Miss Placed :: Routes, Food, and Finds

MISS PLACED PLUGS! A talk on Backpacking Pinoy Style!

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:56:00 +0000

Sent in by Ren --

Backpacking Pinoy Style!

For all you aspiring budget travelers and backpackers out there! There's going to be a talk on Backpacking: Pinoy Style. Some Pinoy backpackers (including Robert Alejandro and Ivan Henares) will be sharing their experiences and a few tips regarding traveling on a budget.

It's actually a repeat of the talk I attended last May, and it really got me into the idea of backpacking even more. Robert's even going to share how he (and a few other people) managed to tour South-east Asia and China in three months on just a PHP 45,000 budget! (He's apparently handing out a copy of their itinerary this time around.)

So if you're interested in travel but don't necessarily have the cash, and if you're not afraid to forgo the typical luxuries of first-class airlines and five star hotels, then attend Backpack Around the World: Pinoy Style at R.O.X. (Recreational Outdoor eXchange) in Bonifacio High Street (it's the side furthest away from Serendra, beside Puma) on Thursday, July 3, 7-9pm.

FREE Outdoor Clinic
ROX Recreational Outdoor Clinic
High Street, Fort Bonifacio
3 July 2008 Thursday, 7pm sharp
Tel.: 856.4638-39
For more information, go to Rox and Robert Alejandro's Multiply.

FOTOTASTIC! Miss Placed's Photo Dump!

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:37:00 +0000

As seen in the bathroom of the Philippine Centennial Airport. Why the print? No idea.

Fototastic presents! Seeing Double!

A bakery in Hong Kong, and...

A bakery in Makati
I'm pretty sure they're not a franchise. Corny minds think alike, much?

A notebook available at Powerbooks Trinoma. See? Asians do have a sense of humor about ourselves. As long as it's cute and marketable.

Seen at a British-India Clothing Store. I love tongue-in-cheek advertising.

"Hi-Skul Musikahan", Now Showing at Starcity.
Piracy, imitation, or adaptation? You decide!

Feel free to contribute scenic and interesting photos on your street or around your neighborhood! See contribution page for details.

To Tagaytay with Love

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:16:00 +0000

How to get to Tagaytay by bus
The buses, fxes, and other forms of transport can also be found near the bus station to Batangas at Buendia-Taft. Just look for buses that say they're bound or stopping in Tagaytay.

Almost as soon as we got back from Hong Kong, G and I had a Tagaytay wedding to attend to the following weekend. Tagaytay is a cool, mountain area most known for market goods and home of Taal Volcano. It is also a favorite spot for weddings.

From Baclaran, it was about a 2-4 hour drive to Tagaytay. We arrived with time to make a pit stop at the newly renovated Taal Vista Hotel.

Taal Vista Hotel Lounge. Pic taken from Taal Vista's Website

I don't remember much from the old Taal Vista, just some vague idea that it was a country club set-up. It has since been bought by Fuego Hotel and Properties, an SM company that handles resorts and other leisure spots. The lobby looks very new and clean, with tastefully done up modern decor. There are some Asian artifacts for decor, like a Buddha here or there that I personally didn't find necessary, but it's not in your face offensive. They also have a beautiful view of Taal from their lounge, and a large outdoor garden area.

After recharging at Taal Vista, we headed out to Chapel on the Hill for the wedding ceremony. It was a long drive out, around the Don Bosco seminary.

Sign for Chapel on the Hill.

Chapel on the Hill is a beautiful rustic chapel overlooking the mountains. Depending on the season, it also gets that crisp Tagaytay air by sunset. It's perfect for small intimate weddings and other spiritual gatherings. I heard that they hold Catholic mass there on some occasions.

The bride to be, Niña, facing the flower girls and best man

Inside the chapel. The center ornament is a labyrinth, symbolizing spiritual unity

It was a beautiful ceremony conducted during sunset.

Pronounced.

Flowers in the sky

Their reception was a drive away at Splendido Suites Golf and Country Club, which is beautiful at night but VERY cold.

Center fountain at Splendido Suites, with Chi Protacio up front

Carlo and Niña get the party started

Splendido is gorgeous at night, and serves very good food. You don't have to have a wedding or play golf there to enjoy the food, you can also pop in to enjoy their fine dining Spanish restaurant.

Special kudos to Carlo and Niña for not pushing through with the bouquet and garter toss. Best wishes, may you have a happy marriage!

With the crisp country air, greens, and a lot of excellent food to choose from, it's no wonder Tagaytay is still the place for garden weddings.

Wedding photos are courtesy of Gia Protacio. Also visit Carlo's photo blog, Carlo: Collected.

Contact Information and Links
Chapel on the Hill
Don Bosco, Batulao, Batangas
Tel. No.: +63 2 7435614 (Manila)

Taal Vista Hotel
Weddings at Splendido
Tagaytay - Probably the most pleasant city in Asia
Blissful Weddings Philippines

MISS PLACED'S ADVISE! The pros and cons of worldwide roaming

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:48:00 +0000

"Keeping in touch" has a whole new meaning.
Clipart from Fotosearch.

Any cellphone with the right service can send messages or call from anywhere to anywhere, for a price of course. This is the glory of cellphone roaming.

Roaming works by being permitted to use your cellphone number outside the country, through the signal and services of the country you're visiting. For example, I'm a Filipino traveling around Dubai. I bring my cellphone from home, and with roaming, am able to keep my Philippine number, but use Dubai's cellphone services to call or text anywhere. I'll just settle the bill when I get home.

It sounds wonderfully convenient until you see your cellphone bill. Convenience comes at a very uneven cost. Texting from the Philippines to anywhere outside the country, for example, will cost only PHP15. I thought the same charges would apply while in another country, just another PHP15 on roaming to the Philippines. I learned the hard way that it wasn't the case. It costs PHP25 on roaming.

Whether or not you are on a monthly or prepaid cellphone plan, that price difference is ridiculous. Roaming or not, the principle is the same and the texts go through the same channels.

A more efficient way to keep in touch is very simple: just buy a local sim card and contact home from that number. A sim card is fairly cheap and easy to find depending on where you travel, and already comes with enough credits for the most basic calls and texts. Best of all, contacting someone on roaming in the same country is equivalent to a local call.

One trick is to use roaming only as a means to get messages from home. If you wish to really stay in touch by calling or texting back, that's when you purchase a local sim.

WAI HONG KONG! Epilogue

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 05:16:00 +0000

The last day was essentially day 2 and 3 in fast forward. We had breakfast on the way to the station, brunch at Guangdong Barbeque Restaurant, shopped around Tsim Tsa Tsui and Mongkok, then checked out of our hotel. G dragged me around Sino Center for last minute shopping, luggage in hand and all, then to the station to take the Tung Chung route back to the airport. It was time to go home.

Miss Placed on the go, from day 1. Picture taken by G.

Miss Placed's Hong Kong Travel Tips!
Before Hong Kong...
-Save money.
Hong Kong is a shopping paradise, where good old things go to rest. From music to photography to clothes to art, Hong Kong's got it, better have the wallet for it!

-Research.
You can see and do enough of Hong Kong in a span of a day if you know what's going on. I'm an impulsive wanderer myself, but it helped to peg certain events and places that helped me plot my day on the day itself. There are a LOT of articles that discuss how to spend a day in hong kong, and Discover Hong Kong is frequently updated with events around the island.

-When booking for a hotel, check for internet rates
If you're booking through a travel agent, they might be told that certain promised hotels are full. That usually isn't the case - go directly to hotel websites and check for internet booking promos. Hotels usually put aside a room or two for internet bookings, and you could bring down your booking fee down by a significant amount of dollars. Just make sure you follow up your booking, and mind the taxes.

A hall in Chek Lak Kok

Note on Chek Lak Kok International Airport
-The airport is ENORMOUS. You may need to use the inter-terminal train to get from terminal to terminal. An hour layover for transit flights is just enough time to get from your terminal to your connecting flights. Shopping is really good in the airport, albeit expensive, and it's advisable to go set an hour aside from check-in if you intend to shop there.

Ferrying by the Harbor

In Hong Kong...
-Raid the Tourism Information Counter at the Airport.
Ren told me to do this the second I got out of immigrations. There is a LOT of useful information at the tourist counter, with maps and detailed pamphlets on their public transportation systems.

