An Alphabetical Stroll Through Bali and Australia-A is for: A BIG, FAT FINALE!! Link to new Africa TR (4/5)

[Steppesister]

36 hours… and still not done!

Home!! Finally. Was a long journey!

 

[Steppesister]

Oh, no! That feels too short.

Trust me, I’m ready to be home and back in a routine.

 

[pkondz]

Home!! Finally. Was a long journey!

Welcome back.

 

[Steppesister]

B is for: Boeing, Don’t Fail Me Now!​

Let’s face it, Boeing doesn’t have the most stellar reputation right now. That little factoid, however, would never dissuade me from being at an airport about to board one at 3:45 AM so I can be at my daughter’s wedding. Doors falling off, be dammed.

But let’s back up a bit and start from the real beginning, shall we?

The trip actually started the afternoon before (hey, we all have the moment that “vacation starts now”, right?) when I headed up to Phoenix to spend the night (the short few hours it was) with a friend of my mom’s who hooked me up with a free night. Free is certainly a relative term, and in this case used quite liberally. The price was a decided lack of sleep when I needed it most. Ah well….

On the way, I’d stopped for gas and ran the car through the car wash. I didn’t want it to look like an abandoned Nissan begging to be stolen while I was gone. (Does that even protect you anymore?) Now a bit of math came into play at this point. Admit it, we all do some mental gymnastics when pricing out our trips, yes? When it came to getting my happy little traveling hiney to Phoenix, I had a few choices: Take the shuttle service at $49 each way, or drive myself and get a hotel room. Sadly, it wasn’t that simple. I had to factor in an Uber to get me to the shuttle pick up point, which added $60 each way. The alternative was taking the suggestion of my mom and staying with her friend but having to add in gas to and from Tucson and taking my host out for dinner. To be honest, it was probably a wash economically, but I did save myself from taking the risk of not finding an Uber at 3:00 AM and got the luxury of being able to sleep in on the return trip and not having to drive home after 36 hours of travel.

That said, I pulled into my host’s home only to be met by 2 of THE MOST OBNOXIOUS chihuahuas on the planet. They slobbered all over me, barked incessantly, she could not keep them off of me resulting in one of my precious few outfits for the trip trashed and hairy. It was disgusting. But hey, free is free.

I took her out to Mexican food which was very so-so and turned in early. Sadly, they keep their home about 85 degrees (not an exaggeration), added to a new place and a new bed, there just wasn’t much sleep. The alarm went off at 3:30 and I called my Uber which was there in no time. And here is my first (of a very, very few, mind you, given how complicated this trip was!) small blunder: About 10 minutes down the freeway, I realized I’d left my little pink vest behind. If you followed my Italy/Greece Report, you know this vest… it’s the one that sprouts little legs and a 'tude and does what it pleases. I had the driver turn around and, snatching it up kicking and screaming while trying to explain to it that it was about to go on an adventure of epic proportions, we headed for the airport again. (Did I even use it? Stay tuned)

(The beautiful sunrise I was treated to just before boarding in PHX)​

Flying over Cali was neat! I’ve not seen so much snow and green there in a long time! Glad this year has helped alleviate a bit of the long drought they’ve had!

​

The airport was already abuzz, and I got to my gate easy-peasy then waited to board my very short flight to LAX. With a 3-hour layover there, I used 95% of it getting to my next gate located in Bakersfield 4 counties over. Ok, probably not quite that far, but… well, I hate LAX. My bags were heavy, and I was in a crappy mood. Naturally, the TSA did their best to make it 1,000 times worse. Because I had neglected to book my Philippines Air ticket with my middle name, (I've never even heard of that being a thing!) “TSA Pre-check” wasn’t actually printed on my boarding pass. The ticket agent wrote “TSA Pre-check” on it and told me to “just talk to TSA and see what they say”. They said, “No” four times. Ok, seriously, is it that hard to simply look up my number that I paid $87 bucks for and let me pass? NO, I mean that would be WAYYYY too easy. How to say, I can’t do the simplest job without saying we’re a totally incompetent agency. I confess, I may have made a very minor scene. Added to the fact that there was literally NO ONE in the TSA line ticked me off even more. I huffed my way back to the regular line and got through fine and calmed myself down with my traditional “I’m-going-on-vacation Airport Cocktail”. Yes, it still counts if I brought my own minis and bought a Coke to dump it in. $4 vs. $14. Go ahead, judge me.

