PHR Goes to Cebu [again]! (A.K.A My Suicide Attempt)

Okay, so maybe I was exaggerating. But this is really a suicide attempt… at least for me. I’m gonna have my first ever book signing! And I can hear people around me yelling:

"BOOK SIGNING!?! *eyes pop* Are you mad?! You only have 7 PHR published books in three years. Imagine how seldom your name appears in PHR’s weekly release, Maan!"

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I exactly know that friends. Thanks for reminding me. That is why I called this as suicide attempt! Duh?! *roll eyes*He-he… So eneweiz, I already said YES to PHR. Because honestly, that is unfortun!tely one of my flaws – having a hard time turning down people I considered part of my life (chos!). It took me two hours to answer them[PHR]. And believe me when I say this, my heart was pounding so hard and my hands were really really shaking composing that message.

So please bear with me na lang my fellow kaeksenadora and Cebuanos. Kahiya-hiya mang sabihin but I’m nervous. Kulang na lang gusto kong ihinto ang araw para huwag ng dumating ang November 19. But here it is friends, four days remaining na lang. And I would like to invite all of you to please check on PHR outlet at SM Cebu. Located at floor, infront of Quantum. If I’m not mistaken, malapit lang iyon either sa Max’s or Jollibee. And if you have one of my seven PHR novels or even my MSV books, you could bring them and I would gladly sign it for you. :)

Day 3 & 4: Ngong Ping 360 & Disneyland

• Woke up at around nine o’clock. Prepare things and went straight to MTR for our third day itinerary – Ngong Ping 360 and Disneyland.




• Took the train and get off at Lai King Station. Saka kami lumipat ng train line and get off to the last station and take the Exit B.

• We passed through the citygate outlet. Bought round trip cable car ticket at the Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal. The cable car trip took us about twenty to thirty minutes. Hindi siya nakakatakot. In fact, naaliw kami ng sobra sa scenery.




• Right after we get off the cable car, nag-umpisa na ang pamamasyal namin. Mainit siya ng sobra. But since I love historical places, nagustuhan ko ang Ngong Ping Village. After some picture taking, we headed off the the famous giant Buddha. Our first plan was to count the steps. Kaso nung nasa kalagitnaan na kami, hindi ko na inintindi ang pagbibilang. Sobrang nakakapagod ang pag-akyat that all I wanted was to get done really quick!

• At nang sa wakas ay nakarating kami sa tuktok, nawala naman kaagad ang pagod ko. The place is sooooo beautiful! Mahangin, kitang-kita ang mga bundok, ang daming nagkalat na Buddhas! Ang sarap lang talagang humilata doon and enjoy the beauty of nature.

• Ilang minuto din kaming namasyal sa taas. Namahinga saglit at saka bumaba ulit. Dumaan din kami saglit sa Po Lin Monastery. Ang daming nagpepray dun. And since hindi ko naman alam kung papano ang ritual sa paggamit ng insenso, hindi na kami tumagal pa. Iba ang religion nila sa religion ko pero alam kung kapag ganoon ay dapat na tahimik at solemn ang lugar. Kaya hindi na kami nagtagal pa at kumuha ng pictures sa Monastery.




• We had our quick lunch at citygate outlets. The mall is currently having their on sale that time. We wanted to check known outlets but we wanted to get to Disneyland as early as possible kaya hindi na kami dumaan kahit naglalaway na kami sa dami ng sales. And besides, we’re on tight budget! Naubos na sa Macau shopping ang iba kong pera!




• Sumakay ulit kami ng MTR. Get off at Sunny Bay and transfer to Disneyland’s own train line.
  



• At the Disneyland ticketing counter, sobrang disappointed ako dahil close nang araw na iyon ang space mountain. Iyon pa naman ang gusto naming subukan. :( So sad talaga. Nawala lang iyon nang magsimula na ang parade. This may sound mushy and insane but watching the Disney parade makes me want to cry. Lalo na kapag pinapatugtog ang mga kinalakihan ko ng Disney songs. I have always been a Disney lover. And you don’t know how happy I was nang sa wakas ay matupad ko na ang wish kong makapunta man lang ng Disneyland. Kahit sa Hong Kong man lang.




• And since walang space mountain that time, inubos na lang naming panoorin ang lahat ng Disney shows, Lion King and Golden Mickey. Nalibot din namin ang buong adventureland and fantasy land. Tried their rides kahit na sobrang pambata. Lalo na yung pooh chorva. Haha… Pero aliw naman kaya pwede na rin. Hindi nga lang namin nalibot ang futureland. Pasara na kasi ang Disney noon at ilang minuto na lang ay magsisimula na ang pinakahighlight ng Disneyland – ang fireworks. Kaya naman we headed to Sleeping Beauty’s castle na para makahanap ng magandang pwesto.

• After Disneyland, Ladies Market naman ang next itinerary namin for our pasalubong galore! I only bought magnets, keychains and other small stuffs.




