Good Bye and Thank You 2012

Photo Credit: Raj Qsar / Pinterest

Goodbye and thank you 2012.

Before the clock strikes twelve and welcome a new year. Please allow me to thank you.

Thank you 2012 for every bits and pieces of blessings and most of the time challenges (even so) a BIG thank you to you. For I know that these challenges are your ways of preparing me to a bigger and better opportunities.

2012, you have been a witness to all my struggles and triumphs. I thank you for recognising my existence and vulnerability for it has taught me to be humble.

I thank you 2012 for extending the blessings and challenges not just to me but to my mates and family, as well, even frenemies.

You don't know how thankful I am 2012 for a splendid blessing of good health to me, to my family and mates. For every morning that I see myself alive and breathing to every night that I can close my eyes and cannot wait to see the next day, thank you.

Oh 2012, as the clock strikes twelve, I will be here waving goodbye to you. I don't know what the next year has in store for me but I am here ready to embrace it.

Please don't be sad 2012, I will be here watching you as you fade away waving goodbye to you. Our memories together will forevermore be remembered.

Goodbye and thank you, 2012.

Formaggi Verde con Gamberi

I just wanna share another recipe I made this Christmas Day. It's something that I read somewhere. lol. It's called Formaggi Verde con Gamberi. Formaggi because the base sauce is said to be composed of three (3) different cheeses (Parmesan, Cheddar and Mozzarella). Now Verde which means green is because of the green leaves added (Basil and Spinach). Gamberi is Italian for shrimp. Makes sense now? lol.

I may be missing one ingredient, but this is because every groceries I go, they're already out of it. The Parmesan. lol.

Ingredients:

• 500g Spaghetti (or any pasta of your choice: Fettuccine, Penne, Ziti, Farfalline, etc.)
• 400g Pasta sauce (canned)
• 400g Shrimp/Prawns (peeled, de-veined and chopped)
• 1 tablespoon Dried Basil
• 1/2 cup Pitted Black Olives (sliced)
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic (sliced)
• 1 medium Onion (chopped)
• 1/2 cup Tomatoes (chopped)
• 1/2 cup Fresh Basil
• Black Pepper (ground)
• 2 tablespoon Sugar (optional)
• 1/2 Spinach (optional)
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano

How To Make:

1. Cook pasta per package instructions (al dente). Drain. Set aside

2. In a sauce pan, sauté garlic, onions and tomatoes in olive oil. Add dried basil and shrimp/prawns. Cook for a few minutes then add the fresh basil or spinach and pasta sauce. Cover cook. Add the olives and black pepper.

3. If you want your sauce to be sweet, you may now add sugar. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Note: You don't want to add salt as the olives are salty enough to balance the sourness of tomatoes.

4. Add the drained pasta. Toss.

5. Serve with Parmigiano-reggiano on top. Partner it with a dry white wine.

Easy! 

Eat!

Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

Mango and Apple Crumble Pie

Officially it's Christmas! What else are you looking for aside of opening your gifts? FOOD!! And which meal course is your favourite? DESSERT of course! lol. Every household celebrating Christmas in the Philippines will definitely NOT pass on this part of the meal. It is like imperative to have sweets after your main course. Usually, frozen salad (Fruit Cocktail, Coconut and even Macaroni Salad). There also came a time when this refrigerated cake has been a darling of the holiday. 

As for me I made a pie. I just followed these instructions I saw. It's my first time to make one. So forgive me. lol. But I still wanna share how I did it... You know.. For the sake of sharing. Since Christmas is all about sharing. lol. 

Ingredients:

CRUMB:

12 pieces Graham Crackers (crushed)
3 tablespoons sugar
(225g block) Unsalted butter

FILLING:

2 pieces of Apples (Cubed or Thinly Sliced)
1 Piece of Mango (Sliced)
1/4 Brown sugar
Cinnamon powder
1/2 Tablespoons flour
5 Tablespoons water

How To Make:

1. To make the crust: Melt butter in a pan. Add the Graham crackers and sugar. Cook for 5 minutes or until the ingredients are already combined.

2. Pour half of the cooked crust into  a square pan and evenly pressed it. Refrigerate the crust for 30-45 minutes. 

3. To make the filling: Combine apples, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, flour and water in a pan. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes or until apples are tender. Add the mango slices. Cover cook for 10 minutes or until the sauce have thickened. Set aside filling and chill it.

