“We’re halfway there, we’re looking good now
Nothing’s gonna get in the way
We’re halfway there and looking back now
I’d never thought that I’d ever say
We’re halfway there, we’re halfway there”
- Halfway There, Big Time Rush

Yes, Libotero is halfway there. We’re a step closer to achieving the dream of visiting the country’s eighty beautiful provinces. BUT while there is no other way but to move forward, yours truly is currently experiencing a “mid-life crisis”. The last time a new province was added to my travel map was August 2011. That’s almost two years ago! ‘Yung tipong nagtatanong ako sa sarili ko, pa’no pa tayo aabante? Saan ako pupunta? Paano ko ilalahad ang mga karanasan ko? Anong klaseng tono ang gagamitin ko sa pagsusulat? ‘Yung ganu’ng kaartehan at kaetchosan? Ganun.. Because of this, yours truly has been reading dozens of blogs to gain ideas and inspiration. And thankfully, I can say that I am ready to resume living the dream.

Anyway, Melo of Out of Town Blog is currently holding a poll on travel bloggers to be participated by travel bloggers themselves. I fully support the endeavor because I believe that for a recognition to be credible, it should come from people of the same field. The best reason to honor colleagues, of course, is that they deserve it. Seeing their work recognized is good not only for them, but for all of the Pinoy Travel Bloggers, because it helps keep us going. For that, here is a list of 15 Pinoy Travel Blogs that I follow (in no particular order) and highly recommend to you:

1. Aleah Taboclaon’s Solitary Wanderer
2. Paul Xymon Garcia’s Walk Fly Pinoy
3. Edgar Alan Zeta-Yap’s EAZY Traveler
4. Yoshke Dimen’s The Poor Traveler
5. Dong Ho’s Eskapo
6. Estan Cabigas’ Langyaw
7. Angel Juarez’ Lakwatsero
8. Harly Limlingan Marcuap’s Akrosdayunibers
9. Christian Sangoyo’s Lakad Pilipinas
10. Mervin Marasigan’s Pinoy AdvenTurista
11. Gael Hilotin’s The Pinay Solo Backpacker
12. Ivan Henares’ Ivan About Town
13. Marcos Caratao’s Ambot Ah
14. Nina Fuentes’ Just Wandering
15. Enrico Dee’s Byahilo

Naku ha, ipinagdasal ko ang listahang ‘yan! But seriously, of the hundreds of Pinoy Travel Blogs that exist, it’s not easy to come up with a Top 15. If I could only extend the list to 20 or 30.

So if you’re planning for your future trips or just looking for entertaining, informative and inspiring reads, do check out the blogs listed above.

Love,

Libotero

Poll: Philippines Top 15 Travel Blogs for 2013

This got us clamoring on Facebook for Jollibee to Bring Back the Aloha Burger. Now, our requests have been heard! Jollibee listened to us and the Amazing Aloha Burger will be made available tomorrow, May 15!

Libotero and other carefully-selected Cebu Bloggers were privileged, as we were the first few in Cebu to learn about the news, and taste the fresh comeback of Jollibee’s Amazing Aloha Burger!

Matthew Whang, Assistant Brand Manager for Burgers and Fries

Mr. Matthew Whang, Assistant Brand Manager for Jollibee Burgers and Fries shares to us that they are bringing this classic favorite as one of the highlights of Jollibee’s 35th Langhap Sarap Year. The Amazing Aloha Burger is a bite-after-bite delight of two juicy burger patties, crispy bacon bits, cheese and lettuce, doused in honey mustard dressing, topped with a fresh slice of pineapple, and sandwiched between two soft buns. I was really excited for my first bite of the returning burger, and it was, as it name reads, AMAZING! The Amazing Aloha is a uniquely extraordinary burger experience that is amazing in every bite!

I’m pretty sure this news got you excited! The Amazing Aloha Burger will be sold starting tomorrow, May 15 at 35 Jollibee outlets nationwide (see list below), for P99 (solo) and P135 (value meal with regular fries and drink). This will be available for a limited time only, or for as long as there is a demand for it!

So what are you waiting for? Take note of these outlets and line up to the one nearest to you and grab that Amazing Aloha Burger!