(The first of many "tails" I'd fly this trip.)
​

For those of you who might be aviation geeks like me, the 777 (The Queen of the Skies) taking off LAX-MAN:

​

Hey WESTJET!!

​

I intentionally booked the last row hoping it’d be empty so I could lay down. That slick strategy worked out and indeed I had the entire row all to lil ol’ me. I stretched out like a queen on a diet of liver pate right after I choked down something that was… definitely not liver pate. In fact, Philippines Air had terrible food. All 3 meals were gross. We were in the air 17.5 hours so got dinner, breakfast and lunch. The first was like a meat stew stuff. The green beans and potato salad were decent. Breakfast went in the trash, and you can tell, the chicken the next day was dry and chewy.

​

Anyways, I did take advantage of that empty row and used the vest and the little airline pillow to take myself a pretty righteous nap. Pro-tip: No, that will not help with jetlag.

​

I also used the flight to think through my “toast” to the bride and groom which I was majorly stalling on doing. I dread public speaking and really didn’t know what to say. Here I am Googling my most heartfelt words to say to my daughter and Leander.

​

This is the part where I almost died.


Did I mention my bags were heavy? We’d decided to pack in only carry-ons for this month-long adventure and it 100% worked out. (Spoiler alert: We sailed through with zero extra bag fees of any kind, save one time for Anara.) So, I’m tired and am making my way to Customs and Immigration and sally up to the escalator. Somehow, I lost my footing and my bag started to fall backwards on to me knocking me a couple of steps down before I could recover and catch myself. My already seriously (at the time) messed up knee took another hit and was sore for a good couple of days afterwards. I cannot even begin to think what might have happened had I not been able catch myself and gone down the whole thing. “Sorry, Mik, I can’t make it to your wedding; I’m in the hospital with a broken neck.”

Getting through customs and immigration was super-duper easy, having gotten there in one piece, and I used the rideshare Grab app that I’d downloaded before to get a ride share. Or try to. It was not without a bit of irritating frustration. The app was slow and the helpdesk kiosk lady less than friendly. In fact, I was treated to a bit of passive-aggressive, low-key discrimination in the process. I was standing at the kiosk waiting to be helped and people kept cutting in front of me. Even though the helper lady saw me and made eye contact with me she continued to ignore me. Finally, another customer asked me to please go ahead and told me that the agent was being very rude with unacceptable behavior. I was grateful to finally get the help with the app I needed. After about 30 minutes, I was on my way to the hotel and arrived about 20 minutes later.

(Always hilarious, and sometimes a God-send)​

Totally exhausted, I was asleep fairly quickly… only to be wide awake again at 5:00 AM. Thanks, Jet Lag! If you’ve ever traveled or lived in the tropics it’s quite a shock to wake up to the suffocating humidity and heat even before the sun comes up. I’ll wax long on this in more updates. Here’s the forecast I got to look forward to:

​

I’ll pick it up with the hotel, my morning walk, and a delicious breakfast next time!

 

[Steppesister]

Trust me, I’m ready to be home and back in a routine.

Thanks!!! It’s good to be back!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Because I had neglected to book my Philippines Air ticket with my middle name, (I've never even heard of that being a thing!) “TSA Pre-check” wasn’t actually printed on my boarding pass. The ticket agent wrote “TSA Pre-check” on it and told me to “just talk to TSA and see what they say”. They said, “No” four times.

What a mess! That must have been really frustrating. We booked a flight to LAX on United, a new airline for us, for our upcoming flight in April. I had forgotten to add my middle initial when I originally booked the flight and didn't realize it until they sent the electronic tickets. I knew that TSA would make a big deal of it if the name on the ticket didn't match the government ID. Luckily, a call to customer service at Untied got the ticket fixed. But if someone doesn't know about this ahead of time, it would be a mess at the airport.

In fact, Philippines Air had terrible food. All 3 meals were gross. We were in the air 17.5 hours so got dinner, breakfast and lunch.

That is a long time in an airplane. The food looks really bad. I would have dumped a lot of it, too.

I did take advantage of that empty row and used the vest and the little airline pillow to take myself a pretty righteous nap.

That was really smart. The little pink vest looked very useful.

My already seriously (at the time) messed up knee took another hit and was sore for a good couple of days afterwards.

Wow, I'm glad that you caught yourself. That could have been very bad.

Finally, another customer asked me to please go ahead and told me that the agent was being very rude with unacceptable behavior.

Finally, someone was being helpful.

Totally exhausted, I was asleep fairly quickly… only to be wide awake again at 5:00 AM. Thanks, Jet Lag!

