The Philippines Return and K1 Visa

If you follow my randomly spaced out blog then you know I am in a relationship with a Filipina. I met her a couple of years ago online. Decided to travel there to met her in person. We clicked and have been together ever since. Last year I proposed to her and we have spent the last few months waiting on her Visa.

In May it was approved. So I booked airplane tickets. Correction - I purchased very expensive, last minute airplane tickets for us and took vacation to go and bring her back.

Before I talk about the trip. What a whirlwind this 2015 has been. We both new the challenges and such with her coming to the country but this was compounded by me excepting a new managerial job within our company and moving to a different part of the state. Plus trying to find a new house for us and selling the current house. Let's not forget the joys of moving. All on top of the insanely busy work schedule. Like I said, 2015 has been a whirlwind.

But it would all be better once Pam arrived. The day that K1 Visa came in was a great weight lifted off our shoulders. And the process was actually rather painless compared to some of the horror stories I read. My advice is give the government lots of information and dont try to hide anything. They will find out anyways.

So after working the 2nd biggest event I have of the year and getting about four hours sleep, I jumped in my jeep with the suitcases and heading out to O'Hare Airport early in the morning. The flight was Chicago to Honolulu to Guam to Manila. So the positives is I have now stepped on the soil of another country and now only have Alaska as the only state in the US not to visit. The negatives is there was once again delays. And neither of the flights to Hawaii or Guam had free food.

After arriving late and getting through all the usual airport process, which by the way the new terminal is outstanding and a much needed upgrade to the Ninoy Airport, I successfully negotiated my cab fare at a reasonable rate for the first time. I am very proud of myself. Went to the Tune Hotel in Makati where Pam was waiting on me. No matter how long I have been travel, no matter how tired I feel, whenever I see her beautiful face answer the door it makes everything better.

Normally we would have some sort of vacation booked but since was the last time she was going to be home for quite awhile, we decided to spend most of the time with family in her family home; after spending a couple of days by ourselves in the city. We actually didn't do much this time around. It was too damn hot. The hottest it has been in my four times in the Philippines. One afternoon we went to my favorite beer destination in the city, Global Beer Exchange and one morning we spent walking around the gorgeous Bonifacio City. This part of Manila feels a lot like America. There are sidewalks and stoplights which people abide by and lots of restaurants and commerce and it's clean. It is definitely the ritzy side of Manila. Both days were fun... when I wasn't sweating bullets.

We headed to Magalang, which is outside Angeles City, to stay at the family home. Basically we just hung out with her siblings and their kids for a few days enjoying our time together. I toughed it out in the scorching heat and humidity with no air con before having to go into the city and stay at a hotel for a night to cool off. It was a bit eye opening living without all my American conveniences for a few days. I gained a great respect for the people here who go about there lives in the weather of 95 degrees with 90% humidity. I got introduced to many of the extended family and her grandma during this trip. We went to a big family fiesta where the Red Horse was flowing heavy and the food was a plenty. The lechon was excellent. One cant go wrong with pig roasted over an open flame. The family made me feel instantly welcomed and part of the group. It was a fun day and pleasure to finally meet all of them.

The day before we were to fly out, for America; we decided to rent a large van and take most of the family on a day trip to Manila. We went to Star City Amusement Park and had fun for a few hours. Then we got dropped off at the hotel where the emotional goodbyes were said.

This was Pam's first long flight. Actually only her second overall, the first being when we went to Palawan. The flight went Manila to Tokyo to Detroit to Chicago. I was a tad nervous about entry, mainly because of some horror stories I read, But it was simple and painless. Again, keep things detailed and honest if you go through this process.

Then drive to Crown Point from O'Hare wasn't terrible either as I saw it all through her eyes of curiosity. It nakes it all new to me too.

Welcome to America dear.




Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.

What I have learned about the Philippines

I am engaged to a Filipina. I have traveled there three times in the last eighteen months. And will be back several more times in my life. Hell, we might move back when it's time for retirement. I am officially enamored with this country.

So what have I learned during multiple visits in the PI?

- Filipinos are extremely proud of their heritage. They rally around each other in times of need. I was there for the first time not long after the devastating Typhoon Haiyon. The people had tremendous spirits in the midst of all the tragedy.

- Speaking of rallying around countrymen, they love beauty pageants, like Miss Universe. Especially when the winner is of Filipino heritage.

- They love Manny Pacquiao more. He is on TV every single day. He is by far their biggest celebrity. I have been there twice when he has had boxing matches and places damn near shut down to watch the fight. He's a big deal.

- Basketball is huge in this country. There are basketball courts all over.

- Many people seem to be obsessed with America (loads of US fast food especially KFC) becoming white. Whiting salons are common and apps to make your skin look lighter. Apparently lighter skin is more beautiful and means money.

- Many Filipinos are friendly people and joyful. People I just meet or get introduce to chat away like we are old friends. In fact, the first time I met my fiance's immediate family, it didn't take long for me to feel comfortable and part of the family. Big meals with comfort food and fine people helps.

- Unfortunately many also believe just because you are a tourist that you are also rich.

