MACAU MADNESS, DAY 2…and 3

/ Inday / Leave a comment

Woke up recharged and ready for a new day.  That, of course, meant ready for the buffet breakfast spread at the Club Lounge.   We eagerly filled-up on waffles, cold cuts, omelets and lots of free coffee, so that we’d be ready to face the Macau tourist scene.  We knew we wanted to visit a temple and try have some real Macau egg tarts, so we interviewed our waiter to ask for some tips.  He told us to visit A Ma Temple because there weren’t many tourists and to go to Coloane for some authentic egg tarts.  We decided, why not?

First stop, A Ma Temple.  The cab driver let us off some random corner and started waving his finger, I guess to tell us where it was, but he was kind of waving his finger in 3 different directions, so we said thanks and crossed our fingers.  We realized that we were back in the corner where A Lorcha was, so we figured, if we got lost, we’d ask the friendly Pinoy waiters where we needed to go.  We started walking towards one of the alleys the driver sort of pointed to and found some interesting backdrops for photos, so of course, we stopped and posed.  We kept on walking and discovered a souvenir shop.  My mom asked me to buy poker (aka majong) chips with a 5000 denomination.  I was already giving up because no one we asked had any idea what we were talking about and the casino stores only sold them individually as souvenirs and not as actually playing chips.  I was looking around the store and was going to leave already when I spotted a box under a shelf and there they were! Only MOP3 each!  So I bought 25 chips for less than Php400! Not bad!

A few more yards ahead and we found the temple.  And what else did we find, tourists, lots and lots of tourists.  So we looked at the temple and promptly turned around and just posed for lots and lots of photos in the courtyard.  Soon it was time to go back where we came from and on to our next stop, Coloane.

The cab driver dropped us off in the center of Colane Village, a few feet from Lord Stow’s where you can buy authentic Macau eggtarts.  You can also go to the 3rd Level of the Podium in Ortigas Center, but hey, we were in Macau.  We went in and for a moment thought we were in Podium because the bakery staff were all Pinoys who told us which of their other products to buy.  We bought some cake slices to munch on, soft drinks to sip and cookies to bring home.  And yes, because we were already there, got some egg tarts.  We walked across the street, sat under a tree and had a picnic.

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After filling up on our snacks, we decided to take a leisurely stroll around the village.  We found cute little houses painted in a variety of colors, we encountered other tourists who, like us, were posing in front of the brightly colored structures.  I was excited to find a purple colored house and gladly posed in front of it.  It was a good thing my friends humored me and took my picture.

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Soon it was time to head back to our hotel for dinner and more TV viewing.  Tonight’s showing…The Face and Project Runway.

The next morning, we only had time for a quick breakfast before it was time to start heading to the airport.   We weren’t in much of a rush because the airport was only 5 minutes away, but just our luck, the bell hop who got our bags got lost somewhere in the hotel and took forever to bring our bags down.  By the time we got to the airport the check-in counter was closed! But thankfully, they let us check in since our bags were all carry-on anyway, and the plane hadn’t arrived yet.  Thankfully also, the ground staff were all Pinoys who were very helpful!  It wasn’t long before we were on the plane back to Manila and planning the next trip.  Dubai perhaps?

And so ends Macau Madness. Bow

MACAU MADNESS, DAY 1

/ Inday / Leave a comment

 Madness is right! Because I had to be mad to actually go through with the plan to hop off my flight from Singapore, go home, pack, shower then head back to the airport a scant 4 hours later for the flight to Macau.  But who said Inday was sane?   At this point, I had a total of 7 hours sleep for 3 days.  This was either going to be a testament to my resolve and strength or proof that I was not young and filled with energy anymore and slowly pass out…

But Inday never gives up, so off to Macau we go.

