Tearjerker Moment at the Office

God spoke to me and I know it’s Him. This story is too amazing not to share!!! As I am typing this entry, tears are still flowing . . .

LAST NIGHT I was chatting with Meg over ym and we discussed the special project we had in our discipleship group (long story). She asked her friend Alex some questions about Christian femininity. One particular question focused on beauty – what would Alex consider attractive/beautiful and he gave awesome answers – nothing physical at all. He listed down these qualities:

Compassionate, Unassuming, One who doesn’t harbor ill judgments – always sees the best in people, and Passionate about little things that are often overlooked

Meg and I were stumped – but in a pleasant way! We said our goodnights and told each other that to have these qualities was what we would be praying for that night. And I did just that.

After the lengthy monologue, I told Dad I love Him – several times. But being the doubting Thomas that I am, I wanted a reply. I wanted to hear and be assured (although I already know) that He’s saying I love you back. I asked God that if ever He will tell me He loves me, it should be very obvious because I can be dense sometimes – like I should see a drawing or text in a wall or an electric post….I cried myself to sleep last night because I never heard anything – not even the wind’s whisper.

I completely forgot about last night’s episode as I arrived in the office earlier today. I became busy with my tasks but suddenly caught myself humming a tune that goes like, “with you I have felt the same… la da da dad a…” I know it’s from Lifehouse because I heard it before but I forgot the title. I searched through my ipod but it wasn’t on my list. I went to Grooveshark.com to listen online. I typed Lifehouse and this is the song that came in …..

SIMON
Locked inside
the only place where
you feel sheltered
where you feel safe
You lost yourself in your search
to find something else to hide behind
The fearful always
preyed upon your confidence
Did they see the consequence
when they pushed you around
The arrogant build kingdoms
made of the different ones
Breaking them 'til they've become
just another crown
and i have...
Felt the same as you,
I've felt the same as you,
I've felt the same

you don't know
why they had to go
This far traded your worth for these scars
for your only Company
don't believe the lies
that they’ve told to you
Not one word was true
you're alright,
You're alright,
You're alright and i have...
felt the same as you,

I've felt the same as you,
I've felt the same as you
I've felt the same
la da da da dala da da da dala
da da da dala da da da dala
da da da dala da da da da
AS YOU, I’VE FELT THE SAME

Then I remembered last night … and it dawned on me that this is the reply! I know I’m not just giving too much meaning to this because I wasn’t even listening to Lifehouse today. The last song on my head before I came in was Katy Perry and Timbaland’s If We Ever Meet Again!

I know in my heart that this is how creative and amazing God is!
He told me He's felt the same!!!!! Woooooohoooooo!!!!

Update: Simon, I learned, means "I have heard" in Hebrew! Wooooohoooo some more!!!

...and the Real Fun Begins!

Third Stop: Siem Reap, Cambodia

After flying from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, we were Cambodia-bound to see the Angkor Wat Temples. At this point there were no more flights in our itinerary until we've crossed the border to Thailand; hence the real fun (or not) of backpacking began here.

After we had retrieved Patricia's lost luggage (as told from my previous entry), we rented an airport taxi right away to go to the bus station which would bring us to the Cambodian border; however, since it was holiday week in Vietnam in celebration of Chinese New Year, the bus company was closed for the day. And on top of that, the bus bound for Cambodia the next day was already fully booked. We had no choice but to rent the airport taxi all the way to the Vietnam border (Moc Bai).

When we arrived at the border, taxi drivers ambushed us, offering rental of their Camry taxis starting at 100usd! We've read about these kinds of stories from other backpackers' blogs and we knew better. We went straight to the immigration's and experienced the most blatant case of bribery between a local and an immigration officer. In the office, there was no proper queue - only groups of people gathered in front and looking over the shoulder of the officer encoding the exiting tourists' information. I saw locals just placing their passports on top of the others and a man who cut in the line in front of me shoved a couple of passports with dollar bills inserted! I was aghast! I took out my Frommers' guide and exclaimed "Oh zoi oi!", which means "Oh my gosh!" Unfortunately, that only gave the people some sort of a quick entertainment.

