A PAGE FROM MY JOURNAL
Day 5
Arenal Volcano
We arose from a restful sleep in our spacious hotel room and ran outside in our backyard where we caught a glimpse of the fickle peak of the volcano. The view was clear one minute and the next it was cloud-covered.
Our free breakfast buffet was lovely with meat dish, rice and beans, fried yucca and with an omelet station. The table carrying fresh fruits, watermelon, strawberries, papaya, pineapple and melon was always full. I could definitely get used to this.
On our first breakfast, the next table to us was occupied by a couple from Oklahoma whom we exchanged pleasantries and information with while we ate. They have nothing in mind to do this day so we told them why not go to the waterfalls. There is one in La Fortuna. They hiked on the volcano perimeter the day before already.
The servers at the restaurant were friendly. Kaylor was our server and he was very chatty. When I told him I’d take his photo for Facebook he willingly posed.
We met our tour mates, the couple from Baltimore, at the reception area where we asked the desk guy to ring us a cab. Our plan of action was to go to the town center of La Fortuna and look around. Every next door is a tour agent so we could easily shop around for whatever activity fancied us that day.
We were dropped off the side of the plaza facing the church. We stopped by the church first and took a few photos then walked around the town center. Boy was it hot. We pretended to shop for souvenirs while our hubs inquired at the cost of various activities. There was butterfly garden, kayaking, ziplining, and other activities aside from the tour of the volcano. Upon research prior to trip we found out that going to the volcano was doable, no need for a guided tour. Besides guided tour would cost nearly $100 pax. We weren’t keen on paying that.
Taxis are assigned a spot, so it’s easy to find them. They are in line too so you go get the first one. Lucky for us we got a good one. William is his name and he was our driver for the day. We asked him to take us to the volcano. Wasn’t far, but the road was not paved, it was like riding in a bumper car. Upon inquiry he said they have to change tires every 2 months because of bad roads, but the gov’t subsidizes this – he reasoned must be cheaper for govt to do this than to pave all the roads. He ended that with a sheepish grin. We were here for an authentic Costa Rican adventure and that is what we’re getting, including the bumpy gravel and dirt roads.
We paid our entrance fee and he drove up until the parking area. Then we asked him if he could pick us up after 2 hours and take us to the waterfalls. He agreed. And not only did he agree he didn’t want to get paid until the end of the day. We jotted down the mileage. I cannot remember if we were paying by miles, but we were tracking the mileage. What an honest guy, isn’t he? We are foreigners and he trusted us. He doesn’t even know where we stay. We could have easily turned around and called for another cab you know.
Anyway, with maps of the park in our hand we look at the best trails/path to take while here. We tried to take one in between tall grasses that are similar to sugarcane. But we abandoned the trail since it wasn’t going to lead us to the volcano overlook. I’m not sure this is the way to go closer to the volcano. Because by the looks of it and by the brochure I was holding I could tell that the volcano was farther than the 2 km that the longest path on the brochure indicated. There are, however, tours that would take you hiking up the side of the volcano, although I think that’s quite risky. We weren’t really looking for that much adventure you know.
We found where the path leading to the overlook. While it wasn’t long and difficult, it was on a slope uphill. Shame on me, I was breathless!
We arrived at the overlook with plenty of time. It’s a covered spot ontop of a small hill with benches. Another family was already there. They look locals to us.
It’s wasn’t long before we realized that we gave ourselves too much time to spend here. Two hours was definitely way too long to admire the volcano from this spot, no matter how beautiful it is. There wasn’t anything else to do other than go back down and take any one of the trails, which we weren’t keen on doing since it was very hot and the sky was turning dark, impending rain was visible.
The Baltimore guy took a nap in one of the benches, my hubs went around photographing flora especially the variety of ferns that grow here and us girls we snacked on some Indian munchies that Baltimore gal brought.
We took photos then decided we’d walk back to the entrance to ask the guy manning the booth to call William as we’re ready to go. Along the way, we passed by guava fruit scattered all over the ground. We looked up and lining the trail are guava trees. We helped ourselves with the juicy fruit. We picked from the tree and ate some for our lunch. So delicious.
There is a little hut with covered porch area across from the ticket booth and we stayed there when the guy said he has no phone for us to use. Left without recourse, we waited by the porch for the time we gave William to come.
William showed up on time and by this time the drizzle has been ongoing for about 15 minutes. We asked him to take us to La Fortuna waterfalls. I read somewhere that this was the same waterfalls they used in the opening of the movie Jurassic Park. Remember the scene?
Also we asked if he could take us for a quick stop at a local market, I have been craving for some passion fruit – maracuya. He stopped at a nondescript one story building with a small opening/door. I was expecting an airy open-air farmer’s market type of setting, but probably due to weather, extreme heat and constant rain, they decided to put a roof over their market.
This one’s very small - just for snacks and fruits and veggies. I didn’t see any seafood or meat products. We bought some rambutan and passion fruit and tamales. Our Baltimore friends have never tasted this but has seen them once or twice before.
Off we went. Again we requested him to fetch us at a certain time. This time around the entrance to the waterfalls was open for another hour. You can stay as long as you want but no more entry after another hour.
The rain continued to come down, although mildly this time. We stopped at the lookout point. From that vantage point the waterfalls was clearly seen, except that we wanted to descend and see it up close.
The descent was manageable. The humidity was bogging me down, and the rain was adding a little misery to my already petulant demeanor. Honestly people I cannot fathom why I was kvetching.
The second we reached the bottom, we immediately peeled our clothes off, we were wearing our bathing suit underneath. The water was cold. Did I mention that there was thunder? Lucky for me there wasn’t any lighting, that would have completely get me cowering under all the trees. We spent a few moments taking photos and dipping our toes and legs in the water, cold did I say?
The rain wasn’t letting up, it was alternating between mild drizzle and a moderately heavy downpour. It was also starting to get dark and misty when we were down by the river so we thought we’d wrap up our time here in this gorgeous waterfalls.
Moreover William would soon be out in the parking lot waiting for us. Now this was the most difficult part of this entire trip – the climb up. Huffing and puffing, I struggled to clamber back up. Despite all my huffing and puffing and all the constant stops, we managed to complete this task – all of 500 steps some say – in 30-40 minutes.
As expected our friend William was waiting in the parking lot. The rain got heavier as we reached the top where the souvenir store and entrance is. We let the heavy downpour pass for some minutes, but it wasn’t really letting up. So we decided to just go and get wet. We had one umbrella.
We asked William to take us back into town for one more round of window shopping and possibly eating. We haven’t had anything but some fruits in the falls and chips by the volcano. And breakfast was long time ago. It was nearing dinner time.
We asked him to take us to the soda he goes to. It was across from a supermarket. Again he only dropped us at the soda and he was going to meet us at the taxi stand by a certain time.
Still drizzling we were not sure if we wanted to eat right away. So we crossed the street and snooped at what’s in the supermarket. We found a variety chips – potato, yuca, and other root veggies in one package. We bought 2 packages. The store has an ongoing sale on ground coffee beans, Costa Rican coffee, so we filled our shopping cart with it – pasalubongs for people back home.
Well the rain was nonstop as we looked around at other souvenir and knick knack stores. Finally we decided to just take some food home since the rain wasn’t going to let us have a moonlit stroll around the plaza. The server at the soda was very friendly. She noticed that my husband and our friends are Indians (hubs is not, but well) so she boldly shared how her daughter is currently backpacking in India – Goa – and how the daughter couldn’t handle the spices in Indian cuisine. We seemed to talk forever as she, Dona Flora, got more brazen. Our little Spanish and her almost nonexistent English went a distance with sharing one anecdote after another.
We hurried to the taxi stand carrying our dinner. Initially we thought we’d all go back to the hotel and meet at the pool so we can take a little dip at the jacuzzi. However, on the ride to the hotel we all realized we were very tired and didn’t want to soak in the jacuzzi under the constant rain. So we said until next morning.
We turned on the jacuzzi in our little back porch – each room has this feature – and enjoyed a little warm soak while enjoying our Costa Rican dinner. Then it was off to bed, our last night here in Arenal.
Showing posts with label journal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label journal. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Daily October (8)
A PAGE FROM MY JOURNAL
Day 4
Excitedly the hubs arrived from his early morning trip to the beach with the gang to tell me all about his wonderful experience. Today is our last day here. We’re spending a couple more hours before we depart for our next leg of the tour.
We sat at breakfast table with the same group of people we dine with here. The German couple have their plans mapped out courtesy of our antiquated laptop, remember? They are excited to spend the remaining days of their Costa Rican adventure just lounging by the beach.
The rest of us will head on to Arenal, home of the famous volcano of the same name.
Breakfast was where we said goodbyes to other guests we became buddies with during our short stay in this lodge. We exchanged emails and facebook pages, etc. I was a bit sad, especially separating from the German couple. They were very nice and found out were mostly like us in many ways.
After breakfast, hubs and I took a walk around the perimeter, one last time. It’s so relaxing being surrounded by nature in this setting. While I was looking forward to seeing our next adventure, I was sad at the same time at leaving all this behind. We both wished we could spend more time here.
At the dock, we were sorted into 2 boats. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the same Spanish-English speaking grouping. So we got separated from our German friends. Sad to see that happen. They went off first, then it was us, all 7 of us with a boat full of people.
This time the ride was not narrated, unlike when we were coming here from San Jose. I enjoyed seeing the familiar places now, the birds and the butterflies and the trees and the grazing cows, water from the canals splashing into my face and arms.
We arrived at the restaurant where we would be waiting for our tour bus to take us back to El Ceibo restaurant where on day 2 we had our second breakfast, remember?
When the buses arrived we were sorted again. And the ride back was faster than the one we took to get to Tortuguero.
A lunch buffet spread was awaiting us. Unfortunately, by the time we got in the El Ceibo in Guapiles, our German friends were no longer there. They are traveling on their own and I suppose only the ones in travel packages get to have lunch. They probably caught their bus to their next destination. Here we managed to say another goodbye to the same people we said goodbye to at breakfast time in Pachira Lodge. We don’t know where they were going. Some of them were heading in the same destination but taking a different transportation.
We took a van that carries about 8-9 people, just perfect for us. Cozy. The ride to Arenal took about 4 hours from Guapiles. We were traveling all day. The passing scenery was not all agricultural lands, we passed by many small towns. The long ride gave me a chance to indulge in wool gathering while enjoying the scenes outside my window. We even stop in a small restaurant/bar where our driver had something to eat.
It was pouring when we got near Arenal, we expected it. It is rainy season afterall. We just got lucky in Tortuguero, that was the exception, not the rule in this trip.
We stopped by a tour office and inquired about tours around the area. Nothing jumped at us and we thought we could easily do the tours ourselves without signing up for a guided tour.
The town of La Fortuna bears many resemblance to many small towns in the Philippines. The plaza is the center of the town with the church across it. I could totally live my Philippine lifestyle here, except this one’s full of tourists. Stores surround the perimeter of the plaza/church. It’s that feeling of I have been here, but I know I haven’t that really caught me off guard.
In our group we have a 94-year-old grandma who came to Costa Rica with one mission – to zipline. When she broached this to her son, he and his wife agreed to take her so she can fulfill her wish – another off the bucket list. My husband asked the tour office if they have a zipline where one is not going to climb up the platform but some sort of a gondola ride would take anyone up there. Roberta signed up for ziplining in Tortuguero. Nobody did because apparently the ziplining in Tortuguero is considered weak in comparison with the other areas of Costa Rica. Perfect for her. The problem was she couldn’t handle the climb up to the stairs on the platform. She felt dizzy.
And so when the tour operator said their zipline has a gondola ride to take one up to the platform to zipline, it was like destiny. She signed up for the next day.
Nobody else signed up for any trip; the couple in Baltimore along with us decided we’d make it simple and make this a do-it-yourself tour of the La Fortuna and Arenal.
When our van deposited us at the front of our hotel/lodge – I don’t know how to classify it – we were all impressed. The one-storey building/bungalow style in vivid bright reds and yellows Spanish decorated only housed the reception area. Across it, on a hilly portion is the dining area. I was bugged eyed at how lovely the décor was and how behind the reception desk was a large window with the view of the volcano, who needs painting when you can have this active volcano decorating the reception area. Needless to say, natural light was aplenty here, except it was cloudy and rainy when we checked in. Two nights here, let’s get it started.
With our luggages in tow, we needed to have the golf cart to take us to our rooms. It’s a little walk uphill, but it was drizzling and dark. Our rooms are sprawled all over the property. Landscaped, paved paths and bungalows housing 2 rooms each dotted the green landscaped area. Our bungalow was the first one from the reception area.
It was about 5 pm and we have nothing to do. The woman from Sacramento suggested we go to Baldi Hot Springs that night and get our hot springs experience over with. No wasting of time here. We all agreed. We agreed to meet at the reception area by 6 pm.
And because we had a plan before our van driver left, we asked if he could pick us up – not part of his job – and drop us to Baldi Hot Springs, not far from our hotel but not walking distance either since our hotel is a little remote, in a hilly portion of Arenal with unpaved muddy roads. He agreed and also agreed to bring us back to the hotel afterwards, for a fee of course.
While the leading hot springs attraction here is Tabacon, we decided it was okay for all of us to go to Baldi instead. They have many spring pools with varying heat levels. The ticket we purchased included a buffet dinner, can you believe that? If we knew, one could easily buy a ticket in the morning, stay all day here soaking in very therapeutic water, then have some eats.
