Off to the Old Continent

2012-09-27T23:59:00.001-07:00

The Glimpse of Europe Tour Route

If there was clear evidence that entropy was not just something you learn from the textbooks, one just had to look into my room that night. It was a total mess---piles of papers and books in every corner, clothes and shoes everywhere and gazillion gadgets and cables lying on the floor. Just yesterday morning, I arrived in Saudi still reeling from more than nine hours of flight from Manila. With a large suitcase still unpacked, I needed to pack a new one. Sheesh!

I reported to work for two straight days before heading off to another vacation westward. I was still nauseous and sluggish at the thought that I would be flying out again tonight to catch a Lufthansa plane from Bahrain to reach Amsterdam via Frankfurt. It did not help that I was nursing a mild cold and dry cough due to the constant rains while I was in Manila. One would wonder, how George Clooney’s character in the film, “Up in the Air”, was able to handle the rigors of non-stop travel. I had waited for years for this dream to come into fruition and when the time came, it was really a shame that there was a dearth of excitement and anticipation on my part. I had to slap myself figuratively to bring it back. I had to remind myself that this was just a moment of temporary weakness. I have to be true to who I really am. A wanderlust!

Even as a kid, I dreamt of exploring the world and its innate beauty and charm. I could still remember a time when my aunt received a coffee table book on the German countryside. I simply devoured every page with wide-eyed wonder and extreme delight, looking at those old majestic castles and the beautiful hedged patches of verdant and golden German farmlands---a country quite different from where I grew up. It stirred a longing in me to travel far and wide. My mom even pointed out that the moles in my soles and ankles were indications that I would not be contented until I see the world. She was right indeed!

My previous job as an educational technology trainer and consultant had brought me to a lot of places all over the Philippines. My country is not lacking of sceneries that would excite the senses but I need to see the world beyond what the Philippines can offer. With better financial capabilities in my current job, I was able to visit countries like Turkey, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt but Europe would always be my ultimate dream. Who would not want to be in the bastion of culture and civilization? … to hear the stories of hard-fought wars and the changing fortunes of empires that once ruled the continent, to admire the centuries-old architecture of churches, buildings and boulevards that bear witness to the aspirations of people from the old continent, to stand in awe of the picturesque views of pristine lakes and rivers, lofty mountains, rolling hills, sprawling fields and forests of great grandeur and to immerse oneself in a myriad of diverse cultures and traditions.

But such plans did not materialize without hitches along the way. I was supposed to be part of a group that planned to visit Iberia. When such plans were botched by a surprisingly life-changing (hmmm…) revelation and an explosive word war worthy of media fodder, I was left to look for other options. With the Muslim holidays squeezed between two weekends, an opportunity to explore Europe longer became available to my heart’s delight. I was bent to figure out something.

For the last two years, I had been keeping these Trafalgar Tour brochures---amazed at the possibilities of regional tours within the same country or a whirlwind journey of several countries from three days to a whole month. My good old pal Emil saw the Glimpse of Europe Tour (Aug 13-19) that would take us to the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and France in 7 days for only $1299. He was very keen about it. It looked daunting indeed—the funds, the schedule, the visas and everything in between. We did not really care at this point. We immediately booked our tour with a local agent in Khobar last January 19 to avail of the 5% early bird discount, which sadly until now is up for contention. That would be an entirely different issue!

The Glimpse of Europe Tour would commence in Amsterdam and take us to the German cities of Boppard, Heidelberg and Bersheim, into Lucerne and Kriens in Switzerland and finally to the most beautiful city of Paris. Emil and I planned to stay longer in Paris with the possibility of exploring more of the French countryside or take a day excursion to the medieval city of Brugge in Belgium.

The next six months was a rollercoaster of emotions---moments of unconfined exhilaration to moments of self-doubt and unreasonable worrying (translate: lack of faith!). Indeed, it was one faith-stretching experience and sadly I failed in most parts. Dilemmas piled one after another.

