Japan to Manila to Manila Peninsula Hotel

Airports are never meant to be hotels but this is where NW left us to spend the night. With over 400 passengers stuck in the predeparture area, each one of us managed to claim a part of the airport and try to catch a wink. With the time difference though (daytime in the US), the kids were all wired up so no one could really fall asleep with them running around trying to entertain themselves. NW provided us with a pillow and a blanket and chocolate bars and soda to eat and drink. They gave water only to those who needed it for their prescription medication. There was really no point in complaining - we were exhausted at this point. We were kept in limbo as to what time we were leaving that morning. Later we were told that they couldn't tell us this information until they woke up the crew after 6:00 am. Apparenty the crew are not to be woken up before then. Anyway, long story short, we boarded the plane bound for Manila at 7:30 am and were on our way at 8:15. We arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at a little after1 pm. When we got off the neventful and the food was decent. We were just glad to be finally on a plane plane, on our way to gather our luggages, we were met by a throng of reporters and cameramen. Wow, we didn't realize that being delayed for over 14 hours and stranded in Tokyo is now big news in Manila. It turned out that we had a real celebrity with us - an ex-Congressman who served a prison sentence in the US for graft and corruption for 5 years.

Remember we had 7 boxes, a large suitcase, 4 carry on luggages and an electric cello. Getting them out of the terminal through Customs was an art. We had to use 4 carts (thank God they were free). It also cost us $20 placed inside our passport as we went through Customs. This ensured that we didn't have to open our boxes and be inspected. Come to think of it, there was really no place where they would open the luggages because they didn't need it. As long as you have money in the passport, you're good to go. The customs people even "requests" a certain amount. Oh well, nothing will change. Even if it's against your better judgment to bribe these people, you are forced to do so just so you get through as quickly as possible.

Ralph's sisters met us at the airport and all our luggage went in one car and we went in a taxi to our hotel, the Manila Peninsula. We were caught during the rush hour by the airport (well, we thought it was rush hour, but it was really normal for any time during the day!). He decided to take a short cut through the sidestreets of Pasay. Erin's induction into Manila traffic has just begun. Two lane streets became 4-lanes, the shrill sound of car horns fills the air and the smoke was thick. Erin asked, "where are the lanes?" We told her to just close her eyes and not to worry - we'll get to the hotel just fine. The detour that we took had us going through a very filthy river (I can't even call it a river, I don't think) - it was just black and stagnant. It was full of trash along it's embankment and the houses along it's side were in bad need of repair adorned with laundry hung to dry. Only one car could go through the streets that was apparently a two-way lane (but one car goes at a time!). In not time though, we were in Makati and what a difference in ambiance. It was just like we were back in the states. Makati is the business district of the Philippines and where a lot of high rises are and is the "Beverly Hills/Rodeo Drive" of the country.

We arrive at the hotel and was met by a couple of security officers manning the bottom of the landing up to the hotel. The taxi driver had to stop, open the hood and was inspected. A pole with a mirror attached to it was used to look under the taxi before we were allowed to actually park and get off. Talk about tough security. Before we could go into the hotel itself, we each have to open our bags for inspection. Manila Pen is one grand hotel. The lobby was decked with Christmas decor with a 50 ft high christmas tree in the middle of the lobby. The door was opened by a doorman, at every turn, you are greeted with a very warm smile and was asked if they could help you carry your stuff. It was weird actually, in a good way. We finally managed to get up to our room and freshen up before going to our first appointment - a trip to the University of the Philippines.

Let me add this about the hotel, everyday, they would give us a mango, a couple of bananas served on a basket lined with banana leaf and a single orchid. Megan was ecstatic - she would wake up very early and start eating the mango. She said that was the best part of the hotel stay.

The anatomy of our trip to the Philippines - Part A. Orlando to Japan

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After at least five years of absence, except for Ralph, we decided to go home this past December and celebrate the holidays with our families. This would have been the girls' first time to spend Christmas in the Philippines and the first time since 1990 for Joy and 1984 for Ralph. It was also Ralph's and Joy's respective high school reunions.

