What's Up!

You don't get everything you want at the same time because life is not meant to be that way.

I've been with my present company for almost 10 months. I've traveled to a few countries and visited a few places I never thought I would.  Living a life in a suitcase means being away with my family, "special someone", friends and other relatives most of the time, but I am grateful for my job.

I wanted this. I wanted a job that will allow me to roam and wander.  I wanted a job that would make me see the world and appreciate every single piece of it.  Let me share with you some places I've been after my flight to Amsterdam (which I already shared in my previous blog entry):


Rome, Italy

I've flown to Rome twice in February.  I appreciate every single landmark they have, even the ruins were pleasing to the eyes.  I couldn't help but think of my Literature subjects back in high school and college. I loved their gelato which was not only tasty but very cheap as well. Pizza and pasta would only cost you around 10 euros!

My tip: Do not forget to throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain. It might be some kind of a myth but you wouldn't lose anything if you follow.

What I look forward on this destination: The Vatican! I haven't been in there because I didn't have much time.


Zurich, Switzerland

One of the wealthiest places not only in Europe but, worldwide -Zurich.  It's one of the expensive places I've been to.  The only thing I (together with the rest of the crews) did in the city (aside from sightseeing) was drink a cup of a heavenly hot chocolate at Sprüngli! I thought of Zurich as a serene place despite of numerous business in the city.

What I look forward to in this destination: Rent a bike in our hotel or visit Lucerne!



New York, United States of America

I was on "reserve" when I first set my foot in the concrete jungle.  Everything in Times Square was just so tempting but I was too good enough to resist temptation *winks*. Too many shops to look at with so little time, good thing that we stay in the heart of this city that never sleeps.

You have everything around - shops, restaurants and etc. Name it and the Big Apple has it.

What I look forward to in this destination: A lot! A visit to Liberty Island, a walk at Central Park, and of course SALE to name a few!


 

Visiting Amsterdam

I was rostered to an Amsterdam flight last January.  It was a 24-hour-layover just like what we have in other destinations we fly to. Regardless of the limited time to see what the city could offer, I, together with two other crews were able to make the most out of the time we have in Amsterdam.

Let me share with you some of the places and random things/sites we've visited and seen:

1. Van Gogh Museum (Address: Paulus Potterstraat 7, 1071 CX Amsterdam, Netherlands)

As we advance in life it becomes more and more difficult, but in fighting the difficulties the inmost strength of the heart is developed. - Vincent Van Gogh

Born Vincent Willem van Gogh (a Dutch) was a Post-Impressionist painter of The Starry Night. The biggest collection of his artworks could be seen in the above mentioned museum.  I do not usually visit museums on my layovers but this one made me awed by the quantity of artworks, too bad, visitors were not allowed to take photos inside. Entrance fee would be 15 Euros.  Residents and children up to 17 years of age could get in for free. Should you wish to bring home some memorabilia, there's a souvenir shop inside selling postcards of Van Gogh artworks, notebooks, pens, shirts and etc.

2. Bikes

According to the latest estimate posted in Iamsterdam website, there were more bikes than permanent residents. Cycling was very popular in Amsterdam. There were a lot of bike rentals around the city and this form of transportation could help you go around the city if you chose not to walk. 

3. I Amsterdam Letters (at the back of Rijksmuseum on Musemplein)

It would never be easy to have your solo shot (without anyone) in this area, unless you really patiently wait until everyone leaves.  The letters could also be seen in Schipol Airport which would be a better option if you want to get your solo photo with the letters.  Why Iamsterdam? The city's website say that it started as a "marketing campaign for the area and its business and promotional organisations". Time went on and the phrase became really catchy and went on to everyone's minds.


4.Canal and Canal Houses

Canal houses at night were even more beautiful at night.The lights on the houses made it more pleasing to the eyes.

5. Anne Frank Museum  (Address: Prinsengracht 263-267, 1016 GV Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Museum of Anne Frank was one of the most visited sites in Amsterdam. A long queue would always be frequent in this museum.  To our surprise, there were fewer people than we expected. We paid 9 euros for the entrance fee. Again, no picture taking allowed inside.

