Home again

We got back yesterday 6/2 around noon, but we all were recovering from jet lag. I also didn't have the layovers on the way back that I did on the way over when I could post, so here's another catch up:

5/28/2007

800am (local time)

Today's activity was a day trip to Malacca, Malaysia. It was a 3.5 hour one-way trip, but I thought it was worth the time and not just because I'm a passport stamp hog. Our guide was quite the Malaysia booster and he rattled off statistics and history about the country which I liked (but didn't impress Fe or the kids). Lunch was a buffet at the Equatorial Hotel, a pretty fancy place. Kids and five-star hotels are like oil and water, though. Jason ate a bit better than Kyle (who barely had anything) and both wanted to start with dessert. I have vague memories of putting my parents through this, so it's payback time I guess.

Jason and Kyle at the Malaysia Border (Johor State)

Kyle and Jason at the Chen Hoon Teng Temple, Malaysia

Pedicab

Roadside mosque, Malaysia (along the E2)

I was surprised by how well things looked in Malaysia. The tour guide's enthusiasm must have been infectious because I'm thinking of coming back some time, maybe to visit Kuala Lumpur.

1100pm (local time)

Remember at the beginning of the story when I said I didn't believe in omens? We arrived at Changi airport in plenty of time for our 1225am flight. But when we tried to check our luggage in, the attendant said we couldn't board witout seeing the tickets for our flight to the US. We didn't have those tickets with us, they were back in Cebu. It seems that this is a Phillipine immigration rule for Filipinos like Fe who have a passport from another country. Her sister was OK since she lives in the Philippines (with a Philippine passport), so she went ahead. Me, Fe and the kids wet back to town to a budget hotel, Hotel 81. I think something is wrong with me because normally this would drive me crazy. Maybe I've achieved a true Zen state. Or maybe I'm learning the SE Asian laid back attitude. It's probably just a quiet ulcer.


5/29/2007

1030am (local time)

Spent some time in Little India on our first extra day in Singapore. Lots of gold on display, and Fe got some for her family. There was also a sort of bazaar in this section with clothes, food, shoes..all kinds of things. Jason had to go to the bathroom here and I waited while he went into a stall. Next I heard, "Daddy the toilets are low in here...real low!" Turns out they were squat toilets. Luckily for him, there was one stall with a regular toilet. I knew this trip would be educational for him.

Boys at a Little India playground

Little India Street

Kids at Raffles Hotel courtyard

5/31/2007

815am (local time)

We never got on a Cebu Pacific flight back to the Philippines. I'll never fly them again. I had to buy tickets on Silk Air to Cebu for today, in order to make our flight back to the US. This little adventure's getting expensive--I'm pretty sure I have the ulcer now. Anyway, we used the extra two days to do more sightseeing.


700pm (local time)

Finally back in Cebu, and it's a relief to know we'll make the connecting flights home. We'll be leaving on her dad's birthday, which I feel bad about, but that's the way the schedule fell. I feel worse since we spent that extra time in Singapore instead of with her family. I sent an e-mail to Cebu Pacific's customer service asking if we could get a refund on the return portion of our ticket--we'll see how that goes.

6/3/2007

So do I have any final thoughts on the vacation? Just that it was a good time with the family--even with the airline trouble--which I'm sure the kids will remember. And that (believe it or not) I was glad to get home.

It's 67 F (19 C) in Carlisle, PA...

Singapore again

5/26/2007

First full day in Singapore. We arrived at our hotel last night at about 1145pm and since it was so late, they had give our room away. They put us up at the Elizabeth hotel a few blocks away. It took some time, but everything worked out OK.

We had our half-day guided tour today. The driver was very good, we saw all of the high points: the merlion, the Raffles statue and Chinatown and the cable car ride from Mount Faber. Took the subway to Little India this evening to get money changed. Got some sweets there--they are almost too sweet!

Jason & Kyle, merlion

Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles

Me and Jason. Can you see I'm not thrilled?

Chinatown, modern buildings

We have to eat where the kids will have something, so we go to McDonald's a lot. There's more variation between countries than I thought. Rice and spaghetti are some of the things they have in the Philippines, but here in Singapore, the menu is heavy on chicken choices. We got the boys their McNuggets, but it turned out that they were spicier than back home, so they didn't eat them. It's hard to get them to try new things, but I was a picky eater too, once--imagine!