-Get an Octopus Card, but don't spend it on food.
The pre-paid stored value card for the Citybus and MTR costs a pretty penny, but will save you money and hassle in the long run. It is also accepted by most vending machines and convenience stores in Hong Kong. As awesome as it is, don't do what I did by maxing out the card on vending machines, your credits will disappear before you know it! Also, don't lose the card! If you return the card at the same place you bought it, you get the HK$50 deposit fee back.

-Get ready for a gastronomic adventure!
Try to eat at the market and sidestreet food stalls, you'll get the best food there for cheap. If you fear the Bird Flu, then just don't order any fowl dishes. Don't be afraid to ask for an English menu, tourist districts such as Hong Kong Island and Tsim Tsa Tsui usually have English menus at hand. If they don't have any, just point. They usually have pictures of the meals so you have an idea of what's getting in your stomach.

Day 1: Getting my bearings. Photo by G

Miss Placed Says...
-Their public transport system IS the best in the world, in my opinion. There are bus-specific and train-specific maps that you can get from the tourist information desk, and every stop is labeled with a detailed list of their routes. My only complaint is that they have no public bathrooms, unlike letsay, Tokyo Station. An MTR staff member can accompany you to the office area for the bathrooms, but you can also save time by by ducking into the nearest shopping center or hotel.

-The Airport Express is the fastest way to and from Chek Lak Kok but it is very expensive. If you have money to spare, take it. As a warning, it sometimes isn't the most direct or the best way to your hotel or district, so just cross-consult with the tourist desk, or bus and train maps.

-Not all sidestreets in Hong Kong are listed in the tourist map. There is also a lot of walking involved from corner to corner, unlike in Manila where you can hail a trike, jeep, or pedicab to get half a block away.

-A frequent traveller to Hong Kong advises - do not take a taxi from island to island, as it adds double to the meter. The public transport closes at around midnight, so just try to catch the last train or bus.

-While Hong Kong is tourist-friendly, a lot of its citizens are selectively friendly. They're friendly enough to point out the correct direction, but will decline to take your picture for you.

-Recommended Tourist Trappings: The Peak, and the Ferry. You really shouldn't leave Hong Kong without trying them.

-For those influenced by Wong Kar-Wai films and the like, those visions of old Hong Kong are very hard to come by in the rapidly developing city. A lot of books and maps would point you to the Mid Levels, but since the popularity of Lan Kwai Fong and the development of SoHo it has been posh and modernized since. You'll get a peek at simple, characteristic Hong Kong when taking the escalators and getting a view of the Mid-Levels alleys. I personally preferred the streets and markets of Mong Kok as my window into Hong Kong, even if it isn't as tourist-friendly as the Central area.

-Hong Kong Island is the most populated by tourists, evidenced by the looming presence of Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental, and other major hotel chains on the island. Kowloon has cheaper accommodations but is not as English-friendly as the surroundings of Hong Kong Island.

-I highly advise against splurging and buying in bulk from tourist shops. They're good for specific things such as Hong Kong t-shirts and costumed garbs (but made of really cheap, itchy silk or polyester), but for giveaways to friends and families - just buy tea, mochi, and dry snacks from a local supermarket. They're a lot less expensive and easier to bring around in bulk.

-For really good cheongsams, there is a boutique near the cafe at The Peak. The prices are higher than the costumed cheongsams, but they're made of real silk with one of a kind designs.

Shuttle down Mong Kok Road. Photo by G.

Hong Kong was a major rediscovery. It probably is one of the most tourist-friendly cities in the world. We were able to get around the city, and saw and did enough in four days.

Happy trails!

Helpful Links:
Discover Hong Kong
Hong Kong International Airport Chek Lak Kok
MTR Corporation - Official Website
Citybus Official Website
Star Ferry Ltd

WAI HONG KONG! Day 3!

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 04:17:00 +0000

"To Disneyland, or not to Disneyland?" That was the question on our heads on the morning of our third day in Hong Kong, which was also our monthsary. We thought about it as we walked our usual route down Anchor Street to Mongkok Station, and deciding to change our money in Tsim Tsa Tsui. From Tsim Tsa Tsui station we exited via Nathan Road corner Cameron, facing the Mosque.

Going to the left of Nathan Road, walk a bit and you'll find a stairs leading down to "Old Hong Kong Market". Inside are cheongsams, Chinese-inspired shoes, and purses - for a pretty high price, but can be negotiated with some salespeople.

On Cameron Road behind the station exit are a lot of money changers, small boutiques, eateries, and t-shirt stores. Just a few stores down from the corner of Nathan is the Tang Dynasty store which specializes in the generic souvenir items from Hong Kong, with costumed cheongsams, Hong Kong t-shirts, keychains, and the like. The storekeeps speak english and are amiable to negotiating for a discount if you buy in bulk.

Further down the road is the Guangdong Barbeque Restaurant, right across the Charlie Brown Cafe. Their prices are mid-range, on the same level as Cafe de Coral and fastfoods. They serve very good set menus and cater warmly to tourists, as seen by their English and Indonesian-translated menu. I had a solo roast duck while G had the duck and goose fried rice.

Quack-quack-buckaaa! Food from Guangdong Barbeque Restaurant on Cameron Road. Photo by G

Hands down, it was the best meal we had in our trip.

Right across Guangdong Barbeque there was the Charlie Brown Cafe.

You're a good man Charlie Brown!

The cafe really lived up to the theme, being filled with dioramas, statues, and busts of Peanuts characters. What I liked best about it was that it was not limited to Charlie Brown and Snoopy - Lucy, Linus, Peppermint Patty, Marcie were there, as well as Pigsty and lesser-known characters of the peanuts cast. You can also get Peanuts toys and other merchandise from their gift shop in the corner of the cafe.

Inside the Cafe

The food was forgettable. G and I didn't take to the profiterole cake much, but it was nice to be among the Peanuts gang.

A stunning likeness. Photo by G

With the born loser. Photo by G

After dessert, we finally decided on the game plan. Disneyland was a mite too expensive, but we really wanted to go to some amusement park.

We went to Ocean Park.

How to get to Ocean Park: MTR-Citybus Route
Take the MTR Red Line to Admiralty Station. From Admiralty, there are signs pointing towards the Ocean Park terminal exit. Just follow the signs there, and you'll find the bus stop next to the Ocean Park ticket booth.

To Ocean Park!

Seal clap! Arf arf! Photo by G

It was a Citybus that drops us at the Birds Paradise entrance of Ocean Park. We had to take a few levels up via escalators to get to the Headlands and Marine Land areas, where the rides and exhibits were.

Two or Three levels of this. I am not kidding. Photo by G

We passed by the Harbor View exhibit of seals on the way, but the seals were asleep.

Seals basking under the clouds

A few metres more of walking, we wanted nothing more than to duck into an aircon exhibit, namely the Shark Aquarium.

Mind the teeth!

Jaws!
Photo by G

G noticed that there were less sharks than his last visit, several years ago. Maybe it's for the better. The aquarium is way too small for even one shark, which made me feel sorry for them. Still, it's amazing to see them up close.

On the way we stopped by the Atoll, an artificial coral reef ecosystem housing hundreds of different fish. We got in just in time for a feeding.

No human was actually harmed in the taking of this photo, which was taken by G

The Atoll was a better exhibit, with a lot more to see and lot more colorful than the shark aquarium.

After the atoll, G really wanted to go on the cable car for a view of the park and surrounding bay, but it was way too full. We lined up for the Ferris Wheel instead.

A view from the top

The basic concept of the ferris wheel works in the Ocean Park setting. At the height of the wheel, you can see the seaside, nearby Kowloon, the neighboring islands, as well as the southern part of the headlands.

The ferris wheel was within bearable walking distance to the rides. Highlights of the rides were the Dragon Coaster and The Abyss. The Dragon Coaster was fun, but not scary. I even felt that it was a mite slow, and scariest when they take a steep curve, not so much when it loops. What really scared me was The Abyss, a turbo drop ride. I really felt the fall and took awhile to get back on my feet.

Of course, no Ocean Park trip would be complete without catching the famous dolphin show. It really was the best dolphin show I've ever seen, in all it's corniness. Unlike other dolphin shows which just shows off the stunts, this one actually told a story, with enough English in there for tourists to follow.

Dolphins away!

