For one reason or the other, I am quite stressed out.  I know that our Singapore trip is still 3 months away, but hey, the hotel prices in Singapore seem to have gone up exponentially.

     I've been to Singapore twice: first in 2008, then again in 2009.  The last time we were in Singapore in October 2009, the Marina Bay Sands was not yet complete, as well as the Universal Studios.  I vowed to return to Singapore once these two structures open.  But I chose to go to Bangkok, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Beijing last year.  I mean, it was only my second time in Bangkok and Hong Kong, and it was my first time to visit Taipei, Shenzhen and Beijing.  So, at the start of the year, I willed myself to book tickets to Singapore.  I waited for a seat sale of course.

     Fortunately for me, I was able to book seat sale tickets to Singapore via Air Philippines for me and my mom.  I wasn't able to buy tickets for my friends and sister because the Air Philippines website became so congested with traffic that the seats sold out immediately.  I was able to book them, however, via Cebu Pacific.  They have no return tickets to Manila as of yet.

     Anyway, the first time I went to Singapore, me and my friends stayed at the Albert Court Hotel and we paid around Php 3,000.00 per night on a triple sharing room (no breakfast, though).  The next time we went to Singapore, we stayed at the Pan Pacific Marina, and we had a package tour which includes Sentosa tickets, among others.  We booked a room for two but four of us stayed there to minimize the cost; we had two sneak-ins.  It came with breakfast for two.  So, our total bill per person for our hotel and tour package was less than Php 6,000 each for a 3D2N stay.

     But now, I am researching for hotels in Singapore and I couldn't find any decent ones for USD 100 a night.  I could probably get around USD 150 a night but that's still exclusive of taxes and service charge.  Albert Court Hotel now charges around USD 150 a night, for twin sharing minus breakfast.  Pan Pacific is around USD 300.00 a night for the same terms.  And I'd be bringing with me my mother and my sister and I'd be paying for their hotel and tour share.  Then my friend told me that our Singapore trip is scheduled during the middle part of the Great Singapore Sale.  Hooray...not!  Hotel prices are higher whenever there are sales like that or when there is an F1 race.  This is way too stressful.

     I am praying that my friend will be able to find us hotels with a promo so we'd pay less.  I am amenable to paying Php 20,000 for the three of us for a complete package, but if it gets higher than that, then I'll have to cut my budget for my Taiwan trip so I could save more for our Singapore trip.  Of course, that does not include our food and other expenses.  And who am I kidding?  If there's a sale, I'd probably be the first to line up at a favored store.  Gosh! 

     If I have the money, I'd stay at least a night at the Marina Bay Sands.  That'll make my mother and sister very happy.  They were very happy when we stayed overnight at the Venetian Hotel in Macau and at the Langham Place in Hong Kong.

    It is really stressful to think about the expenses but when I think how much fun my mother and sister will have, I just pray that I save enough for our trip.

     Fight-o!

     - E n d   o f   R a n t -

 

• Quoted fares are one way
• Limited availability.
• Fare are exclusive of government fees and taxes.
• All fares are exclusive of fuel surcharges. For Osaka, Japan surcharges will take effect on April 1, 2011.
• Fares are non-refundable.
• Flight changes must be made more than 24 hours before scheduled time of departure.
• Go Lite Fares are available upon booking for guests traveling without check-in baggage.
• Add P 100 to fare upon booking if traveling with check-in baggage.
• CAB approved terms and conditions of carriage apply.

     My friends were surprised when I told them that we had to wake up early for our Cu Chi Tunnels 1/2 day trip with the Sinh Tourist.  "How early?"  They asked me. I told them we needed to be at the Sinh Tourist office around 7:45 a.m.  Their faces just went blank.  After all, we just checked-in and it was 2 a.m. already.  We only had a couple of hours to sleep, and well, good luck to us.  

     Luckily, we all woke up on time, and we were even able to have our light breakfast at the hotel lobby.  I only researched where the eff is the Sinh Tourist office before we went down for breakfast.  I was banking on the computer and free internet inside our room.  As it turned out, the Sinh Tourist office is just less than a 5-minute walk away from our hotel.  In fact, the distance is less than 100 meters, as per Google maps.  

