GRABbed

I had an interesting conversation with my GrabCar driver last April 7 on my way home from NAIA.

First, he shared that he is an on-call Grab driver of Rocco Nacino. He often calls him for a city tour, a maximum of eight hours traveling within the metro for either business or leisure.

In Rocco's case, it's always going to various locations to pick-up costumes and to attend tapings. He praised Rocco as "mabait and sobrang accommodating."

When I asked if Rocco and Lovi are still together, he said he's not sure. Well, I assume Rocco won't let Lovi ride in just a GrabCar, right? It makes me wonder though if Rocco has a car and if yes, who uses it then?

Second, aside from being a driver, he is also a Fire Volunteer and a licensed help saver. "Marami nang nawalan ng buhay sa kamay ko," he said, referring to casualties in emergency situations.

He blamed the heavy traffic in the metro as the real cause behind some of these deaths. "Ang biyahe na 5 minutes lang to the hospital, nagiging 10-15 minutes dahil sa traffic. E ang golden time for survival is 10 minutes lang."

Next, he admitted that he was a former drunkard. "Gym instructor pa ako nun pero ang lakas ko uminom." Good thing is that he stopped drinking heavily recently.

Fourth, he said that he's health conscious. Ironically, he sleeps for a short amount of time each day because he juggles his regular driving job and volunteer work seven days a week.

Fifth, he shared that Grab has an incentive program for drivers wherein if they finished a total of five (5) rides within 5PM to 10PM regardless of distance, the fare for each booking will be converted to a minimum of PHP300 (making their incentive bigger).

This, however, is hard to achieve since it is considered rush hour and they are often left optionless but to spend 1-1.5 hours for just one ride.

***

Despite my lack of rest from a 3-day, 3-city business tour, this driver still managed to grab my attention because of his simple yet colorful life.

I don't get much of similar stories these days because sadly, what everyone talks are politics and traffic.

Battle of the Planes

Let's face it...travelling is not cheap. Behind every Instagram-worthy photo (and ten hashtags) is a number of considerations: airfare, accommodation, food, allowance, tour fees, and cost for souvenirs.

While it's true that travelling is costly, you can make it less burdensome by choosing the cheapest flights available (most of which you can book at 2AM!)

I've been to a number of economy flights both in Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific (CEB) and I can't help but cite some differences:

PLAY. Cebu Pacific has an in-flight game where they give away up to three simple prizes (the first and only item I won was a lunch bag). The cabin crew either asks you to raise something (seated 'Bring Me' game) or answer easy questions. If you're in PAL, just entertain yourself with apps on your mobile phone because they don't have in-flight games.

EAT. Philippine Airlines gives passengers a complimentary cup of water, coffee, or tea, and bread. If you're riding CEB, better fill up before the flight so you won't starve 2,000 feet above sea level.

REST. PAL is more considerate because the leg room in their air bus is way more comfortable than in CEB. It's like riding JoyBus (the bus line going to Northern provinces where passengers can recline their seat for almost 180°) compared to riding a public bus.

READ. CEB still provides complimentary copies of Smile Magazine in every flight which I highly appreciate. In my last two flights in PAL, I didn't see a single copy of Mabuhay, their in-flight magazine. It's not surprising though, considering their recent retrenchment efforts.

VIEW. PAL air buses are installed with small screens that show the current location of the plane relative to the destination. This is helpful in case you wonder which part of the world you are currently in.

LEARN. CEB pre-flight safety instructions are acted out by the cabin crew wherein PAL just projects them on screen. I think that most people learn from demonstration than mere projection.

EARN. PAL has Mabuhay Miles while CEB has GetGo Points for loyal passengers. Miles/Points earned can be used for future travels, discounts, and other freebies.

Admittedly, this list does not include who has the widest network of local and international destinations.

In summary, if you're looking for comfortable and relaxing flight (without the fun fare), it's best to go with PAL. If you're eager to take home flight mementos like CEB merchandise and their magazine for your future travels, then by all means choose CEB.

Nice-to-know: It's not a secret that CEB flights can be uber cheap because of their frequent Piso (PHP1) Fare promotions (which, thankfully, has brought me to Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia). When you're in Piso Fare flights though, don't expect for food unless you're willing to shell out PHP300 for a sandwich.

Whether you're a loyal PAL or CEB flyer, it's important that you genuinely look forward to the exciting journey and destination that will make everything worthwhile. It's best to be a smart traveler—someone who spends less but experiences more.

Happy travels!

*Photo not mine

Fast thrills in Cebu!

