Close To Home ~

 

Inflation.

Kids.

Caregiving role.  

 

These are just one of the reasons why I can't always go fast to where I want to be.

But then, there is always the chance if we are intentional about it. 

A short glimpse of my favorite place. 

Singapore, To Escape ~

 My trip to Singapore in March 2010 was born out of a rebellious spirit.

I was already living in Luzon for 8 years. Six was spent in Laguna, and almost two years in Paranaque.

I was 29 years old, tired of being a breadwinner for almost a decade. I have been living in Paranaque for almost two years, call center-hopping, and was already working at a Franchising company when I decided to go to Singapore.

I sent a message to a friend Jen who has been living in SG for quite a while, and I asked her for some details and information on how to be a tourist in Singapore.

My flight was through Zest Air, I tendered my resignation so I can come to SG. My friend even advised me not to resign yet. But I did not listen to her (I was stubborn!) 😉

I left and took my flight with very little money in my hand, and a hostel booking.

Social media was not as famous as it is now. It was the early year of Facebook and I only log at FB like once a month. I don’t own a smartphone, I did not even have a camera with me when I went there.

Looking back now on how I navigate my travel, and how I did it, I would be a likely target for the Immigration Officer’s intense questioning. LOL. 😂

I have even stepped on Johor Bahru, for just a few days. This place is already a part of Malaysia.

A stamp on your passport outside of Singapore will increase your days of stay to SG upon re-entry.

Now I realize, there is so much in Singapore that I haven’t seen. I was only able to experience the SMRT, Orchard (where I have so many funny experiences), some malls, Marina Bay, and Merlion.

Three things that shocked me when in SG were:

- the presence of restaurant servers who looked like they were already 70s or going 80s. Most of our Lolo and Lolas are not anymore working by this age, but just the same, some Filipino parents at this age are looking after their grandchildren at home. Well 😉

- their Mcdo Hamburger was full of cabbage... like overflowing, or was it lettuce? 🤣 rice was not available 😁

- their drivers drive at the right side of the car/taxi 😍 

My sisters and I plan to cross to Singapore last June while in Malaysia. However, due to our travel time from Cameron Highlands, we need to recover physically and give Kuala Lumpur enough time to enjoy it.

Until next time Singapore, when the time is right, I hope to be delighted with what’s new with you from many years ago 😉

Go Hiking At Trinidad, Bohol!

 

Bohol is an island province, yes. 

It can be famous for Chocolate Hills and beaches, but very seldom are its hills and mountains being explored by locals.

However, recently, people are doing just that. We do have ample hills to explore in Bohol, and there is one in the town in Trinidad too :)

How about these greens?! Along the way and up to the top!

Too excited to see this one? Hill, oh majestic hill!

Or wait for sunset?

You need to pass by this part first, and if it's a rainy season, you will have a challenging walk to reach the place.

Farms, here and there :)

Mangoes, rice, corn, peppers are saying "Hi!" :)

My adorable model ;)

Opps, good for my eyes :)

At peace and not complaining, is this little girl Jenjen :)

At your service, as your guide. Lol :D

 

Longing for a place like this, from time to time :)

When you're lucky to stay longer to see this :)

Just like Marzel :D

This is for now, until you see it for yourself :)

In order to hike at this place you need to go to Trinidad, Bohol.


You can start at Dao Bus Terminal in Tagbilaran City.
Take a Ceres bus for Talibon via Carmen for Php180 and tell the driver that you'll stop at 'Eskensa sa San Vicente", from there, take a habal-habal and tell the driver you will be going to TTIFA at Purok 7 Annex for Php60.00. It would be best if you have your own car or motorbike for convenience.

There.

Enjoy hiking at Trinidad!

#Hugotpamore at Hugot Road, Loon, Bohol

What with the present pandemic, many people felt bored. It took me a long time to feel bored since I'm actually a homebody. I sleep a lot, any chance I got. So not having the chance to go anywhere is not really a problem with me. 

However, 166 days have passed since we mostly isolate ourselves from the rest of the crowd and I feel like I miss something. It's not that I just feel like I miss something but the reality hits me:

'What if we cannot see other places for the whole 2020?'

'Are we really deprived of seeing even just a bridge?'

'Can't we really do nothing at all? At all?'

After five months of just City-Work-Home routine, I decided to claim my life back. I asked my cousin to join me in visiting Hugot Road in Loon, Bohol. And she invited her friend Renzo to go with us  as well. It was indeed good for our mental health.

For the information of a Non-Filipino person, hugot is a Tagalog word, which became widely used recently via hashtags and shared for fun. It literally means 'to pull out' or 'drawing emotions from somewhere deep'.