     I got our voucher from the Sinh Tourist office and we waited for 15 more minutes.  The bus was scheduled to depart at 8:15 a.m. Even thought it was so early in the morning, the Sinh Tourist was buzzing with activity; people were everywhere.  Some were fortunate to have seats inside the airconditioned office; others were standing outside.  Most of the clients of the tour office were caucasians.  There were only a handful of Asians, and there were some folks which I presume were Filipinos.  They were eating breakfast inside the office.  

     I took the time to browse through the shelves of tourist pamphlets.  I was most interested with their Saigon-Phomn Penh-Siem Reap-Saigon package.  I'd like to go back to Ho Cho Minh for that trip sometime.  Perhaps next year, around January or February when it is not that hot.

     Finally, at exactly 8:15 a.m. (9:15 on my watch), the bus arrived.  What do you know?  It was on time.  Yay for us.  We quickly climbed aboard the bus and we had seat assignments.  We were seated a few seats in front of the middle section.  My friends and I were excited...to sleep on the bus, lol!  It was not hard to do, really.  First, the bus was cruising at a very slow pace, coupled with the congested streets.  It was a Friday, a workday, at rush hour, so what do we expect?  But I think I fell asleep after we passed by a Jollibee branch somewhere.

     I think we travelled for at least 2 hours, and I woke up some 20 minute before we arrived at the Cu Chi tunnels.  Before I forgot, we shelled out VND 80,000.00 each for the entrance.  

     So, what happened over at Cu Chi tunnels?  Not so much, really.  The place is a forested area, and we were shown the ingenious booby traps laid by the guerilla against the American forces during the war.  There were some demonstrations, and we we shown some of the tunnels used by the guerilla.  The original entrance to the tunnels was too tiny; almost just the size of a shoe box, but the Vietnamese, being slender and light on their foot, easily fits into the tunnel.  I could never fit inside those entrance, but some were dug out to accommodate tourists, like us.

 Apparently, this is a bomb crater.

     The last trip I had, before Ho Chi Minh City, was in Beijing, China, last November 2010.  I am quite fortunate to have been able to embark on another Asian travel four months after.  It also means, again, that I am running low in savings.  I think that I haven't hit the penniless stage just yet, so, for now, I am indulging in trips abroad and I have upcoming trips to Taiwan next month and to Singapore in July. 

     That being said, I swore that I would not spend too much money in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).  I wanted to save some dollars for my Taiwan trip; after all, I had this belief that I would be spending less in HCMC because I had friends who'd be travelling with me and with whom I could share the hotel cost.

     So, my friends and I booked a cheap hotel at the backpackers' area in HCMC, in Bui Vien Street.  I received a hotel voucher from our chosen hotel and we were billed for USD 47 per night, or USD 141 for our 3-night stay.  Our room was for triple sharing and with light breakfast included, so, we paid USD 47 each (around Php 2,200).  Our room was big with a computer and free wired and wi-fi internet inside the hotel, and a bath tub.  The reviews are great over at Trip Advisor, and we don't have to pay upfront, not even a deposit; payment may be made upon check-out.  Not a bad deal.  The hotel we booked is called Beautiful Saigon Hotel.

     For our tours, I just booked with The Sinh Tourist and paid the price online.  I chose Cu Chi Tunnels and Cai Be Mekong Delta tours, and we paid VND 334,000 (more than USD 5) and USD 40.27, respectively.  Both tours were for 3 persons.  

    We have booked a cheap hotel and cheap tours, so me and my friends were all set to go.

