Travel – Page 4 – Marcus Can Blog

The Nokia 5800: A Perfect Bum Tool

This lovely piece of Finnish cellphone has been with me for more than a week already after I succumbed to my wife’s persistent request to replace my 3-year old Motorola L6. Besides, the old cellphone is becoming to be the cause of failure-to-communicate since its speaker conked out due to countless drops and misuse. And needless to say, in my current bum status, not clearly hearing an initial job interview over the phone is a no-no—justification, justification, justification.

So far since I bought it though, I haven’t had any job calls. But why should I care, this phone after all isn’t just a phone. If there’s one phone that will make one happy even while his much awaited calls seem unlikely to happen, it is the Nokia 5800. There’s just so much to this phone that job hunt frustrations can be easily forgotten and that killing time can become a habit.

The Nokia 5800’s touch pad meets expectations although I’ve read that upgrading the firmware version from V11 to V21 will improve its response. Right now I care less and might not care about it in the near future after learning from Nokia Care that it will take at least two hours to do the upgrade.

This model is part of Nokia’s ExpressMusic series and true enough it sounds crisp either through its earphones or its loudspeaker. I don’t recommend connecting it though as an input to the car’s stereo as the MP3 quality varies thus affecting the volume of each music file that other than watching out for potholes while driving, one would have to deal with adjusting the music volume all at the same time.

The Nokia 5800 comes with a 3.2 MP that is great for shots under bright light—e.g., daytime—and just like any other low quality/resolution cam, it doesn’t perform well under low light conditions. But you get what you paid for, right? Paying P14,900 for a phone one shouldn’t expect an SLR-like quality. Don’t get me wrong though, for a bum, for a blogger (both of which best describes me), this is more than enough. I just hate it though that there’s no option to turn the camera shutter sound totally off (there are 3 other settings but none that makes shooting discreet). It’s a skeuomorph and I don’t like it.

Shots of places in Manila taken using the Nokia 5800.

I love most of the videos (mp4 format) that comes along with this phone. The resolution is unbelievable. Even those I’ve shot came out almost on par with my Sony handheld video recorder. However, I discovered that the mp4 format has to be converted at least to wmw for it to be played once transferred to the PC. Good thing I was able to download a converter from Freewarehome.com.

Others raise their eyebrows at the guitar pick that comes along with the strap of the cellphone. But I don’t, as I prefer using it over the stylus, except when I’m in the mood to kill time by texting using the handwriting feature which I’m now starting to learn and appreciate.

With the hectic time I have right now both at school and at home where my favorite photo subjects are—my wife and kid, it might take me another week more to discover and learn the other features that this perfect bum tool has. I’m just wishing though that next time I’d hear another lovely HR voice saying, “…Mr. Nacionales, this is to inform you that you are scheduled for an interview…” When that time comes, I’m quite sure she’d hear me clearly say, “Yes…I’m coming”.

***

Mood: 3/10 Honks!

Tagaytay Adventure

Just when I thought that another of our Tagaytay trip would be spent in any of our comfort zones—Starbucks, Carlos Pizza, Yellow Cab or just feeling the chilly wind in People’s Park—I was so happy when another idea came into the picture. We thought why not bring our baby boy to Residence Inn for a change. It would be his first and ours have been several years already since the last time. Besides, being inside the mall on a Sunday is already starting to be a bore for all of us.

The plan turned out to be better than expected. Coming from La Salette after hearing mass, my wife remembered that foods are not allowed to be brought inside the place so we decided to have lunch before coming in. After discussing where we’ll have our noontime meal, we chose Bag of Beans. It was just I and wifey when we first dropped by late evening last year. This time we tried the rest of their menus.

Bag of beans with Marcus — It’s no Starbucks, but believe me it may even be better.

Filipino breakfast. Php 185. I got this one and I think it’s worth it.

Sunrise breakfast. Php 275.

