Philippines: A Country to Remember (4)

May 20, 2012

“Indonesia? Apa kabar?”, he burst with excitement when said that.

It was our last day in Philippines. Annisa and I took a cab to airport, and the driver got excited knowing we’re from Indonesia.

I forget the name. I know I’m not good in remembering names, but I will never forget the conversation with him.

He told us he had ever worked in Tarakan, Kalimantan on a ship. Though only worked for months, his Bahasa was good.

“Indonesian women are beautiful! Cantik!”, he said. We laughed. Flattered.

That was just the opening for our conversation along the way to airport.

I could say he liked Indonesia. He liked the people, the food, the music. He sang Surat Undangan by the late Poppy Mercury. I sang along.

“I still have the cassette, you know. I play it every morning, my children like it.”

Whoa!

He’d travelled to many countries, not only Indonesia. He had ever been in Portugal, too.

“I learn their language,” he told us. Then he said something in Portuguese.

We almost clapped our hand.

“I was an actor, too.”

Really?

“In a movie, I always played as a bad guy. Robber, or something like that. I brought gun, then got shot. Then I died. End of story,” he laughed.

We talked about movies then. He is a fan of action movie.

We talked about gasoline price. We talk about taxes. We talked about places to visit in Philippines. We talked about life.

“Always bring your nation culture wherever you go.”

Yes, yes.

We talked about government. We talked about corruption.

“Government here is corrupt.”

Indonesia has the same problem, too.

“Really? But most Indonesian are moslem. Moslem do not corrupt.”

I felt glump in my throat. Moslem do not corrupt. The driver surely had a wonderful image of a moslem in his head. Moslem do not corrupt. If only he knew how many moslem are in jail for corruption, in Indonesia.

“Well, corruption is about the people, not religion,” I said.

Yes, yes. He said.

That insightful conversation with the driver was the closing for our visit in Philippines. It was dark when we arrived at NAIA. Annisa and I had dinner in airport – Shakey’s; the chicken made me crave for more – before went to boarding room.

Cebu Pacific came on time. We got the rearmost seat. I hugged Timmy while Annisa hugged her Kathlyn. Time to go home.

6 hours before

Annisa and I had checked out from Fersal at 8 am, now we stayed at Eurotel Cubao. We didn’t want to extend the stay at Fersal for one more day. We booked Eurotel for 12 hours only instead, though we’d check out at 5 pm.

It was 3 pm, at a deluxe room in Eurotel. I was surprised that Chloe came to say goodbye to us.

I was absorbed reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven, while Chloe talked to Annisa.

One hour later, three of us stood in front of Eurotel, ready to say goodbye to each other.

Chloe gave us a hug. Warmer and longer. Then she crossed the street, didn’t look back.

                                                                                                                                 

Annisa and I stood still. We didn’t have to say it but we knew, it might be our last visit in Philippines until years ahead. It might be the last time we met Chloe until the time we both didn’t know.

We went back to room in silent. Our bags had already been packed.

There were two bear dolls on the bed. The pink one – Kathlyn – was Annisa’s and the purple one – Timmy – was mine. Chloe and her kind sister gave them to us. Adopt me. That was written on a paper of those both.

I had a great time in Philippines.

Philippines have our hearts.

Thank you. Thank you.

Philippines: A Country to Remember (3)

May 19, 2012

My heart skipped a beat when I saw Ayala Avenue signpost at MRT station. Ah, good old days! That place brought me back memories to my first visit in Philippines. At that time, I stayed in Manila InterContinetal Hotel, not far from Ayala Avenue MRT station.

It was my third day in Philippines. That morning, Annisa and I followed Chloe to – well, actually I had no idea where we’d go. From Ayala Avenue, we took a bus. The bus was full we didn’t get the seat.

The bus stopped at Bonifacio Global City. Bonifacio! Now I knew where we were going to. Chloe had ever told me that her favorite FullyBooked was the one in Bonifacio. We were heading there.

Bonifacio is a district in Taguig City, Metro Manila. It didn’t feel like in Philippines there. Maybe it’s because the skyscrapers, maybe it’s because the atmosphere. It was more like Western countries, except the fact that it was hot. Remember when I said Rizal Park was so hot the day before? Double it. That was the level of heat in Bonifacio. 

In front of me, FullyBooked stood solidly. I entered the place with excitement. No wonder Chloe loved this place. You could find any books there, and music, and coffee. They have Starbucks inside!

Imagine this, you read a book with a coffee on the table. Isn’t it lovely?