SOUTHERN LUZON

1. Tagaytay Junction – Aguinaldo Highway Crossing, Silang, Tagaytay City

2. Molino – Brgy. Molino 3, Bacoor, Cavite

3. Paseo de Sta. Rosa – Paseo de Sta. Rosa II, Sta Rosa Business Park, Balibago, Tagaytay Highway

4. Lucena City – Quezon Ave. cor. San Fernando St., Lucena City

5. Lipa Uptown – Old National Highway, Mataas na Lupa, Lipa, Batangas

6. Legazpi Rizal, Albay – Rizal St cor Braset St. Old Albay District, Legazpi City

METRO MANILA SOUTH

7. Emerald – Ground Flr Agustin Bldg. Emerald Ave., Pasig City

8. Global City – Along 32nd St. cor. Rizal Drive, Bonifacio Stopover, Fort Bonifacio

9. Insular Ayala – Insular Bldg., Ayala Avenue, Makati City

10. Alabang Madrigal – Alabang Zapote Road cor.Madrigal Avenue Bgy. Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City

11. SM MOA 1 – 1st Level, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City

12. Valley Golf – Ortigas Ave. ext cor Valley Golf Road, Cainta, Rizal

METRO MANILA NORTH

13. Green Meadows – C5 Libis cor Greenmeadows Quezon City

14. Katipunan – 301 Katipunan Road, Loyola Heights, Quezon City

15. E. Rodriguez – E. Rodriguez, cor. Sta. Cecilia st., Brgy. Damayan Lagi, Quezon City

16. Welcome Rotunda – Along Quezon Avenue corner Mayon, Welcome Rotonda, Quezon City

17. North Fairview – Don Mariano Marcos Ave. (Commonwealth) cor. Regalado St., Fairview, Quezon City

18. UST Dapitan – 1531 Dapitan Cor AH Lacson St. Sampaloc, Manila

MINDANAO

19. Buhangin Davao – Buhangin Road corner San Pedro Ave. Davao City

20. City Heights Gensan – Brgy. City Heights, General Santos City

21. MTS Davao – Matina Town Square, McArthur Highway, Matina District, Davao City

22. Butuan Hi-way – J.C. Aquino Ave., Butuan City

23. Camins Zambuanga – Gov. Camins Road cor. Canelar St., Zamboanga City

NORTHERN LUZON

24. Sevilla (La Union 3) – Along Mc Arthur National Highway, Barangay Sevilla, San Fernando City, La Union

25. Baguio Legarda – Legarda Road, Barangay Rizal Monument, Baguio City, Benguet

26. Sta. Rosa – Maharlika Highway, Poblacion, Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija

27. Dolores – Olongapo-Gapan Road, Dolores, San Fernando, Pampanga

28. Marquee Mall – Don Gueco Road, Angeles City

29. SM City Olongapo – Ground Floor SM City Olongapo, Magsaysay Drive corner New Asinan, Olongapo City

VISAYAS

30. Cebu Parkmall – Parkmall, Ouano Ave. North Reclamation Mandaue City, Cebu

31. Cebu Mango Ave. – Mango Avenue cor. Juana Osmeña, Cebu City

32. Bacolod Lacson – 4th St. Lacson, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental 6100

33. Iloilo Gen. Luna – Gen. Infante Ave., cor.. M.H. del Pilar St., Iloilo City

34. Iloilo E. Lopez – E. Lopez cor., Jalandoni St., Jaro, Iloilo

BUT WAIT HERE’S MORE!

Troop to the nearest participating Jollibee outlet before 2:30pm on May 15, 2013 as the first 100 to line up will be given coupons to redeem a FREE Amazing Aloha Burger! That means 3,500 Amazing Aloha Burgers will be given for FREE nationwide! When you Tweet or post Instagram photos of your Jollibee Amazing Aloha Burger experience, use the official hashtag: #AmazingAlohaIsBack

Two years after it broke ground on January 2011, Cebu Holdings, Inc.’s P2.5 billion mall expansion has topped off earlier today.

The new wing completes the “full-circle” master plan of Ayala Center Cebu as it adds 36,500 square meters of gross leasable area, across four levels, seamlessly connected to the existing building. Translating that amount of retail space into number of merchants, the new wing can accommodate around 200.

Located at the south-eastern part of the Ayala Center superblock, construction on the expansion is currently on-schedule and is on track to soft-open by November 2013. By then, 50% of the merchants are expected to be operational.

Brand-conscious individuals will be happy to know that this new wing will be bringing in a merchandise mix seen to raise the bar for cosmopolitan shopping, reinforcing Ayala Center Cebu’s image as the Icon of Style in Cebu.

Among others, the new wing will house the three-level Rustan’s Department Store (which will move out from it current area at the main mall) and expanded Rustan’s Supermarket as well as high-end retail shops like Zara, Topman, Gap, American Eagle Outfitters and international restaurant brands like Bulgogi Brothers.

ZONING

The first level will house premium foreign brands, as well as staple European and American brands ranging from mid-priced to high-end fashion. More hot trends and popular foreign brands will be found at the second level.

At the new wing’s third floor will be specialty brand offerings for IT, home and kids’ selections. The tech zone will be expanded to this level with more options and bigger stores. The fourth level will serve as a destination of its own with carefully-selected dining outlets, a THX certified cinema, and a Chapel in an outdoor setting. The generous landscaped areas, water features, and views of the Cebu landscape will complete the dining experience at the peak.

