Updates

Another year! One that im looking forward to with much anticipation and eagerness. It will be hard work to make sure it will be better than the last one! There are a few things lined up for me this year. First off is the sailing trip starting on the 12th of this month, aboard a 74-footer sailing yacht named ” ParaTi”. Although i have been sailing for many years now, still, I cant help but feel both apprehensive and excited. Apprehensive because it will be my longest trip ever. Excited because it will be my longest trip ever! The last long distance trip i made was to Singapore from Phuket, Thailand in 2004 aboard a 73-footer yacht named ” Irvmiren”. she has just undergone a major refurbishment here that time, although she is really based in Singapore. It took us 4 non-stop sailing days to reach our destination– Raffles Marina. We were sailing 24 hours /day and we used the engine during the whole trip, as using just the sail will take us ages to get there. The sea was not that great at that time of the year..it was July! It was a bumpy ride and i can only compare it to riding a horse at full speed! It was too rough to even cook and so we just had to make do with chocolates most days. The saving grace on rough seas! The captain is a distant relative of mine and there were 2 other filipinos on board and a Singaporean lady who was trying to get into the boating world. The best time for me that time was the sunset! The sea would mercifully get calm which made it so perfect for getting into a pensive mood while sitting at the bow. To remind myself that i am just a dot in the vastness of the ocean and the world. The sailing trip to langkawi, Malaysia annually, on the other hand, was just the best! We always timed the trip on the time of the year when the sea is calm and just really beautiful to sail on and we take our sweet time to get to the destination by making several stops on different islands, some are even uninhabited! It’s always breathtaking to wake up in the morning and have breakfast on the deck with the awesome view of the surrounding limestone cliffs. Once we get to an island to anchor for the night, we either go fishing or take the dinghy to the shore to do some snorkling and swimming at a leisurely pace. Normally, there are very few private yachts anchored off nearby as well. Either just stopping for the night or staying for couple of days just to get away from everyone and enjoy the serenity. Who can blame them, the place was really beautiful and it is communing with nature in the truest sense of the word!!.

Going back on my trip to Singapore back in 2004, I stayed there for a week and i got to stay in another yacht– an Azimuth 65-footer motor yacht this time! It is smaller but most azimuths and motor yachts are always more luxurious than the sailing yachts in my opinion. It was the same size as my ex owned although less luxurious than the azimuth. He was the one who actually introduced me to sailing and although we parted ways more than 7 years ago after 5 years of being a couple, my love for sailing has not diminished one bit. Anyways, The Filipino captain very generously assigned me the guest cabin with ensuite head (bathroom in layman’s parlance) located in the bow part of the boat and i was thrilled to have the round bed. It all sounds so glamorous, but i was just really there for the free ride , … Yes i am not ashamed to be a freeloader when it comes to yachting and sailing!.. those are the things that i will never spend money on for sure!

This coming trip, we will make several stops first in Sri Lanka to replenish food stocks and maybe refuel and perhaps stay for a couple of days. It would be interesting to see how far people have come in rebuilding back their lives after the 2004 Tsunami. Second stop will be somewhere in Africa ( i think Djibouti, and im not getting out of the yacht while we are there for sure! My fiance warned me about that place!), then on to Egypt. Although it breaks my heart, i have to accept the fact that i might not be able to see the pyramid on this trip. This time i am listed as a crew, instead of the normal guest or passenger status. As a Filipino passport holder, i will need to get a visa to enter as a tourist. i dont really want to bother with that as it would entail flying to Bangkok for a few days, and im not really up for it! The German owner of the yacht will join us in Egypt apparently and stay there for a week perhaps then he will fly to Turkey and meet us there. My initial reaction when i first heard about it was ” why does he own a boat when he doesnt really sail heheheeh”. Lucky i bit my tongue and realized it’s none of my business heheheheh! I plan to fly from Turkey to Manila. I still dont know how to go about it as i have yet to ring the Turkish embassy if i will be given a transit visa to enable me to do that. Otherwise, i will be stuck in the boat for the whole duration it will be there and no way im gonna do that! Im not being paid although i will try to do my bit like cooking perhaps, for fear of getting thrown overboard for being so utterly useless! There will only be 5 of us. The captain, his Filipina Gf and 2 other crews, who are now on their way here from Germany. In the meantime, i have to decide how lightly i should pack and make sure i wont forget the sunblock, the camera, the books, the Ipod with Spanish lessons in it as well, and hopefully the video cam if it will be fixed in time. We reckoned we will get to Turkey by March. This means that i will be away for more than 2 months. The only thing that i hate about this trip will be the communication with Paul. We are not used to not talking with each other everyday, wherever we are, but i guess we will have to make do with the fax. Unfortunately, the boat doesnt have a sattelite Phone. Paul wanted to get me one and i really have to put my foot down and say no! Email will be done when i get ashore. So for everyday communication we will have to make do with fax or telex for economic reasons……and that’s that!.