In a touching story about an old man's hopes for man and wildlife to live together in harmony, the seals, dolphins, and trainers played it to the tee without missing a single cue. As someone who's worked in many different theatrical productions, I was personally amazed. It's hard enough working with other people of different temperaments, what more animals? I also give it props for having the most tasteful - if not the best - audience participation in a family show.

After the show ended, we headed back to the entrance. On our way we made a pit stop at the Mine Train, a basic loop-less roller coaster, that takes your picture around one bend of the ride. It was faster than the Dragon Coaster and just plain fun. The pic with G and I on the coaster came out blurry so we chose not to get it.

By the time we got down from the Headlands, it was time for the park to close. We got back on the bus and decided to head on to Mongkok. In Mongkok, we had dinner at Ajisen Ramen - which we belatedly found out had a branch somewhere in Manila. We had noodles and sushi, then explored the Electronic Goods Road for a bit.

Shining, shimmering, and neon. Photo by G

We found ourselves no Sai Yeong Choi Street, which has a lot of restaurants and take-away places. For the geeks, there's an Animate store there with a lot of anime toys and other action figures. The Toymart building across the street from Animate is a minimall with six floors catering to the young and trendy of Hong Kong, stock full of more toys and lots of funky clothes. I found Dracula, a boutique full of clothes for the gothic lolita type.

As always - so many goods, so little money!

That capped three very full days in Hong Kong. It was just enough time for us to get around, and it was about time we headed home.

Epilogue to follow!
For more information on Ocean Park, visit their website!

WAI HONG KONG! Day 2!

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 16:19:00 +0000

The night before, G and I bumped into Rotch of Ongaku Society fresh off the plane and into the mtr. Rotch told us that L'arc goods were going on sale before the concert at 4pm. Goods run out quickly so she advised us to head out early.

So, Day 2 was THE DAY.

"My heart draws a dream" - where my dreams come true

We had several hours before that, time for the goods included, so we We woke up early and decided to have breakfast on the go. Anchor Road is lined with stalls that sell all sorts of goods, bakeries and eateries included.

I had a personal mission to find egg pies as good as Lord Stow's for less than a quarter of the price. I didn't have to look far from the hotel to find it. We also caught it fresh, still warm from the oven.

The yummiest egg pies I ever had

For HK$1.50, a tiny but filling egg pie comparable to Lord Stow's from a nameless hole in the wall along Anchor Street.

There was another bakery not far from the one we went to, but the crust is a little on the thick side.

Another bakery, another line of egg pies

Somewhere along Anchor Road, we also found another bakery with breads and cheap mochi. HK$5 for 3.

Mochi, melted buchi -- something yeasty

G and I headed to Mongkok Station then back to Tsim Sha Tsui for Avenue of the Stars. To get there we took the MTR, and just walked a bit more back near the ferry area. Following the signs to Avenue of the Stars we were lead to this large mall, center of which was an exhibit of local comic book artists.

Comic exhibit

Fai-to!

Right behind the exhibit was the exit leading the way to the avenue. We went absolutely nuts there, from the picture-perfect cityscape to the hand prints of some our favorite Hong Kong cinema stars.

And action!

It was high noon by the time we wrapped up Avenue of the Stars. Further down the avenue were more stills and busts for the Hong Kong comic exhibition we saw earlier, and the back of the Peninsula Hotel. We cooled our feet down at a nearby coffee shop with a free internet kiosk.

G finally found the address of the HMV branch, and with that we first headed out to find it.

Hong Kong Arts and Crafts Center

Well before HMV however, we first found the Hong Kong Arts and Crafts Center and its basement full of mid-range eateries and money changers. We ate at Cafe de Coral, a popular local fastfood that served Chinese food, specifically curry and barbeque.

Killed and roasted, all for you

After filling ourselves up with roasted duck and curry, we went to HMV. HMV lived up to expectations and more with their DVD and CD collection. I was able to complete my Kevin Smith collection by buying both Clerks and Chasing Amy on sale, totaling up to around HK$65.

From there we decided to take the long cheap way to Asia World Expo.

Budget Placement! MTR-Bus to AsiaWorld Expo, Hong Kong
On the mtr, take the red line and stop at Lai King station. Lai King has a connecting platform to the orange line, which stops at the Sunny Bay station to Disneyland, Tsing Yi Airport Express Station, and Tung Chung. Take the Lai King train to Tung Chung, the very last stop. From Tung Chung you can get on a bus going to the airport, which also stops at Dragon Air Building and Asia World Expo.

Asia World Expo is HUGE. The bus stop was a bit far from the entrance of the expo, and even farther from the main hall where we could wait for the concert to start. We didn't even realize what kind of crowd the concert attracted until we turned the corner.

This! Is! L'arc!

People have started lining up for goods as early as noon. It was around three in the afternoon when we got there but the line for the goods was just overwhelming. "You'd have no chance." A crew member warned when I inquired. Luckily there was a nearby Sony booth where I purchased a CD that came with a free poster and a folder with the band on it.

After the goods ran out, a few local fan clubs set up their own little corner to show off tarpaulins welcoming the band, and encouraging people to sign it.

Signages on a tarp

We also spotted a few more Filipinos who flew in for the concert, and a handful of Indonesians, Japanese, and a few other nationalities. Thankfully, we also found a friend we've been meaning to meet up with for the concert and got dinner with him before the doors opened.

The Asia World Expo arena is probably the biggest venue I've been in to see a show.

A big night of music

As for the concert...

Pictures capped from this youtube video.

We were on our feet, we screamed, we jumped, we danced...it was awesome! Rotch posted about their set list here.

We winded down on the ride home. The buses were stuffed with people from the concert, and we still saw fans and fellow concert-goers on the trains with their goods.

That was the high note of our day. G and I had no regrets in flying to Hong Kong to see them, and as of writing I'm still tripping on their CD.

Day 3 to follow...

WAI HONG KONG! Day 1 in Pictures!

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:57:00 +0000

My luffy travel partner, G put our Hong Kong pictures up on his multiply, so here's Day 1 in his pictures.

The street where we lived, and shopped - Mong Kok Road

Choo Choo Choo-ing down the MTR

Miss Placed by the Ferry

Miss Placed on Lan Kwai Fong (literally and figuratively)

The party's getting started on Lan Kwai Fong

Our dinner of noodles and some wanton shrimp or beef

Visit G's livejournal and multiply for nifty things on movies, video games and other sorts of geekiness. He's also an awesome graphic artist, and does commissions for modest and negotiable prices.

WAI HONG KONG! Day 1!

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Thu, 29 May 2008 07:20:00 +0000

We were booked on PAL300, leaving for Hong Kong at 8am. G and I left for the airport from Baclaran around 5:30am with about 0-4 hours of sleep in our system. Check-in and immigrations were surprisingly smooth and only took about 30 minutes.

Philippine airports are bloody boring. I wanted to sleep, but I couldn't get comfy on the steel seats.

As you can see, G had no problem sleeping.

We actually boarded and flew out just in time. PAL food was awful though, so I didn't eat much on the flight. I'm very happy to see that they partnered up with Kopi Roti to provide their famous coffee buns with their breakfast menu.

We landed in Hong Kong fifteen minutes before the expected time of arrival. This time, immigrations and customs took FOREVER.

This is the line that doesn't end till later, much later

Our plan was to get our luggage, then head out and get our concert tickets at nearby Asia World Expo first. To get there, we had to board the Airport Express and just take a train to the next stop from the airport: Asia World Expo.

The Airport Express, as the name says, is the train line connecting the airport to the city. The train line runs from from Asia World Expo through the airport to the island of Hong Kong. It is the fastest and comfiest way to the airport from the city, but for a steep price.

Sign on the door into an airport express train

We went to Asia World Expo, got our tickets to the concert, then headed back to the airport to get a bus going to the city. At the time we didn't know any better route, so that was the best way to go for us. First thing I did was get the Octopus Card.

One of the best things man has ever created

The Octopus card is the prepaid card for Hong Kong's public transporation. It can get you on the the MTR and other forms of public transport such as buses. It also works as a debit card for vending machines and places such as 7-11, McDonalds, and Cafe de Coral. It is pricey - HK$150 entitles you to a card, with HK$50 as a deposit that can be reclaimed upon return of the card and HK$100 worth to get around. There are pricier options for ride-all-you-cans, and access to the Airport Express.

