I love the Philippines!

Tagaytay Food trip with Audrey & Azon

2009-03-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

One of the many things I don’t exactly like about the Philippines (don’t believe me on this one!) is my tendency to eat a lot of food!!
Well, last Saturday, Audrey texted me if I am available because Azon can make it that day. May bagong recruit sa mga roadtrips si Audrey! Azon is a friend way back …hmmm…basta dalaga pa ako. Since I’ll be back to Vegas in less than 2 weeks medyo sinasamantala ko na.

We don’t have any plans so we decided to just drive to Tagaytay area. What’s nice about not planning a trip is spontaneous decisions are often times not boring! For sure, boring is not a word you can use for this road trip as this turned out to be a Tagaytay food trip!!

1st stop – Balinsasayaw. I saw a blog about this restaurant and it was a nice review so I suggested we go and stop by this place for quick lunch.

Balinsasayaw is a bird found in Palawan so naturally, bird’s nest soup is one of their specialties. We don’t have plans of getting stuffed right away on our first stop – so we decided for barbecue chicken and liempo.

Audrey and Azon had chicken liempo and buko juice to go with it! Yummy

I ordered pork liempo. Presentation of the food is a little boring but taste is not bad.

They have separate dining areas for diners. So you get your own nipa hut! If you need privacy while dining - this is the place to go. Perfect place for meetings and family lunches or dinners!

They have a souvenir shop as well! I actually found some nice items here at very reasonable price.

2nd stop – Starbucks Tagaytay. I really like going to this place. How much better can it get – drinking your favorite coffee, with great company and with the spectacular view of Taal Lake! I love getting my coffee kick in the morning at Starbucks in US and glad that we have them here. Starbucks is definitely different here though - coffee is consumed anytime of the day. Imagine a 24 hours Starbucks in Tagaytay! Wow ... love it!

Enjoying my favorite cup of coffee, having great conversation with friends and the view of Taal lake ... what a life!

In this part of Tagaytay, there's clusters of food places to go. There's Pancake House, Antonio's Grill to name a few. This is the place to go if you want to eat and get to enjoy the view of Taal as well.

3rd stop - Bag of Beans.

On this trip, I rediscovered this beautiful place. I have been here before but never had the chance to go to their coffee/dining area. I just always stopped for their cinnamon rolls (really yummy ...move over cinnabon!) and for some bags of coffee beans. This time, we went to their coffee/dining area to have a little something. The place is naturally beautiful. Nicely set-up in the midst of the well-maintained garden! This is one of the best coffee shop/dining place to stop by when you to Tagaytay.

Entry way to their coffee shop/dining area.

Pa-picture with Azon

Their dining place.

Yummy cheesecake!

4th stop - Mahogany Market and Carinderia.

This got to be the most fun part of this food trip. Sure I love all the places we have been so far - but this one is a riot!! First, we reaaally enjoyed the food - super mega busog kami and at what cost?? Siyempre, carinderia price! I don't exactly remember our exact bill but maybe just a little over 500 pesos (that's a little over $10.) What did we have? If you are in Mendez area of Tagaytay, beef siyempre. So we had bulalo, okoy, fried tawilis, with pineapple, saging and kakanin for dessert! If you are really starved and you are looking for a good place to go in Tagaytay - this is it!! There are clusters of food stalls in typical carinderia setting - so make sure you check out each offerings but almost always, order bulalo - it's their specialty in Mendez.

After dinner since we are already in the market, medyo namalengke na rin kami ng konti.

I know to some this picture may be offensive but hey come on ... this is the Philippines, here you see the real deal. Fish is not just fillet - they have heads and tail :-) Beef is a cow's meat and its got head, feet and tail. This is where hamburger comes from :-)

5th stop - Gourmet Cafe. I'm a regular customer of this place. See my other posts on this place. This is where I buy my coffee beans, fruits, sauces and even some of my planting materials!

We wanted to have another cup of coffee before we end our food trip but unfortunately, their coffee machine is not working that night! They offered to get us some coffee in their restaurant area but we decided that its okay. Bought some of my favorite items to shop in this place and head to our next destination.