    We went to the NAIA Terminal 3 to catch our flight.  Again, I was amused by the thermal receipts issued to us by Cebu Pacific as boarding pass.  We didn't buy seats for our flight so I urged my friends to be at the airport at least 3 hours before our flight.  Cebu Pacific already has its online check-in system in operation but it seems that you need to buy seats in order to avail of the service.  I thought people would most likely make use of this option considering that you wouldn't need to be at the airport 2 hours before your flight if you check-in online but I was wrong.  Well, as always, I asked the ground staff to give us seats in front, and what do you know, we were given seats on the 3rd row, D, E and F.  But when I checked the seat selector option earlier in the day, seat 3D is occupied.  Amazing, right? 

     The National Bookstore inside the terminal was even more amazing; now bigger and with more books inside.  We bought a magazine and a book, because a bookstore is too hard to resist, plus pens because I forgot to bring one.

     Then, it was time for our 2 and 1/2 hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City which happens to be not the capital of Vietnam (it's Hanoi, actually).  I slept all the time during our flight which was not hard to do considering we departed at 11:00 p.m.  Philippine time is an hour ahead of Vietnam time, so even if we flew for 2 and 1/2 hours, we arrived at 12:30 a.m., in Vietnam.  I turned back time! Yipee!

     When I woke up after we landed, I asked my friends if we were given arrival cards and they said there weren't any.  There's no arrival card, another yay for Vietnam. Less hassle.

     So, we finally got inside the Tan Son Nhat International Airport and it looks almost the same as our very own Terminal 3.  I promise.  Even the vicinity of the luggage conveyor looks creepily like Terminal 3.  As in.  I really felt as if I was in the Philippines instead of in Vietnam.  To check the facilities, flight schedules, etc., of Tan Son Nhat International Airport, this is their website: http://tsnairport.com/cms/en/home.

     Honestly, I didn't research much about HCMC so I just printed out the travel wiki guide for HCMC and some tips I got from the internet about a DIY city tour.  I knew that we were supposed to hire only Vinasun and Mai Linh taxis but where to find those at the airport was another matter.  But since the area immediately in front of the exit doors were littered with cars picking up their guests, we ended up waiting at the far left side.  We were wondering how to get a taxi when I noticed that the guys who were sitting beside us, chilling, were working for Vinasun and Mai Linh and some other taxi service.  The Vinasun guy, in long sleeves and tie, the color of which I forgot, got us a cab after we asked how do we get one.  He told us that a cab will arrive in 4 minutes, and indeed, a cab arrived not long thereafter.  The other ones like him from the other cab companies were sporting similar attires: long sleeved dress shirt and tie in the heat of the night.



      We got inside the taxi, and the driver promptly pressed the meter and we started our journey, a very slow journey, to our hotel in Bui Vien.  For one reason or the other, the cab driver was driving very slowly...40 kph, max.  I swear.  I was staring at the speedometer the whole time because I was so bored with his driving.  I wouldn't mind a slow drive during the day where there are a lot of cars, buses and motorcycles around, but in the dead of the night?  Are you kidding me?  Well, perhaps, the cabbie was thinking about our safety, so I was still thankful.  Our fare from airport to hotel was VND 120,000.

     Now, for the best part.  I emailed the hotel that we would be arriving in HCMC at 12:30 a.m., so they knew we were coming.  When the cab driver dropped us in front of our supposed hotel, we were confused, standing in the sidewalk like crazy people.  We were searching for the hotel but we could not find it.  But the place was right.  From the pictures, the hotel is supposed to be several steps away from Buffalo, a bar where backpackers frequent, and which was still buzzing with activity when we got there.  A little more effort in scanning the area and we saw the hotel.  It was in front of us, the same place where the cab dropped us off.  But it was closed.  The lights were off and the aluminum/stainless gate (the one used by mall shops) was down.  There was a 6-inch clearance left and we were literally on our knees peeping inside the closed hotel.  Then one of us saw a doorbell.  It was so high we needed to use something to push it.  Five minutes more had passed and someone turned on the lights. Thank god; we were waiting for at least 15 minutes already. The front-desk officer, not a security guard, woke up from her sleep, in her decent sleepwear, on a folding bed, beside the reception area.  She quickly found our room keys because she was expecting us, and we checked-in and went up to our room.  We were trying to suppress our laughters because this incident is one for the ages.

