Salamin

Here in Japan, the nights are getting longer, the days unbearably colder. We have unearthed our thick coats and jackets for the winter season. It's almost hard for me to believe that the year 2007 is almost over. It seemed only yesterday when we went to Kamogawa to celebrate New Year's Day.

But boy, oh boy, I'm SO excited. We're going home next week. Times like these, I feel grateful that I live in neighboring Japan, because it is relatively easy to go home. It's just a mere 4-hour plane ride to get to Manila from Narita airport. I haven't been home for about two years now. So naturally I'm excited, and not even the news of the recent coup attempt, imposed curfews, and bombings in the Philippines could make me feel any less enthusiastic. Weird huh? But homecoming always gives me a sort of adrenaline rush, you know. As soon as I get off the plane and the familiar sights and sounds assault my senses, I feel that rush.


The rush becomes even more acutely heightened as I bite into my piping hot Jollibee Chickenjoy, dive into my big pile of haluhalo topped with ube, kaong, leche flan and other sinful goodies, shop-till-you-drop in Duty Free Philippines and SM (of course), or simply get myself lost in the mass of humanity rushing into the malls for Christmas shopping.

Hainan is known as the "Hawaii" of China. Haikou, also known as the Coconut City, is a major port of the island, and has a domestic airport for flights connecting to various major cities in China like Guangzhong and Beijing. As soon as I arrived at Haikou, the sights and scents welcomed me as if I was returning home. Really!

 

Quite interestingly, within my short stay of three days in that island, I was able to sample native "Filipino" dishes like adobo, lechon kawali, and even the intricate kare-kare. Of course there are also other dishes available, but those dishes caught my attention because of their familiar taste. Not exactly cooked the way we Filipinos cook them, but the resemblance is still striking. And if you're wondering if the said kare-kare dish was served with bagoong(shrimp paste), the answer is a resounding yes. However, as with the dishes, the bagoong was a bit different from the ones we have in the Philippines. It was not too salty, and even had a spicy tinge to it.

 

More than the food, though, was the fabulous opportunity to have a glimpse of the sea. I love the sea. Everyday, from the balcony of my room, I would stand outside and take in the breathtaking view before me.

Sunsets were spectacular. Here is a photo I took one afternoon:

 

Unfortunately I wasn't able to blog anymore while I was in Hainan. I was too busy attending lectures and minding my preparation for my own presentation. The said presentation went very well, thank you very much. I was hoping to find fellow Pinoys or Pinays there, but I wasn't able to find anyone. In the program I found that there was supposed to be a presentation from a Filipino, but apparently the paper was withdrawn. Too bad. Too few Filipino scientists, I tell you. Too few. We need to reinforce our numbers! How else can we show the world what we're capable of?

 

But I digress.

 

Beijing touchdown: July 12, 2007.

 

First impression: Construction, construction, and construction everywhere. Looks like the city is really getting prepped up for the Olympics next year. In fact there is a subway under construction right at the Beijing airport, and this is supposed to be finished in time for the Olympics.

 

In a word? Beijing is HUGE.

I'm on my own again.

 

I'm leaving today. Traveling alone has its perks. I'm more mobile, I have less baggage, and I can actually catch up on my reading lag on those extra hours of waiting. But the concept of being A-L-O-N-E on this trip does kind of makes me sad. I'm simply not used to it anymore.

Want to know how much of the Philippines you have visited so far? Found this cool application created by Eugene Alvin Villar, called Lakbayan.

Here's my score:

Got back to Nippon a few days ago. It is so much more tiring on the trip back, and in the days following. Our bodies have to adjust to the local time again. Aya didn't seem to have any difficulties getting back into the rhythm of things. Well, she wasn't the one doing all the walking and lugging of luggages, now, was she? And if there's one thing I absolutely abhor most of all, it is reporting back to work after a long-haul trip. For the last few nights since coming back, I kept waking up in the wee hours of the morning (how does 2 am or 4 am sound?), and thus felt like a zombie while at work. What can you do, eh?

Germany was great, but after a week or so of dining on cheese and bread, Baggy and I just craved for good ol' Filipino food (Sinigang! Nilaga! Adobo!) served with hot, steaming rice. Talk about eating but not feeling full nor satisfied. How could they eat bread all their lives? Beats me. Even potato couldn't do the trick for me. While there we ocassionally dined at some Chinese restaurants in order to eat rice, but it just wasn't the same. Aside from the familiar tastes of homemade cooking, we still missed the round, sticky and soft rice that Japan is famous for.

Hello from Berlin! We got here safe and sound. Many thanks to those who wrote their well-wishes for the trip. Nakakapagod, pero enjoy. I am able to snatch a few minutes of internet time (of course I wrote this post offline first, hehe), so time for an update. I don't know when I'd be able to post again, so might as well try posting one while we're here.

Although Berlin is the capital city of Germany, ironically, it doesn't accommodate international flights from Japan. All flights from Japan are routed via other major cities like Frankfurt, or in our case, Amsterdam. We took the KLM flight because we wanted to gain points for our mileage program, hehe. So after an 11-hour non-stop flight from Narita to Amsterdam, we found ourselves "stranded" at the Schipol Airport for another four hours before boarding another flight for Berlin.

It's travel season once again, and this time we're off to Germany. I've never been to this country before, so I am really looking forward to having my first taste of Deutschsland. When I first heard that this year's venue would be Berlin, my first reaction was: Huh?!! What is there to see in Berlin, anyway? The Berlin Wall? Historically significant, yes, but I wouldn't prefer to spend a fortune on airplane tickets and hotel just to see a wall that is no longer "there." Who knows that Berlin is the capital of Germany anyway? I mean, we think UK, and London comes to mind. We think France, and Paris comes to mind. We think Italy, and Rome comes to mind. And vice versa. Well, you get the picture. Berlin just doesn't have the same allure as those famous touristy places.

I grudgingly woke up this morning, stiff and sore. My arms ached. My head throbbed. I've got a stiff neck, probably from lying on the same position all night long. I was simply too exhausted the night before, after spending the whole day with my family and my sister's family at The Magic Kingdom of Tokyo Disneyland.

　

 

I have already lost count of how many times I have visited the place (I've also been to Disneyland in Anaheim and Disneyworld, haha. Sucker.). Every time a relative from the Philippines visits us, we make it a point to bring them to this magical world where both adults and children can enjoy themselves in the make-believe world of Disney. As they say, there is no other place where adults can feel like children again. How else to describe it? You've gotta see it to know exactly what I mean. :)