GENERAL FEATURES OF THE EXPANSION

• The architecture of the building, from the facade to the interiors, clearly conveys its upscale nature. The overall ambiance is enhanced with the elegant but warm lighting and world-class finishes.
• The entrance at the ground floor is a statement on its own, providing an impressive sense of arrival.
• An impressive, well-lit atrium at the first level will house intimate events and world-class performers.
• The common area and walkways will also provide excellent connectivity to the exiting mall and its surrounding areas.
• It has a carefully-selected variety of retail brands, dining outlets, entertainment and lifestyle concepts.
• The roof deck will be another distinguishing landmark and will serve as a focal point for the development. The generous landscaped area, water features, and views of the Cebu landscape will complete the upscale dining experience of the stoppers.
• The Fourth level will also showcase a Chapel and its intended to be a convergence area for the retail and other components of the mixed-use development.
• The parking facility will be at the basement, providing 884 additional parking slots, with seamless connectivity to the existing basement parking.
• There will be a Concierge Desk, a Customer Lounge (Level 1),  Family Lounge (Level 3), and restroom provisions on all levels, to uphold Ayala Malls’ reputation for superior customer service.

Here are some photos of the event earlier:

ALI President Antonino Aquino welcomes guests and media to the topping-off ceremony of the Ayala Center Cebu Expansion

The topping-off ceremony was led by
(from L-R)
- Clavel G. Tongco – Assistant Vice President for Commercial Business Group, Ayala Land Inc. – Vismin
- Francis O. Monera – President, Cebu Holdings, Inc.
- Cora G. Dizon – Vice President and Head for Business Development and Strategic Planning, Ayala Land Inc.
- Rowena M. Tomeldan – Vice President, Head, Operations and Support Services, Commercial Business Group, Ayala Land, Inc.
- Dante M. Abando – President, Makati Development Corporation
- Joselito N. Luna – Group Head, Innovation and Design, Ayala Land, Inc.
- Antonino T. Aquino – President, Ayala Land, Inc. and Chairman of the Board, Cebu Holdings, Inc.
- Bernard Vincent O. Dy – Executive Vice President, Ayala Land, Inc.
- Emilio J. Tumbocon – Senior Vice President, Vismin Group Head, Ayala Land, Inc.
- Consul Enrique L. Benedicto – BOD, Cebu Holdings, Inc.
- Jimmy E. Ysmael – Senior Vice President and Chief Finance Officer, Ayala Land, Inc.

Approaching the fourth level of the expansion from Food Choices.

Seamless connection to the main mall.

Ceremonial Final Pouring of Concrete.

Exciting water features soon.

These spaces will soon be occupied by carefully-selected dining outlets.

Overview of the Rooftop, soon to be accentuated by thoughtful landscaping.

A Chapel in an outdoor setting will be one the key features of the Expansion.

Aren’t you excited? More or less, we’re counting down five months to go before this mall-in-a-mall opens its doors. Stay tuned for more exclusive updates, only here on Libotero.com!

From SM City Baguio, we went down Luneta Hill to jump in the most-visited attraction in Baguio City, Burnham Park!

Located at the heart of Baguio City, Burnham Park is truly the heart of Baguio. It is the only remaining open space in downtown Baguio City. It’s a breathing pocket in the middle of the overpopulated city.

Considered as the Mother of all Baguio parks, all of the key developments were built around the park, among others, Baguio City Hall, Baguio City Market, Baguio Cathedral and Session Road.

Burnham Park was designed by and named after American architect and urban planner, Daniel Burnham, who is also responsible for designing the original plan for Baguio City. In his design, he envisioned Baguio City to be a compact garden city for 25,000-30,000, but today, at least 300,000 people consider Baguio as their home.

With an area of almost 33 hectares, Burnham Park has more than ten attractions: a Children’s Playground, Skating Rink, Rose Garden, Orchidarium, Igorot Garden, Melvin Jones Grandstand, Athletic Bowl, Picnic Grove, Japanese Peace Tower, Pine Trees of the World, Sunshine Park. Serving as the park’s centerpiece attraction is a man-made lake with almost a hundred boats for hire.

We rented a boat for P100/30 minutes No life-jackets, so take caution when navigating the boat.

The park was originally intended to serve as a green respite at the middle of the bustling city. But today, it is more of a “perya” with boating, bicycle and skating areas, a few eateries, and massage and manicure/pedicure services. Nonetheless, I hope the park remains as it is, since a visit to Baguio City will never be complete without a visit to Burnham Park.

These parking meters on Baguio City streets are no longer functioning. They’re just for display. :/

(…to be continued)

After our day tour of the major tourist attractions in Baguio City, we went on to the Good Shepherd Convent (GSC) which is just within the Mines View Area. If that doesn’t ring a bell, they’re actually the name behind the best, arguably, peanut brittle from Baguio! I also love their ube jam! What’s good about it is that the money that earned from the sale of their products will be partly for donation to Good Shepherd’s sponsored institutions.

