The Second Day of Scuba-Diving in Perhentian Islands, Malaysia: the Eerie Vietnamese Wreck

Waking up at 7 o’clock in the morning, I was happy to see my breakfast menu: vegetarian roti prata! Yayyy!! What a yummy (yet, big) breakfast! Hahaha… I finished my big breakfast meal realizing that it’s going to be a long day today.. one needed to be fit to be able to greet those amazing creature down there!

First dive was to a site called Terumbu Tiga or Tiger Rock as its known in English. It is probably considered as one of the best dive sites in the Perhentian Islands. The big boulder formations and canyons create some impressive areas for divers to swim through… My dive master dragged me to swim in between those canyons… at first, I wasn’t so confident of my buoyancy skills, but I followed him instead… and trust me, it was so damn cool! There was only a narrow gap for us to swim… I was so happy that I managed to pass the narrow gap, until I got panic coz I felt my fins hit something! I was so scared that I would hit a beautiful coral, but apparently it was Kenneth, another Singaporean diver who followed us. Ffifiiiiuuuhh…

I dove up to 18 meters deep and the temperature was 29 degrees Celcius. My buoyancy and hovering skills got better and I felt more relaxed as well. I kept on sinking though since I used 3 kg of weight belt, then in the middle of the dive, my dive master took 1 of them, so I only had 2 kg. I stopped sinking immediately. Hehehe.. :)

On this site, I saw a blue spotted stingray, butterfly fish, puffer fish, angel fish,.. in which I love so much… there were a number of them.. big ones, too! So pretty… :) .. then, a black & white lion fish, a school of fusilier (the ones with yellow dot on the tail and the black and white one with funny tail, in which I don’t know the name.. hahaha..).

Kenneth, the Singaporean diver and Dirk, the German diver, played with anemonefish. The corals where they’re hiding looked so soft and gummy like a jelly. I wanted to touch it, but decided not to. It’s better not to disturb the nature ;) … Later in the day I found out that my room mate fell off on that similar corals and her thighs were full of red spot bumps! It felt itchy, she said. Whoooppss… Apparently those innocent-jelly-looking-corals are quite fierce, eh?

The second dive was at Tukong Laut or known as the Temple of the Sea. People said that it is the best dive site in the island. It took us 30 minutes by boat to get to this site. Barracuda and tuna are often spotted here with large schools of snappers and fusiliers sweeping in and out of the formations. I was almost jumping around (but I couldn’t, of course) to realize that I was actually swam in the middle of schools of trevally fish! Yellow and black ones… there were hundreds of them! Wowwww!! Amazing… amazing.. amazing!! What a wonderful feeling… I tried to catch one of them, but he knew and he ran away…. Hihihi… I felt like flying in the underwater sea… hmmm… marvelous!


There were parrot fish biting some corals, a couple of angelfish swimming happily together and eating something (I don’t know what they’re eating, actually… hahaha..), a turtle swimming elegantly in which all the divers who had camera tried to capture him, a big bumphead, puffer fish, long banner fish (again), and of course anemone fish (yes, they’re everywhere!). And the highlight of the day was… I saw a baby white tip shark!!! Yayyy… it was hiding under a rock.. My dive master told me to touch it, but of course I wouldn’t do that (apart from my fear, I just didn’t want to touch anything under the sea).

The visibility was up to 20 meters and I dove 15 meters deep for almost an hour. Nice… I didn’t feel like going back to the boat! Hahaha… There were just so many things to see down there… oh… so beautiful… It’s amazing how God creates the world. He creates so many creatures.. being down there makes me realize the beauty of the world we live in…

I started to enjoy diving more and more… and still couldn’t forget those big and colorful angelfish swimming in front of me as if I was one of them… I was so happy! :)

The third dive of the day, we went to Vietnamese Wreck, 45 minutes by boat from the island. It was located on the southwest coast of Perhentian Kecil. This Vietnamese boat sank in 1976 while being towed to Kuala Besut for repairs. Too bad my last dive wasn't that fun. The visibility was very bad (only 2 meters!) due to the strong current. I hardly saw anything! It was pretty eerie down there and the water was a bit cold, too. Apparently, there were a lot of fish living in the wreck, but we needed a torch, though. My dive master gave me his torch, but it was a bit useless as I didn't really have the gut to come closer to the wreck! Hahaha... I was afraid that I couldn't control my buoyancy that I might hit the ship **lol**


Despite the difficulty, however, I managed to see 2 big puffer fish... and.. the highlight of this Vietnamese wreck (for me) was the giant trevally. It was big, it has yellow color and it swam very fast. That fish even shocked me because it was swimming around nearby my legs, while I wasn't aware of it! One of the divers in my group said that the giant trevally was hunting for food. Woohooo... scaryyyyy.... I didn't know that fish became dangerous in the night time. When we were down there, it was almost 6pm, so probably he was already hungry. Time to hunt for food! Whooopsssieee..