- I would have never guessed the popularity hot dogs and spaghetti. I'll stick with pancit, lumpia, caldereta, sisig, and other Filipino goodies instead.

- Good food and service was better than expect (I read horror stories). the key is they dont check up on you. You need to get their attention to be served. And I still dont really understand how to tip correctly. I've been told one tips what they can.

- I will never drive in this country. At least not in a car. It's madness of pattern honking which actually flows fairly decent considering how roads are laid out through the country. Plus it's too easy and cost effective to jump in a bus, jeepney, or trike.

- Basically the roadway infrastructure is a mes. Certain places have become so over populated that the proper travel space has not been able to keep up or possibly it is too costly to build.

- Parts of this country are absolutely breath taking. I have only scratched the surface of all the pristine beaches, mountains, and other wonderful landscapes. Palawan has been my favorite thus far. I cant speak highly enough about the area.

- It's freaking hot and humid. Always. At least to a guy from Indiana. I've been told there are two season. Hot and rainy. I've been there during both.

- Pollution is a problem. A lot of gas fumes permeate the sidewalk. And often piles of trash too. I have also seen very contaminated streams. This is why one does not drink the water.

- The family bond is extremely important. Often many family members live together is modest accommodations.

- I have learned some common phrases in my visits and general communication on a daily basis with my fiancee. Some I absolutely adore uses in my own vernacular now. She uses "comfort room" for bathroom or restroom, which I find so much more elegant of a phrase. "Resto" for restaurant is another word I like using. The phrase "same-same" has entered my world and is a common response I get when asking how she is feeling when sick.

These are just a few observations that I have noticed in my time. There is far more to learn. Every trip is a new discovery into the Filipino culture.




Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.

Back to the Philippines again

The second part of my vacation was returning to the Philippines once again. This would be my third trip with in a year's time. I'd be lying if the reason wasn't because my girlfriend Pam. After four months, I missed her and was already in that part of the world. We made plans to go to a place she always wanted to visit and I had a surprise up my sleeve.

After already being in Japan for a few days, it was a much shorter travel time. I had an early afternoon flight and arrived in Manila around 8pm. I went through the usual processes after arriving, got way over charged for a taxi who got lost on the way to the hotel, and was pleasantly surprised when the hotel let Pam in the room before I arrived at 10pm.

We stayed over night in Makati area at Artina Suites Hotel. Didn't really explore anything as I was tired. The hotel was very affordable, clean, and had a good layout. The next morning we had a breakfast, packed up, and headed to the bus terminal bound for Angeles City.

A couple hours later we arrived at Marquee Mall stop and got a trike to the Elyseah Condotel. We stayed here the last time and liked it. This time I got the larger room for us which had a downstairs kitchen, bathroom, living room and an upstairs bedroom and bathroom. We spent little time unpacking and heading down the street to SM Clark Mall for food supplies and lunch.

I didn't wait long for my surprise. The next morning, August 15, we were making breakfastr and sat my Grandmother's wedding ring on her plate. Pam walked over to dish out the garlic rice she made and saw the ring. Her face lit up as I asked her to marry me. She put down the rice, grabbed the ring, and said yes. Marriage was something we had talked about in the past few months. Because of the legal process we will need to go through, it will take several months before she can get to the US. Still, the first step was asking.

We spent a day in the Clark Freeport Zone. We went walked by the famous K9 Cemetery on teh way to Nayong Pilipino Park. There's a lot of history to see here like the different village replications from the past, Barasoain Church, Dr. Jose Rizal's House, wild orchid garden, and cultural dance presentation. It was a fun and education day.

We didn't do much else in Angeles City in our few short days there. I did take Mama Mel, my future mother in law, to dinner along with Lany and Marvin (Pam's sister and brother in law). And went to her brother's Asper one day and to the Marquee Mall. Also managed to squeeze in going to the theater for Guardians of the Galaxy.

Finally it was off to Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island. We took the bus to Manila, grabbed a cab to the airport, and took a short hour long flight. It was Pam's first time on a plane. She was eager with excitement. We arrived at the small airport and found an awesome trike driver with an extra wide cab. This was the first time my big ass wasn't crowded in a trike.

We got checked in to the Puerto Pension Bed and Breakfast. We had a small mix up in the room reservation because they had not got the updated days after I switched booking, but luckily the still had rooms for our time. It was a smaller room but it worked for us. The hotel was very cool place with an onsite restaurant and bar and plenty of outside tables for relaxing. And it's right behind the City Baywalk, which overlooks a bay and is full of places to eat. We just hung around this area for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

The second day we called the trike driver to drive us around all the sites in Puerto Princesa. We went to the WWII Museum, Crocodile Farm, Butterfly Garden, Mitra's House, and Baker's Hill. It was a jammed packed day and we only scratched the surface of the cool things to do in the area.