Another thing that is new this year is that i have started exercising….. again! Dont hold your breath, im a “ningas cugon” type of person! Paul and I are your typical “couch potato” couple. We have wasted so much on joining a health club and rarely used it. I fooled myself into believing that getting a personal trainer will somehow make me motivated. Sure it did,……on the few occasions that i showed up in the Gym! We are just as happy sitting in front of the TV on the rare moments that we are not stuffing our face with all the junk food as we are happy doing nothing! Unfortunately,the other night while we were in bed, i made a mistake of voicing out that it would be nice to have an Ipod for when im walking . And lo and behold, the next day i got it! I have forgotten to keep my thoughts to myself. Dont get me wrong, i appreciate his thoughtfulness everytime. He has been wanting to get me one as early as Christmas 2005, but im not really keen on gadgets. He has bought many stuffs for me and im not using it. It’s always a constant battle of wills when it comes to buying me things that i find unnecessary like a latest celfone or little things or jewelries. He, on the other hand, loves to get things like a little kid who has to get the latest toys. One perfect example of how wasteful and useless i am on things was the MP3 player he gave me in the past and after using it for a couple of days just to pacify him, i have forgotten about it! I must have left it at home in the Philippines gathering dust! So i knew that the Ipod Nano will meet the same fate! Gosh i hope he doesnt get to read this blog.!! Im very blessed to have Paul in my life.. I know, no one would love me as much as he does and im not the easiest person to live with! Sure, i do all those wifely things like cook for him and take care of him, but dont let me get started on my temper bwahahahahahahaha! He is just the best!!! Loving, affectionate, thoughtful, considerate , patient, fair, compassionate and faithful . He actually gave me a heart i think ,! Another on the list is to get married this year and try to have a baby! But for now, im already overwhelmed with what i need to finish before embarking on the new adventure. I need to cook big batches of his food to keep in small containers and hope it lasts till i come back. Knowing Paul, i dont think it would! Unfortunately, our maid is not a very good cook but nevertheless, we are lucky to have her. She takes care of our dogs and keeps the house tidy and we cant do without her…

Thanks for reading.. i need to start cooking now! Ciao!!

One of my brothers must be in England by now. He and his wife left yesterday from Philippines. I hope he will be ok, but having his wife with him gave me a bit of comfort that he will be fine.

His trip made me remember the last time i was in England. The highlight of the trip was not really the eye- popping crown jewels at the Tower of London…….. or Chatsworth house….or boarding from the same train station as Harry Potter….or visiting the castles or museums…or taking a tour at Buckingham Palace ….or riding those double -decker Red buses and black taxis….. or shopping at Harrods…..or learning how to cook English food…… but seeing BRENDAN FRASER a few inches away!!!! I was getting out of Taxi to have lunch at Harvey Nicholls in London and was helping a disabled neighbour , then as we were walking towards HN, Brendan ( yes we are on first name basis! ) was walking towards our way. We are a big fan of his  (right Me-ann?).. we first fell in love with him in the movie “With Honors” and then he was very cute in ” Blast from the past” as well. Although there were many hollywood stars, Rock and Roll legends, or sports icons or famous models that come to Phuket for holiday , He was the first hollywood crush i have seen. He doesnt look at all different in person.. He just looked gorgeous and delicious!!! although, not as tall as i have expected…

Hmmm, I hope to see Russell Crowe in Australia or Nicole Kidman for that matter!….Dream on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! as my close friends will say! Sometimes, i love being bakya! In fact i like it more and more each time….im just discovering the fun of being “bakya or baduy” since i reached my 30’s!!! I guess having proven something to oneself and being happy and contented gives one a confidence to let go and not take things too seriously.. or what other people might say…make fun of oneself even..  And its great!!!!! It’s Fun!!

Phi Phi Island is one of the popular tourist spots in the south of Thailand. From Phuket, it is about 2 hour ferry trip. . We left home at 7:30 am to go to Rassada port which took about 30mins. There were 8 of us and though most of us have been to Phi phi many times in the past, it was a first for Paul. There were many tourists aboard the ferry as well, organized by different tour groups either going to the island for  a daytour or overnight. The ferry left at 8:30am and breakfast was also served, (well actually u have to go down to the canteen and get your own coffee and bread with hotdog). It was a pleasant trip as the sea was calm and the sun was shining but the best part of the journey was when 3 dolphins suddenly appeared alongside the ferry and made several jumps and they really put on quite a show….they continued to jump in and out of water for several minutes before eventually disappearing from the surface…it reminded me of my past sailing trips to langkawi when several dolphins put on a similar show alongside the 74-footer yacht that we were in…they said that when u see dolphins..it means good luck ….

