.Language Barrier Nightmares

Travelling outside the country is always an item in our family bucket list. In fact, China is the target country since 2018 but only in 2019 when our request was finally granted .

We reached Beijing late in the afternoon and was fetched by a local Chinese guy. Never in my wildest dream that we would encounter difficulties along the way since we have planned this trip for a long time. Hotel reservations and tour are arranged and paid .

The driver dropped us at the gate where 5 or more condominiums were inside. The driver quickly took off without even telling us which building is our place to stay. The temperature was dropping and it was already dark. We asked people who came around and realized nobody understood English language! We were totally lost and after whispering a prayer an angel came to help us through.

We knocked on the door of that 11th floor condo and a lady opened the door and quickly slammed the door when we said Hello! After numerous attempt, we went downstairs frustrated. She does not speak or understood English. This time, on a white cemented benches in the park just outside the condo, we silently bended our knees  to seek help from above. Tears started to fall as I began to see my kids shivering from cold..the temperature was already -3 C when I glanced at my phone.

It was amazing to see how your prayers got answered! Walking few kilometres on the streets of Beijing, I saw  Chinese characters on the sign board and noticed a drawing of a bed. It must be a lodging house I said to myself.
By this time my two sons got themselves the alternative site for Chinese translation site...not the google or any Microsoft sites since it is blocked in this side of the globe.
After a quick exchange of phone messages from English to Chinese and vice versa, we finally landed on a well lighted Motel where people were so accommodating and friendly. That ended our language barrier nightmare!

The Great Wall

The trip to China was the most memorable outside the country experience.
 In a place where the people and places are new and most of all the language is extremely difficult to understand, we saw the mighty hand of the Lord leading us in so many ways.

Autumn in Beijing, China

Autumn is the most spectacular time of the year for travellers like me. it is the time when prices are low, airfare, accommodations and tours.Most interestingly is the view when the leaves stars to change colors and fall to the ground. We were blessed to acquire visa for China lat year 2019.

It was a 4 hour flight from Cebu Philippines, my hometown to Shanghai, then another 2 hours from Shanghai to Beijing. The weather was good and the airport is really huge!

The first thing I notice was the presence of trees they call  Gingko Trees which the leaves have turned to yellow already. The roads are wide and very clean and lined by this magnificent  trees. Contrary to what I read in some articles China is a very rich ,progressive and beautiful country.

At the Lama Temple in Beijing, you can see the leaves of the Gingko trees  that started to fall  and covered the ground. The weather was very cold and dry. Lama Temple is where the first and largest Buddhism center in Beijing. It was really a very beautiful and magical sight !

 



November...the best month to travel

I have been travelling both locally and internationally for many times already. 

So far November is the best month to travel especially outside the country.

In the Southeast Asia , November is cooler and autumn is already on its last swing.  The tourists are few , hotels and accommodations are cheap including tour packages. One can find a good and cheap airline to take you to your dream destination.

This year we decided to book a trip for China. After last year cancellation of flight to Beijing (cancellation of group tour) , we decided to take again the first step that will lead us to Beijing, where the Great Wall remains a dream for us to pursue.

Surprisingly, the November slot in our tour packages and the airfare are very cheap. So here are the scheduled iterinary..

CHINA ITERINARY

DATE	PLACES TO VISIT
November 11, 2019	Arriving Shanghai via flight no.MU5024
	Depart   Shanghai via  flight no MU5113.
	Arriving Beijing 4:20 PM
November 12, 2019	Mutianyu Great Wall
	Ming Tombs
November 13, 2019	Tiananmen Square
	Forbidden City
	Temple of Heaven
	Summer Palace
November 14, 2019	Jingshan Park
	Lama Temple
	Hutong
	Beijing Zoo
	Bird’s Nest
	Water Cube
	Depart Beijing 6:20 PM
November 15, 2019	Arriving Xian
	Terracotta Warriors
November 16, 2019	Depart  Xian 12:30 AM  via flight no.D7 347
	Arriving Kuala Lumpur @ 6:00 AM
	Departing Kuala Lumpur  6:20 PM via flight AK 719
	Arriving Changi Airport @ 7:40 PM
November 17, 2019	Universal Studios-Singapore
November 18, 2019	Depart Singapore 10:20 PM via Flight no. Z2 7237
November 19, 2019	Arriving Cebu City, Philippines  2:15 AM

 .