 The next day we booked a tour for Ugong Rock and The Underground River. The van picked us up in the morning. We were two of ten on the trip (2 Filipina ladies with their 2 kids, 2 guys from Argentina, and a female Canadian). The drive was up and down winding mountains with a lot of stop and go. I do not do well in these situations. I ended up getting dizzy and sick. Luckily Pam noticed and was able to hand me a bad to puke in. Shorty after we stopped at Ugong Rock. Which was a cave to hike and then you zipline down. In my state of queasiness and with a bad knee, the two of us opted to stay in the village area and chill out. There were a few neat things. After about an hour the group left and continued the journey. Shortly we arrived at the Underground River where lunch was provided for us. I was starting to feel better and ate a little before we hurried off to our sail boat to get to the site. The underground river is a just what it sounds like... miles of river in a cave system. The tour was really cool. Though more than once I thought we would take on water as our boat was low. After the tour it was hopping back on the boat to get dropped off and then into the van. I was dreading the trip back. I did not get sick on the return, but the two little kids did. I felt for them. We got dropped off at the hotel and was wiped out for the day. We did go back to the Baywalk that night for dinner where Pam had a grilled lobster for the first time (another first for her).

Our last day in town we decided to stay close and see some more sites in the city. With Plaza Cuerto. Immaculate Conception. Palawan Heritage Center were on today's tour, we both ending up learning a lot of history about this amazing island..

Puerto Princesa was my favorite place of the destinations I have been in the Philippines so far. There is an effort to keep things cleaner here. Trash cans everywhere and not the litter I have seen in other cities. All kinds of activities and things to do and see (we only did a few). It's an area which relies heavily on tourism and the city seems to take a lot of pride making things easy. And did I mention the extra wide trikes.

We both talked about the city being a great place to retire to down the road. We definitely want to return.

We had an afternoon flight back Manila where I had two days before returning to the United States. We got the Guijiro Suites Hotel in the Makati area in the late afternoon. It was kind of hard to find but for the price, a very nice hotel. We walked around for awhile and found food to eat before going back to the hotel for the night.

The next day we decided to go to Ayala Museum. We went through all four floors. Each had something very neat to offer. One floor was dedicated to the paintings of Filipino artists particularly Fernando Zobel, one floor was a diorama representing a detailed history of the Philippines, and one was an exhibit of ancient artifacts (including ceramics, gold, and jewelry). After the museum we went to Greenbelt Mall for food and ended up at the Burger Bar. Then it was off to Global Beer Exchange for craft beer. Here I met and conversed with the owner while Pam patiently sipped her soda putting up my indulges. We got back to the hotel, A few hours later I started to feel sick. This makes the three times getting ill in three times traveling to the Philippines.

The next morning, we had breakfast and checked out of the hotel. Pam went with me to the airport. I said goodbye to my beautiful fiancee and went inside to get tickets. After standing in line for about twenty minutes, I realized the line wasn't for my flight. In fact, I was in the completely wrong terminal. This is a big complaint of mine about the Manila airport. Nothing is easy to find and the terminals are spread out. One has to take a taxi and go off property to get between them. So I did, and hauled ass through ticketing and security just as we started to board.

It was a long flight home, especially with an aching stomach. Eventually I arrived in Chicago and my flight back to Fort Wayne.

The more I go to the Philippines, the more I enjoy it. Sure, there are good and bad things, like every place. But it is the country of soon to be wife and her family. More than likely, it will the place we live once retirement happens. Until then, it's time for Visa paperwork so Pam cant get to the US and we can be married.



Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.

Off the land of thousands islands again...

My flight was delayed which was going to cause me to miss my connecting flight to Tokyo. It also cost me a day of vacation and hotel room for the day. After being rerouted on a flight 14 hours later in LA then to Hong Kong, I finally arrived in Manila. It was around noon by the time I got my luggage and made it through entry and customs. I grabbed a white and head to my hotel.

I should probably confess at this point that the reason for this trip was to meet up with my girlfriend Pam and get introduced to her family. We had kind of kept things under wraps but it was time for us to announce it to all of our family members and friends. We are planning on making this a permanent relationship.

Anyways, Pam was coming down from Angeles City to join me. I arrived at Best Western La Corona expecting her to already be there since she left for the bus as I was boarding the plane in Hong Kong. She wasn't there yet, so I got checked in and went up to the room. As I opened the door the phone rang. Pam had arrived. Excellent timing.

There was a J. Co Donuts just down the street so we decided on a little treat for the afternoon. A six pack of mixed donuts and ice coffee. I must tell you the hype of this place is for real. One of the best donuts I have ever tasted.

J. Co Donuts

 As the evening came it was time for dinner. We ended up at a rather unique resto/bart called The Hobbit House. I actually planned this out because of the outstanding beer selection they have from around the world, mainly Europe. But Pam doesn't shy away from a drink now and then either. The entire establishment is themed in the style of JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. And the place is ran by litttle people. The beer selection was great for the Philippines and the food was plentiful. We got stuffed. It was also open talent night so we were entertained by several musicians.

Hobbit House

After a couple of hours we left and went back the hotel for the night. I was rather exhausted from my crazy travel schedule and had not hardly slept in several days.

The next morning we had the buffet with many choices, packed, and left for the bus stop. La Corona was a nice hotel for the right price and in a good area of town. If I ever need to spend time at the US Embassy or want to check out this part of Manila in more detail , which is what I wanted to do originally before my delay because of all the parks and museums in the area, then I would stay here again.

