Remiss, revisit, retell and reflections

So I have been remiss in a lot of things, such as blogging and even failing to greet friends on their birthdays. One dear friend said she did not expect that I would miss her birthday after greeting her the day after.

Yes so much has been going on that I have no blog post for the previous month; last month should have been a great source of posts because a lot happened. But, no, I did not write any.

It has very been very busy. But I was thinking of topics to write.

First in my list is this:

I plan to take the train by October. I have no idea where I am going, but I'll definitely be riding on one.

You see, before the year ends, I will be going somewhere, a different continent, for a long time. Taking the train in the Philippines is certainly in Commuter's must-do list. 

I hope to be able to write something on this train ride I will be taking.

Another post worthy of its own post but I am not doing one is my Sagada trip with my good friends. It was a well-deserved break, a total contrast from the life in the city. It has been weeks since that trip but I am still raving about it. Enduring the 13-hour ride to Sagada and back was nothing compared to the experience of the culture, nature, the people and weather of the Mountain Province, a northern Philippine province, that we were able to enjoy for two whole days.

At the Pasay Terminal of Victory Liner. Baguio bound.

Mountains upon mountains welcome you as you make your way to Sagada. Truly breathtaking.

Rice terraces abound.

The Big Falls in Sagada. It was a long trek but worth every step.

Market day in Sagada

American influence, not Spanish, is evident in Sagada. There are very few Catholics in this predominant Anglican society that still honors the indigenous traditions of Sagada's ancestors.

Traditional burial site

Cave formations

A day-long wedding celebration that I was very fortunate to gatecrash. Native dances and instruments provided entertainment to the guests of the bride and groom. For me, this was one genuine cultural experience.

Good things must come to an end; hence, a trip back to Baguio must be made before heading toManila.

The randomness of this post is similar to my "Northern Exposure" adventure I had. I was with adventurous and sometimes 'random' people that made the trip more enjoyable and memorable.

Baguio became part of the itinerary because Manila-bound buses were scarce, and we had to wait until the evening to get our ride. In the process I got to see a bit of Baguio. This was a place I enjoyed going to when I was younger, and up to now. Call it stupid but foggy places such as Baguio bring me joy. Just imagine how happy I was when the city was (nearing) one-digit visibility.

Fog in Baguio

I did pray for a safe travel back to Manila, knowing quite well a typhoon was wreaking havoc in some places in Luzon and Visayas at that very moment. My prayer must have been heard because nothing untoward happened on our descent to Manila. The days after that however became witness to the might of "Maring" that left Manila and large parts of Luzon underwater.

Sunday night, August 18, I was out from church when the rain started to show signs that it was not stopping. I spent the next two days at home as work was called off, and there was just absolutely nowhere to go with the unceasing rain.

Dark clouds in the horizon. Taken from my window.

Sister approaching the building. She had our food with her so it was important that I meet her at the ground floor. hehe.

The reports of the typhoon showed the catastrophe brought by typhoons, clogged drainage and human irresponsibility. On Wednesday, a holiday, I simply had to go out for I missed the outdoors terribly. On the main road, I saw for myself the post-typhoon scenario: shops were still closed; garbage, silt, mud were everywhere; children were playing in the puddles. I hopped on a jeep and, to my surprise, initiated a talk with the driver. He was not able to work for two days, the driver said. I sat patiently and quietly as he waited for more passengers to ride his jeep.

Ode to my Nokia Phone

All pictures appearing before this post were taken using my handy Nokia E63. My Nokia phone has accompanied me to all trips I took and to all places I commuted to. Our relationship has officially come to an end with the arrival of LG. My Nokia phone has served me well, documenting my life's little adventures and aiding me in this endeavor called blogging. I am retiring my Nokia phone because it is starting to die on me. It is understandable; after all, it has been with me for close to five years. But let me share with you some never-before posted pictures.

My Nokia E61, my blogging companion since I started blogging. This picture is taken using my new phone.

Whether it is taking India's most famous monument or its snake charmers, my phone has been a very handy companion.