The farthest we've traveled is from Chicago to Hawaii. We would always wake up hours before sunrise in Hawaii and nothing was open for breakfast until hours later.

 

[juniorbugman]

And here is my first (of a very, very few, mind you, given how complicated this trip was!) small blunder: About 10 minutes down the freeway, I realized I’d left my little pink vest behind. If you followed my Italy/Greece Report, you know this vest… it’s the one that sprouts little legs and a 'tude and does what it pleases. I had the driver turn around and, snatching it up kicking and screaming while trying to explain to it that it was about to go on an adventure of epic proportions, we headed for the airport again. (Did I even use it? Stay tuned)

Oh no not the pink vest. Glad that it yelled and sent out a bat signal that you forgot it and you were close enough to turn around and retrieve it.
Well I hope that it at least got worn once after all the troubles it caused.

My bags were heavy, and I was in a crappy mood. Naturally, the TSA did their best to make it 1,000 times worse. Because I had neglected to book my Philippines Air ticket with my middle name, (I've never even heard of that being a thing!)

I know that when I booked air tickets here in Canada that it states you must have your full name on the ticket or they may not be valid. Yikes I always double and triple checked that all was correct.

So, I’m tired and am making my way to Customs and Immigration and sally up to the escalator. Somehow, I lost my footing and my bag started to fall backwards on to me knocking me a couple of steps down before I could recover and catch myself.

Yes you never want to fall on an escalator as those steps are very sharp. A few months ago I was on an escalator and I dropped my sunglasses on the steps and both security guards jumped up and said don't move to get them. I hadn't planned on it and just stayed still and when I got to the bottom I just kicked them off. They were very impressed and said they have seen lots of people get injured.
Glad you didn't hurt yourself (well except for the pull on the knee).

Yes Mickey D's is always a sign of home.
Can't wait to read more of your journey.

 

[pkondz]

Let’s face it, Boeing doesn’t have the most stellar reputation right now.

Doors falling off, be dammed.

Meh. It’s too stuffy on planes anyways. The fresh air is welcome.

Free is certainly a relative term, and in this case used quite liberally. The price was a decided lack of sleep when I needed it most. Ah well….

But… you could have paid for a hotel room and still not slept, no?

Admit it, we all do some mental gymnastics when pricing out our trips, yes?

Nope. Not me. I do mental calisthenics.

To be honest, it was probably a wash economically

I guess it depends on the price of dinner.

not having to drive home after 36 hours of travel

Wouldn’t you have just booked a room??

only to be met by 2 of THE MOST OBNOXIOUS chihuahuas on the planet.

They slobbered all over me, barked incessantly, she could not keep them off of me resulting in one of my precious few outfits for the trip trashed and hairy. It was disgusting. But hey, free is free.

Gross. I would gladly have paid for a hotel room. Nope.

Sadly, they keep their home about 85 degrees (not an exaggeration),

The alarm went off at 3:30 and I called my Uber which was there in no time.

Wait… so you didn’t want to risk calling an Uber at 3:00am… so instead your plan depended on calling one at 3:30???

I had the driver turn around and, snatching it up kicking and screaming while trying to explain to it that it was about to go on an adventure of epic proportions

Close call!
And get with the program, vest, you’re going on an adventure!

The beautiful sunrise I was treated to just before boarding in LA

Wow! Gorgeous!

With a 3-hour layover there, I used 95% of it getting to my next gate located in Bakersfield 4 counties over.

The ticket agent wrote “TSA Pre-check” on it and told me to “just talk to TSA and see what they say”. They said, “No” four times. Ok, seriously, is it that hard to simply look up my number that I paid $87 bucks for and let me pass? NO, I mean that would be WAYYYY too easy.

Almost as easy as booking your ticket with the correct name?

How to say, I can’t do the simplest job without saying we’re a totally incompetent agency.

I totally thought you were going to say “I can’t do the simplest job like using the right name,without saying I’m a totally incompetent traveller.”

I intentionally booked the last row hoping it’d be empty so I could lay down. That slick strategy worked out and indeed I had the entire row all to lil ol’ me.

Score! I mean, seriously!

I stretched out like a queen on a diet of liver pate

I also first read that as “I stretched out like a queen on a bed of liver pate”
I wasn’t quite sure how that would be a good thing.

In fact, Philippines Air had terrible food. All 3 meals were gross.

Ew.

chewy.

​

That looks… disgusting.