By the end of the trip I would have spent more on food and drink from the card than actual commute. The power of plastic compels me.

From the airport we took a City Bus A21 to Mongkok, where our hotel was. We got lost between terminals, confusing the Hotel Shuttle services for the Bus Terminal station.

City Bus a go go!

It took a long while to get to our hotel in Mongkok. We got off at our stop along Mongkok Road, and tried to find our way to Dorsett Olympic Hotel with our bags in tow. G read the map the wrong way so we first ended up 3 blocks away from the intersection. Here's a warning: It is a VERY long walk from Mongkok Road. G and I were getting really cranky by the time we made our way down Anchor Street and found Dorsett Olympic.

We picked Dorsett because of a good room rate for online booking. There was some confusion about this when we got there, something about a deposit and not being allowed to pay in dollars upon check-out. The receptionist that attended to us was not comfortable conversing in English, which frustrated us even more. G and I were especially disappointed to find that while we met our arrival time, our room wasn't ready. We could at least drop out bags and head out for a good cheap bite to eat.

G was in a really foul mood from lack of sleep and the long journey. It took some encouraging to get him to try a local food stall with me. He was encouraged by the dirt cheap price, but was wary of having to point and struggle with the language. While we meant to dine in they gave us take out, but we were allowed to eat there. What we found was probably one of the best bowl of fried noodles we ever tasted.

Yum-mie!

It takes some courage to walk into places like these. It is a form of Russian roulette - just pointing at interesting-looking pictures of food or just randomly choosing from a menu in characters. This kind of food tripping is obviously not recommended for people with dietary concerns and limitations. If in doubt, ask for an English menu. If it's not available, look into other options.

We finished our noodles and felt recharged. We headed back to the hotel where our room was ready, and settled in. The room was TINY. It was enough for G and I but there wasn't much space available between the door and the bed, and even less in the bathroom and shower stall.

We put our bags down and settled in. I took a quick shower, G took a nap, and I plotted how to get through the rest of the day. I knew I wanted to visit the mid-levels, which a family friend promised was a glimpse into old hong kong and check out the lomography store in the process. It would also have us use the ferry system, which is a must-do for any tourist.

On the way to the station, we took a short stroll down Mongkok Road and found a large shopping center called Sino Center. As G and I were geeks, we were very happy to find stalls full of CDs, video games, video game equipment, and other little toys and tidbits. A lot of shopkeepers are comfortable dealing in English, and are amiable to bargaining. I had to drag G out of there or we wouldn't have seen the rest of Hong Kong.

We took a train to Tsim Tsa Tsui and walked towards the direction of the Star Ferry Station.

Hong Kong Cultural Center, located near the ferry station

The Clock Tower, familiar landmark and very near the ferry station

At this point my digital camera ran out of battery, so you will see a lot of things except the front of the ferry station.

On the ferry I tried to arrange a meet-up with a mutual friend of ours, but I learned the hard way that every text through roaming cost PHP25, and NOT PHP1 or PHP15 as I originally thought.

Still, the Ferry provided beautiful scenery of the Kong Kong cityline and for cheap. It got us to Central station and the very, very long walkway to the mid-level escalators.

Just when I thought I had at least settled enough to meet our friend, G and I found ourselves on the opposite end of Hollywood Boulevard from where she waited, and we ended up deserting plans to meet her. We wandered awhile longer and found ourselves on Lan Kwai Fong with yuppies and food that was way out of our budget.

An antique store window - this is as old as it gets

We got a peek of the fabled old Hong Kong, but the area was already being developed to be a high-end art hub with galleries, antiques, vintage boutiques, pubs, fusion food restaurants, and everything that comes with it. I like my art a little on the rough and rustic side so it wasn't exactly what I was expecting.

On our way out of there G and I stopped at another sidestreet noodle house. Central and the surrounding areas are more used to tourists so they had english signs, and even noodle houses had English menus. We had very heavy bowls of noodle soup and wanton shrimp before deciding to head home.

On the way back G attempted to find HMV at Tsim Tsa Tsui, his only tip being "it had a lit neon sign". We didn't really find it, so I bullied him into treating me to a nearby Ben & Jerry's stall for a raspberry sorbet.

That was more than enough excitement for day one, and with that we ended the day.

To be continued...

Miss Placed goes WAI! Hong Kong! Prologue

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Wed, 28 May 2008 05:13:00 +0000

I had been to Hong Kong a few years before but I wasn't really impressed with what they had to offer. Hong Kong didn't leave a lasting impression on me, which made it the perfect place for transit. It's a place I could just easily fly in and out of, without feeling like I missed anything. I'm happy to say that on my second trip from the city I'm more enticed to go there, and not just dismiss it as a transit area.

Discover Hong Kong

I was in Hong Kong to take advantage of the last of my Mum's generosity - it was my graduation present, and I heard that Japanese rock band L'arc~en~ciel would be in town.

They have great music and they look great. That's all you need to know.

I would be going to Hong Kong with G in tow, while stressing to my misandrist Mother that we were going to meet other people in Hong Kong, and more people would be going to the concert. Then my Globe roaming got cut and all plans with other people failed miserably, so much for that. This was the trip where I bumped into people I did not formally plan to bump into, but did not get to meet people I planned to meet up with.

Preparing for the trip is a bit of an adventure in itself.

Dorky couple picture here

Admittedly, G and I fought a lot over the details. Money for the trip did not come in fast enough so we missed on a lot of cheaper options for flights and hotels. We were nearly booked on a mid afternoon departing flight and an afternoon arrival flight, which didn't leave much room to actually go around. Booking for things needed G's credit card, which he was very protective of and was very sore about having to use it. All the right details would fall into place at the last minute, which irked G but I took in stride. We would continue to bicker a few more times during the trip, but I'm happy to say that we actually came out of it with a better understanding of each other, and how to travel together.

As any episode of The Amazing Race will tell you, travelling with a partner is something like a trial by fire. Friendships have been broken on the road or over seas together, so it takes a little more space and a little bend here and there to make it work. G often admits that he's OC and hates how things fall into place last-minute. I'm proud of being flexible and when it comes to travel, see which things fall into place. I tend not to have destinations and let destinations find me, G prefers itineraries.

I am proud to say we've come out of this trip stronger as a couple. We made clear how we travelled, what we liked and didn't like. We just gave each other a little talking-to here and there, some comfort food, and just allocated a little more time for each other and where we wanted to go. I let G shop around for his video game stuff, G let me drag him into different restaurants, and we at the end of the day we'd play rock-paper-scissors to see who'd give who a foot massage first.

A little talking, and some understanding got us a long way on this journey. It's really easier to do than most people think.

Wai Hong Kong - G goes through the tunnel into our arrival area

To be continued...

FOTOTASTIC! Miss Placed's Random Photo Dump

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Tue, 20 May 2008 08:51:00 +0000

A view of the mosque across Baclaran Church

Costumed man found walking around Rada Park, Makati.

An actual store in Metrowalk, Ortigas. What else would it be if it weren't a pet store, hmnn?

A quick fix on the MRT Blue line

Feel free to contribute scenic and interesting photos on your street or around your neighborhood! See contribution page for details.

F*ART: Fashion and Art Cafe, Kamuning

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Mon, 19 May 2008 01:14:00 +0000

How to get to Kamuning Road
On the MRT, stop at Kamuning station. Outside the station you'll face GMA TV station. Walk to your left, and straight on past the intersection and bus station till you arrive at a Jollibee, with a Chowking and Red Ribbon at the corner corner adjacent to you. That is Kamias Road. If you want to go to Tomas Morato, you can hop on any Project 1-2/Timog jeep that will go down Kamuning and a part of Tomas Morato en route to Timog.

FEATURED! F*Art Fashion Art
Tomas Morato is the happening area for dining and nightlife, but there are little treasures littered across Kamuning and Timog area.

At face value Kamuning looks just like any avenue of Metro Manila with vulcanizing shops, homes, bedspaces, and dull office space after office space. On a whim, Ren once dragged me up and down Kamias-Kamuning, Tomas Morato, and Timog on foot for the sake of exploring and we came across hole-in-the-wall cafes and antique music stores that sold and recorded from vinyl records. That was well before Miss Placed was conceived, so I can't say for sure if the stores are still there. That rediscovery is for another time.