My dive master said that we actually swam the whole round of the wreck, but I didn't feel like we did it. I was so scared I might lose my buddy, so I always swam near him, either beside or behind him. Didn't dare to swim further... I realized that this third dive was pretty dangerous. We also went down up to almost 23 meters depth and I felt the difference... it was harder to breath... My dive master decided to abort the dive after 29 minutes, because he said that it was useless as we hardly see anything anyway. I agreed with him even though I still had over 80 bars in my tank. But hey, it doesn't worth the risk, eh? During the dive, I was so damn scared that I might bump into a nurse shark since I could only see a thing that is only 2 meters away from me! OMG.... that would be the least thing I wanted to happen on this trip!

The whole journey was good. The dive was fun. I didn't really like the resort, though, so I wouldn't recommend it for those who want to have a pleasant and comfortable hotel/resort. I think it was more for a backpacker, but at least the toilet/bathroom was clean and quite spacious considering the space of the bedroom itself. The resort was called "Alu-Alu Diver" with a dive shop next to it. It was located at the beach front with white sandy beach and several boats that were always ready to take the divers to the dive sites. The food was ok, funny that they always gave me eggs because I'm a vegetarian. Couldn't they think of something else? I wonder... hahaha...

Dive trip is about diving, eating, meeting new friends and having a good time. During this trip, I ate more than I usually do. Breakfast - dive 1 - snacking - dive 2 - lunch - dive 3 - snacking - dinner. And.. what kind of snacking did I have? CUP NOODLES! Hahahhaa...

It was a pretty interesting trip as I went with a big group consists of 50 divers. Almost 98% was Singaporeans. I met nice people during this trip, but sometimes I didn't get the Singaporean jokes, for me it's not funny. Ah well, different culture has different sense of humor, I guess. Or maybe I was just too tired to pick up the Singlish! Hahaha...


I had a lot of fun on this dive trip. In total, the 3 days and 2 nights (Friday to Monday) trip costs me 500 S$, includes the accommodation and meals for 2 nights and transportation from and back to Singapore. The 10 hours journey by bus plus another 30 minutes by boat were really worth it.

Ok, since this post is about diving, I might as well share some tips that I got from my diving friends to improve my diving skills... hehe... I just wanted to share it with you, who knows it comes handy for you, too :)

• Don't "cycle" -- they teased me a lot because I was 'cycling' instead of 'diving', they said.
• To descend, exhale until we have no more breath -- this will be useful if we want to get closer to the object
• To ascend, inhale, hold our breath, then we'll go up a bit. If this is not enough and we're still sinking, then press the inflator to add some air to the BCD
• Try not to move our feet when it's not necessary. Thus, we will save a lot of air.
• Relax :)
  

Hopefully I dive better next time. I just need to dive more often to polish my buoyancy and hovering skills. But one thing I know, I enjoy diving and can't wait until my next trip! Yaayyyy!!!

Scuba-Diving or Scuba-Cycling?

Where can you go for scuba-diving in Singapore? The answer is nowhere. This country has no sites to offer for scuba-divers. Am sorry to say. Hehehe.. Yet, there are some islands in the neighboring countries (Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia) that one can visit for a weekend trip.
The nearest one is to go to Malaysia where it has several islands for divers to enjoy the beauty of the underwater sea.

And for this trip, I decided to go to Perhentian Islands in Malaysia. Some other islands, such as Tioman Island, Aur Island and Redang Island are nearer from Singapore, but I heard from several sources that Perhentian Islands is a better choice for scuba-diving. So.. Perhentian Islands, here I come! :)

Perhentian Islands is located in the northeastern coast of Malaysia in the South China Sea. It consists of two islands, which are Perhentian Besar (in Malay language, Besar means Big) and Perhentian Kecil (Kecil means Small). Both surrounded by white sandy beaches, palm trees and beautiful white rocks. The islands itself is pretty quiet, not too touristy. There are some resorts for tourists to stay, but please, don't expect a luxurious one. The resorts here are pretty standard.


Leaving from Singapore around 8pm, the whole journey took almost 9 hours by bus! But I slept all the way.. hehehe… The first stop was at the Singapore custom, then we went over the bridge to the Malaysia custom where we had to change our bus and used a local bus instead. For some political reasons, Malaysia doesn’t allow Singapore buses to enter their country and vice versa. As a passenger, I noticed a big difference between Singapore and Malaysia busses. Singapore’s bus was much nicer and cozier, while Malaysia’s bus was a bit tacky with shocking pink and lacey curtains hanging on the window. Hihihi…

Oh, as soon as we entered Malaysia territory, I also noticed a difference in terms of cleanliness. The toilet. While we’re still in Singapore custom, the toilet was clean, tidy, completed with toilet paper and auto flush. Then, when we got into Malaysia, at the second stop where we had our late supper, I had to go to the toilet again… and OMG, the toilet was just like the ones in a suburb area of Indonesia! It was smelly, dirty, wet and.. no toilet paper, of course! Yuck. I got so used to the cleanliness of Singapore’s toilets, so seeing this dirty toilet, I couldn’t help myself not to frown and hold my breath as long as I could. *sigh*

The restaurant consists of several food stalls serving different types of food, such as fried noodles, nasi lemak, chicken porridge, roti prata, etc. The place was packed with people. I guess it was the main restaurant for all buses going to Malaysia, because it seems that every bus stops there for a bite.