We had a two hour bus ride to Angeles City then jumped on a jeepney from terminals in Malacabat to Walking Street, where we grabbed a trike to take us to Elyseah Condotel. We decided on this place because of the price and it's an apartment style hotel with a small kitchen/dining area. Since this whole trip was sort of not planned in my budget, we were trying to save money. Figured cooking a few of our own meals would help. Plus a studio style apartment is better than a congested hotel room. The pool is also kick ass! We ended up really enjoying this place. We will try to stay here again. It's a hotel with limited rooms and it always seemed to be full.

Elyseah Condotel

After getting checked in and chatting with the owner for awhile we decided to walk to SM Clark Mall for supplies. Another bonus of the hotel is the mall being a five minute walk away. Pam and myself grabbed some lunch, walked around in the AC as it is super hot and humid this time of year in the PI, and went shopping. We cooked a nice dinner then watched a little television before falling to sleep early like an old couple.

Truth be told, I was a tad nervous as the next day I would meet her immediate family. Her mother, her two older brothers with wives and kids, and her older sister with husband and kids. Pam thought going to a water park would be a great idea and something the whole family would enjoy. They all rearranged their work schedules to come spend the day.

We went to Villa Alfredo's for the day. Pam's brother Asper and wife Rochelle (and son) picked us up at the hotel. We waited for her brother Spencer and Irene's family, her sister Lany and husband Marvin's family, and her mother Mel to arrive (I wont attempt the nieces and nephews names... though I believe that I name them all with ease). I paid for the gazebo and the family brought a feast of food. We spent some time getting to know each other and eating. Then the kids excitedly went out to the one of several different pools.  Pam and me walked around for awhile to check out the animals, fish, the banzai trees, look at all the different pools, and have ice cream.

The Big Wave Pool

Did I mention how hot it is during the Philippine summer. I was a sweat box. So eventually we got into The Big Wave pool near our gazebo. Most of her family was already enjoying it. The Big Wave pool simulated ocean waves once every 90 minutes. It's a fun time and I stuck out as a mismatch. Bright white skin from being covered all winter long in a seas of colorful brown Filipino skin. One old guy was poking friendly jabs at me.

After battling the waves most of us went back to rest and eat some food. The kids wanted one more go at the water before leaving. I sat and talked to Mama Mel for a bit as myself and the ladies started cleaning up the gazebo. Around five, it was time to leave. The family said goodbye and thanked me for the great day. To which I thanked them all back. Asper took us back to the condotel. And battled tremendous traffic on the way there and even worse on his way home.


Pam has a close family who spends much time together. I was honored to be a part and accepted into the fold as I will be seeing much more of them all in the years to come.


The next morning we decided to go to Magalang, which is where Pam lives along with Spencer's family. She wanted to show me her house, Asper's business OneTrueSolutions, and go the local tiangge or bizarre/market since it is right down the street from One True Solutions. Off on a jeepney we went.

The market has lots of seasfood, fruits, and vegetables as well as many clothes and supplies. It is table after table and stall after stall for blocks. It happens every Saturday and is a cool thing to witness and walk through. And you can find great deals. Dont forgot to haggle!

Afterwards we spent some time with Asper and Rochelle. Then decided to head to her home. We jumped another jeepney to get close. Irene and the kids were home. Her and Pam made lunch and we spent some time there before heading back to the city. We decided to stop at Marquee Mall to waste some time and get out of the heat for a couple of hours. We got back to the condotel and relaxed in the pool for awhile. We decided to have a lazy night watching movies and eat the remaining food we had left in the fridge.

The next day we were heading back to Manila. It was my last day of a short trip. Pam asked me if her best friend Jen could come and join us for the day. I didn't care so we met her at the bus terminal and caught a bus to Manila. This time I wanted to stay in the Makati area. A lot of this area seemed to be much nicer and cleaner. Maybe because it's in the middle of the business district. It's known as a party district too with lots of bars. We got to the Makati Palace Hotel and luckily a room was ready for us. We decided to go to the Greenbelt Mall to walk around and eat lunch. Part of it is an upscale mall with several different buildings. The other part of it is a normal mall.

view from Makati Palace Hotel

 After a few hours we went back to the hotel and hung out for a bit before Jen had to leave and get back to Angeles. Jen gave me a gift. Two pairs of hand knitted socks. They are very comfortable.

At some point during the afternoon I started to feel not so good. I went to the 7-11 across the street in hopes of finding meds. Success! To my dismay though, it did not help. I laid on the bed sweating and not able to cool down. I must have been running a fever. On both of my trips to Philippines these same symptoms have happened. As much as I wanted to go out and explore the area and treat Pam to a nice resto meal, we laid bed all night while I was ill. And ordered room service which was decent.

The next morning I still did not feel great but it was time to go. We grabbed a cab and headed to the airport. I waited and delayed as long as could as me and Pam stood outside the entry both not wanting to leave each or say goodbye. She watched as I walked inside the airport and she left in a cab for the bus terminal. After I got through the long lines of ticketing and existing, we were able to chat via facbook as we normally do while I waited to board.