4. Spread the filling over the refrigerated crust. Spread the other half of the crumbs over the mango/apple filling. Firmly press the crumbs. Cover and chill before serving. You may top it with a whip cream or vanilla ice cream before serving. For this, I only got some cream and found extra slices of pears for toppings.

Counter Clockwise: Cinnamon, Cream, Apple and Mango in a pan, Brown sugar, Mango slices and Apples in a pan

Happy Holidays!!

Merry Christmas To All!!!

Cheers to everyone all over the world celebrating the birth of our Savior. Merry Christmas to you and your family! 

CDO – Camiguin – Bukidnon 2012 – Day 1 (Part 2)

At 1:30pm we started our city tour. About 15-20 minutes travel and endless stairs down we found ourselves at the foot of Mt. Timpoong to see the enticing Katibawasan Falls, it measures about 250ft that showers to a rock pool surrounded by trees, orchids and wild fern-like plants which added beauty to the place. The water is soooo cold. I cannot explain how cold it was but I really I wonder how the people swimming in there could take the coldness. lol.

I wanted to take a quick plunge but I felt like as soon as I get in, I'm going to be a hypothermia waiting to happen. lol.

My friend Jaydee told me to just wait till we get to the Ardent hot spring because the water there is relaxing as it's going to be the last stop of the tour. Besides, I don't wanna be wet all through out our tour. Valerie and I took a lot of pictures at Katibawasan Falls. You will actually see a lot of amateur and professional photographers in the place, looking for a great angles to capture the whole falls for their portfolio, I guess.

Reminder: Php20.00 Entrance Fee for Katibawasan Falls

We went back on top to have a little soda at the nearby store and headed to the waiting multi-cab and ready to go to the "Walkway". About 15-20 minutes drive we had to somehow pullover because the driver said we may want to take pictures with the view.

It's pretty scary because we were like on the edge of the road and we see boulder rocks. My friends were too curious to see beyond the edge and I was telling them to be cautious coz I felt like it's gonna erode or something. lol. But the driver was right it really is a spectacular view. You can see the blue ocean kissing the edge of the  green mountain. you can feel the cool wind in your hair and the sky is so white full of cottony clouds.

I do not have pictures on the edge as I was too chicken to do so, lol. So I just let myself to be the cameraman this time and just let them do their thing on the edge. lol, Falling on the rocks is NOT the way I picture myself dying. Thankyouverymuch. lol.

Just 10minutes drive and we saw an endless Walkway going to Mt. Vulcan. Along the Walkway you will see stations of the cross which are carvings or statues representing concecutive incidents during Jesus' course from Pilate's house to his crucifixion at Calvary.

The driver said it's gonna take like an hour to hike the mountain to the top, or depends on how fast you take the flight of each stair. lol. He also said that most of the people who take the Walkway are for penitence. It make sense because an hour climbing or let's say walking up to the mountain is really a sacrifice. We realized it's gonna be difficult for us. lol. So we opted to stay on the foot of the mountain and just take pictures and do shopping at the souvenir shop! lol.

Reminder: Php5.00 Environmental Fee at the Camiguin Walkway

We jumped back to our ride and headed to the Sunken Cemetery, which is a popular spot in Camiguin. This white cross on the sea marks an old cemetery which buried in waters after weeks of earthquake in 1871. Under the island of Camiguin are four young "Stratovolcanoes" and among of these volcanoes which are still considered active are Mt. Vulcan and Mt. Hibok-hibok having last erupted in 1953.

The Mt. Vulcan's eruption is said to be the reason of burying almost all the areas of Catarman, Camiguin including the former capitol's cemetery. Gravestones of the cemetery were still seen during low tide until the fourth eruption in 1948 that buried the area deeper by 20 feet which made it now the Sunken Cemetery. Today, all that remains of old Catarman are the ruins of an ancient Spanish San Roque church, a convent and a bell tower.

At the start of the tour I was praying that it will not be high tide as I want to see the cross point-blank range. lol. I have heard a lot of stories of friends and acquiantances of not being able to get "up-close and personal" with the white cross because of it. And you can just imagine how happy I was seeing the floor area of the cross, which means we can take pictures extremely near it.

As the site of the cross is a few meters away the coast, if you are somewhat bold and have your swimming gear with you, you can swim through the water up to the site or  you can rent a boat. Valerie, treated us with the boat ride. Yay! lol.