After the hearty lunch of breakfast menus we headed straight to our main destination – Residence Inn’s zoo. Its parking seems to be a letdown because I can’t exactly remember if I parked our car several years ago inside (or near the inn’s entrance) or it’s been this way that parking for visitors is just along the road side left entrusted to the pasalubong vendors. Another surprising thing we soon discovered was that the entrance fee has already soared from just around Php 70 to Php 199. Ti abi. No fee for kids two years old and below.

The steep fee wasn’t that bad once we stepped inside. Seeing our little boy wide-eyed at the white lion just at the start of the trail cheered me up. And sooner as we went along the other cages in the zoo, my wife and I became like small kids as well.

Welcome parrot — This parrot welcomes everyone and must be the most photographed among other birds and animals.

Inns route — Be ready to spare an hour to complete the map.

This is also my first time to see a white lion but didn’t let my son notice.

Dare to share the cage with a tiger for a photo op?

For Php 50/pax you can have your photo taken with this playful cub.

This is also my first time to see a white lion but didn’t let my son notice.

Dare to share the cage with a tiger for a photo op?

For Php 50/pax you can have your photo taken with this playful cub.

Spikey, stinky porcupines.

So there’s a camel in Tagaytay.

Overlooking view — Stopping to check the overlooking view.

Fans of this inn’s pot-bellied pig would be delighted to see that it has multiplied already.

There used to be a pot-bellied pig in this cage. I don’t know if the lion has something to do with its disappearance.

Feeding time to parade

Green snake.

Aquarium.

We spent more than an hour roaming around the whole zoo. Our baby boy, although being carried all the time, has already fallen asleep right after the last stop at the aquariums. Little did we know that the best of this trip is yet to come. We would visiting the Paradizoo farm through the Inn’s coaster–all inclusive from the entrance fee we paid earlier. Not bad. If they would have made this clear in the first place, I would not have complained.

Free turon for everyone. You may get as much as you want – nice way to get the most out of the Php 199 entrance fee.

The ride from Rsidence Inn to Paradizoo took approximately 15 minutes where we were welcomed by a tour guide. I never thought that the farm visit would be organized as I was thinking that we would be dropped off and left on our own to discover what’s in it and just to be picked up after an hour. Gladly, another of my assumption and expectation that day came to be wrong once more.

The farm’s flow of the tour. And to enjoy it best, I suggest that visitors come during Saturdays & Sundays at 3 PM to be able to see the animal parade.

very accommodating tour guide.

Farm route — First stage of the Paradizoo Inn tour.

Do no leave kids. Period.

This is a plant called Mickey Mouse due to its shape’s resemblance to the famous Disney character. This by the way belongs to the eggplant family but is only used as an ornament.

A farm personnel orients visitors regarding the honey production process.

A Dromedary camel up close.

Veggie garden — Farm’s vegetable garden.

Park features an afternoon parade of animals. Here are the goats.

Llamas on parade.

Five-legged bull.

Greyhound dogs were also participants of the parade. However, instead of marching around they were made to race against each other for just a lap. The farm breeds and sells them.

Souvenir shop — The farm also has a souvenir shop (right) and a cafeteria (left).

I never knew that our Sunday would be like no other Sundays and that somewhere in Tagaytay are two better places than the pricey coffee shops or pizza parlors. Being closer to nature and seeing the animals at the zoo are more exciting and educational than being inside the air-conditioned and over-crowded noisy malls.

***

Mood: 2/10 Honks!

Amazing Race Pampanga

They say that watching TV has its subliminal effect. I may have to agree this time as what we’ve done a day after the Balloon fest is somewhat similar to the recently concluded Amazing Race Asia Season 2. No, there’s no running involved, no Henry-Trinidad arguments and definitely there are neither clues nor roadblocks to beat. But it’s just that there’s money to be budgeted like being the last team on a non-elimination round plus the fact that my two-weeks of re-gym made me somewhat near Marc Nelson’s six- pack abs — okay, is a joke.