It was another long flight back to the US and I could not shake this cold and was out of medicine. I landed in Chicago and got through customs in decent time. While I walked around O'Hare like a zombie it started snowing. Hard. My immediate thought, due to all the other troubles I had the week before, was my flight better not be canceled. I found the arrival/departure board. My flight was canceled.

I was steamed. Both flights back to Fort Wayne that night were canceled. I found a booth and asked the attendant what was happening. I was rebooked for 9am flight the next day. It was 6pm. My choices were to battle Chicago traffic and snow and drive back, if I could get a rental car, which would out me home maybe around midnight or get a hotel and 1/2 off voucher from the airline. As angry as I was, the hotel won out. Only because I was exhausted and the cold was kicking my ass. And I could not get my luggage because it was in being stored until the next day.

I managed to get one to the hotels listed on the voucher and catch their shuttle. Roads were getting back. I would have rather been home but staying over was the correct call. I grabbed meds and food then headed to my room. I called work to inform my manager of the situation. A long, hot shower later and I was off to sleep in a comfy bed.

The next morning, I got up early and put on my dirty clothes. Off to the airport I went for the usual process. Much to my surprise the flight landed and took off on time. I arrived back in Fort Wayne around noon and headed home. Finally.

Now I get to battle with American Airlines about all the delays and cancellations and broke luggage which occurred on my travel. But that's a different post...






Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.

My Filipino Tour: Manila (again)

We had a two hour, basicly non-stop ride to the bus terminal in Manila. We drove right through the heart of Quezon City and Manila where I really able to view this large and populated city.

We got dropped off a few blocks from our accomodations for the evening, The Heritage Hotel. I had to lug my big ass suitcase down the sidewalk and up the over pass. It was a pain in the ass.

Upon arrival we were lucky they had a room ready. It was on noon. We had trouble deciding on how to spend the afternoon. I was very indecisive and not feeling well. And P didn't really care what we did. So we ended up back at the SM Mall of Asia for lunch at a Japanese Tempura restaurant. We walked around and then went back to the hotel.

A cople of hours later decided to go to the Global Beer Exchange. A neat little shop that serves and sells craft beers from the Philippines, which has a small but budding scene, and other craft from around the globe. It was a neat little place. I tried a local Fat Pauly's Pale Ale, a Hitachino from Japan, and grabbed a local brew to bring home.

With my beer craving content, we walked around and found a place to eat dinner. Another good meal consisting of sising. Then it was back to the hotel.
 
Early morning came and we jumped in a taxi. P wanted to come with me to the airport. I was dropped off at Terminal 2. We said our goodbyes and P left for the bus terminal. I breezed through security. Take note, there is a 550P exit fee to leave the country. About an hour later, I was on my full flight to Tokyo.

I had a five hour Layover in Japan. I walked away the terminal mindless for a couple of hours. Then waited. Eventually board the very packed plane for a twelve hour flight to Dallas. A very angry baby cried almost the entire trip. My headphones could not drown out the noise. Poor kid.

After landing in Dallas it took about an hour to get through Customs. Not bad really as I expected longer. I had a couple of hour layover so I grabbed food and a beer. Eventually boarded my plane for Fort Wayne. A couple of hours later we landed. I grabbed my luggage and drove home.

I was exhausted.

I was happy, for more than one reason, about my trip.





Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.

My Filipino Tour: Angeles City

After a long eight hours of slow, stop and go travel on the bus we arrived in Angeles City around 10pm and in the middle of a huge festival. The Mint Hotel said the street in front of the hotel, a main city street, was closed off and they would send a driver. About an hour later he arrived and it took another hour to get back to the hotel. The traffic was insane.

While we waited P insisted I tried ballut, which is a hard boiled fertilized duck or chicken egg. I have seen it eaten on television shows before and new exactly what it was. For me it's a mental picture of little half formed fetus which gets me queasy. But I tried it. The egg is full of warm broth which is tasty and the egg itself is decent too. Luckily mine did not have any little bones or peak. I ate it. Not sure I would again.

 After getting checked into the room we wondered out in the crowd to check out the festival. It was a madhouse. Wall to wall people walking and sitting with drinks and food. Several sound stages were set up about half block, each playing different music. When you wasn't directly in front of a speaker the sounds all blurred together. We managed to find a seat and ordered grilled chicken intestines and hearts, hot dogs (which are huge favorite in the country), and a pitcher of the national beer San Miguel.

Around 4am I woke up and could still hear the music blasting. I peaked outside the window to find more than a few people still carrying on the party. About 7am, I woke up again and looked outside the window. Almost everything was torn down and the street was open once again. I was impressed.

P is from one of the suburbs of Angeles. She claimed there isn't many sites to see and not much to do in the city. I think she was right. We walked around to find a place to eat lunch and stumbled about "Walking Street". It's the area where where lots of strip clubs and bars which cater to bar girls (prostitutes) can be found. Even before noon people can be seen hustling, trying to get you inside the doors. I saw lots of old men, mainly Aussies, which very young Filipina girls.The majority of the city's tourism seems to be based off these bar girls. It's accepted and tolerated but not really discussed. And being white skinned and walking around with a Filipina woman, who for the record is close to my age, I felt a lot of strange looks upon me the entire time in the city. Maybe I just imagined it because the situation there is rather sad. It's a poor country overall. And lots of young women with little skills thinking the only way out is to get an older Westerner with money. Or just any older man with money to take them away.