People used 'hugot' lines or create a quote or phrase that can be attributed to a 'hugot' out of pain from broken friendships, relationships, failure and some do it for fun. 

One example of 'hugot' is "UNTA LAMOK NA LANG KO PARA MAKAPAAK KO NIMO", which means "HOW I WISH I AM JUST A MOSQUITO SO I CAN BITE YOU". :D

This indeed made me smile :)

So it was not just the road, or plainly those 'hugot' phrases, but the mangroves area are exhilarating too. Just look around. Feel it. Breathe in. When you do that, you'll know what I meant. 

And the 'hugot' quotes begin :)

Cousin MJ. 

Bikers whom we met there. They requested us to take a photo of them all. I told them, that it should just be my cousin because she can capture great photos than me. 

This part is kind of tricky. Only those who know how to capture pictures well can manage to have this too. I'm glad I was with these talented two :)

                                           Rinso, MJ's friend was all smile here too. 

In the end, it was a trip made in spite of covid, while traveling responsibly. That is, keeping our distance and wearing our face mask and face shield while inside the jeepney and during times when we were with strangers.

This present time may be different and challenging, BUT we still have a choice to move again, responsibly, following government protocols and safety measures. Embrace the NEW normal.

It doesn't mean, it is the end of the things that makes us happy.

So, GO!

How to get there?

From Tagbilaran City, take a tricycle to Cogon Bus Terminal for P15.

Take a jeepney or bus going to Sandingan, Loon  for P70 and tell the driver that you'll stop at Hugot Road.

Carpe Diem! :)

History Addict In Vietnam

What would usually come into your mind when the country "Vietnam" is uttered by someone else?
Well to me, it will usually awaken some kind of plain curiosity.

Growing up, I heard about "Viet Cong" which seemed to have a negative connotation at first. My impression of this word was that this is something about a fighter. I've heard about the war, Vietnam War, but it was kind of vague because it happened before I was born.

Sadly, it occur to me now, how unfortunate if as a human being, when all you hear about a certain place or word connotes negativity. After college, I bought a book by Danielle Steel entitled "Message from Nam". This made me curious about Vietnam once again. I started checking about Vietnam and US war.  And eventually forgot about it :)

The third time that Vietnam is back in my mind was when I started visiting our Microfinance Branch in Palawan. Everybody seemed to suggest to give their food a try, saying it can only be found there. It is called CHAO LONG. As a foodie, I checked its history and found out that this dish was Vietnamese-influenced. The reason? Vietnamese refugees, during the war, ended up staying in Palawan and introduced their food to the local people.

So there.

Yet, it was only until 2015 that I finally met a Vietnamese person, a volunteer worker in our company, sent by one of our funding partner based in the US. And I find it exciting that there is someone I meet who's from this country.

Together with my three other colleagues we visited Vietnam in June of 2018. Kendy, Omin and Michelle were with me during this trip.  Since there was no direct flight to Ho Chi Minh from Cebu (or was there?), we opted for Manila to Ho Chi Minh for our flight via a promo fare from Air Asia.

We were excited. It was my first time to go with others on a trip as I usually go solo. I felt like a mother with little chicks in tow. I have this feeling that I'm responsible for them since I was the one who influenced them to join in the first place, LOL! :D

Vietnam is almost like the Philippines but also different. We arrived at around 1:00AM, as most promo fares are at night. We were so tired and wanted to sleep right away. We took a taxi to our Airbnb accommodation with the help of the Airport taxi assistance service. Since I am with three more lives, I decided to play safe all the time. Even while at the taxi, we noticed how part of the highway was so like parts of Manila too.

Our hostel was a four-storey building. We kept on banging the door for a long time and saying something to hopefully wake up the staff. To no avail. Eventually, we noticed the doorbell and press. Staff came out. We all laughed. The staff was helpful and he assisted in carrying our luggage up to the fourth floor since there was no elevator. We were so tired so we just slept and have no care of the world.

The highlights of  our stay in Vietnam were the following:
We were able to see the Reunification Palace
Visit the War Remnants Museum
Experience the Cu chi tunnel
Ate Pho
Vietnam's coffee
And being hosted for two nights as Couchsurfers

Reunification Palace

What I like best was the tour at the War Remnants Museum. From the moment we entered, we were given a small piece of sticker, a circle one that we can stick on our shirt with a drawing of a DOVE on it, representing peace. That was a moving moment for me. That we should learn from history, and if we can, CHOOSE PEACE. The Museum speaks so many things that I was not aware of, at first. It was painful to read all the stories. If you are not careful, you will come out of the place feeling depressed. I like Museums, even if it always make me feel that way. We can only understand a country and  its people if we are willing to see and learn about their past. And Museum is the best place for me to learn. I like how the airplanes outside the building looked so well-kept and shiny. As if the war ended only two years ago. If you are the kind of person who likes history, Vietnam is one of the places that you should need to visit. It is so rich in history and strife in the past.