So while mom did the shopping, I took a few photos of the view from the Good Shepherd Convent and stitched ‘em into a panorama.

View from the GSC. Another angle of the Mines View. Click on photo to view larger size.

Once we got our goodies, we went back to SM City Baguio to eat late lunch. Because of bad weather the previous day, the view from the balcony of SM Baguio was enveloped in fog. This time, visibility is better.

Ang walang kamatayang water-ball!

Downtown Baguio City

Burnham Park and Baguio City Hall (upper right corner)

Baguio Cathedral.

Panoramas. Click on the photos to view larger size:

(…to be continued)

DAY 2.

After a brief visit of the Lourdes Grotto, we immediately proceeded to the next item on our itinerary for the day, which was to visit the Philippine Military Academy.

On the way there, we passed through this flyover, which was controversial during its construction due to strong opposition sparked by environmental concerns. Nonetheless, the flyover was built and opened in 2008, and is now also a mini-attraction because of its design of log finished guardrails and modular blocks

The PMA is located some ten kilometers away from the city center, in Barangay Loakan, the site of Baguio’s airport.

Before one can enter Fort Gregorio del Pilar where PMA is located, each individual is required to present a valid ID. Strictly No ID, No Entry. If you’re a group and one member doesn’t have an ID, then that poor member will have to wait a the gate!

A statue of General Gregorio del Pilar greeted us as we entered the PMA grounds. “I am surrounded by fearful odds that will overcome me and my gallant men, but I am pleased to die fighting for my beloved country.”

Cadet Circle.

First stop for tourists visiting the PMA would be the Relics Point where vintage tanks, historical military weapons and artillery can be found.

Simba Light Combat Vehicle.

V150

Inside one of the tanks. I’m sure military hardware enthusiasts would love to be here.

Sherman M-4A1 Medium Tank.

RELICS POINT. Looking to the future with the past in mind.

From the Relics Point, we drove further up into the PMA campus.

The air here feels cooler and fresher than the rest of Baguio.

Sunflowers!

The next stop we made was at the PMA Headquarters Building. Here, there are more photo ops to be explored, including sunflower gardens and this sun dial, just in front of the building.

It was foggy, drizzling and chilly cold during our visit. Not the best weather you could hope for, but we continued exploring anyway.

I believe this is the area where PMA holds their annual commencement areas, and it’s all covered in fog.

Ang hagdanan patungo sa kawalan. LOL.

Flowers outside the Lopez Hall of Leaders.

We spent more minutes touring around the PMA Museum and the rest of the campus, but due to poor lighting and weather conditions I wasn’t able to take photos. Anyway, to end our visit to PMA, we had merienda at their cafeteria. Nothing special here, just cup noodles, tempura and fish balls, among a few others.

Tempura.

Fish Balls.

From the Philippine Military Academy in Loakan, we drove straight to The Mansion. It took us 15 minutes to get there.

We parked beside this lovely man-made lake with lilies and frogs. It was still raining when we arrived.

The Mansion is located along Romulo Drive (formerly Leonard Wood Drive), across Wright Park.

Tourist-magnet. The elaborate main gate of The Mansion is said to be a replica of that at Buckingham Palace in London.

The Mansion was built in 1908 for governor-generals of the United States. It was destroyed in 1945 during the Battle for the Liberation of the Philippines. The government of the Republic of the Philippines later rebuilt and improved the structure in 1947. Since then, it has become the official summer residence of the President of the Philippines.

We then crossed the street to go to Wright Park and ride a horse!

An interesting structure at Wright Park.

It was in Wright Park where I got to ride a horse for the first time ever! I was stil 12 years old back then. Oh, memories.

The park was named after Luke Edward Wright, who served as an American Governor in the Philippines from 1904-1906. But a lot of people call it Ride Park because indeed, this is the place where you could ride a horse. Hahaha!

My brothers and I took a 30-minute horseback-ride. (P200/30 minutes; P300/hour) Before the actual ride, guides will teach the basics on navigating and handling the horse (e.g. how to direct it to turn left, right, accelerate, “break”). If you’re afraid you can’t do it on your own, don’t worry. The horse’s owner or an assistant will constantly be there to watch the horse and its rider. He can even walk alongside you for the entire duration of the ride. These guys are experts! While tipping is not required, a tip of, say P50, will be very much appreciated.

As I got off my horse, I felt as if I was wrestled by a monster. I was feverish and famished. Anyway, we went on and drove to our next destination, Mines View Park. After parking our vehicle at the designated parking area, we went down a winding stone-covered stairway, surrounded by handicraft and souvenir shops left and right. Here, I got my first taste of Strawberry Taho, with real strawberries ha!

Mines View Park is one of the popular destinations for tourists in Baguio City. It’s a tourist-trap. Here is the view from the Observation Deck of what used to be gold and copper mines. But now, it’s mostly houses. No offense, but it should be renamed to House-View Park. Nonetheless, the surrounding mountains are still lovely.