Scouting for more planting materials to plant. I bought my calamansi, avocado, santol, makopa, etc. on this place!

6th stop. Abundant Place. It's probably a blessing that we didn't get the chance to have our coffee at Gourmet Cafe. Otherwise, we would have missed this little gem of a place in Silang, Cavite. If you prefer a cocoa kick than a caffeine kick - then you should not miss this place! I have seen this place featured in one of GMA show and I'm really glad we stop by. It was almost 9 pm and I'm worried that they'll be close already but they accommodated us and I have tasted the best palitaw ever served with hot cocoa!

Azon, me and Audrey in the Abundant place. They have a little gift shop where you can buy delicious tablea, and other native products that they actually produce in this place. This beautiful kulambo is made by them. For those who have been in Sonya's place, you probably have seen these products.

7th stop - Loumar stand. According to Azon, this is a popular place to pick-up some pastries for pasalubong. So siyempre pa, maski super busog na - we decided to make a final stop, so we can buy some pasalubong. Of course, it will not be complete kung walang kodak moments. That day, Audrey is so engrossed learning her camera that she wants to take a lot of photos and she used me and Azon as her subjects!! So most of the photos here are courtesy of Audrey.

If anybody needs company for this kind of food trip - just email us :-)

Gourmet Cafe in Cavite

2009-03-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

Bob wants to drive through Tagaytay from our Pugad Lawin Adventure in Batangas, so we did. We stopped by Gourmet Café because Bob wants to buy some local coffee for pasalubong. Gourmet Cafe is owned by Gourmet Farms Inc. Their Refresher's section if I am not mistaken used to be what they call Gourmet's Deli. All the pictures in this blog are taken by Bob.

They have the Refresher's section where you can get your freshly roasted coffee, teas, and freshly organic produce such as romaine lettuce, lolo rossa, green ice lettuce, etc. They are all organically grown in their own farm which is right behind their separate Dining area. If you have time for lunch or dinner, go to their restaurant. If you are just there for a quick coffee stop - then their Refresher's section is perfect.

We tasted several pestos they have (yummy!) Bought several coffee beans in different bean variety. We found a real nice French press (love it and I been using it since then!). Bought several fruits and vegetables and the best mango wines! I still have to taste all their sauces and dressings but so far I can say that their products are one of the best in town!

For balikbayan, this is a highly recommended place to buy some pasalubong. They carry mostly their own products but also carries other Philippine-produced products that you will be proud to carry back with you. Personally for me, their coffee and teas are great pasalubong!

Bob is one of the founding member of Slow Food Las Vegas Chapter (to know more about it visit www.slowfoodlasvegas.org) The mission of Slow Food is to counteract the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in knowing where their food comes from, and how our food choices affect the rest of the world. Slow Food is dedicated to bio-diversity (preservation of food variety) and sustainability (meeting present needs without compromising those of future generations). Also, Slow Food works to support the small farmer, local artisans and preserves cultural food traditions. So for him, this place is very impressive as it is in line with Slow Food’s advocacy.

Gourmet Cafe's Dining area. I have eaten on their dining area several times in the past and I remember being very satisfied with their food. Too bad that day, we already had our lunch.

Behind the dining area is their farm. Most of their produce are sold in high-end restaurants and hotels. They are also available in their Refresher's section.

Bob is very impressed with this place especially after taking the tour in their farm. If you get there before 2 pm – stop by the Refreshers section and asks their staff if you can have a tour in their farm. They have the nicest and friendliest staff. They are all knowledgeable about the products they carry and they provide great customer service!

If you want to know more about this place visit http://www.gourmet.com.ph/farm.html. I found out that they also have a place they call the Sanctuary - a place that offers wholistic retreat but is exclusive to its select clients only. Hmmmm... how do I qualify as a select client???

It doesn't matter :-) Their coffee is one of my primary source of antioxidants!