We ate light and walked around some more. Did a little shopping at the grocery. Went back to the hotel to relax. Neither of us got much sleep due to the festival. That night we ate the Shanghai China restuarant across the street. Pretty good food. We had lumpia, crab-corn chowder, and pork adobo. Walking around the busy streets with full bellies, we both decided to call it an early night. Back to the hotel we went.

The next day, P needed to run home. I stayed at the hotel and chilled out. When she returned, we decided to go to the SM Clark Mall to waste time in the afternoon. So we hopped one of many colorful jeeepney's (an elongated jeep used for transportation) and took the short ride. 

The mall was very busy. Then it occurred to me that malls in the Philippines are different. It's a place for family and friends to go spend time together. The bigger groceries, pharmacies, and hardware stores are at the mall so one needs to come here more often. Plus in a country with near 90 degree humid heat year round, it's a good place to get under the air conditioning and get cooled off. Little known fact - three of the largest malls in the world are located in this country.

We walked around talking and joking around. We decided to eat lunch at a buffet so I could try many different Filipino foods. Most of what I sampled was delicious. With full bellies once again, we walked around some more until we had had enough and caught a jeepney back to the hotel.

That night we ate late at a pizza place called Yellow Cab. It was decent, not spectacular pizza. Also had pistachio ice cream for dessert, which was very good.



The next morning I woke up with one last day before heading back to the US. We had breakfast and checked out of the Mint Hotel. Which is a decent hotel for a good price. It seems to be more of family oriented and business hotel than one where a good percentage of the clients are bringing in bar girls.

Off to the bus terminal we headed as P decided to join me on my last day Manila. Thankfully, this bus ride was under two hours.





Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.

My Filipino Tour: Vigan

After exiting the bus and getting to the hotel, My Vigan Home Hotel, we had a couple of hours to walk around the city of Vigan. We had traveled far enough south that the rain had stopped. it was hot and sunny. Vigan City is a tourist town with lots of Spanish infleunce remaining (especially in the architecture) and Catholic symbolism. The main spot where this can be seen is called Heritage Village.

Lots of little shops, eateries, and very neat looking, old buildings. Nuch historical wonderment can be found. The Spanish influence here reminded a lot of the US Southwest. Vigan is also known for empanadas, bibingka (a sweet pastery), and longinissa (a small breakfasst sausage). We stopped and ate each of these items on our walk around the area.

 Afte a few hours, we had a light dinner and retired for the evening. The hotel we stayed out is fairly famous. Apparantly it was on old church and it gets a lot Filipino celebrites. I thought the hotel was decent for decent price, but over all I was not too impressed. They do serve a good breakfast.

We had some time in the morning before check out  and decided to check out a couple of other spots. The first was the free zoo called Baluarte. A short trike drive and we were there.

The zoo was moderately busy. And they had a good amount of animals, though some appeared a little ragged and unhealthy. I guess that the nature of being a free to the public zoo. Not a bad place to spend time and I would recommed as there are a few animals I have never seen before.

 After a couple of hours we headed to the next destination called Hidden Garden. It's a really neat place. A free garden to tour with many different plants species available to purchase. There is an awesome bonsai tree section. Plus lots of other trees, a few caged birds and lizards, and a restaurant. I really enjoyed this place.

We headed back to hotel and gathered our belongings and made a trike trip to the bus terminal. Vigan turned out to be one of the best places visited on the trip and I am glad P made the suggestion. We both had a lot of fun here.

Now it wa time to catch the bus to Angeles City, which is P's hometown. This was another, long and slow bus ride. In total about 8 hours and it was mainly because of the constant stopping in all the small towns for passengers to get on and off. One must have patient for the Phillipine transit system.

It was late when we arrived in Angeles City. And in the middle of a huge celebration....












Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.

My Filipino Tour: Pagupud

The middle seats in the last row on a bus is not a comfortable place for sleeping.

P and myself drifted in and out of sleep waiting for different seats to become vacant. Towards the final hours of the trip two seats finally became available. We snagged the seats and slept until the we arrived in Pagupud.

The rain was coming down hard in the early hours of the morning. Luckily we found trike drivers at the bus stop. Trikes are small motorcycles with a side car for the passenger or two. A few miles down the dark and wet roads we pulled up to Tartaruga's Hotel & Yacht Club.

Tartaruga's Hotel

I emailed the owners the before to inform them of our early arrival. They said it wasn't a problem and our room would be ready. And much to my surprise they were awake and waiting. Just the first of many examples of the owner's great hospitality.

As the sun rose in the morning the rain kept falling from the sky. Laid around all day and relaxed due to rain pouring down. We went to get some breakfast as the hotel has an outdoor eating area where they cook the meals. Fresh and home grown ingredients, including the rice, are the theme. Plus, the ladies know how to cook. Their garlic rice is the best I have ever eaten. We ate often here over the next three days due to the rain and was never disappointed.