WE sampled different pools testing whether the heat is just right for us. We found a very nice pool with just the right heat and a feature of a waterfall. The waterfall mimics the aquamassage in parlors, have you had one of those? So splendidly good. We didn’t want to leave. We had our meals, buffet style, typical Costa Rican food and a station for pastries and other sweet things. The good thing about this restaurant is men are not allowed to eat without putting their shirt on, but women can walk around and eat with just their bathing suit. We wrapped the towel around our suits, we were prudish.
And then it was time to leave. The driver was already waiting for us outside the hotel/hot springs. We asked if he was available the next day as we thought we’d just hire our transportation and we’d go wherever we wanted to go. But he wasn’t free the next day.
Day 4
Excitedly the hubs arrived from his early morning trip to the beach with the gang to tell me all about his wonderful experience. Today is our last day here. We’re spending a couple more hours before we depart for our next leg of the tour.
We sat at breakfast table with the same group of people we dine with here. The German couple have their plans mapped out courtesy of our antiquated laptop, remember? They are excited to spend the remaining days of their Costa Rican adventure just lounging by the beach.
The rest of us will head on to Arenal, home of the famous volcano of the same name.
Breakfast was where we said goodbyes to other guests we became buddies with during our short stay in this lodge. We exchanged emails and facebook pages, etc. I was a bit sad, especially separating from the German couple. They were very nice and found out were mostly like us in many ways.
After breakfast, hubs and I took a walk around the perimeter, one last time. It’s so relaxing being surrounded by nature in this setting. While I was looking forward to seeing our next adventure, I was sad at the same time at leaving all this behind. We both wished we could spend more time here.
At the dock, we were sorted into 2 boats. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the same Spanish-English speaking grouping. So we got separated from our German friends. Sad to see that happen. They went off first, then it was us, all 7 of us with a boat full of people.
This time the ride was not narrated, unlike when we were coming here from San Jose. I enjoyed seeing the familiar places now, the birds and the butterflies and the trees and the grazing cows, water from the canals splashing into my face and arms.
We arrived at the restaurant where we would be waiting for our tour bus to take us back to El Ceibo restaurant where on day 2 we had our second breakfast, remember?
When the buses arrived we were sorted again. And the ride back was faster than the one we took to get to Tortuguero.
A lunch buffet spread was awaiting us. Unfortunately, by the time we got in the El Ceibo in Guapiles, our German friends were no longer there. They are traveling on their own and I suppose only the ones in travel packages get to have lunch. They probably caught their bus to their next destination. Here we managed to say another goodbye to the same people we said goodbye to at breakfast time in Pachira Lodge. We don’t know where they were going. Some of them were heading in the same destination but taking a different transportation.
We took a van that carries about 8-9 people, just perfect for us. Cozy. The ride to Arenal took about 4 hours from Guapiles. We were traveling all day. The passing scenery was not all agricultural lands, we passed by many small towns. The long ride gave me a chance to indulge in wool gathering while enjoying the scenes outside my window. We even stop in a small restaurant/bar where our driver had something to eat.
It was pouring when we got near Arenal, we expected it. It is rainy season afterall. We just got lucky in Tortuguero, that was the exception, not the rule in this trip.
We stopped by a tour office and inquired about tours around the area. Nothing jumped at us and we thought we could easily do the tours ourselves without signing up for a guided tour.
The town of La Fortuna bears many resemblance to many small towns in the Philippines. The plaza is the center of the town with the church across it. I could totally live my Philippine lifestyle here, except this one’s full of tourists. Stores surround the perimeter of the plaza/church. It’s that feeling of I have been here, but I know I haven’t that really caught me off guard.
In our group we have a 94-year-old grandma who came to Costa Rica with one mission – to zipline. When she broached this to her son, he and his wife agreed to take her so she can fulfill her wish – another off the bucket list. My husband asked the tour office if they have a zipline where one is not going to climb up the platform but some sort of a gondola ride would take anyone up there. Roberta signed up for ziplining in Tortuguero. Nobody did because apparently the ziplining in Tortuguero is considered weak in comparison with the other areas of Costa Rica. Perfect for her. The problem was she couldn’t handle the climb up to the stairs on the platform. She felt dizzy.
And so when the tour operator said their zipline has a gondola ride to take one up to the platform to zipline, it was like destiny. She signed up for the next day.
Nobody else signed up for any trip; the couple in Baltimore along with us decided we’d make it simple and make this a do-it-yourself tour of the La Fortuna and Arenal.
When our van deposited us at the front of our hotel/lodge – I don’t know how to classify it – we were all impressed. The one-storey building/bungalow style in vivid bright reds and yellows Spanish decorated only housed the reception area. Across it, on a hilly portion is the dining area. I was bugged eyed at how lovely the décor was and how behind the reception desk was a large window with the view of the volcano, who needs painting when you can have this active volcano decorating the reception area. Needless to say, natural light was aplenty here, except it was cloudy and rainy when we checked in. Two nights here, let’s get it started.
With our luggages in tow, we needed to have the golf cart to take us to our rooms. It’s a little walk uphill, but it was drizzling and dark. Our rooms are sprawled all over the property. Landscaped, paved paths and bungalows housing 2 rooms each dotted the green landscaped area. Our bungalow was the first one from the reception area.
It was about 5 pm and we have nothing to do. The woman from Sacramento suggested we go to Baldi Hot Springs that night and get our hot springs experience over with. No wasting of time here. We all agreed. We agreed to meet at the reception area by 6 pm.
And because we had a plan before our van driver left, we asked if he could pick us up – not part of his job – and drop us to Baldi Hot Springs, not far from our hotel but not walking distance either since our hotel is a little remote, in a hilly portion of Arenal with unpaved muddy roads. He agreed and also agreed to bring us back to the hotel afterwards, for a fee of course.
While the leading hot springs attraction here is Tabacon, we decided it was okay for all of us to go to Baldi instead. They have many spring pools with varying heat levels. The ticket we purchased included a buffet dinner, can you believe that? If we knew, one could easily buy a ticket in the morning, stay all day here soaking in very therapeutic water, then have some eats.
WE sampled different pools testing whether the heat is just right for us. We found a very nice pool with just the right heat and a feature of a waterfall. The waterfall mimics the aquamassage in parlors, have you had one of those? So splendidly good. We didn’t want to leave. We had our meals, buffet style, typical Costa Rican food and a station for pastries and other sweet things. The good thing about this restaurant is men are not allowed to eat without putting their shirt on, but women can walk around and eat with just their bathing suit. We wrapped the towel around our suits, we were prudish.
And then it was time to leave. The driver was already waiting for us outside the hotel/hot springs. We asked if he was available the next day as we thought we’d just hire our transportation and we’d go wherever we wanted to go. But he wasn’t free the next day.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
A Page From My Journal
Sept 14-15, 2011
Picture this. Staying in a cottage/lodge steps from the jungle and the great canal, being woken up to the sounds of toucans and other birds and the howling of the monkeys. This was my experience in Pachira Lodge in Tortuguero.
We spent 3 days 2 nights in this jungle paradise. Upon arrival, we were immediately handed a cocktail to quench our thirst after an almost 2-hour boat ride to reach this place. That little treat scored big points for me. Before we even finished our drink, our room assignment was being given to us, right there in the pool area, by the bar. Our little group of 7 – the Friendly Planet group – was housed in one lodge/cottage. Each lodge is divided into 4 rooms – with double queen size beds. We were on room 2 and our lodge is closest to the dining area, bar, pool – everything. The monkeys and toucans also hang around the trees around our lodge.
Upon receipt of our room keys, we dragged our luggage to the room and was more interested in checking out what’s around the lodge than resting. The gardens are splendid. Total tropical paradise feel, and just yards away from the actual jungle.
We dumped our luggage, didn’t even bother to unpack. Two nights/3 days wasn’t that long to unload everything from the luggage. I just pulled out the t-shirts and the shorts/pants that I would be using while I was here and pulled out the toiletries, even though there were some provided.
Lunch time was calling. We were given our timetable, and lunch buffet is open for about 1.5-2 hours. Buffet is not the same as what we are used to in the states where there are endless choices of proteins and carbs and desserts. Here they have a spread of tropical fruits, 1 or 2 meat dish, a veggie dish, rice, and another carb choice, and 1 or 2 dessert choices. The juice is free flowing. They have wonderful selections like one day they had blackberry juice, which I never had before.
Plenty of time between lunch and 3 pm which was the time when our jungle walk/hike would commence. We walked around the perimeter of our lodge and I took the time to wash up a bit. I feel the need to always wash up here – sweat, bug spray and sunblock.
At the bar was where the group would meet for the jungle walk. Just off the pool area is a trail that leads to the jungle. Although we didn’t go far enough – ask anyone from the group and they’d tell you we wanted to go deeper into the mysterious forest – I had a good time. Immediately as we arrived at the foot of the trail, we were asked to look up the tree and see what’s there. I didn’t see it at first but suddenly I did, a three-toed sloth – I would trust my guide for I cannot see that far how many toes the sloth had. It was exciting. Julio our guide – with Mariano who handles mostly the Spanish speaking group – was very knowledgeable. Very likeable too and friendly, but keeps a tight rein with following the schedule.
He showed us different flora – some of which are not foreign to my eyes having been raised in a tropical country as well. I learned to be careful of where I step, be vigilant of other creatures that are sharing the space with me. We saw spiders – some scary looking and others cute – and mostly bugs. Learning about the trees and their symbiotic relationship with each other was very fascinating. It was tough to focus on Julio and what he was saying when the whole time all I could think about is how to compose the image that I was about to take. The blogger in me takes over sometimes.
Midway through the tour, my husband and I and another couple were lagging behind because hubby was taking photos when all of a sudden he saw a sloth on the ground. Sloths come down on the ground once every 9 days or so to defecate. Excitedly we alerted the group who were a few yards away from us to come back and see what we found. Julio in all his years of guiding tours has never seen a sloth on the ground before. The slow movement of the sloth should have given me ample time to take great shot, except that under the canopy where light is scarce there was only so much I can do. It was an amazing experience. Everyone was thanking the hubby for his keen eye.
It was dark inside the forest, but still light outside when we emerged from it. We had nothing to do – the time until dinner is ours to do as we please. This is a place where there are no phones, no tv, no internet. Across the canal, via a water taxi is the main village. They have a bar and some shopping and restaurants. But no one went. We all ran up to our room changed into our swimming gears and jumped into the pool. Since the pool is next to the bar, we had a few drinks while engaging in tittle tattle with our fellow travelers. I’ve never been in a pool this much time as I’ve had here in Pachira – there is nothing else to do. Plus, we found out soon enough mosquitoes cannot get us when we’re in the pool. So we spent time in the pool and gotten the cooling off we needed.
The next day our itinerary is full. After breakfast we took a boat ride across the canal to Tortuguero village. Mariano was in charge of the English speaking group this time. We walked around, watched the fire ants collect blades of grass and spotted some very tiny wren. We proceeded to go to the beach, which is a part of the sanctuary for turtles. Limited access to general public here because it’s part of the national park system. They want to preserve the sanctuary for these turtles.
The sun was high and unbearable. We were walking down the beach of the Carribean sea, but the seabreeze offered no relief to the heat. As we were walking along we spotted a baby turtle that died on the nest. When they hatch, they need to be able to leave the nest and get into the water before the sun is high. This one must have been caught in the heat, didn’t have a chance. Apparently the baby turtle has to hurdle many challenges for its survival. Predators like birds and dogs and other animals, people who still didn’t get the memo. Then from its nest it has to make sure it reaches the ocean before the sun gets too hot. Also we were advised not to pick up turtles, especially live ones, as they have sensors in their belly/feet that senses the and memorizes the path they take from the nest to the ocean, which will be very helpful if and when these babies grow up and mature to lay eggs.
While the beach was gorgeous and the tempatation to unlace my walking shoes and dip my heated toesies in the water was strong, I was glad that the beach portion of this tour was over. It was incredibly hot, people.
Finally, it was time to visit the village, which was immediately across the lodge from us. There is a paved path – should I even consider it road even when the only transportation that uses it is a two-wheeler bike – that goes straight parallel to the canal. Facing the village with our backs to the canal, we decided to walk to the right where both sides of the path are lined with stores and eateries and accommodations all housed in structures painted in vivid colors. We entered a few stores and bought turtle earrings for gifts and then continued our walk. My strength was dwindling mainly due to thirst and heat. I was able to finish a bottle of water immediately after we entered the village, but that doesn’t seem enough. I was still thirsty and at the same time worried that I might need a bathroom, which is a problem.
We spotted a cart vendor pushing coconuts – he was in demand – and my hubs and I split one coconut between us, which tide me over. And so I continued to shoot.
We returned to the lodge before lunch. While others jumped into the pool right away to cool down, I didn’t. The pool was under full sun and I was afraid I’d be taking extra sun than I needed (although I do have Vit. D deficiency) and that I’d be burned to a crisp so we just walked around and the perimeter and watched a family of monkeys swing from branches to branches, never gets old after two days
Since we knew we wanted to see the giant turtle laying eggs that night, we had to buy our tickets at the reception area. After we secured our spots for the trip that night we lingered on the porch outside the reception desk where we could get a great view of the monkeys. I don’t recall whose cellphone it was that my hubs was carrying, mine or his, and why the heck was there a cellphone in his pocket in this out-of-the-way locale anyway, but for the heck of it he checked if there is wifi connection since we spotted a router inside the reception area. We were told this place has no phone, no tv, no internet. But yahoo, our little phone that could was able to connect to Facebook of course. And so he hurried to get the laptop in our room, which is a stone’s throw away from where we were sitting. I have to travel with a laptop because I need to upload my images to a computer – the bane of travelling with a compulsive shooter.