I was on a 20-hour business trip in Cebu last Thursday.

I stayed at Crown Regency Hotel and Towers where an extreme adventure facility called Sky Experience Adventure is installed atop it.

I thought it would be a thrilling experience so I paid for any two (2) rides costing PHP750.

First, I rode the Edge Coaster, the first-of-its-kind in the country, wherein I sat on a tractor-like equipment that went around the 38th floor of the tower. Riders can tilt their seats up to a little less than 90°.

I met Kaye (not sure about the spelling), whose husband didn't want to go with her. We were the first two riders of the day.

The scare begun when our cart approached the first corner because it automatically tilted. After that we had full control of the situation, but because we didn't know it then, we were on a 90° tilt up to halfway through the second corner!

The ride was approximately three minutes only.

Me and Kaye attempt to be brave but only managed this much of a tilt

Next stop is the Tower Zip located at the 40th floor (accessible by steel ladders). It is a two-way, eight second each zipline that transports riders from the CRHT tower to a rooftop of another building.

I had the option to sit or hang myself upside down during the rides but I just sat because it was my first time in a city zipline.

It was less scary than the Edge Coaster.

That awkward smile shows both my excitement and nervousness

Other activities you can try in Sky Experience Adventure are the Sky Walk, Wall Climb, and Tower Climb.

You can opt to try any one ride for PHP550 or any three rides for PHP1,000. For more details about this adventure, you can visit this LINK.

TIPS: Have some spare cash because you would need a PHP100 deposit for the baller and PHP200 deposit for the locker (gadgets and otger valuables are prohibited within the activity premises).

They have official photographers to document your adventure (but at costly rates). You can get one 6R photo for PHP150. If you can't choose among the shots, you can get at least seven (7) of them with a 2GB USB starting at PHP600.

Anyone can go straight to Sky Experience Adventure even if you're not staying at Crown Regency. It opens daily starting 2PM.

Lakbay Lokal: Bataan and Corregidor

I had a meaningful Holy Week retreat and travel with my high school buddies Khaye, Lei, and Derick last March 23-27.

We stayed at Lei's house in Bgy. Ombon, Abucay, Bataan, the municipality before Balanga (the capital). Bataan is a historical province in Central Luzon, having been home to the Filipino and American-Japanese War during World War II. (You can review the rest of the province's history on this link)

Here is a sample D-I-Y itinerary for those who want to backpack and revisit historical sites around the province.


March 23 (Day 0)

Evening:

• Three to four-hour travel from Manila to Bataan via Bataan Transit. The Manila terminal is located at Doroteo Jose. You can easily reach it via LRT Line 1. Fare is PHP200 only.

March 24 (Day 1)

Morning:

• From Abucay, we took a tricycle (jeepneys are also widely accessible for PHP10 only) to Balanga then rode a bus going to Mariveles (fare is about PHP40 only). 
• Before reaching Mariveles, we got off at Bgy. Cabcaben then hired a tricycle (PHP10 each) to bring us to Cabcaben Port--the departure area for boats heading to Corregidor.
• Tip: The boat can accommodate up to 8 pax for PHP3,500. The rate doesn't change whether your group is below 8 pax. It would be nice to join another group to save money. The boat will be on standby until 4PM in the island.
• Nice-to-know: The locals and the Coast Guard have a good working relationship and they look after the safety of tourists. CG officers inspected our boat and life vests before they allowed us to sail.

All aboard!

High Noon to Early Afternoon: "Corregidor Tour"

• Entrance to Corregidor is PHP200 per pax while the tour fee is PHP800 for one open jeepney.

"Welcome to Corregidor Island"

Our tour jeepney

• Tip: If you're lucky, your driver will serve as your tour guide and you can just give him a tip (in our case, a humble PHP100). If you're looking for a professional tour guide though, better be prepared to pay more, of course.
• We visited the following sites for two hours: Middleside Barracks; Battery Way; Mile Long Barracks; Battery Hearn; Pacific War Memorial; Pacific War Museum; Spanish Light House; Japanese Memorial Garden; Filipino War Heroes Memorial ("Dedicated to the Filipino who knows how to die for love of freedom and liberty"); Cine Corregidor; Bachelor Officers' Quarters; Eternal Flame of Freedom; San Jose Church; and Malinta Tunnel (fortunately, we were allowed to enter the tunnel). 