But quite frankly, the reason why I’m trying to control our first meal that morning of February 11, both budget and volume, is because we’ve been planning on checking out Everybody’s Café. So after Angeles we went to San Fernando where the main restaurant is located. We got the idea of going to this famous Pampanga restaurant from a show on the Food Network channel (if my memory serves me right). The host of the show ate frog legs in this resto and that perked up my interest to try this exotic food.

Almost an hour away from Angeles, San Fernando city is surprisingly developed than I expected it to be—the presence of several major car dealerships reaffirms this observation. A couple of minutes after entering the city and spending a few more time asking for directions, we located our main objective but to my dismay is not the one we saw on TV. My wife later mentioned that it located in Angeles which is the branch store. To save the day and our grumbling stomach we proceeded nonetheless.

From the outside, the place looks just like any ancestral house. With only one SUV parked that day, a newcomer wouldn’t even think that inside is a restaurant if not for the large sign hanging on the right portion of the entrance. Upon stepping inside, the sight of the food display gave me a hint that we are in the right place and at this point I already started to check every food tray for something looking weird, with long legs and webbed feet, and that resembles those we see in ponds–frogs. But there were none.

Good thing the old lady at the counter sensed my craving for exotic kapampangan delicacies. She politely offered buro with mustard leaves, fried hito (catfish) and to my delight, fried camaro (crickets). We also ordered Tapang Kalabaw–this became my instant favorite since I had one at SM Clark’s Cabalen.

Once the foods are served, I was surprised that we had little hesitation to dig on everything in front of us. The camaro tasted just like small shrimps if not for its hollow stomach and dark brown color. And the buro and mustard leaf combination made me remember my late lola‘s preparation when taking the nganga (leaves and lime chewed usually by elders). Overall, we enjoyed the weird lunch. Spent: P500+

Everybody outline

Upon finishing our kapampangan meal, we still had time to check out San Fernando’s malls which we unintentionally discovered when we took a wrong turn while looking for the resto. So with full stomach we found window shopping a good way to burn calories—I wonder how much calories did the fried crickets deposited in me. After grabbing some items, we decided it’s time we head back to Manila. Spent: P1000+

It was just around 1:30 PM when we left San Fernando. NLEX traffic was smooth. We only got stuck starting in Cubao and the area before Ayala and we realized we still had time to kill. To the delight of my wife, I agreed to drop by Glorietta Center in Makati. Besides, our car already badly needs a wash.

Inside Glorietta, the temporary stalls located in one part of the mall made us realize that renovation is ongoing to repair the site affected by the December 2007 blast. That uneasy feeling to avoid this mall subsided quickly once we reached Glorietta 4 wherein our quest for local foods continued as I decided to take my snack from Taco Ilocano—Ilocano-style empanada. Right after another calorie pile-up, we went to watch the movie The Eye in one of G4’s cinema. It’s been quite some time since we last watched a film in this mall. Spent: P1500+

By around 6 PM we were already on our way back home but the thickening traffic gave us another reason to make our final stop at SM Mall of Asia.

When we got out of the elevator from the parking lot, all the food we took a couple of hours ago seem to just disappear out of our bellies—we were hungry once more. So we combed the place and found ourselves facing the Manila bay at the rear portion of the mall. Right in front of us we noticed something new in the vicinity—SM by the Bay.

We excitedly crossed the bridge to check it out and it was as if all of a sudden we were transported to another country somewhere in Asia but the Philippines. Whoever thought of this idea deserves more than just a pat on the back. It was packed with people, it is clean, it’s enticing, romantic and more importantly, the choice of places to eat is overwhelming. Almost an hour later of picking which is which, we eventually settled in Aling Tonya’s restaurant. We ordered calamares, sinigang na isda and, last but never the least, San Mig lights beer. What a wonderful way to cap the Balloonfest. Spent: P800+.

So there goes another trip with my lovely wife, another well-deserved outing for the two of us. Looking forward to the next road trip and good food to deal with. And by the way, I need another set of coin banks.

Balloon Fest’s Last Day

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While my wife and I lined up at the event’s entrance gate, I heard over the PA system that there would be some delay in the morning’s program. The wind that was supposed to make everything fly was the same wind that forced almost everything that flies grounded. The irony.