Taj Mahal

Snake charmer

New Delhi Airport

Taj Mahal up close

Classical Indian dance

 Below is a shot of a homeless man in Singapore! I never thought Singapore would have one. Well, Nokia phone has proof!

Singapore and its single homeless person (see preceding picture)

Ninoy Aquino Airport

New Delhi's premier attraction

Lotus Temple in India

Manila City Post Office

Sale at a Manila mall

View of Metro Manila skyline taken the rooftop/helipad of the DFA Building

Pedestrian Crossing

"Family Car"

It's more fun commuting in the Philippines!

There are more photos taken by my Nokia E63 that have not been used. It is not a total divorce, I am telling you. I guess, like everything else, there should be an upgraded option.

My Nokia phone has a two-megapixel camera. My new phone hass five. I hope that I could get better pictures with it this time, in the same way my Nokia phone did. 

Traveling

The Indonesia trip I took several weeks ago is the last personal foreign trip I am taking this year. Other than it's expensive to travel, I think I already had my fill of foreign trips this year, with two exciting destinations in the first quarter of the year - Siem Reap, Cambodia and Indonesia.

Traveling is always fun.  It became more fun when Seat Sales and Piso Fares came into the picture. Suddenly, there is a surge in region-trotting Filipinos; I was surprised to learn that Filipinos make it to the top five of tourist arrivals in Cambodia.

Travel blogs documenting travels and whatnot have also dominated the blogosphere, and many are joining the bandwagon. My friend and former co-teacher has gotten herself a URL to aptly describe what she is and does: Ang Lakwatserang Guro. At one point, I was fearing that this blog was turning into one, but I reasoned and told myself that traveling involves some form of commuting, as well. 

On one hand, because traveling seems to be the vogue, many grab every possible  vacation leave, holiday or ticket sale to make a contribution to tourism but go on borrowing credit cards and money to make that Asian dream destination happen.  I hear stories of friendships falling out because of this. As a personal rule, I shall only go to places I can afford; thus, US, Europe, Australia, Latin America or four-fifths of the world is still off limits.

So, I am doing domestic travel in the meantime. I recently went to Tacloban with friends. Why Tacloban? I really don't know, but it happened to be one of the many places in the Philippines I haven't gone to. So I said yes to my friends who planned the trip. Besides, I always look forward to new and exciting destinations. 

Like in my Dumaguete Trip, I was not to make expectations, but I had to make sure that I go to Sto. Nino Shrine (Romualdez Museum) and San Juanico Bridge. I was not disappointed for I got to see them all. See the photos:

The signs says, "WELCOME to San Juanico Bridge"

 "San Juanico Bridge" just used to be the answer to the often asked question in Social Studies: "What is the longest bridge in the Philippines?" Seeing it for myself was surreal; it used to be just a concept, an idea when I was growing up in Mindanao. 

The Sto Nino Shrine was a pretentious display of ill-gotten wealth, as it is now owned by the PCGG. The museum was in a sad state, and ventilation was  poor, so touring it during summer is not the best of ideas. Still, it was an interesting look into the lifestyle of the former dictator and his family.

Tacloban offers other picture-worthy sights like the ones below:

The Provincial Capitol

Leyte Landing Memorial

The Park at the Leyte Landing Memorial was relaxing

We did not cross the San Juanico Bridge for nothing. We went to a beach resort called Calawayan in Easter Samar, just an hour's ride from Tacloban. It was a beautiful resort, but not for those on a tight budget like me. hehe.

As with all traveling, there is a point of embarkation. The Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport is our entry and exit point in Tacloban. All four flights that arrived within the hour of our departure were all filled, hence, the very crowded airport whose airconditioning was of little use to the weekend travelers.

Daniel Romualdez Airport

Outside the airport

I personally like this shot of the airplane.

With the trip over, I am generally happy that I took that trip to Tacloban and saw the sights for myself, with the company of nice people. Also, the trip taught me a lot of things, and not just the history or geography kind of lesson. I will write about them in future posts, maybe.