But having come from a third world nation myself, I somehow understood where these people are coming from - the opportunities to earn (properly or not) that the tourists bring them must be maximized. After a few minutes, we were able to pass through and were on our way to the bus station. The taxi drivers were tailing us all this time. We kept on walking and they kept on bargaining. The offer dropped to 80usd now, but we still ignored them. Until finally they offered 60usd from Moc Bai, Vietnam to Phnom Penh. I suggested 45usd instead, and they all shouted in unison: NOOOOOOOw (No)! This was funny. If I only took a picture of how they reacted, with toothless gum showing...! Harharhar.

The girls and their suitors...heheeh

After arriving at Phnom Penh, we went straight to the bus station to book our trip to Siem Reap the next day. They offered us a hotel for 20usd a night, and we took it not knowing how huge the mosquitoes were inside the room! Ack!

We woke up early to catch the 9am bus trip. It was uneventful though - we were sitting our butts off for five hours just looking out the window to see how ghetto Cambodia is. If I could compare it to a province in the Philippines, I would say Tarlac or Leyte. It also has some rice fields and mostly hectares of dry land. We had stop-overs in between which gave us the opportunity to see the type of food the Cambodians eat. . .

Fried Crickets, anyone?

If they had better food to eat, do you think they would still devour poor, endangered, innocent turtles? :-'(

Finally, after the long bus ride, we have arrived! This is our very first tuk-tuk ride....
The tuk-tuks are makeshift taxis/motorized rickshaws, so to speak. They are vehicles that can seat three or more people (with provisions for their backpacks) with a motorbike attached in front. The tuk-tuks are the most popular means of transportation in this country - for the tourists, that is.This tuk-tuk would finally take us to our hotel so we could wash up and leave our belongings as we go sight-seeing around Angkor Wat (Sanskrit for City Temple). We walked a long distance from the entrance of a big stretch of land and vast moat where the famous temples stand, and paid a hefty amount - 20usd just for a day pass. But we were awed at the detailed artistry and possibly the long toil that the laborers (Khmers under King Sryavarman' rule) put in to be able to build a long-standing complex architecture.
I don't have much to say about this tour, because I'm not really a fan of Hindu & Buddhist temples. The intricate wall carvings, or what they called as bas-reliefs even brought chills. Add it to the fact the sun was at its hottest while we were there - around 35-36 degrees. It was unfortunate I did not have any cap or umbrella so after a few minutes of walking, I was almost about ready to faint.
Fourth Stop: Bangkok, Thailand

After just four hours of being in the Khmer soil, we were on our feet again ready to cross yet another border - Poipet to Aranyaprathet.

But before we totally leave Cambodia behind, I must write about this observation with a tinge of envy: Despite the hot weather and despite the poverty in this country, all taxi/tuk-tuk drivers here are wearing decent clothing – button-down, collared shirts and professional slacks. Drivers commissioned to drop tourists at the Angkor Wat gates are even required to wear vests. Not only that, they also have the perfect English accent!

These motorbike drivers provide the first encounter the tourists will have with the people of this country, which in turn gives an initial reflection of its culture and its locals’ character. It hurts to say, but how I wish that our drivers in Manila would turn out to be like what they have in Cambodia – respectful, good communicators, and dressed with dignity – no wifebeaters or muscle shirts can be seen here.

During our nth taxi ride, traffic jam was becoming more and more apparent. This was how we knew that we were reaching Thailand. Before riding our transfer, Pat and I decided to sneak out and buy the birthday girl, Roxy some flowers. The bouquet only cost 1usd! We asked our motorbike driver to hand it over to Roxy, but when he saw her, he went straight past her looking on the other side! Talk about surprises...

I love the pink taxis in BKK! . .

Our Bangkok trip was short and sweet - it was all about photographing temples, pigging-out, and night shopping! Okay, and some cute finds....

Too bad that we didn't have the time to go to the real malls like Paragon and the rest, but we shall return! The food here is yummy and inexpensive!

We were almost at the end of our trip but if there was one thing that we had taken notice of with extreme gratitude was the fact that God's hand was upon us all throughout. Despite the horror stories we read in blogs and the potential danger that travelling with no men or guardians brings, nothing bad, or even close to being bad, ever happened to us. God had even brought us "angels" that took care of us while on the way - Kelly & the rest, the hotel persons in Hanoi who offered assistance above and beyond the call of duty; our taxi drivers who kept their focus on the almost pitch-black roads; and pleasant, hospitable, nameless people who put the good times into our FUN! We were really favored upon.