When we got into the site you can see from afar the blustering mountains (Mt. Hibok-hibok and Mt. Vulcan), although hiding behind the clouds you cannot hide the fact that the two mountains are really colossal.

Reminder: Boat Rental Php100 - Roundtrip (max of 5 pax)

I forgot the name of our "bangkero" (boatman), but he's definitely nice and really knows a lot about the history of the place which in my opinion is really important. Also, he knows a lot about camera tricks! He's really awesome! He took several shots of Mark with the Mountain and with us. Although, the tricks are not new to me but his outputs are just admirable. The guy is really fun to talk to and really entertaining.

Check out some of his shots below!

Our boatman was just plain crazy taking pictures that it almost drained the battery of my digital camera. lol. After a while we decided to go back to the main road and head to the next destination, just 5 minutes drive or less from the Sunken Cemetery you will see on the right side, overlooking the sea.

The Old Church Ruins - Made of coral stones, after the 1871 eruption, a convent and a bell tower of San Roque church are all that remains in the Catarman area. Inside the ruins you will see an unfinished church where mass is held every week.

Reminder: No Entrance Fee. Only Donations.

The place is being maintained by the local government. I only wish they have like someone assigned to tour the visitors and let them know more about the fate of the place. The place may be small but I think the story behind it is unmeasurable.. Sinking almost the whole province because of a catastrophe is really something!  I don't know.. maybe its just me being a history freak! lol.

Oh well, we stayed for  10-15 minutes and then went back to the road again and found ourselves changing our outfit to take some plunge at the Ardent Hot Spring. Expect the water to be lukewarm to 40°C warm, depending on tiers or layers, as the water is heated by the volcanic activity of Mt. Hibok-hibok. I counted and there are like 6 pools in the hot spring. The grounds are clean and well maintained. The facilities are orderly. The place has huts too that you can rent for picnics.

Reminder: Entrance Fee: Adult - Php30 ; Kids: 15

Okay, so my friends are a bit Germaphobic, we had to stay at the top tier hot spring because it's where all the water of the spring starts. They were joking that they don't wanna stay in the middle and most definitely not on the last tier 'coz all the inevitable "germs" (urine, spit) of the people are stuck on that part. lol, I never really thought of that! hahaha. Such crazy friends I got, huh?! lol.

Anyway, we enjoyed the place as the temperature of the water relaxes you. I like sitting/stepping on the boulders in the middle of it 'coz I can relax my feet after the whole day of walking. FYI, we have been awake since 2am. lol.

People have started to flock in our tier, and we started making fun of it that maybe they realized too the logic of the "germ-flow" lol. Hey, I am not saying that the pool is not good. It's just a joke that my friends have thought. Also, most of the time Ardent Hot Spring is the last stop of tourist doing city tour as one can relax after a long day of stroll, so expect several people on late afternoon to dusk. Oh and by the way in my opinion the place is a lot nicer in the evening especially when the pools are lit up.

Reminder: Bring towels to warm/cover you up after you ascend from the water as it can get really cold

The sun was about to set when we arrived back to the resort. The view was spectacular! The sky was burning red orange as the sun sets. Despite feeling cold as I haven't changed yet, I had to stay outside our room and take a picture of the view. Seeing it makes you appreciate The Creator more.

It's almost dinner time and my friend ordered over the phone and requested to have it served again at the Gazebo. We ordered, Sizzling Sisig (Parts of pig’s head and liver, seasoned with calamansi and chill peppers served in hot plate), Pakbet (Vegetable dish with fermented fish) and Crispy Pata (Deep fried pig knuckles). I know... It was a sinful night. lol. It's like we are a walking heart-attack waiting to happen that night. lol.

So after dinner we changed to our Pyjamas - Jaydee and Val were too tired they retired early. While I spent my time at the gazebo, painted my nails orange and had a Margarita and beer with Mark.

It was a satisfying day. We accomplished a lot of things on our Day 1 of vacation which is what we have planned as we do not want to waste our vacation leave. lol. Wait till you see our Day 2. Beach! Beach! Beach! And I mean powdery white sand beach! I'm excited!

CDO – Camiguin – Bukidnon 2012 – Day 1 (Part 1)

I cannot wait to share with you my recent trip (October 12 - 15) in Cagayan de Oro, Camiguin and Bukidnon. It's the only time I got to see a beach after a year. My last trip (before this) was in February 2012 (Macau) and our itinerary there didn't really include chillin' by the beach. lol.