Just to think including the airfare and all, costs us roughly P120,000 or about  US$ 2,313 for five persons and 3 countries as well. Wow, that's 20,000 pesos each and that is cheap!

For now as we start to do the countdown before our trip, my mind is working again for the next year November adventure, this time...Japan!

The Stress Reliever...Cebu Mine's View Glamping

I started  hosting a place to stay earlier this year as a preparatory or should I say in preparation for my future retirement. It was a step that break the monotony years of working in an office as a secretary. The step that leads me eventually into the door of world class travelling and hosting people from different parts of the world.

The first month was rather slow as it seeks to find its place in the online advertisement platform. Just like a whirlwind that you don't know when to expect and the speed once it landed on the ground, that is how online hosting is compared to.  Things get so fast and people come and go and before you know it, you hardly had time to fix your hair!

I simply signed a leave form and went straight to the place where I can have a stress reliever activity at Mine's View./ Everybody needs a break and that includes me from any stress that comes daily on our way. The kind of activity that will recharge your energy as well as your mental ability to start another week of labor.

Welcome to Davao! The home of Durian and Mangosteen...

We took the noon time flight from Cebu to Davao. The first thing that came to my mind was "Durian" and "Mangosteen". I got so excited that while on the plane my mind was planning how I could carry them home knowing the airline is strict on those fruits because of the smell.
 We were on our way to Davao for our high school reunion and of course to join the festival!

That was almost a year ago but the memories continue to live on... Many of my classmates were first timers so every corner of the place was captured by the camera!

One of the best shots with my classmates since elementary years.

The food was really great! The Durian was so delicious!

Everybody enjoyed the trip as well as the bonding time.

A short visit at our President Duterte's house in Davao!

When we finally went home to our respective homes, we shared the pictures that we shot at Davao and we found out that we have more than 300+ pictures taken! Surely we can shout to the top of our voices "Welcome to Davao! The home of Durian and Mangosteen!

There were so many things to say and many beautiful pictures to show but nothing beats the memories and the laughter that we shared during those times. It gives us a true picture of a real love and happiness.

Hopefully someday, when we all get together on that grand reunion ...what a joy that will be!

I love Boracay !

I woke up one day and found out that my husband and my daughter's passport is expiring soon. We quickly set an online appointment and found that the nearest date will be at Ilo-ilo City, Panay Island.
We filed our leave and off we go to Ilo-ilo city.

Everybody was excited to visit this small but progressive city! I was busy looking for the venue where we booked our appointments and at the same time looking for a place to stay for the next few days. But my mind is telling me that Boracay is within our reach ...
When we arrived Ilo-ilo city early morning by boat Cokaliong . We rushed to the place where we booked our appointment and by the afternoon, we finished everything. We went around the city and enjoyed the famous local food.

Early morning the following day, we were off to Boracay by bus! The scenery was beautiful and couldn't help buying those fresh fruits on the bus stop, it is so cheap compared to my hometown!
We arrived Kalibo and ride again a small ferry to the island of Boracay.

Our accomodation

Sand castles

The long stretch of beach

 I was filled with amazement to see Boracay for the first time. It was really a very beautiful place. You can see the shoreline as far as your eyes can see. The tranquility and the sound of the waves makes me feel so proud of God's wonderful creation!

People started arriving and soon the beach was full of people. But my mind was really working, the beach was full of people but the water was still crystal clear.  No wonder people from all walks of life, coming from different parts of the world would visit Boracay.

Boracay is also famous for it's beautiful sunset. You can see the sun set without any barrier until it vanishes from your sight.

Today, Boracay is considered as one of the finest beach around the world. Its fine sand, long stretch of beach shoreline and sunset is what people are coming in for. I love Boracay and  it is worth every penny you spent!

Taiwan Family Adventure

It was last September of 2018 when we left for Taiwan. It was the first Taiwan family adventure! We were so excited that we left for the airport very early, like we slept at the airport...ha ha ha! We were so excited that we were not able to sleep.

Mactan International Airport

We brought some peanut butter sandwiches and some soy drinks for our breakfast and decided to have our lunch at Taipei. Not thinking that city is about an hour and a half bus ride!