Cebu trip

2009-03-22T05:02:00.000-07:00

We went to Bohol the week of Sinulog Festival, so I thought it would be nice to visit Cebu as well. I made arrangement for us to take a fast ferry from Bohol to Cebu so we can be there for the grand parade. One has the option to use either OcenJet or Weesam from Tagbilaran, Bohol going to Cebu. If I am not mistaken both have 3 schedule trips every day. Your hotel in Bohol can help make those arrangements for you if you are not on a package tour and travelling on your own. We used the Weesam. The departure schedule was not on time so by the time we got to Cebu it is already 2:00 pm. We were a bit tired and never really get to enjoy much the rest of the day. It was nice to visit Cebu again after maybe 14 years??? The last time, I was there was with my sister, Mimi and we toured Cebu with our church friends. This one is really a short stay - the next day is the parade and we are also scheduled to fly back to Manila in the afternoon.

We stayed at the Cebu Waterfront Hotel and Casino. http://www.waterfronthotels.net/cebu/index.html . It is one of the nicest hotels in Cebu but is not the most convenient hotel to stay if you are there for the Sinulog Parade. For someone who lives in Las Vegas, the hotel is just one of the casino hotels we are used to. For me the only nice thing about the hotel is their nice pool and the kids always enjoy the pool.

Bob never really get to see much of Cebu except for the hotel and the Ayala center downtown. In fact, even the kids mostly stayed in the hotel until we are ready for our flight back to Manila. Bob volunteered to babysit the kids while I and Cherrie explore the town for the Sinulog fest. My sister, Cherrie, enjoyed the Cebu trip because she gets to see local showbiz celebrities who are in town for the Sinulog festival. In fact, quite a lot of them are staying in the same hotel we are in. All in all, I wish I scheduled a separate Cebu trip. It was getting a bit too long for the kids and they are getting a little difficult to handle. We are ready to go home!
While waiting at the Pier in Bohol.
Robby and Bobby at the hotel lobby with a Police Dog.
Sinulog Grand Parade
Robby and Tita Cherrie posing with Raymond Gutierrez, a local celebrity.
Robby and Tita Cherrie with Will, another local celebrity.

Bobby was a little upset because Robby and Tita Cherrie were the only ones having pictures with "celebrities". So I told him, he can pose with a very famous international celebrity ... no other than his Papa, the very famous Bob Morris of Las Vegas! :-) So he happily posed with his dad.

Bohol trip _ Part 2

2009-03-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

Bohol have a lots of things to offer. The highlights of our trip to Bohol are the following:
- Trip to Chocolate Hills
- Trip to Baclayon Church
- Dolphin-watching
- Trip to Balicasag Island
- Meeting a tarsier
- Visit to Bohol Bee Farm
- Most of all, lots of fun together!!

I will just let the pictures do most of the "talking"

Bohol trip - Part 1

2009-03-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

Part 1 - Planning the trip
(This is a late posting but still very relevant to this blog site – content mostly taken from my journal)

It’s been couple months that the kids have not seen their dad, so it is very important to me that when Bob comes here in the Philippines that they really have a lot of fun with Papa. I thought it would be nice to visit Bohol since everybody is talking about how nice Bohol is. I also want to make sure that we get to visit places that we can share to others as a “must-visit place” when they go to the Philippines for vacation.

So Bohol it is. I think I spend a lot of time and effort planning for the trip more than I should really have. I spend lots of times looking at different blogs and travel reviews. Planned for so many activities, talked with lots of people, etc. Can’t blame me, I don’t want to spoil this trip and I am really looking forward to spending good times with Bob and my two little boys. Anyway, here is my tip if you are planning for a trip to the beautiful island of Bohol. Choose the accommodation that fits your budget, and then let the hotel staff make arrangements for you if you want to make those countryside trips. Better yet, if you are comfortable enough to negotiate with the locals, you can do it there, like your boat trips, etc. Make sure you make a stop to Carmen and admire the natural wonder of Chocolate Hills. Of course, come prepared, do your readings so you know what's to see in Bohol, get an idea of the hotel rates then make the necessary decisions.