Anyways, I did take advantage of that empty row and used the vest and the little airline pillow to take myself a pretty righteous nap.

Ah ha!
So you did use the vest.

Pro-tip: No, that will not help with jetlag.

Not even a little? Surely it can’t be as bad as zero sleep?

I dread public speaking

But not public writing!

Here I am Googling my most heartfelt words to say to my daughter and Leander.

Spoiler alert: We sailed through with zero extra bag fees of any kind, save one time for Anara

Not bad! Very surprised you didn’t find it tough to travel that long with only a carry on.

Somehow, I lost my footing and my bag started to fall backwards on to me knocking me a couple of steps down before I could recover and catch myself.

close call!! That could’ve been disastrous! Yikes! What a way to start a trip… with a trip!

My already seriously (at the time) messed up knee took another hit and was sore for a good couple of days afterwards.

Sorry to hear that. Hoping it felt better afterwards.

Even though the helper lady saw me and made eye contact with me she continued to ignore me.

Wow. Rude.

At first I thought maybe a cultural thing but you said another woman said she was being rude.

Always hilarious, and sometimes a God-send

Food is atrocious but the bathrooms are always clean.

Totally exhausted, I was asleep fairly quickly… only to be wide awake again at 5:00 AM. Thanks, Jet Lag!

Oy. The joys of travel.

If you’ve ever traveled or lived in the tropics

Just Florida. Hawaii wasn’t that bad.

Here’s the forecast I got to look forward to:

No rain, though. That would’ve been worse.

Thanks!!! It’s good to be back!

This cracks me up! You answered yourself.

 

[Steppesister]

What a mess! That must have been really frustrating. We booked a flight to LAX on United, a new airline for us, for our upcoming flight in April. I had forgotten to add my middle initial when I originally booked the flight and didn't realize it until they sent the electronic tickets. I knew that TSA would make a big deal of it if the name on the ticket didn't match the government ID. Luckily, a call to customer service at Untied got the ticket fixed. But if someone doesn't know about this ahead of time, it would be a mess at the airport.

It was frustrating. And never once in my entire life have I ever booked any flight with my middle name or initial and I've never once had a single problem with ticketing or using Pre-check. The ticket agent said that they didn't want to change the name on the ticket (before I went to security) because they were afraid it'd mess it all up enough that'd it'd cancel the ticket altogether.

1. Now I know you have to use your middle name to book (new one to me in 50 years of travel!)
2. The ticket folks probably could have fixed it if they'd really wanted to.
3. The TSA very easily could have just looked up my number in about 5 seconds and screened me on the spot.

That is a long time in an airplane. The food looks really bad. I would have dumped a lot of it, too.

That was our longest flight coming or going. And possibly the longest I've ever taken.

That food... just yuck. Even the other Philippino family members who were there for the wedding complained on our way to the venue in the van about how bad it was.

That was really smart. The little pink vest looked very useful.

I LOVE that vest and wear it incessantly even here at home.

Wow, I'm glad that you caught yourself. That could have been very bad.

Me too!! Yikes! It would have been very easy to have not been able to recover and really hurt myself.

Finally, someone was being helpful.

YES!!! I was actually surprised at this and it was not the best "welcome" the Philippines could give.

The farthest we've traveled is from Chicago to Hawaii. We would always wake up hours before sunrise in Hawaii and nothing was open for breakfast until hours later.

Totally know that feeling. Luckily, in this case, the restaurant at my hotel started breakfast at 5:00AM mostly because it was right near the airport and they know it's mostly used by folks with odd-hours flights. In addition to the brekkie buffet, they also had many other things available 24/7.

 

[Steppesister]

Oh no not the pink vest. Glad that it yelled and sent out a bat signal that you forgot it and you were close enough to turn around and retrieve it.
Well I hope that it at least got worn once after all the troubles it caused.

That sassy pink vest. Geez, Louise!!! You'd think it would be just as anxious as its travel partner to get going!

I know that when I booked air tickets here in Canada that it states you must have your full name on the ticket or they may not be valid. Yikes I always double and triple checked that all was correct.

Now I know! Although, in all my 50+ years of traveling I've never once used my middle name or initial. Lesson learned!

Yes you never want to fall on an escalator as those steps are very sharp. A few months ago I was on an escalator and I dropped my sunglasses on the steps and both security guards jumped up and said don't move to get them. I hadn't planned on it and just stayed still and when I got to the bottom I just kicked them off. They were very impressed and said they have seen lots of people get injured.
Glad you didn't hurt yourself (well except for the pull on the knee).

