An unexpected trip to Manila

An unexpected opportunity to spend a week in Manila came up last October. Unfortunately, it didn't materialze. I was deadset on going anyway, even if I had to spend more. Fortunately, my father took the hint and offered to pay for our flight to Manila. So I ended up not paying, at all; which was a good thing since I did not have much spending power (hello, maternity leave!)… I still don't.

With JP and babyM, I flew to Manila for a 2-week visit last Oct 12. The trip itself was uneventful but security check in Frankfurt was so stressful. I packed like a pro that I am but carrying (1) a big backpack full of liquids which I had to show; (2) a 7 kilo baby strapped to my chest and (3) a 3-year old clinging to my leg, refusing to go past the xray alone wasn't easy. I think 3 hairs turned grey when they asked me to take babyM off his baby carrier while trying to fold a babystroller and struggling with JP who didn't want to let go of my leg. They probably thought I had 2 more arms under my jacket.

Papa was worried about our trip back so he convinced J to pick us up in Manila so I wouldn't have to fly back alone with the kids. Like a good boy that he is, he did arrive 9 days later and spent the remaining 6 days of our Manila sojourn with us.

This trip to the Philippines, as always, didn't disappoint.

I spent most of the time indoors to relax and, at the same time, made sure that my kids got to know the rest of the family even more. The rest of the time, I spent with…

  • my papa (who also served as my wallet/credit card na walang bayaran hehe)
  • my kuya took time off to spend every single day with us
  • my new (accdg to JP) mama (who also shared yaya duties with Merle, my yaya when I was the same age as babyM)

Since I have been living away since what may seem like forever, they let me get away with a lot of things. hehe.

I didn't get to spend much time with my other sister but that's okay since she'll be arriving (here in Germany) in a couple of weeks to take a breather from her work. Sis-in-law Lynette was also busy but she did spend most of her free hours with us.

Anyway, while in Manila, we accomplished a lot. I had great breakfasts. So did JP. We took home what any customs officer would judge as half the contents of a Columbia store and the whole November dried mangoes stock of Unimart. I received a new dive watch which I have been eyeing for quite some time now. I, unexpectedly, received my share of my mom's pamana jewelry, half of which she inherited from her own mother. I took home great stories and a bagful of pasalubongs for my sister, Rhoda. We also went shopping… a lot. Half of my christmas list is now crossed off. And no, I didn't take pictures. I have my balikbayan camera boboos but I do draw the line when it comes to taking pictures inside malls.

We also went to Tagaytay to satisfy J's and my brother's need to use their big new toys which were as big as their stomachs (annex 1, 2).

I also gained lots of weight while I was there. With Christmas coming, the extra 500 calories I lose every day from breastfeeding would probably not help me lose weight at all. If I still am not yet back to my pre-preg weight by March, I'd definitely be saying hello to Vicky Bello again. And, this time, there will be no more arguments to stop me.

Plus, other things in bullets…

  • Mall of Asia. Located in a sprawling land area near the airport. It was huge. But, it was nothing to gush about. You'd basically find the same shops you'd find in other malls. It was way too noisy for my taste and there were way too many people loitering around, just sitting on the lounge sofas scattered all over the mall. This was the only time I used a child leash on JP for fear of losing him. The only malls we felt comfortable enough to let JP freely roam around without paranoia setting in are Shangri-La and Rockwell.
  • There were tons of MetroAide painting the concrete base of the MRT and the bridges of Edsa. I bit my tongue every time I saw them, afraid that one of them might get hurt by speeding cars.
  • I didn't like what they did to Virra Mall. It has, imho, lost its charm. It now looks like all the other malls located all over MM. Thank God, they left Shoppesville alone. I spent several hours at the tiangge shopping for beautiful handicrafts which I would be giving away as gifts to German friends. I also bought beautiful little sinamay bags to use in lieu of gift wrappers. Gorgeous!!!
  • I love the Promenade Mall!
  • Due to jetlag, JP and I were spotted at ministop-eisenhower at 4am. We were also seen walking around Unimart and Theater Mall at 7am, way before the shops opened.
  • Body Shop's BodyButter costs less than half in Manila. Naturally, I stocked up
  • Tsokolat (near the entrance at Promenade) and their spicy Aztec Chocolate drink was a great discovery.
  • We took a short trip down memory lane to Residence Inn. It looked run down. It used to be a great place. Sayang.
  • We ate at home and at tried and tested places which offer good food rather than try out new hyped-up stores/restaurants which are filled with wanna-bes who are there, mainly, to be seen.

Anyaway… apart from my parents and siblings, I also have many other people to thank:

  • Donna Hess (who I met over lunch a couple of days before my trip) for introducing Terry and Romy. Terry and Donna go way back. They have been friends since their Kindergarten days at St. Scho.
  • Terry and Romy Go for helping us a lot. I would not have survived the trip, if not for them.
  • 3 Manong OFWs for playing with JP while we waited for our flight to Manila. Listening to their kwentong barbero jokes was like a breath of fresh air. Kaaliw.
  • KLM stewardesses of 12Nov KL809 Amsterdam-Manila flight for helping me with the kids and everything else.
  • Fellow b5media, KMM and CW ProBloggers: Sasha, Glo (who I hope is safe in Bicol), Rico and Jayvee for coming over to meet me. Read their accounts of our EB here and here.

I have yet to upload all our pictures but you can see some of them here.

Anyway… I like it that life in Germany is very simple, in comparison to life back home. However, I have to say that I love life back home a whole lot more. It's more colorful and alive.