     In fairness, we were pleasantly surprised with our room.  It was decent sized, with a twin bed and a queen-sized bed, plus there was a fruit basket, with many fruits.  There were macopa, mangoes, bananas and others plus an assortment of tea and coffee.  N free bottled drinks, though.  It looked exactly as the pictures we saw in the hotel's website.  The beds were clean and comfy, the sheets were crisp and there were sparkling white rubber slippers.  And there's really a computer with wired internet inside the room and wi-fi internet.  Most important of all, the bathroom was super clean, just like what they said in their website.  Were we happy with our choice of hotel?  Of course, even if it we waited for the someone to open the doors for us.

     I think this is all for now.  My next post will be about our half-day tour to Cu Chi Tunnels.  Till then!

    

     One of the crazy schemes of Cebu Pacific to offset their low-cost mantra is flight scheduling in the dead of the night...Really, it'd make Howard Wolowitz's mother to holler, "At this unholy hour?!"  Well, whatever you save in booking your flight you spend for an extra night at the hotel, unless you choose to stay over at the airport waiting for the sun to rise.  Anyway, that was what happened in our Ho Chi Minh flight last Thursday with Cebu Pacific.  I mean, late flight and extra day at the hotel.  We departed from NAIA Terminal 3 at 23:00, and we arrived in Ho Chi Minh at 00:30 (GMT +7), with a one hour difference between Manila and Ho Chi Minh. By the time we exited the Arrival Hall of the Ta Son Nhat International Airport, I was already tired.  However, few of the good things about late night flights include the chance to use less of your treasured vacation leaves at work and to see the pretty dazzling lights of the city from the plane.  Every time the cabin lights are dimmed to give the passengers a better view of the city we're about to reach, I will almost always start to sing to myself Bright Lights by Matchbox Twenty - 

♫  and Maybe, maybe, maybe
You'll find something
That's enough to keep you

But if the bright lights don't receive you
You should turn yourself around
And come on home  ♬

      Whenever I see those bright lights below, I'll feel the anticipation rising in my veins.  What kind of discovery awaits me in my destination?  Will I be dazzled and dazed by the bright lights making me want to stay there a little bit longer?  Or will I be disappointed?  Whatever it may be, I'll always know that I only have to turn around where home is waiting.

    
     In my recently concluded trip to Vietnam (I just arrived back home less than 12 hours ago), I got really, really confused.  If I close my eyes and open them suddenly, what I see in front of me is almost like my own county...When we boarded down the plane and walked through the gate, I was so dumbstruck.  The Ta So Nhat Airport is just like our very own NAIA Terminal 3.  I was sleepy, yes, but not enough to mistake one terminal from the other, but still, the Ho Chi Minh and Manila terminals are so alike!  And even when we got out, the streets look the same here and there.  I was so dumbfounded that I almost called Ho Chi Minh, home.  Because we were on a late flight and when we got into a cab, all I could think about was, "Am I going home now?"  Really, just replace all the signage in Viet to English, then, I'd think that I'm heading home after a late flight.  But I wasn't; we were really in Ho Chi Minh, and not in Manila. Wow!  Imagine that, I went to home from home!

     Honestly, that is not the only thing the Philippines have in common with Vietnam.  The locals there also love to drink beer on the side streets, they also have street vendors selling refreshments, like soda and C2, a brand of iced tea drink from the Philippines, they have sari-sari stores (general merchandise store, the mom and pop type), and yes, they have their own version of Ermita where some foreigners (westerners) stay and party.  Vietnam is really close to home...it is almost home.

     In the coming days, I'll post my experiences in Vietnam, but right now, I'll get back to sleep and recharge some more.

     Till then!

    

     I have always admired Japan.  It is the one country that I truly wanted to visit because of its history, its people and its culture.  In fact, I've been wanting to apply for a Japanese scholarship for years because I really want to immerse myself in the Japanese culture which I find fascinating.  Since I have not set out applying for a scholarship, I've been aiming to visit Japan since last year.  I wanted to go and see the sakura this year but I deferred my plans for fall to see the foliage.  Despite the recent triple woes faced by Japan, the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, I still want to go to Japan.  I will probably push through with my fall travel plans if God allows it. 

