What a WANDERful world

Life musings of an adventurous kuripot.

[cherryalu]

Maldives on a string

I’m writing about this trip because so many friends (and friends of friends) have been asking me about our Maldives trip – and they all think we’re filthy rich for embarking on a Maldivian honeymoon. But truth be told, I know a lot of couples who spent more on a local honeymoon (i.e. Misibis, El Nido, name it) than what we spent for – if you just know how, and are ready to kinda rough it.

So rather than telling all about it over and over again (the story is quite long), I decided to write about it and just refer people to this link if they want to learn more about it. Hope you can bear with the length of this blog as I do think that every detail is helpful.

For all those who are curious about just exactly how much we spent on our 5-day, 4-night Maldivian honeymoon, I’ll just go right out and say it. We spent…wait for it…only P120,000 ALL-IN – for 2 people, including pocket money. And that was with an extra day trip to Singapore.

Can’t believe it? Here’s how we did it.

THE DECISION

My husband and I love the sea, so we definitely wanted a beach-y honeymoon destination where we can just kick back, and relax by the beach, ice-cold-beer-in-one-hand-and-a-good-book-on-the-other all day.  However, we’ve had a lot of painful spendings lined up already, what with spending for our own big out-of-town wedding; not to mention the upcoming mortgage payments to support our high hopes of owning our own house.

So although it was really our dream to go to Maldives – especially since it is said be sinking and will disappear by the end of the century, we initially decided to go for something cheaper.

We had considered Misibis or El Nido, but then we really wanted an escape – to go out of the country. So next option was to go to Bali. But when I did my research, I found that we would easily spend 50-60 grand just on airfare and accommodations alone (although we ended up going to Bali on my birthday for much less – but I’ll save that for my next entry). And that was when I decided – just for fun, and just to compare at first – to check out flights to Maldives.

BOOKING THE FLIGHT This was the hardest task of all. I think I started at about 11pm, and ended up sleeping at 4am looking for the best flight.

First I checked one of those aggregator sites that get information from all the available airlines and give you the best rates. (I used cheapoair.com). The thing about these sites is that, for flights to and from Manila, it did not give information on the budget airlines. It could only pull information from Philippine Airlines, making the roundtrip airfare come up to about P50,000 per person.

So the next thing I did was to take out Manila from the equation, and tried Singapore to Male, Kuala Lumpur to Male, etc. I then had to go back and forth between THAT and the budget airlines’ websites for flights out of Manila, looking for connecting flights that would match the flight schedules. Believe me when I say that it was no easy task (mind-wrecking, even) coz I needed to keep checking and double checking to ensure that no arrival and departure times overlapped, and leaving enough time for possible delays and terminal transfers.

Finally, I found that the cheapest option was to book Manila-Singapore-Manila via Cebu Pacific at Php 7,500/pax , and then Singapore-Sri Lanka-Male-Sri Lanka-Singapore via Sri Lankan airlines at Php 21,000/pax. So that’s a total of Php 28,500/pax, almost half of what I would have spent if I went ahead and booked direct from Manila to Male.

Since we were booking our connecting flights independently, we had to figure out how to do the terminal-to-terminal transfers on our own, check out our bags and check them in again, etc. I knew this as I was booking the flights, and it was a pretty scary thought. But I figured as long as we’re young, we can afford to just “cowboy” it, right? It should all be part of an exciting adventure!

  HOTEL

The next challenge was booking accommodations – which COULD have been the most expensive part of the trip. (Note: I didn’t do it the same day, I would’ve died from lack of sleep!)

I checked Agoda (I’m such a fan of this website!) and browsed through the different beautiful and wonderful resorts of Maldives. Since it was our honeymoon, I told myself that ok, I’m willing to spend Php 15,000 per night, multiplied by 4 nights, totaling to Php 60,000. So I checked resorts in that range. Unfortunately, even if I did find gorgeous resorts at that price, upon check out, the costs would bloat to double the price because the fancy resorts would require you to either take a private jet (priced at about Php 30,000/pax), or a speed boat (priced at about P15,000/pax) for roundtrip transfers from the airport to their private island.

Of course, I couldn’t swallow spending that much just for “transfers”. So I researched on the different islands of Maldives and public ferries that bring you to the islands. I found out that there’s a ferry that leaves only once a day from Male to Maafushi – a local island, but also hosts a number of bed and breakfasts for tourists – at $2 per person! (Php 80/pax). It takes 1.5 hours to get to the island, but what the heck, it was worth it for the amount we’d save on the transfers!  

(On-board the $2 public ferry that goes direct from Male to Maafushi. We opted to stay at the upper deck for an uninterrupted view of the beautiful Maldivian seas.)

The thing is, since the trip was only once a day, if your flight arrives after the ferry leaves, then you’ll need to spend a night in Male. I figured it should be ok so we can explore the city too. (On a side note, Male is absolutely boring. Nothing to see, nothing to do, nothing to buy – so if you get the chance to book a flight that arrives BEFORE the ferry leaves, much better.) The good thing is that there are also a lot of decent, affordable hotels in Male, so one night only costed us Php 3,800.

**On a side note, I think it's worth mentioning (in fact I think I owe it to the world to mention this as public service) that you shouldn't be tricked into booking a trip via those Groupon sites like Cash Cash Pinoy. They may seem unbelievably affordable, but that's because hotels they book for you are only in Male -- which is only good enough for a stopover, not for a 3D2N stay!

