The Big Move

Moving is never easy, particularly in the wee hours of the morning... I still have a huge headache from the sudden leasing of my aunt & sister's condo. I've been managing our rental properties for ages but this one's really something else.

I had to move stuff out of the apartment to get it ready for the tenant in just four hours! Good thing a neighbor rents out her 7th floor unit for 1800 php/night so we had somewhere to place our stuff before I accepted our new condo three floors up.

It was not a pretty sight at the studio apartment. I'm just thankful that I had people working at my kiosk who are also my distant cousins. So I have people who cares about me & were there to help  no matter how late it was. 

At least I've got the new aircon & the shower heater installed now. I find I didn't mind not having a proper bed yet as long as I have a/c & hot water. I did a double take with the 2500 php installation fee though. Ugh! That hurts.

Now I'm waiting for the architect to do his thing. A condo this small needs an expert to decide where everything should be. Though I'm absolutely dreading the bill. :(

Canada: To Apply for a TRV or not

My mother and I are in a tizzy right now. We were sent an invitation to visit by my sister--who is a permanent resident in Canada--the statutory declaration says that she & her husband will take care of everything we might need while there. Who wouldn't want that, right?

Certainly, this travel junkie is all excited and salivating at the thought of seeing the Canadian Rocky Mountains up-close! But the timing is awful... I'm in the middle of a permanent move from my Valenzuela apartment to our newly-acquired Makati condo.

It's just a total mess right now and I also have work to contend with. To add to the confusion, Mama can't stay past the summer season in fear of her joints acting up in the cold. That's really our main concern, that she enjoy her 75th year... The year of visiting all her kids & grandkids scattered about in Canada, Australia & New Zealand.

We're both excited to see my brother & his family in Ontario, some of his kids we have not met since they were born. We also can't bear to disappoint my sister's kids in Alberta. The eldest, 17-year-old Jian, worked at KFC so he can save for his grandma's plane ticket. 

Aww... this is hard. Should we go through with the Temporary Resident Visa application? I just hope we get approved (or not) while it's still summer there.

Corregidor: Island of Valor

Cruising to Corregidor

   

Keeping my family entertained when in Manila has become one of my unofficial "duties". They know for a direction-challenged, allergic-to-drive person I certainly do get around a lot. As long as there are cabs and I can ask around and pretend to know where I'm headed, I'm good to go.

                                         
A cruise to Corregidor Island, the World War II fortress, is highly recommended. A day-long excursion to get some idea about what Filipino and American soldiers went through in the war against the Japanese invaders... I thought it was perfect especially for my young nieces and nephew.

Sun Cruises provides ferry services to Corregidor so we contacted them a few days before we were set to sail. The price was 2200/adult and 1250/child for a day tour package inclusive of roundtrip ferry transfers, entrance and terminal fees plus guided tour of the island and buffet lunch.

We showed up at the Sun Cruises office before 7:00 am and got our boarding passes and hopped on a van to the CCP Bay Terminal (beside the Folk Arts Theater) where the catamaran MV Sun Cruises was docked. The ferry is much like the one we traveled in from Kowloon to Macau.

We showed up at 6:

The departure time was supposed to be at 8:00 am but some tour groups arrived late so we left 30 minutes later. Great to leave Manila's traffic and pollution for a day but wait, its trash seemed to have followed us! Sad to see snack wrappers and all sorts of plastic floating from Manila Bay to Corregidor Island.

After over an hour of sailing, the tadpole-shaped island was at last in our sights. Trams aka tramvia were waiting for us, they ushered the groups according to the language they want as there were English, Filipino and Japanese-speaking guides on the trams.

So much history of pain, death, defeat and ultimately triumph are what Corregidor Island represents. Not your usual day tour, for sure.