Our flight to Cagayan de Oro was booked a year ago via promo fare of, none other than, Cebu Pacific (Php1, 000+ / roundtrip)

Originally we're booked for September and in fact there were 5 people confirmed on this trip, but something came up in September and we thought of cancelling the trip already, good thing there had been some flight changes. 

Now some people do not actually know this - but any MAJOR flight changes by the airline you can have the trip rebooked without a fee within 30 days from the original flight schedule, but on the same destination, so we had to rebook it in October. 

Fast forward to October 12 2012...

Two of our colleagues had to cancel their ticket. Good thing another friend of ours was interested to buy one of the two tickets and come with us despite being there just last year. Thanks Mark! 

Our flight was at 4am from Manila, that means we have to be at the airport as early as 2am. The flight was surprisingly on time. We arrived at the City of Golden Friendship - Cagayan de Oro at 5:20am. 

Okay, we don't know what we were thinking at that time, but why the heck did we even take a jeepney going to.... I don't know! lol. We found ourselves in a gasoline station and from there we have decided to take a cab to bring us to Macabalan port. The travel time from the airport to the port was like 20-30 minutes.

(L-R from the top): At the CDO Airport, The Paras Beach Resort welcome necklace, My bed at the loft, The family room with loft, Port of Macabalan, View outside our room, Taking picture before take-off, Waiting for boarding with Val and Jaydee and again waiting for boarding with Mark. lol.

We arrived at Macabalan port at 6:00am. When we got there the ticket booth was still closed and since we're starving, we had to look for a place to eat. We saw some diners just across the port. It's not the usual diner we go to back in Manila as most of their food we saw there are new to our eyes and the only thing we recognised was the grilled pork. lol. 

By the time we got back to the port the ticket booth has opened and lines were starting to build up. As of writing, there are only two (2) ferry schedules from CDO to Camiguin and vice-versa, (8:30am and 4:00pm) The one way ticket costs Php600 /per pax. Travel time is 2hrs.

Reminder: The ticket booth closes 30mins before the departure time. Make sure to be at the port as early as 7am to catch the first and only ferry to Camiguin in the morning. 

I was really surprised that day, everything was running on time. The ferry left at 8:30am and arrived at the port of Benoni, Camiguin at 10:30am. 

As soon as you got off the boat you'll be swarmed by tour guides or drivers at the exit to book you for the city tour or hotel. Some will be very persistent even though you tell them to leave you hastily. lol. 

It really wasn't hard to negotiate with them though especially when I start to talk to them in their dialect. They speak ilonggo in Camiguin. Eversince I was a child, I have been introduced to this dialect as it is our household language, my mom happens to be ilongga/bisaya//muslim. lol. So, I am 1/4 of those. lol. 

My friends and I had a quick meeting under the tree.. lol. We called the resort to ask a few of their services. So if we're going to take the city tour service of the resort it's gonna cost us Php3000+ same tourist spots but with an air-conditioned van, plus Php800 to pick us up at the port, whereas at the port we were offered Php1,700 and then eventually went down to Php1,500 (Php375 each) same tourist spots but with a non-airconditioned multi-cab. The driver even offered to bring us to the hotel without extra charge, just to leave our things, when it was supposed to be an extra Php400. So you go guess which one we took. lol. 

The multi-cab wasn't so bad actually. The vehicle is so open, you get to see everything (360°) besides the weather wasn't so bad either, so we get to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine! The travel time from the port to the resort is 30-45mins. We told our guide that well just have our lunch at the resort and so he said he'll just wait for us outside. Wasn't that nice?! lol. 

Checking-in to the Paras Beach Resort at 11:30am, we were greeted with some welcome drinks and necklace, really lovely! The room is definitely suited for a family, Family-loft (Php3,500/per night - Php875 each) - It has a loft, 2 queen size bed and one sofa bed, refrigerator, TV with cable and safety box. I had to check the bathroom to check if it has a tub. hahahah! Yeah, I have this thing with bath tubs okay! lol. And no, it has no bath tub, but it's fine as long as it is clean and has tons of tissues. lol.

(L-R from the top): Me and Val, Approaching Camiguin Island, Done with our lunch, Lunch is served, The resort's pool, Buttered veggies and Praws in batter, View from the Gazebo and the infinity-ish pool  of the resort.