Now for the best part – choosing our accommodations for the rest of the trip. Since Maafushi was the only tourist island I found that had a ferry service, we decided to just stay there. As mentioned, Maafushi is a local island -- no fancy resorts here, but it has a number of inns and b&b’s that were also popular among tourists. At least I was able to narrow down my search on Agoda. As we browsed thoroughly through the resorts at Maafushi, we finally settled on Stingray Beach Inn (see photos below). It was nothing fancy, but it had really good reviews on Agoda, and it had a cute beachy vibe. Best of all, it costed only Php5,000/night or Php15,000 for three nights. That was my original budget for just a single night!

 (Stingray Beach Inn)

Now, you’d think that’s the end of my “booking” story, but I just need to say here why I love booking through Agoda. See, I’ve always used this site, and so far, I’ve already been either upgraded, or got a free night 3 times (upgraded in Maldives & Bali, and got a free night in London). Here’s my bonus tip (haha): My theory is that after you book and you never follow up with them, they will accommodate walk-ins or the “sure” arrivals. But since Agoda wouldn’t remit the payment to them until after you’ve actually stayed with them, they have a back-up plan in case you do arrive – in this case, either upgrade you to a better room, or let you stay in a staff room – which was still of hotel standards – for free.

Anyway, when we arrived at Maafushi island, the owner of Stingray met us at the dock, and politely apologized for overbooking. And because of that, they took the liberty of booking us with the only hotel (a 4-star one) at Maafushi. And it was located right in front of the beach! Talk about a delightful honeymoon present!

(This was the 4-star hotel we were upgraded to, which was located right in front of the beach!)

  ACTIVITIES

Although staying in Maafushi wasn’t part of the original plan (we would’ve loved staying at a private beach resort – if only budget permitted), I think it was an excellent choice for budget seekers. For one, if we stayed at a private island resort, we would have had to stick with just one or two overpriced in-house restaurant for the entire trip. By staying in Maafushi, we got to try different local restaurants at very affordable Manila-like prices (think Php 200 to 300 per person per meal). A word of caution though – don’t expect much from food in Maldives – whether in the high end resorts or the normal, local ones. It wasn’t bad, but there really wasn’t anything particularly interesting or unique about it. (Their cuisine is kind of like a subdued version of Indian cuisine).

Another advantage to staying at Maafushi was that the sea and island activities such as diving, or big game fishing, would have costed twice or thrice more if you book at the fancy resorts – and the experience would have been exactly the same.

(This should give you an idea on how much the sea and island activities cost. It's only a fraction of how much it costs at the high end resorts.)

The only sad thing about staying at Maafushi was that since it was a locally run island with strong Muslim traditions, there was absolutely no alcohol allowed nor available there. In fact, the beach at Maafushi even had signs that said “no bikinis allowed” – or its equivalent in illustration (i.e. drawings of bikinis with an X on it). But not to worry, there were so many white tourists there and none of them followed this, so you can just join them in being deviants ;).

But the alcohol was indeed an obstacle (at least for us beer-lovers) – but again, not to worry, because there’s also a work-around plan to this. What we did was we booked day trips to the private resorts for a fee (about $25-60 for a roundtrip speedboat transfer, sometimes including the entrance fee, depending on the resort), and had our beer there. Since these resort islands were privately owned and really meant for tourists, they were not bound by any local laws or traditions. By doing so, we also got to visit a couple of nice private island resorts, lounged, and enjoyed the facilities, at a fraction of the cost. Yes, the $25-$60 may still be a bit pricey, but it's still a lot cheaper than if we booked the night there. Although we did go to one high end resort which charged a $100 entrance fee, but it was consumable, so at least what we paid for, we got to eat and drink with as well – aside from granting us access to their facilities. The only catch was that our hotel’s speed boat would pick us up at 5pm at the latest, so that meant we had to get a good buzz before 5pm (of course, it wasn’t an entirely impossible feat at the beach. I mean, who hasn’t experienced being drunk as early as 10am in Boracay??)

(That's our day trip at the beautiful Holiday Inn, with a $100 consumable entrance fee.)

(Enjoying our ice cold Coronas by the beach, finally!!!)

(This was in yet another private resort -- Kandooma, where we got a private cove all to ourselves!)

BREAKDOWN OF COSTS:

To sum up, here’s a review of the total amount we spent for our awesome, awesome Maldivian honeymoon.

Airfare: Php 57,000

Accommodations: Php 18,800

Pocket money: Php 45,000 (which includes the daytrips to the different islands, activities including 2 diving sessions, big game fishing, and – believe it or not – public transpo and shopping at Singapore)

  RECOMMENDATIONS

So given all that’s been said and done by me, do I recommend visiting Maldives? Most definitely! It’s as beautiful and picturesque as it’s hyped for.

(Paradise on Earth)

My advice though, if you can, is to take up diving lessons before you go, because the underwater is even more beautiful and breathtaking than the islands themselves. It would be such a waste to spend so much to go there without seeing what’s underneath. I’d also definitely recommend night fishing – a bit scary, but the experience of catching huge game in the middle of the sea at night time is something for the books. Although, sadly, we apparently are very unlucky at fishing. Vince only caught one small fish, whereas I never even caught one! Though we did have companions – kids even – that went fishing with us and they had HUGE catches. So much so that they felt bad for us afterwards, and gave us one of their big fish for dinner – see pic below. (You can have your hotel restaurant cook it for you for only about $10 service fee.)

(One of our dive sites, the Kandoo Maa Cave -- super duper awesome!!! My only regret is that I didn't have an underwater camera with me!)

(Huge fish, which our fellow  tourists -- not us -- caught, and donated to us for dinner because we were pathetic at fishing. Haha)

However, I would also go as far as say that our own islands, especially Palawan, would have a fighting chance against it. (Obviously, I’m very proud of my country’s beauty). Then again, you can’t always stay in your own country, right? There’s also a lot of other cultures, food, and nuances we need to learn about.