G and I were in the Kamuning area for Open Spoken's season ender. Open Spoken is a run of open mics at different cafes, boutiques, and other places featuring poetry, music, improv comedy, anything that anyone can perform or show off to a crowd.

It took a bit to find F*Art, as Kamuning is a little less developed and the side streets take a bit of getting used to for those outside Quezon City.

Thank god for maps

On the street itself it's very easy to find F*Art. The only other buildings there are some back of office buildings, and a garage.

And then there was F*Art

F*Art is an indie boutique, meaning you'll find a lot of funky fashions you can't just pull off the department store rack. They deal in mostly street and evening wear for men and women, and cute t-shirts by Happy Days and MorbidTee.

Inside F*Art, 1st floor

Dressy Dresses

Holy Novena Handbags!

Ka-bling

On the second floor of Fart there's a space reserved for performances. The evening we went there we sat in for Open Spoken, a touring open mic venue that invites people to share poetry, music, comedy acts, and to just share and speak your mind.

"We're Open! Spoken!" Hosts of Open Spoken

For that one-of-a-kind look, prices at F*Art are fair and mid-range (PHP350 upwards). Plus, heading out there on a Friday or Saturday night you find you something more than an awesome pair of shoes.

Happy trails!

EASY GOING: MRT Edsa, Metro Manila, Philippines

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Sun, 18 May 2008 08:39:00 +0000

The star of today's article - Metro Star! In Motion!

The train system in the Philippines is far from perfect or even great, but it is a newer to us than it is to our Southeast Asian neighbors. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand have had rails for much longer... but this is not the place to bitch about who got better colonial daddies in this region.

A Map of the MRT
The Northern-most MRT Station is North Avenue, the Southern tip of the route is Taft Avenue.

Bare Basics
The MRT stands for Metro Rail Transit, and it is one of four train systems running in Metro Manila. It runs down Edsa from North Avenue, Quezon City to Taft Avenue, Manila. It is called the blue line, as opposed to the yellow (LRT1, that runs down Taft Avenue) and purple (LRT2, that runs down Aurora) lines. The MRT is open daily and starts running a little before 6am seven days a week, and stops operations around 10 in the evening.

They have a stored value card available at all stations, which easily saves you the trouble from having to buy a new card after you make your stop. The stored value card is highly recommended for frequent and regular users of the MRT.

Buying Your Ticket
At every station there are three to four stalls that sell tickets. One of those stalls are reserved for exact fare only. The exact fare lane is where you can usually buy Stored Value Cards.

Pick a Stop
The major stations are adjacent to, or directly connected to a major shopping Center. Taft Station is connected to Centerpoint Mall, Ayala Station is connected to SM Ayala, Guadalupe is connected to Guadalupe Commercial Center, Shaw is connected to Shangri-La Mall and Star Mall, Ortigas is a few steps away from Megamall, Cubao connects to Farmer's Market, and North Avenue now connects to Trinoma Mall.

You will notice that for lack of street signs, most of Metro Manila is best identified or accessed by the nearest mall.

Cubao is the connecting city of the blue and purple lines. From Cubao station, It's a quick walk to the LRT2 Purple Line through Farmers Market and Gateway Mall. Aside from the fact that they're both trains and meet in Cubao, note that Metro Rail is different from Light Rail and you cannot use an MRT card on LRT or vice versa.

The MRT's busiest times are from 9am to 10am, and 5pm to 7.30pm. The busiest stations are Taft, Ayala, Cubao, Ortigas, and North Avenue.

All stops are identified by big signs on the platform, and some carts and cards have a map of the MRT printed on them. There are also recorded announcements of each stop aboard the train, but they aren't always coherent.

The MRT Survival Guide
It is advisable to add about 30 minutes to your estimated travel time if you're taking the MRT. While there are very few occasions of trains breaking down, it can happen at any time, and it's always advisable to allocate time in the event of an emergency.

The standards apply: dress comfortably, and mind your valuables. There's this habit of commuters to put their handbags on their laps to prevent pickpockets from getting to them. It's highly advisable to do that, especially during rush hour.

Commuters on the line

Abide and observe train etiquette by letting passengers out of the train first before entering, or giving your seat up to a kid or an elderly. Do not let the agitation of commuting override order and good manners. You can say to hell with manners in the face of rush hour, there is still no effective means of managing the crowds of commuters at that time, so you actually have no other choice but to elbow your way through. But even in that rush, do your part and let people out before boarding.

Segregation starts here

Even with the small and narrow make of the MRT, they still implement a segregation scheme. There are about two train cars reserved only for women, children, the sickly, and elderly. It's tempting to feign femininity, or even pregnancy for the comfort of a seat, but it's highly advisable not to give into such mischief. Of note, this is one area where rarely anyone gives up a seat for anyone else, so just grit your teeth and prepare to stay standing even if you are in dire need of that seat.

Chugachugachuga - the tracks from Buendia Station to Guadalupe Station

In spite of the crowds and flaws, it is the fastest and most reliable way to get across Metro Manila.

Happy trails!

Sources: Metro Manila Rail Transit System, Wikipedia.com. Last accessed: May 18, 2008.

MASTER TRANSPO LIST! Jeepney routes around Metro Manila!

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Wed, 14 May 2008 03:16:00 +0000

About this list
The main thrust of Miss Placed is to map out commute routes via train lines, buses, and other forms of public transportation.

New stops and information is added to this list as it comes along. Help add on by leaving info in the comments section!

Happy trails!

Makati
Ayala Avenue-Washington
Goes up and down Ayala Avenue. Loops from SM Ayala to Washington St., Makati, at the corner of Ayala Avenue and EDSA. It passes by Shangri La Hotel Boutiques, Glorietta 2, SM Ayala, the Makati Stock Exchange, Ayala Avenue-Paseo de Roxas, and RCBC Plaza Tower Ayala.

Buendia-Ayala-Washington
Goes up and down Buendia. Loops from Buendia MRT Station's Jeep Terminal at the corner of Buendia-Edsa to Washington Street, Makati. Passes Reposo-Buendia/Yamaha Building, Mapua Institute of Technology Makati Campus, Makati Avenue-Buendia/Pacific Star Building, and RCBC Plaza Tower Ayala.

Guadalupe-Cartimar
Goes up and down Buendia, and part of Edsa, Guadalupe. Starts from Guadalupe Commercial Center, underneath Guadalupe MRT Station. It passes Buendia, Makati Avenue-Buendia/Pacific Star, RCBC Plaza Tower Ayala, and Buendia-Taft Avenue LRT1 Station.

PRC-Makati Cinema Square-Mantrade
Loops from Magallanes MRT Jeepney Terminal to PRC. It passes by Waltermart Makati, Makati Cinema Square, Buendia-Pasong Tamo, Malugay, and Shopwise Vito Cruz.

Washington-Mantrade
Loops from Magallanes MRT Jeepney Terminal to Washington Street, Makati. Passes Makati Cinema Square and Waltermart Makati.

Quezon City
Cubao, Aurora-SSS-Stop and Shop
Goes up and down Aurora Boulevard. Stops in front of Gateway Mall, Cubao Pedestrian Bridgeway, Katipunan Avenue-Aurora, and Marikina Riverbanks.

Cubao-Calumpang-AliMall
Passes Katipunan Avenue-Aurora, and Ali Mall, Cubao.

Cubao-AliMall-Rosario-Libis
Starts and ends at AliMall, Cubao. Passes Camp Aguinaldo, and Eastwood Mall.

Katipunan - UP Campus
From UP, it starts near the Katipunan stop beside UP Sunken Garden.
On Katipunan, Starts at the kanto in front of MiniStop, or from the the pedestrian bridge between National Bookstore Katipunan and Ateneo, on the Ateneo side. Passes by Ateneo, Miriam, Petron Station, Tandang Sora, and the UP Asian Studies Center.

Project 1 & 2 - Timog - Welcome Rotonda
Passes down Kamias, Kamuning, part of Tomas Morato, Timog, and the Welcome Rotonda on Espana.

BACKTRIP! The road back from Pandan Island, Mindoro

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Tue, 13 May 2008 02:38:00 +0000

How to get to Abra de Ilog, Mindoro from Batangas Pier
At the pier, take any of the ferries going to Abra de Ilog. It takes about 2 hours to get there. At Abra de Ilog you can choose from any number of FXes or buses to get you to the town you need to go.

