A much needed rest

After few months of pressure and stress from work, business, family and politics I have been thinking of renewing my spirit. And the only choice I have is to sleep and dine in a 5 star hotel. (going out of town is not possible because of hectic schedule.) Finally I decided to book in Manila hotel, which is the closest hotel in my area. This is not actually my first time so I don't  feel any excitement at all. I must admit, apart from planes, hotel is also my another outlet of stress in life.

The lobby of Manila hotel is incomparable. I really find it so classy. Lightings are beyond perfection considering the age of this hotel.  Measuring 125 feet (38 m) long by 25 feet (7.6 m) wide, the lobby is lined with white Doric columns. The floor is Philippine marble; the chandeliers are made of brass, crystal and seashells; the furniture is carved out of Philippine mahogany, which is used throughout the hotel.

The hotel has three restaurants, three bars and a delicatessen offering a range of cuisines, from Chinese to European.These are Cafe Ilang-Ilang, Champagne Room, Mabuhay Palace, Tap Room Bar, Lobby Lounge and Pool Bar.

We went straight to the  Café Ilang Ilang for dinner. Unfortunately the receptionist in told us that they cannot accommodate us due to the numbers of guest they have at that moment. We perfectly understand that because in the first place we don't have a reservation. But instead they advised us to take a table at Tap Room Bar. We were very hungry at that moment. We ordered immediately to the waitress. Since my friend is a Danish, he ordered sandwich and I ordered Filipino food, which is a Sinigang ng sugpo. It took almost an hour before our order arrive. I was so dismayed with what they have served us. I don't know if it is their own definition of QUALITY FOOD for their customers. Considering this is a 5 star hotel with a distinction of LUXURY.

                                                                

The shrimp looks like it was in the freezer for almost a decade already.

And I was shock that the chili was over ripe. At home, when you have a visitor you will never serve food with this kind vegetable as part of the presentation. Seriously, I dunno if I am having a dinner in a carinderia or in a 5 star hotel. With the taste of the food they served us, I have lost my appetite. Never ever try to order Filipino food in this hotel if you don't want to experience this. I feel we were being insulted by this incident.

After that awful dinner I went back to our room. Trying to forget what had happen in that disgusting restaurant. I was staring at the window and contemplating about what life I would have in next few years. The view is great. You can see from our room the Manila Bay and the Manila Harbour Port.

Around 11pm after shower I decided to sleep, then I heard a baby crying. I just found myself scratching my head because of what I heard. Seriously, what happened to this hotel?

With my stay in this hotel, I am really upset and disappointed.

Puerto Princesa to El Nido PALAWAN

Bahay na bato in LUNA, LA UNION

Luna, La Union is about 6-7 hours drive from Metro Manila. The town is also a pilgrimage site as it enshrines the Apo Baket Namacpacan, a wooden Marian image from Spain.

 Luna is also known for its beautiful beaches, particularly in Nalvo Sur and Darigayos. Beach shades and cottages and resorts are also found in these barangays. The municipality is also known for its native delicacies and pottery products which are comparable to San Juan.

 Peebles are also one of the product of this town. Usually businessmen from this town imports the pebbles to Japan, South Korea and China.

 This house is made not entirely by stones.  It took almost 3 years to finish the project according to the owner.

Benefits of travelling

Many people ponder what they should do for a vacation and I realized a lot of people don’t seem to share my views about traveling. I believe it’s very important to see the world and different cultures. It lets us open our minds to new things and we get to experience life in exiting different ways.

Traveling gives us the opportunity to disconnect from our regular life. You get to forget your problems/issues for a few weeks, it can also help you figure things out that you would not have understood without the distance traveling can give you. We all have crazy schedules, work and a family to take care of, going away alone or with some friends can give you distance and perhaps even make you realize how important these people are for you generic viagra 100mg. Like the saying says: we never know what we have until we lose it.

Another great benefit is the relaxation you get to do. It’s nice to live life to its fullest and enjoy a stress free time with yourself. Going on vacation lets us recharge our “batteries” by disconnecting us from our regular life. When we come back we feel invigorated and we are happy to be back in our day to day routine. It’s a very good stress remover that has a lot more to give than most people are willing to accept.

Traveling increases our knowledge and widens our perspective. To view new customs, different ways of living is fantastic for the mind. It gives us a new perspective about life and especially our life, it can help us change some of our habits or even create new ones. When I travel I usually make it a point to try new food, some cultures don’t have fries in their diet and they are all skinny, others use spices to give taste and not oils or fats. Discovering different values and ways to get by in life is really interesting. You also need to visit exotic new places and discover what this wonderful world has to offer.

New experiences increase our resourcefulness by living situations you would never encounter at home, this is great experience for you when you come back to your routine. I have noticed that people who traveled a lot in life were ready to embrace change and have a natural ability of overcoming problems that others would frown upon.

When traveling with friends or family it creates memories for a lifetime. These memories will create a bond that nothing can erase no matter what happens with the friendship/relationship. It can also give a new perspective on the relationship and cement the bond forever. It also gives nice stories to tell people afterwards, you can create photo albums about your trips and when you feel nostalgic you can take an hour of your life and experience the trips again by looking at your pictures.

It’s never been this cheap to travel. With soaring oil prices the cheap travel era might be coming to an end. However there are still many budget airlines fighting for your dollar right now. With the internet and all the new technology, you can plan your trip exactly the way you want it. You can choose your budget, the duration of the trip and what you want to do. I suggest to read travel blogs and see what others are experiencing, you can save yourself a few hurdles by reading about their trip.

If you have some time off I suggest to take that trip and experience what life has to offer. Don’t wait or tell yourself there will be a better time to go. Take the risk, the opportunity and buy your plane ticket right now and leave. When you come back you won’t be sorry that you left, on the contrary you will be thinking of your next trip the second you come back from the airport.

Feel free to let me know how traveling helped you out, what new experiences you lived and how they helped you in your life.

a life in the road