Also within the Mines View Park, is this interesting cliff, labeled: “In Memoriam: In the early years, a group of young children started a trend to catch tourists’ attention in the area. They improvised coin-catching devices made of cardboard in a shape of a cone attached to bamboo poles. They braved these slopes as they eagerly, and with an amazing sense of balance, catch money being tossed by awe-struck visitors. Later on, it became a sensation. Sometimes, tourists would come just to witness this spectacle. This went on for years, passed on from one generation to another, until a time came when authorities deemed it to be unsafe and life-threatening. The practice was soon stopped and tourist attraction somehow declined. The wishing well now stands as a tribute in honor of those children, who, in some way, brought life to our place in the past. And as you throw your coin, remember those kids. Some of them no longer with us, and whisper your wish to them so that they’ll wish with you too, until it comes true.

And so, I tossed a coin.. Some coins actually..

A friendly reminder.

(…to be continued)

I’ve been wanting to visit Bangkok for the longest time since it has always been a favorite among tourists worldwide. It’s also an easy choice for me due to its proximity to my second home Singapore. I actually didn’t expect anything since feedback from people I know is lukewarm. But still, I looked forward to a wonderful experience in the big city.

I can’t wait to share with you all the adventures and (mis)adventures my family and I have experienced in Kuala Lumpur. I’ll try to make each post as comprehensive as possible, so stay tuned for the “Libotero hops to Kuala Lumpur” series.

The Petronas Towers.

From Pontevedra, I hopped in another mini-bus to take me to the next town up north, Valladolid. The short trip only cost me the minimum fare of ten pesos.

The town of Valladolid is a 4th-class municipality, in terms of income. Based on the latest census, it is home to at least 32,576 people.

Valladolid is known to be the fruit basket of Negros Occidental due to its abundant supply of fruits. It also produces one of the juiciest and tastiest shells I’ve ever tasted, the diwal or the angel wings.

Besides those, the town is best known for its centuries-old church dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

I wonder why not much has been written about this magnificent church despite its accessibility. The massive structure is hard to miss as it located along the national highway.

Facade of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church

Founded in 1851 by the Recollect Missionaries, it would have been the biggest Church in Negros Occidental if it was not gutted by fire. Of the original church, only the facade remains intact.

Due to the fire, the Church was reduced in size, lengthwise and height-wise.

The Church’s current main altar.

The Church’s original altar with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe still stands at the back of the current Church.

Massive walls.

The site of the original altar.

The original altar.

Sayang, no?

The ruins of the Church Convent can also be found at the right side of the Church.

After offering my prayers before the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I crossed the street to check out the town center of Valladolid.

Valladolid Municipal Hall.

At the back of the Municipal Hall, I found something worth checking out…

Local kids enjoying the sea breeze.

Sunset Boulevard, as it is called, is a perfect place to watch the beautiful sunset along the Guimaras Strait. The islands you see on the photo are Inampulugan Island and Nadulao Island with the main island of Guimaras in the background. I found it as a good venue to commune with nature as the water laps along the seawall, so I spent a few minutes there.

The kids became curious with what I was doing, so they asked a few questions about who I am, where I came from and what I was doing in their place. I really enjoyed talking with them. They then requested if I could take photos of them. Why not?

Priceless smiles.

(…to be continued)

Every Holy Week, our family does the Visita Iglesia. It is a yearly tradition that we have been practicing since I-can’t-even-remember-when. I only started documenting the experience since 2009.

What is it all about?

Visita Iglesia is traditionally a visit of only seven (7) churches, done on the evening of Holy Thursday after the Mass Commemorating the Last Supper and Washing of the Feet. The Blessed Sacrament in all Churches are exposed, sometimes elaborately designed or decorated with flowers, candles, dim lighting, others a make shift ‘tomb’ or a rocky garden supposed to represent the “Garden of Gethsemane”. The true and meaningful Visita Iglesia is done up until 12 midnight. The goers or ‘pilgrims’ should visit, pray and adore the Blessed Sacrament.

This year is different though. We spent Holy Week in Singapore because of some reasons. At first, I was like, “What are we gonna do there on Holy Week?”, but after a quick research, I learned that Singapore has more than 30 Catholic churches. Because of that, dad and I created a route for our Singapore Visita Iglesia.

Our first church was our home parish in Singapore, St. Vincent de Paul at Yio Chu Kang Road where we would be attending the Last Supper Mass. Starting point would be the Bus Stop fronting our place in Singapore: Bus Stop B64499, Hougang Avenue 9, opposite Hougang 1. From there, we walked to Bus Stop B64111 along Yio Chu Kang Road, where we boarded Bus No. 854 (can also take 70, 70M, 103). Two stops later, alight at Bus Stop B67079 fronting the Church. St. Vincent de Paul Parish (SVDP) was created on 1963 which means that the parish is now on its 50th year! The Church itself was built in 1970 and serves a Catholic population of about 4,500.