My friend had to call the room service to order our lunch and had it set up at the gazebo in front of our room. She ordered Camaro Rebosado (prawns in batter), Buttered Veggies and Pork Sinigang (tamarind based soup with pork and vegetables). A friend of ours who has been to this place before told us to try their fruit shakes, particularly the watermelon, so we ordered some.

While my friends unpacked their things, I was outside admiring the view - Bluish-white sky and clouds are scattered, green bermuda grass, and sort of 5 shades of blue I can see in the ocean. A fresh air is something you can barely experience now a days in Manila, and I can feel my lungs are thanking me for letting them experience a clean one in Camiguin. lol. 

Our lunch at the gazebo was so fantastic. I cannot help admiring the view. The resort boasts a picturesque ocean view and infinity-ish pool. From the gazebo you can see the famous island in the area "White Island" and I cannot wait to share with you the pictures we got there. 

We started our city tour as soon as we finished our meal. I'm so excited to share it with you but I had to make a part 2 of our day 1 as we did a lot of things that day. I'll shall post it as soon as I'm done. =)

The Great Microwarehouse Sale Is Sooooooo Back!!!

And yes it is back! No need to explain more guys! The picture says it all! 

Visit the Decagon Silver City - Frontera Drive corner Julia Vargas Ave., Frontera Verde, Pasig City

See you all!! 

Image courtesy of The Great Microwarehouse Sale Facebook Account

Coming Soon..

Oh yes.. And it is coming soon.. really soon.. I am excited!

Image courtesy of The Great Microwarehouse Sale Facebook Account

Why I Travel

“To travel is to live.” 

― Hans Christian Andersen, The Fairy Tale of My Life: An Autobiography

If there is one thing I want to do for the rest of my life it would be traveling. Unfortunately, I'm not a millionaire to do it. Have you seen George Clooney's film Up In The Air?, I really like that movie. He gets to travel anywhere (just to fire people). That's really cool yet very despondent. I felt bad for those people who got fired, I swear. But the thought of being able to see different places, just excites me. 

I don't mind waiting in a long line to check-in or delayed flights, even if I have to sleep at the airport to catch the earliest flight or even the last flight out, as long as they're not gonna cancel it. My love for traveling brought me to work in a US Airline company. That's why somehow, I get to have knowledge on some airline policies or codes as well as the DO's and DON'Ts on traveling. 

I have come to embrace the idea of traveling because of my mother. We always get to travel on different places on my early years. Remembering 2001, we traveled almost all over the Philippines, and I am talking about country's "edges"- from Aparri to Cotabato. That was a busy year, oh yeah it really was, to the point that I would plead to her that I be left at home as it's really exhausting going with her, you know when you are a teenager the only thing you wanna do was just to be in front of your computer. 

However, mother wanted me to experience the adventure, she wanted me to see a different life and not be ignorant with the other culture. That is why she make sure to bring me wherever she goes and thanks to her, through that, my zest for adventure has left me wanting more. 

Bataan 2004 and Tagaytay 2006

Zambales 2008 and Baguio 2010

And true enough, traveling, in my opinion, is more than just about the place or the locals, but also about the experience that it entails. 

The following are the reasons why I travel...

1. I love traveling because it teaches me the essence of adventure - Taking risk and being street-smart. The experience is my teacher, the place is my school and the locals are my schoolmates, that's how I grasp it. 

Activities I have performed on different adventures have helped me overcome aversion. 

• Zip-lining -  I have always been afraid of heights. You'll never see me standing on the edge of the escalator in a mall nor stand on the edge of the railings. But thru zip-lining in Palawan, I would like to believe that I somehow conquered my fear of heights.
• Bargaining - When you travel the last thing you wanna do is to overspend on "pasalubong" for friends or families. Thru traveling I have come to understand and appreciate the essence of negotiation or compromising. 
• Diving - I'm still working on that being fairly claustrophobic. Though my life and death experience with it was partly not inviting for a second round but at least, I tried. I took risk. 

Taking risk is what makes me a person today, one who does not live in fear. So try doing some risk, experience it and embrace it. 

