SINGAPOREANS AT THE SPA

On a recent assignment to Tagaytay, I had seven ladies from Singapore who had come to visit Manila with a Singaporean lady (Ms Jen) as their tour group leader. Ms Jen is a frequent visitor to Manila, what with her numerous Filipino friends and former supplier to her business of children's wear. These ladies had met in college and have remained friends over the years. They make it a point to travel together as a group and manage to have fun everytime.

view of Taal volcano from the Steakhouse of Tagaytay Highlands .

The day prior to their Tagaytay trip, I had shown them Intramuros and the group ended up with me and the jeepney taking them to the Mall of Asia where they had dinner and was picked up by their friend residing at the Greenbelt residences. Their second day trip was a day of pampering and sightseeing. They were instructed by Ms Jen's friend Mallie to stop at the flower market where she boarded our van and directed the driver to go to the Tagaytay Highlands where they enjoyed the view of the world's smallest active volcano. From there, we drove to Ms Mallie's well-appointed residence in the highlands with a view of Laguna lake.

Fireplace with moosehead and chandelier made of antlers

From there, we motored to Sonya's Garden and were shown around by Ms Sonya's girl Friday. they were brought to the proposal garden, the herb greenhouse and the bed and breakfast, By the time they finished taking photos and chattering away at all the beautiful flowers, it was time for lunch. So we ushered them to the mess hall (so famous for its shabby chic decor) where they feasted on a salad of edible flowers nd greens and pasta and salmon belly.

tossed greens with edible flowers

All through lunch, they were having so much fun, I had to remind them we were going to pamper them all afternoon. With a heavy heart they stood up from the table and proceeded to the van. Our next xtop was Nurture Village Spa where they were to have an afternoon of full body massage or foot massage. Three ladies opted for the foot massage while the rest had a full body treatment.

Nurture Village Spa reception area

I, on the other hand, was free to explore the village. The spa, away from the maddening crowd of Tagaytay, has its own self-contained community. They grow their own greens in a patch behind the mess hall. There are accommodations which one can rent for an overnight stay. A little steep for P!0,000.00/night for two with massage treatment and breakfast and lunch/dinner. But the spa has its own little nooks and crannies where one can totally lose one's self in pampering and relaxation.

There was a spot with a small dipping pool and i spent my time catching a power nap on the outdoor chaize lounge under a  sunshade of bamboo and nipa. they also have an area for team building activities and a play ground for kids. The huts for the footspa are open air with lounges and footstools ready for foot massage. The full body massage is conducted in more closed quarters for privacy just in case the patient doses off in the middle of treatment.

cottages for overnight stay

There are also "ulog" style huts typical of the Cordillera in a small portion of the village called Puro Canyao. These are rooms that can accommodate a small family of five or it may also be converted dormitory style by adding or removing the beds. The massage tables are beneath the huts which makes for a convenient  set-up. the bathrooms are clean and modern and the one hectare property is discreet and quiet. The perfect place for a  quiet retreat.

Ifugao hut with massage beds underneath

After a round of snacks for the ladies it was time to head back to Manila. The traffic was okay, except that by the time we got to Makati, a public utility bus had caught fire and caused a major traffic jam. That marred what would have been a perfect day. Nonetheless, the ladies enjoyed the spa treatment and said they'd come back to Manila after their respective trips abroad. 

Interior of the Ifugao hut

POPE FRANCIS FEVER

Pope Francis

I've been blessed to have seen two popes. Well... three, now...

How infectious is that smile?
*photo from huffingtonpost.com

I happen to live a couple of blocks from the Apostolic Nunciature so, it isn't much of an effort to have a peek at arriving popes that swing by Manila on Pastoral visits. The first pope I saw was Pope Paul VI who came to Manila during the pre-Martial Law days. I was ten years old then so I have no recollection of the dates of this particular Papal visit. What I can recall is that, the pope mobile was non-existent then. He was brought to and from the Papal nuncio in a black limousine (presidential car?) and he stood out on an open sun-roof as he blessed the throngs of people that lined the streets to greet him.