This serendipitious discovery has enabled us to email family and peek at facebook and allowed our newfound friends to shoot emails to their families as well.
Another couple that we spend our time here had shared that they had nowhere to go after we leave here tomorrow. They were under the impression that they were staying in the lodge for 3 nights. On the way back from the village, they chatted with Julio, our guide, about what’s in store for them tomorrow when the rest of us will leave. Julio told them WE all will leave. The lodge offers only either a 2 days 1 night stay or a 3 days 2 nights stay. And tonite is the second night here.
This is when my laptop was helpful. They had to make emergency travel arrangements. He even teased me why I’m carrying a huge laptop in this age when everything techie is going small. It’s a 15 inches laptop – not that huge, but it’s about 2 years old, antiquated to some, but it serves its purpose, cache for my photos and now their way to acquiring lodging for tomorrow night.
3:00 pm was the time the jungle cruise/boat ride began. As usual we were split into Spanish speaking and non-Spanish speaking/English speaking groups. On our boat we had Julio as our guide. Ronnie was our driver.
We sailed quietly, the hushed surroundings lent itself to a little meditative moment but we weren’t here to float aimlessly. We were here to see and hear and experience jungle. Parts of the jungle/national park can be explored by foot, which we did yesterday. Most of it can only be explored through the canals. There is an impressive canal system both natural and man-made that offers the best experience.
Have you been to the Disneyland ride to the jungle? This is a thousand times cooler and better. But having ridden both rides, I must say Disney had it right on target, but nothing beats the real thing.
Our driver had keen eyes. While the other boat passed us by because there was no activity going on, he spotted some curious lizards on the branches, by the bushes. He’s very good.
We continued floating by the canals, went into a smaller canal, which if my memory is correct is one of the man-made ones. These jungles are home to three different monkeys – howler, spider, and white faced. We saw all while staying in Pachira.
What a thrill! I cannot explain the pulchritude of the place or how affected I was of its serenity, beauty, power, and strength. If allowed I would not mind taking this boat trip every single day. So many things to see and hear and experience. Jaguars are said to live here, we didn’t see one that day. I wonder if they would come closer to the water. My guess is that they would stay deep in the forest.
Birdwatching is excellent, although there weren’t many birds. We saw enough to satisfy us.
The trip lasted 2 to 2.5 hours and we disembarked all sweaty and hot and in need of a dip in the pool. It’s an hour or so before dinner bell rings (figuratively) so we had plenty of time to congregate by the pool and enjoy some ice cold beverages.
Because of the propinquity of the jacuzzi/pool area to the entrance to the jungle/national park, we were watching the sloth up in the tree while soaking in the jacuzzi. How cool is that?
We had to take our dinner quickly because we had signed up for a tour to see the turtles lay eggs on the beach that night and it was starting at 8 pm.
I’ve noticed that people/tour guides are very punctual here in Costa Rica – no tour is late, earlier even.
We were transported from our lodge to the village by boat/water taxi and was met by our guide for tonight. It appears that a different license is required to guide tours for turtles laying eggs than regular tours, and Julio didn’t have that license. He was however very firm in saying over and over again to observe the rules set out by the park – without exceptions no recording of any sort, no cameras, no video nothing. When a tourist violates these rules, which apparently are enforced diligently, the guide will lose her license for a period of 1 to 2 years. No one wants to be responsible for a guide losing her job because we can’t follow the rules.
What I thought was going to be a lazy walk on the beach by moonlight was the opposite. The minute we all got out of the boat and the guide introduced herself, we were off like we’re running away from immigration officers . Brisk walking, meet Maria. It was a tough walk to the beach. We passed by the village then onto the dimly lit portion of the beach to a waiting station. The rangers don’t want a mob descending on the beach during this time when the turtles are just coming out of the water. The waiting station which was totally in darkness is a ways off. The beach area is divided into stations and a runner/ranger would be scouring the beach for turtles. When they spot a turtle and find where it goes and begins to dig, the runner would then go to the waiting station and informs the guide where to direct the tourists.
We waited for a long time in the station, which was good because I was able to catch my breath. There were hushed conversations among us, but in general the quiet and the dark were a potent combination for relaxation – if I wasn’t dog tired from that almost running we just did. I was so horrified at how poorly I performed at brisk walking. How could I be so out of shape – nope don’t answer that.
When the runner came, he said something to the guide who then herded us to backtrack because apparently we overshot our target spot, the turtle chose to lay eggs closer to the village.
Another long brisk walk, I was crying (figuratively again!) I drank like a gallon of juice and water over dinner and though I was sweating profusely, my tee-shirt was soaked, I felt the need to pee.
We found the section that we were told to go but nothing was happening. Apparently, we had to wait for another runner to tell us when to approach. While we were waiting on the beach, I was imagining how romantic this scenario would be under different circumstance. All of a sudden, we spotted a turtle coming out of the water to the beach to lay an egg. I thought that was our turtle. I was wrong. Our turtle was already in the beach, digging furiously and was about to lay eggs. This whole tour is 2 hours long. Whether or not the group sees a turtle the tour ends after 2 hours. And so our time was spent mostly waiting and waiting. An hour and 30 minutes into the tour, a runner approached us as we were sprawled on the cool sand and told us where to go to see the turtle.
The long hike on the beach and the seemingly endless wait on the beach dissipated upon the sight of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The turtle was huge. You know even bigger than a paella pan. She was in the process of laying eggs, they could lay about a hundred eggs if my memory is correct and once they start laying eggs they go on a trance. We were really quiet, but awestruck at how amazing a sight this is. We let the other group – there was another one – to peek, then it was our turn again. This time the turtle was done and she was covering up the eggs with sand. She takes breaks in between; she must have used up most of her energy laying all those eggs.
We didn’t stay to see the turtle eggs get fully covered in sand, because we’re on a time limit and another set of tours is about to commence. They have two tours daily during the laying season from July to September, 8 and 10 pm.
The couple from Baltimore was complaining how vigorous the walk was and they are regular walkers; they walk daily for an hour. The woman even said the tour guide’s plump appearance belied her physical conditioning.
While many chose to stay around the pool/bar area – the full moon was beautiful – to enjoy a few more cold ones, I decided it was time to hit the showers and the sack soon after.
A group of guys decided to see the baby turtles return to the ocean in the morning. They agreed to leave by 5:30 am. A handful signed up, this isn’t a tour sanctioned by the lodge or the tour agency. It was a group of visitors who wanted to see the baby turtles early in the morning. The public is allowed on the beach on certain times and that’s 5 am to 7 am only. This is done to minimize disruption to the turtles routine during the time of laying eggs. Plus the beach is part of the national park.
My husband signed up and so did the Baltimore guy. Both the Baltimore wife and I opted to sleep in, we were tired from last night’s marathon hike . The wives volunteered to pack up for tomorrow’s departure, not that I had plenty to do since we only took out the clothing we needed for the duration of our stay here.
The group had fun exploring the beach and found a baby turtle on his way to the sea.
Picture this. Staying in a cottage/lodge steps from the jungle and the great canal, being woken up to the sounds of toucans and other birds and the howling of the monkeys. This was my experience in Pachira Lodge in Tortuguero.
We spent 3 days 2 nights in this jungle paradise. Upon arrival, we were immediately handed a cocktail to quench our thirst after an almost 2-hour boat ride to reach this place. That little treat scored big points for me. Before we even finished our drink, our room assignment was being given to us, right there in the pool area, by the bar. Our little group of 7 – the Friendly Planet group – was housed in one lodge/cottage. Each lodge is divided into 4 rooms – with double queen size beds. We were on room 2 and our lodge is closest to the dining area, bar, pool – everything. The monkeys and toucans also hang around the trees around our lodge.
Upon receipt of our room keys, we dragged our luggage to the room and was more interested in checking out what’s around the lodge than resting. The gardens are splendid. Total tropical paradise feel, and just yards away from the actual jungle.
We dumped our luggage, didn’t even bother to unpack. Two nights/3 days wasn’t that long to unload everything from the luggage. I just pulled out the t-shirts and the shorts/pants that I would be using while I was here and pulled out the toiletries, even though there were some provided.
Lunch time was calling. We were given our timetable, and lunch buffet is open for about 1.5-2 hours. Buffet is not the same as what we are used to in the states where there are endless choices of proteins and carbs and desserts. Here they have a spread of tropical fruits, 1 or 2 meat dish, a veggie dish, rice, and another carb choice, and 1 or 2 dessert choices. The juice is free flowing. They have wonderful selections like one day they had blackberry juice, which I never had before.
Plenty of time between lunch and 3 pm which was the time when our jungle walk/hike would commence. We walked around the perimeter of our lodge and I took the time to wash up a bit. I feel the need to always wash up here – sweat, bug spray and sunblock.
At the bar was where the group would meet for the jungle walk. Just off the pool area is a trail that leads to the jungle. Although we didn’t go far enough – ask anyone from the group and they’d tell you we wanted to go deeper into the mysterious forest – I had a good time. Immediately as we arrived at the foot of the trail, we were asked to look up the tree and see what’s there. I didn’t see it at first but suddenly I did, a three-toed sloth – I would trust my guide for I cannot see that far how many toes the sloth had. It was exciting. Julio our guide – with Mariano who handles mostly the Spanish speaking group – was very knowledgeable. Very likeable too and friendly, but keeps a tight rein with following the schedule.
He showed us different flora – some of which are not foreign to my eyes having been raised in a tropical country as well. I learned to be careful of where I step, be vigilant of other creatures that are sharing the space with me. We saw spiders – some scary looking and others cute – and mostly bugs. Learning about the trees and their symbiotic relationship with each other was very fascinating. It was tough to focus on Julio and what he was saying when the whole time all I could think about is how to compose the image that I was about to take. The blogger in me takes over sometimes.
Midway through the tour, my husband and I and another couple were lagging behind because hubby was taking photos when all of a sudden he saw a sloth on the ground. Sloths come down on the ground once every 9 days or so to defecate. Excitedly we alerted the group who were a few yards away from us to come back and see what we found. Julio in all his years of guiding tours has never seen a sloth on the ground before. The slow movement of the sloth should have given me ample time to take great shot, except that under the canopy where light is scarce there was only so much I can do. It was an amazing experience. Everyone was thanking the hubby for his keen eye.
It was dark inside the forest, but still light outside when we emerged from it. We had nothing to do – the time until dinner is ours to do as we please. This is a place where there are no phones, no tv, no internet. Across the canal, via a water taxi is the main village. They have a bar and some shopping and restaurants. But no one went. We all ran up to our room changed into our swimming gears and jumped into the pool. Since the pool is next to the bar, we had a few drinks while engaging in tittle tattle with our fellow travelers. I’ve never been in a pool this much time as I’ve had here in Pachira – there is nothing else to do. Plus, we found out soon enough mosquitoes cannot get us when we’re in the pool. So we spent time in the pool and gotten the cooling off we needed.
The next day our itinerary is full. After breakfast we took a boat ride across the canal to Tortuguero village. Mariano was in charge of the English speaking group this time. We walked around, watched the fire ants collect blades of grass and spotted some very tiny wren. We proceeded to go to the beach, which is a part of the sanctuary for turtles. Limited access to general public here because it’s part of the national park system. They want to preserve the sanctuary for these turtles.
The sun was high and unbearable. We were walking down the beach of the Carribean sea, but the seabreeze offered no relief to the heat. As we were walking along we spotted a baby turtle that died on the nest. When they hatch, they need to be able to leave the nest and get into the water before the sun is high. This one must have been caught in the heat, didn’t have a chance. Apparently the baby turtle has to hurdle many challenges for its survival. Predators like birds and dogs and other animals, people who still didn’t get the memo. Then from its nest it has to make sure it reaches the ocean before the sun gets too hot. Also we were advised not to pick up turtles, especially live ones, as they have sensors in their belly/feet that senses the and memorizes the path they take from the nest to the ocean, which will be very helpful if and when these babies grow up and mature to lay eggs.
While the beach was gorgeous and the tempatation to unlace my walking shoes and dip my heated toesies in the water was strong, I was glad that the beach portion of this tour was over. It was incredibly hot, people.
Finally, it was time to visit the village, which was immediately across the lodge from us. There is a paved path – should I even consider it road even when the only transportation that uses it is a two-wheeler bike – that goes straight parallel to the canal. Facing the village with our backs to the canal, we decided to walk to the right where both sides of the path are lined with stores and eateries and accommodations all housed in structures painted in vivid colors. We entered a few stores and bought turtle earrings for gifts and then continued our walk. My strength was dwindling mainly due to thirst and heat. I was able to finish a bottle of water immediately after we entered the village, but that doesn’t seem enough. I was still thirsty and at the same time worried that I might need a bathroom, which is a problem.
We spotted a cart vendor pushing coconuts – he was in demand – and my hubs and I split one coconut between us, which tide me over. And so I continued to shoot.
