Pilipinas 2008

Our biggest holiday just culminated recently and it was so awesome and fun-filled, dear hubby swore that we will go back! With a very tight, limited yet activity-laden 10 days, we were able to cover the basics of Philippine history, taste the gastronomic delights that is uniquely Philippines, connect with friends, and most of all, explore our pristine waters.

While I am always excited to see more of the European cities, deep inside my heart, I know that one of the best places to be will always be HOME. So, while we have standing invites from all over Europe, we thought that the best way for dear hubby to know where I came from is to actually experience Pilipinas himself. It was long in coming and although short, I will have to say, our October visit is the best so far. In my entry, I will incorporate some of the insights that B relayed to me over bedtime. ;)

The people. Genuine, humour-filled, industrious, friendly and most of all, beautiful inside out - that's how he would describe the people he met and seen. Before we left, I was trying to indoctrinate my husband with what I thought would 'shock' him - like, the crowd, the traffic, and the economic disparity between the rich and the poor. Good thing I did because he was psyched that he will not always see the good but as well, as the needs-improvement sights as we will try to do what the locals do (save for eating bola-bola in Ayala or the carinderia) so he has a sense of what kind of life we have back home. He appreciated that. Afterall, life is not always about the nice but also the uglies. He met our families (from my dad's side) and a whole bunch of friends from HS who asked no-holds-barred questions; University friends who he found were mostly girls (even if I attended a co-ed school) and their better halves and some kids; my first ayala group who even with gaps in the times of being disconnected - found time and exerted a big of an effort to see us - how truly touching! ;)

B observed that people are very enterprising. Kids who proliferate the streets were selling champaca and sampaguita and halloween masks; that little balut boy in the resort who could not probably be older than 10 years old hauling his wares at 8pm when he could probably just be studying, playing or watching tv; the rug sellers who we learned from a Xavier school teacher (friend) that Rajo Laurel has tapped Josie Natori to help these people so that these basahan are exportable now; the nipa hut weaver who sells her neat nipa as roofing for two pesos; and of course, the wonderful servers/guards/workers from all the malls/restaurants/tiangge we have ever been.

My husband could not get over the caddy who helped him when he and my former Ayala CEO had a round of golf in Fort Bonifacio. She (the caddy) would line the tee, coach him on the irons to use, cleaned his golf shoes and washed his clubs! OMG - he was blown away from the service!!! Then, in Bohol, we were treated like royalties in Amorita Resort (http://www.amoritaresort.com/) when Edward went over and beyond his duties to make our stay really pleasant. Along with Rolly, Michael, Richard, Liza Marie and the two masseuse who gave awesome service - we know for sure that when we go back to Bohol, we'll pay another visit to this great hotel.

The service. Unparalleled, warm and excellent service. With our last visit, I guess we were able to take actual notice of everyone who was serving us. From the Jollibee girl (who by the way was gushing over my hubby, lol) to the nail person who did our foot spa for 2 hours, we can't get over the fact that these people are actually so friendly and attentive towards us. So far, the only one where we got mediocre service was with TGIF in Glorietta. (Could it be coincidental that the restaurant is a western place? lol) In Mamou at Serendra, the guy who was looking after our table was so nice, even my former boss (RPS) was impressed! ;)

The food. So, we had a tour of the various restaurants in Manila and the shorelines of Panglao Island. B was never disappointed although on our last night, he specifically requested for "something familiar" that's why we went to Friday's. ;) Fely J's in Greenbelt 5 had the best crispy pata (better than Gerry's Grill), Flapjacks in Greenhills had great adobo pandesal, Teriyaki Boy had awesome tofu something; Mamou had great appies and iced tea; Chelsea's at Serendra had great fondue and yummy special ice cream; Cafe Via Mare still has the tasty bibingka and bumbong; Little Asia has great fusion food - B loved the bulgogi; Max's still has that great fried chicken while Shakey's has mojos and pizza that tastes quite similar to Canada's Boston Pizza but wayyyyy cheaper! ;) Antonio's in Tagaytay serves really great food - so never mind that it's in a liblib na lugar, it's worth the drive! Then, Gloria Jean's serves strong cafe latte and the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Greenhills has cozy area (lol - I forgot what I had there!) for lounging and hanging out. ;) Gerry's has super cheap San Mig Light but Saffron Restaurant in Amorita while they serve a more expensive San Mig Light serves really tasty and organic food - including the sweetest mangoes!

The sights. Where do I start? Despite the traffic congestion, Manila is actually clean and presentable. The calesa ride in Intramuros was very educational and B enjoyed fish spa at Manila Ocean park. While the metropolitan cities in Manila just boasts of lavishness (holy Store Specialists galore in Greenbelt and Serendra!!!), the country side of Bohol flourishes with the best of what Philippines is all about. Fruit trees, the pristine beach, the white sands, the lush plants, the playful dolphins, beautiful marine life, history, and beautiful sunsets!

It was a great 10 day holiday. And yes, Gary V, babalik kami! ;)