"The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari"

I stumbled upon this self-help book by writer and leadership guru Robin Sharma while browsing through the Personality Development section of Fully Booked.

I didn't pick it up the first time. I knew I would when the right time comes. And it did...three weeks ago when I was thinking of moving out of my comfort zone. 

The message could not have been more apt: be a monk, sell your ferrari. In essence, focus on the essential and rid yourself of life's excesses. Sharma didn't attempt to conceal it either, putting a tagline that it's "a fable about fulfilling your dreams and reaching your destiny."

In the book (also in Wikipedia), the story revolves around two characters, former law colleagues Julian Mantle and John, immersed in a 12-hour long conversation. Julian narrates his spiritual experiences during a Himalayan journey which he takes after selling his holiday home and red Ferrari. A successful trial lawyer, Julian collapses from a heart attack while arguing a case in court, and his lengthy recovery leads him to seek a spiritual path in the Himalayan mountains, under the Sages of Sivana, from whom he receive wise and practical lessons which bring drastic changes in his life. 

Julian shares valuable life lessons to John through a short story hiding The 7 Timeless Virtues of Enlightened Living. 

Here's the summary: "There was a [3] sumo wrestler who walked out of a [2] lighthouse in the middle of a [1] beautiful garden with nothing more than a [4] pink wire cable covering his private parts. While walking, he slipped on a [5] shiny gold stopwatch and fell to the ground. After what seemed like an eternity, he regained consciousness when the fragrance of the [6] yellow roses reached his nose. He then jumped to his feet in delight and was astonished to see a long, winding [7] path studded with millions of tiny diamonds. Of course the sumo wrestler took the path and, in doing so, lived happily ever after."

To spare you some time, here are the meaning of these virtues, according to Sharma:

Go pick up the book if you're into self-help. It probably won't bore you because the lessons are hidden in the form of a short story. It is unlike most self-help books these days which promise guaranteed change! in life after few bullet points and examples.

It's also helpful for meditation and Buddhism enthusiasts :)

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.

Southeast Asia: Cambodia

Part 1 of my seven-day Southeast Asia backpacking tour featuring Siem Reap, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia

I spent several days travelling alone last year. Finally I was able to backpack in other countries--something that I've always wanted to do. 

I started with two cities in Cambodia and one in Vietnam from June 2-9 (a total of 7 days). 

Why these countries, you may ask. First, because they don't require Visa for Filipinos since we are neighbors (Southeast Asia represent!). Second, most of my friends have been there and they promised that the cost of living is cheap. Lastly, Buddhism is largely practiced in these parts of the world.

Here is my itinerary for those of you who also plan to go :)


SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA
(June 2-4; 8-9)

Mode of transportation: Two-hour plane ride from NAIA to Siem Reap International Airport.

Currency: US Dollar (USD) is widely accepted. You can also use Cambodian Riel (KHR) but it's more complicated to compute. I just used it to secure souvenir bills.

Other travelling tips to Cambodia can be found HERE and HERE.


June 2

Midnight: 

• Airport arrival
• Bought a local SIM with 1-mo. unlimited surfing data for only USD5.
• Picked up at the airport by the Tuk Tuk driver of my customer intuitive hostel, the Siem Reap Hostel (highly recommended for backpackers, btw).

• For late dinner, I had a traditional Khmer Fish Amok (presented inside a coconut shell) for USD6 at Triangle Restaurant Lounge Bar, where, coincidentally, the singers are Pinoys too. It's one of the countless restaurants and bars found along Pub Street, arguably Siem Reap's liveliest area for partying, dining, shopping, and night life.

June 3

Early morning until early afternoon

• Woke up early for the Small Circuit Temple Tour for a standard rate of USD 15 (you may ask your hostel staff to book you one). We started off with Angkor Wat, the lovely religious temple built during the 12th century.
• Unable to hide my excitement, I literally shouted when I approached it. For me, going to places is always better than reading about them in history books.
• Note: Entrance fee to Angkor Wat is USD20. It's best to visit before sunrise so you can witness the magical color transformation of the sky from red-orange, orange, yellow, to shades of blue. It's a visual treat!

• Next stop: Bayon Temple, located north of Angkor Wat, is best known for having multiple massive stone faces of bodhisattva Avalokitshvara. You can find locals dressed in traditional costumes who accommodate paid photo opportunities.

 

• Third temple: Ta Phrom Temple, made more famous by the tress that grew out of the ruins and the jungle-like surroundings. Sadly, most of the mini temples were being renovated when we visited so we didn't see much.

• Last stop: Bapun Temple, a quadrangular temple with steep staircases leading to the highest point where a seemingly open door stands.

