In the Land of Pepe Le Pew

Visited Paris in June of 2009. Took the TGV train from Stuttgart which cost 200 Euros roundtrip. I think it took us three hours to get to Paris but then we didn't mind since it was way cheaper than flying.

One of the many statues in the Luxembourg Garden.
Caption: Dammit, standing here the whole day fully exposed
with this tiny thing is bad enough.
Now this pigeon decides to poop on me? Why me???

Stayed at the Hotel Excelsior Latin which was in the middle of the Latin Quarter (5th arrondissement). The hotel was walking distance to the Pantheon, Louvre, Luxembourg Garden, Notre Dame, Centre Pompidou and the Sorbonne.

Notre Dame illuminated at night. 

Rose window in the North transept in Notre Dame with the
theme of the Old Testament. 

La Pyramide Inversee, which is a skylight,  in the Caroussel du Louvre. 

Sacre-Coeur Basilica, located in the summit of Montmartre,
is the highest point in the city.

Unlike our trip to Barcelona, we decided to be all-touristy in the city of love. This included walking along the Moulin Rouge district, viewing the city from Montmartre, going to the Eiffel Tower, walking up Champs-Elysee where all the high-end shops are, visiting the Louvre, etc.

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower from below.

Walking along the Champs-Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe 

Arc de Triomphe

Moulin Rouge

A cute little fueling station on one of the streets in the Pigalle district.

If you're in Paris for a limited time, I suggest you visit the Musee D'Orsay rather than the Louvre. If you are a true art lover, you would need more than a day to see everything in the Louvre. If you're going there just for the sake of saying you've been there, then just pick a specific section that you really are interested in. I'm guessing most people would want to see the Mona Lisa. Prepare to be disappointed though since the Mona Lisa room is normally packed with tourists and the painting itself is not even that big. Very difficult to get up close and take a good photo.

The famed Mona Lisa portrait of Da Vinci.

Among all the things we did,  I would recommend that you take the Seine River Cruise and a day trip to visit the Chateau de Versailles. The cruise costs about 10 Euros if I'm not mistaken. To go to Versailles, just hop on a train headed outside Paris. You'll be there in less than an hour. Another suggestion is to grab a baguette sandwich in one of the many delis in the city and hang out by the Seine or the Luxembourg Garden to people watch.

If uncertain of which area in Paris to stay, check out this map as it describes the differences among each neighbourhood.

More pics from the trip will be posted soon!

See you in February, Bangkok!

It's the annual Bangkok Hat on Feb 11 and 12, 2012. In my opinion, this is the most fun Ultimate tournament in Asia. The first time I played in this tourney was in February of 2004 and since then, I make it a point to attend even if I only partake in the sideline drinking, the boat races and the heckling.

Since I'll be saying goodbye to Asia around February next year, I have planned on doing a weekend stopover in BKK just so I can participate in the Hat. I have booked my one-way flight to BKK and from there fly to Europe. I have a feeling that it'll be one fun-filled, crazy weekend! So psyched!

Only thing to do now is to look for reasonably-priced hotels.

BKK Hat 2010. Apple Pie Shots.  Happy times!

Wandering Flipflops Recommends: Panglao Island, Bohol PART 2

On Day 3 of our Bohol trip, my friends and I went on a sea tour. Our bangka (boat) picked us up from the resort at 6am. Apparently, the dolphins are out only until 8am so the earlier you head out, the better your chances are of spotting them. It was a bit of a long ride out to the dolphin spot. According to our boatman, Vito, you have to be lucky to be able to spot the dolphins since they aren't always there. I was ecstatic to see the dolphins, however, I was also a bit frustrated by the way some boatmen chased them just so their passengers can have a closer look. Good thing Vito had more respect for the animals and always kept a safe distance.

After this, we were off to the Balicasag Marine Sanctuary which is known for its diverse and exotic marine life. Bring some bread or biscuits so you can experience feeding the wild fishes from your hand. 

Just off the boat and waiting for a smaller
boat to take us out to the spot. 

Too bad we didn't have an underwater cam.
Photo from here

Last stop of the sea tour is Virgin Island. As you approach it, you'd see a sandbar which my friends and I call a "runway". It's an uninhabited island with an awesome stretch of powdery white sand beach. Going around the island takes less than 20 minutes. The best part of this stop was the fresh uni. Locals dive for sea urchins and sell it at P50 for 3 pieces.

The sandbar leading to the island. 

Freshly-caught sea urchins.

Me playing with the sea urchin Fear Factor-style. 

Fresh uni with a drop of vinegar. Yum!