That said, I highly encourage you to copy my itinerary and go on a once in a lifetime trip to Maldives. I’m not saying don’t splurge – if you have the money, why not?? Just that if you don’t have that huge a budget, you can still afford it. So go ahead and book now before it sinks into oblivion. ;)

[cherryalu]

Being Scarlett O'Hara

[cherryalu]

Atlanta

The World of Coke Georgia Aquarium (The largest -- and the most awesome -- aquarium in the world) CNN Martin Luther King Memorial Center ...and other parts of the city

[cherryalu]

Wandering in West America (Mexico City!)

I’ve always believed that there is a reason for everything. There is a reason why, years ago, I saw a friend’s post from her Mexico vacation and fell in love with the photos. There is a reason why I stupidly thought that going to Mexico was synonymous to a relaxing vacation near the beach (it didn’t occur to me that Mexico City and Cancun were two completely different places, otherwise I wouldn’t have enrolled in the course called Doing Business in Mexico). There’s a reason why my Mexican amigos, @Iracema and @Jose Luis picked AIM as their exchange school, and why Iracema offered for us to stay in her place when she found out we were going to Mexico for our own exchange. There’s a reason why Iracema was out of town the day we arrived and forgot to leave her keys to her apartment -- and we ended up staying at the Residencia (a dorm for IPADE students that made the AIM dorm look like a hotel. I am not exaggerating. See photos.) But there’s also a reason why, even when Iracema was back in town, we chose to just stay at the Residencia for our weeklong Mexican adventure. Had I visited Mexico City as a tourist, I probably wouldn’t recommend anyone to go there. Except for the beautiful downtown that had an old European feel, the rest of Mexico city looked just like Manila. I felt like I was back in EDSA while sitting in the infamous Mexican traffic for 2 hours. You’ll also live in constant fear, because everyone (and I mean everyone, both Mexicans and non-Mexicans alike) keeps telling me to be careful in Mexico City. But since I experienced Mexico as a student and as a local, I just fell in love with the experience. These are just some of the things that I loved about Mexico: Salsa-dancing: I don’t really dance. And when I do, I only like dancing to hiphop and R&B music. Which is why I didn’t know I could enjoy salsa so much. And it really surprised me that all Mexican boys can dance the Salsa so well, as if it’s in their blood. And they could dance the Salsa anywhere – from a make-shift dance floor at the Residencia, to a chic salsa club called Mama Rumba – till the wee hours of the morning. Tacos: No, they are not the tacos that Filipinos or Americans know. Those tacos with hard shells are nothing compared to the authentic Mexican tacos with soft tortillas. And they can make tacos out of anything! The best traditional taco for me was the Taco al Pastor – which is sort of like their version of Shawarma. But among all the tacos I’ve tried, my favorites were the gross ones: with tripe and brains – sold at a small sidewalk stand a few blocks away from Residencia. I know, I know, I’ve always been an adventurous eater! But my Mexican friends brought me there, so I knew it was safe. And it was muy delicioso! Cervezas (Beer): Corona was a bit of a disappointment for me, but I loved their dark lagers, namely Negra Modello (made by the same company as Corona) and Leon Negra. I also loved their mechiladas and cubanas (Mechilada is beer with lime and salt, while Cubana has some Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce in it. Sounds weird, but it’s really good!) Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling!): If you’ve seen Nacho Libre and loved it, you’ll definitely love this. It was a real Mexican experience, with super fake moves and colorful masks and costumes. The best part was the gay wrestler named Maximo. I just LOVED him! (See video: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=409846129026&saved) IPADE: the school we attended for the week-long course. (Yes, despite all that partying, my trip to Mexico wasn’t actually for vacation. It was a course I took as part of my MBA.) The school had this rustic and homey feel. And best of all, it served food all the day long, with more dining halls than classrooms. This is why everyone describes IPADE as a restaurant with classrooms. Sounds like the perfect school, doesn’t it?? Los Mejcanos (The Mexican people): Let’s disregard the frustration you get when talking to a by-stander (nobody speaks English!) and the fear of getting mugged in the streets. I made some very good friends among the Mexican students of IPADE. Everyone was just so warm and friendly and fun. They actually remind me of Filipinos. The Language: Hablo Espanol! There’s also a reason why I took up Spanish as my foreign language in college. (and no, it’s not just beause I thought it would be easier since it’s so close to Tagalog – not anymore!) I have a new-found love for the Spanish language. And I loved the fact that I was able to practice speaking it in Mexico. Now I am determined to learn more and be more fluent in it. (I hope I find the time!) When I was leaving for Mexico after a 2-week trip around California + Vegas, it was almost depressing because I felt it was so anti-climactic to go on a study trip to Mexico after clubbing and partying in LA and Vegas. But looking back, Mexico definitely ended my Spring Break adventure on a high note. Now I’ve missed 3 days of classes (2 days are excused because DBI in Mexico course was officiated by the school, but the 1 day was because I was just too tired – no sleep for 3 weeks! – and I didn’t wake up. ☹) Sadly, I will probably be making up for it over the next few days, but I have no regrets whatsoever. It was totally worth it. ;)

[cherryalu]

Wandering in West America on Spring Break (City 4)

Los Angeles! (March 4-7) LA Favorites: - Biking from Santa Monica Beach all the way to Venice Beach. Made me wish I lived there. (and made me miss Boracay even more!) It was also my first time to ride a tandem bike! loved sitting at the back. no work at all. haha. - Exploring hole-in-the-wall Asian restaurants (no burgers and pizzas for a change!) - Getting into a supposedly "posh" club (according to our hotel) for free just by smiling a million dollar smile at the bouncer while my friends had to pay $20 each to enter...Only to find out it was a bad club which smelled heavily of Marijuana and where my friend Rik received a death threat (seriously, ask him!) - stalking celebrities in their houses (we saw Mark Wahlberg and David Beckham! -- at least we are claiming to. But seriously, I really think it was Mark Wahlberg, and Eva really thinks it was David Beckham. We agreed to agree with each other. teehee.)