I actually have once, when I was about 5 I fell down the entire flight in a JC Penney's with my grandma. I confess I have a teensy bit of PTSD from that as it is. Also, my oldest daughter almost had her foot taken off my one that broke just as she neared the bottom of one in Thailand. I generally don't like them!!

Yes Mickey D's is always a sign of home.

Spoiler alert... we ended up at at least a couple... sometimes you do what you gotta do.

Can't wait to read more of your journey.

I have about 5 weeks until I move back to Kentucky and start Clinicals. That'll be 4-5 days a week and I'll have to work 2-3 days a week as well. So, I 'm going to try and get at least a few updates posted between now and then.... after that it'll be back to the sporadic posting sadly. But as usual, I am committed to finishing it, but folks will have to be patient.

 

[Steppesister]

Meh. It’s too stuffy on planes anyways. The fresh air is welcome.

Excellent solution!

But… you could have paid for a hotel room and still not slept, no?

Correct, so I'll take "Things that are free for $99, Alex."

Nope. Not me. I do mental calisthenics.

Sashay... saunter; tomato... tomato....

I guess it depends on the price of dinner.

It was about $40 including tip.

Wouldn’t you have just booked a room??

I would have but that'd have added minimum $69+ (and still probably hadn't of slept.)

^^^^ THIS! ^^^^

Gross. I would gladly have paid for a hotel room. Nope.

I just didn't know anything about this couple or what I'd be dealing with. Sometimes life is a crapshoot.

Wait… so you didn’t want to risk calling an Uber at 3:00am… so instead your plan depended on calling one at 3:30???

Oops, sorry, should have explained more. In Tucson I live a fair ways outside the city- maybe 15 miles or so from the center. So to find an Uber in the middle of the night willing to do a pickup may not have been available. I did call a couple of cab/taxi companies and they were going to charge me $65 (each way) for getting me to the Tucson shuttle pickup point which was MORE than the shuttle service all the way to Phoenix itself. It just didn't make sense.

The 3:30 pickup was in Metro Phoenix, a big city, where most services are available 24/7.

Close call!
And get with the program, vest, you’re going on an adventure!

Next time I'll have a stern conversation beforehand.

Almost as easy as booking your ticket with the correct name?

Sigh... in all my years of travel, I have never once booked with my middle anything. I've never had a problem at all, but now I know. Maybe it's a new thing. ??

I totally thought you were going to say “I can’t do the simplest job like using the right name,without saying I’m a totally incompetent traveller.”

I used the right name! Just not all of it, and have never had to before either.

Score! I mean, seriously!

Seriously! I can't say I slept long or soundly, but even the little cat naps and being able to be horizontal helped a LOT!

That looks… disgusting.!

It was... not good. Just yucky all around.

Ah ha!
So you did use the vest.

At least once.

Not even a little? Surely it can’t be as bad as zero sleep?

Probably not as bad as NO sleep, certainly, but jet lag lingered for a good week for sure.

But not public writing!

I can be verbose. Sorry!

Not bad! Very surprised you didn’t find it tough to travel that long with only a carry on.

No, not at all. My bags were on the heavy-ish side, but still quite manageable and WAY better than heavy full size ones as we were in many hostels without elevators. Lots of stairs to contend with. Not was bad as Europe for sure, but still glad we only have carryons!

close call!! That could’ve been disastrous! Yikes! What a way to start a trip… with a trip!

It would NOT have been good at all!! I can't imagine needing medical help in a foreign country... oh wait... been there done that. It's not fun!

Sorry to hear that. Hoping it felt better afterwards.

It got better in a couple of days and even to the point of being MUCH better than before I left. Maybe the way I'd been sitting studying made it bad, but I can say, it feels pretty good now.

Wow. Rude.

At first I thought maybe a cultural thing but you said another woman said she was being rude.

I felt a small bit vindicated with the other (local lady) person intervened and said that. It wasn't just me.

Food is atrocious but the bathrooms are always clean.

Yes, and admittedly, the food can be a welcome necessity now and then. More coming up...

Just Florida. Hawaii wasn’t that bad.

I'd love to visit Hawaii again someday.

No rain, though. That would’ve been worse.

It did sprinkle a tiny bit one morning... coming up as well.

This cracks me up! You answered yourself.

I'm blaming jet lag.

 

[pkondz]

Correct, so I'll take "Things that are free for $99, Alex."

Free is good... usually.

Sashay... saunter; tomato... tomato....