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Moments later a rewarding sight came–the static line jump pushed through. The view of rounded gray chutes dropping side by side from a military cargo plane reminded me of combat movies. Back in the days, this view either sent hope or fear depending on who are watching these soldiers descend.

There were several pauses again to wait for a tolerable wind speed and once the signal was given, the view overhead filled with colorful skydivers’ canopies. A number of sorties were made. The crowd were clapping as skydivers flaired and landed one after the other. Since last year’s event, these skydivers especially from the military had my respect as I was under the impression then that most of the good ones are civilians due to budget constraints on the government side–my 1^st and last skydive instructor is a Colonel. They proved me wrong when I saw them execute long freefalls and even stacking. I’ve never been so proud of the Philippine military.

What followed next are the aircraft exhibitions. A helicopter and a couple of small planes sped past at low altitude and climbed at a dizzying rate. The planes completed a nauseating roll. In spite of my basic knowledge of aerodynamics (howstuffworks.com, anyone?) I still can’t help but ask what makes it fly, why and how it flies, and who flies it. I’m always green with envy when I shoot the who question.

As the shadows went shorter, I went multitasking. I was air traffic controller, weatherman and psychologist. I was reading the wind cone, checking the air temperature while reading my wife’s gestures. It seems like there’s a direct link between the first two factors and my wife. She was cowering into the remaining shades and faking a sleep—a tell-tale sign of irritation and boredom. So just as any sane husband would, I asked her if she’d like a break from the event. The answer was clear.

Few minutes later we’re at SM Clark’s Cabalen restaurant eating a buffet lunch. Wifey at this point is now full and smiling. I didn’t regret doing so either. The tapang kalabaw is remarkably soft and tasted good.

Past 12 noon, we decided to check the hotel which I booked online. There I realized, that it seems like I have a knack of picking comfortable but nevertheless weird accommodations. This time I booked us in Swagman Resort Hotel for an overnight stay. Good thing we got an upgrade. Instead of the standard room, the hotel clerk gave us the deluxe family room still for Php 1400. Nice. High five.

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Waking up after a two-hour siesta in the hotel room, we hurried back to the balloon fest site. As I approached the parking lot, I saw that the balloon bursting contest is on-going. Little did I know that by the time we got settled near at the shady hangar, I won’t be seeing any of it anymore. What I saw outside was to be the last leg of the contest. Grrr. The price to pay for a siesta. I also didn’t know if we missed the synchronized kite flying and kite surfing too, but what I witnessed once again was Mr. Bill Wright’s aerobatics and several sets of skydiving exhibition. I’m hoping that next year they’d place a jumbo monitor for the crowd to witness videos of the freefalls.

Disappointed, I continued shooting videos of what’s going around the exhibition ground. Then an announcement came that made me interested once more. An awarding ceremony is going to happen at the event’s control center. And the names that were paged sounded familiar, so I left my wife at her post to see the ceremony.

In front of me was Peter (PFSG founder) who won 3^rd place in the balloon bursting competition and Tonet (PFSG supremo). These are the guys I interact with online on Philskies.net–thanks to Mark who happens to be with me during last year’s event. (Mark gave me hangar access and I was able to see skydivers pack their canopies in front of us.) I was able to chat with Tonet who in person is just as articulate as he is in his blog. Frankly speaking, I was starstruck. Unknown to him, he is one of those who inspired me to have my own blog site.

When I got back to my wife at her spot in front of the hangar, I was thinking how to explain to her the lull in the exhibitions. No other reason but just the windy condition—not acceptable to the impatient. I tried convincing her to pose in front of the gun exhibits but to no avail. So we decided to stay still and entertain ourselves with whatever is ongoing.

Dusk came and the wind calmed down. One after the other, the hot air balloons inflated. Huge rounded canopies came into life. Around 20 different shapes and colors of balloons covered the horizon in front of us. It was so massive that the last batch of skydivers and a lone Malaysian paraglider were dwarfed. And on cue everyone approached the fence to catch a glimpse of the spectacular sight. Every gadget that can capture pictures—from cell phone cameras to giant DSLRs—came out in unison to grab their own share of the scenic event.