We finished with the tour a little before lunch time. Since we were hungry and wanted to hang out somewhere else, we decided to head over to Bohol Beach Club which is a much nicer resort compared to ours. If not a guest, you have to pay P500 for using their facilities, however,  P350 of this is consumable at the restaurant so I think it's worth it.

Spent an hour napping on this comfy hammock. 

More hammocks lining up the path.

BBC's beach. 

I think heading over to BBC was a great idea. The food was good and we had a chance to relax by the beach (except during a wedding party's photo session!) since most of the other tourists opted to stay in the pool area.  

I would definitely love to go back to Panglao Island. Maybe next time, I'd stay on Alona Beach which is the livelier (read: noisier) part of the island just so I have more options when it comes to where to dine. 

Wandering Flipflops Recommends: Panglao Island, Bohol PART 1

If you're staying on Dumaluan Beach but don't want to spend $100/night at the Bohol Beach Club, then book a room at Dumaluan Beach Resort 2. We got a Deluxe room for half the price. The resort is not as swanky as BBC, but then, we had more money to spend on booze and food so, Yay!

Deluxe Room 

Garden Area where you can hang out 

For cheap, grilled food, head over to the DBR grill which is only a few steps away from the resort. 

Instead of getting stuck in a day-long happy hour, book a countryside tour with Tatsky (contact info below) and see the following:

Butterfly Farm - We almost skipped this one but thank goodness we changed our minds. This was the highlight of our trip that day mainly because of our guide, Marlon, who was recommended by Tatsky.

Butterflies in heat.

Man-made Mahogany Forest - Beautiful 2-kilometer stretch of Mahogany trees planted during President Garcia's time.

Philippine Tarsier - Smallest primate which is no bigger than my hand. They're nocturnal but I guess all the tourists milling about are keeping this guy up.

Chocolate Hills - According to our guide, there are around 1,300 of these hills. Going to Bohol and not visiting the hills is like going to Paris and not visiting the Eiffel Tower.

Loboc River Cruise - Buffet lunch is served on the boat while going on a cruise. Buy your ticket from River Watch Cruises as the food is better than the rest. Costs P400.

Prony the Python - Around 20-30 feet long. The main attraction on this trip was actually Marimar :)

Baclayon Church - One of the oldest churches in the Philippines. Our guide, Tatsky, pointed out this wall which they say has Padre Pio's likeness etched on it. Padre Pio became known for his stigmata.

Padre Pio on the church's wall. 

Padre Pio

There are around 12 sites included in the countryside tour, but, you can always tell your guide if you want to skip some.

Hinagdanan Cave - Nothing special about this and only good for photo ops. We were done in five minutes.

Hanging Bridge(s) - Again, you can totally skip this. You cross one bridge to go to the other side where locals sell you stuff then come back using the other bridge. Took us some time to cross since a lot of people stop in the middle to take photos.

The Real Blood Compact Site - According to our guide, the monument that overlooks the sea is not the real one. A few years back, the National Historical Society found documents describing where it really happened. According to what the NHS found, the blood compact happened near/at a well located between two rivers.

The REAL Blood Compact Site
Photo from Unsubcultured

Bohol Bee Farm sans the bees - This was the last stop of our tour. They sell stuff like flavored honey, dips, spreads, and ice cream with weird flavors like malunggay, spicy ginger, panda, etc.

Photo from Unsubcultured

We got back to our resort tired and sweaty around 6pm. First thing we did when we got back? Order drinks of course. It was a long and hard day after all.


P.S.
If you're looking for a tour operator in Bohol, contact Tatsky. I highly recommend him. Excellent service!

Tatsky Cubero
jessercubero@yahoo.com
0922-367 1051
0915-794 5556
0912-747 2737

Bohol Trip Check List

1. Plane Tickets - Printed by a friend and downloaded to my phone as well.
2. Travel Insurance - Check.
3. Resort Accommodations - Staying at Dumaluan Resort 2.  Reservations done through Philippine Hotel Reservations Service (PHRS). Fully paid.
4. Airport Transfers - Included in the package availed from PHRS.
5. Itinerary for Tours - Did some research on PinoyExchange.com and two tour operators come highly recommended: Tatsky Cubero and Paul Incon. Opted to book with Tatsky (+63915-7945556). 

Only thing left to do is pack. 

Panglao Island, Bohol

Only eight days until my friends and I fly to Panglao Island. Really excited as I've never been there. Bought our tickets four months in advance and have also paid for our rooms in full.