Any filipino, I think, is never prepared for all the shopping which translates to packing of boxes of pasalubong that it entails. This trip was no different, especially that it was the gift-giving holiday. We managed to fit into 7 large U-haul boxes all the shoes, chocolates, clothes, and anything that was not bolted down in our garage that we were bringing home. It is no wonder that Northwest has specifically excempted travel to the Philippines from their 50-lb limit and keep the usual 70 lb limit. I guess they know that a small colored tv alone weighs close to 50 lbs already! What is even more amazing is how we were able to transport 7 boxes, 1 large suitcase, 4 carry on luggages and an electric cello to the airport. We had to rent a second vehicle and disturb a friend to drive us to the airport. The attendants at the NW counters did not even weigh our boxes anymore. They just tagged it "Heavy". You should have seen the looks on the TSA personnel who had to carry the boxes into the xray machines. I'm sure they were cursing us under their breath!

Our flight to Detroit, where we would change planes, went smoothly. Ralph was so far gone before we even taxied for take off. He packed straight through the time that we left for the airport at 4 in the morning of December 16. Megan and Erin were very excited being on a plane that they didn't sleep at all, especially that Erin was trying to document everything with her digital camera. Joy was just quietly considering taking a Xanax pill to help her sleep. Excitement eventually won out and she managed to travel, straight to the Philippines, without popping one.

We thought the stars were aligned and the trip would be smooth. Little did we know that "delayed" or "canceled" became the catch word of the day. It all began in Detroit. We boarded the 747 on Gate 56 on time at 12:45 pm for a departure time of 1:30 pm to our next stop, Nagoya, Japan. We got to our seats, the 65th row of 67 rows!!!! Hey, we didn't even mind this at all, at least we all sat together. It didn't also bother us so much that as the plane took off, it shook sideways and felt like the entire half of the plane was going to come off! This is why Joy has a fear of flying! Anyway, getting back to having boarded the plane and seat belts fastened. We then hear the first ominous signs of an impending delay. "Folks, this is your purser and everybody is on board. In just a few mnutes we will be closing the hatch and will be on our way to Nagoya". Well, about 10 minutes later, he came on again letting us know that they (whoever they were) were working on the lavatory. This was followed by "we are told that the toilet is not draining and they should have the problem corrected in 15 minutes". Well, this became a half hour and finally, after having been inside the plane for an hour, they announced that we had to deplane and transfer to another plane. I think we were not so concerned about this turn of events because, really, who would want to be in an eleven and a half hour flight without a functional lavatory!

I thought that this was going to be a quick endeavor but it took another 3 hours. Well, first, we all had to gather all our carry on luggage - remember, we had an electric cello with us and carrying it over the heads of the passengers is a health hazard (for you and the irate passengers whose heads we sometimes hit), and all 443 passengers and crew had to deplane. After leaving the plane, we all immediately lined up at the next gate expecting to board immediately. The counter clerk then gave us the sobering news that this process will not only take a few minutes. They have to remove all our checked baggage (use your math; at least 400 passengers x 2 luggages each = this is where I let my math skills fail me) and move them all to the new plane. It will also be catered again, etc., etc. The bottom line is they all spelled "delay". We finally boarded the plane, now 4 hours later than we were supposed to have left. Well, since the plane was at the gate for so long and snow had started falling (what did we expect, this was Michigan after all) that they have to de-ice again! Five hours later, we finally took off and quietly prayed that we have a safe flight.

Part B. Japan to Manila

The year that was!

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Last year, 2005, proved to be a very busy year for us; full of travels, new experiences, family reunions and personal accomplishments. Through the grace of God, we lived through the year in good health and a happy family life.