[cherryalu]

Wandering in West America on Spring Break (City 2 & 3)

Viva Las Vegas! + Grand Canyon (March 1-4, 2010) The city that never sleeps gets invaded by seven people that never slept. :P What happens in Vegas...gets posted on Facebook! What I loved the most: - winning $10 in black jack (i don't like gambling!) - Viva Elvis Cirque du Soleil - working for Grissom at CSI Las Vegas (it wasn't a popular attraction, but I AM a CSI fan!) - making a daytrip to -- and getting awestruck by -- the Grand Canyon! :) (it was indeed GRAND) - reliving Ocean's Eleven at the Bellagio and falling in love with the fountain :) - meeting crazy friendly drunk people on the street who either offer to take your photo, or ask to be included in your photo. haha.

[cherryalu]

Wandering in West America on Spring Break (City 1)

San Francisco (Feb. 25 - 28, 2010) SF is now officially my favorite city in the US. :) Love the cable cars, and the steep slopes, and the seafood, and the fact that there's a huge Filipino community. haha. Will definitely go back to this beautiful city. Haven't been to Napa Valley, Monterey, Yosemite...my itchy feet are itching again! but will save that for AFTER i get a job. :P

[cherryalu]

V-Day Cheesiness

Ok friends, bear with me. I rarely write anything cheesy, especially not on V-day, but I got the most wonderful surprise and I’m just too happy not to share. ;) So I told my friends here that I wasn’t even recognizing Valentine’s day this year. I take it back. I am SO celebrating it. I am greeting each and everyone of you a HAPPY CHEESY VALENTINE’S DAY, and if I were there, I would give each one of you a hug and a big sheepish smile to go along with it. On a normal year, Vince and I would just plan to go out for a fancy dinner or maybe go somewhere fun (like EK last year). But since I’m stuck here in NC, I didn’t even bother marking it on my calendar. And I never even bothered making hints at Vince to send me anything. Which is why I wasn’t expecting this AT ALL. Today, yes, on a Sunday, my groupmates and I had to meet at school. And while we were far from done finalizing our big presentation, everyone was in a hurry to get home because they each had their significant others waiting for them at home (to cook something special, to watch a romantic comedy together, yada yada yada.) The truth is, I wasn’t bothered about it at all. I was even happy and excited for them. As for myself, I had already accepted that I wasn’t celebrating it, and that was that. I was actually more bothered that it was also Chinese New Year and my family would usually go somewhere special to eat – while I was stuck here with my own experimental cooking, alone. (On a side note, my very first attempt to cook barbecue pork ribs was a smashing success – so that didn’t go too bad, given the circumstances). But all in all, it wasn’t exactly the best day of my life. Anyway, when I got home from my meeting, I didn’t even notice a box standing by my door. It was only when I came out of my room to find something to eat that I noticed a very tall box standing there. First thought that came to mind was, oh the shoes I ordered online has arrived…No wait, duh. This box is too big for a shoe. Next thought was, maybe this isn’t mine. I checked the label. It had my name on it. So then I finally “looked” at the box for the first time. It was a huge green box that said “PRO FLOWERS”. All of a sudden it dawned on me, and then the tears started to fall. (Again, yes. I thought I was done with the crying!) So now I just want to say that I have the BEST boyfriend in the world! Thanks b. I love you so much. Happy Valentine’s Day! ☺ ☺ ☺

[cherryalu]

Legoland!

All-star cast featuring Lao family, US chapter (well, on the East Coast, at least) plus others in their block-y, Lego-lized forms, namely: Spongebob Harry Potter (and Hagrid) Indiana Jones Batman R2D2 Darth Vader Albert Einstein and Mr. President Barrack Obama! Oh, and a belly busting, yummy yummy buffet! :)

[cherryalu]

A Whirlwind trip to the Windy City: Chicago

Feb. 4-7, 2010 Escaped cold cold North Carolina to go to even colder Chicago. (Guess I was following Jordan's footsteps from Tar Heels territory to the Bulls.) Free tickets, thanks to my wonderful cousin. Adventure bus trip to the airport coz I just don't think it's right to pay $50 for a cab. Sears Tower Deep Dish Pizzas Harpo Studios Millenium Park Navy Pier Wrigley Field United Center Non-stop snow, mini-reunion with Lao cousins, and bonding with my pamangkins. Yay! :) Saved Legoland adventure for another album coz I loved it so much and it deserves an album on its own! :)

[cherryalu]

My life as a Carolina girl.