• For lunch, I had a Chicken Lok Lak for about USD8. It is a popular local dish which I favored over Amok since it's more visually appealing and flavorful (with meat, eggs, veggies, tasty sauce, and fried rice).
• Fortunately, I met some of the most adventurous one-woman backpackers Eloise (from UK) and Nurul (from Malaysia) in Angkor Wat and we all happened to stay in the same hostel. We spent the entire trip together while sharing thoughts about our countries, travels, religions, and some personal matters. Truly an experience worth more than any passport stamp!

Afternoon

• We took a break from the overwhelming temple tour and went back to our hostel to swim at the pool then take a nap :)
• I met my new roommate, Orlaith (pronounced Orla) from Ireland, and I invited her to join us for our planned trip that evening.

Evening

• To my overwhelming delight, we watched Phare, the Cambodian Circus for USD18 inside, no less than, a circus tent! The best thing about Phare is that it's circus with theater (acrobatics complete with acting, miming, and audience interaction). More than being a performing arts group, Phare is also a social enterprise that uplifts the lives of underprivileged youth by exposing them into artistic endeavors (which made me even happier!)
• After the show, we had dinner at Pub Street. Eloise invited her classmate back in UK, James and his girlfriend Ester, to join us.

• I had a Shrimp Pad Thai (yap, in Cambodia) for about USD6. It tasted authentic, to say the least.

Me, James, Nurul, Orlaith, Ester, and Eloise

Orlaith, Ester, and Eloise

• After dinner, we had some drinks at a rooftop in one of Pub Street bars. We played an entertaining Yes-No asking game (3 rounds) where we identified the secret names on our foreheads featuring Personalities, Musicians, and Cartoon Characters as categories. Picture this, six strangers on one table with some cigarettes (for them) and lots of beers and alcohols (also for them; I just had one) having fun without prejudice! Now that's why I went solo backpacking in the first place: to be an anonymous personality amid a crowd whom I can learn from and be inspired of.
• We head on our separate ways the following day. I woke up early to go to Phnom Penh; Nurul headed to another province in Cambodia; Eloise went to Lao PDR; while Orlaith, James, and Ester, continued their Siem Reap adventure.

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA

(June 4-6)

Mode of transportation: Bus. Sleeper buses are more expensive than public buses but preferable when you're seeking comfort and the assurance that more tourists are also on board. Six-hour ride along agricultural fields and underdeveloped highways (Siem Reap is a province after all, remember?)

Best time to travel: Early morning so you can arrive at Phnom Penh by early afternoon and still have a lot of time to stroll.

June 4

Morning until early afternoon

• My breakfast consisted of bread-and-butter-and-jam; milk, and fruit slices available at our hostel for only USD2.

• I took on a six-hour bus ride to Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. I only took a public bus which meant that there were more locals than tourists. Luckily, I sat beside Kamsan, a local who knows how to speak English and is a fan of Manny Pacquiao so I didn't have a hard time during the trip! He was also generous in accompanying me throughout all our bus stops. He even gave me a rice cake; their local version of our "suman."
• I also met a Cambodian Theravada Buddhism student who was travelling with his 'best friend,' a Chinese Mahayana Buddhism student. I thought then that they were having an affair!
• When I arrived in Phnom Penh, I hired a motorcycle driver to take me to Sundance Riverside Guest House. Unfortunately, he doesn't speak good English so we got lost for about 15 minutes locating my place. To keep it brief, I would say that my choice of Sundance was wrong because it is frequented by old Caucasian expats, hence, I didn't earn a new traveler friend :(
• Because I got tired of that morning's travel, I just spent the afternoon lazying off in my bed and watching "That Awkward Moment" and the French Open on TV. 

Evening

• I had dinner at Phnom Penh Night Market, their version of our Divisoria. Like the locals, I ate a Miche (fried noodles with leafy veggie in beef sauce) while sitting on a mat. I engaged with two school teachers who were genuinely nice! They even gave me a star keychain as a souvenir :)

June 5

Morning until afternoon

• I visited the infamous Cheoung Ek Genocidal Center (Killing Fields) and learned a lot about Cambodia's genocide history from '75-'79. It was a sad and depressing experience (imagine, Cambodians killing Cambodians). The multilingual audio tour was a great idea though (if the intention was to scare tourists more than educate them of what really happened in various areas of the Fields). I also saw the Killing Tree where executioners beat children to death :(

• Next stop: Toul Seng Genocide Museum (S21). The torture rooms and equipment, prison cells, and victims' photos did little to ease my sadness. Besides being more haunting than the Killing Fields, it is an indispensable part of any Phnom Penh tour.
• I canvassed for souvenirs at Phnom Penh Central Market but only managed to buy ref magnets because 1) I was concerned with my budget since I was just in the middle of the trip and 2) some vendors were impatient.