Here some sites suggestions:

To know more about Bohol - htttp://www.bohol.ph/

We stayed at Alona Tropical Beach Resort. To check on some reviews about this resort:
http://www.virtualtourist.com/hotels/Asia/Philippines/Province_of_Bohol/Bohol-1407609/Hotels_and_Accommodations-Bohol-Alona_Tropical_Beach_Resort-BR-1.html

To visit their website – here’s the link http://www.alona-tropical.com/

Do I recommend the place – absolutely! Good value for the money. You may want to start exploring the local restaurant in the neighborhood to find a better deal for your meals (and better food!) especially if you are staying for couple of days in Bohol.

My best recommendation – enjoy the place by enjoying your moments together!

I normally don't show picture of me without makeup but this pic of our Bohol trip is so cute not to share! :-) It captures the essence of my best recommendation.

Next post .... Our Bohol trip activities!

Bicol road trip - Part 3

2009-03-18T03:58:00.000-07:00

After losing the car key and driving the car in the ditch, I have enough adventure for the day. We just relaxed for the rest of the night, talked with neighborhood people (who in a lot of ways are my mom’s relatives!). Decided to buy them some “bubbles” (beer) as my treat for helping me get my dear car out of the ditch :-) Lots of laughing and reminiscing – they tease me no end on how I used to be like Gretchen Baretto in figure and now I am more like Nadia Montenegro (sorry guys if you don’t know the celebrity gossip mill in the Phils!).

The following day, our plan is that we will go for boating trip. Stop by the tiny island for a swim. Then, head to Manila.

Well, the next day we have a late start as Audrey and Bobby were sleeping like a log. Anyway, it was an interesting boat drive. Love the tiny island we went to!! It was so like a commercial ad – seeing Audrey use her cell phone in the middle of a tiny island!! Attention, Smart and Sun!! Great signal in there!

We left Bacacay, almost 3pm. Our conversation in the car turned to Pinangat and boy… did we crave for it. We are almost in Ligao, I told Audrey to make a stop in my Ate Marie’s place in Ligao, Albay and maybe we can stop by the market to buy a pinangat! It’s been awhile since I last seen my Ate Marie so I am no longer familiar with her place. But in the province, it is easy to look for people – just asked around. Sure enough we found her and she made us a nice dinner before heading back to Manila.

Loooong drive …. A bit scarier this time kasi it seems like we are the only one driving in the road! Kinda spooky …. but we made it in Batangas around 3 am. We slept for awhile then head to Cavite. I need to leave all my planting materials in Batangas for planting (one other major reason that made me decide to go to Bicol is to get some plants native to Bicol).

Next roadtrip ... next adventure ??? Hmmm…

Me with the other kids who joined us in our banca (pumpboat) ride.

Bobby and Me in this tiny and charming island called Bugias. It is probably just 30 sq.m island in its entirety!

This is part of the development in Misibis Resort

Cable ride in Bacacay??

Bobby with the Bacacay kids. Hmmm... can you spot Bobby?

Bobby and Audrey with the majestic Mayon Volcano in the background.

Me, Bobby with Ate Marie's family in Ligao, Albay. Yea! We enjoyed the pinangat. According to Ate Marie - the best place to get them is in Camalig, Albay.

Bicol road trip - Part 2

2009-03-18T03:23:00.000-07:00

We head to Albay. Decided to stop by Tabaco to have lunch. Well, on our way back to the car, I can’t find my car keys! Audrey went back to the car and lo and behold the key is left inside the car. I approach the police officer for help and he pointed me to the guy nearby who do key duplicates. I approach him and told him that the police officer said he can help me. He went with us and in less than 10 minutes, he got the car opened! (I love the Philippines!) I paid him 300 pesos ($6.50). We wave at the police officer as we pass by him as we drive to Tobaco.

The adventure did not end there. We made it to Bacacay, my mom’s hometown. As I drive through the coconut field, down I went to the lubluban ng kalabaw!! I did not notice it! I know it did damage my car ( it’s a 13 years old car-so it is not that heart-breaking) but I can’t help but laugh at the incident. What made it funnier were how all the people there laugh about the situation. More amusing is how they manage to pull my dear car out of the ditch. See pictures! (I love the Philippines!)