We returned to the lodge before lunch. While others jumped into the pool right away to cool down, I didn’t. The pool was under full sun and I was afraid I’d be taking extra sun than I needed (although I do have Vit. D deficiency) and that I’d be burned to a crisp so we just walked around and the perimeter and watched a family of monkeys swing from branches to branches, never gets old after two days
Since we knew we wanted to see the giant turtle laying eggs that night, we had to buy our tickets at the reception area. After we secured our spots for the trip that night we lingered on the porch outside the reception desk where we could get a great view of the monkeys. I don’t recall whose cellphone it was that my hubs was carrying, mine or his, and why the heck was there a cellphone in his pocket in this out-of-the-way locale anyway, but for the heck of it he checked if there is wifi connection since we spotted a router inside the reception area. We were told this place has no phone, no tv, no internet. But yahoo, our little phone that could was able to connect to Facebook of course. And so he hurried to get the laptop in our room, which is a stone’s throw away from where we were sitting. I have to travel with a laptop because I need to upload my images to a computer – the bane of travelling with a compulsive shooter.
This serendipitious discovery has enabled us to email family and peek at facebook and allowed our newfound friends to shoot emails to their families as well.
Another couple that we spend our time here had shared that they had nowhere to go after we leave here tomorrow. They were under the impression that they were staying in the lodge for 3 nights. On the way back from the village, they chatted with Julio, our guide, about what’s in store for them tomorrow when the rest of us will leave. Julio told them WE all will leave. The lodge offers only either a 2 days 1 night stay or a 3 days 2 nights stay. And tonite is the second night here.
This is when my laptop was helpful. They had to make emergency travel arrangements. He even teased me why I’m carrying a huge laptop in this age when everything techie is going small. It’s a 15 inches laptop – not that huge, but it’s about 2 years old, antiquated to some, but it serves its purpose, cache for my photos and now their way to acquiring lodging for tomorrow night.
3:00 pm was the time the jungle cruise/boat ride began. As usual we were split into Spanish speaking and non-Spanish speaking/English speaking groups. On our boat we had Julio as our guide. Ronnie was our driver.
We sailed quietly, the hushed surroundings lent itself to a little meditative moment but we weren’t here to float aimlessly. We were here to see and hear and experience jungle. Parts of the jungle/national park can be explored by foot, which we did yesterday. Most of it can only be explored through the canals. There is an impressive canal system both natural and man-made that offers the best experience.
Have you been to the Disneyland ride to the jungle? This is a thousand times cooler and better. But having ridden both rides, I must say Disney had it right on target, but nothing beats the real thing.
Our driver had keen eyes. While the other boat passed us by because there was no activity going on, he spotted some curious lizards on the branches, by the bushes. He’s very good.
We continued floating by the canals, went into a smaller canal, which if my memory is correct is one of the man-made ones. These jungles are home to three different monkeys – howler, spider, and white faced. We saw all while staying in Pachira.
What a thrill! I cannot explain the pulchritude of the place or how affected I was of its serenity, beauty, power, and strength. If allowed I would not mind taking this boat trip every single day. So many things to see and hear and experience. Jaguars are said to live here, we didn’t see one that day. I wonder if they would come closer to the water. My guess is that they would stay deep in the forest.
Birdwatching is excellent, although there weren’t many birds. We saw enough to satisfy us.
The trip lasted 2 to 2.5 hours and we disembarked all sweaty and hot and in need of a dip in the pool. It’s an hour or so before dinner bell rings (figuratively) so we had plenty of time to congregate by the pool and enjoy some ice cold beverages.
Because of the propinquity of the jacuzzi/pool area to the entrance to the jungle/national park, we were watching the sloth up in the tree while soaking in the jacuzzi. How cool is that?
We had to take our dinner quickly because we had signed up for a tour to see the turtles lay eggs on the beach that night and it was starting at 8 pm.
I’ve noticed that people/tour guides are very punctual here in Costa Rica – no tour is late, earlier even.
We were transported from our lodge to the village by boat/water taxi and was met by our guide for tonight. It appears that a different license is required to guide tours for turtles laying eggs than regular tours, and Julio didn’t have that license. He was however very firm in saying over and over again to observe the rules set out by the park – without exceptions no recording of any sort, no cameras, no video nothing. When a tourist violates these rules, which apparently are enforced diligently, the guide will lose her license for a period of 1 to 2 years. No one wants to be responsible for a guide losing her job because we can’t follow the rules.
What I thought was going to be a lazy walk on the beach by moonlight was the opposite. The minute we all got out of the boat and the guide introduced herself, we were off like we’re running away from immigration officers . Brisk walking, meet Maria. It was a tough walk to the beach. We passed by the village then onto the dimly lit portion of the beach to a waiting station. The rangers don’t want a mob descending on the beach during this time when the turtles are just coming out of the water. The waiting station which was totally in darkness is a ways off. The beach area is divided into stations and a runner/ranger would be scouring the beach for turtles. When they spot a turtle and find where it goes and begins to dig, the runner would then go to the waiting station and informs the guide where to direct the tourists.
We waited for a long time in the station, which was good because I was able to catch my breath. There were hushed conversations among us, but in general the quiet and the dark were a potent combination for relaxation – if I wasn’t dog tired from that almost running we just did. I was so horrified at how poorly I performed at brisk walking. How could I be so out of shape – nope don’t answer that.
When the runner came, he said something to the guide who then herded us to backtrack because apparently we overshot our target spot, the turtle chose to lay eggs closer to the village.
Another long brisk walk, I was crying (figuratively again!) I drank like a gallon of juice and water over dinner and though I was sweating profusely, my tee-shirt was soaked, I felt the need to pee.
We found the section that we were told to go but nothing was happening. Apparently, we had to wait for another runner to tell us when to approach. While we were waiting on the beach, I was imagining how romantic this scenario would be under different circumstance. All of a sudden, we spotted a turtle coming out of the water to the beach to lay an egg. I thought that was our turtle. I was wrong. Our turtle was already in the beach, digging furiously and was about to lay eggs. This whole tour is 2 hours long. Whether or not the group sees a turtle the tour ends after 2 hours. And so our time was spent mostly waiting and waiting. An hour and 30 minutes into the tour, a runner approached us as we were sprawled on the cool sand and told us where to go to see the turtle.
The long hike on the beach and the seemingly endless wait on the beach dissipated upon the sight of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The turtle was huge. You know even bigger than a paella pan. She was in the process of laying eggs, they could lay about a hundred eggs if my memory is correct and once they start laying eggs they go on a trance. We were really quiet, but awestruck at how amazing a sight this is. We let the other group – there was another one – to peek, then it was our turn again. This time the turtle was done and she was covering up the eggs with sand. She takes breaks in between; she must have used up most of her energy laying all those eggs.
We didn’t stay to see the turtle eggs get fully covered in sand, because we’re on a time limit and another set of tours is about to commence. They have two tours daily during the laying season from July to September, 8 and 10 pm.
The couple from Baltimore was complaining how vigorous the walk was and they are regular walkers; they walk daily for an hour. The woman even said the tour guide’s plump appearance belied her physical conditioning.
While many chose to stay around the pool/bar area – the full moon was beautiful – to enjoy a few more cold ones, I decided it was time to hit the showers and the sack soon after.
A group of guys decided to see the baby turtles return to the ocean in the morning. They agreed to leave by 5:30 am. A handful signed up, this isn’t a tour sanctioned by the lodge or the tour agency. It was a group of visitors who wanted to see the baby turtles early in the morning. The public is allowed on the beach on certain times and that’s 5 am to 7 am only. This is done to minimize disruption to the turtles routine during the time of laying eggs. Plus the beach is part of the national park.
My husband signed up and so did the Baltimore guy. Both the Baltimore wife and I opted to sleep in, we were tired from last night’s marathon hike . The wives volunteered to pack up for tomorrow’s departure, not that I had plenty to do since we only took out the clothing we needed for the duration of our stay here.
The group had fun exploring the beach and found a baby turtle on his way to the sea.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Daily February: Day 5
A PAGE FROM MY JOURNAL
September 12-13 2011
We arrived in San Jose late afternoon; it was pouring rain. As we cleared immigration, I experienced a bit of trepidation at whether there would be someone outside the airport to meet us and take us to our hotel. This is after all a foreign country, and my anxiety was brought by a bad experience from a Cancun trip where the guy who was supposed to meet us did not show up at all and we had to arrange for our 30-minute ride to the hotel by ourselves. We had been reimbursed by the hotel later on, but the grief that brought us was traumatic. However, the setting was the same, late afternoon arrival and pouring rain – déjà vu.
But not this time. The minute we stepped out of the airport to the open gates, we immediately saw a guy holding a cardboard with the name of our travel group/agency. We approached him and he checked us off his list and handed us folders for our itinerary. That was the “aha moment” when I knew this was going to be a good trip.
There was another couple in his list and so we waited awhile, not long, for them to get out of immigration. In the meantime, we chatted with this very friendly 20-something guy who told us the Red Hot Chili Peppers were performing in San Jose that night and how much he is a fan of the group but how he was unable to see them because he didn’t have the money to buy the tickets.
The 20 or so minutes drive to the hotel was punctuated by traffic jams, for which the guy was apologetic. We were hitting rush hour traffic in a downpour. We were dropped off at Crowne Plaza, which also houses the convention center and a casino, both can be accessed through the lobby.
The lobby alone was telling me that this would be beyond my price range – given my pecuniary difficulties. The friendly reception lady made our check in very smooth and painless. We rode up the elevators to our 3rd floor room – very elegant, a junior suite. Plenty of room for a one-night stay.
We freshened up and got our clothes ready for tomorrow’s trip. It had to be done now since the trip would start at 6:15 am.
When the freshening up and prepping for tomorrow’s trip was over, we had to go out and find someplace to eat. Off the reception area is a full service restaurant and there is also a separate lounge bar near the casino entrance. We don’t want those choices. We were told there is a grocery store across the hotel. We just have to cross the busy street, and boy was it busy. And the dark has set in while the drizzling continued.
We went inside the grocery store and browsed at the merchandise. My husband couldn’t resist purchasing a bottle of the local booze called cacique which is like a rum made of sugar cane. We bought a few other things and suddenly we spotted restaurant/cafeteria part of the grocery store, where store workers and other locals eat their meals. We looked at the selection, read the menu and found you can have like a combo meal. I thought that this dinner our first one in Costa Rica would consist of junk foods, apparently not!
My first taste of Costa Rican food reminded me of how much it tastes like Filipino food. The chicken dish that I had with my rice tasted like afritada – same tomato based sauce with minor differences in spice combination. That was a very illuminating detail that pleased me. I knew I wouldn’t have trouble with food – not that I have any by the way. Still, the taste of the food gave me comfort and a sense of familiarity.
We had our food in take out boxes, but we chose to sit there and eat where they had two tv sets for eaters to enjoy. On one I saw that a new show was about to start, we have paid for our items by this time. So when I saw that the Miss Universe Pageant was starting on, I told my husband that I’d like to see this one in full and if we could just carry out our meal and eat in the room where we could watch the show and eat in peace.
So there we were eating inside our room and watching the live telecast of Miss Universe. I had facebook on – free wifi – and posted how very disappointing it was for Ms. Philippines. I immediately got a reaction from my “friend” that they have been waiting to see it and it won’t be on for another 2 hours, California has it delayed telecast. Apparently, I spoiled it for her.
Part of the package was free breakfast, and we were afraid we’d have no breakfast since the pick up time was 6:15 am. However, the breakfast buffet is open from 5:30 am every day. I think it’s because many business travelers stay here – we saw pilots checking in at the same time we were – and they have to leave early hours too.
The spread was nice, fresh fruits, meats, cheese. Breakfast was rushed as you can imagine. When we got back to the room to get ready to leave, our phone rang and was told the guide was waiting downstairs to pick us up. It was 6 am. Change of plans it seemed. We didn’t get down until 6:15.
At the lobby we met our group – 7 of us. A couple from Baltimore, a couple from Sacramento and his mother from OC, and us. Just 7. Our friends from Philly attempted to sign up for this same trip, same group and was told that the trip was fully booked. 7 people and it’s fully booked. Interesting.
A big tourist bus was waiting outside the hotel, which means we were’nt the only ones going to Tortuguero. Our suspicion was right because after they loaded us and a few others in front of our hotel, we drove around San Jose picking up more passengers from different hotels and hostels, which wasn’t a bad thing. It was sightseeing for free as I saw it. Nice to see the city streets not crowded in the early morning hours and the city waking up.
The whole process probably lasted an hour or so and the long ride to Tortuguero began. It wasn’t long when we left the urban sights of San Jose into a more rural landscape. Pretty soon we were traveling into dense forest. Our guide was Julio, he was pretty good with his spiel. I was not listening the whole time. I was letting my eyes drink in the passing scenery. Verdant lush green treetops, dense wooded areas, part of a forest/jungle also a national park, houses along the highway. Difficult to get some shots, some parts of the road were curvy and I was getting a little dizzy. I don’t get car sick, but the airconditioning was weak and the bus was full. I wanted to sip water but I was afraid I’d pee. From the looks of it, there wasn’t any place for pit stop.
Around 10 am we were pulling up into a gated compound. Beautiful garden filled with tropical plants and flowers and trees and ferns, all so green and colorful. We stopped at El Ceibo restaurant in Guapiles, midway from San Jose to Tortuguero. This breakfast – our second breakfast, we’re hobbits – was again buffet style and was part of the package. Filled in on eggs and ham and rice and beans.