How My Mother Would Lose the Amazing Race
Day 4 - November 4, 2007
Being on the island paradise for so long, I had forgotten the hell that my Mother had put us through to get there. After the iffy dining service of Seacoast Hotel, I turned in the night before and eagerly awaited the early morning flight back to Metro Manila. I wanted nothing more than to go home to my cat, DVDs, and the internet. So we got up that morning, dragged our bags out, and headed to the tiny little airstrip turned airport.

To make a long story short and to make me look less bratty than I actually am, it comes down to this: Asian Spirit misprinted the ticket. Mom didn't see it till we checked in.

This is a tiny little town that gets one flight per day. ONE. I had a few projects in Manila that needed me, and I could not afford to stay in San Jose, Mindoro another day. That and like hell am I sleeping in the little hotel again.

This was November 3, 2007 -- end of a long weekend. Of course the flight was full! Of course there were no flights that followed!

Of course I'd want to headdesk repeatedly and throw my Mom, and my heavy sea-soaked luggage right after her.

Being strapped for cash, La Familia and I took a tricycle to the Asian Spirit office. It was 8am. We arrived there and the office was still empty. "Oh, the staff must still be at the airport." The trike driver said. But of course -- small town. What else would the check in crew do after the plane leaves?

"MOM. LISTEN TO ME, FOR ONCE. Settle it in Manila. Let's just take the bus going back to the port."

I was especially angry since it was all so stupid. My Mother had traveled backpack before to places even I don't really want to visit due to sheer inaccessibility. My Mother was around long before Cebu Pacific and Asian Spirit had crazy deals and flights to places such as Subic or Baguio, which are usually accessed to by car. Can you see the fan of my fury??

With regrets, this part of the journey was too rustic for me to whip the digicam out.

It's a common sight on the unpaved provincial road: a bus full of people spilling out of windows and doors. Passengers are likely to be seated right next to a brood of hens. In this case, we were lucky. We were one of the first aboard the bus to port, so we got fairly decent seats. Everyone else started boarding the bus with the several bags of doom.

I know overheated engines are bound to be a problem, but the bus was configured funny. Right next to the driver's seat was a large gallon bottle meant for water -- sliced in half, that actually held water. From the start of the ride, and every other pit stop that followed, the driver and the conductor would drag in pails of water and refill that half-bottle before continuing the journey.

Sountheast Asian landscapes are still boring, but it's interesting 'commuting' aboard the bus. The bus also serves as the shuttle from San Jose to the next few towns, and due to the expanse of Mindoro's National Road, it stopped at every other random person along the side of the road.

One my favorite moments was when a passenger got off, and I realized he was the ice cream man, bag over his shoulder and bell in hand. We also passed by some of the happiest carabaos ever seen -- they were soaking in a little pool of mud, eyes closed, their ears flicking away the slightest fly. They were smiling, I swear.

At one point, the bus stopped to pick up a few passengers. There was a lady with two large bags of onions.

"Hi, can you drop this off at the Pagasa market? Look for this lady there, she'll pay the fare." They took the onions but they had to turn away a lady with three bags of rice. "Wait for the jeep." The conductor called the rice lady.

Mind, it was a LONG ride. It passed by the main town that served as port to Pandan Island, since the main pier is on the other side of Mindoro. Mom already had a game plan. "As soon as we get to the Pier, just grab that backpack, then run to the ticket office."

"So, do I wait in line or is it kosher to cut?"
"Just get to the ticket office."

We had left San Jose at 8am, we arrived at the pier at 4pm. The ferry was waiting. I RAN for it. Thankfully the line was fairly short, but it was true: absolutely no regard for a "line". I shoved my way through and got our tickets.

The ferry was packed. The aircon in the cabin was not working well. I had enough of sitting so I was willing to stand in the eating area or up on the third deck. It was a struggle to find a place to park our bags.

We crossed the sea and finally arrived in the comfort of Batangas Pier. Finally. We had to fight through vendors and swarms of arriving passengers, and the bus barkers, but we finally found a nice little aircon bus. Too bad it wasn't enough for me to forgive the insipid ABS-CBN entertainment on board.

Moral of the story? Read your air ticket.

And if the path to hell is paved with good intentions - you have to go through certain loops of hell on the path to paradise.

Farewell, sands! I shall return!

Happy trails!

BACKTRIP! Pandan Island, Mindoro part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Mon, 12 May 2008 02:17:00 +0000

FEATURED: Pandan Island, Mindoro

Day 3 - November 2, 2007

Water water everywhere, and...?

The beach gets boring after awhile. I swam out a bit and even snorkeled for turtles, Pandan Island being the breeding ground for them. The current picked up mid-morning and became difficult to swim through, so I was forced to go back to shore. I was bored enough to actually check on e-mail and write up the events from the first two days at the dive shop's internet hub.

Creature comforts are here, somewhere among the wetsuits
Picture taken by Boobie Reyes

Internet on Pandan Island is pretty damn expensive -- P150. They have an internet hub where you'll find Dominic, one of the co-owners, tinkering with something online.
The station can only be used to charge electronics such as cellphones, iPods, laptops, etc. Mind that you beat the crowd early - the island runs on generator after all.

Also, mind Mikash --

Kitty! BIG KITTY!

Mikash is the only cat on the island and he is HUGE. He is about half my arm's length. My laptop occupies the space Mikash usually naps in, and he's quite a bitch to shove off the table.

Mom got to talk to the other owner of the island, a girl from Cotabato named -- no pun intended -- Marina. Marina started as a fellow traveller and wife to Dominic, then they ended up renting the island, developing it as a resort and advocating for ecological preservation and balance of the island. Marina actually wants to turn Pandan into a nature park, and thinks too many people are dropping in. For the rest of the day, we just idled.

And it was only me, my family, and our travel companions on that island

For all the lovely home service marked by the head cook shrieking for you to get your order, they have EXCELLENT buffet lunches and dinners. They have salad, barbequed meats (a rarity in any beach resort!), fresh fruit, HUGE fresh fish, and vegetables. Seriously, they actually PLAN their buffets. This is the only resort I've seen that actually put thought into their buffet spread.

Food, glorious food! Picture by Helen Tan.

Out of the water, towards the food -- some of UP DIVE TEAM '73 and family, at buffet. Picture by Helen Tan.

At night, we stargazed, which is always a joy by the beach.

Day 4 - November 3, 2007
Our last day on the island. We intended to fly back the following day, and to do that took an overnight stay in town to catch our 7.45am flight back to Manila.

In the morning, we trudged towards the forested part of the island. It's a fairly short, but kinda slippery hike to the the other end - there were lots of vines, ants, and some old coral jutting up from the path. We finally arrived at the other end where the breakwaters were, which the pandan island folks called The Lagoon.

Somewhere that's green

Not much to see, lots of broken and dead corals from the waves, hermit crabs (especially baby ones!), and an interesting solitary little island in the middle of it all which can be accessed by crossing the waters a bit. Mind the waves though.

There were other hiking trails -- like a natural monument called 'the spanish nose', and the end of the island near the barracuda den. But we had a handful of hours in our hands, so we decided to head back.

We had breakfast as soon as we got back. One of the cooks offered to show us the catch for the day: a HUGE fish that he intended to make as sashimi. I hadn't had freshly-caught sashimi since Japan four years ago.

Fishyfishyfishy fish!

We idled some time away and geared up to see some turtles. We saw turtle tracks before the hike and it made me even more determined to see the buggers. I masked up, and dove in. Upon reccomendation of my mother, I made the current work for me buy starting at the reef area then allowing myself to drift towards the seagrass area.

There were starfishes among the corals, and lots of angelfish. As I finally made my way westward,I started peeling my eyes for turtles. I had been swimming for 30 minutes when we were finally called to the deeper end of the sea.

FINALLY -- a turtle! A HUGE turtle at that! It napped quietly on the sandbank up until one of my titos decided to pat it on the back. It woke up, alarmed, and started swimming away. I never knew that turtles could swim THAT fast. It surfaced for a moment for air, then dived even deeper into the water.

Not actual turtle seen, this pic is a royalty-free image from Imagebank

I knew turtles swam in groups, so I started swimming around for the other turtles. Further on, I finally found a rock with a head -- I swam up, called my sister over, and just watched the turtle chomp away on sea grass. I don't know if grazing applies to the turtle: even cows looked elegant. This one looked like it was starved.