• Before heading back to Sundance, I strolled around Royal Palace, the official residence of the Royal Family. It was closed during that time so I wasn't able to see the Silver Pagoda. I had to be contented with the facade. Interesting enough, the park in front of the Palace is open to the public. It's like bringing Luneta Park in front of Malacanang Palace! You can sum up an ordinary Phnom Penh weekend by spending some time in the park: families having picnik, children running, monks walking, tourists taking pictures, and vendors occupying sidewalks. All of these happen with the river at the background, amid an endless cycle of sunrise and sunset, and regular passing of cruise boats.
• My Tuk Tuk driver (who was not that good in English) and I had a misunderstanding regarding the tour fee. He thought that his lunch (which I paid for) was excluded from the fee, although I made the opposite clear before we ate. We just met halfway. If I remember correctly, I paid him about USD18.

Evening

• I found a local bookstore near the Royale Palace that sells cheap locally printed books (i.e. Haruki Murakami novels for about PHP200 only). It broke my heart to leave the store without any purchase because my bag is already filled with a couple of books :(
• I was craving for company on my last evening in Phnom Penh so I contacted the two Buddhism students who I met on the bus earlier. We met at a park between their amusement center and resort-casino area. I walked for about twenty minutes, thinking that the area was just near my place!
• Fact: Maps, while generally helpful to get you from point A to point B, are not always transparent with the actual distance of getting there.

• For dinner, I had ordinary noodles for USD1.5 while literally sitting on the sidewalk! When the two Buddhism students found out about my dinner, they ordered for them too. The Theravata student had a vow of fasting after 11 A.M. so he insisted that his friend eat his part. It was crazy seeing him fighting his desire to eat and it was confusing to see them argue (L.Q.?). I was like an uninvited guest, tbh.
• The same student gave me a plastic bag filled with huge plates of dried mangoes. It didn't taste as good as our Cebu dried mangoes but I thought that was generous of him. I gave the bag to a (seemingly) homeless man.

June 6

Morning

• While having breakfast downstairs, I saw a group of monks who were doing their daily routine of collecting alms (or donations) from locals. I hurried to my room, grabbed my camera, and got near them to get a good shot. I've been waiting to personally witness such sense of altruism that is only found in Buddhism.
• Before I left for Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, I accidentally destroyed the door knob of my restroom. I didn't notify the owner because I was afraid he would charge me for it. Haha!

(AFTER HO CHI MINH, VIETNAM) BACK TO SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

June 8

Evening

• I was picked up at the bus station by the Tuk Tuk driver of Siem Reap Hostel (an awesome customer service offered by not all hostels, btw).
• I survived an exhausting 13-hour public bus ride from Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh, and then back to Siem Reap. Had I taken a private bus, that trip would have been shorter.

June 9

Morning

• Last day of my tour. I woke up early to buy souvenirs for my family among the few opened stores at Siem Reap Old Market. I spent more than USD50! 
• Tip: You have to bargain when buying souvenirs. To win one, pretend that you're uninterested with the product because the price is high and you can only pay for a certain amount.Take a few steps out of the store, and 90% of the time, they will call you back and settle for your price :)

Afternoon

• I fixed my stuff and prepared for departure. Good thing that The Siem Reap Hostel let me stay within the building despite checking out early. While waiting for the proper time to travel to the airport, I watched "Fight Club" and a local documentary in the movie room for free. 

The free pick-up service and movie room are just two of the great customer services that one can get from Siem Reap Hostel. They also offer a food crawl, reception area with local tour and inter-city/cross-country packages, bar, buffet breakfast, swimming pool, billiard table, book swap shelf, and yoga and spa sessions at reasonable prices.

It's true what people say about Cambodia - that it is affordable and has an interesting history. Cambodians are generally warm to tourists although vendors have the tendency to be irrationally aggressive.

For me, Siem Reap is a better destination because it gives you the beauty of Cambodia's ancient temples that have stood the test of time (even archaeologists wonder how they were built that strong). Also, more people there can speak and understand English. 

Phnom Pehn, despite being the capital, lacks modernity. Some say that the only thing that matters there is the country's genocide history, and I totally agree. I would say though that it should be a non-negotiable place to visit so tourists can truly understand how Cambodia came to be the county that we now know--beyond the corners of Angkor Wat alone.

That's it! Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of my Cambodian adventure.