As we got inside the Church, we were surprised to see it so full, there’s only standing room left. Oh well, we stood at the back portion, while those who came after us had to stand outside. Like in the Philippines, the number of church-going Catholics seem to rise during Holy Week.

After the Last Supper Mass, the Blessed Sacrament was brought to the Church’s beautifully-adorned Altar of Repose.

As much as we wanted to continue our Visita Iglesia, it was just too late already. The Last Supper Mass was scheduled to start late (8pm) to accommodate everyone since the only non-working holiday for the Holy Week in Singapore is Good Friday. Because of that, we decided to resume our Visita Iglesia the next day and start from scratch.

GOOD FRIDAY
To start the day, we ate a quick brunch and headed out at 12 noon.
This route was designed for those who like “minimal” walking.

FIRST STOP: Church of Christ the King, 2221 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8
BUILT: 1982
CATHOLIC POPULATION: 8,300+
How to get there: From our starting point, Bus Stop B64499, we took Bus 159. 12 stops later, we alighted at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, opposite Blk 710, (B54399). We then took Bus 50. 3 Stops later, we alighted at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, opposite Christ The King Church, (B54319)

Christ the King Church, Singapore

We arrived while “Siete Palabras” in Mandarin was being held

SECOND STOP: Church of the Risen Christ, 91 Toa Payoh Central
BUILT: 1971
CATHOLIC POPULATION: 8,000
How to get there: From Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, opposite Christ The King Church, (B54319). 3 Stops later, we alighted at Bishan Road, Bishan Station (B53231). We then took Bus 88. 6 Stops later, we alighted at Toa Payoh Lorong 4, block 73, (B52269). From there, we crossed the street to the Church of the Risen Christ.

Crossing the street to the Church of the Risen Christ

Early comers for the 3pm Veneration of the Cross

THIRD STOP: Church of St. Alphonsus (Novena Church), 300 Thomson Road
BUILT: 1935
CATHOLIC POPULATION: This Church is not a parish church therefore data isn’t available.
How to get there: From Toa Payoh Lorong 4, block 73, (B52269), take Bus 88. 1 stop later, Alight at the Toa Payoh MRT Station. Take a train bound for Dhoby Ghaut/Marina Bay. Alight 1 station later at Novena MRT Station. From there, follow the exit signs to Novena Church.

Church of St. Alphonsus

Side comment: This church was like Pinoy central!

FOURTH STOP: Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, 50 Ophir Road
BUILT: 1888
CATHOLIC POPULATION: 1,200+
How to get there: From the Novena Church, we walked back to the Bus Stop fronting Novena MRT/Novena Square (B50038) and took Bus 57. 6 Stops later alight at Ophir Road, opposite Rochor Centre, (B07589). The Church is just behind the bus station.

Our Lady of Lourdes Church.

Veneration of the Cross ongoing.

FIFTH STOP: St. Joseph’s Church, 143 Victoria Street
BUILT: 1851
CATHOLIC POPULATION: St. Joseph’s Church ceased to be a parish church since 1999 so figures are not available.
How to get there: From Ophir Road, opposite Rochor Centre, (B07589), we took Bus 130 (or 960). 3 Stops later, alight at Victoria Street, Bras Basah Complex (B01019). From there, cross the street, turn right and walk towards St. Joseph’s Church.

St. Joseph’s Church

The interiors remind me of Asilo de la Milagrosa in Cebu.

SIXTH STOP: Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, 225A Queen Street
BUILT: 1870
CATHOLIC POPULATION: 1,500+
How to get there: We exited at the back gate of St. Joseph’s Church and crossed the street. We turned left and walked along Queen Street until we reached the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Church of Sts. Peter and Paul

Catholic faithful queue to touch and hug, and wipe Holy Chrism on an image of the dead Christ.

The Church is old and showing signs of decay. The parish is seeking donations for conservation and restoration efforts.

SEVENTH STOP: Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, the Seat of the Archdiocese of Singapore, corner Queen Street and Bras Basah Road
BUILT: Established 1832, it is the Oldest Catholic Church in Singapore
CATHOLIC POPULATION: This church is not a parish church so figures are not available.

How to get there: The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd is just a stone’s throw away from the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul

Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, Singapore.

The Cathedral’s Main Altar.

Altar of Repose

Cathedral’s interiors.

Located in Singapore’s Civic District (just across Singapore’s Art Museum), this is the Singapore’s first purpose-built Catholic Church. It was built between 1843 and 1847, and consecrated as a Cathedral on Valentines Day, 1897.

The church owes its existence to a French priest, Father Jean-Marie Beurel, who was also responsible for the establishment of two of Singapore’s oldest Catholic schools, St Joseph’s Institution and the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus. Father Beurel arrived in Singapore in 1839 and retired to Paris some 30 years later.