We took Philippine Airlines because they had the best schedule and the airfare wasn’t bad either.  They served us breakfast which just made me sad.  They really do want you to know that you’re on economy.  What do you get? Your main course in a foil pack plus a cinnamon roll.  On this flight, you don’t get a dinner roll.  You just get dessert that also doubles as the dinner roll.  But you do not deserve a salad.  In other words, if you fly for less than 3 hours, PAL decides that you should be on a diet, even if this ticket costs more than the ticket to Singapore.   But I was hungry and tired so I just ate what was there and looked forward to my free sandwiches at the Club Lounge.

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First stop, check in to our hotel, Sheraton Macau.  We excitedly checked in to our Executive Suite.  The perfect room with its separate bedroom and living room set up, since I was with my friends Junjun and ChingChing. Because we were staying in a suite, we also had access to the Club Lounge, so, being hungry from the tiny meal from our flight, we loaded up on egg salad sandwiches and shrimp crackers.  After only a few minutes, Junjun and I had 6 empty plates on our table.  Take that PAL!

And of course when there’s a freebie, I’m there.  So I sauntered off to get a foot massage at the machines in the lounge where I promptly dozed off and was awakened only by my own snoring.  Thank God I woke up because just a few feet away from me were these hotel guests on a conference call.  Apparently, my snoring had become part of their meeting. 

When we were fed and recharged, we walked over to The Venetian.  This would probably have taken other people 10 minutes, but due to many photo opp moments, I think it took us about 30.  But it was worth it.  Some of those were the best Inday photos ever!

 Once at The Venetian, we tried our luck at the slot machines.  We started with HKD30 and walked off with HKD19.70.  Not bad! Hey walking off with something is always better than nothing. 

After a successful shopping trip at the Venetian mall, we were headed to A Lorcha, a Portuguese restaurant in Macau run by Filipinos.   Get it?  Thanks to our waiter Rico, we were made to feel like special guests, with a never-ending supply of freshly baked bread to go with our buttery clams, super tasty peri-peri chicken plus some Portuguese fried rice that even I (who hasn’t eaten rice in 3 years) couldn’t resist.  But the best part was dessert.  Had no idea what that was called, but it was some sort of vanilla pudding topped with graham cracker crumbs.  I was so tempted to lick the spoon. 

 

And as they say, we were fed up.  We headed back to our hotel for some late night partying.  Which in my world means sitting on the couch watching TV shows on my laptop.  That nights viewing, The Face and American Idol. 

And soon, it was time to finally sleep.  Tomorrow is another day….

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INDAY, THE JETSETTER

/ Inday / Leave a comment

this was never part of the plan, nor was it ever my intention.  but i have logged more airline miles in the last 7 months that I did in 2010 and 2011 combined!  I’ve gotten well acquainted with the wonders of online booking, have crossed off AirPhilippines from my list of go-to airlines (more on that in a separate entry later), have almost memorized the lay-out of Changi Airport and today I have just unpacked my bag from my most recent Singapore trip and replaced its contents with stuff for my trip to Macau.  There are just 6 1/2 hours between arrival and departure, and, including travel time to and from the airport, the allotted 2 hours prior to departure check-in, I will have spent less than 4 hours at home.  Just enough time to unpack and repack my bag, take a shower before going to bed, take a shower before leaving for airport, check my email, say hi to mommy, charge the ipad, laptop and phone, and finally write this blog, before taking a power nap.  

I am Inday and I am a jetsetter.  And my back hurts!

Dont get me wrong, I do love to travel, love discovering new cities, getting reacquainted with old ones, taking more pictures (Inday and not-Inday) but my back really does hurt.  So I figured, considering all the flights I’ve taken recently and passengers I’ve encountered recently, I will make a list of my top 5 travel wtf’s:

1.  Why can’t people follow boarding instructions?  WAIT FOR YOUR ROW NUMBERS TO BE CALLED! you have reserved seats people, no one can take your seat from you.  self-explanatory I think.

2.  I hate when the passenger behind me decides to use my seat back for leverage when getting in and out of his seat.  And without apologizing, asking or even showing some semblance of appreciation for my allowing him to wake me up, almost in panic, because I thought there was an earthquake in the sky.  