We gobbled down our food rapidly so we can have time to explore the surroundings and make a stop at the restrooms. It’s so beautiful out there, clean air, butterflies fluttering about and birds singing and other unidentifiable bugs chiming in to the symphony of tropical sounds. Then another sound was distinct. There was running water somewhere. A little creek runs behind the restaurant, we got to take a peek. The orchids are simply adorable and are everywhere.
Apparently everyone in the bus with us would all be going to Pachira Lodge and we were loaded again after breakfast. I was so glad to be back to the comforts of the AC bus after that brief exploration of the garden because the sun was bearing down at full force and it’s not noon yet.
The rest of drive to Tortuguero was more enjoyable for me, the sights of real Costa Rica. Houses along the way have their front doors wide open – which reminded me how we have them back in our province. I told my husband how the minute my mom wakes up in the morning, she would open our front door and then go to the kitchen and cook. That front door will not be closed again until we go to bed that night. Same holds true for everyone’s house in the neighborhood. Oh how I miss those times, how safe we all felt.
We passed by banana plantation where we stop briefly to watch a guy pull bananas for packaging. We also passed by a pineapple plantation. We saw grazing lands and beautiful landscape. The road was unpaved and we were crawling at about 15 km an hour, could be boring but all the scenery were new so I guess if I wasn’t bored none was.
Finally got to stop at another restaurant by the canal. We saw boats unloading passengers and luggage. I got it. We were going to switch places with this group – we’re taking the boat, they’re taking our bus. The restaurant where we stop offers meals and cold beverages, but we were still full from the second breakfast. Therefore we only availed of the facilities.
Soon enough we were getting boarded on the boat that will take us to Tortuguero. By plane or by boat the only ways you can reach Tortuguero. I’m guessing it’s pretty neat to arrive by plane, but arriving by boat was simply fantastic. The sceneries and landscape and skyscape were tremendous. Birding was excellent, seeing locals go about their daily living by the canals was enjoyable, reconnecting with familiar sights and smells was precious. The 2 hour boat ride to Pachira Lodge went by quickly and I wasn’t ready to disembark.
September 12-13 2011
We arrived in San Jose late afternoon; it was pouring rain. As we cleared immigration, I experienced a bit of trepidation at whether there would be someone outside the airport to meet us and take us to our hotel. This is after all a foreign country, and my anxiety was brought by a bad experience from a Cancun trip where the guy who was supposed to meet us did not show up at all and we had to arrange for our 30-minute ride to the hotel by ourselves. We had been reimbursed by the hotel later on, but the grief that brought us was traumatic. However, the setting was the same, late afternoon arrival and pouring rain – déjà vu.
But not this time. The minute we stepped out of the airport to the open gates, we immediately saw a guy holding a cardboard with the name of our travel group/agency. We approached him and he checked us off his list and handed us folders for our itinerary. That was the “aha moment” when I knew this was going to be a good trip.
There was another couple in his list and so we waited awhile, not long, for them to get out of immigration. In the meantime, we chatted with this very friendly 20-something guy who told us the Red Hot Chili Peppers were performing in San Jose that night and how much he is a fan of the group but how he was unable to see them because he didn’t have the money to buy the tickets.
The 20 or so minutes drive to the hotel was punctuated by traffic jams, for which the guy was apologetic. We were hitting rush hour traffic in a downpour. We were dropped off at Crowne Plaza, which also houses the convention center and a casino, both can be accessed through the lobby.
The lobby alone was telling me that this would be beyond my price range – given my pecuniary difficulties. The friendly reception lady made our check in very smooth and painless. We rode up the elevators to our 3rd floor room – very elegant, a junior suite. Plenty of room for a one-night stay.
We freshened up and got our clothes ready for tomorrow’s trip. It had to be done now since the trip would start at 6:15 am.
When the freshening up and prepping for tomorrow’s trip was over, we had to go out and find someplace to eat. Off the reception area is a full service restaurant and there is also a separate lounge bar near the casino entrance. We don’t want those choices. We were told there is a grocery store across the hotel. We just have to cross the busy street, and boy was it busy. And the dark has set in while the drizzling continued.
We went inside the grocery store and browsed at the merchandise. My husband couldn’t resist purchasing a bottle of the local booze called cacique which is like a rum made of sugar cane. We bought a few other things and suddenly we spotted restaurant/cafeteria part of the grocery store, where store workers and other locals eat their meals. We looked at the selection, read the menu and found you can have like a combo meal. I thought that this dinner our first one in Costa Rica would consist of junk foods, apparently not!
My first taste of Costa Rican food reminded me of how much it tastes like Filipino food. The chicken dish that I had with my rice tasted like afritada – same tomato based sauce with minor differences in spice combination. That was a very illuminating detail that pleased me. I knew I wouldn’t have trouble with food – not that I have any by the way. Still, the taste of the food gave me comfort and a sense of familiarity.
We had our food in take out boxes, but we chose to sit there and eat where they had two tv sets for eaters to enjoy. On one I saw that a new show was about to start, we have paid for our items by this time. So when I saw that the Miss Universe Pageant was starting on, I told my husband that I’d like to see this one in full and if we could just carry out our meal and eat in the room where we could watch the show and eat in peace.
So there we were eating inside our room and watching the live telecast of Miss Universe. I had facebook on – free wifi – and posted how very disappointing it was for Ms. Philippines. I immediately got a reaction from my “friend” that they have been waiting to see it and it won’t be on for another 2 hours, California has it delayed telecast. Apparently, I spoiled it for her.
Part of the package was free breakfast, and we were afraid we’d have no breakfast since the pick up time was 6:15 am. However, the breakfast buffet is open from 5:30 am every day. I think it’s because many business travelers stay here – we saw pilots checking in at the same time we were – and they have to leave early hours too.
The spread was nice, fresh fruits, meats, cheese. Breakfast was rushed as you can imagine. When we got back to the room to get ready to leave, our phone rang and was told the guide was waiting downstairs to pick us up. It was 6 am. Change of plans it seemed. We didn’t get down until 6:15.
At the lobby we met our group – 7 of us. A couple from Baltimore, a couple from Sacramento and his mother from OC, and us. Just 7. Our friends from Philly attempted to sign up for this same trip, same group and was told that the trip was fully booked. 7 people and it’s fully booked. Interesting.
A big tourist bus was waiting outside the hotel, which means we were’nt the only ones going to Tortuguero. Our suspicion was right because after they loaded us and a few others in front of our hotel, we drove around San Jose picking up more passengers from different hotels and hostels, which wasn’t a bad thing. It was sightseeing for free as I saw it. Nice to see the city streets not crowded in the early morning hours and the city waking up.
The whole process probably lasted an hour or so and the long ride to Tortuguero began. It wasn’t long when we left the urban sights of San Jose into a more rural landscape. Pretty soon we were traveling into dense forest. Our guide was Julio, he was pretty good with his spiel. I was not listening the whole time. I was letting my eyes drink in the passing scenery. Verdant lush green treetops, dense wooded areas, part of a forest/jungle also a national park, houses along the highway. Difficult to get some shots, some parts of the road were curvy and I was getting a little dizzy. I don’t get car sick, but the airconditioning was weak and the bus was full. I wanted to sip water but I was afraid I’d pee. From the looks of it, there wasn’t any place for pit stop.
Around 10 am we were pulling up into a gated compound. Beautiful garden filled with tropical plants and flowers and trees and ferns, all so green and colorful. We stopped at El Ceibo restaurant in Guapiles, midway from San Jose to Tortuguero. This breakfast – our second breakfast, we’re hobbits – was again buffet style and was part of the package. Filled in on eggs and ham and rice and beans.
We gobbled down our food rapidly so we can have time to explore the surroundings and make a stop at the restrooms. It’s so beautiful out there, clean air, butterflies fluttering about and birds singing and other unidentifiable bugs chiming in to the symphony of tropical sounds. Then another sound was distinct. There was running water somewhere. A little creek runs behind the restaurant, we got to take a peek. The orchids are simply adorable and are everywhere.
Apparently everyone in the bus with us would all be going to Pachira Lodge and we were loaded again after breakfast. I was so glad to be back to the comforts of the AC bus after that brief exploration of the garden because the sun was bearing down at full force and it’s not noon yet.
The rest of drive to Tortuguero was more enjoyable for me, the sights of real Costa Rica. Houses along the way have their front doors wide open – which reminded me how we have them back in our province. I told my husband how the minute my mom wakes up in the morning, she would open our front door and then go to the kitchen and cook. That front door will not be closed again until we go to bed that night. Same holds true for everyone’s house in the neighborhood. Oh how I miss those times, how safe we all felt.
We passed by banana plantation where we stop briefly to watch a guy pull bananas for packaging. We also passed by a pineapple plantation. We saw grazing lands and beautiful landscape. The road was unpaved and we were crawling at about 15 km an hour, could be boring but all the scenery were new so I guess if I wasn’t bored none was.
Finally got to stop at another restaurant by the canal. We saw boats unloading passengers and luggage. I got it. We were going to switch places with this group – we’re taking the boat, they’re taking our bus. The restaurant where we stop offers meals and cold beverages, but we were still full from the second breakfast. Therefore we only availed of the facilities.
Soon enough we were getting boarded on the boat that will take us to Tortuguero. By plane or by boat the only ways you can reach Tortuguero. I’m guessing it’s pretty neat to arrive by plane, but arriving by boat was simply fantastic. The sceneries and landscape and skyscape were tremendous. Birding was excellent, seeing locals go about their daily living by the canals was enjoyable, reconnecting with familiar sights and smells was precious. The 2 hour boat ride to Pachira Lodge went by quickly and I wasn’t ready to disembark.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
If I was blogging in 1993, this would have been my post.
I just had a tinge of regret at fact that I wasn't blogging when I first came to the US. I don't think anyone was blogging or if blogging was invented yet. Just think of all the possibilities for postings, a goldmine. Each time one experiences change, there is bound to be endless bloggable materials from the experience.
Unfortunately for me, I may have written a few journal entries, whereabouts unknown. Mostly though I was sharing all these new experiences to my friends by writing them letters and sending them postcards. I moved to California from the Philippines in 1993.
It will be 20 years in February of 2013 that I have been away from the motherland and living in my second motherland, California. Sometimes, I feel nostalgic and try to recall all the changes brought by the move, but the years have been plenty between then and now and my brain cells have aged dramatically since; hence, very little do I remember about those experiences.
The difference with my move in comparison with the many blogs about changes in location that I read (mostly from fellow Pinoys moving/working outside the country) is that I moved to join my family. I already have a family support system in my new "motherland" and that I was expecting very few, if any, adjustments with my living conditions. I was the last one to come.
However, it was really tough getting started. Unlike the nurses that come to the US to work, I came without a job already in place. It was tough job hunting even then, and that was the time of plenty. My sis-in-law had many friends. One of them offered to give me a training position in her small mortgage firm, by doing small things like answering the phones, faxing, doing whatever needs to be done. Aside from the owner, there were 2 others that work there part-time. All of them Filipinos. She gave me $100 a week and I stayed for a few months, just so I have something to write in my resume. I don't think it helped, but it gave me something to do in those first few months here.
In the same company I met a younger woman, a few years older than I am who was renting the small office. She is a lawyer and studied law at San Beda College, which is just across from my alma mater, CEU. In all the time I was there, I only saw her with one client. I don't know how she managed to keep afloat. We bonded and often ate our lunch together. I sometimes am left alone in the office, welcoming people from banks. I got some mugs and cups and other freebies from banks.
But a $100 a week wasn't going to keep me alive, so I left. I was out of job for a few weeks, if my memory is correct. Then I saw this ad on the paper about a supervisory position in a manufacturing firm in Emeryville (just across the Bay Bridge from SF). My brother drove me to the appointment, I went to be interviewed and was told by the owner that I was overqualified for the position. But I told him I needed to start somewhere. And I wasn't picky.
And so I started to work in a factory - making suspenders (that you see on Home Depot) and ties. While I was hired as a supervisor, I first have to get trained in the stock room where I needed to familiarize myself with all the products we make and all the materials required to complete a product. In addition, I was to learn the entire process and it begins in the stock room. The stock room is manned/headed by the owner's wife. The owners are Eastern European and she's about my age and we got along well from the very beginning.
My first day on the job I was lugging heavy materials all day long (was good, I maintained a sexy figure, wink***) and making sure I was giving the production floor the right materials for the products we were making. I couldn't move a muscle when I got home. I remembered almost crying (wouldn't cry because I was still living with brother) as I raised my feet up against the wall and laid in bed, too tired to want dinner.
I survived that first day and the disappointment and heartbreak of the first paycheck (peanuts money I tell you) and learned to like my job and my co-workers. The workers were from different countries. At the peak of production, I was managing 32 people, can you believe that?
Since the factory was small and the owners were Catholic, we always had Good Friday off. Also we have two 1-week vacation/time off every year. The workers didn't get paid for vacation, but I did since I was supervisor. This is where I met my husband. He was handling the Shipping and Receiving Dept. He stayed in that job because it suited his school schedules. I stayed because I didn't feel like trying to job hunt again.
Eventually, we both found our situation wanting in so many levels. He was going to graduate soon and would be seeking good jobs, I wanted a medical insurance coverage - the company didn't think I deserved to get one or that they could not afford it, either way the answer was NO.