The design of the church is said to have been the result of a competition between two well known residents, Denis Lesley McSwiney and John Turnbull Thomson, with McSwiney’s design accepted as it was the less expensive of the two. An appeal for funds met with donations from France, the Philippines (WE WERE RICHER THAN SINGAPORE BACK THEN?!), China and Singapore’s European community.

The design shows the influence of two famous London churches. The use of the Roman Doric style of architecture was derived from St Paul’s In Convent Garden and the Greek temple-like proportions and belfry from St Martin-in-the-Fields.

The Cathedral has ample open areas, shaded by century-old trees, a perfect place to rest after our Visita Iglesia. It was definitely a different experience but equally as meaningful as the ones we had in the Philippines. After all, wherever you are, it’s the faith and intention that matters. For practical reasons, the Cathedral was the perfect last stop, since it stands just beside the Bras Basah MRT station, meaning, no more walking ’til we got home!

Hope this guide helps Filipinos in Singapore who are not aware that practicing the Visita Iglesia there is possible.

Peace be with you!

Here’s how our THB1200 airport van looks like.

Big enough to fit the six of us, and with complimentary bottled water at that!

Even before we landed in Bangkok, I knew about the notorious Bangkok traffic. Some would even describe it as hellish, so, I took the opportunity to nap while on the way to our hotel. Since Bangkok is one of the world’s top tourist destinations, there are probably thousands of hotels to suit every traveler in the city. This was a family trip so dad was in-charge of almost-everything. I was curious about the place where we’d be staying so I looked it up on Google. TripAdvisor says it’s ranked 593 of 731 hotels in Bangkok. Hmmm, but I knew that dad would only want the best experience for us, so I told myself to just wait and see.

From the Don Mueang Airport, the hotel is 25 kilometers away and would take 30 minutes to an hour to get there. Traffic was horrible, that as I woke up, we were still navigating through what seemed to be an endless maze of bumper-to-bumper traffic.

We then turned to an alley, which I thought was an unlikely location for a hotel (unlikely because most of the area is occupied by freight forwarding companies), but then I saw a sign on a lamppost confirming my doubt. And finally, after an hour, we arrived at the Best Bangkok House

The exterior of the hotel looks old and creepy. Yikes!

The Best Bangkok House is located at the end of Soi 15 (Soi is the term used in Thailand for a side-street branching off a major street), Phetchaburi Road in the Pratunam Area, Bangkok’s wholesale shopping district.

Dad made prior bookings online, so check-in was a breeze! He booked two deluxe triple rooms for us for THB1,500 (PHP2,100) a night each. During our stay, the hotel had this 5-night promo: stay for five nights and get the fifth night for FREE! I believe the promo is still ongoing. So, we actually saved THB3,000. That means additional shopping money for us! Yey! Hahaha!

After the check-in process, we were given a glass of orange juice each as a welcome drink. I knew it was just powdered juice but duh, it’s the thought that counts. We then headed to our rooms. Mom, Dad and Uriel’s room was at the second floor. Gabriel, Raphael and my room was at the fourth floor. The hotel has an elevator but was too small to accommodate us and our luggage, so we had to take turns. This “well-used” elevator gave me the creeps as it was quite noisy, and as soon as it reached the destination floor, it would drop a few inches before the door would open! Goodness, what if it falls off to the ground?!

Anyway, here’s our Deluxe Triple room..

I was actually surprised at how spacious the room was. Don’t be deceived by the photo, the room is air-conditioned. The A/C unit is placed beside the queen-sized bed so the electric fan is just there to improve the circulation of cool air. Our room had a mini living area, a mini-bar, coffee/tea making facilities, satellite TV, bathrobes, slippers, a hair dryer, bathtub and hot/cold shower. Quite a steal, considering the nightly rate!

The toilet and bath (T&B). It’s not seen in the photo but there’s actually a small bathtub in between the wall, where I took the photo from, and the shower area. Our deluxe triple room had an extra telephone in the T&B. Neat!

(NOTE: The hotel has free wi-fi but wi-fi router is at the ground floor, so the signal might not go beyond the second floor. Bummer! Anyway, we went to Bangkok to explore, not for wi-fi)

We settled our luggage, freshened up, then headed out to start exploring Bangkok! Supposedly, Best Bangkok House has a golf cart to take guests from the hotel to the main highway, for FREE, but then, it was just parked outside the hotel, “under maintenance”.

Well, it’s not entirely a bad thing as walking would snap us out of laziness and would allow us to absorb the essence of this city. From the hotel, we walked 140 meters to reach the intersection with Phetchaburi Soi 13. From there, we walked 85 meters to the intersection with Phetchaburi Soi 17. Walking another 180 meters brought us to Phetchaburi Soi 19. We walked down 245 meters all the way to Phetchaburi Road. Phew! Walking in Bangkok is not a joke! Like the Philippines, Thailand doesn’t seem to be pedestrian-friendly. It’s an obstacle course and your life is at stake!