Ok, I have to admit. I cried on my first night here. Those who know me well know that I'm a toughie (I didn't cry in Up or in any of those tear-jerker Tagalog movies I've seen), but arriving in NC was just a little too overwhelming for me. Yes, at the time, I've been away from my family for a week already, but I was in busy busy New York with people who still treated me like family. Most importantly, I was among Pinoys. As soon as I landed in NC, however, the loneliness started to set in. It was freezing cold, I had two very heavy luggages, an almost-as-heavy laptop bag, an essentials bag (with my wallet, cellphone, passport, etc.), and a gargantuan shopping bag (courtesy of my Woodbury shopping day -- smart move, shopaholic.), I didn't know anybody and I was ALONE. When I reached my apartment, it was on the second floor and there were no elevators. All of a sudden I found myself wishing for my mom and dad, or Vince, or any one of my friends for that matter, to come to my rescue. And the tears began to fall. Non-stop. Of course, it only took a few days to adjust to my new (temporary) life here in NC, and eventually make some new friends. And here comes another confession. Being a Filipino (and apparently, though unverified yet, the first Pinoy exchange student in UNC), I felt small (both literally and figuratively) being around fancy Americans and Europeans. Though I can now say I get along very well with my exchange student friends, it wasn't very easy at first. We didn't have much in common so you can imagine the first few awkward moments. For example (note: FES means fellow exchange student): Me: Hi, where you from? FES: (insert European country here) Me: Oh wow, I've been there! or Oh wow, I want to go there! FES: Really? How about you, where you from? Me: Philippines! FES: I see...*crickets* Me: *crickets* so...have you been to the Philippines? FES: no...*crickets* Me: *crickets* well you should! We have the most beautiful beaches! FES: really? Ok, yeah i should...*crickets* This was almost always how our first conversations started. Well now my FES friends know a lot more about the Philippines, such as how everyone has maids/someone to do everything for them (i.e. explains why I don't know how to cook, or do my laundry, or operate a gas pump), and how I am a very tall girl in the Philippnes (until now I have a hard time convincing them about that fact because they call me small here. I keep telling them that I have never been called small in my life till now -- and they just laugh at me). But in the midst of figuring out how to use the washing machine and dryer (I still say a little prayer everytime I do the laundry that I don't lose any of my clothes), learning how to cook without burning the food (or myself), and adjusting to the slightly more complicated American school system, I actually found myself having fun. To this day, when me and my fellow exchange students get together for a road trip or a drinking session-slash-poker night, Im still amazed at how I can have so much fun with people literally from all over the world. And to think I used to be afraid of foreigners. Then again, as my good friend Bret said, "Chong, pag andun ka, ikaw na yung foreigner!" Oo nga naman. Hehe. I guess it helps that, though we're all from different culture and backgrounds, we are all in the same boat. We're all adjusting to the American way of life. In contrast, I still feel very uneasy whenever I have to sit down with my all-American groupmates for some of my subjects. Hopefully, that will also change in time. Anyway, this album has 3 main buckets. (Yes, i think in terms of buckets now, thanks to my Consulting Skills and Frameworks class). Bucket 1: my room and my apartment. I was surprised at how nice it is -- so nice that it was my only consolation on my first night here. That is, until I saw the rooms and pads of my FES. Then again, they're all paying almost double my rent, so I can't complain. Bucket 2: me and my fellow exchange students on our campus tour of UNC. Bucket 3: Being a Tar Heel girl. UNC supposedly has a very good basketball team (duh, Michael Jordan was a Tar Heel!) In fact, they were champions last year. Unfortunately, they graduated a lot of good players, so they're not expecting to win this year. Fortunately, the one game I watched was the game that the Tar Heels won. Truth be told, I was expecting more from the experience though. There were no loud drums that make your heart beat faster (although they did have a good band that played instrumental pop music covers, and gorgeous cheerdancers that look like they stepped out of an American teen flick), no half-blue half-green stadium (of course, since it was held in UNC territory, the whole stadium was clad in Carolina blue - yay, go blue!). Or maybe it was because it wasn't a game against Duke, their #1 archrival. Apparently, UNC-Duke games are just as crazy as ADMU-DLSU games. And it's almost impossible to get tickets too. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that. Now, if only i can get a bucket of San Mig Light here. ;P they don't have bucket promos here and their beer is so darn expensive...(about $3 per bottle) and American beer aint even that good. :/ I guess that sums up my life here as an official (official nga ba? I still feel like a saling pusa most of the time) student of the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business school. I'll be posting pics from our skiing trip and more in future albums. :)

[cherryalu]

I heart New York!

It was my first time to celebrate New Year away from home and away from the people I love. I thought I'd find myself crying my eyes out on New Year's Eve...But the family that "adopted" me (my aunt's good friend), whom I've never met in my life prior to knocking on their doorstep to become a parasite for a week, treated me like their own. Surprisingly, I must say that it was one of the most fun New Year's Eve celebrations I've ever experienced in my life. Thank you, Tito Dalma & Tita Trude, Tita Wilma, and to my newest fake cousins, Jack and Dale. Some of my most memorable New York experiences: - Visiting Central Park on the coldest day of the year in New York (Im not exaggerating on this one) and freezing my ass off - Feasting on what I thought would be my very last Pinoy meal in the US...with Pinoy friends and "family", all of which I never met before in my life, and yet still feeling so at home. - Watching the New Year's eve countdown in Times Square on TV in between Sake Bomb sessions (special thanks to Jack and Dale for introducing me to this wonderful, wonderful drink!) I would've wanted to be there to see the ball-drop live, but it turns out I had a more wonderful time with my new-found family and friends :) - Shopping at Woodbury with my newest shopping buddy (Jack) and finally getting my Ugg boots which I've been drooling over for years! (Note: I had to queue up outside the store coz everyone else apparently wanted their own snug and warm and stylish and lovely boots) - Watching The Rockettes at The Christmas Spectacular Show in Radio City (It wasn't really my first choice of show, but all the other broadway shows were sold out already. And I figured, you aint been to New York till you see those long legged ladies doing their signature kicks) - Visiting NBC studios and wishing there was a Today Show taping while I hold up a greeting sign for my friends and family in the Philippines - Eating like there's no tomorrow New York was definitely an awesome kick-off to my so-called student life in the US of A. ;) PS. The first pic in this album is of the toilet bowls in the Korean Airport. It had plastic wrap around the bowl and you had to push the red button to make the plastic turn -- and voila, you get sanitized toilet bowls all the time!

[cherryalu]

Davao Da-wow!