On one of those weeklong vacations my then boyfriend and I would apply for jobs, mostly county and gov't jobs. Then we get called to take exams - civil service exams. And so one of those jobs called and I interviewed for 2 different positions - one in Social Services and another in hospital (here). I chose the latter because it has parking space. And also when the Director interviewed me, he said I was overqualified. I managed to convince him that I needed the job and I won't leave him high and dry. Not sure if that is a good decision or not.
See I have way too much materials then to blog about. Now, look, this blog is suriving on a once-a-week post, pitiful, isn't it?
Unfortunately for me, I may have written a few journal entries, whereabouts unknown. Mostly though I was sharing all these new experiences to my friends by writing them letters and sending them postcards. I moved to California from the Philippines in 1993.
It will be 20 years in February of 2013 that I have been away from the motherland and living in my second motherland, California. Sometimes, I feel nostalgic and try to recall all the changes brought by the move, but the years have been plenty between then and now and my brain cells have aged dramatically since; hence, very little do I remember about those experiences.
The difference with my move in comparison with the many blogs about changes in location that I read (mostly from fellow Pinoys moving/working outside the country) is that I moved to join my family. I already have a family support system in my new "motherland" and that I was expecting very few, if any, adjustments with my living conditions. I was the last one to come.
However, it was really tough getting started. Unlike the nurses that come to the US to work, I came without a job already in place. It was tough job hunting even then, and that was the time of plenty. My sis-in-law had many friends. One of them offered to give me a training position in her small mortgage firm, by doing small things like answering the phones, faxing, doing whatever needs to be done. Aside from the owner, there were 2 others that work there part-time. All of them Filipinos. She gave me $100 a week and I stayed for a few months, just so I have something to write in my resume. I don't think it helped, but it gave me something to do in those first few months here.
In the same company I met a younger woman, a few years older than I am who was renting the small office. She is a lawyer and studied law at San Beda College, which is just across from my alma mater, CEU. In all the time I was there, I only saw her with one client. I don't know how she managed to keep afloat. We bonded and often ate our lunch together. I sometimes am left alone in the office, welcoming people from banks. I got some mugs and cups and other freebies from banks.
But a $100 a week wasn't going to keep me alive, so I left. I was out of job for a few weeks, if my memory is correct. Then I saw this ad on the paper about a supervisory position in a manufacturing firm in Emeryville (just across the Bay Bridge from SF). My brother drove me to the appointment, I went to be interviewed and was told by the owner that I was overqualified for the position. But I told him I needed to start somewhere. And I wasn't picky.
And so I started to work in a factory - making suspenders (that you see on Home Depot) and ties. While I was hired as a supervisor, I first have to get trained in the stock room where I needed to familiarize myself with all the products we make and all the materials required to complete a product. In addition, I was to learn the entire process and it begins in the stock room. The stock room is manned/headed by the owner's wife. The owners are Eastern European and she's about my age and we got along well from the very beginning.
My first day on the job I was lugging heavy materials all day long (was good, I maintained a sexy figure, wink***) and making sure I was giving the production floor the right materials for the products we were making. I couldn't move a muscle when I got home. I remembered almost crying (wouldn't cry because I was still living with brother) as I raised my feet up against the wall and laid in bed, too tired to want dinner.
I survived that first day and the disappointment and heartbreak of the first paycheck (peanuts money I tell you) and learned to like my job and my co-workers. The workers were from different countries. At the peak of production, I was managing 32 people, can you believe that?
Since the factory was small and the owners were Catholic, we always had Good Friday off. Also we have two 1-week vacation/time off every year. The workers didn't get paid for vacation, but I did since I was supervisor. This is where I met my husband. He was handling the Shipping and Receiving Dept. He stayed in that job because it suited his school schedules. I stayed because I didn't feel like trying to job hunt again.
Eventually, we both found our situation wanting in so many levels. He was going to graduate soon and would be seeking good jobs, I wanted a medical insurance coverage - the company didn't think I deserved to get one or that they could not afford it, either way the answer was NO.
On one of those weeklong vacations my then boyfriend and I would apply for jobs, mostly county and gov't jobs. Then we get called to take exams - civil service exams. And so one of those jobs called and I interviewed for 2 different positions - one in Social Services and another in hospital (here). I chose the latter because it has parking space. And also when the Director interviewed me, he said I was overqualified. I managed to convince him that I needed the job and I won't leave him high and dry. Not sure if that is a good decision or not.
See I have way too much materials then to blog about. Now, look, this blog is suriving on a once-a-week post, pitiful, isn't it?
Sunday, September 2, 2012
A page from my journal
July 22, 2012
Ben and Timmy took us to the airport. They arrived a little before 10 am. The drive to the airport was easy, it being a Sunday and all.
Checking in our luggage was easy as well. One of our carry-ons was found to be double the weight limit, so the guy at the check-in counter offered to have it checked in free of charge. We were only too happy to accept his offer. When we were walking away from the check-in counter we were having second thoughts about the contents of that bag, if there was something inside it that we might need asap during the long haul.
We had coffee with Timmie and Ben and chatted a bit to kill time. We were there early.
Then it was time to go in. We told them to wait for us to make sure we cleared customs. It was again not too bad. We easily got that thing done in the least amount of time.
When we cleared it and got our bags back, we phoned them to tell them they can leave.
Still there was time to kill because we were told at check in that the flight is delayed by an hour. We walked around, got a bite to eat at Fireside Café and watched a little Giants. The Giants and the Phillies were in extra innings when we left to head to our boarding gate.
Little wait at the gate before we were allowed to board. Our seats were in the back of the plane, the second to the last row, which is good because there’s enough room on the side to stand up and the seats are so close to the restrooms. Very convenient.
It was going to be a long 13 hours I thought. The meals served were sufficient, good enough. The wine also was good. I watched Hunger Games and several episodes of the Big Bang Theory, before I finally succumbed to sleep. I felt like I had enough sleep.
We arrived in rainy Hongkong. About 2 hours before arriving, the ride became a tad bumpy, which really scares me. But nothing really tough to swallow for seasoned air travelers.
In Hongkong, we had very little time to go from arrival area to the departure gate, because well our flight arrived late. 20 minutes late, for which the airline was very apologetic about.
I thought I had time for potty break when we arrived at the departure gate. However, it wasn’t to be. You see we were lining up in the wrong line earlier. I even asked the lady in the front and she said we were in the right line. When it was our turn to hand her the boarding passes, she said we’re on the wrong gate. It turned out that our gate was all the way to the end of the terminal. So we hurried and breathing heavily by the time we saw our destination.
When I was about to make a short potty run, I saw that the line had started to form for boarding. I knew I could have made it and back to the line in time, but I didn’t risk it. I wasn’t in a hurry to use the facilities. I only wanted to take my contact lenses out since I’ve been wearing them for many hours already and I’ve even taken a nap with them. I don’t wear contact lenses for napping or sleeping.
Thankfully, we got boarded and found out that we were not seated together. Thankfully the gentleman I was seated with agreed without a word to swap seats with my husband. I fell immediately asleep. The plane didn’t leave soon. It was sitting there for sometime and I have already fallen asleep. When I woke up, the plane was still sitting there. This plane was also a Cathay Pacific. This one had faulty entertainment device so no choice but to sleep during the entire flight.
The rain in Hongkong was falling hard. But I was sleeping so I didn’t feel it. The shaking I felt. The meal on this 5 hour ride was okay as well. I was expecting more since I heard that Cathay Pacific is one of the best airlines. The service I got on both the SF to HK and HK to DEL was adequate, more than okay, but definitely not outstanding or memorable.
We arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport at midnight, 12:30 am. What little I saw of the airport, I was impressed. I would have loved to snap a lot of photos, too many spots are photo worthy, but it was midnight and we just got off a 20-hour plane ride with the last thing I wanted to do was take out my camera and start photographing. First things first. We have to go through immigration and then collect our luggage and then customs. Three of our luggage we found quickly. The keyboard took a long time to locate and if I didn’t ask an airport worker who asked a co-worker to check the other carousel, we wouldn’t be able to locate it. I don’t know what kind of system that is, if some of our luggage comes out of one carousel and another piece of luggage in another carousel.
While I was waiting for the luggage to show up, hubby went to call our travel agents. Thankfully we manage to find him. We also got some money changed and also get a SIM card.
It was about 3 pm when we got all settled in our hotel. Did I tell you how hot and humid it was at midnight? It was unreal. I could have sworn the temperature at 1 am was above 80 with very high humidity. Sweat was rolling down my spine and my neck. So uncomfortable.
Shower was wonderful as well as an air-conditioned room. We only had a few hours to sleep because our tour starts in the morning at 10 am.
Ben and Timmy took us to the airport. They arrived a little before 10 am. The drive to the airport was easy, it being a Sunday and all.
Checking in our luggage was easy as well. One of our carry-ons was found to be double the weight limit, so the guy at the check-in counter offered to have it checked in free of charge. We were only too happy to accept his offer. When we were walking away from the check-in counter we were having second thoughts about the contents of that bag, if there was something inside it that we might need asap during the long haul.
We had coffee with Timmie and Ben and chatted a bit to kill time. We were there early.
Then it was time to go in. We told them to wait for us to make sure we cleared customs. It was again not too bad. We easily got that thing done in the least amount of time.
When we cleared it and got our bags back, we phoned them to tell them they can leave.
Still there was time to kill because we were told at check in that the flight is delayed by an hour. We walked around, got a bite to eat at Fireside Café and watched a little Giants. The Giants and the Phillies were in extra innings when we left to head to our boarding gate.
Little wait at the gate before we were allowed to board. Our seats were in the back of the plane, the second to the last row, which is good because there’s enough room on the side to stand up and the seats are so close to the restrooms. Very convenient.
It was going to be a long 13 hours I thought. The meals served were sufficient, good enough. The wine also was good. I watched Hunger Games and several episodes of the Big Bang Theory, before I finally succumbed to sleep. I felt like I had enough sleep.
We arrived in rainy Hongkong. About 2 hours before arriving, the ride became a tad bumpy, which really scares me. But nothing really tough to swallow for seasoned air travelers.
In Hongkong, we had very little time to go from arrival area to the departure gate, because well our flight arrived late. 20 minutes late, for which the airline was very apologetic about.
I thought I had time for potty break when we arrived at the departure gate. However, it wasn’t to be. You see we were lining up in the wrong line earlier. I even asked the lady in the front and she said we were in the right line. When it was our turn to hand her the boarding passes, she said we’re on the wrong gate. It turned out that our gate was all the way to the end of the terminal. So we hurried and breathing heavily by the time we saw our destination.
When I was about to make a short potty run, I saw that the line had started to form for boarding. I knew I could have made it and back to the line in time, but I didn’t risk it. I wasn’t in a hurry to use the facilities. I only wanted to take my contact lenses out since I’ve been wearing them for many hours already and I’ve even taken a nap with them. I don’t wear contact lenses for napping or sleeping.
Thankfully, we got boarded and found out that we were not seated together. Thankfully the gentleman I was seated with agreed without a word to swap seats with my husband. I fell immediately asleep. The plane didn’t leave soon. It was sitting there for sometime and I have already fallen asleep. When I woke up, the plane was still sitting there. This plane was also a Cathay Pacific. This one had faulty entertainment device so no choice but to sleep during the entire flight.
The rain in Hongkong was falling hard. But I was sleeping so I didn’t feel it. The shaking I felt. The meal on this 5 hour ride was okay as well. I was expecting more since I heard that Cathay Pacific is one of the best airlines. The service I got on both the SF to HK and HK to DEL was adequate, more than okay, but definitely not outstanding or memorable.
We arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport at midnight, 12:30 am. What little I saw of the airport, I was impressed. I would have loved to snap a lot of photos, too many spots are photo worthy, but it was midnight and we just got off a 20-hour plane ride with the last thing I wanted to do was take out my camera and start photographing. First things first. We have to go through immigration and then collect our luggage and then customs. Three of our luggage we found quickly. The keyboard took a long time to locate and if I didn’t ask an airport worker who asked a co-worker to check the other carousel, we wouldn’t be able to locate it. I don’t know what kind of system that is, if some of our luggage comes out of one carousel and another piece of luggage in another carousel.
While I was waiting for the luggage to show up, hubby went to call our travel agents. Thankfully we manage to find him. We also got some money changed and also get a SIM card.
It was about 3 pm when we got all settled in our hotel. Did I tell you how hot and humid it was at midnight? It was unreal. I could have sworn the temperature at 1 am was above 80 with very high humidity. Sweat was rolling down my spine and my neck. So uncomfortable.
Shower was wonderful as well as an air-conditioned room. We only had a few hours to sleep because our tour starts in the morning at 10 am.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
A Page From My Journal
January - February 2011 Mexican Riviera Cruise
It seemed a little odd to me to be taking the Mexican Riviera Cruise after I had already taken the Mediterranean Cruise a year and a half ago [the Mexican Riviera is a sort of entry-level cruise destination]. But the need for a vacation, a time away from our busy schedules, one that would be easy to organize and easy to take arose. And because we already made a deposit previously in another cruise and the fact that the pricing for this cruise was within our budget, we opted to sign up for this one.
I did some cursory online research on the 3 ports of call - Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta, and jotted down some sights I wanted to see. No activities were penciled in as this was to be a lazy holiday - nothing to do week. Little did I know I could have done zip lining and parasailing.