3. One one flight, the dude behind me actually told me not to recline my seat because it was hitting his legs.  Dude, not my fault your legs are long, but your budget is short! if you wanted more legroom, $20 for a bulkhead seat! that’s all it takes.  

4. AirPhilippines sucks! that’s a teaser for the long story…

5. PAL really makes you feel like you’re in economy.  No wonder some people call Economy or Coach Class the Peasant Class.  They give you bread, but no butter.  and the tray really is getting smaller.  On one flight, the dessert was so small, ID picture size bar cookie that I couldn’t even read the name.  Today our salad was a tuna with something black i just pray those were olives and one slice (NOT PIECE) of a cherry tomato.  

That’s all for now….bow.

 

 

 

PRIME RATE

/ Inday / Leave a comment

The weekend was a whirlwind of errands and activities but all that stopped Saturday night when my friends and I had dinner at 22Prime, the fine dining restaurant of Discovery Suites.  It was a birthday and pre-Valentine’s Day celebration so of course, we wore red!

We arrived at Discovery Suites but was slightly disappointed by the “work in progress” feeling.  Di masyadong sosyal ang scaffolding.  Sayang ang 6-inch platform shoes ko! But sige, deadma na lang.  We headed to the elevator, pressed 22 and made our way to 22 Prime.  Makes sense, 22 Prime is on the 22nd floor.

We were quickly seated at our table, kasi hindi naman sila masyadong busy.  We were given bread and an assortment of spreads-artichoke, tomato something and chicken liver pate.  The breadsticks were a winner and so were the spreads.  So far, so good.

We ordered calamares as a starter,  which came out quickly and was devoured even quicker.  Winner! Soon our main courses and side dishes arrived.  One friend ordered a medium-well steak and grilled asparagus.  She cut into her steak and discovered it was well-done.  Hmmm.  It was tender and juicy so sige, chika na rin.  But when she was working on the second half of the beef, it wasn’t as tender anymore.  She called the waiter to inform him of the mistake.  Not to complain, more of an FYI in a polite tone.  Waiter was deadma and he just smiled. Hmm, parang wrong reaction ata.  The celebrant ordered lamb chops.  There were three pieces of which two were tender the third was slightly not so much.  My chicken was the evening’s winner.  It was juicy, flavorful and cooked perfectly.  So far, so-so.  The truffle mashed potatoes were the definite high point of my meal, though.  It was quite a generous serving and i easily polished off every single bite.

We told them it was our friend’s birthday and they prepared the traditional slice of cake with candle.  The cake was good but, since I prefer warm desserts, could have been better after a few seconds in a microwave.

We again tried to inform the staff of our issues with the steak and finally found someone who was slightly apologetic.  But we’re pretty sure that was the end of that and they didn’t really care, because we weren’t “masungit” about it.  Oh well.

Overall though, dinner was a success and we probably will visit them again.  If only to have another serving of those mashed potatoes.

And of course, Inday couldn’t resist the requisite photo op!

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With my Valentine Goodies!

‘WAG GALITIN ANG PUYAT

/ Inday / Leave a comment

it was another ordinary travel day.  or was it?

my flight to singapore was at 6am.  why 6? because it was $40 cheaper than the 715.  any other flight would make me late for my appointment.  when i booked the flight, it didn’t sink in that a 6am flight meant leaving the house at 4am, which meant waking up at 315 or therabouts to shower, finish packing and getting my act together.  that also meant that in order to be in any presentable (aka polite, friendly, civil) state, i’d have to get my required 5 hours sleep, which would mean sleeping at 1015.  to most people, this wouldn’t have been a problem.  but i am an insomniac.  i usually go to sleep at 315, if i’m lucky.  so what did i decide to do? NOT SLEEP.  bahala na si batman.

when i got to the airport, i realized that i was short on pesos, and i’d still have to pay for travel tax, since i bought my ticket online.  the atm outside the airport for some reason, wouldn’t give me cash (note to self: verify that no withdrawal was made).  ok, i’ll pay in dollars.  when the guard was checking my ticket and passport, another passenger just decided to cut in front of me to announce to the guard, “Singapore!” o ngayon? i counted to 10 and just pushed my passport in front of the guard, who attended to me first.  so far, so-so.

