did not personally count, but they apparently have over 20 dishes spread out over 11 stations. My pictures don't really do the food justice but i did find a blog that does. The prices seem to have gone up since that post was written.
Gianina and i made the observation that we have yet to find a "real" buffet in this country - i.e. like the ones we're so used to in Manila. Sure there are the relatively inexpensive Chinese buffets, the hotels with their Sunday buffet brunches, and of course the American "comfort food" buffets like Fire Mountain, but for sheer scope, variety, and value-for-money, nothing compares to the buffets back home. A few days before we went to HEAT in fact, i stuffed my face at a sushi buffet at Sakae Sushi for PhP299 (a little over $6 at today's exchange rate) - a price point that would barely get you one piece of sushi at a Japanese restaurant in Grand Rapids.
With all the abundance of food, one has to wonder why don't see more Michigan-sized people in Manila, and for this we have to do some mathematical analysis. For someone making about $3,000 dollars a month (based on the median income in the US), a $10 buffet is fairly cheap at 0.3% of their income, while someone making PhP20,000 a month (which should be a fair estimate of a decent salary, and significantly less for the multitudes of urban poor) would have serious second thoughts about blowing at least 5% of their paycheck on just one meal. Translation: good food is available in mass quantities, but as a luxury. This thought is slightly depressing and makes me a little guilty about spending so much money on food, and i just rationalize by telling myself that we only do this once a year anyway.
Anyway, with all the caloric intake going on, i had to do my best to burn it off, which was MUCH easier said than done.
NOTE: The Baguio post has been updated with pictures.
One reason we choose to go home every late April to early May is so that our vacation coincides with Adrian's birthday. It is of course a very significant day for both families (Adrian being the first apo), and i also think it's important for him to grow up identifying himself as a Filipino whose roots belong in the Philippines.
Last year's birthday was a fairly grandiose bash, as we combined our homecoming, Adrian's dedication, and his first birthday party in a single affair. Extended families to the first degree on both sides were invited; catering was done by a Spanish restaurant, a litson was ordered, and a photo booth was hired for entertainment and souvenirs.
This year's birthday party, while slightly muted, still contained elements of the same. Unfortunately not all family members were able to attend and there was no entertainment aside from conversation and (for the kids) tv, but the food was still outsourced, complete with litson.
Another "feature" of our past two vacations is the "quality time" that Adrian gets to spend with the Chongs.
Long ago Gianina and i decided that we would always need to spend time with just each other, which led to the birth of our Thursday date nights. Perhaps the peak of this principle would be our "vacations within the vacation," i.e. last year's trip to Bohol and this year's trip to Palawan (more on this later). Consequently, Adrian is left to the tender minstrations of my family.
The mini-vacations naturally contain a mixed bag of emotions. On one hand Gianina and i are happy to be "honeymooning," but on the other we worry that Adrian will cry nonstop, will get sick, will learn to drive and get in an accident, etc. Last year's reunion after coming back from Bohol was somewhat heartbreaking when he did not seem interested in letting us carry him after four days of separation (we suspected that our tans made us look like strangers).
It seems that this year's FDU (fear, doubt, and uncertainty) were all in vain. Apparently when he woke up the morning that we left, asked for "Mama?" and my mom explained that she was in "the office," it was good enough for him, as he did not pine for his mother at all (which he usually does, even when she's standing just ten feet away from him) and proceeded to enjoy himself with his grandparents. To him, that was probably as much a vacation as it was for us - finally he was free from all the restrictions foisted upon him by his unreasonable parents, free to roam and commit as much mayhem as possible without fear of reprisal or timeout.
On our return, he immediately smiled and hugged both of us. No harm done.
I do have the sneaking suspicion that his grandparents spoiled him silly. I've noticed that he seems a little whinier than before, especially when he doesn't get his way.
Last year's vacation was so loaded with gimiks with people we hadn't seen in five years that our families unfortunately took a back seat, so this year we made a conscious decision to limit our outings with friends. Each side of the family was given roughly half the vacation to do with as they pleased; the only thing sacrosanct thing was the wedding i had come to attend.
The Baguio trip was with the Guzman side. We went up for three days and two nights, stayed at Camp John Hay, took my son horseback riding, and otherwise just enjoyed the (somewhat, at least in the evenings) cool air and each other's company.
Surprisingly, while checking in at the hotel lobby, Gianina ran into an old friend who i hadn't seen in ages - Rey.
We first met in sixth grade - the same year i met Gianina. At the time we were arch-enemies, hurling insults (although never fists) at each other with incredible gusto and abandon, like gladiators clashing in a coliseum wherein our classmates were the audience. "Chong, mukhang tae!" (Chong, you look like shit!) he would shout from twenty feet away. "Rey, amoy tae!" (Rey, you smell like shit!) i would instantly retort. And so it went. Crude, i agree - but what else do you expect from sixth graders?