Honestly, I haven't read The Diary of Anne Frank, but I've seen the book many times back in my home country.  I had goosebumps when I visited her house - imagine, it used to be their hiding place during the WWII in attempt of escaping the Nazis. 

6. Red Light District

Photos not allowed in the area.  This was located in the middle of the urban area wherein you could see ladies in their nearly naked attire standing behind the glasses, attracting and inviting visitors especially men to come inside the business.   You could also see "for adults only" shops in this area.



Hope my this blog entry could somehow give you an idea of the places to visit and see during a trip to Amsterdam -checkout the Rijksmuseum or the Heineken Experience (just mention a couple of sites).

And oh, by the way, do not miss trying pancakes in the city.  Prepare your stomach for their  Pannekoeken (enormous pancake just like the photo on the left).  This was such a mouth-watering Dutch treat! :)


 

Annyeong Haseyo: Seoul, South Korea

(Long Overdue post series)
(October 2013)
(Disclaimer: Photo heavy blog entry)

Korean culture was close to my roots since there were a lot of Koreans in the Philippines.  I've had
a Korean classmate in my Anthropology class and I was once supposed to teach Koreans as well.  KPOP seemed to be a trend as well in my home country.  Teenagers went gaga to Korean groups and Koreanovelas for a few years already. 

My ICN (Incheon Airport) flight was my chance to experience Korean Culture in its motherland.  It was such an exciting 2 legs trip for me because it would be my first time to eat "authentic" korean food and a side trip to a palace which I only see on telenovelas. 

We stayed in a hotel which was near the popular Gangnam District.  I, together with another Filipina crew went straight to Gangnam after we arrived at the hotel. We had dinner first before we proceed to our goal for the night: make-up/skin care stuff shopping.  We were delighted to see the word SALE flashing on almost every make up stores. Korean beauty products were really popular because of its quality.  I've read a lot of good reviews of Korean-made BB creams and even other products such as eyebrow make-up, mascara, facial masks etc. Seoul was indeed a shopping haven for all the "kikays" around the globe. I bought a few beauty products: Missha M Cover BB Cream, Etude Eyebrow Pencil, Etude Shockara, Missha Cologne, Holika Holika Green Tea Facial Cream Cleanser, Tony Moly Milk Lotion.  Wish I had the time to make a review of Etude's Eyebrow Drawing Pencil which was my favorite among my finds. 

Come the next day, I met my friend and we went to Gyeongbokgung Palace (one of the 5 palaces and was built during the beginning of Chosun Dynasty). It was (according to my friend) the location of Korean dramas Secret Garden and Moon Embracing the Sun and Dae Jang Geum.

 When my friend and I went inside, I felt like I was a character in a Korean drama, minus the hanbok of course. Let me share with you the photos I had on my palace visit:

Main Hall

Gyonghoeru Pavilion, venue for formal events and banquets

You could also change into hanbok and have your picture taken in Gyeongbokgung Palace but due to the Changing of Guards Ceremony, the former would not be possible for all visitors. The ceremony was like a scene in Korean Dramas, (never thought I could see it personally). I might not able to wear their traditional costume but it was fine since, at least, I was able to watch the ceremony. 

My friend and I also had a quick visit to the museum which was beside the palace.  It was good to look at everything inside but if you don't know how to speak Korean, you wouldn't understand every single description of the items inside as there was no English translation. 

Aside from knowing the country's heritage, the thing about paying a museum tour was experiencing the richness of every culture by just looking at objects displayed inside.  I might not able to understand every description but at least I knew that everything there played a significant role in Korea's history. 

My Korea flight was "BITIN" or short for me. I haven't explored a lot of shops along Gangnam District, a lot more food to try and I have yet to see Hello Kitty Cafe and etc. I just hope to be given another flight to Kimchi Land very soon! Needless to say, every trip is worthwhile when you go out and learn from the things you experience.  Kamsahamnida Korea!