when i get inside, travel tax chicks were nice.  ok i can handle that.  then we get to the check-in counter.  i looked for the singapore flight check-in counters and lined-up.  i was looking for an express counter, but i couldn’t find one.  the guy who was directing “traffic” (meaning he was pointing which counter you should go to) pointed out the express counter to me, but it was in the row of counters for the hongkong flight, but it was servicing all flights.  gulo di ba? if they were grouping counters by destination/flights, shouldnt’ there be an express counter for all groups? if you were going to singapore, why would you go to the hongkong section?

next, the chick at the counter was asking for the credit card i used to pay for the ticket.  i said, can you give me the last 4 digits, I forgot which one i used.  she handed me my e-ticket, but i couldn’t find the number there.  so i said, miss i need the number.  she said, in an annoyed tone, “sandali lang, i’m looking for it.” e bakit mo binigay yung ticket, e yun pala, wala dun ang number?  then i asked her if the seat i pre-booked was still an aisle seat (after all, PAL loves to change planes at the last minute so i’ve been victimized with losing aisle seats that i’ve already reserved weeks in advance).  i had to ask her 3 times before she said yes.  haaay! check-in pa lang yan ha.

when i finally made my way to the last security inspection before the gate, the security dude was staring at me.  my cleavage perhaps? or did i look sleepy? ewan.  but they asked me to open my bag and show them my lighters.  because yes I had more than 1.  as i was trying to look for my cheap disposable ones, they spotted my windproof lighter and confiscated it.  i was arguing with the guy because first of all, i’ve been travelling with that lighter, in and out of the country, for the last 2 months (the last time was just 2 weeks ago) and no one ever stopped me.  second, the guy had a pan de sal in his mouth, as in a huge chunk that he had bitten off in front of me and was chewing while talking to me.  HOW PROFESSIONAL! of course i tried to argue.  if nothing else, i just wanted some consistency.  why now and not 2 weeks ago? kung bawal, dapat bawal lagi.  then the guys said, “baka hindi nila nakita dati.” so now the question is, what else don’t they see all the time? baka may mga guns, knives or other sharp metal objects na nakakalusot.  haaay! i feel so safe.

and just when you think, that you can settle down with a cigarette and a cup of coffee, TINDER BOX is closed! the place opens at 5am.  30 minutes to go.  so i decided that i should vent out my frustrations here and by the time i’m done with this and my egg salad sandwich, Tinder Box should be open na.  As the chick in my favorite Mervyn’s commercial said, “OPEN, OPEN, OPEN.”

siguro dapat next time matulog ako kahit konti, maybe i’ll be more patient? hmmm

and so here i am, throwing out all the negativity online, because from hereon, only good things on this trip.  only good things.

AWITIN MO!

/ Inday / Leave a comment
Di ba minsan gusto mong kumanta ng malakas na malakas?  Yung kahit wala sa tono, kahit di mo abot ang matataas na nota, sige birit lang ng birit.  Bahala na si batman kung mukha kang tanga.  Basta isigaw mo, kesehodang naiirita na ang mga katabi mo tuwing hinahataw mo ang “To Love You More” o kaya isang makabagbag damdaming “Touch Me in the Morning” sige lang.  Kasi ang sarap.  Pag may problema kang hindi mo maintindihan, o kaya, malungkot ka, sige hataw ng kanta.   Kung gusto mong i-iyak ang problema mo, kantahin ang “Kahit Isang Saglit” o kaya “Dadalhin”.  Kung gusto mo namang matuwa, para makalimutan ang problema, pwedeng kumanta ng “Spaghetti” o mag- “Otso-otso” ka kaya?