We arrived Taiwan past 12 noon and as expected we find ourselves lost and not knowing where to find the bus. Fortunately, one of my companion contacted her students and so finally we're at peace!

Taiwan Airport

We had a quick lunch at a restaurant inside the mall in Taipei. It was a memorable one because , it was our first time to eat at all vegetarian Chinese food restaurant! Not to mention the pearl tea which caught my attention! It all started here in Taiwan, my favorite Milk Pearl Tea.

The most challenging part of the story is when we looked for the booked accommodation. Due to language barrier we were going around the bush looking for that apartment , thanks to my son Michael  who was so innovative. After 2 hours of searching ...here we are at Fun Taipei apartment.

At Fun Taipei Apartment

Taiwan is one of the beautiful country I've been to. Clean air, clean environment and most of all, a very quiet place. I did not see a single soul hanging out on the streets or in the subways during our stay.

At Chiang Kai Shek Museum

We stayed for three days in Taiwan. We went to the famous flower garden , one of the most beautiful adventure that we had. The trip going to Zhongshe flower market was rather long. The trip took us three hours by train. We arrived very late in the afternoon and went home late too. But it was worth the trip!

Sun Flowers at Zhongshe Flower Market

Taiwan, I should say, looks like Singapore except that it has so many vegetation like trees along the streets and a wide variety of fresh vegetables and fruits that we enjoyed during our tour visit at the Shilin night market. We bought some souvenirs and of course some delicious delicacies which we brought home to the Philippines. Truly our Taiwan family adventure is one in a lifetime trip and it's worth every penny that we spent! To the Almighty we gave praises for the opportunity!

Simply Macau- the city that glows at night !

On board EVA air, we flew to Macau. We were pampered with good food and good service by the airline. EVA air is owned by Taiwanese and age doesn't matter as far as stewardess are concerned!

Arriving at the Macau airport that looks very strange to us, we were quiet. Strange in a sense that , its just like our domestic airport, no glamour! Nobody to check your baggage and ticket.. in other words, you  just enter the check out counters by yourself. But when our driver took us out from the place, we saw paved wide roads! Few private cars and mind you, the whole place was totally new and the road is long. just like in Taiwan, the airport is located in another island.

We stayed in a single room and we had no choice because its cheap ha ha ha! It was the hottest part of the day when we went around since the place is near to the tourist attractions. The whole place was full of people, as if there's a town fiesta somewhere. There's a lot of "bandaritas" hanging almost everywhere near the church.

The old street dated back to Portuguese Occupation of Macau

It was the heat that makes the trip very tiresome so we decided to grab a bite before proceeding to the next stop. We were busy looking around for any restaurant available in the place and all of a sudden a mascot was moving toward us! It was Jollibee! We were so happy to see him in Macau! We didn't know that it was the opening of the Jollibee fastfood restaurant here in Macau. We forgot the heat and how tired we are, we just followed him and to our amazement, the restaurant was full of Filipinos, my kababayans!

Happy time with Jollibee in Macau

We treasured the time when we met and talked to people coming from different parts of our country Philippines. How they are adjusted to the environment and their way of living. I'm glad that we Filipinos are flexible and can easily adjust to different cultures and traditions.

At the close of the day, the real Macau glows at night! Huge casinos and hotels starts to display their respective magnificent  lights.

Inside The Venetian Hotel and Casino

Many people come and visit Macau anytime of the year. But Macau is cold during winter time because of neighboring China. We wanted to go back since we stayed for one night and two days only. But I guess, we saw the highlights of Macau already!

The Venetian Hoel and Casino at night

Macau will always have a special place in my heart. I was caught of-guard when the fountain starts to dance to the tune, "New York"  by Frank Sinatra. I cried a lot, not because I was sad but I remembered my father and the song was his favorite as well as the singer. I felt bad that my father did not have the opportunity to travel outside the country. He was supposed to travel that June but he died in May. But the memories live on, simply at Macau, everything in the city glows at night!

This is it!

I have finished my race as far as parenting is concerned.  My efforts are now paid after years and years of raising and sending my kids to school. I give thanks to the Almighty for the support!

The best part of the story is I did have my own share of success too!

Many a times I attempted to do what I really wanted to do in my life but the opportunity was so illusive until in His time, He opened the way.This is it!

Looking forward to a whole new dimension, new adventure and new career as I gears toward the twilight of my life's adventure.