• The next day, late na kaming gumising sa sobrang pagod. Okay lang naman dahil The Peak na lang naman ang pupuntahan namin. And since mas maganda daw ang The Peak ng gabi, nag-last minute shopping pa kami. Just in case may mga nakalimutan. Headed to Central para kumain ng Jollibee. Dahil ilang araw na kaming walang kanin na kinakain at kami ay naghahanap ng talaga! Tambay sa Central ng ilang saglit bago tuluyang dumiretso ng The Peak. Hinintay muna namin si Alena sa ticketing area (na kasama ang new found friend na si Ate Joy) bago sumakay ng Peak Tream.




• Swerte namin dahil hindi cloudy that night. Nagliwaliw kami sa buong The Peak dahil wala pang sunset nang dumating kami doon. Kwentuhan doon at kaadikan dito. Ang lakas lang naming mang-trip. Aliw kami ng sobra na muntik na naming hindi maabutan ang sunset. Hahaha…

• At exactly 7PM, bumaba na kami ng Peak dahil 12MN pa ang flight namin. Bumalik kami ng Taisan, get our luggage and headed off to airport (A21 Bus).

Nakakapagod man ng sobra. Bitin man at butas ang bulsa, sobrang saya ko naman dahil sa wakas, natupad ko rin ang isa sa mga 2011 Wish List ko! :)

Till next lakwatsa guys! For our itinerary and total expenses, please see my next blog. :)

Day 2: Around Hong Kong

Okay, so this is way way overdue! I know. Obvious naman sa date posted diba? Sorry folks, talagang tinatamad lang this past few days . And since naumpisahan ko rin naman itong blogging na to ng aking HK-Macau Trip, no choice ako kundi tapusin siya diba? Kaya heto, tatapusin ko na talaga. But I’ll go straight to the point na. By bullet na lang at tinatamad na din akong magkwento. Hehe… Pasensiya na talaga.

• Met up with a PHR reader that morning, si Gee. Kasama niya ang isa niya pang kaibigan na nakalimutan ko ang pangalan. Sorry po. :( Had a breakfast (courtesy of them) at Yoshinoya.





• Went to the Central Park (I guess). Saw lots of Filipinos there. Kahit saan ka lumingon, andun sila. We even saw a pinay preaching about the word of God. Yes, uso din doon ang mga ganun!




• Took some pictures with their infamous blackman. Parang monumento lang ni Rizal. Only, kulay itim siya.





• They were kind enough to accompany us on our way to Ocean Park. Binigyan nila kami ng directions on how to get there. We bid our goodbyes at the MRT Station and hop in.





• From Central Station, bumaba kami ng Admiralty Station. Paglabas namin ng Exit B, may mga travel agents na sumalubong samin offering a great Ocean Park deal. We had a 20HKD discount plus we don’t have to worry na on riding the Bus 629 dahil provided na nila ang sasakyan papunta dun.





• At the Ocean Park, naglibut-libot muna kami. Visit the Panda and Aquarium. After that, sumakay na kami ng cable car to switch sa kabilang island kung saan nandoon mostly ang mga rides. We also watch the Dolphin Show. The show was okay. Really not that impressive pero keri na. Feeling ko kasi mas magaling pa ang mga dolphin dito sa Pilipinas kaysa dun. Rode the Raging River (wala man lang kachallenge-challenge! Susme!), Rapids (Mas lalong walang kwenta!) and Space wheel (dito lang ako nasiyahan!). I wanted to try kahit yung The Flash man lang since hindi na keri ng powers ko ang Abyss at Dragon, but mas duwag pa ang kasama ko kaya hindi na ko nag-insist. Overall, dahil masyadong mainit ang tama ng araw, hindi kami gaanong nasiyahan sa Ocean Park. But it was okay. Siguro kung adventurous lang yung kasama ko at hindi mainit, naenjoy ko siguro ang Ocean Park.





• 3:00 PM nang magsawa kami sa Ocean Park. Hindi na muna kami umalis dahil I have to meet up with another two PHR readers. Si Ate Glenda at Shie. Madalas ko ng nakakachika si Ate Glenda sa FB kaya natuwa ako nang makita ko siya sa personal. Pirmahan muna saglit at picturean bago tumuloy sa Stanley Market. Hindi iyon kasama sa itinerary namin but since kasama naman namin ang mga readers na taga-HK, hindi big deal samin ang maligaw.




• Had our very late lunch at Stanley at some Pizza resto. Again, thanks to Ate Glendz and Shie for the free lunch. Sa Stanley mo mostly makikita ang mga puti (foreigner). It was the western side of the HK. Konting tingin-tingin sa market bago bumalik sa Central para sa susunod naming itinerary – ang The Peak.






• Nakipagkita ulit kami sa dalawang PHR readers na siyang sasama samin papuntang The Peak. Si Gellz at Alena. Kaso masyadong mahaba ang pila papuntang The Peak. No choice kami kundi ipostpone iyon at balikan na lang on our last day. Dumiretso na lang kaming Avenue of Stars para makahabol pa sa Symphony of Lights. Ride the Star Ferry from Central to TST.





• Dinner at Mcdonalds bago tuluyang umuwi ng Taisan. Malapit na lang iyon from Avenue of Stars kaya nilakad na lang namin.

