Philippine Travel Notes

This was one time I wished my flight would be delayed heheh! Well sorry me, it was departing not just on time, but even ahead of its published schedule (I suspected)! How'd I know that? Oh just guessing! At 0932H there it was about to dock at the gate. So I surmised, the airline's manager at Taoyuan would want to dispatch that plane at 1032H because the usual 'parking fee' that they pay is only for an hour! I wasn't sad anyway. I just wished I could stay longer to explore all the boarding gate themes of Taipei Taoyuan International Airport . But I know I'll be coming back many times soon, so I look forward to it. Look, at 10:09AM, the forward section of the aircraft belly was done loading. Nagkukwentuhan na sila! I was seated 1F, I could see the loading operations at the forward underside of the plane. Through the years of frequent traveling I learned that most of the time, when a plane's belly is not going to be full, many of our checked-in luggage a...

Its just a single letter for a difference anyway, so who cares hahaha! Hey Marlyn, are you blue? Then you'll probably be good to grill! Whaaahehehe! Took that pic this afternoon at an eatery called 'Cafe Boujeador' just near the intersection of the main highway and the road that leads up to the 'Cape Bojeador Lighthouse' in Bayog, Burgos, Ilocos Norte! Note: there is no typo in any word above. I reviewed them all hehe! Proof? See below: Cafe - or café. you know what it is Cape - a promontory (into water); headland; etc., (e.g., Cape Of Good Hope) Bojeador - the place; pronounced "boh-ya-dor" Boujeador - the restaurant's name. bakit bawal ba? ha?! so don't make angal na!!!

Ah our English! Many things trivial to us Filipinos can sometimes be interesting if not perplexing to our visiting friends. Take this case: I was proudly accompanying a Japmerican friend around the Ilocos. Yep, “Jap” – for Japanese and “merican” for American, that’s what he is since he is/was a true-blue “japon” but now lives in Hawaii – and mind you, about to finish his thesis for a doctoral degree in Asian Studies! Yes, he speaks a few Tagalog and Visayan words (kaya mahirap murahin hehe). During the bus ride from Vigan to Laoag, I caught him staring at the ceiling more than necessary, instead of looking out the window for the nice countryside views. He was smiling but sometimes would squint his eyes or crease his forehead as if trying to see something clearly or trying to understand something. So I looked in the same direction. Hesumalosep! This was what he was ogling at: He had questions, so I happily answered hehe: BodyBuilder – the guys who make the body of a bus not the gym hunk...

Goodbye Laoag and goodbye Ilocos! As if it’ll be long till I come back hehe. Some folks were actually against my taking the long bus trip again, this time to return home. But I needed to do this for the experience. Plus, taking an airline flight is actually more inconvenient for me – Quezon City is very far from the airport that it takes even longer than the flight itself to/from the airport to my abode. And the cheaper fare airline flies at such an unholy time. So Maria De Leon was it! Why did I have to go back to Laoag for this trip when I was already in Vigan earlier in the afternoon? Ah, I already explained that on first paragraph of the previous story! Besides, I really wanted to get more of this Maria De Leon thingy. From Vigan, it would have been Partas, which requires a separate story, therefore a separate roundtrip! I merrily did the leisurely walk again, this time from Hotel Tiffany towards the capitol, then the city hall and behind it, which is the Maria De Leon Bus Terminus...

Alright, the trip going back from Vigan to Laoag was uneventful. Beautiful sunset amidst the countryside as we passed along those many towns in between. This was my last day in Ilocandia and departure back for Manila was set for the night. You may be wondering why I still had to go back to Laoag which is farther north, when I was already in Vigan that should have been a bit nearer to Manila. The reason, I made Laoag as my base, where I left my things in the hotel as I roamed. Why did I do so? I knew my roam of the Ilocandia involved a lot of combination rides like jeeps, trikes and buses. The backpack, small as it may be, would have been a bit cumbersome in many situations ESPECIALLY that this region seems to have the smallest and lowest of tricycles. When the driver stands on the ground, his trike’s roof is just by his chest, so imagine where you would be hehe! I was back at Hotel Tiffany by early evening, taking my grand time to repack everything prior to dinner and eventual departur...