Accomplished what we came here for, we headed back to our hotel together with the rest of the exiting crowd. It’s funny but I even find the sight of a hundred vehicles coming out of the parking lot on a very dusty trail a spectacle by itself. The way going out of the area is so dusty that at some point there’s zero visibility and the only way to see the road again is to slow down in order to stay away from the vehicle in front until the dust settles down.

Once we reached the hotel, we parked (worriedly) Mary in their weird parking lot and then tried the resort’s restaurant. And just as weird as the parking lot, we found ourselves having dinner in front of women who seemed to be practicing a dance routine. Deep in my mind, they’ll likely be wearing at least a swim suit come past 10 PM to the delight especially of the American customers. But fairly, we find the food great and needless to say, so does does the beers. Cheers!

We Could Steal Cars

“Very nice…High Five…” – Borat Sagdiyev

Having planned a road trip with wifey for quite some time, even when we still have our trusty Kia Pride, the 12th PIHABF (Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta) came as the perfect moment. So I filed for a two-day vacation leave month ahead in anticipation of this event. And just like ants preparing for a rainy day, my wife and I went shopping a week ahead for clothing, food and storage–buying a Coleman cooler justified.

Feb 10. Past 3 AM. With the car’s boot filled with the stuffs we need, we set off. The early morning drive went well as expected. Traffic was light from Cavite to NLEX and in the back of my mind I began imagining picking a good parking spot and a good vantage point for us to witness the balloon flight before dawn. I fought the urge to floor the pedal. At some brief point the speedometer was at 120 yet the Honda City stayed stable despite it. Realizing the car’s capability, the temptation to go faster became stronger but sanity and the presence of the speed limits along the highway kept me from doing so.

In the middle of the trip, we decided to stop by Total gas station in San Simon and it was when the most unlikely thing happened. While waiting for the attendant to fill the tank to the brim, my wife and I decided to step out of the car. I grabbed some water in the boot while she picked something in the gas station’s store. Unconsciously, we both closed the doors with the car key still inside. A minute after I shut the boot door and while lazily stretching myself, I heard the car alarm’s beep followed by the sound of a latching door lock. Damn, for a moment I saw myself turned pale. I almost cried in despair. We got locked out!

After hopelessly trying to wake myself up from a bad dream, I started considering some options and eagerly asked help from the gas attendants and other people who also stopped for gas. The inputs ranged from the ridiculous yet the most direct–shattering the glass window, to the tiring and frustrating 60-kilometer public commute back going to Cavite to grab the spare key, and to the most viable yet costly option of hiring a locksmith to do the job. Also considered was taking chances if other Honda car keys will match. That one didn’t work, as expected. For the first time I hated Honda’s wave key and alarm feature.

The thought of missing the balloon fest and ruining our trip made me decide to seek the locksmith’s assistance so I called the guy referred by a gasoline attendant. I was greeted by a man sounding a bit irritated–I understand the feeling of being awakened early Sunday morning–yet he was kind enough to encourage me to keep on trying by opening it through the door handle using a stiffer wire to reach into the lock. The mixture of desperation, the thought of a Hazard Pay’s episode, a welding rod wire, and persuasion from my wife seemed to work together after the phone conversation.

After an hour of trial and error, the lock tab popped. To say I shouted for joy would be an understatement. Upon checking my watch, I learned that we’ve been locked out for almost two hours already. Without wasting another minute more we continued our trip but only after giving a ride to the two gas boys who stayed with us until the end of their night — they were our cheering team during the whole ordeal. My wife and I exchanged congratulations several times on our way to Dau. We kidded ourselves as being able to be in cahoots as carjackers. Honda City owners beware.

We arrived in the Balloon fest area past 7 AM, tired but glad we still made it. Parking far from the entrance gate didn’t matter anymore. Just being at the site bustling with people to watch an event featuring everything that flies is satisfying enough.