Middleside Barracks

Cannons in Battery Way

Mile-long Barracks

The Memorial.
Fun Fact: On May 6 (Fall of Corregidor) each year, the sun aligns with the hole on the circular ceiling, casting direct light on the marble marker beneath it. (see photo below)

The marble marker

Rear view of the Memorial

Another marker to commemorate the heroism of Filipino and American soldiers during the war

Posing before a tile mosaic in the War Museum

A lot "Oh..." and "So..." moments during our museum tour 

The Spanish light house

On the staircase going to the light house balcony

At the Filipino Heroes Memorial Park

The gorgeous Cine Corregidor

Eternal Flame of Freedom steel sculpture overlooking the sea

The plain San Jose Church

The obligatory tourist shot in front of Malinta Tunnel (I bet almost everyone who's been there has a similar shot)

Malinta Tunnel is like an administrative building during the war. This passageway was once an infirmary

• Visiting the island for the first time in ten years (and with more mature bearing) was worth my while!
• Fact: Corregidor Island now belongs to Cavite, not Bataan. "Baka wala sila (Cavite) masyadong tourist attractions kaya kinuha. Sana sa 'min na lang uli," said a local when I asked for her reaction.
• Tip: We had lunch at a carinderia within the island (one of only four, I think). If you have plenty of budget, you can get a nice meal for PHP150 but we preferred to be thrifty so we just shared two big cans of Century Tuna, two scrambled eggs, and one cup of rice, and halu-halo each. Good company with simple food for PHP115 each only! Sulit! Sarap! Tipid!
• Tip: If you want to have some siesta in the island, you can rent a tent for PHP500 only (no time limit).

Afternoon

• We headed back to Cabcaben Port and proceeded to Sisiman, a town in Mariveles, via tricycle (PHP60 each). If you're picky, you can ride the public bus (PHP70) or private bus (about PHP100).
• We searched for the lightless light house which has a breathtaking reputation (based on some bloggers who were there years prior) but is now a disappointing victim of careless local tourism operations and industrialization activities on the side of the bay.

Expectations:

Photos grabbed from The Filipina Explorer blog

Reality:

Apparently, the saying "looks can be deceiving" also applies to blog photos now

•  The treck approaching the light house is now filled with make shift huts rented by families who go there for swimming. A lot of trash are scattered in the area, too!

Evening

• Simple dinner back at Abucay courtesy of Lei's cousin, Ate Che, who cooked all our delicious seafood meals for the entire trip!

March 25 (Day 2)

Morning to High Noon

• We watched "Senakulo," (Passion Play) which depicts the passion of Christ. The Senakulo went around the various "kubol" (roughly translated as temporary shelter. In this case, shelter for the station of the cross and venue for Pabasa during Holy Week) around Bgy. Omboy.
• The heat was exhausting so we weren't able to finish the Senakulo. Unlike us, the devotees had such admirable faith for bearing the heat, and their thirst and hunger.

One of the many devotees who play Jesus Christ during Senakulo

The role playing continues but the actors playing Jesus Christ alternate. Notice the change in fabric, style of crown, and the appearance of the slippers?

Afternoon: "Mt. Samat trip" 

• 4 PM. We rushed to Mt. Samat in Pilar, Bataan, via tricycle (PHP75 each) because it closes by 5 PM. We arrived 30 minutes earlier than the crunch time.
• Nice-to-know: Some visitors walk from the foot of the mountain to the Shrine of Valor ("Dambana ng Kagitingan") but it eats up a lot of time and energy. The best way is to hire a tricycle to bring you to and from the base of the Shrine for PHP200 each per pax.   
• Entrance to the shrine is PHP20 only.

Just another obligatory tourist shot

• Tip: You have to climb about 500 steps to reach the foot of the Shrine (that popular 60-feet White Cross). I'm proud to say that we made it for 8 minutes only! Indeed, stretching is the best preparation for any hike.

Private road for vehicles going to the foot of the mountain where Shrine of Valor stands

• Nice-to-know: The base of the Shrine is adorned with stone sculptures of national heroes and different times in Philippine history. It is semi-challenging to identify who is who and what is what so better review your history lessons first!

Do you see Jose Rizal, Antonion Luna, and Andres Bonifacio?

Behind us is the Memorial Plaza where most political and historical functions are held annually

• Tip: The elevator going up the horizontal part of the cross overlooking Manila Bay and South China Sea is under construction this year so we didn't get the chance to revisit it (and for Derick, walk through it the first time). It's better to visit instead in 2017 when SMDC has already installed a new and improved lift service.