Swam back to shore, gushing about turtles. TURTLES! TURTLES! IN THE WILD! Not confined -- WILD TURTLES!

Washed off, packed some things, then sat down to lunch. As if I haven't talked enough about how good the food is, our meals just took the cake: Sashimi, curried fish, laing, and banana cream cake. Mica and I monopolized the sashimi platter (they even soy sauce and wasabi!).

We continued packing after that, then it was off on a boat back to Sablayan port for the last leg of our trip.

At port we took a van back to the main town of San Jose, Mindoro. The trip was uneventful except for really rocky road going there including seeing some trucks that were literally stuck in the mud.

We arrived in the city of San Jose and checked into the Seacoast Hotel, even if it isn't really facing the sea. The hotel has basic amenities for people to just sleep in and go, which is what most tourists do in the city of San Juan, Mindoro.

The food is good, but strangely laid out. There are menu items that are confused or missing, and the service is pleasant, but slow. My kare-kare did not have bagoong, which made it very lacking.

Actually, Seacoast has potential to be a pretty good bed and breakfast. First off, they have to NOT look like a beerhouse. Secondly, they need to ventilate their rooms better. Their rooms were stuffy, and their bathroom was awful. Kudos to Pandan Island, their bathroom is the CLEANEST and largest bathroom I've ever had to use in a beach resort in the Philippines. Beach resorts never had the privilege of decent, clean bathrooms. Most of their bathrooms have the basic amenities, but are too cramped or have that 'used' smell in the air.

Turned in. Slept for what little time we could.

Thank god we slept, little did we know that the next adventure was up and coming...

Cue ominous sunset photo here

To be continued...

For more information on Pandan Island, go to their website.

BACKTRIP! Pandan Island, Mindoro

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:24:00 +0000

Batangas Bus Station
The buses to Batangas from Makati can be found at the corner of Buendia and Taft Avenue. You can take any of the jeeps or buses going down BUENDIA/LRT or CARTIMAR, which stops at BUENDIA-TAFT

Featured! Pandan Island, Mindoro

Day 1 - October 31, 2007
We left for the bus station at 4am on the 31st. We actually got a nice cozy little bus with a video player. "I don't understand why people would want to watch movies on the bus!" My Mom wondered. "Mom, I remember the days before the advent of video players -- I do not want to sit through four hours of Imelda Papin, THANK YOU."

Sadly, as soon as King Arthur was over, even my body clock failed to protect me from the Sarah Geronimo album with excitable ten year old singing along to it from the seat right in front of me.

We arrived at Batangas Pier, where the entrance to the bus was immediately flanked by hawkers, van drivers, and other random boaters hollering "Puerto?? Puerto??" "WHITE BEACH?" "BAGS, MAM??" I had just gotten off the freakin' bus with under three hours sleep, you jerks. We fought our way through the crowd of hawkers, and dragged all eight bags with us to the inside of the Batangas Pier.

Batangas Pier has improved a lot since the days of Mom stuffing me in a bag to go to the beach (that's another story). The ticketing area actually had distinctive lines, and their tellers were in aircon, lit booths, all of which knew which boat was leaving for where and at what time. Thank you, whichever celebrity was responsible for making this possible.

We got our ticket to the end of Mindoro called Abra de Ilog. We had three hours to kill before departure, so we headed out (with our 8 bags) to the nearby city mall for fastfood breakfast and aircon without the hassle. We had to take a trike there. Oh my gosh, its a large trike that fit all three of us plus baggage. I still had ass-space!

Had breakfast, returned to the pier, waited in the terminal. The terminal was actually just like the domestic airport terminal down to a mcdo stall and a cafe area. If we knew it was just like that, we wouldn't have left.

Inside Batangas Pier Terminal

Also available at the terminal: cheap earphones and dibidis of Criminal Minds season 2. Ahh, nothing like a series about serial killers and dismemberment on your way to paradise.

We boarded the ferry at noon. Two hour long trip, accompanied by That 70s show till my batt ran out. Slept through some of Wowowee, and got off right as they were playing karaoke vids of 6CycleMind.

We got off boat at 2pm. Mom said it would only be a 2 hour bus ride. It turned out that there were no buses going to where we were supposed to go, and that there was only one van, with one trip that day. We took our chances, and boarded a hi-ace with 15 OTHER PEOPLE, baggage and all.

Two hours later, we were still on the road.

Three hours later -- we stopped, just to take a piss. My Mom alarmingly asked the driver, "How much longer before we get the port of Sablayan?"

"Oh? 6pm."

Sometime after that, one of the many little kids in that van threw up. I have pretty weak disposition, and was pretty close to cracking as they cleaned up. I was sharing a row with 4 other people in that hi-ace, my butt was beginning to hurt, and the journey was way too cramped and bumpy for me to take a risk with laptop entertainment. My Mom kept shooting apologetic looks at us.

I wanted to kill her.

Sometime at 3, I decided to seek company with my misery. I whipped out my cellphone--only to find out there was no signal.

In the meantime, Mica discovers a new level of hell where every other turn and stop were followed by a chorus of, "We're heeeree!" when actually -- we aren't. They also had a freakin' 'Hotel California' sing along. I was queasy, losing all nerve feeling in my rear, all to the tune of Hotel California if not Linkin Park's 'In the End'.

Southeast-Asian landscapes get really boring over time. There's only so much of banana leaves, rice paddies, and corn stalks that you can take in a cramped van with the smell of vicks and vomit.

Pretty for now, maddening when you keep running by it for 4 hours

The other passengers got dropped off at their destination at around 5.30. I glared at my mom, "how long till we get to the resort again?!"

We got to the port area at 6, exactly. We grabbed our bags and hurried over to an old man seated out his house. "Pandan Island?!" My Mom asked hopefully.

The old man blinked at us. "High Tide. We can only take you tomorrow."

Aiyeeeeee.

Thankfully, the old man expanded his house to have a wing that serves as an inn to accomodate stranded hopeful tourists. It looked like the set of a Dario Argento film, with organ pink walls and bright red doors locked by padlocks (yes, I'm thinking 'Hostel', you?) and each room consisting of two cots covered by mosquito nets. Their only decors were two posters of barely-clad Angel Locsin in the hallway.

My Mom was close to tears. I still wanted to wring a few necks.

Food was good though. We regained sanity after some really good, fresh fried fish. We also found out that the overnight package at the inn, with meals, cost P500 -- cheaper than a night at Victoria's Court.

Day 2 - November 1, 2007

Sablayan Port

We got up early, and headed out at 6am. The boat trip took about an hour. Pandan Island is a very homey place -- self-service restaurant with a cook screaming at us to get our order.

Pandan Island's Restaurant - screaming cook not included. Great buffet lunches and dinners though!

Beach bum - AT LAST!

We got to snorkeling we spotted 7 kinds of fish, one of which was had kissy lips and liked following me around. I don't know the scientific name for the fish, but I deem it "Transvestite from Makati Avenue". It looked like it was dressed in drag, and it just wouldn't leave me alone even when face to face with my blatant disinterest.

The plan was to go back to Manila on the morning of November 4. We were going to use the shorter way -- via the airport, without the painful company of baby puke and bad 70s music. But the travel gods had other plans.

And like 'Survivor' and those other reality shows, we'll close this with a dramatic shot of the sunset

To be continued...

Baclaran Market

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:02:00 +0000

Bus Route to Baclaran Church
There are a few other ways around this, but this is my usual route - take any south-bound EDSA bus that says AYALA LEVERIZA and BACLARAN SIMBAHAN. It will go down AYALA AVENUE, BUENDIA, and BUENDIA-TAFT, taking a turn into ROXAS BOULEVARD. Down Roxas Boulevard it will pass HK SUN CENTER and the overpass facing MALL OF ASIA. The stop after HK Sun Center should be the pedestrian overpass to the Baclaran Church Area.

Baclaran Market - the quick walk-through
After my trip to the DFA, I swung by my boyfriend, G's place which is a quick bus ride from the area. Of note, his family owns the Protacio Hospital and the hotel beside it, Nichols Hotel. The family lives in certain areas within the hotel and hospital, which is an interesting conversation piece. Insert obvious joke here about visiting my boyfriend in his hotel - hurhurhur.