5/27/2007

Went to Sentosa Island today. A nice resort with many things to do, especially for the kids. Another merlion statue here, too. It was a hot and humid day, which took a lot out of all of us. The sun...it burnss usss!!

After Sentosa, we stopped at the hotel. I had to go back to the merlion we visited on the first day to get some souvenirs. I went myself because Fe, her sister and the boys wanted to relax a bit before the girls went shopping and I took the boys swimming. On the way to my stop, I saw an Asian Heritage Museum with free admission--a double whammy. Knowing there'd be hell to pay if I was too much later, I managed not to stop in and look, but it was a close thing. Did I mention it was free on Sunday?

It's 84 F (29 C) in Singapore...

Road to Singapore

We're leaving for Singapore today at 730pm on Cebu Pacific Airlines and arriving at Changi Airport, Singapore at aroung 1120pm. The Philippines and Singapore are in the same Time Zone, so all times are local. We're staying at the Orchard Parade Hotel, which as far as I can tell is right in the heart of downtown with easy access to the MRT and other attractions. Since we're arriving so late though, there won't be much time for sightseeing.

It's 84 F (29 C) in Lilo-an, Cebu...

Guided Tour

Yesterday, we hired a taxi to take us around Cebu to see the sights. Our driver, Marlon, was very good and while I had seen most of these things the last time I was here, there were places he knew about that we wouldn't have found.

The Taoist Temple was first. It sits at the top of a hill in a more upscale city development. I was impressed when I saw it in '95 and this time was no exception. Unfortunately Kyle wasn't quite as impressed, so we saw as much as we could before our next stop.

The entrance

Fisherman

Kyle & Jason (Kuan Yin is in the middle)

Tops is what our second stop was called. It's a flat observation area at the top of Busay hill fom where you can see the whole city and neighboring Mactan Island. When I was here with Fe on my first trip, we came at night which probably gives you a more spectacular view. Either way, the place is high enough up that it was less humid and I felt more comfortable.

Kyle and Jason at Tops

Next stop: Magellan's Cross. Actually the cross he put here is encased in the wooden one that is on display, so I don't know how much of the original is really left. There were a lot of souvenir sellers here looking for tourists like us, but we got a good deal, I think. More to the point, Fe did the haggling and said we did.

Magellan's Cross

The first Spanish settlement in the country was at Fort San Pedro, our fourth stop. Some interesting exhibits about what has been recovered from shipwrecks off the coast and the gardens inside the fort were well-maintained. Sort of reminded me of when I saw the Alamo in 1980 in that for all the build-up, there really wasn't much else here.

Fort Entrance

The shrine to Lapu-Lapu on Mactan Island was our last stop before lunch. This has changed a good bit from when I saw it the last time. They've made the place more of a park with trees and flowers which was a big improvement. They also painted the bronze statue of Lapu-Lapu which (IMHO) was not. Different tastes, I guess.

Jason And Kyle

Lapu-Lapu

I have to mention lunch. This was a place the driver knew about behind all of the souvenir shops that served seafood caught right off the island. We had steamed shrimp, garlic scallops, sweet and sour fish, fried calamari (squid) and tinola, a sort of stewed fish (called Lapu-Lapu of all things) with broth served in mugs. Everything was great, except I didn't eat the squid or finish much of the broth--I was too hot.

Our final stop was a hotel called Shangri-La. This was the driver's idea, probably because the hotel grounds had a kind of zoo with Philippine deer and ostriches. We walked around the place a bit, and it was very posh with several pools, a white-sand beach, full gymnasium and a kids play area. It was around $250/night so I won't be staying here anytime soon. As we left the complex, I saw a bunch of kids scrabbling around looking for scrap. I know this sounds preachy, but this bothered me for some reason.

Fe and the boys at Shangri-La

It's 86 F (30C) in Lilo-an, Cebu...

What the guidebook doesn't tell you

Toilet Paper
Never leave home without it, as the old commercial used to say. It's a rare public restroom that has it and when you find one that does, remember it. Obviously, I've only been in the mens' rooms, but Fe says the ladies' rooms don't provide paper, either. If you can't take a roll with you, get extra napkins at a restaurant. You won't be sorry!

Roosters
Nature's alarm clocks. If you stay outside of the city, you're going to hear these. What a surprise for me to learn that they don't just cock-a-doodle-doo at sunrise and then shut up. Those of you who grew up in the countryside probably knew this, but everything I learned about roosters came from TV. By my reckoning, they start at 230 am and are still at it in the afternoon. Oh well.