Dec. 27-31, Davao City Thanks to Bea for the food, the boat, the resort, and her millions of alalays. Thanks to Krisca (and family) for letting me stay at their house. Thanks to Sherdan for Beko's Spicy Lechon (ang saraaaap)!!! Thanks to KrisDan for a simple but wonderful wedding. Thanks to Vince for my plane ticket (and to auntie for letting me stay for a night in Suzette's room -- kahit 10x niyang sinabi --literally-- to lock my door. :P) Congratulations to our favoritest couple in the world! :)

[cherryalu]

Hi everyone! :) My classmates at AIM and I are doing a marketing research on cup noodles. If you can spare just about 5 minutes of your time, kindly answer this respondent-friendly survey. :) Here's the link: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/176495/noodles Thanks so much in advance! :)

[cherryalu]

Walk like an Egyptian!

And she’s baaaaack! From hell. (aka the prison called the AIM dormitory). At least for now. (while on a week-long term break, before hell engulfs my social life in flames again.) This is the last of our Holy Land Tour series. And it was actually the one with the most amusing stories. It saddens me though, that since it’s been months since these events happened, I may not be able to recall exact details. Will try my best though. ☺ Surprisingly, Egypt was – in the most diplomatic word I can think of – quite unattractive. Except of course, for the beautiful Mount Sinai (where God gave Moses the 10 commandments), and the famous and legendary pyramids. Cairo was very old and dirty…somewhat reminiscent of our very own Binondo. (Don’t get me wrong, I love Binondo – especially for the food trip that awaits every trip there. It’s just that it’s unexpected from a place of such grand reputation like Egypt.) Another surprise was the fact that the pyramids were located just behind the city. It was quite amusing to see from a distance, the peaks of the pyramid sticking out in between buildings of the city, like some sort of ironic clash between a centuries-old structure and contemporary concretes. I used to think that the pyramids were located in a very isolated dessert where in you’ll die if you were stuck there with no food, water, or transportation trying to get to civilization. Apart from the very rich ancient history that this country possesses, I also picked up some of my own interesting experiences which will definitely make it to my own personal history books. Here are some of them: Climbing Mount Sinai *For my detailed account on the Mount Sinai climb, click here: http://cherryalu.multiply.com/journal/item/23/On_a_Mount_Sinai_high Getting “arrested” As if my ego needed more boosting, I got hit on by a (quite cute, if I may say so myself) Egyptian Tourist Police. On the way down, someone behind me caught up, walked with me and struck up a conversation: Tourist Police: “Hi, are you from Korea?” Me: “No.” Tourist Police: “Um…China?” Me: “No, Philippines” Tourist Police: “Ahh, Philippines! What’s your name?” Me: “Cherry.” Tourist Police: “Cherry! That’s a nice name. I’m ______” (I’m really bad with names so I forgot. Teehee.) So, how did you like your climb?” Me: “It was good…” We started talking about my vacation – if it was my first time in Egypt, where I was stating, which places I was visiting, etc. It seemed that this guy was quite a ladies’ man coz we met some girls on the way and he started chatting them up. Of course, I didn’t wait for him and went ahead on my way. After a minute or two, I heard my name being shouted from afar…”Cherry! Cherry! Why did you leave??” Great. It was Mr. Presko again. Me: “Why not? Don’t you have to work?” Tourist Police: “No, I’m on my way down…” Me: “Ok…” Tourist Police: “How old are you Cherry?” Me: “27. And you?” Tourist Police: “26. So tell me Cherry, are you married?” Me: “No.” Tourist Police: “You’re 27 and you’re not married? How come?” (Apparently Egyptians marry at an early age) Me: “I don’t know. I’m just not. How about you, are you married?” Tourist Police: “Well, yes…(Then added as an after-thought) But you know, I can marry four times!” He was apparently hinting that it’s actually legal for him to be flirting with me. Me: “Oh really? (This got me curious.) Tell me, how would the boys like it if the girls had more than one husband?” Tourist Police: “Well, you can’t. Only the males are allowed.” Me: (I nod.) “Well, that’s quite unfair don’t you think?” Tourist Police: “Maybe… But that’s the way it is. And it’s not exactly automatic. There are some rules to follow. I mean, I can only have more than one wife under certain conditions. Like if my wife can’t bear me children, or if I’m really rich. You see, you need a lot of money to even have just one wife. And I don’t have that. Haha.” Then we talked more about his job, and how much a typical Tourist Police earns. It was actually quite a nice conversation, all the way down the mountain. Just when I thought the flirting was over, and the conversation was becoming more interesting, he suddenly made one final attempt just as we reached the bottom of the mountain. Tourist Police: “Hey, we’re having a party tonight. You want to come?” Me: “No, I’m leaving for Cairo tom.” Tourist Police: “You really won’t change your mind? It’ll be fun.” Me: “Nah. Thanks for the invite though.” Tourist Police: “Alright. It was nice meeting you, Cherry. Have a nice vacation.” And that was that. There was actually no attraction on my part (My friends who know me know that I don’t develop crushes easily), but it WAS a fun conversation, nonetheless. My first (albeit weird) marriage proposal For some reason, it seems that oriental beauty is a hit among Egyptians, coz I was getting hit on here and there by Egyptian peddlers in a Divisoria-like place in Cairo. Unfortunately none of them were cute like Mr. Tourist Police. If there’s an Egyptian version of “jologs” or “tambays”, it was them. One weird experience stood out among the rest. It was more funny than freaky, so I just didn’t make a big deal out of it. And it makes a good story, so what the heck. Haha. Anyway, it happened while I was purchasing a pair of Egyptian sandals (it’s so cute, like Gladiator sandals, only more authentic than fashionable, and made of real camel leather!). Unfortunately, it was quite big so I needed to ask them to add some holes for the buckles. As I was waiting for them to finish, one of the vendors came up to me and asked, “You looking for Egyptian husband?” Me: “No!” (almost defiantly) Vendor: “Why not? Egyptians are very strong you know? We drink camel milk.” Me: “Um…No thanks.” Vendor: “What do you need? I give you three camels.” Me: (was this his version of a proposal?) “No, I don’t need camels.” Vendor: “C’mon, I tell your Baba. Where’s your Baba?” (Baba is Papa in Arabic) My dad was with my mom, a few stalls away. At that very moment, my dad walks up to check on me. I sigh with relief. Me: “There’s my baba.” Vendor: (Calls out to my dad and points to his ring finger, then points to me.) “Baba, your daughter for three camels” My dad can’t speak much English, so he just smiles and shakes his head. Me: “Look, we don’t need camels in Manila, ok?” Vendor: “Ahh, so what do you need? How about horses?” At that moment, his fellow vendor finishes with my sandals. I quickly pay them with much gratitude, and leave. Whew! If anything good came out of it, maybe it’s that I can now tell Vince that hey, your girlfriend is hot in Egypt, so better hurry up, or lose out to three camels. Haha. Wait, I don’t even have an idea how much one camel is worth. :p PS. I’m kinda lazy to do the captions, but there are some more mini stories there if you have the time. ☺