We crossed paths again in junior high school, when he and i vied for the same girl's affections. This rivalry was a lot more heated and personal than before, but at some point we sat down, compared notes, and resolved our differences (the woman in question - as am i - is now happily married with a child). Somehow from this pivotal moment we became good friends through the next year and beyond, although the last time i saw him was five years ago. We haven't really kept in touch except for the odd email here and there, so imagine my shock at bumping into him unexpectedly in Baguio.
Anyway - Rey is now a successful lawyer specializing in litigation. For as long as i've known him, the guy is a genius, and i would not mind having him in my corner in court. More interestingly however, he has taken on a "second job" as a stand-up comedian. I've seen a video of his bit and it's pretty funny stuff, although (unfortunately for me, as i haven't really been plugged in) one does have to take most of his jokes in the context of the Filipino zeitgeist. I would write some of his jokes here for reading pleasure, but i do not want to take any of the zing from his punchlines.
I met up with a few other friends during this trip, but not nearly with everyone i wanted to see. Nothing would have pleased me more than getting together with everyone and spending some quality time catching up and gaining a few pounds on pulutan and beer, but it was physically impossible.
Francis (whose wedding i was supposed to be the best man at but failed to attend) is now running a successful baking enterprise. Jerome (whose wedding i was also supposed to be the best man at but also failed to attend) is a budding internet entrepreneur. Karl is now finishing up his Radiology residency. Tima, aside from building her Pulmonary practice, is now a certified scuba diver. Dex and Rita are now expecting their first child. And of course, Marwin is now happily married. There were a few other people i rubbed elbows with at the wedding, but little five-minute-snippets of conversation does not qualify as "catching up."
Just a fraction of the list of people i wanted to go and see. And even the time spent with them was too, too little. I don't regret the time spent with family at all (even that was too little), but perhaps next year i will get to see more, hear more, and talk more.
Unfortunately that's also what i said last year. But i can still try.
While the 48-hour delay caused us to miss at least one significant life event - notably, my brother's swearing-in as a lawyer - the rest of hour itinerary remained relatively untouched. So, less than twenty-four hours after touching down at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, we found ourselves in transit to the summer capital of the Philippines - Baguio City.
The road trip itself was not unpleasant. The ubiquitous traffic - which we had been looking forward to with equal parts gusto (from me) and dread (from Gianina) did not seem quite as bad as i remember. The slowest going was to be had at EDSA and Urdaneta (which has had horrendous traffic for as far back as my memory allows), but otherwise we seemed to coast along fairly smoothly. I was quite impressed with the improvements made to the NLEX and the apparent quality of the SCTEX. It actually seems to me that the government is being proactive with laying down all this infrastructure; after all, with excellent roadways like those, the area should be ripe for investment (mental note: when i make enough money, invest in the northern provinces).
My only regret (yet quite a big regret it is) regarding this trip is that Baguio is no longer the city i remember. Granted, i only visit roughly once every ten years, but my fond memories vis-a-vis the reality is so jarring a juxtaposition that i'd much prefer to just retain my fond memories and ignore what my senses tell me.
Gone is the cool mountain air filled with the scent of pines; in its place is the oppressive Manila heat dense with smog from hundreds of jeepneys. Gone is the quaint architecture reminiscent of pre-war times; in its place are multitudes of sari-sari stores and shanties suggesting the inexorable creep of squatter colonies. Gone is the unique "Baguio-ness" of the area; in its place is an SM mall and the same hustle and bustle found in Manila and Makati.
(Of course the Baguio of my memories may be a fictional construct, an idealized version of what i prefer the "City of Pines" to be, but i have a sneaking suspicion that it isn't. Also, i was told that coming in the summer doesn't really do the ambient temperature justice. Although - if the "Summer Capital" is as warm as the real capital this time of year... what's the point of going?)
To be completely fair, the trip was a success. We spent night in an aircon-less hotel (at least the night air still cools down enough to be comfortable), met up with family at Vizco's (a local pizza-and-pasta place), managed to snag some plastic jars of peanut brittle at Good Shepherd, and of course - Adrian got to ride a horse. But somehow it was just not the same as i remember. Or as i think i remember. Oh well.
Surprisingly, we managed to bump into one of the last people i'd expect up there.
Last year we rode on Northwest Airlines, which is our default airline for most trips. Overall it wasn't a horrible experience; the worst was when Adrian decided to get restless and tried to stand up in the middle of turbulence for two straight hours, objecting at the top of his lungs when we tried to keep him strapped into his seat. While Gianina and i obviously suffered the most, i didn't envy the passengers sitting near us either.