My BFF's birthday at Pugad Lawin adventure camp

2009-03-18T01:35:00.000-07:00

To borrow an internet and text slang abbreviation – best friend forever or best female friend or simply BFF. Mela is a very, very dear friend. She’s been my classmate since grade school. Though I am not in the same class with her, we spend a lot of times together in high school. I always joked that I never wanted to be in the same class with her as I never get to be the class president! By being in another section, I get to become a class president myself just like her. We briefly went to the same school in college, in fact both in UST and PWU! We’ve became even closer when she invited me to our prayer community, that turned out to be our PCF (prayer community forever)! I am ninang to her son, Aimyel and she is to my son, Robby. Her husband, IS, Bobby's ninong, is one of the nicest person I know (we don’t exactly like each other at first – but that’s another story) :-)! All I can say is that it is a blessing to have them as friends forever. Anyway, Mela decided that for her 40 something bday last Jan. 10 that she will celebrate it differently – via doing some “adventures”. So on her birthday – off we go to Pugad Lawin adventure camp.

The trip going there is adventure by itself! Well, actually there is a better road but the route we took has a very bad and narrow road (and kinda spooky). We passed through a pretty remote small town in Batangas and it was a little scary because it was just after the rain so it was a real dirt road! We finally got there and the adventures continue ….

Mavic, Mela and Me (High School Batch '82) naahh .. we don't look like we just graduated from high school, right? We do???

Day 1 continues ….
We had our lunch first, got settled on our camp site and got ready for our hiking/trekking activity. After series of ilog and slippery rocks along the way, we finally got to Ambon-Ambon falls. Siyempre pa Kodak-an, then we went to the Simbahan na Bato, then came back to the campsite for our merienda. Afterwards,rock-climbing activity! Ouch, broke my nails but it was lots of fun! Ang mga lola ng rock-climbing!! After dinner, we spend the night over a bon fire; and singing our heart out loud like crazy! We can’t even get our lyrics straight! After midnight, we finally decide na oras na para magpatulog.

Trekking to Ambon-Ambon falls

Si Lola Gigi nag-rock climbing!

Day 2
Breakfast first then adventure activities for the day are rappelling and mud sliding. Again, we had a lot of fun! At least we can all look back few years from now and said we have done these adventures!
Good place to go for big families – good family bonding time. Okay din for reunions – that way you can still challenge each other :-)

The Mud Slide

Mavic starts the Rapelling (zip line) adventure

For more info about the place – visit their website

http://www.pugadlawin.com.ph/main.php

Bicol road trip - Part 1

2009-03-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

My husband is doing a volunteer work at Lebanon and he said that it will be some sort of a “last hurrah” for him before me and the kids go back to Las Vegas after almost 8 months of stay here in the Philippines. So that kinda gave me an idea – need to have my “last hurrah” as well! Audrey, my road trip buddy, have been “bugging” me to make a road trip to Bicol. So after I got some encouragement from Bob, I texted Audrey that it’s a go. I decided that Bobby is old enough to go with us – a little bonding time as well with us since Audrey is his ninang. So…Bicol here we come!

Day 1. We left at about 2:30 am (Audrey arrived around 1:30 am in Cavite). We thought it would be nice to drive while Bobby is still sleeping that way he doesn’t get bored on the trip. We got to Naga at 10:15 am. Stopped by at McDonald’s for a coffee and while we are having our breakfast, we saw the parking officer trying about to tow our car!! Well, it turned out that we are parked illegally. Audrey using her charm, talked her way out and explained that we are not from there and that we are Governor Villafuerte’s guests (well, we are in a way, right??). He gave in and said we need to get the car out right away (I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES!) Mind you … no lagay – just purely lambing and pakiusap from Audrey.

By 11 am we are at already at CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC) – they let us check-in early and into our room. We stayed in a nice cabana and to Bobby’s delight, there’s cable and Cartoon Network! We just rested for awhile and went to the cable park right away.