 

Land Down Under: Sydney, Australia

(Long overdue post  part 1)
(September-October 2013)

Most of my colleagues say that newbies usually get flights to land down under because we still don't have US Visa (which was a requirement to operate US and Canada flights). True enough, I get Australia flights every month and I won't complain. It may be an ultra long range flight (it sometimes turns me OFF), but the destination was worth the flight duration.  

On the last part of my first month and on my second month of flying, the only Australian destination I got was SYDNEY (located in New South Wales). It was one of the most popular cities of Australia. Two of the famous landmarks you could find there were the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Good thing that our hotel was just in the heart of the central business district (CBD). Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge was just a few minutes walk from where we stayed.  Finding a place to eat and shop for food (in case you want to bring home some goodies), souvenirs and etc was never a problem - there were plenty of shops, restaurants, fast food chains/and or food courts, and convenience stores around the CBD.  

Let me share with you some of the things I did in Sydney (on those few times I've been there):

1.  Visited Bondi Beach

It was just a spontaneous trip to a beach..well at least for me. I was invited by another crew to join her and her friends on their Bondi Beach Visit. We paid 10 aud (that's a roundtrip fare) for our bus tickets.

According to Bondi Village website, "Bondi" or "Boondi" is an aboriginal word meaning "water breaking over rocks" or "noise of water breaking over rocks." The Australian Museum records that Bondi means "place where a flight of nullas took place." When we got there, I observed that the water was literally breaking over the rocks. It was an ideal place for surfers since giant waves were frequent from time to time.

In all honesty, I was never a beach lover, but I won't say NO for a walk in a picture-perfect beach like Bondi.

2. Of course, who wouldn't have his or her picture taken near Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House

3. More landmarks photo op:

a. Royal Botanic Gardens

b. St. Mary's Cathedral

c. Customs House

4. (Mini) Grocery Shopping at Woolworths and "Kikay" finds at Priceline


There's (only) a single thing that turns me off about traveling to Sydney - the long flight time. Like any other situation, there were times that it's really not the work that makes you tired, it's the travel time.
Nevertheless, I liked walking around Sydney CBD.The fact that our hotel was situated in the city made things easy for me. I did not notice the long walks, and sometimes the chilly air.

If you really have the budget to spend, Sydney would be a good idea for shopping (window or literally shopping). If in case you just want to explore or have fun, you could take the ferry (at the Circular Quay) going to Taronga Zoo or Darling Harbour. 

I am thankful for the perks of my job as it makes me discover a lot of things. It may be an understatement though but I couldn't think of any other thought to express my feelings about the things I am getting now. There's always a pursuit of learning when you travel. Walking around (by yourself) in a foreign place makes the traveling more exciting, plus, it makes you exercise independence.

As Mark Twain would say: 

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

 

Selamat Datang ke Malaysia!

I became so excited upon knowing I will be flying to an Asian destination as it was my first time to fly to my home region ever since I came to the sandpit. As you all know, I haven't been out of my country until I was hired for my current position.

KUALA LUMPUR was my first Asian flight. I knew that Malaysian cuisine was really nice so it added to my excitement. I've read that their cuisine was a mixture of different cultures - Indian, Chinese and etc. I planned to eat at least one local dish on my layover.  Since our time there was just limited, I just wanted to see the Petronas Twin Towers (which was once the tallest building in the world) and the Batu Cave.

Approximately around 2 hours after our arrival on the hotel where we stayed, I met with some crews to have a look of the Peronas Towers and have our dinner.

Petronas Twin Towers was just a 5  minutes walk from our hotel. Adjacent to the famous landmark was Suria KLCC Shopping Mall. Finding a place to eat was not a problem if you're at the Petronas. I ate Penang Char Kway Teow (price below 7 RM at the Suria KLCC food court) - a stir fried noodle recipe made from rice cake strips (it has prawns, beans, chili and etc) .

