Cebu Pacific

I was amused to read a post the other day at Brian Gorell's blog about Cebu Pacific, "Cebu Pacific - “YOU’RE SO DAING!!!”". I searched for the original post at Market Manila and I was surprised to see that it was from 2006. The problem that he described was so similar to what we went through last April that I thought it was from about the same time (their system can't break down that often!). I didn't blog about it then because I was too pissed.

In Manila, going to Caticlan, we had to wait for 4 hours before we got the information that our plane was broken. With the other passengers, we struggled with Cebu Pacific to put us on a plane to Kalibo instead. It was their last flight for the day going near Boracay and it was getting dark fast. If we didn't force it, maybe they would have forgotten about us completely. Granted, sometimes planes do break down, and really I do not want them to forcibly fly a broken plane (I watch a lot of National Geographic's "Mayday: Alarm in the cockpit")but what pissed me off was that we were in the dark for 4 hours before we found out what the problem was...and only because the passengers did a coup! Since we were at the airport for 4 hours without anything to do, I already figured out who our co-passengers were in the sea of people at the airport, due mostly to the irritated expressions on their faces and the fact that I thought no one would voluntarily stay at the airport for 4 hours. I then systematically approached all the passengers that I have identified and explained to them that we were taking a flight to Kalibo instead. It was so appalling that Cebu pacific didn't even bother making the announcement.

Landing in Kalibo, we were all given a pack of Nova, a small bottle of water and free transportation to Caticlan. It was like a joke. For all that hassle, only a small pack of Nova? Come on.

Going back to Manila, we thought that it would be nice to stay 2 more days in Boracay. I wasted precious hours in Boracay rebooking our flight. The Cebu Pacific booking office in Boracay was not able to rebook flights because of problems with their booking system. I had to call a trunkline. I stayed on the phone waiting for a human to answer for 1 hour before I gave up! My time is precious and I didn't want to ruin our vacation, so we just went back to Manila as scheduled. Marido, our Italian friend, decided to stay longer in Boracay so she booked another flight with Air Philippines. She didn't even bother to try to get a refund after seeing the line at their booking office at the airport upon landing.

In fairness to Cebu Pacific though, the flight itself was comfortable. I was impressed with the new plane that we took to Kalibo. The smaller plane that we took from Caticlan going back to Manila felt solid and well-maintained in contrast to the Asian Spirit flight that we took going to Coron. What sucked was their booking system and customer service. They didn't even have a senior citizen line at their booking office!

So no, in conclusion, I will never take Cebu Pacific again.

cebu+pacific+complain cebu+pacific

First Snow 2008: Zürich

View from my office window.

Hayyyyyyy....so depressing. I am not yet ready for winter, it came too early this year. In a few weeks I will be back home to the Philippines where the sun always shines....

cross-posted at www.catwalkszurich.com

US dollar exchange rate vs Philippine Peso

Good for me but bad for Filipinos in general. Our peso have lost everything it has gained this year. The one thing I am wondering about is why is it that the USD is high when I have no USD! If you still have a job and is not affected by the financial crisis then this is a good time to visit the Philippines!

Most recent exchange rate post

On white hair and life

"OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!" I shouted in shock yesterday morning. My husband thought I was having a heart attack. People I know assume that I spend at least 10,000 hours a day in front of the mirror. Actually, I spend maybe 5-10 minutes a day. In fact, I only comb my hair once a day. Today, I wanted to look nice so I decided I would spend more than my usual 5 minutes. Then I saw them. I have so much white hair!

Gosh! I know it's strange and shallow how a bunch of white hair can plunge a woman into a deep crisis. I am 32....gulp... I have not really felt old until now. Now, it's obvious that my clock is ticking. Have I done everything I want to do in my life? Have I reached my goals? Am I on the right track? Have I traveled enough? Have I lived a full life?

Its really difficult to answer these questions....

Then last night, through my dreams, I relived my 20s. It was a nightmare. I do not want to ever go through that time again, white hair and wrinkles aside. I guess my growing bunch of white hair is here for a reason. I am older and wiser. They are like battle scars. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am now.

Now, if only I can stay 32 forever...

There is just one thing that needs to be done now....dye my hair black again!

So you want to visit the Philippines? List of places you shouldn't miss

Traveling in the Philippines, I am sad to admit, is very complicated. There is no standard tourist route. Inter-island connections between our 7100 islands are sub-optimal. Most of the time tourists need to go to Manila to get a flight to their next destination. So, if you have only 3 weeks, you would only have time to see about 3 places. So, I made a list of places you shouldn't miss. I grouped them into "1-week travel clusters" grouping places near each other (near meaning a few hours drive, bus or boat ride).

Cluster 1. Banaue and Sagada- I would recommend to visit Banaue and Sagada on the first week of your travel simply because it is too depressing to go to the cold and foggy mountains after being on the beach. These two places are solidly in my must see places in the Philippines. Offering a glimpse into our prehispanic culture, Banaue and Sagada's mystic ethnic appeal is a good way to put your visit to the Philippines in a proper context. Banaue is 10 hours from Manila and Sagada is a 3-hour bus ride from Banaue through a hellish and narrow zig-zag road (this is all part of the fun).

Three days in Banaue should give you enough time to hike to Batad (where the terraces are the most beautiful), shop for souvenirs, and have a general feel for the culture. Three days in Sagada should give you enough time to visit the caves, hanging coffins, and hike through the forests.

From Cat's Walks

www.visitsagada.com and www.visitbanaue.com give good overviews about traveling to Sagada and Banaue.