Before going to the main island which is called Phi phi Dom, we made a brief stop at an islet called Maya Bay, where the film featuring Leonardo diCaprio , The Beach, was shot…This island is not inhabited and tourists aboard longtail boats or speed boats come for a day’s swimming..

We arrived in the main island at around 11:30am and while walking towards the entrance of the island there were people taking photograph of you either walking alone or walking hand in hand with your love one, which of course will cost you money later on when u see yourself framed in that really nice phi phi island backdrop. You will say to yourself..hmmm nice souvenir, why not? and shell out 100Baht!

The first order of the day upon disembarkation was lunch in a restaurant up in the hill and overlooking the sea and you have to be there to really appreciate it..but it was truly spectacular!!!! the island is surrounded by limestone cliffs and the contrast of the green cliff against the blue sea was just awesome…Lunch consists of Thai food and Paul, not a big fan of thai food unfortunately, opted to have his lunch in another restaurant…So after lunch, we were given an hour or so to walk around or shop or just drink-in the atmosphere.. there are many souvenir shops and restaurants and dive shops. This land area where the shops are,  is sandwiched between two beaches…and it is nice to a have beach on either side, although the other side is much much nicer and the view more picturesque…The island is small and there are no vehicles.. it is forbidden and there are no roads…u go around either by walking or by boat.. and for the locals, there are a few bicycles…This island was also devastated by the 2004 Tsunami and though most have been rebuilt and the normal way of life has been restored, there were still some reminders of the past catastrophe…I guess that is why they never removed nor rebuilt the 7-11 store destroyed in the Tsunami, located just as soon as u enter the island from the pier..

At about 1pm, we were called to the boat to go for our snorkelling which was also part of the program. We were ferried to a nearby cove perfect for snorkelling…. the mask , life jacket and snorkel were free but you have to rent the fins for 50Baht a pair. Im not particularly impressed with the corals (because i think the corals off the coast of Batangas and in Coron, Busuanga, Philippines are more alive and colorful) but i just enjoyed the different fishes that were there, seemingly oblivious to our presence. They go about their activities not caring that we were ogling from just above them. We were given more than an hour to snorkel and just swam at our own pace. Paul and I really enjoyed it and even my brother and sisters and our maid enjoyed the experience…

Back on the boat, there were drums with fresh water for you to rinse yourself with and we were given either soda or water as refreshment.. lucky for us, we thought ahead and brought our own sandwich hehehehe! We were starving after all that snorkelling!!

At about 2:30Pm we headed back to Phuket which was another 2 hour ferry trip. I think most of us were all exhausted due to the combination of heat and swimming, and looking around…. most of the people aboard the ferry were dozing off…we were served fresh fruits and fresh cold towel which i think was very nice…

All in all, although we went home more tan than ever, we all think it was a great day once again in Paradise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cant wait to be back next month..but this time aboard a 74-footer “Para Ti” yacht again, en route to our annual Langkawi sailing trip!!!!!!!!

Hope u can come and join me my friends!!!!!!!!!

Went to the beach 7mins. from our place. It’s a beautiful place just to enjoy or to walk and and watch sunsets. The beach is normally deserted about 5:30pm , except for some occasional joggers or tourists walking about, staying in the nearby beach resorts like Sheraton and Banyan Tree. The beach is called Bangtao Beach, located in Cheongthale here in Laguna Phuket.  This is the same beach where we spend New Year’s eve for 4 years, to watch the fireworks from the surrounding hotels and beyond. We just set up a tent and bonfire and the barbeque grill. As with the local thai people, we also spread mats and pillows. We have small low tables set in the middle of the mat and just sit japanese style. Other local people have their stereos playing thai songs. Not so much fun as we cannot understand the lyrics…but as a filipino, i think it is more frustrating that we cannot sing along with the music. I remember it used to amaze some foreign friends that we filipinos can sing along to any tunes being played on radio in the philippines! It was generally a jolly atmosphere during these times… U can smell the appetizing aromas of meats and seafoods being barbequed around you. There are booze as well as Thais are a lot like filipinos in celebrating.. there are always food and beers or whisky for that matter. (Well, minus the troubles that normally comes with filipino celebration when some idiots allow the alcohol into their heads rather than the stomach!)

After eating, it is just lovely to just lie down on the mat staring at the stars above or watch the lit paper lanterns floating slowly up, lighting the dark sky. There are so many of them and it makes the scene even  lovelier and romantic.

Ten seconds before midnight, comes the countdown…..then the spectacular display of fireworks everywhere..lighting the sky in different colors and sizes!

We have spent the night on 2 occasions. One time sleeping in the tent and another just on the mat outside. The soothing waves nearby just lull you into deep sleep.. and the next thing you know….it is morning!.. and time to go back home…