Vietnam is one of the affordable countries to visit in Asia. Their food is delicious too. I remember hosting someone from Chile and his main complaint in Bohol was the lack of vegetable dishes. He explained that coming from Vietnam and having lived there for more than a year he has become used to their healthy veggies which Bohol sorely lacked.

During my visit in Vietnam, I finally understood him. Yes, their food is delish. I cannot say the same thing for my three travel buddies, LOL :D I believed they detested the smell of some herbs, especially that moment when we had our Pho ;)

Condiments for Pho - according to your tastebuds.

Basil and I don't know what else.

Pho - looking so yum!

Lemon and chili.

Looking colorful and fresh.

How lovely is this? ;)

Mouth-watering :)

Even the food presentation looks delish, no food is bland.

You must include in your list the coffee in Vietnam. You can give it a try during breakfast. At first, I didn't understand. But, the server was patient enough to explain. Coffee was good for us Filipinos. Maybe not for some Westerners. It was more sweet than bitter, typical for coffee of people from the West. I noticed how they like it black and bitter. But more than that, it was the waiting and stirring and doing it so slowly like playing that make the experience memorable. Or maybe, I'm just shallow :)

I even find their service to be impeccably done too. A buko (young coconut) being served like this is something I so admire from their vendor. For me, this takes a lot of work. I admire how they think so highly of their customer to present it like this :)

Almost tempted to give a server a tip.

Accommodation in Vietnam is affordable and their standard service is commendable too, putting ours here in Philippines to shame. Now I understand the feedback of our volunteer staff in terms of our incomplete hostels service (no free toiletries and electric iron, toilet curtains, etc). Vietnam has it at a very affordable price, and it is really clean too. During our travel, the options for hostel was even at this range Php200-Php450 per bunk bed at dormitory-type. It was also easy to find a room for Php1500 for a night that can accommodate 4. Our toilet was complete with complimentary shampoo, soap, bidet and of course toilet shower ;)

Hostel toilet.

Complimentary toiletries.

Room for four Boholana Travelers.

Yours truly - at Reunification Palace.

At the entrance of Reunification Palace.

Naks, Kendy and Michelle were anticipating a scary virus nearby? :) Bus stop at Ho Chi Minh.

Ho Chi Minh, as one of Vietnam's busiest City is not that easy to navigate as well. Since most people don't speak English, asking where the terminal for buses and you'll receive a blank look or shaking of their heads or pointing somewhere you can't fully understand.

The four of us have been asking for the bus terminal and a few locals pointed to us a specific place - and they meant BUS STOP!

Okay, so we got it, bus would just pick us up from this place and we don't have to go to the terminal.

That's pre-covid days by the way, but Kendy and Michelle were face mask-ready.

With our Couchsurfing host. We stayed at his place for two nights.

As a Couchsurfing host myself, I wanted my colleague to understand how it works. This experience also will allow them to see the kindness of strangers and that meeting them should not mean danger. It was all worth it.

A place to stroll once you exit Cu Chi tunnel.

One of the places to see when in Ho Chi Minh is to visit the Cu Chi tunnels. It can also include experiencing it yourself, squeezing inside the tunnels and coming out the other way. It is scary for claustrophobic people like me, (I almost cried and had panic attacks) but it can be very adventurous for YOU if you really want to feel all that Vietnam can offer.

Michelle can't hide her excitement for this experience at Cu Chi tunnel.

You will see how the patriotic Vietnamese fought the war with Americans using these tunnels. It pays to listen to the orientation prior to experiencing the tunnels yourself. Once you focus on listening and understanding what they did to resist, you will have a new respect for these people. They indeed fought well. And this part of their history, I guess, is what contributes to their feeling victorious and being "fierce" as they say :D

Omin was temple hopping-ready.

After the Cu Chi tunnel experience, we were given an afternoon snack or a treat. It was composed of a boiled cassava and it can go with a grated coconut with sugar and sesame seeds. As the guide explained, it was the staple food of the fighters during those times. After we exit the place, we can also choose to check on a park that has many palaces. Or was it temples?

RICE for Filipinas!

As Filipina women, we long for rice. Yes, rice is LIFE! How we were so relieved after finding this place :)

Vietnam is also a place to feel like a MILLIONAIRE. From the food that we had, we paid 751,3000 Vietnamese Dong. Yes, for us this is something, something to laugh too ;)
How this country made us feel so rich! :D

And on to this bus one morning, for our travel to Phnom Penh, Cambodia for 8 hours (when they said five) ;)

Wait for it :)

Carpe Diem!