The walk from the hotel to Phetchaburi Road was the most-dangerous 10-minute walk of our lives, ha! And at 35 degrees Celsius in the late afternoon, that walk cost us several milliliters of sweat.

Pantip Plaza is just a 10-minute walk from the hotel! It is the mother of all IT malls in Thailand with 5-levels dedicated to everything computer and technology-related. Crazy!

We were heading to Platinum Fashion Mall and passed by street food stalls along the way…

Colored Noodles?

Pork Jerky, Beef Jerky, Whatever Jerky, Floss, Floss and more Flossss, Pork Sheets, Pork Rolls, and other crispy pork stuff!

BBQ!

Crossing this street is deadly! Good thing there’s a pedestrian overpass, with an escalator.

We finally arrived at Platinum Fashion Mall. The name says it all, it’s a fashion mall with over 1,300 shops dedicated to wholesale fashion clothing and accessories, spread across six levels. But, shopping wasn’t our main agenda for the evening, yet. We were famished and looked for a place to eat. We took the easy way and headed to the food court at the 5th level. In most food courts in Bangkok, transactions are coupon-based, that is, you buy some coupons (e.g. THB 50 = a coupon worth THB 50), and exchange it with food/drinks at any stall in the food court. The food court at Platinum claims to have an excellent range of international favorites, but at 7pm, most of the stalls ran out of food so we ended up returning our coupons and getting our money back.

We ended up at KFC lol. Communicating with the lady at the counter was such a pain. Thailand doesn’t speak much English. So, to make things easy, we agreed to have the same order. To convey this to the cashier, we just pointed to the menu board, flashed five fingers, and said, “SEMSEM” (same same), to which she nodded and smiled. Hahaha! Dad has lived in Bangkok for about a year, a decade ago, so he still has an idea of Thai culture. Yes, if you want to say, “I want the same order as his”, you have to say it as “I want same same”(then point on your reference). LOL.

Meh, forgettable dinner. KFC will always be KFC, wherever, whenever! Moving on, from Platinum Fashion Mall, we walked along the almost non-existent sidewalks of Ratchaprarop Road to Central World. You might be wondering why this area is called Pratunam. Pratunam actually means “Water Gate” as there is a tributary behind Platinum Fashion Mall which flows into the Chao Phraya River. This tributary has several piers, all the way to Chao Phraya River. It is interesting to know that Bangkok has an extensive water transport system. Cool!

Central World was 350 meters away, but with the heat, it felt like the longest 350 meters of our lives! Exaggeration, ha!

More street food on our way to Central World. This area is like a mini-”Dampa”, a row of stalls which sell fresh seafood and meat. These are then cooked according to your liking.

My body is screaming, “AIRCON!!!”

Mom poses with Big C Supercenter as her background. Located beside Big C is Erawan Shrine, a popular Hindu shrine that houses a statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai representation of the Hindu god Brahma, believed in Thai culture as a deity of good fortune and protection.

Before we could enter Central World and finally get a breath of fresh air—con, two Buddhist altars caught my attention.

Standing on this “shrine” is a huge golden image of Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, “The Lord of Obstacles”

Meanwhile, the Trimurti Shrine features a golden human with two heads and four arms. It is believe that true love will be granted to those who pray for it. I love how the dome has elaborately carved gables. Worshipers often come at night bringing flowers and joss sticks.

One more picture before we get inside CentralWorld.

Mom and the “kids” pose before the giant LED screen that illuminates the facade and Ratchaprarop Road.

Our visit to CentralWorld was brief as we only bought necessities at the Isetan Supermarket. After grocery shopping, traffic was still horrible considering it was already 10pm. We had no choice but to walk. As we reached back to Platinum, I felt like my legs were melting already but I didn’t want to spend too much on transport considering the hotel was just 10 minutes away. Dad suggested that I take a “habal-habal” instead. Yes, there are motorcycle taxis in Bangkok. Locally, they’re known as Motocy, and they’re easily identifiable as drivers wear colored reflective vests (usually orange or pink), that I initially thought they were our version of “barangay tanods”. Hahaha.

These motorcycle taxis serve two integral roles in Bangkok. First, they’re the counterpart to our “pedicab”. From the main road, they reach to the far ends of the interior roads (Soi). The other purpose is to beat the traffic, and laziness, err, convenience. I informed the driver of my destination, and he named the price, 60THB. I haggled and it became 50THB. And that easily qualified as one of my most memorable motorcycle rides ever! Imagine, we threaded through bumper-to-bumper traffic at killer speeds, I had to keep my knees as tight as possible. Crazy! But by being able to swift past through the gridlock, zoom in and out between cars and buses, and driving on the sidewalks or the opposing lane, the motocy might be the most dangerous means of transport, but it also is the quickest and most convenient way to get you from Point A to B. As soon as I got off the motocy, I sighed with relief and called it a night..

(…to be continued)