The bus arrived at Kuala Besut jetty in the morning. We had breakfast there. I tried to communicate with the locals, but couldn’t understand anything they said. It seems that they have their own dialects. I was lost. They also didn’t really speak English. Ah well…I just pointed out rice, egg and some vegetables, then she grabbed a calculator, pressed some buttons and showed it to me the price of my breakfast. Hahaha… I guess that works, too ;). Who says we need to be able to master all languages? Universal language works everywhere! :D



We took a boat to Perhentian Islands. The boat was very speedy, I felt like riding a horse! Hahaha…. I’ve never been on such a speedy and bumpy boat like that in my life! My butt was hurting and the girls were all screaming as we jumped up and down… hahaha.. I even worried that my bag would jump off to the sea. Hahaha… it was fun, though.

It was such a beautiful and sunny day. The weather was perfect. Our first dive site was to “Shark Point”. Haven’t been diving for months since I got my PADI Open Water Dive license, I had to remember all the important things about scuba-diving again. It wasn’t that easy, you know! I kept on ascending while I should be descending! Ha!

The site is called “Shark Point” simply because sometimes divers see whale sharks there. Ivan, my buddy and dive master, saw one when he was about to ascend. I didn’t! Damn damn damn!! Nevertheless, I was happy enough to see a long bannerfish. Gosh, it is soooo elegant. I also had a chance to meet and greet with stellate rabbit fish, butterfly fish, angel fish, and.. of course… the famous “Nemo” .. anemone fish ;). I was so surprised to see a big fish popping out of a flower! What the hell was he doing there? :p Playing hide and seek with his friends, perhaps? Hehehe..

The second dive was to “Sugar Wreck”. It took us 45 minutes to get to this site from the island by boat. This was my first wreck dive. As a first timer, I felt excited seeing the huge wreck laid in front of me. But honestly, I couldn’t really figure out the shape as I only saw some parts of it. Hihihi…

Our group swam to an area where it was dark and cold. Suddenly one of the divers lighted up a torch and I was so shocked to realize that we were actually inside the wreck! Waaakkkss… The ship wall was so high and full with fungi… it reminded me of the “Pirates of the Carribean” movie. I grabbed someone’s hand right away because I got so scared! Hahaha.. I didn’t know who he was, but he was the nearest diver next to me. He seemed surprise by my reaction. Hahaha… silly me! Then I recognized him that he’s actually a German diver, Dirk, who was on the same boat earlier. I laughed at him and there were a lot of bubbles popping out from my regulator. He was laughing, too. I think he noticed that I was afraid.. so he kept on swimming next to me. Hihihi…

Outside the wreck, I saw a beautiful red lionfish hiding under a broken wheel. There was a diver trying to take a picture, but since my hovering skills wasn’t good, my fin touched the sand and suddenly it was all sandy. Whooopsss… sorryyyyy!! He must’ve been pissed at me that time… :p hihihi… I ran away right away… kekeke…


The current was pretty strong down there, but the temperature was warm, around 30 degrees Celcius. The visibility was around 15-20 meters. I saw a lot of fish around the wreck. It was amazing. A giant trigger fish with his big white teeth almost popping out of his mouth looked damn scary to me. He has an evil-ish look. At first, I wanted to look at him closer, but then, realizing my poor diving skills, I decided to continue swimming and leave him alone. Hihihi… see ya next time, big teeth! :D

It was such an amazing experience to be underwater. At one point, I was suddenly surrounded by a school of yellow back fusiliers… omigod! It felt like flying with hundreds of fish around me! Splendid… There were a school of sweepers, too… they’re so cute! And oh, I also saw a big puffer fish, baby barracuda and a school of jackfish. Very nice. Seeing those fish in their own habitat really made me happy.

Everyone seemed to be impressed with what we saw in this site. Lots of different fish, good visibility and an impressive wreck. All of us were satisfied. I could tell from their faces :).