Zambales 2009 and Cabanatuan 2011

Boracay 2011 and Palawan 2011

2. It makes me grounded and compassionate - You know, whenever I travel I get to realize that the world is more than just me. Other people are also encountering suffering more than I do, so stop complaining like you got the whole world on your shoulder. Traveling makes you recognize what a tiny place you occupy in the world, therefore it makes you to remain humble. 

• You may be the most beautiful girl in your place but on another world, you can be an another ordinary face. 
• Or you can be filthy rich in your hometown but on another town, you are just another pauper. 

And since you are able to travel it can only be attested that you got the means to pay for your needs or should I say more than what you need, and it would just hit you that you are indeed blessed to be able to do what you want. 

Batangas 2011 and Laguna 2011 (Company Outing)

3. Another thing about traveling which I turned to love is that it teaches you to be understanding and respectful - Being able to see and understand other culture makes you appreciate every tiny bit of difference you see on them. 

People sometimes can be very judgemental, we all are, especially on the issue of culture thus creating dissolution between people. 

We pass on judgement on people we see beyond norm, that's true. And it is not a good judgement, either, is it? I doubt. Especially if you are a fancy city slicker who has limited knowledge of other cultures. 

To think that we do not even make an effort to educate ourselves or understand why is the person is what he/she is. This is what happens if you are just in your comfort zone, you don't go out and see the world, your mind is closed to every possible existing civilization.

Therefore, let's stop passing judgement and try to be more understanding. 

Bohol 2010

Cebu 2010 and Bohol 2011

4. Oh and do not let me start with the food. Yes, I travel because of the food too. Every celebrated food on every places has a story, being a person who has always been allured with history, it makes the trip more interesting. 

• The Sisig of Pampanga, do you have any idea how it was created? 
• Why Puto Calasiao of Pangasinan is called "White Gold"
• And why there are a lot varieties of Adobo in our country?

A local on one of my travels have told me that, one could not claim she have been to a place unless she eats their food (delicacy) - Wood worm (Tamilok). Oh yeah, I did eat it. 

I think food is also what labels every place in a country. Like in the Central Philippines, when you talk about Cebu what else can you think about but their famous Lechon Cebu. Bicol, is known for its Bicol Express or when you say Laguna, Buko pie!! is what you say to your friends as for "pasalubong."

Food is something you do not want to miss when you travel. Take time to do research on things to eat whenever you are going to travel as it is also another way of showing respect to their culture. 

Hong Kong 2011

Macau 2012

Cagayan De Oro 2012 and Bukidnon 2012

5. One needs to loosen up, find herself and gather thoughts. I am not saying that I got the most stressful job, in fact I love my job, but one can only take so much. Everybody needs to destress. A city life can be very exciting. In fact very exciting, you have everything within your reach, one click of a button and everything moves without you getting a sweat. That's true. But don't you ever get tired of it? 

I like traveling especially on the country side because it is quieter that it makes you easier to hear yourself or your thoughts. There's just too much going on in the city, every thing is moving fast, you have keep up the pace just to be able to go with the flow of the city life.  

Well, just so you know, it doesn't hurt to keep things slow every once in a while. Turn off the data of your BlackBerry, leave behind your laptop and if you can do it, try not to watch a television. 

Get a pen and paper, write a song, poem or draw, rekindle your creativity. Make use of the surrounding as your inspiration. After all, God didn't create those grand mountains and spectacular ocean view for nothing. 

Camiguin 2012

I am not a traveler as what other people see me. Just like you I got obligations that needs tending. I only get to travel if my time permits and if I have means. 

Travel while you are young. Whenever I hear people booking flights to go somewhere, I get excited for them, especially if they go to places I have been, sometimes I offer to make an itinerary for them for free because I love doing it. 

What am I trying to say is that, life should not be filled with regrets and fear, you do not want to be looking back in your life and say, "I should have", "I could have" or even "I would have." If you have an opportunity to see other places, GO, as one should not be deprived with favourable circumstances. 

There are so much out there to discover and with today's life expectancy, I doubt you will be able to see all of it before you die. 

“It is not the destination where you end up but the mishaps and memories you create along the way!” 
― Penelope Riley, Travel Absurdities

Images courtesy of Facebook friends and close friends :)

Macau 2012 - Day 5 (Last Day)

Day 5 it is.. Our last day. We have to see the Panda, situated at Coloane - the southern most island in Macau. The island is largely rural that provides excellent break from the crowded and busy Macau Peninsula. 