It was about $40 including tip.

Okay... so $69 less $40 means... the room would've been $29 extra... and no dog hair/slobber.

I'll take the room. Then again, you said you didn't know, so...

I would have but that'd have added minimum $69+ (and still probably hadn't of slept.)

But no slobber

Oops, sorry, should have explained more. In Tucson I live a fair ways outside the city- maybe 15 miles or so from the center. So to find an Uber in the middle of the night willing to do a pickup may not have been available. I did call a couple of cab/taxi companies and they were going to charge me $65 (each way) for getting me to the Tucson shuttle pickup point which was MORE than the shuttle service all the way to Phoenix itself. It just didn't make sense.

Ohhhh... okay. Got it now.

Sigh... in all my years of travel, I have never once booked with my middle anything. I've never had a problem at all, but now I know. Maybe it's a new thing. ??

Seriously! I can't say I slept long or soundly, but even the little cat naps and being able to be horizontal helped a LOT!

Probably not as bad as NO sleep, certainly, but jet lag lingered for a good week for sure.

Not surprised. You were on the other side of the planet!

I can be verbose. Sorry!

It got better in a couple of days and even to the point of being MUCH better than before I left.

Really!

Maybe the way I'd been sitting studying made it bad, but I can say, it feels pretty good now.

Good to hear.

 

[Steppesister]

Free is good... usually.

... usually.

Okay... so $69 less $40 means... the room would've been $29 extra... and no dog hair/slobber.

I'll take the room. Then again, you said you didn't know, so...

Had I known, I honestly still would have done it this way. She also provided a free place to park for a month (secure) which would have cost me $200, so that alone was more than worth it. Although if I'd taken the shuttle I wouldn't have had to worry about it. Trust me, there were a lot of scenarios and options to think through and it wasn't easy!

But no slobber

True enough.

 

[Steppesister]

C is for: Can’t Sleep and Casino Change​

We last left off with me snoring and likely slobbering all over my pillow in an exhausted coma-like state. Sadly, I was an overly tired and brain-dead Trip Report Writer and didn’t manage to take any photos of the hotel. You never know who of my readers may find themselves needing a place to lay their head during a Manila layover, and this one comes highly recommended by yours truly. There’s a ton of photos online should you want them.

The Belmont is an incredibly affordable option that I found right off of Google maps, just as I had with every single one of my other accommodations for this trip. You just click on the name of the place you are interested in, and it’ll bring up tons of information, including prices, reviews, website address, etc… I booked this one through Agoda for a cool $42/night. Despite the ridiculously low price, this hotel was really quite nice. It was very clean and well laid out if a bit small. But, heck, how much room do you need for a quick pass through to or from the airport for a night?! For an extra fee, they will send an airport shuttle, but you have to pre-arrange that. I went with the cheaper, but slower, Grab option. Did I mention it came with a FULL breakfast buffet?

(Taken the next day)​

Predictably, I couldn’t sleep worth a poop past 5:30AM the next morning, so thought I’d do a little sunrise exploring. The night before, I’d asked where the best place to change money was at the hotel check-in desk and they told me that the fairest place was at the casino just a block away. So that’s where I headed.

​

I was there in no time, and I can tell you this: the casino was jam-packed at 5:45 AM with smoking, noisy, clientele enthusiastically spending a lot of money at tables and slots. It was honestly very shocking to me, but whatever floats your leisure-time boat…. It’s worth mentioning that, should you find yourself in Manila, you will guaranteed be security-screened just like at the airport and be asked to put your stuff though x-ray as well. You’ll also be asked to pose for a face shot photo at most hotels too. There are armed guards (multiple) at every entrance to almost every store including 7-11 and Starbucks which was also a bit disconcerting. Nevertheless, I never felt unsafe or uncomfortable at any time anywhere in the country, even in the smaller villages where very little English is spoken and it’s harder to get around.

The casino’s entrance was absolutely lovely all decked out for Chinese New Year, but the main hall of tables and slots was boring and unimaginative. The exchange was easy to find towards the back, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that no extra fee on top of the advertised exchange rate was taken. (I’m glaring at you, Italy!)

​

With a cool $200 USD worth of Filippino Pesos in my pocket, I sauntered back to the hotel for MY FREE FULL BUFFET BREKKIE, Baby! (Ok, ok, free meant included in my room rate, but heck, you can’t even get half a room here in the States for $42, let alone a full amazing buffet breakfast!)