Masskara: Interesting New Things (Part 2 of 2)

masskara202007_zpsbo8rx9qa

“So many beers, So little time.” – Me

”Kari sa Bacolod, dala maskara.” — Masskara Festival

I never thought that coming back to Bacolod during the Masskara festival would bring such a new experience even for me. Regardless of our 3-day stay, the vacation was not only fun but educational as well. Sounds like something from Knowledge TV? Well, sort of. This trip made me learn new things.

A local song for the street dance? I don’t know if it’s just plain LSS or if it was forced deeper in my ear canals by the giant speakers located all over the Bacolod City plaza. But this year’s music I realized is Ilonggo but in modern version. It was all foreign festive or pop songs in past. I don’t know the origin of this local song but I know that we used to sing it way back in my elementary days: ”may ga-labaylabay na aso, utot ni Celso (A smoke passed by, it was Celso’s gas).” Don’t worry, that’s our wrecked lyrics. The original one is decent. Celso was a classmate.

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Masskara is pronounced as MASSkara rather than massKARA. I must have been too focused in getting drunk when I was in college that I failed to learn about this simple fact. I even never knew that it was only 28 years ago when the first Masskara festival was celebrated which dawned on me that I may have indeed attended the 1st street parade. I still recall which street I was watching it and what mask my parents bought for me. I was a smiling devil then. Ti abi, a Christian in a devil’s mask.

The Club category street parade had several participants with its members on scooters. Gone are the days when BMX and mountain bikes can be seen parading and performing–or did we miss it? I like what it used to be as the sight of motorized vehicles dominating the parade is not only noisy but polluting as well.

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Bacolod now has its own SM mall. At last. Just barely a year old and built in the reclamation area, it is now home not only to mall goers but of course a job source for almost 6,000 Bacolod employees. This is only one of several new companies (another famous one is Teletech, a BPO company) that have started doing business there. Hopefully other manufacturing corporations get enticed as well. I might consider working there when that happens.

Lastly, and the most significant I’d say, I can now enjoy a shower at home without having to fetch water. For so many years the shower head in our bathroom serves as a mere decoration. We take a bath using kabo. Since we transferred sometime in 1980, on good days I’ll be pumping water from our well, on bad days I would have to fetch a couple of blocks from home. And the water fetching happens daily. No ifs or buts. This routine went on even until my last year at home before I worked in Manila. So before we left home for our trip back to Cavite, I enjoyed my shower just like those in soap commercials. Sorry Greenpeace, I cherished the moment.

So now, although I’m back working, back to reality, I’m now looking forward to being in Bacolod again for the Christmas season. I’m just hoping that next time my online reservations will be better, weather will be great, more polite taxi drivers, fewer litterbugs and that Cebu Pacific’s baggage receiving area will at least have a conveyor belt–automated or not. Ti abi.

***

Masskara: Against All Odds (Part I)

Masskara 2007, street dance

After 13 years of hiatus from celebrating my home city’s festival, I got the opportunity to be in one again. This time I’m married. So just this Wednesday, my wife and I finally made our planned celebration trip come true against all odds.

This year we made several online transaction blunders. The first one was when we bought the ticket for our F1 Sepang trip. I was so eager then to save on the tickets shipping charges that I smartly picked the option of claiming the tickets at the race circuit only to find out that the distribution is a month prior to the race. If only that’s a bus away would have made sense but then it’s somewhere in Malaysia. I learned my lessons.

Yet the excitement of buying online seems to have gotten the best of me twice in a row. It happened again when she saw a very good deal from Cebu Pacific in February. It’s an opportunity to pay only Php 1 ($45, tax not included) for a one-way plane ticket. So off we go again with the power of the mighty mouse. After several scrolls and double clicks, we grabbed a very good deal. Or so we thought.

A month and a half before the October event, I filed for a scheduled vacation leave and was proudly telling my colleagues about the cheap trip we’re about to have.