     Perhaps, I am indebted to the Japanese people because they offered so much in terms of technology, films, anime, manga, toys and hobbies, scientific breakthroughs, scholarships, relief aid to those in need, among others.  I want to help them somehow, in some little ways that I can.  Well, helping their economy bounce back is one.  I love Japanese products, and I patronize their cosmetics, health and beauty items, especially Shiseido's Tsubaki shampoo and conditioner, and DHC.  I also love buying their manga and those cute plushies, and of course, Hello Kitty.  I think, I can also help traveling to Japan when most people would dare not to, although it's still more than half a year away, in the fall, and by that time, Japan will probably be on track in its recovery.  But I am also aware that Japan needs our help right now where it matters the most.  So, I donated to the Japan Red Cross via Google - Japan Crisis Center today.  While it may be a minuscule amount, it was sincerely given and with prayers, too.  I know people have already made their contributions in any way they can and if you want to help, here are some ways to do it:

     These are only some of the organizations which set-up donations for Japan.  Even if Japan may be a prosperous, first world country with the 3rd largest economy, the magnanimity of the destruction and loss of lives caused by the earthquake and tsunami cannot be undermined.  I hope we can all send a prayer or two, or perhaps, some aid to those afflicted by the earthquake and tsunami.

     I haven't been making much entries regarding travel the past few weeks.  I think, I still need to finish one last article regarding my Beijing trip, which is just 1/3 of the way through.  As for my supposed research for my upcoming trip to Ho Chi Mihn this week, well, let's just say that I've been so lazy to do any.  As of today, I'm kinda in a calm panic mode; the moment where I  think I strive best.  I don't know, but it seems that the Holy Spirit comes to me when I'm on a rush.  Guess, I derive inspiration from some crazy outpouring of adrenaline whenever I'm on a pinch.

      Nonetheless, I must gather all information about Ho Chi Mihn: where to exchange currency; where to eat; where to shop, etc.  That being said, I remember now that I have to send an email to the hotel I booked earlier this month to reconfirm our reservation.  I have loads to do, and I must do it before I leave for Vietnam.

     Wish me luck!

     I was at the office, working, when a huge quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.9, hit Japan., later on upgraded to 8.8.  It was 2:46 pm in Japan; in the Philippines, it was 1:46 pm.  First came the twitter updates (I monitor earthquake twitter acounts, like USGS).  Reading the tweets, I felt a wave of fear rush into me.  Fear for the safety of the people in Japan affected by the earthquakes, fear that the sea may be building tsunamis, fear for the repercussions of the quake.  Then I found a streaming site for NHK. Then I had to watch, in utter helplessness, how tsunamis ravaged the coastal areas of Japan.  Tsunamis moved swiftly; very swiftly.  Water rushed into the coast; then into the lands, destroying neatly lined farmlands, washing away houses, buildings and cars.  OMG!

   
    It was not mere sympathy that I felt right there and then.  I felt strong empathy, too.  Watching the tsunami destroys large areas in Japan in real time, made me feel so helpless.  I only had to imagine myself running away from the tsunami.  I can't outrun it; worse, the people in those areas must not have been able to run, too.

     Over in Tokyo, I was amazed at the orderly and calm movement of the people.  Their demeanor is telling: they're at least prepared in one way or the other.  And the relief and evacuation efforts were prompt in the metro.  It only shows that they're prepared for any disaster that may strike, and their preparedness is really helping.  People neatly lined at the taxi, bus and phone services. 

     Before I forget, I watched Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 early last year or late 2009.  I couldn't remember when. And I couldn't help but remember that anime by Noitama when a very strong earthquake rocked Japan.  For one, the anime was set in the very near future, 2012.  And for another, the anime was realistic.    

     I can only pray for Japan and its people.  Stay safe, seek shelter.  I'll help in the praying for you.