Out of all the things in our itinerary, this one is what I'm much excited about:

Philippine Tarsier
Photo from here

Matabungkay: Bella Beach Resort

While drinking on a Friday night, some friends and I had a brilliant idea of going on an overnight beach trip. Doesn't matter where, as long as it's only a couple of hours drive from the city. Since everything was last minute, we never had enough time to research on accommodations so we ended up in Bella Beach Resort. They offered us a standard room  that can supposedly fit 4 people for P4,500. Our expectations weren't that high, but of course, since the price was comparable to beachfront rooms in Boracay, we were a little bit hopeful that it would be nice and comfortable. Imagine our disappointment when we saw the room. It had one double bed, a TV a bathroom and some space for the extra mattresses. The mattresses that they brought in turned out to be plain air beds which were uncomfortable according to two of our companions who slept on them.

Our room complete with the air beds.

Karaoke machine is in front of the hut. Some guests bring soap
and shampoo  to take a shower beside the pool.

The resort also has a karaoke machine for rent which drove us mad. To get away from the wailing and the screaming, we decided to rent a "balsa" for a couple of hours for P500 (it's around P1500 for the whole day). Money very well spent indeed.

From here, you can still faintly hear the sounds from the karaoke.  

Another thing that was quite disappointing was the food. Great that you can eat at the resort but then it was a bit overpriced. A single-serving of pork adobo costs P300 and it wasn't even good. I mean, it's adobo. Why does it have to cost that much? I would've opted to eat at a carinderia outside the resort but we couldn't find one. Beers were reasonably-priced though so there's that at least.

Anyway, I wouldn't be recommending this one to my friends.

A Blogger's Traumatic Bali Experience

So now, being a Filipino automatically makes you a drug-trafficker/mule. Read the article below on how Indonesian immigration detained two Filipina travelers because of mere suspicion.

My Traumatic Experience as an Alleged DRUG TRAFFICKER in Bali Indonesia By Chyng Reyes

For first time readers.. 

My name is Chyng Reyes. I graduated with a degree of Electronics and Communications Engineering in a state university in Intramuros. I work in a BPO company in MoA complex as part of Systems Development team. Im a blogger who frequently travels. And Im an individual who has never taken prohibited drugs.

mga BINTANG-ero kayo!

My friend Dyanie and I planned an SG-Bali trip for our birthdays. We took Airphil's Manila-SG flight last May 26, 2011.

Dyanie was held in the Immigration simply because she cant present her company ID. She was suspected na mag-paiwan sa SG to work, and never return to Pinas. This experience alone was heart pounding- though it's only a matter of being approved and being declined to fly to SG. So what more if it's a matter of life and death...

Last May 28, we flew from SG to Bali via Airasia.
Airasia's airbus was full of different nationalities. But Dyanie and I were the only Filipinos on board. We landed in Denpasar airport at almost 11:40pm. We lined up in the Xray machines for our luggage to be scanned.

The moment the officer saw my passport - he carried my luggage. He asked me "is this yours?" I said yes. What could be wrong with my luggage.. The officer scanned our hands too. We don't have any idea what's that for so we asked him. He answered "secret".

After he scanned our hands with that stick, he looked at me and said "come and follow me." He looked to Dyan and said "you also."

omg. what's wrong?!
So in front of all passengers of Airasia that night (na malalaki ang katawan, at yung iba may tattoo, at sila pa yung mukhang harmful kesa samin), kami pa ni Dyan ang mukhang may drugs! We followed the officer because we dont have a choice. We obeyed him, as if we already did something wrong. All other passengers were staring at us..

syet.. anong meron sa bag ko. at anong marks ang nakita nya sa kamay namin? kinabahan ako. this isnt just the usual immigration thing. this is something serious!
We entered the holding room. There were 3 officers inside. 2 males and a lady officer. "Meet my Filipina friend. She was caught hiding packs of heroins in her luggage" said the officer. Sabay turo sa picture frames sa wall nila. It seemed like a gallery of drug traffickers from all over the world. He reminded me that DEATH is the PENALTY of those drug traffickers.

Paksyet. It's matter of life and death in the hands of these Indonesian Police Officers..

They offered something to drink but we refused. 
Yoko nga, baka dahil jan sa drinks na yan magkaron pa ng drugs substance sa katawan namin..
"Do you know her?" asked the officer as he was pointing to the girl in the picture frame. - I answered no.
"Did you take drugs?" - Of course not!
"Did you have drugs hidden in your body?" - What?! Never!

nagpanting yung tenga ko. galit na galit ako. at the same time nalungkot. bakit ganun, tagged na ang pinoys as drug traffickers dahil sa kasalanan ng iilan..
"Let's check your bag".
The officer searched my things thoroughly. I was just looking at him. He checked every compartment of my luggage too.