The resort is a family ran business. There are eight rooms in the main building and a couple of detached rooms as well. A back porch area, a small eating area inside, and as previously mentioned the larger outdoor eating area. The rooms are adequate in size, very clean, and extremely affordable. The entire staff is very friendly and eager to help.

The rain never let up on the first day. Constant through the night. We made the most of it by eating, relaxing, having drinks, and chatting a lot with the staff.

Day two came and there was still light rain falling. We decided to brave it and go look around Pagupud. We flagged down a trike and took the short ride. There is not much in the town of Pagupud. One can find a good size market and a few shops for clothing, meat and vegetable, and other items needed (lots of flip flips and sunglasses). There is a small bus depot, a community center, some houses, a government building, a couple bars, and that is about it.

The site of freshly butchered animals left out in the open while as a person waves flies away is an image which will stick in my brain a long time.

Pagupud

After a few hours of walking around and a bit of shopping, we headed back to Tartaruga's for lunch. The sun started to come out in the afternoon. We took the opportunity to walk down to Saud Beach, which was the reason we came here. After a small fee to enter we walked the long, wet, beach.

Saud Beach

Saud Beach

Gorgeous white sands and blue ocean and blue ocean (actually the China Sea) can be found. The beach is uncrowded. On this day we only saw a handful of other people. It's not busy at all and you can carve a chunk of sand all you own. Or one of the many cabanas under the coconut trees if shelter from the sun is what one desires. There is even a look out building for a scenic picnic. Loads of seashells are everywhere, and make for inexpensive souvenirs, and tiny crabs scampering about the sand. Also a long line of vendors selling souvenirs.

We waded through the water. It was cold at first but quickly got used to it after I submerged. The waves were crashing and fast and the undertow was strong. I did not go out far as it could have easily swept me out to see on this day. There is beautiful coastline as far as the eye could see.

Saud Beach

Saud Beach

 After a couple of hours the sun disappeared and the rains came once again. We headed back to the hotel and relaxed the rest of the evening.

We woke up optimistic on day three. We wanted to go to the other side of the bay to walk the famous Bangui Windmills. Unfortunately the rain had other ideas. So once again we missed out on site seeing in the area, with the exception of another quick beach trip, and hung out at the hotel relaxing, chatting with the staff, eating, watching television, and drinking. There is not much else to do around here when the rain is falling hard. We found out from the staff that it is always rainy late November in Pagupud.

Today was Thanksgiving and I celebrated with a delicious Filipono meal.

toscino

pancit canton

We had one more day scheduled here but when we awoke, the rain was still falling. After breakfast we decided to call it good and get on a bus to Vigan. So we said our goodbye to the staff and thanked them. We grabbed a trike and headed to the bus terminal. We jumped on a bus to Ilagos where we could make a connection to Vigan. This was a long, slow, and at scary ride. Because it's a bus route there were constant stops. Not to mention the narrow roads full of walkers, scooters, trikes, cars, and oncoming traffic.

Three hours later we arrived and got on a connecting bus. This was a little faster since there wasn't as many stops. Another four hours and we arrived in historic Vigan with plenty of light left in the afternoon to explore.



Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.

My Filipino Tour: The Flight and Manilla

My job often takes me all across the US but because of one excuse or another over the years, I have never went outside its borders. One thing I promised myself in 2013 was to to travel abroad. Somewhere. Anywhere. There was plans of a trip to Mexico City with a friend, but that fell through at the last minute for reasons I wont discuss here. Suddenly I was left to decide where to go and only four months left to fulfill my ambition.

Like many who want to travel I have a list of places which interest me. I started narrowing the list and checking prices. In the end the destination of choice ended up being the Philippines.

Why the Philippines? Well, I have always had a fascination with Southeast Asia and the country was high on my list. Most people speak English so getting around would be easier. And the big plus was knowing a person who lives there and wanted to travel with me. I booked the ticket for late November.


The traveling to get there is brutal. Looking at your flight itinerary and seeing twenty-three hours can be depressing. It's a long time on a plane. My flight was Fort Wayne to Chicago with a short layover. Then Chicago to Tokyo, a 12 hour flight, with a very short layover. I nearly missed my connection. Then a five hour flight to Manila. Total time in airports was close to 25 hours. I was lucky however in that the long flight to Tokyo was only about half full. There was plenty of room to stretch out . You also get well feed (albeit airline food) and the drinks comes rapidly with free alcohol. Plusthere are plenty of new release movies to catch up on and I did just that in between naps.

After landing in Manila  I actually breezed through entry and customs and money exchange. It took maybe 45 minutes total. I thought it would be longer. Then I went to look my for arranged shuttle to the hotel. As walked out of Terminal 2 to the pick up zone I entered a wall of craziness not excepted. Wall to wall people all searching for their rides or waiting for cabs or shuttles. I have never experienced an airport this chaotic and I have been to every major airport in the US. I could not find my ride who was suppose to be waiting with a sign at the exit point. A gentlemen who works for the airport helped me locate my driver. Apparently I walked right by the driver as he recognized me but in the masses I did not see him at all. By the time he got the car around and we left the airport, it was about an hour later. A short fifteen minute ride and I was at the Nicholas Airport Hotel my stay for the evening.