Let me share with you some photos of the (still tallest) Twin Towers at night:

We booked a trip to Batu Cave for the next day (90 rm for 3 hours tour, all other stops include Chocolate Factory, Batik and etc.). If only I have more time, I could have just taken a train to Batu Cave because it was cheaper but it wasn't the case so I think the day trip would be a better option.

We started our day tour to Batu Cave at 9:30 AM. It wasn't really a long drive from where we stayed. I think we traveled for like 30 minutes going to Batu Cave.

Batu Cave - A limestone hill and Hindu Shrine (and temple).  The giant statue of Lord Murugan (around 42.7 meters) would be welcoming you on your visit. 

In order to see what's inside the cave, you have to climb 272 steps. Macaque Monkeys were numerous and were roaming around (freely) on your way up and even inside the cave.  I don't hate monkeys but I got scared while climbing the 200 plus plus (little) steps because some of them were aggressive and that made me paranoid (thinking they might do something to me).

Monkeys play a role in Hinduism.  One of the idols of the Hindus was Lord Hanuman, an ape who was also a devotee of Lord Rama.  His statue could also be seen within the vicinity of the cave. 

 Let me share some other photos I took inside the cave:

One thing I like about seeing new places was the new learning you always get.  You get more knowledge by immersing yourself to take even ba glimpse of other cultures.  Malaysia might be a South East Asian country like my home country, Philippines but there were (still) a lot of differences in terms of language, culture, religion and etc.  Based from my experience, Hinduism has a huge influence in Malaysia - the Batu Cave was one proof for that.  In the Philippines, there were Indians as well but I didn't know any Hindu Shrine like the Batu Cave. Any spot of difference could lead to a new knowledge - that fact keeps me enthusiastic all the time on my layovers.  I might not visited all the tourist spots and landmarks in Malaysia but at least I've seen two trademarks and learned something new.

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
Read more at http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/50-most-inspiring-travel-quotes-of-all-time/#yz1IjMTsKbQJlctC.99

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
Read more at http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/50-most-inspiring-travel-quotes-of-all-time/#yz1IjMTsKbQJlctC.99

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
Read more at http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/50-most-inspiring-travel-quotes-of-all-time/#yz1IjMTsKbQJlctC.99

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain

 

Weekend at Manchester

In the Middle East, our, or should I say, "their" weekends are Friday and Saturday but for the other parts of the world including my home country, weekends mean Saturdays and Sundays.

Whenever I think of weekends, I would see a picture of people crowding in the city center - doing grocery shopping, window shopping, literally shopping and etc. Those thoughts were true when I operated a flight to Manchester. It was my first time to be there and I was lucky to have flown with other 'first timer' crews who also wanted to go around and bring something home to Dubai. 

Through the help of the hotel's concierge, we booked a taxi going to the city center.  Sight seeing was in my mind but not as much as mini grocery shopping.  Doing food shopping in Dubai was quite costly compared to doing it on my layovers. In the United Kingdom, there were plenty of shops that sell reasonable prices of goods and I would not keep my eyes closed on that. 

Before I dwell much on what I found in Manchester, let me share with you some sights of the city center:

random building

the largest Primark

Hot Dog anyone? 

I, together with some crews did not go so much around the city. We just planned on going to a few shops, ate hot dog sandwich and shop for what we wanted. Not much time for window shopping :P With the help of a Korean crew, I've been introduced to Poundland - where everything cost a pound. I bought a few food items there and my purse was still happy haha. I paid 5 pounds for 5 items - not bad at all. I could have spend more (converted to dirhams) if I buy those items in Dubai.

I must say, my layover at Manchester was a weekend well spent. Aside from setting foot to a new place and seeing some English buildings; getting along with crews coming from different parts of the world and experiencing new cultures were the two things I like about my layovers. 

I felt blessed getting this kind of job. Not all would be pleased of what I am doing but for me, no matter how simple or complex your job was, it wouldn't matter at all as long as your job makes you happy.