On our last day we had an early check-out, left our luggage with the receptionist so we can go to Coloane and see some cuddly Panda. Our flight does not leave for the next 12 hours so we still have plenty of time to spend.

We had our brunch at again... May Box! I'm telling you, the food here is awesome. If you will ever have a chance to drop by Taipa, you gotta give this place a chance. 

Valerie, Patrick and Jaydee can't get enough of their pepper dish, they had to have it again, only I think this time, it's chicken. lol. Mark, had some pork steak with ham and egg and I had some baked pork chop in white sauce and cheese, it's a rice topping actually and it's a really huge one! lol. The middle aged lady which I think is the owner was indeed all smiles when she saw us. She knows we're tourists and I think she's happy that we came back.

It's the last day and boy aren't we just crazy to all agree to try the Macau's bus system. We had to take time reading and analysing the route as the last thing we want to experience is to be lost in Macau. lol. Although it's just a really small place, not even bigger than Quezon City. lol. But nevertheless.. lol. 

Reminder: If you're going to take a bus make sure you have coins with you. 'coz buses in Macau doesn't have a conductor. As soon as the door opens you have to drop the coins on a designated drop box. 

The bus fare from the Flower City to Seac Pai Van Park is like MOP4.00

I wanna share a story about our search of this Panda park. Before we can even find the right bus station to Seac Pai Van Park, we had to experience tremendous shenanigans because of language barrier. lol. We are  fortunate at first for being able to talk to a Filipina and ask directions. She was good enough to walk us to the correct bus station and even provide us the bus no. to take and then she went on her way back to her place. 

As we're reading the route map, we cannot seem to find the bus no. that our kababayan told us. So we had no choice but to ask the lady beside us for directions. We asked her if which bus to take to see a Panda. I'm not sure if she understands us. The conversation went like this:

Me: Hello Miss. Do you know which bus to take to go to Seac Pai Van Park?

Miss: (confused) huh? 

Me: Where can we see a Panda?

Miss: (talking in her native language) ..... Panda?

Jaydee: Yes! Panda. (mimicking a bear with his hands turned into claw) Arrrggghhh... 

Us: (Laughing at Jaydee..)

Miss: (with Chinese accent) I don't know.. (again talking in her native language)

Me: You know Panda? Like the movie KUNG-FU panda?

Miss: Aaahhhhh.. (nodding her head) KUNG-FU Panda!!!! Yes! Yes!!

Us: (Laughing) Yay!!!!! 

I'm not sure what's up with the KUNG-FU word that she immediately understood it. lol. It was a frustrating moment yet really funny especially what Jaydee did, charading and all that mimicking! lol.  Anyway, it turned out that we should take the same bus no. that she will take. So okay... and then we wait. 

We hopped on the bus and keenly observed every bus station it stops as it could be the station were looking for. I counted how many bus stations before the Seac Pai Van Park, it was like 8th. Now, on the 6th station I saw Seac Pai Van Park, I got confused, maybe that's the station already so we went down on the 6th station. 

So appalled as we check the surroundings, we cannot see any potential park in the area but constructions! Buildings being built! Golf course being constructed! We can't even hear each other because of the grinding sound of construction machinery and the sound of the jackhammer feel's like it's jarring our brain! lol.

We had to walk to the nearest bus station and waited for a taxi, unfortunately no taxi is available. We decided to take a bus and stick to the original plan of going down to the 8th station. We paid MOP2.50 to get to the next station. 

As the bus moves for a minute I noticed a park on the right side but I can barely see the sign as the bus was moving so fast and I don't think there is a huge sign that says "Panda Here" outside of it. lol. Though I see a parking lot with not so much vehicles parked. My gut reaction was telling me to get off the bus as I see a Chinese family and another tourist going down the bus, but we had to stick to the plan - "8th Station"

The little park at Coloane

Then come the 8th station, it's odd 'coz all we see are houses, typical Chinese houses and commercial buildings. Seems an odd place to put a Panda sanctuary but we saw it's the home of their military camp. lol. So we had to do what we had to do, we asked several locals for the right directions... and it was frustrating, I'm telling you! Most of the locals we can see are seniors and they do not even understand us. We had to walk towards the breakwater, just to loo for somebody who can understand us. Yes. I saw a body of water.. that's when I realized that we are already on the southern end of Macau, are you kidding me? I see water... I see ocean!!! WE ARE LOST!!!! lol.