My maximum dive today was 17.3 meters… and my buoyancy was still not good. Plus, the way I swam, according to my dive master, was like someone riding a bicycle! “Nila, stop cycling! This is scuba-diving, so keep your feet straight and swim properly, stop cycling using your fins!”, he said. Hahahaha… I realized that instead of trying to keep my buoyancy neutral, I moved my feet a lot as if I’m cycling. Yes, he’s true! Hahaha… silly me! When we got on the boat, another diver teased me, “Nila, where’s your bike?” hihihi… damn. I said, “I left it down there”, pointing at the sea. **lol**

That was the end of my scuba-cycling on the first day in Perhentian Islands. People say, even though you have a scuba-diving license, it doesn’t mean that you will love this sport. Some people do have the license, yet, they never get the hang of it. On my way back to the island, I thought of it. I think I like this sport despite my poor buoyancy and hovering skills… and what I know for sure is.. I want to dive more! :)

Arriving back on the island, cup instant noodles and cold drinks had awaited us. I took one cup and thought that was our dinner. But then… an hour later, the resort’s staff came with a bunch of different meals from the kitchen and placed them on the buffet table. Hahahaha… Oh dear, my stomach was full already!

That night, I slept early as I wanted to wake up fresh the next morning. There would be 3 day dives on the 2nd day. Hopefully I would see many interesting fish… and.. my diving skills would get better! No more scuba-cycling!!! ;)

It’s OK to say “NO”

Living in Singapore, only 1.5 hours away from my hometown, I have many friends coming to visit, almost every week. Either for business, to visit me or ehmm... to shop. Yes, Indonesians love to go shopping here. So, my phone is always busy receiving messages from friends who notify me on their arrival in this Lion City. It’s amazing. My colleagues at work even commented, “You seem to have your friends coming to visit every week, Nila??” I just smiled. It’s true. Some of them, who are not on business trips, politely ask whether they can stay in my place. As for my best friends, of course it goes without saying that they can always stay in my place, anytime. And I’ll be the one who offer them first… What’s the point of staying in a hotel if you have your best friend living in that city?

Having the whole apartment for myself, I don’t mind having friends staying over for a few days. In fact, it feels nice to have them around. Living abroad always makes me happy to see my friends back from Jakarta. Reminisce the good old days -- when we’re young (school friends) or when we used to work together (ex-colleagues) or spend every weekends partying together (hangout friends), etc etc… -- I can laugh so loud even my TV once fell off from its place! (it happened, yeah! **lol**)

Until two days ago, I had to think hard on my couches in the living room. What happened? Ok, here's the story...

Over the weekend, I had a friend staying over for 3 days. She is my old friend from Jakarta. She asked me whether she could stay in my place during her stay in Singapore. “Of course”, I said. But, she was bringing a friend, too. A girl on our age. “Sure, no worries”, I said.

So, they stayed in my apartment from Saturday to Monday afternoon. I like her friend, too. The three of us had a good chat before went to bed or in the morning as I didn’t join their never-ending-shopping-walking-along-the-Orchard-Road and not to mention the must visit place for Indonesians shoppers who come to Singapore: IKEA! Hehehe…

Then, on Monday morning, I said goodbye to them before leaving for work. Their flight was sometime in the afternoon, so I wouldn’t have a chance to see them again before they leave. I walked to the bus stop in front of my apartment, said my usual “Good morning, how are you?” greet to the guards who always smile to me every time I pass the huge gate, waited for the bus for a while, then when it arrived, I hoped in, chose a playlist from my ipod and read my book. It was a nice morning and a lovely day. I spent the evening with one of my girlfriends. We went to Orchard Road as I needed to get a dress from one of the shops there (the dress was too long for me, so I asked them to alter it… hehee… yeah yeah, am petite!) and get the book that I’ve ordered from Borders Bookstore. Had dinner at one of the restaurants in Takashimaya where they have “Durian Fried Rice” in the menu (nope, I didn’t order that as my meal, no matter how I love the fruit, I think durian fried rice is just too weird) then went straight home.

And here’s where it started. As soon as I opened the door, I smelled gas!!! My whole apartment filled with gas!! Oh my goodness… what’s happening? I ran into the kitchen and checked the stove. There I found, one of the buttons was still on and I could hear the sound of the gas coming out of it. “What the *&%$#@#!!*...”, I thought. I turned it off then opened all windows and doors, turned on the AC and fan to the max.

I sat on my couch, still in shocked. The whole apartment was still filled with gas. I tried to digest everything and tried to calm myself. I was so pissed off but couldn’t mad to anyone. I realized how dangerous it was… the whole apartment could turn into fire if someone lit matches… or if there was still fire in the stove! I tried hard not to think of what would happen if there was a fire… what would I say to my landlord??? Holly molly… I couldn’t imagine!!

I texted my friend and told her what happened. She had arrived safely in Jakarta after a long hour of traffic jam. She said that she didn’t turn on the stove, so it must’ve been her friend who forgot to turn off the button. My goodness…She apologized. I was still speechless…

So, there I was… sitting alone on my coach, inhaling the smell of gas that isn’t my favorite smell at all – unlike my vanilla aromatherapy one --, trying to cool myself down. Then suddenly I remember a sms from a friend that I received earlier in the afternoon. She wanted to borrow some money from me. I would happily lend her the money, but this time, I was confused. Why? It was because once she borrowed a certain amount of money from me and promised to return it within a week. But, months after months, she kept on delaying it. And lucky her, I’m a forgetful person and I’m not the type of person who will chase you to the end. I think, everyone should take responsibility for everything they do. Or, I expect them to act like one. However, in the end, she returned the money to me, after a couple of months.