I was excitedly reading my e-ticket print-outs when I noticed the departure details:

Oct 18 2007 Bacolod

Oct 21 2007 Manila

Finding it hard to believe the reality and severity of the situation I re-opened the email notice from the airline and there it was. I made a mistake with the transaction again: Right departure date, wrong place. It’s the costliest mistake I did this year so far. The Sepang transaction was discovered a couple of minutes after confirmation so at least I just spent a couple of long distance calls and a good ticket agent was able to change the ticket details. This last one cost us Php 5000 which is like almost paying the regular fare.

no20wheels_zpsa6jau1aa — Perfect shirt at this moment.

Odds number two is not having a car on the day of our departure. No big deal really but just a bit uncomfortable as we’ve gotten used to driving until Park ‘N Fly. This one just required some change in mindset and some packing techniques–traveling light. But it could have been the cause of my lower back to ache while on the bus.

We finally arrived in Bacolod by lunch time after a smooth flight but with me having an awful lower back pain. So part of the itinerary that afternoon was to look for a manughilot. Luckily, we found one. It’s funny but the last thing on my mind during this vacation is to be massaged on a busy side walk somewhere in Bacolod.

street20massage_zps1oiquybv — A massage somewhere along the streets in Bacolod.

Day 8: Putrajaya Drive-By

We were all awake by 2 a.m. and checked out an hour and forty-five minutes later. As we approached the lobby Badri was already waiting for us. He offered his service the first day (Lake Garden day) we met him. I was a bit reluctant to push through with it at first, as his offer was just too good to be true. He’s asking only half the price compared to the hotel’s taxi service. I don’t know if Jericho was a reason for this.

Since we left the hotel ten minutes earlier as planned, Badri was kind enough to give another offer we can’t refuse. He’ll drive us to KL’s new city, Putrajaya. I heard from other guests that this place is a must see especially at night when its lights accentuate the buildings and the rest of the structures.

We arrived at Putrajaya less than an hour later. There were just a few people around and I can count them with my fingers. Badri by then was multi-tasking as a taxi driver and a tourist guide, pointing from left to right and trying to discuss every detail of the whole place. The sight of the illuminated steel bridge was awesome. I had to shift my eye from the video camera’s LCD to appreciate the real thing towering proudly as we passed beneath its mighty steel cables. We likewise passed by a building with the shape resembling a cobra’s head. And true indeed, its lights on top look like one that is ready to strike. (Unfortunately, I haven’t got any good pictures of the place.)

After another 20 minutes, we were at the airport. Before we got out of the taxi, I got Badri’s address. We have one good person to thank for.

Our departure was past seven in the morning and we arrived after four hours. We’re back to work. Back in the Philippines, back to reality. Cue Psycho movie theme please.

Day 7: Where to Now?

This was supposed to be Batu Cave day but with our Malaysian Ringgits running low, we got our heads together after breakfast and discussed how to get the most out of this last day.

With the help of our trusty tourist map, we found a place with a description that reads “Cosmos, Indoor Theme Park” and with a roller coaster image on it. Park ride lovers as we are, my wife and I decided that this will be it. With Noel and Lani, clueless on what to expect, they tagged along nevertheless—the word ‘mall’ in the description also convinced them.

Luckily, we got Badri again. Just like before, he’s still loaded with insight as he describes the places we passed by with great enthusiasm and pride. He got us to Berjaya Times Square in a jiffy.

The place was huge and high as it is actually a hotel and mall in one great package. (Badri dropped us in front of the hotel entrance which sent the bellboys rushing to open our cab. They learned in an instant that we’re not hotel guests when I asked where the roller coasters are.) Sadly, their food court ruined our fascination. The food booths weren’t that accessible because one has to go a long way around the atrium to transfer to the other sections of the food court. It must be their way of getting the appetite going, I assume.

Three of 10th Avenue Food Mall’s customers.

As if trying to test our stomach my wife and I decided to check out the theme park immediately after lunch. We aimed for the roller coaster right away but it’s a no-go, for Noel and Lani this time. We learned that they got dizzy just looking at the coasters in motion.