Evening

• Dinner at Ima's Pamangan Restaurant. I had Tilapia with Rice for PHP95 only. It's best to have it with Ima's bagoong! Their rice, however, was not good because it's not that hot and soft. Also, their customer service is underwhelming.

Late Evening

• We engaged in lengthy conversations about our love for travel and how it widens one's perspective about culture and life.

March 25 (Day 3)

Morning

• We spent the day playing with Lei's nephews Andrew (5 y.o.), Olsen (3 y.o.), and Matthew (3 y.o.). We also sang along to OPM hits with Lei's cousin Pungay.

Afternoon

• We went back to Balanga Terminal to send Derick off (back to Manila!) because he had church duties.
• We visited Balanga plaza and the Balanga Church adjacent to it.

Balanga Church on a Saturday afternoon

A Death March marker in Balanga town plaza

• We headed to Balanga Elementary School which houses the Balanga World War II Museum. Retired school teachers now serve as museum guides. Entrance fee is PHP50 only per head.

Museum facade

The official surrender site of the Americans to the Japanese

Long shot of the museum and the surrender site

• Disclaimer: It's not the typical war museum filled with artifacts and photos and accounts of war casualties. It's mostly filled with tarpaulins and dioramas chronicling the war. Clearly they need more funding and support.
• Nevertheless, it's a good supplement to the tours that we previously had in Corregidor and Mt. Samat (and the museum below it). Now I'm more aware of the roles Bataan, Corregidor, Pampanga, and Tarlac played during the war (the last two being significant during Death March). I guess it's time to see the War Museum in Tarlac where thousands of prisoners of war were tortured and executed. 

Evening

• We pampered in a Swedish massage and pedicure (yes, travel kasi e!) at a local spa back in Bgy. Omboy.
• We had dinner at Juan Kainan, an eatery near the municipal plaza. We had filling omelettes for PHP50 only and the three of us shared in one huge bowl of Lomi for PHP120 only!

The filling Lomi soup 

• After dinner, we headed to Parokya ng Santo Domingo de Guzman (Abucay Church) and waited for the Black Saturday procession to start.

Glowing exterior of Abucay Church

Church interior

Santa Maria Jacobe

San Jose de Arimatea

Midnight: Salubong sa Pasko ng Pagkabuhay (Easter Sunday)

• Still at Parokya ng Santo Domingo de Guzman. The Abucay way of celebrating Easter Sunday is different from what I know from Tondo Church. 
• About 50 cute female angels composed the choir and sang Filipino worship songs prior and during the reunion of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.
• A female kerubin (angel) was lowered from the steel set-up to sing the main worship song and get Mary's black veil--signaling the rebirth of Jesus Christ. 

The structure where the angel was lowered from to get Mary's veil

Jesus is back on the altar after the Salubong

• What impressed me was that the celebration was well-organized. No one was irrationally cutting lines or squeezing themselves into other people's spaces. 

March 26 (Day 4)

Afternoon

• Before heading back home, we went to Bataan Tourism Center, the sole authorized seller of souvenirs and delicacies from the province.

• We had several tourist maps (which, honestly, should be made available in every tourist attraction!) and we also visited their small contemporary gallery with more Death March dioramas and paintings from young Bataan artists.

Death March dioramas at Bataan Tourism Center gallery. On the right side is a diorama depicting POWs carried by a box car (originally used for transporting sugar) to Tarlac. Hundreds of them were squeezed in like sardines, all standing. Unfortunately, some of them didn't make it and they died during the transport.

Still at Bataan Tourism Center gallery

Holy Week sightings

• "Nagpapadugo" - literally translated as "forces blood out." These are men who whip their back until it bleeds while walking through long distances with their face usually covered.

Just few of the many "nagpapadugo" men in Abucay

• "Kubol" in every corner, of different styles and themes, featuring different state of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary.
• "Ang Pagdakip kay Hesus" (The Capture of Jesus Christ) - a role play depicting the arrest of Jesus Christ when Judas betrayed him. It is a dramatic play where actors dressed as Judas and the Jews ask locals where Jesus is. Some would shout and look beyond the gates as a sign of suspicion that the townfolks are hiding Him.

Bataan is a good place to travel to weekend getaways. It's accessible, cheap, and has a lot of offerings--places, food, traditions, and history.

Aside from knowing it's rich war history, it was also nice to witness the way locals commemorate Holy Week so they can pass on their faith and traditions to the next generation. 

I've been to Bataan and Corregidor twice now and I'm sure I'll be back again!

Note: All photos grabbed from Khaye and Derick's albums. My phone was stolen when we were on the way to Bataan from Manila :(