Sunday, July 3, 2016
Leaving Angeles after church, the full three-hour block from nine to twelve with Ward 1 (not Sierra’s area) and sacrament meeting from 1 to 2:10 with Ward 2 (Sierra’s first area). They were great fast and testimony meetings. I loved hearing testimonies in both Tagalog and English. I loved seeing Sierra in her element, among people who love her. Many complimented her on being one of the hardest-working sister missionaries they knew. She just smiled and hugged them back.
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We are now headed back to Manila. It is bittersweet. We have had the time of our life, and don’t want it to end, but it’s fun to start a mini-segment of our trip – the Intramuros leg – before we head out on Tuesday.
Mang Bernie our driver has been fantastic. He was more than just a driver. He helped us find good places to stay and eat at, he helped us find our way, arranged tours, and kept us laughing with his fun jokes and stories. He even accommodated our cravings for fresh fruits and buko pie along the way. He was always punctual, with a ready smile and helpful attitude and had great advice on how to plan our day. It was nice that my husband could just relax instead of driving roads he was unfamiliar with, and instead of having to navigate the crazy road traffic, which Mang Bernie got us through safely and impressively. It rained on and off and it was great to travel from place to place in the Grandia van which was always comfortable.
Even though our itinerary started out different because of that lost day from a canceled flight due to weather, Mang Bernie helped us make the best of the time we had. And even though we had to skip Sagada, the kids especially loved the jeepney roof ride and trek to Batad rice terraces and Tappiya Falls. He is such a credit to Tourist Driver services, and I highly recommend their services to everyone!!!
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It is pouring rain as we approach Manila and man, am I grateful to be in a van instead of, say, a jeepney. I have gotten spoiled this past week, having someone drive us through the roads of Manila. I can take a jeepney like anyone, if needed, but it sure is nice to just go from point A to point B without fuss, mostly so that we can be more efficient.
We got to Ortigas a little before five. Rain had slowed to a drizzle, though it wouldn’t have been a big deal raining as we were planning to just be indoors. Mang Bernie dropped us off curbside and we set off inside SM Mega Mall to find Vikings, where we are meeting my sister-in-law and nephew (my brother who works for the Coast Guard is stationed in London). At a certain point, we worried because Jayne messaged us about meeting at the Shang-ri-la mall, which, as it turns out, is the same as this one. They joined us about 5:45; Lance and his girlfriend Bri were going to catch up. They were looking for parking.
Vikings is huge. It is the equivalent in space to probably at least three full buffets. I had to take a tour first to see what my options were. And I was floored.
This is the order I dished up after a bit of hemming and hawing (for I know myself…I would eat too much and not leave enough room for my favorites): pansit, lechon, siopao (steamed bun), kangkong, bangus. Sapin-sapin delicacies of kuchinta, cassava cake, and malagkit. Puto-bumbong (little purple ube sticky rice) with sugar and grated coconut. Bibingka slathered with butter. Sushi, oysters, mussels. The seafood paella looked awfully good but I skipped all the rice. Ube cake, brazo de Mercedes, and buko pandan. kare-kare, pinakbet with yummy bagoong (shrimp paste). I didn’t even try the pastas, but the kids said it was delicious. For drinks, they had at least eight different interesting juices: tamarind (yum), sago at gulaman, cucumber lemonade (which Sierra liked), among others.
By the end, when my eyes were bigger than my stomach, and I couldn’t eat anymore even though everything looked good, I stole little bites of ube (from Wesley) and cheese (from Drew) ice cream. Loved the ube, and the cheese was interesting.
(And to think, I was hoping to go to Goldilocks tomorrow so I could eat some of this stuff. I think I am good. Only thing left on my eating bucket list is fresh taho.)
Thank you Jayne, for treating us to this amazing meal! And of course the company was fun. Jaymee, Jayne’s sister, came, too and brought along her two girls ages 2 and 7. It was nice to catch up with each other’s lives, and to hear the cousins chatting away and laughing.
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It is near midnight, and the family is asleep now in our two king size beds on the sixth floor of Paragon Tower Hotel. After Angeles, where we heard motorcycles ripping it up and down all night, it is quiet here. The girls and I plan on running Luneta Park at sunrise, then tour historic Intramuros. It has been fun going going going, but I think as our stay winds down, the kids would welcome a break from the every-minute-planned pace.
But I think it is safe to say that we have made the most of our time here in the Philippines, and I look forward to making tomorrow a fun last full day until we fly out on Tuesday morn.
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