Ang lakas ng kaba ng dibdib ko. I knew he could frame me up. At wala na kong laban if that happens. Nasa teritoryo nila kami.Ansama sama ng loob ko. Dahil lang Pinoy kami, instant suspect na agad kami.
After he messed with all my things and found nothing, I asked the officer what could be wrong and why was he checking us. He just answered "because the 2 of you are beautiful girls."

putangina mo, nakikipag-cooperate kami sa inyo. naabala at napahiya na kami kanina pa. kaya sana sumagot ka ng maayos kung may tinatanong kami.

For the 3rd time, we went outside the holding room to scan my luggage. I was really very nervous (and irritated). I could imagine him almost saying that he found something in my bag. Remember, he was holding my bag all the time. I never had the chance to touch it again..

you dont trust us. and we dont trust you either. the feeling is mutual. ang advantage lang, nasa Indonesia tayo. at kayo ang may authority.

Now they looked to Dyan. The lady officer asked her if she was hiding drugs in her belly. Of course she answered no. The other officer ordered a body check on her.

as narrated by Dyan: 
Gusto ko man magsabi ng ayoko ng body check, wala akong nagawa. Bansa nila yan. So sunod lang ako sa gusto nila. Pumasok kami sa Body Check Room. Inikot ko yung mata ko to check if there are surveillance cameras. Tapos ni-lock ko yung pinto. Tinanong ko si lady officer kung bakit namin to ginagawa. May 3 pinay daw na nahulihan ng drugs sa loob ng tyan nila. Sympre di ko alam kung totoo nga yun. Pinahubad nya ko ng damit. As in HUBAD lahat. The only body part na hinawakan nya ay ang tyan ko. Pero nakaka-harassed pa din. Wala naman siyang nakitang kakaiba.

no offense pero meron ba silang extensive training na by just touching a body part malalaman na kung may drugs dun? ang hirap maniwala. they cant even speak straight english to start with. mayabang lang sila. pero wala silang masyadong alam.
Now back in the holding room, and I was with the other 2 male officers. They started bragging that they captured all of the drug traffickers in the picture frame. Im still not sure what will happen next as they never told us anything.

What now!? gusto nyo lang may mapatunayan kayo at may madagdag kayong picture jan sa wall nyo?!
Im so proud of Dyan. She went back in the room and still didnt breakdown. I knew I will start crying too if I see her terrified.
pero sa totoong buhay daw, sobrang takot na nya na masesetup kami.
Dyan said I dont look scared at all too. I just look very irritated.
pero sa totoo lang, nafi-feel kong anytime sasabihin ng officers na may nakita sila sa bag namin.. at di na kami makakauwi ng Pinas. =(

After 1.5 hours, they finally let us go. Wala silang nakita. They thanked us for being cooperative pero di ko pinansin yung hand shake offer nila. Galit na galit ako. Pero alam ko bawal ako magsalita. Hindi rin sila nagsorry sa abala na ginawa nila. Para san pa, wala na kaming gana na pumasok ng Bali. Sirang sira yung bakasyon namin dahil sa ganitong pagwelcome nila sa Pinoy.
Sabagay their sorry wont be enough. Kulang yan sa kahihiyan, sobrang takot, trauma, at paranoia na inabot namin dahil sa kanila. Ang sama sama ng loob ko. Putangina nyo!


We met the hotel driver who's been waiting for us since 11:40PM. We finally went out of the airport at 1:30AM. I thanked the driver for waiting for us. He wasn't surprised that we were the last to go out. Sabi nya, kapag Pinoy chinecheck daw muna.

Ah ganun..
Dahil lang may mga Pinoy na drug trafficker, lahat ng Pinoy drug traffickers na agad?!

Sa sobrang takot ni Dyanie, she cried to sleep that night. Tulala. Di nagsasalita.
Sa sobrang galit ko, di ako nakatulog. I started vomiting. Hinika din ako sa sama ng loob.
Wala pa kaming 2 oras sa Bali pero gustong gusto na namin umuwi ng Pinas. Sirang sira ang bakasyon namin.

Putangina nyo! Naging praning na kami everytime may police kaming makikita. Or everytime dadaan kaming xray, paulit ulit muna naming pinapagpag ang bawat damit namin - oras oras - just to check na walang naisingit na drugs sa gamit namin. We're so traumatized that we wont be planning to go out of the country anytime soon.

DEATH for DRUG TRAFFICKERS
and it wont matter if the DRUGS found is really yours
ako na ang praning

We swore not to go back to Indonesia again. We already suffered a lot. We regret the day we entered this country.
And if you are planning to go to Bali too, well good luck. The next suspect could be you.
..yes you may share this post.

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