Kung nasa tamang pag-iisip ka, sige, mag-disco tayo.  “Last Dance” ba? O “Breakout”?  Kung gusto mong matuwa, mag-Apo, “Blue Jeans”, “Ewan” o kaya “Pumapatak ang Ulan.”  Pwede din namang mag-paka jukebox beauty ka.  Merong “Tukso”, “Sang Linggong Pag-ibig” o kaya “Bakit Pa?” para di naman masyadong luma, konti lang. 

Piliin mo kaya yung kanta na may ibig sabihin.  Yung mga theme song ng buhay mo.  Damang-dama mo pa ang mga lyrics di ba?  Minsan, may nalalaman ka pang hikbi.  “Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang?” ba ang kanta niyo?  O “Sana’y Wala nang Wakas”.  Isa ngang madamdaming “Kung Ako na Lang Sana”? O kaya, pwede din, kung talagang malalim ang pinanggagalingan, isang “I Will Survive” diyan.   Para kahit ikaw maniwala, na kahit na anong mangyari, kaya mo. 

Minsan talaga, para maaliw, para matawa, para matuwa, para mapawi ang mga problema, kahit ilang minuto lang, ang sarap ikanta.  Para kahit na sa ilang minuto na yon, ang iniisip mo lang yung lyrics, yung tono, kung abot mo ba o hindi.  Para kahit sa ilang minuto na yon, di mo kailangan gawin ang trabaho o hanapan ng solusyon ang mga problema.  Minsan talaga, ang sarap kumanta. Di ba?


31 HOURS LATER….

/ Inday / Leave a comment

My sister gave me an offer that I tried to refuse.  A free ticket to New York to babysit my 16 year-old, 6-foot tall nephew while she went on a long vacation.  And, because I was a sucker who always fell for freebies, I said yes.  And then I got the bad news.  Because she was using her mileage for my ticket, I was going to have to take a 31 hour journey (once you pass the 24 hour mark, it’s no longer just a “trip”).  Before I arrived at the Big Apple, I would have to make a stop in Singapore (bearable) and in Frankfurt (huh?).  Yes folks, I had to take a bathroom and smoke break in Europe before I could “start spreading the news” in NY.