Related posts on Banaue and Sagada:
Banaue Rice Terraces
Sagada

Cluster 2. Puerto Princessa-Sabang Underground River-Roxas-El nido-Coron- (or the other way around=)-- This is a two week travel cluster. Called the last frontier of the Philippines, Palawan offers stunning beaches, great diving and snorkeling, and exotic natural formations. I have to admit that I have not been to all the places in this cluster because my vacation is never long enough but it is definely in my list. I was fortunate to visit Coron this year and it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Nothing can compare to swimming in the clear waters of Coron island's brackish water lakes. From Coron it is possible to go to El nido by boat (6-8 hours). I have not been to El nido but I can only imagine the majesty of its limestone archipelago. From El nido, you can proceed to Sabang to visit the Underground River. From there, Honda bay near Puerto Princessa is near. This tour will take time. Planning is essential.

From Cat's Walks

Cluster 3. Boracay - Though getting a little too developed for moi, Boracay still got its charms. It still has the finest sand I have ever stepped on. Perfect way to relax and lie on the beach and get a massage after your Palawan adventure. Best to avoid between March-May due to overcrowding. One good thing about mass tourism is it also increases your choice of restaurants. Getting good food is not a problem in Boracay.

From Cat's Walks

More Boracay Posts

Cluster 4. Bohol - I will always remember Bohol for being the only place on earth where my mom exclaimed "It's nice here!". I have taken her to a lot of places (she comes with us to most of our Philippine travel and we have also been abroad (Austria, Switzerland etc.) together but I have never ever heard her say "It's nice" before. Bohol has everything, white sand beaches (alona, doljo beaches etc), nature (chocolate hills, Loboc River), diving, and exotic animals (tarsier). If you have time for only 1 place then you should go to Bohol.

From Cat's Walks

More Bohol Posts

Cluster 5. Cebu-bantayan-Malapascua - Bantayan is 4-5 hours by bus from Cebu City. Bantayan and Malaspacua both fit the definition of a typical island paradise to the letter. Fine white sand, diving, palm trees, nipa huts. Bantayan is more laid back. I guess that would be how Boracay would be without the tourists. If you are tired of the quiet and have read all the books that you took with you then take a boat (2 hours) to Malapascua. This small island has more entertainment, maybe even too much.

From Cat's Walks

More Bantayan Posts
More Malapascua Posts

Cluster 6. Legaspi-Donsol - One should not miss Donsol and it's whalesharks. Donsol is a 12-hour drive from Manila. Although it is far from any other tourist spot, Donsol is definely a place worth visiting. En route, you should see the Philippine's most active (and beautiful) volcano in the backdrop.

gorgeous+philippine+destinations boracay sagada banaue coron bohol bantayan donsol cebu whale+shark malapascua palawan philippine+travel Philippine+top+destinations best+destinations+philippines beautiful+beaches+philippines

Filipino flavors finally understood

Finally! Someone understood Filipino cuisine! Wall Street Journal's life and style columnist Robyn Eckhardt wrote about her weekend of good Filipino food in Manila. She wrote "what the Philippines has is Southeast Asia's most misunderstood cuisine". Echoing what I had pointed out so many times, she realized that "the cuisine varies widely region to region, showing Chinese, Malay, Spanish and American influences. Over the centuries, Filipinos have combined flavors introduced by foreign traders, colonizers and occupiers with local ingredients and cooking techniques to create something unique and exciting."

On her trip, she discovered ensaymada, piaya, lechon, pancit luglog, and empanada among others. Hmmm, I am so jealous of her right now. Click here to read her full article.

Harry and Paul Skit: A closer look

After the indignation comes the introspection*. For the first time, I watched "Harry and Paul" on BBC 2 nights ago to see what the show was all about. I appreciate British humor most of the time but "Harry and Paul", I found very difficult to get.

I caught a skit about an old American couple in a restaurant talking with a group of Japanese tourists. The Americans were behaving how you would expect Americans to behave --- chatty, lively, and showing pictures. The Japanese tourists were also behaving like how you would expect Japanese tourists to behave -- smiling, nodding their heads and taking a lot of pictures. The next skit was about a man with an strong accent and who was acting like a brute. I didn't get that one at all, perhaps because I have no idea of what stereotype he is portraying.

I realized that "Harry and Paul" uses stereotypes to generate comedy. That bothered me a lot. That meant that they used the British stereotype of Filipina maids for their skit. The skit was funny to the British because they see in that maid their own Filipina maid. Get it? It is an absurd extraggeration of some truth like how the Japanese tourists in their other skit would take pictures of everything. In Europe, that's really how people see the Japanese---as camera clicking smiling people. Which lead me to ask myself, are Filipina maids and Filipinas in general really seen by the world merely as gyrating sex toys?

I think we can protest our lungs out about skits like this or about the word Filipina defined as a domestic helper in the dictionary all we want but it won't change anything. Protesting will not change our image as gyrating domestic helpers. The only thing that will change our image is if we manage to create enough jobs in our country so that we can stop sending our women to be commanded to gyrate abroad.

How can we protest when the truth is Filipina domestic helpers are our best export product? Isn't it true that there are millions of Filipina domestic workers? I met a British woman in the Englishforum a few years ago and upon learning that I was Filipina she immediately asked if I could work for her. She had a Filipina maid in London and was so pleased with her. Unfortunately, I am not very domestic so I declined the offer.

If the British government and the BBC defend the skit as an "absurd comedy" that shouldn't be taken seriously then they should ponder why they find the exploitation of Filipina women funny because I will never ever --absurdly exagerated or not-- find the exploitation of hard working Filipinas funny.

*I am at home sick with the flu so I have a lot of time for introspection.

This is not funny

Winter is here and so is my annual winter flu. Upon seeing this video clip of the BBC show "Harry and Paul", I just have to break my hibernation and protest. Sorry, this is not funny at all!



This is racist and humiliating. For me they portrayed the Filipina domestic helper worse than a pet dog. I protest!