From a far I saw Valerie talking to a lady at a bakery which has a very familiar name, name which I have read in so many blogs, Lord Stow's Bakery, the pioneer of Macau's egg tart!! We're actually standing outside the very first maker of egg tart in Macau and their very first store. Awesome! The lady was actually a Filipina working at the bakery. Finally, we found someone who can understand us. lol . So we talked in Fiipino and she told us the bus no. and which station to get off. lol. We waited.. and waited.. and waited.. until the correct bus arrives. Yay!

Lost in Macau (Coloane)

I don't know what happened but we're supposed to get off on the 7th station but we did not. The bus didn't actually stop on the said station, during this time I can already sense the sacrifice we had to do. lol. The looooonnng walk. Okay so we went back to the 6th station, from where everything started, lol. This time we already realized that the entrance to the park is quite a walking distance from where we are, though not as close as if we went down to the 7th station. lol. But we're out of coins already.. so we had to walk. Ugh! We we're walkig for like 25-30 mins. 

The first 5mins of walking was all fun. We're laughing at ourselves because of our stupidity.. but the following minutes, we started to be quite as we walk, never cared who goes first or who's being left behind. lol. We're dead tired from walking.. lol. Ice breaker was when Patrick yelled so loud because his Coach bag dropped while we're walking. So loud it almost made me shit! lol. And I've never heard him yelled with so much exasperation! lol. That was really funny. lol.

Finally!

Finally, we saw the entrance to the park! Arrrggghhhhhh! I was like telling my friends that the bears should be able to put up a good show after all these dilemmas we had or else... lol. Nothing. Hahaha! 

You'll never get lost with this. lol.

So there are 2 teenage pandas in the Sanctuary, for MOP20.00 you get to see a Panda in real life and not just an animated one who is a dragon warrior that kicks ass and loves to eat noodles! lol. People of Macau named them Kai-kai (Male) and Xin-xin (Female), their name was derived from the word "KaiXin" which means "Happy". 

The two Pandas, originally came from China, they are actually gifts from the Mainland (China) government to show their concern for Macau and deep friendship from the people in Mainland. Isn't that awesome?! I wish Philippines would have a great friendship with China so they can give us our own Panda. That is if they really don't want to end the discussion on that shoal they've been talking about. lol. A panda as a bribe might work. lol. Kidding! 

They are so cute.. way beyond cuteness. lol. I wanna give 'em a hug but ofcourse you're not allowed. lol. But in China you can actually get to touch a Panda and feed them for an additional fee ($350), apart from the entrance fee of the park. Yeah, very costly but you see this amount goes all the way to the conservation of the Panda. 

Just so you know, you can only find Pandas in the mountains of China. This is actually what I called the original "Made In China". lol. But seriously, it is a national treasure and it is one of the animals that's nearly extinct (1600 in the wild and 200 in captivity) that's why the WWF are very eager to protect these fury friends of ours. 

Why is it important to save these animals?

• "The region where pandas live, in the Yangtze Basin and its magnificent forests are home to a stunning array of wildlife such as dwarf blue sheep and beautiful multi-coloured pheasants; as well as a number of other endangered species, including the golden monkey, takin and crested ibis.

• They also play a crucial role in the bamboo forests where they roam by spreading seeds and facilitating greater growth of the vegetation. 

• The panda’s habitat is also home for millions of people. This is the geographic and economic heart of China. By making this area more sustainable, we are also helping to increase the quality of life of local populations.

• They also bring huge economic benefits to local communities through ecotourism and other activities. Besides all these natural values, pandas have are a very important cultural icon for Chinese people." - http://wwf.panda.org

Check out the Panda videos I took and see how cute they are! 

So after that panda sight seeing, we had to go back to the city to get our bags at the hotel and go to the airport to catch our flight. I know we still got plenty of time but we opted to be at the airport as early as possible. So while we wait for our flight we had to hang out at the Seattle's Best Coffee at the airport. You know, just like how you and your friends would end your amazing trip, just talking about the experience, reminiscing the amazing oppurtunity and laughing at the silly moments. It was priceless. 

The trip is something I will add on my travel box of satisfaction. I definitely had a swell time and as I write this article, I cannot help but to miss the place. The climate, the food and the discipline of the locals which I have been hoping we can also apply here. Never mind the language barrier, for as long as you know how to do the charades then you will survive!