[cherryalu]

On a Mount Sinai high!

This account of my climb was supposed to part of the Egypt album, but I realized that it's such a life changing experience that it deserves its own post. :)

Being Lady Moses

Mount Sinai is located in Saint Catherine City in Egypt. It’s mostly a deserted place, in the middle of mountains and deserts, without even a single greenery in sight. Even the hotel where we spent the night in, though very quaint and cozy, and despite the breathtaking view, was quite eerie because it was very isolated. (See photo below.)

The St. Catherine Hotel

Still, there was absolutely no stopping me from my goal of reaching the peak of one of the most historical and religious mountains of the world. When I read that it was part of the itinerary, I got very excited. It was another conquest for me – like a 10k marathon, only a million times better.

Upon reaching St. Catherine, however, none of us expected the freezing weather. During the briefing in Manila, we were only informed that the weather in Egypt would be around 20 – 25 degrees. Easy. Been in much colder weather. So we weren’t prepared for the 4 to 10 degrees (can’t remember the exact temp.) that welcomed, or rather un-welcomed us. No gloves, no scarves, no bonnets, no warmers. Our teeth were already chattering, and we weren’t even up in the mountains yet. What more when you’re over 2,000 meters above sea level?

One by one, over what felt like “the last supper”, the senior citizens (my brother and I were the only “youths” in the group) were backing out from the climb. There was actually one senior citizen who still really wanted to go. But sadly, he had asthma, and since air would be very thin at the top of the mountain (due to the cold and high altitude), he was not permitted to climb.

So there I was, the only girl left standing, stubbornly dead set on climbing, no matter what. That is, me and our 24 year old Filipino escort/guide, Rommel – who was of course bound by duty – to the travel agency he works for – to accompany me even if I was the only one going. Fortunately, I was also able to convince my brother to come along. Even though it was half against his will (mostly because he didn’t bring climbing shoes and he didn’t want to mess up the soles of the ones he had). I used all my convincing powers to get him to agree – “Imagine, it’s Mount Sinai! How many chances do you get to climb it?? It’s something you can add and cross out on your bucket list! Yada yada yada…”

Every one of our older companions were telling me not to go. It was just way too cold and we were ill-prepared. My mom kept saying, “Di mo kakayanin. Ginawin ka kaya.” I just kept retorting “I can do it.” If Moses was able to do it in his old age, so can I. I had some leggings, which I can wear under my jeans, plus 4 shirts that I can wear under my relatively thick Esprit jacket. There was absolutely no stopping me. In the end, my parents agreed on letting me and my brother go, but not before they bought us some gloves and scarves at the nearby store.

It was definitely no easy climb. You have to start at 2 or 3 am, climb for about 3 hours and reach the peak in time to watch the sunrise. About 1/3 of the way, it was getting quite uncomfortable, because, apart from the fatigue, we were carrying to many clothes on our bodies to prepare for the cold – but apparently, while climbing, it gets warmer as your work yourself up to a sweat. My brother, who was semi-forced into going, was getting grumpier every step of the way. He kept mumbling things like “This is so boring.” Or “this not memorable for me at all.” And I just kept throwing him dagger looks and telling him to stay in one of the rest stops slash coffee shops along the way. Mind you, these coffee shops were nothing like Starbucks. These were merely wooden shacks to shelter you from the cold, a place to sit and rest for a minute or two, buy some coffee to warm you up or a chocolate bar to boost your energy, and be on your way. Yes I was being a mean sister, especially since I was the one who asked him to come along – but I just knew he’ll thank me for it in an hour or so. It’s just that at the time, everything was still dark and dusky with no sights to see and only camel dung to smell. So there was nothing to appreciate, really – yet.

As we reached our final pit stop (less than a hundred steps from the top), however, the sky was already turning pink and orange. We barely had time to catch our breaths and take some quick photos, before our Bedouin guide would urge us to hurry, pointing to the sky. According to him, the sunrise was most beautifully when seen from the peak.

Despite our beat-up lungs and the rubber legs, we seemed to find some renewed energy to climb the final steps (which were, by the way, getting steeper and seemingly more treacherous the higher it gets). Even my brother was already wearing a smile on his face and asking me to take photos of him. I wanted to throw the camera at him for being a brat at the beginning, but I simply indulged him, because I was simply happy to share the experience with him.

Bro and Sis. (Bati na daw o..haha)

At the top, with the bright red sun slowly coming into view in the horizon, I felt a sense of serenity. It was the most beautiful sight I have seen so far – as if God’s presence was suddenly so omnipotent that it surrounded and embraced each person there sharing the experience with me. Indeed, it was a reward so great that we had forgotten the lack of sleep, the cold, and the fatigue that we went through to get there.