I cannot remember our drive from home to the long-term parking lot near the airport or the shuttle ride to SFO. However, I do remember how disappointed I was upon entering the plane, a Jet Blue. I could not shake off my anxiety as I was already afraid of flying and now to fly in a small plane??? But my husband assured me that the flight to Long Beach would only take an hour. That is so much better than driving there for about 8 hours.
To my amazement, it was a smooth flight, including the take off and landing. I took a few peeks out the window and the sun was out bright. And 55 minutes later we were landing in Long Beach.
It took us another 20 minutes from the airport to port of Long Beach where we would be embarking on a 7-day cruise of the Mexican Riviera. Where was the traffic that SoCal was so infamous for? Must be the time of day or must be because it was a Saturday??? I wouldn't know, but I was glad that there wasn't any delay to the port.
We were dropped off curbside and I noticed that it was crowded. There were three ships, and one of them is Queen Elizabeth, one of the fancy schmancy cruises where you have to be garbed in a Gucci or something (my impression). Our little NCL ship sat next to this humongous vessel and there was a line snaking in to the building. I asked if this was the line to the NCL and was told that was it. I parked my luggage next to me and snapped some shots. I found myself getting a tad irritated at this long line (which always gets my goat no matter where the line is). Not helping my surly mood is the fact that I have been nursing a two-day old cough and sore throat and I sounded like froggy. My husband left my side to investigate what's the hold up. He returned without an answer. The line was thankfully moving, at a snail's pace. However, he found that we could send our luggage in ahead of us and they will be delivered to our rooms. That's a good thing not to be pulling and pushing heavy luggage while trying to take pictures :)
Eventually, we found ourselves inside this huge hangar-like building that serves as the arrival/departure point of the cruises, NCL for this one.
We were given a stub with a number on it upon clearing the x-ray machines and were told to sit and wait for our numbers to be called. People were hungry and tired from standing on the line for too long and we were all crabby. I could not see one relaxed face inside that hangar - well except for the hubs.
Our number was finally called and we presented ourselves at the mmigration officer where we presented all the necessary papers. When we were handed our number we were also given a medical waiver kind of document where you click a box that says you are sick or not. Something of that sort.
And crabby me I click yes on the box that says I have cough. I wasn't allowed to get through. Instead I was taken to a makeshift room a few feet away from the desks and was told to wait for the doctor. BTW, I was told by the officer that almost NO ONE checks yes on this document, but today, I was the second to say YES. My hubs although irritated at my stupidity said nothing, but gave me a hug and said things will be alright. When I was sitting inside that makeshift room, I realized what I'd done. I could potentially be barred from going on board. Our vacation was at jeopardy and we both really needed a little time to get away to soothe my frayed nerves :)
It was at this time that my husband saw concern and panic wash over my face and I got another hug. It was at this time that a security officer came into the room and handed me a walkie talkie. The doc was on the other end of the line and wanted to speak to me. I answered her questions truthfully and when she asked if I had fever or having chills, I replied no and that must have convinced her to let me go.
When I was cleared we were both ushered into the elevator next to the room. WE didn't need to make that long walk to the other side of the hangar and take the escalator or elevator upstairs.
We quickly made it to on board, gotten into our room and rapidly descended to the restaurant to get something to eat. It was hours since my last meal and it was nearing 2 pm and all I had was coffee I believed.
The Romanian waitress that served us was very cheerful, made me laugh and forget about my irritation at all the delays in embarkation. It was through her that we found out the reason behind the delay. If people in the front told passengers up front there wouldn't be too much frustration now, would there?
So it began when the ship was coming in to dock at the port in the morning. They couldn't because of heavy fog. They were waiting for the fog to clear out. That delayed them over two hours. That 2-hour delay trickled down to delay to disembark passengers, delay to restock supplies, etc etc etc up to delay to allow new passengers, i.e. us, to embark - the domino effect. Isn't that easy to announce that there is delay caused by fog. Who would get mad at a fog, at nature?
We made it through all the required activities - like the part where they show you how to respond to emergency in case one arises, etc. The following day was a sea day and Cabo San Lucas was the first port of call.
***Will be blogging about the ports of call in my photo blog.***
It seemed a little odd to me to be taking the Mexican Riviera Cruise after I had already taken the Mediterranean Cruise a year and a half ago [the Mexican Riviera is a sort of entry-level cruise destination]. But the need for a vacation, a time away from our busy schedules, one that would be easy to organize and easy to take arose. And because we already made a deposit previously in another cruise and the fact that the pricing for this cruise was within our budget, we opted to sign up for this one.
I did some cursory online research on the 3 ports of call - Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta, and jotted down some sights I wanted to see. No activities were penciled in as this was to be a lazy holiday - nothing to do week. Little did I know I could have done zip lining and parasailing.
I cannot remember our drive from home to the long-term parking lot near the airport or the shuttle ride to SFO. However, I do remember how disappointed I was upon entering the plane, a Jet Blue. I could not shake off my anxiety as I was already afraid of flying and now to fly in a small plane??? But my husband assured me that the flight to Long Beach would only take an hour. That is so much better than driving there for about 8 hours.
To my amazement, it was a smooth flight, including the take off and landing. I took a few peeks out the window and the sun was out bright. And 55 minutes later we were landing in Long Beach.
It took us another 20 minutes from the airport to port of Long Beach where we would be embarking on a 7-day cruise of the Mexican Riviera. Where was the traffic that SoCal was so infamous for? Must be the time of day or must be because it was a Saturday??? I wouldn't know, but I was glad that there wasn't any delay to the port.
We were dropped off curbside and I noticed that it was crowded. There were three ships, and one of them is Queen Elizabeth, one of the fancy schmancy cruises where you have to be garbed in a Gucci or something (my impression). Our little NCL ship sat next to this humongous vessel and there was a line snaking in to the building. I asked if this was the line to the NCL and was told that was it. I parked my luggage next to me and snapped some shots. I found myself getting a tad irritated at this long line (which always gets my goat no matter where the line is). Not helping my surly mood is the fact that I have been nursing a two-day old cough and sore throat and I sounded like froggy. My husband left my side to investigate what's the hold up. He returned without an answer. The line was thankfully moving, at a snail's pace. However, he found that we could send our luggage in ahead of us and they will be delivered to our rooms. That's a good thing not to be pulling and pushing heavy luggage while trying to take pictures :)
Eventually, we found ourselves inside this huge hangar-like building that serves as the arrival/departure point of the cruises, NCL for this one.
We were given a stub with a number on it upon clearing the x-ray machines and were told to sit and wait for our numbers to be called. People were hungry and tired from standing on the line for too long and we were all crabby. I could not see one relaxed face inside that hangar - well except for the hubs.
Our number was finally called and we presented ourselves at the mmigration officer where we presented all the necessary papers. When we were handed our number we were also given a medical waiver kind of document where you click a box that says you are sick or not. Something of that sort.
And crabby me I click yes on the box that says I have cough. I wasn't allowed to get through. Instead I was taken to a makeshift room a few feet away from the desks and was told to wait for the doctor. BTW, I was told by the officer that almost NO ONE checks yes on this document, but today, I was the second to say YES. My hubs although irritated at my stupidity said nothing, but gave me a hug and said things will be alright. When I was sitting inside that makeshift room, I realized what I'd done. I could potentially be barred from going on board. Our vacation was at jeopardy and we both really needed a little time to get away to soothe my frayed nerves :)
It was at this time that my husband saw concern and panic wash over my face and I got another hug. It was at this time that a security officer came into the room and handed me a walkie talkie. The doc was on the other end of the line and wanted to speak to me. I answered her questions truthfully and when she asked if I had fever or having chills, I replied no and that must have convinced her to let me go.
When I was cleared we were both ushered into the elevator next to the room. WE didn't need to make that long walk to the other side of the hangar and take the escalator or elevator upstairs.
We quickly made it to on board, gotten into our room and rapidly descended to the restaurant to get something to eat. It was hours since my last meal and it was nearing 2 pm and all I had was coffee I believed.
The Romanian waitress that served us was very cheerful, made me laugh and forget about my irritation at all the delays in embarkation. It was through her that we found out the reason behind the delay. If people in the front told passengers up front there wouldn't be too much frustration now, would there?
So it began when the ship was coming in to dock at the port in the morning. They couldn't because of heavy fog. They were waiting for the fog to clear out. That delayed them over two hours. That 2-hour delay trickled down to delay to disembark passengers, delay to restock supplies, etc etc etc up to delay to allow new passengers, i.e. us, to embark - the domino effect. Isn't that easy to announce that there is delay caused by fog. Who would get mad at a fog, at nature?
We made it through all the required activities - like the part where they show you how to respond to emergency in case one arises, etc. The following day was a sea day and Cabo San Lucas was the first port of call.
***Will be blogging about the ports of call in my photo blog.***
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Sharing A Journal Entry
Dapat sana nagulat ako, o di sana eh naghinala man lang sa pagbisita ni Brad Pitt dito sa bahay. Aba bakit nga ba hindi eh sa tatlong taon naming magkaklase nung high school ni minsan di napadpad sa bahay yang si Brad, samantalang ako at ang iba pa naming mga kaeskuwela ay halos magbabad sa kanilang bahay. At sa baryo pa ang bahay nila samantalang kami'y taga bayan, aba malayo layo din yung tambayan namin ah. Pero anhin ko mang isipin ni hindi sumaglit sa isipan ko na may mangyayari nung araw na iyon.
Nagbihis agad ako ng damit panglakad ng makita ko si Brad na kasama ng aking frends na si Phoebe. Alam kong gala na naman ang sadya nitong dalawang ito. Pero nang babain ko at harapin iba na ang naging ihip ng hangin. Seryoso ang mukha ni Brad. Pinaupo ako ni Phoebe at isinalaysay niya ang kanilang sadya. Ikakasal na daw si Brad!!!! Nahuli daw sila sa akto. At may baril na kasangkot, "shotgun wedding" kungbaga. At hindi sila naririto para ihatid ang magandang balita. Narito sila sapagkat nais ni Brad na maglabas ng sama ng loob. Laking gulat ko talaga. Ang nasabi ko sa sarili, aba parang sine ito ah! Nakinig ako ng maigi sa kanyang hinaing. Hinaplos haplos ko ang kanyang likod sa pakikiramay sa kanyang kalagayan. Wala kaming inabot na kasagutan sa kanyang suliranin, kayat minarapat naming pasyalan si Rachel, ang isa pa naming frends na isat kalahating kanto lang ang layo sa akin.
Gaya ng inaasahan, naulit ang pagsasalaysay sa balkonahe nila Rachel. Ito naman ang humaplos haplos kay Brad para kalmahin (at hindi kalamayin ah) ang kalooban nito. Sa lahat ng taon na aking kakilala si Brad ito ay masyadong personal na tao. Wala nga akong nababalitaan na nililigawan nito noong high school. Ito ay nakatutok sa pagaaral. Sabagay kahit ba iisang grupo namin di kami masyadong close nito kaya laking gulat ko na lang sa mga pangyayaring ito.
Kahit tatlo na kaming nagiisip wala kaming solusyon sa problema ni Brad kayat minarapat naming dalhin kay Monica ang problema ni Brad kahit ba siya ay paalis na patungong Estados Unidos para doon maghanap buhay. Mabuti na lamang at siyay andito pa para kami ay gabayan. Si Monica ang aming "brains" ng grupo. Maliban sa matalino ito, hindi pa siya nahihiyang magbigay ng payo. At ang pinakamaganda nito, hindi siya nagpapairal ng emosyon pag dating sa ganitong mga bagay. Hinaharap niya ang anumang bagay na klaro ang pagiisip. Siya'y matyur para sa kanyang edad, samantalang kamiy parang teen-ager pa din.
At dahil naghahanda na sa pagalis patungong EU si Monica, buo ang pamilya niya sa bahay nila. Andoon ang kanyang ama na bumalik na galing ng Middle East. Pero binigyan nila kami ng pagkakataong makapagsarili sa sala. Naupo kaming apat sa sofa. Isinalaysay namin ang mga pangyayari at sa bandang huli ay nahingi kami ng payo. Heto na po. Pabalik balik na naglalakad sa aming harapan si Monica habang kanyang ibinabahagi sa amin ang kanyang pamosong, DONT DO THE CRIME IF YOU CANT DO THE TIME na sermon. Wala siyang ipinakitang pakikiramay sa aming kaibigan. Pero tama lang naman iyon sa aking pakiwari sapagkat tatlo na kaming kasangga ni Brad. Kailangan namin ang kanyang neutral na palagay sa kahihinatnan ni Brad.
Sa aming pagalis sa bahay ni Monica, nakabuo kami ng plano. Ang sabi ni Phoebe kailangan naming tulungan si Brad. Dito masusubok and aming prendsyip. Syempre pa, sang-ayon kami ni Rachel sa ganitong plano. Anuman iyon.
Nang mahimasmasan si Brad, nagpaalam na ito. Samantalang kaming tatlo'y abala sa pagbuo ng aming "master plan" para maiiwas si Brad sa pagpapakasal sa babaeng ito na hindi namin kakilala. Siyanga pala, nakalimutan kong sabihin na buntis ang babae, yan ang sabi ni Brad. Pero, yan ay di namin isinaalang alang sa aming pagbuo ng plano.