​

The hostess seated me at a 2-topper, and off I toddled off to peruse the goods. Oh, my, heck. I started off with a delicious cup of coffee along with some various Asian foods. I could have gotten an omelet or other “American” type things, but when I travel, I am determined to eat as much of the local food as I possibly can. (Until I can’t…) So, even though it may be incredibly weird for North Americans who haven’t been to Asia, it is perfectly normal to eat fried rice, noodles, and fish or chicken for every meal. They really just don’t make a distinction between breakfast or any other meals’ food, although congee and toppings is pretty typical for the morning. It was available, but I’ve never been a big fan of that, so went with what you see.

​

For my next plate, I took some fruit, a watermelon juice shot, and the best doughnut I think I have ever eaten in my entire life. This was so soft and fluffy and covered in a simple cinnamon sugar. I thought I’d died and gone to Heaven as I ate it and sipped my amazing coffee. In hindsight, I wished I'd eaten about 3 more of them. (What?! They were small!)

​

I was still a teensy bit peckish and love pumpkin soup so grabbed a couple of tablespoons of that to try it (it wasn’t as good as the ones I’ve had in Thailand) along with some cucumber juice for some extra hydration. Boy, oh boy, everything was just so fantastic!!

​

By 7:00 I was all finished and headed back to the room to shower and re-pack my stuff up a bit. About 8:00 when I was done, I got a message from Michaela saying that the shuttle that would take us the 3-hour journey south to the wedding venue was going to be late. Originally, it was scheduled to be at our hotel at 9:00, but instead it would be closer to 10:00. Now with 2 hours to kill, I headed out once again for another walk. I’d read on some blogs that only just a few short blocks from the super high-end area the Belmont is in (Newport City) there is a more authentic area for cheap food and goods. No, I wasn’t going there to eat; I’m a little piggy sometimes, but not then. However, I did want to get a better feeling how the locals live and work so headed that way.

​

What I found was surreal. Literally 3 blocks away, and looking from one side of the street to the other, were worlds so diametrically opposed it’s hard to put into words. On one side of the street were the Marriot, the Hilton, and a fancy shopping mall; the other groaned with clusters of ramshackle, run-down shacks with peeling paint and decades of street grime clinging to every surface. That being said, there were frequent hellos and hand wave greetings. Tropical plants in colorful pots stood at every store entrance and hung from apartment balconies adding some life and nature to the area. Like any big city this neighborhood had an aroma of cooking food mixed with less-than-optimal waste drainage. IYKYK…. Seeing that the electrical codes were being strictly adhered to, I felt safe and at ease.

(The colors reminded me of the Caribbean!) ​

Towards the end of my walk, I ran into a fresh fruit cart and these handsome “kids”. I wasn’t sure what a couple of the fruits were so engaged them a bit by asking. It was all so fresh and pretty and I couldn’t help myself from taking a photo. They told me the names of the various things, most of which I knew, including the durian hanging on the end and just as I was taking it, another lady stepped in and said, “Boys! You get in the picture too”. She was so funny and coached them to "give a thumbs up and big smile".

​

I thanked them profusely and she accompanied me for the rest of my walk back to the hotel. Turns out she was originally from Japan and splits her time living in San Francisco and Manila with family. She complained about Filipino food, “Chicken, chicken, chicken! I'm so tired of chicken! And all the fish is fried. I miss my good Japanese food here.”. I smiled at this sweet, impromptu interaction and felt like we’d been friends forever.

I got back to the hotel and still had another hour to burn so sat on the couches in the lobby and people watched until the others and the shuttle showed up.


Next time…. A little cringe and we’re on our way to a wedding!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Your breakfast buffet was fantastic. You really got a good deal at that hotel.

the best doughnut I think I have ever eaten in my entire life. This was so soft and fluffy and covered in a simple cinnamon sugar.

Cinnamon sugar is my favorite coating on a yeast raised doughnut. It looks really good.

Literally 3 blocks away, and looking from one side of the street to the other, were worlds so diametrically opposed it’s hard to put into words. On one side of the street were the Marriot, the Hilton, and a fancy shopping mall; the other groaned with clusters of ramshackle, run-down shacks with peeling paint and decades of street grime clinging to every surface.

Wow! I think that is why they have such stringent security measures in the tourist areas.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Mmm, tasty buffet for your morning! I am shocked by the low price of your room and the fact that your breakfast was included. If only we could get that everywhere....particularly at WDW LOL. I could afford to move there then!!

 

[rdkeim]

Love your TR's! So interesting reading about your adventures. Feel like I'm along for the ride. On your way to the wedding! Thanks for sharing!