We were in a tight fix at this point. Trafalgar Tours would not push through until a minimum number of passengers are met. Normally, about 30-40 people would be taking part in the tour. We booked early January and the tour was still not definite by May. I got in touch with Trafalgar directly as the local agent in Saudi and their counterparts in Dubai were inadequate with their answers to our queries. Trafalgar informed me that they need a few more reservations before the tour becomes a definite departure.

We were running out of time. Visas must be processed at least a month before departure in Aug 13 but as for me it had to be before my repatriation leave first week of July. For Filipinos, it usually takes 10 days to three months for applications to be processed depending on the case. Indeed, applying for a Schengen visa had been a tricky and arduous process. Plane tickets, tours and travel insurances must be purchased. Hotels must be booked. Proof of income and employment must be secured. Furthermore, we had to take a leave from work for a day to apply personally in Riyadh. If we're not gonna be approved, it would be a total financial disaster with all the cancellation fees that we are going to incur. Dilemmas piled up one after another..

Glimpse of Europe or Italy?

With no definite departure news yet, I took it upon myself to create another itinerary that would take us to Rome, Naples, Milan, Pisa, Assisi and Venice in Italy during our long holiday break. This time taking available tours in Viator. It was not a bad proposition as Italy had been one of the most exciting destination in Europe but there seemed to be something totally not right about it. I was already thinking of canceling the Glimpse of Europe Tour and already asked for the consensus of my companions as we would be incurring some fees. On a Thursday night before one of our Word studies, the answer came like a boxing punch. I was frantically surfing Trafalgar's website for one last confirmation before I would cancel the tour on Saturday. Lo and behold! The words, "DEFINITE DEPARTURE" written beside the dates of our tours. I was so ashamed of myself before God. It was like a slap on the face.

Dutch or French?

With one dilemma out of the way, it was another crucial question as to which embassy to apply for a visa. Either it's the first point of entry (Netherlands) or the major destination (France). With a planned extended stay in Paris, Emil and I were firmly decided to apply at the French embassy until a female friend who expressed interest to join us informed us that she was denied a Schengen visa twice at the French embassy in Riyadh. It made me worried about our prospects but I knew deep in my heart that God would show Himself strong once more. We finally decided that applying at the Dutch embassy would be better.

Emil and I had to go to Riyadh (a 2-hour drive from Khobar) together to personally apply for visas. Our concern was to find a suitable date for both of us as we we would be applying for a leave. When we tried to book an appointment, the whole month of May was full and the only available slot was on June 10. It was a special date as this was an Aramco re-scheduled day off. Thank God!

Now we were worried about our female companion. In this country we were not allowed to be in the company of women that were not blood related. Fortunately, she was able to find somebody who could accompany her on the appointed date. I instructed her to book an appointment online immediately but she got confused as to how to go about the process and the slots ran out quickly. The soonest would be the day after. Then she was left with no one to accompany her anymore. And like a light at the end of a tunnel, somebody canceled days after and we were able to book her just the same.

But God was not finish yet with another surprise. His answer came like a lightning bolt at a time when a visitor from Riyadh who knew awfully a lot about applying for a Schengen visa at the Dutch Embassy gave us thoughtful advice and how to go through the process so that our chances of getting approved be increased. He advised us to take the services of Al Fifa as this would facilitate the process and we would not need to go to Riyadh personally after all.

Then it was time to book our plane tickets! From the start, we were monitoring the 5-hour KLM direct flight from Dammam to Amsterdam. A flight that would be leaving just after midnight on the 13th of Aug and arriving at 6 am. The price had increased from SR3200 to 3600 already in the span of six months. But who cares, we need to secure a ticket that could be re-booked or cancelled. We decided on dates that would accommodate a 7-day schedule without the extension in Paris.

Schengen Visa

With all requirements ready, i submitted them all to Al Fifa, the company that would serve as a liaison for us with the Dutch Embassy. We were advised to submit our documents on July 7 (Tuesday) so that we would have an extra day to comply if some documents are lacking. After that, all we need to do was wait and pray.