I got checked in and received a complimentary room upgrade. Nice. It was about thirty minutes before midnight so I headed to the rooftop bar. Unfortunately it was closed. It was supposed to be open. So I headed back to the room to decompress and shower and eventually fall asleep.

Nichols Airport Hotel

The next morning I went down for breakfast. Had a strong Filipino coffee which was great. After a couple of cups the energy surged through me. Too bad that I couldn't find anything good the rest of the trip. Had eggs and toscino (a sweet marinated pork), and rice. All was very tasty. I arranged for a shuttle to take me to the Victory Liner Bus Terminal in Pasay area, where my friend would be arriving. Overall, Nichols had excellent  service staff, with great food, is close to the airport, and all for decent price. Only internet is downstairs though.

I was dropped off at the bus terminal and waited about fifteen minutes before P arrived. This was actually the first time meeting her in person. I met her from a travel website where we got to exchanging message which lead to becoming friends on Facebook which has lead to us talking very regularly. In fact while I was trimming down places to go and told her Philippines was on the list she said "come here and I will join you". That was basically the determining factor.

I had a room booked at the Hotel H20 which is part of a local attraction called Manilla Ocean Park, which is an aquarium type zoo with marine life. A short cab ride later and we arrived at the park. I assumed the hotel was adjacent to this park but instead the hotel lies right in the middle of the attraction.One has to walk through the main entrance of the park to get to the main building where most of the attractions are found. Here the elevators can be found which lead to the hotel on the upper floors. It's a little inconvenient from where you get dropped off.

Hotel H20

I booked an aquarium room which as an wall sized aquarium as part of the wall. How many times will you get that in a hotel room? Not many and it was very cool. I could watch fish swim around for around for hours. The room was adequate size with a large bathroom and free wi-fi access. I would call it an upscale resort and the price reflects it as this was the most expensive place I stayed while in the Philippines. However by US prices, the rate for this room compares to standard hotel like a Hampton Inn. So there is a lot of bang for the buck, so to speak.

The resort has many different eating establishments in it. So we chose one had lunch. We split a dish called congee rice soup, which reminded me more of a rice porridge because it was thick and full of meat and vegetables, and fried squid. Both were good.

We had all afternoon with time to burn, so we bought package tickets to the park which allowed us into four of the attractions. The first was the Oceanarium which turned out to be one of the better aquariums I have been to. They specialize is marine life for the region so I saw a lot of creatures which I had not seen before. There is also a very neat shark and sting ray exhibit here. We spent about 90 minutes touring the attraction.

Ocean Park Manila - Oceanarium

Ocean Park Manila - Shark Exhibit

Jellies Exhibit

Next up was the Jellies Exhibit. It was a space with hundreds of  different jellyfish species. You can watch those things swim through the water. I enjoyed this attraction too as it was very tranquil and beautiful.

We chose the Marine Life Habitat which is basically a sea lion show. We walked in about five minutes after it started. About ten minutes later the show with the sea lions doing minimum interactions with an audience member was finished. Lame. As was the display where the live.

The last attraction we show was Music Fountain Show Revolution. It is an LED light and water spraying show to close out the night. Lots of music and dancers, which was kind of corny, but projecting images on water spray is absolutely awesome. It lasted longer than expected, close to twenty-five minutes.

After the show we wanted to go away from the park for dinner but it was pouring down rain and didn't feel like getting wet. So we picked another of the eateries inside the resort, Gerry's Grill. This time we ordered pork sisig and tinamook and washed it down with San Miguel beer. All items were delicious. With a full belly it was time retire for the evening.

The next day we lounged around for awhile in the morning and opted to head over to the huge SM Mall of Asia. I was surprised to see so many American food chains (McDonald's, KFC, Dairy Queen, Dunkin Donut, Krispy Kreme). Also sprinkled in were plenty of Filipino food chains (Max's House That Chicken Built, Greenwhich Pizza & Pasta, Chow King, Shakey's Pizza, Mang lnasal, and Jollibee) plus lots of other restaurants. The usual kind of shops and movie theaters also had residence here.We walked around for a few hours enjoying the air conditioning, ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant called Super Bowl of China, and shopped at the grocery store. Needed some supplies for the trip up North.

I noticed a lot of Christmas decorations up and it was only late November. A little early by most American standards. Come to find out, in case you did not know, the Philippines starts celebrating the holiday in late September. But unlike the US the celebration is more about being with family and appreciation of faith, it is a highly Catholic culture, instead of consumer spending which is how feel America has become. The whole scene is refreshing to witness.

Then it was back to the hotel to pack and do all the necessary things to exit the hotel. A couple hours later we caught a cab to a bus terminal for the over night ride to our next destination, Pagupud. We squeezed onto a bus pulling out of the terminal and was forced to sit in the last two seats in the middle of the last row.

This was going to be a long night.




Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.