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Published: January 4th 2008
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We left Osaka December 21 for Manila, Philippines. Kansai airport procedure was an easy breeze through, making the arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila quite nightmarish. Not being home for the holidays for the past six years, I forgot how more chaotic the Philippines can become considering more than 90% of its population being Catholics, are all hyped in celebrating Christmas. We have to wait for more than an hour at the immigration line and baggage claim. I dont usually care about the crankiness and rudeness of the immigration and customs people in the Philippines, but Rinka being Japanese, couldnt help but point out to me a sticker in the custom window that says, "service with a smile", how ironic when this guy was so mean to us for no reason at all. Sorry dear welcome to the Philippines were cordial government employees are a rarity, except of course if you try to tip them with your hard earned money.
Anyway Im just so happy to be in Manila with my family for the holidays. We were so busy for our 12 day stay in the Philippines. The day after our arrival we had our son's baptism,
cuteness in white
Akira's baptismal attire followed by a reception among relatives and friends. Then there were lots of Christmas rush to be done, parties, family gatherings and a lot more. I was hoping I can do a lot of things in Manila considering I was away for a very long time. I was wrong, our time were spent mostly being stuck in traffic. I thought I can take advantage buying stuff I needed that cost cheaper here to bring back to Japan, however shopping was very hard with the over crowded malls.
Still, Christmas in the Philippines is a wonderful experience. The non sense chatter, endless laughter and the simple joy of being together are all part of the great Filipino Christmas experience. Rinka and myself still miss the feel of the New York City Christmas, having spent the past five there, but nothing beats the the warmth and cozy feel of being home with all my relatives wife and son.
However, we feel the need to take a break from the hustles of Manila. Rinka and myself decided to take a trip to Puerto Galera for three days and two night stay. With my two sisters and their boyfriends in tow, we
took a two and a half hour bus trip to Batangas City Pier, South of Manila. From there we boarded a boat for an hour and a half ride to White Beach, Puerto Galera. We were booked at Hollywood Palm for 4,000 pesos (100 dollars) a night, quite pricey for low season at Puerto Galera, considering the resort was not even beach front. The resort was in excellent condition, rooms were beautiful, nice swimming pool, friendly staff but it was a five minute walk to the beach, that turned out to be a 10 minute muddy and slippery walk , after it rained. The next day we moved to a beach front resort at 1,000 pesos for 6 pax (25 dollars) a night. The rooms were perfect and we can see what we came for.. the view of the beach! And the cost!!! Cheap, is an understatement. A piece of advice, if you are going to Puerto Galera on a low season, do not book ahead on the internet or in whatever form. Just go there, look for a place upon arrival and you could get better deal and good bargain even at the priciest and best beach front resorts.
Jollibee breakfast
Yup, Filipinos can eat very heavy breakfast We had a great time at Puerto Galera, since it was the low season everything is so cheap. We got a snorkel package and island hopping for five people at 1,200 pesos (around 29 USD). I think I can even haggle it to 1,000 pesos, but in the spirit of Christmas, I didn't, lol. And the food, yes the food, it was superb. We grilled pork BBQ, tilapia and tuna for two consecutive dinners. We bought a freshly caught tuna weighing more than a kilo for 150 pesos (3.50 USD), for that price you're lucky to get 8- thin sashimi slices in an Osaka grocery. There are also a lot of restaurants in the area. An average meal will only cost you around a hundred pesos (2.50 USD). One evening we all lay on the sand and got a very relaxing body massage for 200 pesos (5 USD) for an hour. Puerto Galera is a cheap way to escape the craziness of Manila.
We decided to stay at my parent's house from December 30 till we left January 2 as Rinka was already traumatized by the traffic and crowded malls. We had a modest New Year celebration at
taho
breakfast drink, hot soya served with syrup my parent's house. We just hang out with relatives who lived nearby and had our daily dose of Philippine fast food such as Chow King and Jollibee. Yup, the fast food chain with the happy bee mascot. Only in the Philippines wherein Mc Donald's had to settle for # 2 spot as the top fast food burger chain. Filipinos may like all things Western, but when it comes to our fast food choice, Jollibee reigns supreme.
Finally our holidays our over and its time to go back to Japan. It was a teary farewell with my family. No they're not sad that I am leaving. They're used to me being away. They're sad to be saying goodbye to my son, Akira. The first grandson on my dad' side.
So we arrived at the Kansai airport. The fingerprinting law for foreigners are now in effect. I wonder what all the fuzz is about. It was so efficient and the whole process didn't even take a minute. However, I now have to go through a seperate immigration line from my wife and kid, them being Japanese nationals. No big deal, I'm just glad to be living in the safest place
on earth. If you guys have nothing to hide, I see nothing wrong being fingerprinted. Well but then again, that's just me.
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Ken
non-member comment
Philippine holiday
WOW. Sounds like it was a great way to spend Christmas. Looks like everyone had a good time.