Fifth Stop: Phuket, Thailand

To be continued in the third part of my backpacking kwento series . . . ;-)

Backpack! Backpack!

I have been MIA in this blog since November last year and up until now, I still haven't organized my thoughts for this upcoming blog entry. Poor me. I have been swamped by work after Chinese New Year was over and being able to blog now means I'm starting to breathe again :-)

Last CNY, three of my friends (Patricia, Roxy, Aya) and I went backpacking in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. Laos was supposed to be in the picture too, but since we would only be travelling for seven days (and mostly by land), there was no way we can fit Laos into the schedule anymore :-(.

The couple of weeks prior to our departure date were characterized by mega-lengthy trails of email exchanges (both purposeful and vexing), long hours of net surfing trying to find the best hotel rates, and nerve-wacky discussions on the numerous hostel reviews with focus on bed bugs! Never mind that it's 10usd a night, but bug bites are not worth it!

First Stop: Hanoi, Vietnam
After waiting almost an hour by the converyor belt, we realized that Patricia's luggage was missing! We checked it in with Roxy's but Pat's luggage was not able to make it. We called the Changi airport right away and good thing the assistance hotline was open 24 hours. It turned out that the inefficient girl at the counter of Tiger Airways failed to put a sticker on Pat's luggage. Ohemgee. We waited after two hours to verify with the ground executives. The next day an officer called to inform us that they will send the luggage the next day when we arrive at Ho Chi Minh. Thank heavens! This is blessing number one! :-) Lesson learned: always check and collect your baggage sticker, peeps. I love Tiger Airways now!

Because of the luggage issue, we lost a lot of precious time, so we just ate porridge at a nearby food house. It was so good I finished my bowl before everyone else did!
The next morning, we had a hurried breakfast of beef noodles and baguette - Hanoi version. The bread is only one of the many influences the French had over the Vietnamese. The houses built around our hotel were replicas of European buildings, too! (Sorry, not many pics to show - we were busy with our baguettes!)

Can you believe they use wooden chopsticks! Wood is not washable, friend!

Next place to visit was the infamous Halong Bay where the James Bond Cave is located. We went on a cruise to cross the bay and as we waited at the dock area, I started to freeze! My guidebook said it will be around 14 degrees in Hanoi during winter months, but I think it was even lower. I couldn't bear the cold wind so I decided to buy a 10-dollar used jacket! Such a rip-off!

For some reason, my feet have a high tolerance to cold climate, so I was still able to fair well with my fitflops! Hihihi.

Perhaps due to the fact that Vietnam's economy relies heavily on tourism, the locals really take advantage of the tourists (and their wallets). Above is the picture with a local kid selling a 20,000+ dong (it's a dollar i know, but even so, they're so tiny for crying out loud!) worth of tiny bananas!

Sitting on stalactites and stalagmites. Ooohsome!

The last night in Hanoi was spent driving around the Old Quarter with our Vietnamese friend, Ken :-) He was so gracious to drive us around and treat us out during our stay!

I wouldn't forget him of course, only for the reason that he introduced us to the simplest yet the most delicious Hanoi delicacy - the Nom! It is made of shredded fresh papaya, cashews and silantro leaves floating in very spicy, sweet and a little bit salty sauce, topped with thin slices of dried pork. Super duper yum!
Food stalls along the sidewalk are pretty common in Hanoi. People from all walks of life sit on very low stools and dine in the midst of the garbage! We did not care at all - food was awesome!

Second Stop: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Day 3 - We flew from Hanoi to HCMC to ride the land transfer (aka taxi) that will take us down to the border of Cambodia - Phnom Penh. Don't you notice how Viets love to use H in their city names? ;-)

The food here is even better, baby!
And ladies and gentlemen, drum roll please . . . our bill amounted to 3million! We're such rich kids! No sweat!

P.S. For this trip, I bought (on discount) Frommer's Vietnam guide, published by none other than John Wiley, of cows! It contains a wealth of important information you need to know about the place you are touring - travel contacts, detailed city maps, list of transpo companies, best places to dine, etc. And I shall quote Russel: "With this, we'll never gonna get lost!" Wink!

Third Stop: Siem Reap, Cambodia

To be continued in my next entry....