Schedules
This is more of a cultural thing, but if you say something like, "Let's meet at 10," this can mean that you won't start until 1030 or 1100. People here are far more laid back and don't really see the need to rush or "punch a timeclock." I wish I wasn't so uptight about it; I'm sure if I stayed long enough I'd learn to be more relaxed, but it would take a while.

Fast Food
Cebu has all the major ones we have in the US--McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dunkin' Donuts--plus some Filipino ones as well. The big difference is that when you're done with your meal, you just leave the tray and garbage on the table. There are employees who will clean up after you. In fact, if you start to take it to the trash, they'll come to get it from you. I will never get used to this.

Traveler's Checks
I think most guidebooks will tell you that this is the safest way to carry cash and they're right. I was uncomfortable carrying $3000 around in my pocket, so I converted most of my cash to AAA Visa checks--against Fe's advice. The checks said they'd be accepted anywhere and there were even toll-free numbers for assistance to the merchant in how to cash them. No one was interested in that--they just shook their heads when asked about them. Singapore might have been different, but I needed the cash in Cebu. I finally got them cashed at a "contact" her mother had. My white-bread world upbringing screamed "Black Market!" but everything turned out fine. My advice is use them if you want peace of mind, but if you can be careful and want the convenience of cash--don't.

It's 88 F (31 C) in Lilo-an, Cebu...

Birthday Party

We just had a combined Birthday Party for Jason and Kyle at Jollibee. Kyle was slow to get into it, but eventually he did. Since they didn't really know anyone there, they were both a little shy. The people at the restaurant did an excellent job and everyone had a great time.

Balloons

Party Guests (some of them)

Birthday Boys

Center of Attention

Grandmother and Great Aunt (we call them both "Lola")

Fe dancing with the Jollibee...Hey, don't get too jolly!

It's 86 F (30 C) in Cebu City, Cebu...

Catching up

Internet connections aren't as easy to come by here and I've been kind of busy, so here's what we've been doing the past few days.

Now I know that none of my colleagues are reading this during work hours, but just in case there are a few bad apples out there, remember to clear your history!!

5/12/2007

700 pm (EDT)

"A 15-hour trip by air" is just so many words until you actually do it. We left LA at 11:50pm (PDT) and arrived in Hong Kong at 540 am local time. What was weird was that we didn't see the sun once during the flight. The kids were really great, too. Another of my worries that proved unfounded. I had an aisle seat which made all the difference. You'd be surprised how many times two bathrooms on a 747 full of people can be occupied, though.

1100 am local 1100 pm (EDT)

Mabuhay! We are finally here in Cebu. My hopes for careers in the State Department for the boys were dashed as soon as we left the plane. Jason said, "It's like an oven in here!" Which was followed by Kyle's observation that "It smells like sweat!" Maybe Henry Kissinger said things like that as a child, but I doubt it.

Fe's family met us at the airport in a rented jeepney. I could tell that her parents were really excited to see their grandsons. There were hugs and kisses and handshakes all around. I think the boys were a bit overwhelmed by it, especially when we were riding the jeepney to her parents' house. We're not in Pennsylvania anymore!

Kids at Work

A Future Dinner

5/13/2007

400 pm local 400 am (EDT)

Went to mass today at San Rocque chapel. Fe said it would be in English and for the most part it was, but about midway through the homily the priest started speaking Cebuano. It was like all of a sudden the dubbing tape broke!

5/17/2007

800 am local 800 pm (EDT)

We are spending two days on a neighboring island, Bohol. It takes about two hours to get there from Cebu on an Oceanjet. I have only spent time in the more built-up areas of Cebu, so it's probably not fair to compare the two, but I find Bohol to be more what I first imagined the Philippines would be like. I've been told that they are purposefully developing Bohol for tourists, so that may be why. It's certainly less congested and I've noticed that the roads and signs are better. Can you tell I work for the DOT?

Loboc River

Jason & Tarsier

Kyle & Tarsier

Chocolate Hills

100pm local 100 am (EDT)

Dumaluan is the name of the resort we're staying at which is about 30 minutes from Tagbilaran (the capital of Bohol). It's on Panglao island, which is part of Bohol Province. At this rate, I'll reach all 7,107 islands in no time.