We decided to register Bobby first, medyo natakot at nahiya pa kami ni Audrey mag-try (si Bobby pa ang ginawang guinea pig!). They start you with kneeboarding – Bobby did a good job on his first try and tried the second time. Then there’s a kid there actually doing wakeboarding and he said that he wants to do it standing up too! So the third time he tried wakeboarding and fell down his board not far from where he took off. Of course, he cried and throws some tantrums (he was frustrated not being able to do it). After some explaining to him that it is only his third try and the other kid there have done it lots and lots of times. He settles down and he said – he’ll try again tomorrow.

Went back to the cabana and took some well-deserve nap and went back to the cable park to have our dinner in the restaurant.

Bobby getting instructions on kneeboarding in Tagalog!

Day 2
No more excuses, we need to try it and show Bobby that it’s okay to fall down. Off we went to the cable park, register and get geared up. Audrey tried it first, she fell down right away and told Bobby, see.. okay lang mahulog, we kinda showed him okay lang to laugh at yourself (maski sa totoo lang, nakakahiya!!). Bobby tried again and this time, he realized he can only do kneeboarding – so he settled for it. I tried it out myself – it was lots of fun!!! I can see why to some it can be a great water sports activity. I told myself that definitely, there’s going to be a next time. Hopefully with Bob and Robby next time. When we feel that we have enough pictures already then we went for a little swim and get ready for the next leg of our trip.

Bobby with Ninang Audrey

Yipee!!Trying it out myself.

Me with Bobby in CWC

CALABARZON road trip

2009-03-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

I proudly can say, I have a new hobby (not hubby!)! But my hubby is wondering what’s happening to me!! I am now fond of seeing things grow big. Okay, before your mind starts to think of something else – I meant planting, seeing plant grows. This started when my sister and I bought ( okay.. with our husband’s money) our little farm lot in Batangas. Then, I started joining and networking with farming-related e-groups. Before I know it, I have already been to different places to buy planting materials and supplies. One member of the group I joined said I can get some Mangosteen plant materials from him (his name is Rocky) but his farm is in Tanay, Rizal. I have mentioned it to my friend Audrey and she said she’ll go with me! We have not seen each other for awhile, so we decided we’ll go for a drive and we can stop by Liliw, Laguna ( I want to buy some shoes from there as well!) then we can stop by our little farm.

Traffic!!! Driving to Manila can drive you nuts because of traffic. But I was prepared, I got bananas, snacks and drinks in the car and have this crazy radio show to listen to keep me busy and laughing. I finally got close to where I am suppose to pick Audrey up … pero as expected I made a wrong turn and ended up on wrong place. So balik na naman and finally saw where Audrey is. When I picked her she said that I have to make a U-turn right. I hesitated since medyo alanganin na but she said to do it and as I was about ready to turn – we saw an MMDA (traffic enforcer) pointing at us and Audrey said go drive fast!! Well, I did and thank goodness, they did not run after us!! (I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES!) Now, you know why Audrey is a bad influence . This is her forte, running away from traffic enforcer …shhhh… it’s a secret!

We made it to Rocky’s farm (very nice place!) got my planting materials and proceeded with what turned out to be a CALABARZON road trip for us!! From Rizal, we drove to Laguna, then pass through Quezon (where we saw the road sign TO BICOL – seeing this sign made us think of doing a Bicol roadtrip!), spend the night in our place in Batangas.

Me somewhere in Rizal (we just made a stop to take a picture)

Audrey somewhere in Laguna.

The following day, we are ready to go back to Cavite. We took the Talisay road so we have the view of Taal Volcano from the bottom and drive up the upland Tagaytay. It was exhausting but lots of fun!! We capped our trip with a nice relaxing stop at Starbucks in Tagaytay, with the nice view of Taal Volcano, this time from the top of the mountain.

Audrey and Me in our "farm"

Taal Volcano different view - picture above taken in Laurel, Batangas level with Taal; picture below taken from upland Tagaytay in Cavite-overseeing Taal.

Why "I love the Philippines?"