I think at this point, it is only proper to pay tribute to our Bedouin guide, whom, if I could give a medal to, I would. (Bedouins are Arab ethnic groups, sort of like gypsies, who dwell in the desert.) He was in his 40s (though he actually looked much older), lanky, with really worn out sneakers, which he used for climbing. He didn’t speak English, and therefore, rarely spoke. He would only say “Shway, shway” which was Arabic for “slow down”, when he wanted us to rest, and “Yala, yala” which was Arabic for “let’s go” when it was time again to move along. He smelled like he had been under the sun for hours and had not taken a bath, but I didn’t mind at all when he held my hand during steep climbs. He was so strong and sturdy, like a handy cane – one which, if I’m holding, I’m completely free of danger. He actually held my hand more going down, probably because he sensed the fear (I was more afraid of going down because it was slippery and I wasn’t wearing the proper shoes.) and because I was moving really slowly. In fact I’m pretty sure that if I had clung on to his hand the entire time, I would’ve made it up and back in half the time.

You rock, Manong Bedouin!

Needless to say, this is definitely one experience I’ll be proudly telling my grandchildren. And if I still could, I’ll climb the mountain again with them – or at least make sure they get to experience the same thing. J (But first I have to earn enough money first. I can’t have my mom sponsoring me forever. Haha)

The sun's slowly rising on the horizon

Bro's smiling na.

You can still see the moon!

Proud moment. :)

PS. I have more stories to tell for the trip going down, but it’s a more fun story rather than a meaningful one, so I’ll save it for the album account. J

[cherryalu]

Following Jesus' Footsteps in Israel

I wasn’t supposed to go. I was supposed to watch the Eheads’ Final Set. I had already missed the first concert. And I really thought God had answered my prayers by coming up with a second one – THE FINAL SET. The finality of the title only made it more heartbreaking. I’d already ordered tickets AND blocked off March 7 on my calendar as early as January. But I guess God had other plans for me. Even though I wasn’t able to watch the Eheads play “Trip to Jerusalem” live, I was able to go on an actual TRIP TO JERUSALEM instead. And while I’ve heard all things amazing about the concert, I’d miss it a million times over for this experience of a lifetime. I don’t really know where to begin describing this trip. FUN definitely isn’t the right word to describe it, and BEAUTIFUL doesn’t seem to do it justice. Korea was fun. Europe was beautiful. U.S. was, well…U.S. But this was something else. OVERWHELMING, yes. ETHEREAL, ken! (Ken is Hebrew for yes. :) Following Jesus’ footsteps across Israel was quite an experience. Standing on the same ground he walked on, touching the walls in which he performed his miracles, seeing the places where all His stories happened – stories you only thought was just another fairytale when you were a kid. Replaying the scenes in my mind as we walked around Israel, everything became very real there. Here are just some of the highlights of our visit to the Holy Land: 1. Seeing the cave in Nazareth where the angel announced to Mary that she was about to bear a Son. (To be completely honest, I was never really a Marian devotee. But going there, I realized how brave this lady is to take on the role of Jesus’ mother. To an outsider, the situation would come off as adultery. Just imagine her dilemma on how she was going to tell her fiance, Joseph, that she was pregnant? Or how she will face the public as an unwed mother? After this trip, I gained a new-found respect for Mary.) 2. Seeing the very spot where Jesus was born in Bethlehem. 3. Renewing our Baptismal vows at the Jordan River – the very same place Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. 4. Watching my parents renew their marriage vows at the Church of Cana – where Jesus performed his first miracle by turning water into wine. 5. Witnessing a miracle as a shadow in the form of Jesus appeared on our cameras as we took pictures at the very spot where he was transfigured. 6. Doing the stations of the cross (Via Dolorosa) on the streets of Israel, each of us taking turns to carry an actual cross, and having Muslims around mock us as we sang our praises to the Lord. (This was a very touching experience because we were able to really put ourselves in the shoes – or sandals – of Jesus Christ. Note that the mocking by the Muslims were not part of an act. It was very real.) 7. Seeing the places where Jesus suffered…The Garden of Gethsemane…The dungeon where He was thrown into …The upper room where The Last Supper took place and where Jesus knew He was about to be betrayed…The site of His Crucifiction and Death. 8. Swimming in the Dead Sea. Totally off topic, and totally not religion-related, but it was fun to get an authentic Dead Sea mud scrub and to float on the very very very salty water. :) (It was really amazing how you can float no matter what position you hold! Hehe.) I know I’m very lucky to have my parents always tag me along to their trips, but I never felt as lucky as I did on this one. I felt so blessed, and I felt my faith grow much stronger. And as we hopped along from Church after Church after Church (they built a Church over every significant site in Jesus’ life), I came to a point where I felt that I could not ask for anything more, that I’ve said everything I needed to say, and all that was left to do was to enjoy being in the presence of the Lord. And I felt peace. My friends ask me how the trip went and there just aren’t enough words to describe it. All I can say that I wish everyone I know would be able to go to the Holy Land at one point in their lives, no matter how young or old they are. It’s the perfect place to go soul searching and reconnect with God. Oh and I really enjoyed picking up a few Hebrew words along the way. (Hebrew sounds so sophisticated to me! :) Here are some of the words I learned: Shalom – Peace, and their form of greeting in Israel Boker Tov – Good morning Erev Tov – Good evening Layla Tov – Goodnight Toda Rava – Thank you Motek – a term of endearment, like dear or honey. Till my next post (up next, Egypt. The last of the Holy Land series.) :) Toda rava!