Ganito ang aming napagkasunduan, malasine ito. Magpapanggap si Phoebe na buntis, may kasama pang props na kunway siya'y buntis. At kapag dumating na sa puntong itatanong ng pari kung may tututol ba sa kanilang pagiisang dibdib, tatayo itong si Phoebe at syang tututol at ilalahad sa lahat ng nasa simbahan na siya ay nagdadalang tao at si Brad nga ang ama. Alam ni Brad na ganito ang plano namin.
Ngayon kung binabalikan ko ang nakaraan, naaalala ko pa ang kasabikan ko sa plano namin. Ako at ang dalawa ko pang kaibigan ay pawang mga mababait na tao, may takot sa Diyos, pero bakit wala ni isa man sa aming tatlo and nakaisip na mali itong planong ito? Si Monica na aming kinunsulta ay siyang humadlang sa pagusad ng aming plano. Kami raw ay nasisiraan na ng bait. Pero matigas and ulo namin, sige pa ring pag perpekto ng aming nasabing plano ang aming pinagkaabalahan.
Sa pagdating ng araw ng kasal, kami'y nagdalawang sakay patungo sa kabilang bayan sa aming probinsya. Nung araw ding iyon namin napagalaman na hindi pala sa katoliko ang kasal kundi sa Aglipay. May kalakihan and simbahan at pinasya naming tatlo na umupo sa likuran. Lahat ng pumapasok ay nakatingin sa amin dahil nga naman wala kami sa gawi ng "groom side" or "bride side". Isa pa, mukhang sabit lang kami duon. Kung baga, talagang mukha kaming mga "outsiders" or "wedding crashers".
Tiningnan kami ni Brad isa isa mula sa may kalayuan. Hindi namin malapitan ito sa loob ng simbahan kahit ba kilala kami ng kanyang mga partido. Ewan ko ba kung bakit. Pero hayun naka barong tagalog siya at naghihintay sa kanyang kaisang dibdib. Nakatayo at ang mga mata'y humihingi ng tulong. Kaming tatlo'y paralisado sa mga oras na iyon. Wala kaming magawang tulong sa aming kaibigan kundi kawayan siya, aming bersyon ng "asa likod mo kami, gay-yem".
Nagumpisa na ang misa/kasal. Aray!!! Ilocano ang misa. At hindi lang Ilocano, Ilocanong hindi namin maintindihan. Kami'y mga Ilocano, pero andaming mga salita na kaiba sa aming Ilocano! Patay! Wala kaming maintindihan. Pero kahit na ganoon, malakas pa din ang "fighting spirit" namin. Aba sa dinami dami ng kasal na aming nakita maging sa personal o sine, kabisado na namin ang buong kasal, di ba? Hah, yan ang akala ninyo. Sapagkat nag reredi pa lang kami sa may punto na kung saan itanong ng pari kung may tututol ba, aruy, sa harap ng altar ay "kiss the bride" na ang eksena. Laking gulat naming tatlo. Nagkatinginan kami at nagtanungan kung kami bay hindi nakikinig ng maige? Bakit napalampas namin and parte na aming pinakahihintay?
Ganoon ang kinahantungan ng aking kwento. Pero mabuti na yon dahil sa palagay ko ay hindi namin kayang isakatuparan ang aming plano. Parang laro lang siya. Maigi na ring ganoon ang resulta dahil nasa simbahan kami at kami'y nagpaplano ng kalokohan.
Hindi naging palagay sa amin si Misis Pitt. Lagi nitong sinusundo si Mister kapag gumigimik kami. Mayroon kaming isang kubo na tambayan namin, pagaari ng ate ng isa sa aming kaibigan at open ito sa amin kahit anong oras. Bibili kami ng beer, coke (yung iniimon ah), at tsibog, at alam ni Misis kung saan susunduin si Brad. Ang laki ng galit o inis niya sa amin. Wala kaming paki. Si Brad naman laging naka' "hayaan niyo na siya", siguro naman mahal din niya ito kaya nagpapikot na.
Alam niyo na siguro na di buntis si Misis ano? Makalipas ang maraming taon, andito na ako sa america, nabalitaan ko nagkaanak din sila.
Happy Ending.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This is a true story, the way I remembered it. I wrote this a while back on a journal while recalling a crazy time in my life. It was originally written in English, but prior to posting on my other blog I thought it would be a hoot to translate it in Tagalog - challenging myself to write in my native language kind of thing.
I posted a wedding picture on facebook and my cohorts posted that they remembered this wedding fondly. I told them if you need more reminding of "all that happened" let me know. They replied, OH WE REMEMBER EVERYTHING :)
Update on the couple - they have been happily married, with a housefull of kids and Mrs Pitt is chummy with everyone in the barkada. She came around eventually.
As a matter of fact, when I was talking on the phone to Rachel she confided that Mrs Pitt acts as if she was our classmate and not Brad, that's how close she is with the group/barkada.
Nagbihis agad ako ng damit panglakad ng makita ko si Brad na kasama ng aking frends na si Phoebe. Alam kong gala na naman ang sadya nitong dalawang ito. Pero nang babain ko at harapin iba na ang naging ihip ng hangin. Seryoso ang mukha ni Brad. Pinaupo ako ni Phoebe at isinalaysay niya ang kanilang sadya. Ikakasal na daw si Brad!!!! Nahuli daw sila sa akto. At may baril na kasangkot, "shotgun wedding" kungbaga. At hindi sila naririto para ihatid ang magandang balita. Narito sila sapagkat nais ni Brad na maglabas ng sama ng loob. Laking gulat ko talaga. Ang nasabi ko sa sarili, aba parang sine ito ah! Nakinig ako ng maigi sa kanyang hinaing. Hinaplos haplos ko ang kanyang likod sa pakikiramay sa kanyang kalagayan. Wala kaming inabot na kasagutan sa kanyang suliranin, kayat minarapat naming pasyalan si Rachel, ang isa pa naming frends na isat kalahating kanto lang ang layo sa akin.
Gaya ng inaasahan, naulit ang pagsasalaysay sa balkonahe nila Rachel. Ito naman ang humaplos haplos kay Brad para kalmahin (at hindi kalamayin ah) ang kalooban nito. Sa lahat ng taon na aking kakilala si Brad ito ay masyadong personal na tao. Wala nga akong nababalitaan na nililigawan nito noong high school. Ito ay nakatutok sa pagaaral. Sabagay kahit ba iisang grupo namin di kami masyadong close nito kaya laking gulat ko na lang sa mga pangyayaring ito.
Kahit tatlo na kaming nagiisip wala kaming solusyon sa problema ni Brad kayat minarapat naming dalhin kay Monica ang problema ni Brad kahit ba siya ay paalis na patungong Estados Unidos para doon maghanap buhay. Mabuti na lamang at siyay andito pa para kami ay gabayan. Si Monica ang aming "brains" ng grupo. Maliban sa matalino ito, hindi pa siya nahihiyang magbigay ng payo. At ang pinakamaganda nito, hindi siya nagpapairal ng emosyon pag dating sa ganitong mga bagay. Hinaharap niya ang anumang bagay na klaro ang pagiisip. Siya'y matyur para sa kanyang edad, samantalang kamiy parang teen-ager pa din.
At dahil naghahanda na sa pagalis patungong EU si Monica, buo ang pamilya niya sa bahay nila. Andoon ang kanyang ama na bumalik na galing ng Middle East. Pero binigyan nila kami ng pagkakataong makapagsarili sa sala. Naupo kaming apat sa sofa. Isinalaysay namin ang mga pangyayari at sa bandang huli ay nahingi kami ng payo. Heto na po. Pabalik balik na naglalakad sa aming harapan si Monica habang kanyang ibinabahagi sa amin ang kanyang pamosong, DONT DO THE CRIME IF YOU CANT DO THE TIME na sermon. Wala siyang ipinakitang pakikiramay sa aming kaibigan. Pero tama lang naman iyon sa aking pakiwari sapagkat tatlo na kaming kasangga ni Brad. Kailangan namin ang kanyang neutral na palagay sa kahihinatnan ni Brad.
Sa aming pagalis sa bahay ni Monica, nakabuo kami ng plano. Ang sabi ni Phoebe kailangan naming tulungan si Brad. Dito masusubok and aming prendsyip. Syempre pa, sang-ayon kami ni Rachel sa ganitong plano. Anuman iyon.
Nang mahimasmasan si Brad, nagpaalam na ito. Samantalang kaming tatlo'y abala sa pagbuo ng aming "master plan" para maiiwas si Brad sa pagpapakasal sa babaeng ito na hindi namin kakilala. Siyanga pala, nakalimutan kong sabihin na buntis ang babae, yan ang sabi ni Brad. Pero, yan ay di namin isinaalang alang sa aming pagbuo ng plano.
Ganito ang aming napagkasunduan, malasine ito. Magpapanggap si Phoebe na buntis, may kasama pang props na kunway siya'y buntis. At kapag dumating na sa puntong itatanong ng pari kung may tututol ba sa kanilang pagiisang dibdib, tatayo itong si Phoebe at syang tututol at ilalahad sa lahat ng nasa simbahan na siya ay nagdadalang tao at si Brad nga ang ama. Alam ni Brad na ganito ang plano namin.
Ngayon kung binabalikan ko ang nakaraan, naaalala ko pa ang kasabikan ko sa plano namin. Ako at ang dalawa ko pang kaibigan ay pawang mga mababait na tao, may takot sa Diyos, pero bakit wala ni isa man sa aming tatlo and nakaisip na mali itong planong ito? Si Monica na aming kinunsulta ay siyang humadlang sa pagusad ng aming plano. Kami raw ay nasisiraan na ng bait. Pero matigas and ulo namin, sige pa ring pag perpekto ng aming nasabing plano ang aming pinagkaabalahan.
Sa pagdating ng araw ng kasal, kami'y nagdalawang sakay patungo sa kabilang bayan sa aming probinsya. Nung araw ding iyon namin napagalaman na hindi pala sa katoliko ang kasal kundi sa Aglipay. May kalakihan and simbahan at pinasya naming tatlo na umupo sa likuran. Lahat ng pumapasok ay nakatingin sa amin dahil nga naman wala kami sa gawi ng "groom side" or "bride side". Isa pa, mukhang sabit lang kami duon. Kung baga, talagang mukha kaming mga "outsiders" or "wedding crashers".
Tiningnan kami ni Brad isa isa mula sa may kalayuan. Hindi namin malapitan ito sa loob ng simbahan kahit ba kilala kami ng kanyang mga partido. Ewan ko ba kung bakit. Pero hayun naka barong tagalog siya at naghihintay sa kanyang kaisang dibdib. Nakatayo at ang mga mata'y humihingi ng tulong. Kaming tatlo'y paralisado sa mga oras na iyon. Wala kaming magawang tulong sa aming kaibigan kundi kawayan siya, aming bersyon ng "asa likod mo kami, gay-yem".
Nagumpisa na ang misa/kasal. Aray!!! Ilocano ang misa. At hindi lang Ilocano, Ilocanong hindi namin maintindihan. Kami'y mga Ilocano, pero andaming mga salita na kaiba sa aming Ilocano! Patay! Wala kaming maintindihan. Pero kahit na ganoon, malakas pa din ang "fighting spirit" namin. Aba sa dinami dami ng kasal na aming nakita maging sa personal o sine, kabisado na namin ang buong kasal, di ba? Hah, yan ang akala ninyo. Sapagkat nag reredi pa lang kami sa may punto na kung saan itanong ng pari kung may tututol ba, aruy, sa harap ng altar ay "kiss the bride" na ang eksena. Laking gulat naming tatlo. Nagkatinginan kami at nagtanungan kung kami bay hindi nakikinig ng maige? Bakit napalampas namin and parte na aming pinakahihintay?
Ganoon ang kinahantungan ng aking kwento. Pero mabuti na yon dahil sa palagay ko ay hindi namin kayang isakatuparan ang aming plano. Parang laro lang siya. Maigi na ring ganoon ang resulta dahil nasa simbahan kami at kami'y nagpaplano ng kalokohan.
Hindi naging palagay sa amin si Misis Pitt. Lagi nitong sinusundo si Mister kapag gumigimik kami. Mayroon kaming isang kubo na tambayan namin, pagaari ng ate ng isa sa aming kaibigan at open ito sa amin kahit anong oras. Bibili kami ng beer, coke (yung iniimon ah), at tsibog, at alam ni Misis kung saan susunduin si Brad. Ang laki ng galit o inis niya sa amin. Wala kaming paki. Si Brad naman laging naka' "hayaan niyo na siya", siguro naman mahal din niya ito kaya nagpapikot na.
Alam niyo na siguro na di buntis si Misis ano? Makalipas ang maraming taon, andito na ako sa america, nabalitaan ko nagkaanak din sila.
Happy Ending.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This is a true story, the way I remembered it. I wrote this a while back on a journal while recalling a crazy time in my life. It was originally written in English, but prior to posting on my other blog I thought it would be a hoot to translate it in Tagalog - challenging myself to write in my native language kind of thing.
I posted a wedding picture on facebook and my cohorts posted that they remembered this wedding fondly. I told them if you need more reminding of "all that happened" let me know. They replied, OH WE REMEMBER EVERYTHING :)
Update on the couple - they have been happily married, with a housefull of kids and Mrs Pitt is chummy with everyone in the barkada. She came around eventually.
As a matter of fact, when I was talking on the phone to Rachel she confided that Mrs Pitt acts as if she was our classmate and not Brad, that's how close she is with the group/barkada.
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