Next blog: Day 3: Ngong Ping 360 & Disneyland

DAY 1: MACAU TRIP

The original plan was Day 1 (Saturday) Ocean Park, The Peakand Star Ferry and Day 2 (Sunday): Macau. But since I have to meet with PHRreaders HK based on their day off (which is Sunday), I had to switch my Day 1and Day 2 to accommodate them. (Chos! Accommodate talaga? Hotel tingin mo sasarili mo teh?)

So eneweiz, we woke up at around 8 in the morning. May freecomputer with internet sa room kaya naman we had enough time to research thedirection. We already know na malapit lang ang China Ferry Terminal sa Taisankaya naman hindi na mahirap sundin ang direction. On our way to terminal, anold man was kind enough to point us to the right direction. Nagbalak pa kasikaming pumasok ng mall (Gateway ata yun or Harbour) dahil lang nakita naman sadulo ang barko. Haha.. But then, mali pala. Sa kabilang building kami dapatpumasok at sumakay ng elevator paakyat ng Level 1. We bought our round trip ticketat First Ferry scheduled 9:30 AM and 10PM for 320HKD. Nasa pilahan na kami ngimmigration nang may makachika kaming 3 magkakapatid – Isang lalaki at dalawangbabae. Kwentuhan doon, tanong dito at tawanan doon. Bago pa man kami makaratingng immigration officer, napagkasunduan na naming magsamang lima sa Macau Trip namin.

More or less ay one hour ang biyahe ng ferry. Pagdatingnamin ng terminal, hinanap ko agad ang mga free maps ng Macau. Pero madadayayung mga tourist agency doon, sukat ba namang kinuha ang mga mapa for them torecognized kung sino ang tourist sa hindi?! Kainis lang. Ggggrrr.. Pero sinongniloko nila? Eh marunong din akong mandaya! Lumapit sakin ang isang tour guide,binigay sakin ang free map at sinabi ang offers nila. Kunwari ay nakikinig akopero ang ending, tumanggi ako. No choice ang tour guide kundi iwan kami pati nayung mapa. Bwahaha… And viola! May free map na kami!

At Macau Immigration

May mga free shuttle bus ang Macau that will direct you totheir different hotels. Kaya hindi problema ang transpo dito. Makakatipid pakayo dahil in our case, lunch at ferry ticket lang ang nagastos namin. Walkingdistance lang ang Fisherman’s Wharf sa Terminal kaya naman iyon ang una namingpinuntahan. Mga five to ten minutes lang iyon. Tirik ang araw noong nagpuntakami kaya konting pictures dito at doon lang ang ginawa namin and after thatbumalik na kami ng terminal. We first hop in to Venetian Hotel’s free shuttle.Iyon naman kasi ang highlight talaga ng Macau trip namin. Doon kami talaganagtagal. Pag-akyat pa lang ng third floor, namesmerize na kami sa ganda nglugar! Sosyal teh! Super ganda lang talaga.

Nagplano pa kaming sumakay ngbangka, pero nagbago ang isip namin nang malaman ang presyo – 180HKD. Huwag na!Sinundan na lang namin ang ruta ng bangka, ganun din naman yun. Makakarating padin kami sa dulo! Hahaha… (talked about kuripot).

Next stop ay city of dreams. Paglabas niyo ng Venetian (kungsaan kayo pumasok), turn to your right. Doon niyo makikita ang shuttle (freeagain, take note) papuntang City of Dreams. Saglit lang kaming namasyal doon, dinaman kasi kami manonood ng Bubble Show or House of Dancing Water. May bayad nadin ang Dragon’s Treasure nila ng 30HKD kaya naman hindi na lang kami nanood.

Sunod naming pinuntahan ay ang Ruins of Saint Paul. From City of Dreams, sumakay kaming shuttle papuntang Sintra. Mahabang lakaran pala iyon mula sa aming binabaan.And from Senado Square, malayo pa din ang Ruins. Haynaker! Pero naglibut-libotmuna kami sa Senado, tikim-tikim ng mga free taste. No wonder ang damingtourists sa Macau, hindi sila madamot. Madami silang free. Hihi…

After Ruins, balak pa sana naming pumunta ng Wynn for the prosperitytree and sa Galaxy Hotel. Kaso habang bumabalik kami dun sa binabaan namin, maynarealized kaming isang bagay. Nakakapagod na palang maglakad. Plus wala kamingmaayos na tulog. Hahaha… Kaya naman mula sa binabaan namin, dumiretso na kamingGrand Emperor kung saan naroroon ang free shuttle to ferry. But you have to goup to third floor ng hotel muna to get your free shuttle ticket bago ka pumila.Only to find out na malapit na lang pala talaga ang Wynn Hotel mula sa GrandEmperor! Kumusta naman diba? He-he... Pero chox lang! Ganun talaga ang buhay.And it’s not as if hindi pa kami sumaya sa tour na yun diba? Even if hindi kaminakapag-Wynn at Galaxy, for me, keri pa din. Ang importante, nag-enjoy kami.Yun yun!

Next blog, Day 2: Around Hong Kong… :)