(July 11) Last night's sandstorm was so strong that I could feel that I'm breathing dust. It affected me quite well. I woke up at 7:30 am, stunned that it was too late to catch up on my first day class. My head was reeling from a bad headache. Nauseous and I could feel the left side of my head throbbing. I could have gone to work even with this condition but it was too late now. I tried calling my department chairman but probably he already went to look for someone to cover my class. I called up the timekeeper just the same to call in sick that day.

Jigs, Ria and me were even kidding about having to take turns calling in sick for a day. Jigs even called me to ask how i was doing and he even kinda insinuate that I was not really sick but I politely told him that I was really in sick bay.

I spent the day in bed and enjoying some restful moments. My old phone alerted me of three text beeps. I read the messages and saw three notifications from Al Fifa informing me that our documents were ready for collection. I got really excited but worried at the same time. How could it be too quick? We're we denied? I tried the call the Al Fifa office and I got sick of listening to the recording. I texted our friend from Riyadh to ask for updates but he was not responding. I did not want to bother him much so I waited until it was noon before I gave him a ring. He picked up the phone and assured me that he would be calling me later as he was driving at that time. I just waited for 10 minutes until I hear my phone ringing. He looked like he was anticipating an excited me telling him of some good news. Alas he was on leave but he was informed apparently that the documents were sent back true enough. He promised that he would ask and would give me a call again. After a few minutes, he called back and simply said that it was done. I could not contain my excitement despite my throbbing head ache. I asked him, "How come it took only a day to get approved?" He gently rebuked me, "Because you are God's child!" Another slap on the face I must say. I stayed in bed for the rest of the day and decided to pick the passports myself 30 minutes before it closed for the day.

KLM, Lufthansa or Turkish?

Now that we were issued a Schengen Visa, we would take advantage of the opportunity to stay in Paris longer. I went to the travel agent alone as my companions were not available to rebook the KLM flight. To everyone's shock, the price went up to more than SR6000. That's indeed ridiculous. I was really getting frantic on the phone as I tried to get everyone agree on which airline to take. I need to be sensitive as well as to how much cancellation fees were incurring and the price of the new ticket. Turkish Airlines had the cheapest ticket and offerred a free city tour of Istanbul. I had been there but my companions had not but i would love to explore the city once more. Unfortunately, with a 23-hr layover, we need to apply for a transit visa. Finally, we settled for a Lufthansa flight that flew out of Bahrain to Amsterdam via Frankfurt.

It was a roller coaster ride indeed! I was looking at the mirror making sure that my coat fitted right. It would only be a few minutes left before our taxi arrived and everything that happened seemed to be a haze. But i was brought back to my senses. I felt the excitement once more knowing that God had made it possible!

Was it an act of desperation that I resorted to my own striving every time a door was closed? Where was the demonstration of total abandon to God's sovereign guidance? My heart was troubled and frustrated at the thought of worrying about such things when God had been there all along. Looking back, I was humbled by God's ever present hand on the plans. My self-sufficiency translated to a lack of faith. God slapped me many times throughout the journey. There i was, all bruised but changed as i headed off to the old continent.

Many are the plans in a man's heart,

but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:21

How Much of the Philippines Have You Visited?

2012-08-31T12:20:00.001-07:00

If there is anything I truly miss working for EduQuest, that would be the opportunities to travel to places in the Philippines. EduQuest was a provider of educational technology services and it catered to schools interested in more progressive educational tools. Being a Program/Project Manager/Trainer (still a lot of slashes but I will stop here), I got the chance to visit our client schools which normally would be located outside Manila. When I stumbled upon this Lakbayan website, I was confident that I would get a high mark but I just got a C+, a passing mark nevertheless. I just realized that there were still a lot of beautiful places that I need to see soon. The magical Batanes Islands, the stunningly beautiful Palawan and the majestic sites in the Bicol region are definitely in my bucket list.

As you would see in my Lakbayan map, I pretty much visited a lot of places in Luzon and a few places in Visayas and Mindanao but there would still be more to see.

How about you? How much of the Philippines have you visited?

My Lakbayan grade is C+!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!
Created by Eugene Villar.

Makes Me Wander

Off to the Old Continent

How Much of the Philippines Have You Visited?