So, that afternoon, I didn’t know what to do. I turned to my colleague who was sitting next to me and asked her what would she do if she were on my shoes. She said, “Don’t lend it. Full stop”.
I had to think for a couple of minutes before replying to the sms. Had to think hard on how to put it nicely on writing. Money and friendships are two things that are not supposed to be mixed. Both are very sensitive. Sometimes you make a great juice out of it, but on the opposite, it could turn out to be a sour juice that would make you vomit. Always be very careful with these two ingredients.
So, in the end, I just sent a simple text, “Hey girl, sorry, I can’t help you this time…” It was very hard for me to write those words. I hate saying NO to people as much as I dislike people saying no to me. Hehehe..

But, to my surprise, her response was very light: “It’s ok, Nil… no worries”. Hue? As simple as that? I was expecting a dramatic response.. but, nope, it didn’t happen. I was so relief. I was worried that my friend would mad at me and felt hesitate to contact me again in the future. I guess (and I hope) it would not happen…

There I was…alone, in my living room, realizing that these two incidents that happened to me today had taught me a lesson: I should learn to say "NO" to friends. I think the Big Boss Up There wanted me to learn this subject. And I thanked Him for the “small” teaser – the leaking gas from the open stove incident. I thanked Him that He was so nice not to let any bad thing happened to my apartment. So, next time, I would be very careful in selecting who are eligible to stay in my apartment. If she is bringing another friend that I don’t know, then I would have to say “NO”. I just can’t imagine the risk that I have to deal with if something bad happen to a place where I live. It’s just too big.. and am sure a simple “NO” would not hurt…

So dear friends, I’ve got my lesson today. If I ever say NO to you… please understand that there must be some logical reasons behind it. I still love you and am still your friend.. :) And am sure it also works the other way around :). With love, xxx

Going Around Cebu City in 1 Day

Due to time constraint, I only had one day to explore Cebu City, The Philippines. I know, 1 day isn't enough to get the hang of the culture, yet am happy enough to have the chance to visit the main historical places of the city. It's better than nothing, aight? ;)

I don't mind going to new places alone. Actually, I kinda enjoy it coz I can do whatever I want and go wherever I want to. Of course going with friend (s) is fun, but it's not a must. Not in my dictionary. Traveling alone can be fun and I enjoy being with myself.

So, on the last day in Cebu, when my friends wanted to sunbath on the beach in Mactan Island as they had done the 'city tour' a couple of months ago, I decided to explore Cebu City by myself. Out of my curiosity and my hunger of seeing new places, I rent a taxi for a whole day to take me around. Of course I did my homework before, which was: reading a book about the Philippines and marking the places I wanted to see in Cebu City. I always do that every time I travel in new places... Would feel lost if I didn't have a guide book and/or a map in hand :p.

Departed from my hotel at 10 o'clock in the morning, I managed to bargain with a cab driver, named Chris, for 1,000 Peso for 4 hours of car rent. I think it was a good deal, although of course it would be much cheaper if I took one-way drive from Mactan Island to Cebu City, then took public transports to go around the city, then a cab back to the hotel. But, since I didn't have much time, I thought I would just be spoiled and cut all the hassle. Rent the cab would save me a lot of time, although I would very much love to try the Cebu style of tricycle, as we call it "becak" in Indonesia or "rickshaw" or "tuk-tuk" in Thailand. Maybe next time, yah.. :)

Crossing the two bridges from Mactan Island to Mandaue and Cebu City, I told myself, "Wow, these bridges look pretty modern compared to the cities themselves" :p. First list on my agenda was St. Joseph Church, located in Mandaue. It was also known as the Church of the Last Supper, as it has life-sized statues of Jesus and the apostles, handcarved during Spanish times. Entering the yard of the church, three little girls greeted me with their innocent smile and offered me thin and long candles in red and white. 1 Peso for each candle. "Thank you, Mam", they smiled shyly when I bought some of those candles. Gosh, they're so cute.

The church was closed when I got there. I told myself, "Ok, maybe I should come back next time", then I walked around and stopped in one of the side doors to have a little peek of the inside. A guard came to me and we had a little chat. He asked me where do I come from, I said, "Indonesia". When he knew that I was a tourist, he opened the door and let me in. "Oh, it's so nice of him", I thought. He even left me alone, there, inside the church. I felt special to have such privilege... there, I had my little chat with Him..