We eventually found ourselves sitting in one of the cars. There was a bit of mixed emotions once we got ourselves strapped in and the few minutes of waiting just killing us as we were impatiently waiting for the roller coaster to get going so we can experience the G-force. Then the time came.

The coaster ride took less than two minutes. There were some exciting moments but it didn’t meet our expectations. We came out amazed but disappointed—we got out not dizzy and not swearing.

Looks harmless but this is better than the roller coaster.

We tried the rest of the rides anyway. Good thing we found some favorites and we were dizzy and smiling again. There was one ride, however, that got us pumped up. It was the innocent-looking Ooort’s express that at first glance, someone looking for a rush would snob it right away. We we’re wrong. This one speeds up like a cat on fire. And its speed was enough for both of us to be squeezed in one side of the cart the whole time. My head and stomach was turning and my hips were aching after the ride. We got what we paid for. Redemption.

It was raining hard when we got in a cab. It was time to go home. It was time to pack up.

Day 6: The Twin Towers

A tourist’s bragging rights for visiting the Twin Towers isn’t complete if he hasn’t been to the Sky Bridge. So today, as discussed since our day one, we convinced our lazy bodies to move out of the mattresses, left the comfy cool bedroom behind and braved the hot and humid Malaysian climate to be on time for the Petronas Sky Bridge’s pass issuance.

Our group arrived at Petronas past 7 a.m. Seeing that the area is somewhat clear of people we thought that we were the early birds. Good thing we smelled something fishy just after a couple of minutes—who would want to come in late for the opportunity to visit the Sky Bridge? No one.

We were right. After asking for directions and following the way to the visitor’s entrance, tourists have started to queue and accumulate. We estimated that there were already 70 plus visitors including ourselves. The pass per day only accommodates around 200. We were included in the 9:15 a.m. batch.

The Sky Bridge visit we learned wasn’t only just about going straight up and then it will be over. It started with a 3D movie presentation in a small theater and followed by an interactive visit to an activity center where several aspects of the towers’ construction were shown. There is also one display wherein visitors will find their own height compared to the towers by positioning in a portal that automatically computes the comparison at a push of via button. Cool.

The view of the park from the Sky Bridge.

The Sky Bridge visit is limited to approximately 10 minutes only to allow the rest of the visitors for that day. Even then, it was worth enough as the view looking down from the bridge is just as awesome as the view from the outside looking up. One thing I learned from the guide was that the movie Entrapment’s tower scenes weren’t actually shot there but were rather filmed in a studio with a replica of the Twin Towers. That made me hate the movie even more.

At the end of the tour, another place we paid a visit to was the shopping area at Jalan Bunus, which to our surprise and dismay sells mostly textiles for typical Muslim clothing. The whole group didn’t find anything interesting so we checked our map and saw that Central Market is just a couple of blocks nearby.

Despite Lani’s protesting legs we proceeded with the transfer anyhow. We passed by picturesque mosques and buildings along the way that I was busy taking photos and shooting videos. Even one of the public buses didn’t escape my wife’s attention. It has an F1 paint job on it. So posed she did right in front of the curious crowd.

Upon reaching the Central Market, the gloomy sky poured down which gave us a better reason to enjoy a mug of hot coffee and noodles. We found a nice coffee shop in the middle of the shopping center called Old Town White Coffee. Their coffee menu was diverse and unique. Of course, more importantly, the price tag is cheaper than the rest of the cafes in the Central Market and this is one of the cases where you-get-what-you-paid-for line doesn’t apply. The coffee was really good, so good that it could give Starbucks a run for their money.

Coffee and noodles time in Old Town White Cafe.

The cheap but tasty coffee gave us some ringgits to spare for a last minute souvenir shopping. There was this one stall called KL Idea where we spilled our spare bills/coins. The store owners were nice and accommodating and I learned from them that this year is actually Malaysia’s 50th anniversary as a nation. Philippines celebrated our 100th year a couple of years ago. Just saying.

KL Idea in Central Market Malaysia. — The four of us with the owner of KL Ideas.