Then came Pope John Paul II. He visited the country twice. 1989 and in 1995. That much I remember since  he came for the canonization of St Lorenzo Ruiz and then the next visit was for the World Youth Day celebrations. During his visit, he set a Guiness world record for the most number of attendees to the celebration of the Mass at the Quirino Grandstand with a whopping five million Filipinos in a single venue at a single particular time. The crowd was so thick the Pope had to be airlifted since the crowd had become unmanageable much to the consternation of the Vatican security. He went around in a bullet-proof encased white pope mobile made by the Sarao jeepney builders.

Pope Paul VI

In both instances, attempts at a papal assassination were thwarted. Thank God! Pope Paul VI's would be killer was a Bolivian painter that disguised himself as a priest. It was allegedly President Marcos who foiled the attempt by dealing the man with a karate chop that sent the knife falling off the killer's hand. The event is in a hand-written diary of President Marcos that's still in the Malacanang Museum. Critics, though, feel the entry would have been highly-unlikely. 

As for St John Paul II's assassination attempt, It was a middle eastern terrorist who had settled at the Josefa Apartments along Quirino Avenue who was arrested. They found a cache of explosives in the room which he was renting aimed at blowing up the would-be saint to smithereens. I can remember during John Paul II's visit, the faithful were allowed to camp out in front of the nunciature all evening. Some of the faithful would gather in groups in prayer and in song. That prompted the pontiff to come out of the balcony a couple of times to bless the crowds and in his surly sense of humor tell the crowd "Go home, I'll sleep now".

So this time, around, security was extremely tight. No more milling around in  Taft Avenue as Pope Francis needed all the rest he can get due to a tightly packed schedule of activities. There were no mobile signals as well. The highlight of his visit was to be a trip to Leyte to commiserate with the victims of Yolanda. Ironically, it was another storm (Amang) that shortened his much awaited visit to the province ravaged by the storm. Nonetheless, the Mass, the motorcade, the luncheon and the visit to Palo were still precious to our dear countrymen.

His Mass at the Quirino Grandstand was replete with a full orchestra, 1000 voice choir, sinulog dancers. For decor, a multitude of the lowly San Francisco potted plants abundant in our shores and an estimated 6-8 million people in attendance some of them bearing images of the Santo Nino . How does that grab you? 

All three popes were different in their disposition and appearance. Pope Paul was Italian and he had a slight frame and large dark eyes. His features were sharp and fine boned owing , I guess, to his Roman roots. He also smiled slightly and looked rather formal as he looked at his flock.  Pope John Paul II was a big burly guy that had a large frame and a heavy set jawline. He was Polish and his demeanor reminded one of a steel worker in one of those sweatshops run by a socialist government. Pope Francis is rounder and more jovial. His smile hits you like a warm knife on cold butter... yeah, he melts your heart. But despite their differences all three men have an air of holiness about them. They have a strong presence that pulls you in without being over-powering. One gets a sense of comfort and security just by looking at them even from a distance. I guess that's the Holy Spirit at work. But whatever it is, you can't just look at their motorcade passing by and forget about them instantly. You can actually feel a palpable presence once you see them reducing you to tears of pure bliss.

Pope Francis celebrating Mass in the midst of a storm in Leyte
*photo from rappler.com

In his four day visit to Manila, I saw him everytime he goes off to a function but I was only able to capture fleeting moments of Pope Francis on video, Forget about taking pictures with a DSLR, The crowd's just too thick and too frenetic to take a clear shot especially during his arrival where we were like packed sardines waiting for the motorcade along Quirino Avenue. I'm fortunate to be strategically located as opposed to those who I've met who came all the way from Binangonan and Tarlac just to see Pope Francis. They had to walk for miles just to get to my neck of the woods due to blocked roads and re-routed traffic.  I can only boast of brief experiences with three popes - one is now a saint! How many have had the opportunity to see a saint in their lifetime? I'm blessed! That should've been enough experience... NOT!