Chris, the cab driver waited for me patiently. He was chatting with the guard in Tagalog. He loved to chat (and so do I). During a couple of hours, I knew that he's the same age as me and already has 2 children - 1 son and 1 daughter. He didn't have the opportunity to go to college, so that's why he ended up working as a taxi driver. He lives in Mandaue and can go back and forth Cebu City - Mactan Islands maybe 10 times a day to pick and drop passengers. He loves to smile. Even when we were trapped in traffic jam, he smiled and said, "Yeah... the traffic is really bad in Cebu, Mam. It's always like this. Sorry". I replied, "No worries, Chris. I'm used to this kind of traffic. My city, Jakarta, is even worse". Then he laughed.
Anyway, I stepping out from the church, I said goodbye to the guard and again thanked him for opening the church's door for me :). Chris asked, "Where do you want to go next, Mam?". I said, "Magellan's Cross, please".

Magellan's Cross was Cebu's most important historical landmark. It was located at the heart of the city, right across the City Hall. There were many people, both tourists and locals visiting the landmark. And I found Cebuanos are pretty religious. They came to this place, touched the cross and prayed there. An old woman with lots of wrinkles on her face, selling candles, asked me, "Do you want me to pray for you?". She asked for my name then prayed while waving the candles in the air and moving her body to the right and left, just like dancing. She prayed in Tagalog. Although I didn't understand the language, but I heard she whispered to Virgin Mary. I felt touch only by seeing her looking at the Cross while saying her prayers... for me.
"Please bless her, too...", I prayed. I wonder how many prayers she does for others in a day..

A few meters away from the Magellan's Cross was Santo Nino Basilica church. It was built in 1565 and inside one can find the country's oldest religious relic, the Image of the Holy Child Jesus. Until today, many Cebuanos believe that their old city survived from successive attempts at plunder by Dutch and Portuguese pirates because of the protective power of the Holy Infant. When I was there, I saw people were standing in a loooong line, just to see the relic and delivering a short prayer. The altar was beautiful, too. It consisted of several statues of saints and a statue of Child Jesus in the middle. It was decorated with flowers, full. I've never seen an altar that made of full flowers. It was very pretty.

The church's area was huge. It has a garden which I found quite peaceful and at the outside of the main building, there was an area where people could light up candles and pray... Again, there were many locals lighting up candles, from kids to elderly ones.. and please note that I was there on weekday. I was amazed. I wonder these people came all the way to the church, just to light up candles and pray... oh sweet, isn't it?

I spent quite sometime wandering around the church.. and just realized that the cab driver was waiting for me outside! 4 hours of the agreed time was almost over and I still had some places on my list! Oh no! Didn't expect that I needed more time to explore the city and actually I should knew it from the beginning that I always spend sometime wondering around... I love doing that :). Chris asked for more money, then we agreed on the amount. In the end I paid 1,600 Peso with an agreement that he dropped me to the airport at 6pm. Everybody was happy :).














The next place on my list was to see Fort San Pedro. Why did I want to see this place? Well, first, because I love visiting ruins :P (like Foro Romano in Rome, for example); second, because I wanted to see one of Spanish colonial heritages. This fort was built in the 17th century to repel attacks by European raiders.
What makes it unique was its triangular shape with bastions at each point. The gun emplacement still in place, smaller Spanish cannons were still preserved, too. Nowadays the main building has transformed into a museum.


I liked this place as one could feel the Spanish' influence. The garden, the building itself, the landscape. I found it pretty, even though according to the Museum staff, one of the bastions was used as the place where they kept the heads of their enemies.. ouch!

Strolling around Cebu City would not be complete without passing through the oldest street of the city, Colon Street. It's Cebu's original Chinatown. It used to be Cebu City's main street where all the hip shopping malls and theaters were found. But now, Colon was nothing more than a street full of shoe and watch repair stalls stand alongside mixed with electrical, noodle shops and food stalls. The buildings seemed to freeze in time. They looked old and abandoned. I felt like I was in Kota, Jakarta's Chinatown. The street reminded me a lot of that particular area of Jakarta. Not to mention the noise, the numbers of traders on the street, the hustle and bustle and the fear of being robbed by pickpockets! Hehehe.. (or maybe it was just me being paranoid) :P. But really, I didn't feel that safe walking down the Colon Street alone, so I decided to keep my bag close to my chest. One has to be careful, right? ;)

My last destination was Taoist Temple. A nice temple located at the top of the posh residential area of Beverly Hills (I wonder why they name it Beverly Hills...). From this temple, one could see the view of Cebu City and Mactan Island. Nice. Unfortunately, I didn't really spend that much time in this temple, which I normally do when visiting temples and churches, coz I had to rush back to Mactan Island to catch my flight back to Singapore. But I particularly loved the temple's area... It's quite and peaceful... The building was nice, too... red pillars on each side and dragons on each corner of the roof.. Even the stairs to go up to the temple was pretty.. with red lamps located on the left and right sides.. I felt like being in one of the temples in Hongkong! :D