The year started off musically with Erin playing the cello with the 9th and 10th All State Orchestra held during the first week of January in Tampa, FL. She played with 11 other cellists who were selected from all high schools with a music program in the state of Florida. She was the only high school cellist from Brevard county. Erin has become quite an accomplished cellist in her own right. Last year was also her second year playing with the Brevard Symphony Youth Orchestra where she plays principal chair for cello. She made it to the local section of our newspaper when a photographer got a snapshot of her playing during their first concert at the King Center for Performing Arts in Melbourne. In July, she spent the month up in the mountains of North Carolina to attend Cannon Music Camp at the Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. They stayed in the dorms usually used by college students and they essentially lived the "college" life, complete with a junk food diet and heaps of laundry waiting to be washed when we picked her up. She enjoyed it very much and is planning on attending another camp this summer. Of course, music is not all that has occupied her time last year. She has continued to take AP and Honors classes in her drive to get accepted into her schools of choice. She was also inducted into the National Honor Society and received an invitation to attend a Leadership Conference in Medicine in Washington, DC. She had to decline the latter due to a conflict with her summer camp schedule. She also spent the year learning how to drive and just the thought of her behind the wheels is making her parents a little nervous.

Ralph opened the year in San Diego where he attended the annual SICB meeting. This was followed by a trip to Honduras and Guatemala to help form an NGO that aims to alleviate the poor living conditions of both countries. He also became involved with another NGO, funded by the Dutch government, to help improve the lives of filipino fishermen. This project had him traveling to the Philippines twice last summer! He became an instant local celebrity when he found his way to the front page of our local paper, Florida Today. His research involving the reduction of mortality of aquatic organisms caused by nuclear and electric power plants that draw oceanic water into their cooling systems was featured. He also became a member of an elite group of professionals having been awarded a Fulbright scholarship for 2006-2007, to teach a semester course in marine biology at our Alma Mater, the University of the Philippines in the Visayas.

Joy started working towards her doctorate degree in Science Education from Florida Tech last August. She has been teaching Biology at a local high school for the past five years and decided that there's better opportunities for career advancement by teaching at the university level. With Ralph's support, she took the plunge after two years of indecision. It wasn't easy to convince herself that this was not a bad thing and that the kids will be okay even if school will take away time for them. Of course, there was also a lot of anxiety about becoming a student again and the pressure of performing well because your professors are you husband's colleagues. The last time that she was in a classroom was over 13 years ago when she worked on her master's degree. So sitting through an entire course for a semester was quite an experience. She did manage to keep her head above water even while teaching during the day and attending class two nights a week. In June, Joy traveled to LA and Las Vegas to visit her dad's sister who had just arrived from the Philippines and finally meet her cousins who lived in the west coast for a while now. She enjoyed the trip very much, especially Las Vegas. But, she's not telling - whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas:)

Megan celebrated her first Communion in May. She was quite excited about it and so were we. This is quite a religious milestone for her. She always wondered what this white "thing" tasted like. After she went up to the altar to take the host and drink the wine, she told me that she liked the taste of the wine better than that of the host. Go figure.. I hope this is not a harbinger for things to come when she's older. Not to be outdone by her sister who won first place in the science fair 8 years back, she also won first place (Environmental category, third grade level) in their school science fair last December. She studied the growth of tomato plants that were planted in three different substrates. This April she will represent her school in the county science fair. Ralph drives her to and from school everyday - maybe his "scientific" mind is rubbing off on her. She has expressed a desire to become a veterinarian. I don't know if this is what she really wants to be or just wants to convince us to get a pet in the house.

The year was capped off with our trip to the Philippines last December to celebrate the holidays with our respective families in Tacloban and Tuguegarao. This also happened to be the 25th high school reunion at Ralph's high school and the Centennial celebration at Joy's alma mater. We were able to kill two birds with one stone. This was the girls' first trip since we went home in the summer of 1998. They were able to celebrate Christmas, pinoy style, and they had a blast.

Megan wins first place

In November, Megan participated and won first place in the Indialantic Elementary science fair ,Environmental Science category. Her project was titled, "Growth of a tomato plant in 3 different substrates". She will represent her school in the Brevard County Science Fair in April. I believe we have a budding scientist in our midst.