A series of unfortunate events surprisingly turns out to be a blessing.
Over the past days, many of my friends and family have been asking me how did my vacation to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia with my husband turn out? Was the place beautiful? Did we enjoy the beaches, the shopping? My quick answer had been a consistent… “No”.
We never got the chance to board the plane. August 26 was a day of unfortunate events. It seemed that the world conspired against us. There seemed to be some force preventing us from travelling outside the country at the height of one of the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines.
It should have been one of the best days of 2011 for me and my husband. All were set as we excitedly looked forward to leaving Manila for a weekend in Malaysia. Just the two of us, leaving our two daughters to my in-laws and our work behind.
More than a month prior to August 26, we got promo flight tickets, paid them and booked our hotel. Everything seemed to be perfect, except for one thing. My passport is set to expire mid-February of 2012, about a week short of the six months passport validity requriement to enter Malaysia. One month before our scheduled departure, I remembered to visit the Department of Foreign Affair’s passport appointment system online. After a couple of attempts, I finally was able to logged into the system. But alas! The earliest date I could have an appointment was September 13. I thought that would be ok, given that my passport is still valid until February 2012 anyway and I’ll only be in Malaysia for a weekend, not for six months.
Let me recount what happened on that day. Our flight was 3:45pm.
8:00 am I woke up late because I slept late the night before, trying to post my shoes and bags on ebay. I immediately started packing our bags. At 9:00am, my husband and I went to my mom to get my backpack and pair of shades that my sister borrowed a week before.
10:00am We went to a shopping mall to withdraw some pocket money. Traffic had been so bad. Two ATMs were offline. My husband decided to withdraw some money from our savings account instead. It took us some time to find a money changer to exchange our peso to dollars. Alas! They only change dollars to peso and not the other way around. We proceeded to our next plan, there must be a money changer at the airport.
11:15am We arrived home and started to prep ourselves. At 12 noon, we’re able to get a taxi to the airport and traffic was at its worst!
1:30pm We arived at the airport and was told that I cannot board the plane, unless I get an extension for my passport validity. I was advised to go to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and request for an extension. I was also told that I need to be back at the airport ticketing section by 3pm. That was the first time I’ve heard of that. Have I known earlier, I should have gotten to that office weeks before. Traffic again was terrible.
Rain drops keep us company.
2:15pm We arrived at the DFA and there’d been a long que of people filing for special requests, myself included. I was told that it will take two days to process my request. I can’t wait for two days. My plane leaves in about an hour!!! DFA personnel advised me to talk to the ticketing officer at the airport since, she said, my passport is actually still valid and I won’t get deported should they allow me to board the plane. Besides, she said, I have a roundtrip ticket and confirmed hotel booking. So I did what I was advised to do. My husband and I rushed back to the airport, praying that we can make it on time.
3:00pm We arrived at the ticketing section just in time before it closed issuing tickets to Kota Kinabalu. I negotiated that they allow me to board. I was very persistent, but to no avail. The ticketing officer said they couldn’t take the risk. So no choice, we couldn’t leave. My husband then suggested that instead of going home, why not continue with the vacation and go to Tagaytay instead.
Me enjoying the cool rainy breeze with no less than the Taal Volcano as the background.
Tagaytay is just about two hours land travel from Manila and it’s a great place to spend a weekend, enjoying the cool fresh breeze and the magnificent view of the volcano in the middle of the lake. Good thing I brought with me my uncle’s Samsung Galaxy Tab and we browsed for a place to stay. I saw Casa de Carlo. The review was ok. The price was good and we decided we’re going there.
Getting a taxi from the airport to where we can get a bus going to Tagaytay had been a challenge. Finally past 4pm we’re able to get a ride. But hassles of all hassles, the taxi dropped us at a busy road in Pasay and said we can take a bus from there. We were expecting that he’ll bring us to the bus terminal. The rain started to pour and we couldn’t get a ride as all the buses passing that road were already full. We ended up negotiating with some taxis to drive us all the way to Tagaytay and the prices they gave us were crazy! One price estimate even costs half of our airtickets to Kota Kinabalu! After so much haggling, we’re able to convince one taxi to drive us to Tagaytay for P1,000 ($25). And it had been a one long ride!
The experience at the Casa
We got off at the Tagaytay Rotonda and boarded a jeepney to Mendez. Obviously we’re ignorant of the place and we didn’t realise how far Casa de Carlos was. It was far, really far. After a long jeeney ride, we boarded a tricycle. We arrived at Case de Carlos past 8pm and it was soooo dark. The gates were huge and there’s no one around. Then a lady opened the gate and we were greeted by a dimly-lit Spanish inspired casa. The place actually looks great if you’re a fan of antique items. But I am not! I’m not a fan of animal horns, swords, and antique furnitures. But we have no choice. We have to stay for a night there since going back to the main area in the city looked a bit futile. No public vehicles pass by Casa de Carlos and the rains were pouring really hard.
At the casa
We were directed to our own casa (room) where a four-poster bed seemed to be the room’s main attraction. On the walls hang horns and other Spansh inspired memorabilias. There was even a frame with a variety of knives! With the sounds of strong winds, rain and thunder, and our not so friendly room, you bet I’m scared! There were no cellphone signals and no service phones at all! I felt so isolated. But my husband kept on reassuring me that we’ll be perfectly fine. Besides the food was great. We ordered beef salpicao and chicken something. 
Oh how I wished the night would end. My husband and I were actually talking about going home the next morning. The morning came and we thank God we’re alive. As usual breakfast was great but I wished they served coffee instead of a mint tea. We saw the surrounding and we’re not isolated at all. There were houses beside the casa. They have a beautifully manicured garden. And the animal horns, shark jaws, and swords and knives aren’t that scary actually. We left the casa and we headed down to the main area of Tagaytay. We wouldn’t want to leave Tagaytay without having a glimpse of the volcano and tasting the yummyBulalo (beef stew).
Extending for another day
Hot bowl of bulalo and a plate of crispy beef spareribs light up our day. A must-try in Tagaytay. Visit Kaye and Ryan's Grill Restaurant.
Our tricycle driver brought us to Kaye and Ryan’s restaurant and they sure does serve one of the best tasting bulalo. We also enjoyed our meal while admiring the view of the Taal Volcano. If only the weather would be calmer, it would have been one of the best meals ever.
When I learned that beside the Ryan’s resto was an inn, Tagaytay Econo Inn, that has a magnificent view of the volcano. I decided to take a look at the rooms. I loved what I saw. Simple and clean with wi-fi. So that’s it. I negotiated for a room and we decided to stay for another day.
Reading my fave book for the month, Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project." How timely, I'm reading the page that talks about "enjoy now".
All in all, the experience wasn’t so bad at all. My husband and I laughed at lot over our experience. We even found joy walking in the rain (and buying some cheap umbrellas — too cheap that you can only use them once). We spent time cuddling each other, watching television, browsing the net, reading a book. We enjoyed the sound of the rain, the long walks along the highway, and the cloudy views of the volcano.
We had fun having a coffee at Starbucks, riding jeepneys and tricycles. We enjoyed being just the two of us. No work and far from our kids. I realise that once in a while we need to be alone from the hustle and bustle of Manila and take some time off from our responsibilities.
As soon as we arrived home on August 28, we went straight to my in-laws to be with our kids. My husband and my daughters spent a day playing Wii while I continued reading my book.
Looking back, I don’t feel bad at all about the trip to Kota Kinabalu that never happened. I think it’s a blessing in disguise. The experience made me see how wonderful my marriage is. I couldn’t ask for more. |