In the afternoon, G and I headed out to Baclaran market just to look around and get some Andoks Manok in the process.

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Sto. Nino Clothes
(Sorry for the blurry picture, my hands just aren't steady enough...)

I'm not sure if it's just a Pinoy, or even Hispanic custom - the Sto. Nino is a statuette of the child Jesus. In keeping a Sto. Nino, it's dressed and taken care of as one would a child, so there's an array of clothes and robes available for it. On the Feast Day of the Sto. Nino, there are processions all around town where different families parade their Sto. Ninos in different garbs.

Baclaran Church Exterior

Baclaran Church Side Interior

The market's pretty basic. They had the wet market area before the church, and around the church were stalls with religious artifacts and offerings such as flowers, rosaries, candles, or religious figurines.

Susmaryosep - Jesus, Mary, Joseph, oh my!

The power of flowers

The market also had sneakers and clothes. I found a cute shirt here and there, but it was getting too late to see if there are any other finds. We headed over to Andoks Manok for dinner.

Andoks is famous for their roast chicken, and is usually served on-the-go. Baclaran has one of the few Andoks dine-in eateries. A plate starts at around PHP55 and runs up to around PHP100. Sadly, the chicken wasn't up to par that evening. I had it fried while G had it roasted. It didn't come with the famous Andoks sauce, which disappointed G. Our food was also served lukewarm when they served it to us, and my spaghetti came in a little late. Still, it filled the stomach and made for an okay dinner.

Fun fact - Wednesday is Baclaran Day. For some reason, Roxas Boulevard-Baclaran gets horribly traffic, and people flock to the church. Anyone out there know the reason or legend behind this?

Happy trails!

Would You Like to Contribute to Miss Placed?

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:40:00 +0000

This is the standard "I wanna help! How do I help?" post for budding contributors. Miss Placed aims not just to blog, but to map as many routes, and chronicle as many places as it can in Manila and around the world. This is a pretty ambitious project, and I can't do it alone! (I am also easily bored, and am always looking for someplace new to explore.)

Miss Placed welcomes contributions in writing and photography. It's a travel and lifestyle blog, so the main beats has to be about getting around, travelling, food, and whatever else you find on the go.

The Photographic Features:
It's not just for the pretty! Capturing the place, and the spirit of the place. Think National Geographic and Lonely Planet-style photography. See more under requirements.

The Written Features:
Routes
I hope to archive all sorts of routes around the country, such as bus lines, train lines, airlines, any form of public transportation. If you're going to submit a route, Directions need to be as simple, direct, and clear as possible. It has to read like a recipe -- anyone, from a 4 year old to an elderly, can follow it.

Food
Because with travel comes food, food defines place, and we all need it to get by. Features on favorite street foods, kiosks, cafes, and restaurants of all types.

Finds
Sometimes the hunt is what determines the route. A lot of places have their hidden gems: cheap, rare or interesting finds, from toys to clothes to antiques. This features specialty stores, vendors, and other such "specialists" (for lack of a better term) splattered around the city.

Accommodations
Man does not live by bread alone -- or in bread, for that matter. Reviews on accommodations, from homestays to hotels.

Packages, Programs and Events
We all love a good package -- so send us packing! If you know of any awesome tours, discounts or promos from airlines, hotels, and other such us places, write about it! Also welcome: international study and/or exchange programs, junior term abroad programs, music and theatre events, etc.

The Requirements (READ CAREFULLY!):
For Photographers - Photos must be in JPEG or GIF format. To save on time, I will not entertain emailed graphic files -- just email me the link(s), and the blurbs explaining your photo/s.

You can upload photos on multiply, imageshack, photobucket or flickr.

For Writers
Being a blog, the tone of your article can be more casual and personal, but as the site aims to be a resource of sorts, we still need some clean-cut formatting.

-Written features must not exceed 4 pages single-spaced on MSWORD. Articles must have a title and be readable (no txtspeak, and with at least some attention to grammar and spelling). At the end of your article, write down the name you wish to go by, and your website/blog (if any).

-Articles submitted can be emailed as attachments in .doc format, and the filename should be missplaced_yourname. Where "yourname" is, plug in the handle or part of your name. This helps in saving and archiving, so pardon the nitpicking!

-If you have any pictures to go with your article, photography requirements apply. Upload the images on the web, and email me the image links when you send your article. If you have captions, just type in the body after the link.

Example --
http://www.imageservername.com/myaccountname/mypic.jpg
The picture's caption goes here.

-I shouldn't have to say this, but the internet can be a big bad place sometimes: Do not plagiarize. Any and all plagiarists will be banned from contributing to Miss Placed.

You will be notified if your contribution gets used. If it doesn't -- don't give up, try try again!

For the fine print: Miss Placed reserves the right to do edits when necessary, but I promise they will be as minimal as possible. You will be given due credit and a link back. Miss Placed will not reproduce your material for commercial purposes without proper authorization.

Whew. Now that that's done, you can send your stuff to me. Remove REMOVETHISPART, thats to keep the nasty spambots away

Questions? Clarifications? Comment!

Happy trails!

Department of Foreign Affairs, and Passport.com.ph

noreply@blogger.com (Mia M.) — Wed, 07 May 2008 03:14:00 +0000

Bus Route To Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Manila
Take any south-bound EDSA bus going to BACLARAN SIMBAHAN. The bus passes through Ayala Avenue, Buendia, and Buendia-Taft. It turns right into Roxas Boulevard from Buendia, and makes a stop in front of HK SUN CENTER. Get off at HK Sun Center. You'll see the MARITIME COLLEGE across the street, to the left of it is the DFA. Cross the street using the pedestrian bridge (you can't miss it! It's pink and blue!). When you get to the the other side, take a left, walk past the Maritime College, and you're there. For passport renewal and application, walk a bit more and take a right into a sidestreet that leads you to the back of the DFA.

REVIEW! Passport.Ph
My passport had just reached its expiry date, and I have more than a few travel plans in store for the next few years. I hate lines and running around for paperwork, so I took a chance on the DFA's official passport renewal system online. It helped that it boasted a partnership with 2go, a popular courier service. I've heard pretty positive reviews about the system, even from people wary of sending information online.

It's straightforward, no-nonsense procedure. First, click the 'Requirements' Page. It will list the documents you need to submit. When you get those documents together, you can click the 'Apply Now!' link, and fill in the blanks. After applying, it will suggest dates for pick-up, personal appearance, and delivery of your passport. You may adjust them as you wish, then submit.

It does not end there. The system will have someone pick up your documents and later deliver your new passport, but you still need to make a Personal Appearance before that. Identities are right up there in the black market, so it's a necessary security measure. (Think, 'Catch Me If You Can' and Frederick Forsythe-ish suspense scenarios. Those only work if you're in Hollywood, baby.)

I had to reschedule pick-up of my requirements as I didn't have the hefty PHP1,300 needed to cover courier, insurance, and processing. I had to call the hotline a few times to reschedule, and I got to send the documents on the rescheduled date without a hitch. My personal appearance was also moved due to a May holiday, and it was the hotline call center agents that rang me up to kindly inform me of this change. Yay, personable people!

The DFA itself still has the pains of government bureaucracy. For my personal appearance, the website says I could come in at any time, but I wasn't sure where I was supposed to go. I asked a guard but he demanded an exact time, and just had me line up with the rest of them when I said I didn't have any.

The line instead leads to a bazaar area filled with courier and passport services, with rush xerox and IDs for those who needed to cram their requirements. Thankfully, there was a 2go booth there, who instructed me to look for their rep at Gate 3. At gate 3 I was alarmed to find out I needed a receipt to be taken seriously, but the verifying question given to me was -- "How much did you pay?". If you answer correctly, they look at their clipboard and find your name. From there, it was passed on to another rep who accompanied me inside the waiting and release area. I finalized my papers a little while after, and was told that my new shiny passport will be delivered in 10 business days.

The personal appearance and identity verification took about an hour. 2go did its job in assisting and mailing, but there's still some confusion from the on-field employers in DFA as regarding online applicants.

In all, I can't imagine doing the red-taped-chicken dance of panic through this process. Kudos to DFA and 2go for making this happen, I gave it a 5 out of 5 in their post-service evaluation and would recommend it to anyone looking to apply or renew their passport.

Happy trails!