At first I couldn’t believe it was really going to take that long until I saw my ticket and realized that, I would be leaving Manila on Sunday afternoon, and unlike the same day arrival of my usual flight of choice, I would be arriving at 11am the following day.  Aaargh! But yes for the love of my sister and my nephew and for the irresistible appeal of a free trip to anywhere, I accepted my fate and packed my bags.
Armed with 15 hours of TV shows on my laptop, over 25 apps and 90 books on my iPad, 5 seasons of Friends on my iPod, I embarked on this 1 ½ day of travel.  I was used to traveling alone, in fact, I didn’t mind it at all.  There was a time when it would have freaked me out.  I was used to going to the US and home alone, but it was always the same direct-Philippine Airlines flight to and from Manila and San Francisco.  But strange airports and routes used to scare the s*#t oout of me.  But, even before the movie came out, I had created my own “bucket list” and high on that list was to TRAVEL ALONE.  So went to Europe by myself, with just a couple of local emergency contacts saved on my cell phone, and discovered a new continent, rediscovered history and found a braver side of myself that I never new existed. This whole 31 hour solo flight was going to be a piece of cake.
I had seen enough disaster-of-the-week-movies and Law and Order episodes to consider for a moment that there could indeed be some mini-tragedy that will befall me once I got on board that plane.  But fortunately there wasn’t.  It turned out to be a boring albeit incredibly long flight.  And though I’ve heard people say that it’s not about how you get to your destination, but what you see when you get there.  After 31 hours traveling from New York to Manila, IT IS about how you get there.
First stop, Ninoy Aquino International Airport.  When your journey begins at NAIA then you know there’s nowhere to go but up.  There are only 2 positive things I can say about this airport.  One is that, thanks to the porters outside, you don’t need to carry your own bags.   The second is an air-conditioned smoking area in one of the restaurants.  Granted it is on the second floor and the elevator never works.  But hey, I would gladly carry my overstuffed carry-on up several flights to indulge in my one vice.  Other than the horror of paying P90 for a can of Coke Light, I remained calm as I puffed on my cigarette and braced myself for what comes next.
Soon I was on board the plane and I was delighted to find that I had a whole row to myself.  I promptly stretched out slept.  I barely got any sleep the night before (which always happens before any trip, land, sea or air that I am about to go on) so I was happy to just doze off and forget all my worries.  (At least until dinner was served)  Yes folks, I am one of those people who just HAVE to eat all the airline meals, no matter how bad they are.  For some reason, I am always hungry on a plane and I devour every little morsel on my plate.  The rest of the flight was uneventful, I played a few games on my iPad and pretty soon, the “fasten your seatbelt” light was on and we were touching down at Changi Airport.
I was in no rush to get off the plane and decided to just let everyone else disembark first.  If there’s one thing that really makes me scratch my head when I’m flying is “why are people in such a rush to get off the plane?” to the point that they push other passengers or almost clobber them with the bags they’re taking out of the overhead bin, or run over their toes with the wheels of their oversized carry on bags.  I mean really? What’s the big rush? Unless you have a connecting flight or a major urge to pee, then sit back and just let the others pass you.  After all, you’ll still line up at the Immigration Counter or wait at the baggage carousel.
When I was finally inside the terminal, I checked on the gate of the second leg of my trip and once I confirmed that I was in the right terminal, I made a quick bathroom pitstop, grabbed a drink and headed to the most important spot in the airport—THE SMOKING AREA.  This pretty much summed up my 3 hour stop at Changi Airport.  Walk, smoke, drink, check Facebook (Thank God for free internet!).  Before I knew it (well actually I knew it, I knew it!) I was on board and getting ready for my flight to Frankfurt.
The Singapore-Frankfurt leg would be the longest flight on my schedule.  This was roughly a 12 hour flight and, unfortunately, it was a full flight and I didn’t have the luxury of an empty seat next to me.  But I was still blessed to have a nice (and skinny) guy next to me, who chitchatted with me for a few minutes before we ate our meal and settled in for a loooooong nap.
When we landed in Frankfurt, I only had two things on my mind, finding the nearest restroom and finding the smoking area.  Am not a chain smoker, but believe me, 12 hours is a long time to be nicotine-deprived.  On my way to the restroom, I met a Singaporean woman who became my unofficial traveling companion.  Turns out she’d done this Singapore-Frankfurt-JFK flight before so she knew the airport quite well.  We spent most of our 2 hour stopover in a tiny smoking booth and, considering all the different nationalities of the people in that small booth, had our version of a UN summit meeting (is that what they’re called?)
As my new friend and I were getting ready to board, all I could think of was, “konti na lang!”  I was actually getting excited to land in NY.  I think the gods must have been smiling down on me because I found myself next to an empty row and had a long and restful sleep, waking up only for those sumptuous airline meals.  (I don’t know why but I seem to always be hungry on planes and I just HAVE to eat every single meal they serve.)  One Advil PM later and I heard that wonderful announcement, “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have just landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport.”
I survived.  I was exhausted, I probably smelled like…(maybe let’s not go there).  My hair had lost all semblance of style.  But I made it.  31 hours later and I had finally landed.     And then it occurred to me, I have to do this again when I go back to Manila….

WELCOME TO DAYDAY’S WORLD

/ Inday / Leave a comment

My name is Inday. My friends call me Dayday.  Strangers probably call me by other names, but I’d rather not know.  My main goal in life is to have my picture taken in front of every tourist attraction, historical monument, lamp post, coconut (or actually any) tree and waterfall.  I have mastered the art of striking some of the most embarrassing poses on park benches, stairs, banisters and whatever else catches my eye. 
I’ve also seen a lot, experienced a lot, traveled a lot, got angry…a lot and shopped a lot.  So now, as I pose and learn, I decided I should also post and share.
And so begins this chronicle of Dayday’s adventures.  A glimpse into the wild and crazy mind of Dayday.
As my friends would probably say…It’s about time.