 

[pkondz]

Had I known, I honestly still would have done it this way. She also provided a free place to park for a month (secure) which would have cost me $200, so that alone was more than worth it.

Okay, that's the deal breaker, then.

Although if I'd taken the shuttle I wouldn't have had to worry about it. Trust me, there were a lot of scenarios and options to think through and it wasn't easy!

So I'm seeing!

 

[pkondz]

We last left off with me snoring and likely slobbering all over my pillow in an exhausted coma-like state.

Such a lovely visual of you!

The Belmont is an incredibly affordable option that I found right off of Google maps, just as I had with every single one of my other accommodations for this trip.

I rarely start with Google maps, but often find myself there at some point.

I booked this one through Agoda for a cool $42/night.

Never heard of Agoda. What is it? Like Booking dot com?
But... $42/night? Steal!

It was very clean and well laid out if a bit small. But, heck, how much room do you need for a quick pass through to or from the airport for a night?!

Did I mention it came with a FULL breakfast buffet?

Even better! It's like you bought breakfast... and got a free room.

(Taken the next day)

Counts.

I’d asked where the best place to change money was at the hotel check-in desk and they told me that the fairest place was at the casino just a block away.

At first I was surprised by that... but after thinking about it for a second... it makes sense. I mean, they want you to come in and exchange your money in the hopes that you'll leave some (most? all?) of it behind afterwards. They don't need a fee... they have slot machines.

the casino was jam-packed at 5:45 AM

Now this absolutely does not surprise me. At all.

noisy, clientele enthusiastically spending a lot of money at tables and slots. It was honestly very shocking to me

How so?

You’ll also be asked to pose for a face shot photo at most hotels too.

Huh. Even at hotels? Odd.

There are armed guards (multiple) at every entrance to almost every store including 7-11 and Starbucks which was also a bit disconcerting.

So... either there's high crime... or no crime at all (due to their presence.)

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that no extra fee on top of the advertised exchange rate was taken. (I’m glaring at you, Italy!)

(Ok, ok, free meant included in my room rate, but heck, you can’t even get half a room here in the States for $42, let alone a full amazing buffet breakfast!)

I am determined to eat as much of the local food as I possibly can. (Until I can’t…)

<burp>

So, even though it may be incredibly weird for North Americans who haven’t been to Asia, it is perfectly normal to eat fried rice, noodles, and fish or chicken for every meal.

When in Rome... oops, sorry. You were just there. When in Manila...

the best doughnut I think I have ever eaten in my entire life.

Really! High praise indeed!

In hindsight, I wished I'd eaten about 3 more of them. (What?! They were small!)

I didn't say anything!

it was scheduled to be at our hotel at 9:00, but instead it would be closer to 10:00. Now with 2 hours to kill, I headed out once again for another walk.

I'd actually be happy to hear that. More time to look around and explore... which is exactly what you did.

What I found was surreal. Literally 3 blocks away, and looking from one side of the street to the other, were worlds so diametrically opposed it’s hard to put into words. On one side of the street were the Marriot, the Hilton, and a fancy shopping mall; the other groaned with clusters of ramshackle, run-down shacks with peeling paint and decades of street grime clinging to every surface.

Wow! So completely different in such a short space.

That being said, there were frequent hellos and hand wave greetings.

Seeing that the electrical codes were being strictly adhered to, I felt safe and at ease.

I've seen that (in pictures) and even much worse. I guess you just add and add and add to it, rather than figure out where wires go in the first place.

(The colors reminded me of the Caribbean!)

I wouldn't know, never having been, but I'll take your word for it.

I wasn’t sure what a couple of the fruits were so engaged them a bit by asking.

So they spoke English. Was that fairly common in the city, to your knowledge?

as I was taking it, another lady stepped in and said, “Boys! You get in the picture too”. She was so funny and coached them to "give a thumbs up and big smile".

I thanked them profusely and she accompanied me for the rest of my walk back to the hotel. Turns out she was originally from Japan and splits her time living in San Francisco and Manila with family. She complained about Filipino food, “Chicken, chicken, chicken! I'm so tired of chicken! And all the fish is fried. I miss my good Japanese food here.”. I smiled at this sweet, impromptu interaction and felt like we’d been friends forever.

Are you Facebook friends now?

Next time…. A little cringe and we’re on our way to a wedding!

Uh oh!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I’m so excited to hear all about your trip! What a wonderful start and the hotel looks lovely!