Rushing back to Mactan Island, I made a quick shop to buy a famous brownie made by Goldillack's bakery. A friend of mine had been talking about this brownies since we were still in Singapore. So, I've got to buy one to know what the fuzz was all about! Am not a big brownie's fan coz usually they're dry, but, after I tried this one... Oh my goodness!!! This chocolate brownie was soooo yummy... it has rich chocolate taste and chewy texture! I was in love with this brownie right after I had my first bite... (and so did my friends -- I bought several boxes and gave them away to my friends... and they all gave me the same comments: "Oh my God!!!" -- yep, this was exactly the first reaction from everyone that has tasted it!) :D

I still had time to enjoy the beach in Shangrila Hotel Mactan before going to the airport. When laying on the beach chair, I thought of my one day trip today. It was a short yet interesting trip. Still amazed to see how religious the locals were. If someone asked me to describe Cebu City in short, this would be my brief answer: busy, backward, always crowded, traffic jams, dusty, messy, old, friendly people, full of colorful jeepneys (their public transportation) running around the streets trying to get as many passengers as they could. And oh... Jollybee fast food restaurant can be found in almost every 10 meters! :D :)) (local fast food beats Mc. Donald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken! Yayyy!!) :D

Elton John and James Blunt

Just got back from James Blunt's private party in a bar in Singapore... and yes, James Blunt was there ;). I had a chance to meet and greet him, but we didn't have a long chat. Honestly, I think he needs a hair cut and a hair-sytlist :). Hehehe... He's a cool guy though... very down to earth :)

Oh... and I also got a chance to go to Elton John's concert a couple of days ago at Singapore Indoor Stadium. Oh my God... never thought that I would see Elton John live in concert! ;P (me being "norak")


A sweet friend gave me a ticket worth of almost $500 in which we sat pretty close to the stage.. and... guess what... this was the best thing, half way of the concert, the audience stood up from their chairs and DANCED!!! There's no festivals seatings... yet... people moved forward to the stage and dance there until the show was over!!! It was such a great fun... he's definitely a great entertainer... and oh... his piano's skills... hmm.. am speechless!!!

And even though I only knew about 5 to 6 songs of his... I got so emotional when he played the "Candles in the Wind".. :(( Very touchy..


.... and yes... I loved his jacket! :P So cool... :)

Stepping Feet on Cebu, Philippines

This is a story of my first trip to the Philippines... a country of unspoilt beaches and a diver's haven.. :)

I landed my feet in Mactan International airport at 4 o'clock in the morning. Sleepy? Of course! But I'm an easy traveler, I can sleep anywhere, anytime! So, sleeping on the plane isn't a problem at all. I've stolen 4 hours of my sleeping time on the journey from Singapore to Cebu.

Stepping out of the airport, there were a bunch of cab drivers trying to get passengers. Fortunately, there was an airport officer whose in charged, so everything was in order (unlike in Jakarta airport, sometimes it went so chaotic as there were so many cab drivers competing with each other and trying hard to get you to get into their cars. So annoying sometimes..). So, I felt glad that I didn’t have to be annoyed by those cab drives as that was the least thing you wanted to experience, especially not at 4am! :D hehehe…


The taxi costs 300 Peso (around 7 USD) from the airport to the hotel where I stayed. I think it was a fixed price, so they would charge you 300 Peso if your destination were still in Mactan Island. One thing about traveling by taxi in Cebu, a lot of time the drivers refused to use meters. So, we have to negotiate the rates! Bargaining skills come handy in this country…

I've booked a room at Tambuli Beach Club, Cebu through the Internet and have explicitly mentioned my arrival time on the booking confirmation. Wasn’t sure that they would let me check in without paying extra, but I guess I was lucky that time. The hotel staff was nice and friendly.. I got my room right away! Some of my friends who stayed in other hotels had to wait for two hours and some even had to wait until 9am to check in. So, please make sure to double check with your hotel whether you could checking in early..

I have no complaint about the hotel apart from the AC that made lots of noise. It was so noisy as I had to plug my ipod into my ears until I fell asleep! Hahaha… The second and third nights I decided to turn off the aircon. I’d rather sleep in peace… and surprisingly it was totally fine for me sleeping without aircon. It wasn’t that hot there..

If you're planning to visit Cebu, I suggest you to stay in Mactan Island than in Cebu City. There are many resorts and hotels in Mactan Island ranging from 50 USD/night to over 200 USD/night, some of them are by the beach, but the cheaper ones aren't. The best one (I think) is Shangrila Mactan Hotel. The hotel is huge, with big gardens and pools.. and the best part is the beach. I loveeee it... I think one could spend a whole day just relaxing on the beach as it's soooo beautiful. I had my solemn moment one afternoon... sitting there alone, looking at the white sands beach, the blue sea and blue sky... Soooo relaxing! Life's a beach :)


From Mactan Island one can go to Cebu City by taxi (again?? hell yeah... hehehe). It takes about half hour to get to the heart of the city and the taxi drivers would usually ask for 400 Peso, but please negotiate before you get in the car. Also, it wouldn't hurt to ask the driver to use meter instead. It's a lot cheaper if you travel using the meter. And oh, I was so impressed by the taxis here... all of them were old cars.. the one that I used on my first day was so old, it felt like it was about to fall apart. Really!! If you've lived in Jakarta 10 years ago, you might remember "President Taxi or Koperasi Taxi". Yep, that was the sort of cars that they use NOW in Cebu! Can you believe it?? Hihihi..