*I would've included my videos, but the upload is  so painstakingly slow...

THE LEGEND LIVES ON

Christmas 2014 at Grace Park restaurant

It's 2015. I would have made a "bid 2014" goodbye entry but I was just so busy with tours and with the Christmas season in full swing, I just haven't got the time... nor the energy to put into words the the gratitude and happiness of a fabulous 2014.

The month of January 2015 started on  a high note. The 31st of January was the scheduled date of my tour with his excellency Ambassador Forner of Norway with his family and guests and so I ushered in the new year with a brilliant tour and was asked to have another one for some of Norway's parliamentarians after the papal visit. Said tour has been confirmed and scheduled for the 23rd of this month.

However, the promise of a fun-filled year was marred by the sudden loss of mentor and dear friend/mother-figure Susan Calo Medina. Now, you know I hate goodbyes...and this one stings even more because it came without warning. Yes, the legendary queen of travel has bade us all goodbye. I won't be ashamed to admit that I shed some tears at the horrible news.

Christmas re-union 2014

I remember some six years ago, as a hopeful applicant to the Mabuhay Guides training program, we were asked to prepare a ten minute audio-visual presentation on the history of money in the Philippines. Out of 250 applicants who took the qualifying examinations, fifty were shortlisted and each one had a panel interview and the presentation to boot.  

monthly meeting with NCCA chairman Felipe Mendoza de Leon

I came on the appointed date excited and ready and dressed to the nines as an "indio". On the panel were Usec, Edu Jarque, Rose Libongco, Usec. Bengzon, DOT Secretary Ace Durano, and representatives from Rajah Travel, Baron Travel, and other hospitality industry bigwigs... and THE Susan Calo-Medina.

Moi, Brian and Ms Susan

I had met her earlier on while chilling out in PowerPlant Mall with Leslie Noble (who had worked with her previously). Leslie introduced me to her and I remember telling her that I was a big fan of hers; to which she responded by smiling coyly and saying "thank you." I thought nothing of it until I saw her again on that dreaded panel interview.

Ms Susan, Mr. Capistrano and moi

After I made my introductions and started my presentation, I asked the panel if I could show them my AVP which I had saved on my laptop. Mrs Medina said never mind as I couldn't go on a tour with a laptop on hand anyway. I was asked if I was not finicky about travelling to the hinterlands and I said that prior to my application, I had already traveled from north to south and east to west in the Philippines and that it was for this reason that I sent in my application. "So you can travel anywhere... dressed in that?" (referring to my OOTD with a raised eyebrow) to which I replied... "why not? it's Filipino!" (and I bit my lip) She seemed to badger me even more by implying I would not be able to please the guests because I looked to uppity... I said..,. "Try me!"That seemed to go on forever... and then my presentation was cut again with her saying..."OK... in summation..." so I gave a final comprehensive statement that got everyone nodding in approval. I got in!

Black Nazarene traslacion

I have now been guiding for more than six years. I still remember that interview vividly in my mind. However, now Mrs. Medina probably knows that I lied... I was in an Armani plaid tunic and my corchos were actually Italian slippers. I did look Filipino, though... "indio-ish" enough to get away with it... Sorry, Madam Susan!!! 

At the wake,L-R Ronnie Gador, Chito Tayag, Yoyet Tungon, myself and Joy Co

I went on the vigil Mass of the Black Nazarene's traslacion at the Quirino Grandstand (8-Jan) and stayed on until daylight for the annual procession. As expected, the jostling for position along the carriage caused a lot of delays: the rope used to pull the carriage broke and the much touted forklift wheel for the andas gave in so by the time the procession passed by our waiting area it was nearly two o'clock in the afternoon.

Capilla de la Virgen, Sanctuario de San Antonio

That's when I checked my phone to see that I had 4 missed calls and a text message that had the news. Susan Calo Medina had taken her ultimate adventure. She  even picked the perfect travel companion on her journey Home... Goodbye, Ms Susan! Your guidance, your love for country and your discipline will live on....