Dumaluan Resort

Boats off Shore

The big news in the country is the 2007 nationwide elections for Senators and mayors. I wanted to see a working voting or polling place, but we didn't get a chance to. Anyway, while we were riding through Tagbilaran, I saw people still tallying the votes on a huge chalkboard. Fe said that there are no electronic or automatic voting machines, so everything is hand counted and it takes a while. At least I haven't heard anything about hanging chads...

5/19/2007

730 am local 730pm (EDT)

This is the last day of the fiesta here in Lilo-an. The day started at 445 am when the local band came through to wake the town up. It worked. More of Fe's relatives are coming in, so we'll be staying close to her house today. But we'll make a quick trip into town to pick up our tickets to Singapore. I can't wait. Me in SE Asia is like Rush Limbaugh on Oxycontin!

It's 90 F (32 C) in Lilo-an, Cebu...

And so it begins...

It's 9:45pm PDT as I write this but I'm still on EDT, so it's 1245am. Oh well, next trip, I'll fly east to west.

830am

We took both cars to Fe's aunt to park while we were gone. The kids were riding in Fe's car and while I was making sure they were settled, I put the mail on her roof, thinking, "Don't forget it!!'" Well, I forgot it. She pulled away and I ran down the block to catch her at the stop light. That was the only time I wished a red light wouldn't change. Only got one back, but the crossing guards on our corner got the rest. Good thing I don't believe in omens...

1230pm

This is the first time I've been in Harrisburg International's (HIA's) new terminal. Very convenient and it was easy to get bags checked in. Made it through the TSA screening fine...they were very good with the kids and patient with everyone. I always knew it was a good idea to make them Federal civil servants. We're about two hours early for the flight, but I've got my laptop, the kids have their Gameboys and Fe is chatting with her friend Jan who's flying with us as far as Cebu. She's done this more often than us, so we'll have someone to follow.

Precious Cargo

340pm

A short hop to Cincinnati International and my first airplane ride since 1995. Even though I know what extending landing gear sounds like, I'll never get used to it. I wanted to post from the airport, but there was no wireless connection. A free one, that is. I could've paid T mobile $6/hr for the privilege (plus 10 c every additional minute), but those who know me can predict what I thought of that! I hope that someday the US will be blanketed with wireless internet--in fact, I will make it my mission. As God is my witness I'll never be web-less again!


630pm (EDT)

We're on a Boeing 757 now, Much more powerful than the one we had taken from HIA. Some pretty rough turbulence, but that's not unusual, I assume. Drinks and snacks got tossed around and Fe was pretty shook up. The kids didn't seem to be too scared, though. We could see canyons from the plane, but not the Grand Canyon. We were south of that according to the pilot. As we approached Los Angeles, I saw more signs of humanity including a beautiful 10-lane highway. Ahh, civilization...


930 pm (EDT)

LAX is pretty neat. I saw the control tower that they always show on TV, but we were too far away for a picture. Lots of different people all around and you can hear almost every language over the intercom. We had a scare at the TSA checkpoint because Fe couldn't find her purse. Once again though, the screener who had it was very nice. She told us it was flagged because the bag carrying our toothpaste and shaving cream was too big.

De Planes!! De Planes!!

At LA International Airport, where the big jet engines roar...

T minus 2 days

Here's the travel schedule and flight numbers. All times are local.

10 May
Lv Harrisburg (MDT) 220P Delta 5053L
Ar Cincinnati (CVG) 356P

10 May
Lv Cincinnati (CVG) 440P Delta 376L
Ar Los Angeles (LAX) 620P

10 May
Lv Los Angeles (LAX) 1150P Cathay 883V
12 May
Ar Hong Kong (HKG) 525A

12 May
Lv Hong Kong (HKG) 850A Cathay 921V
Ar Cebu (CEB) 1130A

It's 75 F (24 C) in Carlisle, PA...

T minus 3 days

First day of a short work week.

Both Fe and I are trying to get things set up for our time away from our jobs. I think I'm having an easier time of it, though. My job can be high-pressure occasionally, but hers is more of a steady, constant pressure. I know this because of the headaches she brings home from work.

I read somewhere--NY Times, probably--that most Americans don't take long vacations because of the worry that things will be too piled up when they return. I have that concern, but I'm also hoping things don't run too smoothly while I'm gone. No need for anyone to think I'm dispensible...

It's 68 F (20 C) in Carlisle, PA...