2009-03-17T16:35:00.000-07:00

How do I love thee? Let me count thy ways .... I am not about to write a litany of why I love the Philippines yet :-) Well...sort of ... What I am about to write is to share with you that the inspiration of the title "I love the Philippines" did not come from me but from Bob. My blog link is actually "MyBoblovesthePhilippines". Bob of course, is my hubby, honey, sweetey, etc. That line did not come from me but from him. But that line got me to start this blog... here goes...

Since we did not travel and enter the Philippines together, Bob can only stay 21 days* and need to get an extension visa. So we schedule to go to Manila to do it (we stay in Cavite) and plan to go to Divisoria and Raon as well. We decided that it is going to be a "like a local" day for us. Since parking will be tough on the places we intend to go, we are taking public transportation. First stop, his visa extension. As expected there were a lot of applicants, but in fairness, it was well organized with clear instructions on what to do and an "information desk". I came prepared and have read from the website the procedures on visa extension - so I know that for an additional fee they can do express processing and we intend to avail of it. I asked one personnel that I want express processing and he smiled and said something like, "ma'am, if you want we can do super express processing". To which, I replied, "that I like!" He stood up, talked to me quietly and using his celphone to compute the entire fee - he showed me a total with an additional 500 pesos for the "super express" service. I asked him how long and he said just 10 to 15 minutes. I even haggle for the extra few pesos so we can just round them off. He said fine and I told him, "let's do it".

All the time, I am negotiating with this personnel, Bob just sat down and was observing me. When, I sat down beside him, he said "a VIP treatment?" I smiles and said "yes". Less than 15 minutes, the guy came over, handed me Bob's passport with his extension visa, certification and receipt and courteously said, thank you. We left the office, and Bob asked me all about the "negotiating" and I told him all about it, and he laughed and said, "I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES!"

Now before you raised your eyebrow and say something like, but isn't the above incident just showed how corrupt it is here in the Philippines? Stop for a moment and reflect :-) I have had the privileged to travel for work on other countries so I can make comparisons and say that corruptions of different forms happen everywhere. But what is really considered corruption? Corruption means the abuse of a public office for personal gain or other illegal or immoral benefit. Political corruption is a recognized criminal offense, along with bribery, extortion, and embezzlement – three illegal acts often associated with corruption in office. I read the news regularly and I can really point out "corruption" in its technical term but I refuse to classify the incident as "corruption". Read further before you argue ...

I'm sure the guy split the 500 pesos with the others who helped him do the "super express" processing, he probably even bought a merienda(snacks) for everyone to share. I don't know, I don't need to know. What I know is we benefited from it! The extra pesos are nothing compared to the inconveniences we have to go through if we still need to go back or wait for couple of hours. In economics, think about the concept of opportunity costs and you can easily grasp the value of the time you save by shelling out the extra pesos. In customer service management; would you rather have a rigid rules to follow and implement or you want a flexibility in rules and implementations to provide a better customer service? For me, I can look at it as bending the rules to provide a better customer service.

Yes, think about it - we travel and stay in hotel and the porter carry our bags and we hand them a tip. We eat and dine and we leave our servers a tip, a much bigger one if we are happy with the service rendered to us. We go shop and do our grocery and if we get a carry-out help, we hand them a tip. The way I looked at it we went there for a service, we were served, we accomplished our goal in very little time. It is no different when you buy something on the internet, if you need it badly, you pay for overnight shipping which in a lot of ways can cost you an arm or leg!

Don't get me wrong - I am not justifying neither am I condemning the practice. What I am pointing out here is, this things happen and it happens not just here in the Philippines. Let's not try to be naive about it - so why be hard on dear Philippines? One of the things I learned from my husband is learning how to look at things or situations differently. We can focus on the negativity of the event or we can look at its positive side. We can complain about it or laugh about it? You can look at the said incident and hate the Philippines or you can look at it and say, I love the Philippines! Your choice ....

In the next series of blog I will punctuate incidents that I feel makes Philippines endearing - just so next time you see them, you know the reason for the line "I love the Philippines!"
Source:
*Nationals from some countries (USA is one of them) are allowed to enter the Philippines without visas for a stay not exceeding twenty-one (21) days.
http://immigration.gov.ph//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=37

*http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-corruption.htm