Other public transportations in Cebu are buses, mini buses, tricycle (rickshaw or as we called "becak" in Indonesia) and jeepneys. The latter are jeeps that transformed into public transportation. Cebuanos are so creative in decorating their jeepneys. They're so colorful, some of them even have Japanese comic characters on it. Cool! And just like in Jakarta, those mini-buses are packed with passengers. Some of them even hangin' (standing) on the door. What a familiar scene for me. Hahaha! Apart from those cool jeepneys, I specifically loved their tricycle. Cebuanos really make a use of it to the max. I saw some tricycle with four people cramped in it. Crazy!


Mactan Island looks similar to a small village somewhere in Indonesia. It is far from modern. The street is small and there's only one main street. I notice that they don't use numbers for address. They only put the name of the street. So, it is really difficult if one wanted to find a place as there's no numbers on the address! I wonder why they do that... weird, eh? I was told that the most posh restaurant in Mactan Island is called "Vino-Vino". So, I went there for dinner with my friends. The food was good. They served Italian food. For a posh restaurant, it was pretty small and empty. There were only us and 1 other group of 3 people enjoying the dinner. The design of the restaurant was modern, but don't imagine fancy and stylish design because you'll be disappointed. I spent only 250 Peso for my risotto and a cup of hot tea. It was a nice dinner, I liked my meals and so did my friends. The owner of the restaurant is always around. He said that his restaurant is open until 1.30am on weekdays and 2am on weekends. Pretty late for a small city like Cebu, don't you think?


I didn't really explore the historical sites in Mactan Island as I had limited time there. I actually went to Cebu to attend my friend's wedding. It was such a lovely wedding... (congrats Lotte and Jason! Am so happy for both of you!) The ceremony was held in Cebu Cathedral, Cebu City, followed by a wedding reception at the TOPS - a place that was located on the top of a hill, overlooking Cebu City. What a perfect venue for a wedding! The bride and the groom have arranged everything so well. They even transformed the TOPS into a beautiful wedding hall with everything in white and blue. Very pretty :). The wedding reception reminded me of a fairy tale, especially when the bride and the groom dancing, there were beautiful fireworks popping on the sky. Nice isn't it?



The wedding couple have also arranged "Island Hopping" on the next day. There were two boats chartered for friends and relatives, so we all spent almost the whole day on the boat and islands... snorkeling, laughing, drinking, eating, relaxing on the beach, swimming, you name it! Snorkeling was amazing... I saw schools of fish, beautiful corals and hundreds of colorful fish swimming happily in front of me. They really made me happy... and you wouldn't believe how clear the water was! Even at the harbour, the water was amazingly clear! Oh, I wish I could go diving that time... too bad we didn't arrange for a diving trip, otherwise I would definitely joining in!

The beaches in Mactan Island are beautiful. Crystal clear water and soft white sands are ready to seduce you. Maribago beach and Shangrila beach are two best beaches in the island. One can rent a jet ski and do other water sports activities here. But for those who want to know more about the culture, Cebu is also famous for its handcrafted guitars and ukuleles made of soft jackfruit wood. Those music instruments' making industry is centered in Mactan Island. Tourists can actually watch the local craftsmen at work or sing-along local love songs with the locals :).

While I was in Mactan, noticed that there were two main monuments in the island, named "Magellan's Marker" and "Lapu Lapu Monument". These two monuments were located in the same area, you wouldn't miss it as these two were the only historical sites in the island. First night I was there, there was a big festival with a big stage and dj playing dance music. Hundreds of locals seemed to enjoy the party. The next day, some streets were closed due to the local festive and it was pretty troublesome for a tourist like me as I had no idea how far I had to walk to my next destination! And the sun in the Philippines could be so strong, plus it was quite humid, too. So, I was sweating like a pig.. hahaha.. I had my portion of exercise on my second day in the Philippines, right before the island hopping! Niceeeee.... there goes my make up!!! Hahaha..


Filipinos are friendly. Sometimes they mistaken me as a local, so every where I go, the locals always speak in Tagalog to me. Hihihi.. I found it funny. I wish I could speak the language, too! So, that was my first impression of Mactan Island... despite the backwards of the place, the crappy taxis, the cramped tricycle, the unorganized streets (without numbers), the Island holds many beautiful beaches... a perfect place to pamper yourself and to realize that life is beautiful :)