Well, I was not in the mood for coffee that day. I had mineral water instead.

I bought four books from Mitch Albom: One More Day, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Tuesdays with Morrie, and Hafe A Little Faith. Annisa bought more books, including The Help. It seemed like not only us who bought a bunch of books. Most people I saw brought at least three books. And you know what, we had to wait in line to pay for books. That was the longest queue I’d ever seen in a bookstore. I never see it in Indonesia.

From FullyBooked, we went to Mall of Asia. Wikipedia refers MOA as the second largest mall in Philippines after SM City North EDSA, the third largest shopping mall in Asia, and the fourth largest shopping mall in the world. Yes, it is that big!

There is a world globe in the entrance gate. Indonesia’s map seems not right. Well...

After having lunch – I had the most delicious spaghetti, it’s only beaten by the one my close friend made – three of us watched movie. In Philippines, the ticket doesn’t have any seat number on it so we have to randomly choose seats right in the theater. Lucky we got three seats in a row.

Dark Shadows was our choice. I kinda expected the English subtitle like movies in Malaysia. I forgot most Filipinos are good in English. They don’t need the subtitle. I could understand the movie, though I missed some jokes.

Right after watching movie, we went to Kultura to buy souvenirs. I was choosing magnetic pin when I heard rhythmic clapping as the folk music started. I asked the worker near me and he said that there was a dancing by the workers; three times a day. I was lucky to be there in the right time.

I went to see the dance. I clapped my hands. I took a picture too. Some poeple even recorded the dance. It was a lovely performance.

Time to go back to hotel. We took photos with the world globe as the background before going home. From MOA, we rode jeepney to the closest MRT station. Arrived in Araneta Cubao, Chloe headed to separate way to be home. That was the last time I saw her. Or so I thought.

Philippines: A Country to Remember (2)

May 18, 2012

I stared at two slices of cucumber in my plate. I wished it was Cah Kangkung or Capcay. I was craving for vegetables in my second day in Philippines. Since the day before, fried chicken had been my choice for lunch and dinner. That morning, Beef Tapa became my breakfast in Fersal. It tastes like semur here in Indonesia, only it’s sweeter.

That day, Annisa and I had a plan to go to Intramuros. I went there in my previous trip, but Annisa was never been there. We took LRT to Central. Lucky for us, the train was not crowded. We even took pictures in the train, ignored people staring at us.

This trip by train was a bit sentimental for me. I never thought that six months after my first visit, I would have been there again. From Central, we took a pedicab to Fort Santiago as it’s the icon of Intramuros. We took photos almost every inch in Fort Santiago, typical tourist.

 

And oh, we went to Rizal Museum, too. In my first visit, it was closed for a reason I forgot. Now I had a chance to go inside the museum. One thing attracted me most was Jose Rizal’s poems written on the wall. His poems were beautiful! He called Philippines ‘her’ and I could feel his love for his nation. I could sense that he was a romantic person too.

Our next destination was Rizal Park. Well, I’ve just realized that Jose Rizal is everywhere in Philippines. Go to Kultura and you’d find Jose Rizal on a mug, pin, bag, you name it. He was the national hero and had Philippines’ heart. Anyway, it was very hot when we arrived in Rizal Park. There were some interesting places there, such us National Museum, National Library, Japanese Garden, and Chinese Garden but we were to tired to walk there. Sweated, we sat under the trees instead.

Rizal Park is also known as Luneta Park. It has fountains in the center of the park. It’s better to go there in the morning when the air is fresh and the sunshine won’t hurt your skin.

 "I'm not moving. I'm not moviiiing.."

I looked at my watch. Time to have lunch! I almost threw a tantrum and changed myself into Hungry Hulk before I saw Wendy’s in the distance. Heaven!

Suddenly I forgot about vegetables I was longing for.

We rode the same LRT to go back to Araneta Cubao Station. Everything was fine until I lost my ticket. Annisa was outside while I groggily looked for my ticket. I couldn’t go out without the ticket! I was afraid I’d be arrested. Hopeless, I asked the security guard.

“Excuse me. I’m Indonesian and I lost my ticket.”

That was my actual words. I’m sorry for letting you down, Indonesia.

The security guard showed me a booth where I should pay the fine. Fine! No problem, as long as I could join Annisa outside.

It felt good to be back at hotel. That night, I read One More Day by Mitch Albom. Chloe gave it to Annisa. That night, I knew Mitch Albom for the first time. I couldn’t stop reading the book. Mitch Albom is one of few writers who can make me want to turn to page 3 when I’m still in page 1. That night, I officially became his fan.

Philippines: A Country to Remember (1)

May 17, 2012.

I had just woken up from five hours sleep when the plane started to land. I looked through the window, excited to see NAIA again. A bright morning it was! The flight attendant welcomed us in Filipino and the only word I understood was mabuhay. I shared a high-five with my best friend Annisa as we stepped outside.

Philippines, here we come!

It was our second time there. We both came to Philippines in November last year; on a different day, though. Annisa was there by herself while I came two weeks later with a friend. My previous trip to Philippines was AWESOME, not only because I  won a quiz to go there by The Kitchen Musical, but also because I met wonderful friends there.

NAIA that morning was not busy. Annisa and I passed the Immigration Checkpoint practically in no time. We took pictures, mostly with It’s More Fun in Philippines banners as the background. Right after that, we looked for a cab to take us to Fersal Hotel.

This trip was meant to be a surprise. It was a sudden plan, too. We planned to tell our Filipino friends – Angel, Chloe, and Shiela – on the day we arrived, but we could not keep the secret for we were too excited. Few days before the day, we told them about our visit. Unfortunately, it seemed like not only us who had a plan, they had one, too. Angel had archaeology field trip in Batangas while Shiela wanted to spend the weekend with her dad who had just arrived from South Korea. I was glad that Chloe said she could meet both of us.

I made it for fun :)

We took an airport cab to Fersal. Later we realized it costed three times regular price. Too expensive! It was worse that the driver didn’t know where Fersal was. We kept repeating the address to him, and he still didn’t know the place. He asked people, but didn’t get the right answer. We got lost instead. As we knew, Fersal was near Eurotel Cubao Hotel, so we ended up there. Eurotel was familiar for me since I stayed in that hotel in my previous visit. Asked for direction from a right person, we walked to Fersal for about fifteen minutes. Tiring, especially with heavy backpack I carried.

I always throw a tantrum everytime I’m hungry. In the afternoon that day, I went to Gateway Mall to have lunch, left Annisa that was prefer sleep to eat. Gateway is in a same area with Eurotel, I could reach it on foot.

After having lunch, I wandered around Gateway before I spent my time in FullyBooked – my favorite bookstore there. Then I saw them, Annisa and Chloe. They already knew I was in FullyBooked. I waved my hand, smiled, and walked to their way.

I remembered the first time I met Chloe. It was awkward. Now that I met her again, I could be more relaxed. Moreover, I had Annisa with me. There would be no awkward silence. She’s fluent in English. She could translate whatever I wanted to say. I would never get lost with her.

As I expected, I didn’t talk much. The only question I asked to Chloe was silly I was surprised with her answer.

The three of us went to a cafe to have some drinks. I had hot chocolate with me. And oh, I finally took a picture with Chloe! We had not had a chance to take a photo together in our first meeting. I had a picture with Angel, Shiela, and now it’s complete with me with Chloe.

From the cafe, we went to TimeZone. We played basketball and I just could put one shoot into the ring. Not my fault, the ring was too high *poker face*. Chloe ruled with the most points. When Annisa knew I got two points only, she kindly suggested me to try basketball for kids. I just gave her a polite smile with ‘thanks but no thanks’ look.

It was not only basketball, we played many games I didn’t know the name. We once had karaoke too, and I chose a random song by accident. That was the only awkward moment so far. It was getting more awkward when Annisa and I tried to sing the lyric, adjusted it with the music. It failed. Neither of us knew the song, so we finally gave up and waited until it finished. But hey, we got our spirit back by shooting enemies with a big black gun (in a game, of course). We played quiz too with two other people. It was fun!

We had a great time that evening!

Starbucks became our next stop. We talked while people-watching. I was tired but happy. 

Annisa's enjoying her Strawberry Frappuccino at Starbucks

“Why do you always have good words to tweet? I really like following your tweets.”

That was my second question to Chloe. She really has the ability to play with words. She could make a tweet about waking up in the early morning became more interesting by putting ‘zombie’ in it. She could use a weird yet smart metaphor when talking about a simple common thing like headache.

“Because I read books.”

That was her answer. Lovely!

Before went home, Chloe gave us a quick warm hug. She insisted to accompany us for a while longer though I knew she was a bit unwell. The end of this first day reminded me why I liked Philippines. I felt the same feeling like when I met Angel or Shiela and the other HardCorrFans friends. And if I have to resume that feeling into a word, I would choose warm for the answer.