Leaving on a jet plane...and other news
So, I've decided to leave for the Philippines (PI) on the Ides of March. I've always thought the Ides was a cool, special day, so why not fly then? Etu Brute?
I"ll be gone from March 15 - March 24. That should be enough time to be hospitalized...and enough time for shopping :-)
I've been learning what I can, little by little, about traveling in the PI. I shouldn't go any place without toting my own toilet tissue or kleenex, or even better, baby wipes. Apparently, cars and everything are fueled by diesel, and that leaves everything in a black mess...your clothes, your face, your nose, etc... And also, it seems toilet tissue is never provided in restrooms, so bringing TP is a must.
I also learned that I should exchange at least $20 US into Pesos here on Guam prior to leaving, so that I have a little money to tip and stuff initially. Then, when there, I can exchange the rest of my money, as the exchange rate is better. I learned that shopping is a must, and that I will fall so much in love with shopping that I will be singing praises upon return to Guam about how cheap everything is there. This is something I look forward to :-) I've been finding it hard to find a certain Filipino snack here on Guam, and I'll be buying loads of it.
Safety is something I need to be concerned about. I should only drink bottled water. I should only use the "hotel taxi" as any other mode of transportation is risky. I shouldn't walk out in the streets as much as possible, and just take the hotel taxi everywhere. When in the taxi, I should lock my door, roll-up the window...so air-con taxis are a must.
I also must ignore and not give to the needy population, which are mostly kids. Apparently, if I give to one little kid, they will run and fetch a thousand more, who will also be expecting money, and they will chase until money is given. The magic phrase that I should say to reject them: "Walang Pera" - "No money". It reminds me of Bali - you can't even entertain the sales-people on the street - you know, the ones wanting to sell you "rolex" watches - the minute you show one bit of interest, they think you automatically mean to buy, and they won't leave you alone until you do. They will also chase you down.
So, I've got to be careful back there. And I need to teach my mom about these rules too, as she will be alone for some time, while I'm isolated in the hospital. I'm scared mom will be so bored by herself that she'll wander about alone and someone will take advantage of her.
I'm getting a little bit of a head-start on my trip though. My coworker just left for the PI today, and I asked him to buy me a sim-card for my phone (a tri-band phone...whee!!), and a pre-paid load, so that when I get there, my cell phone is set for mom to use when I'm admitted (and the familia will have a phone number ready for which to call us). Apparently, cell phones and cell phone essentials are hella-cheap. Even sending text messages within the PI is cheap. Sending text messages to Guam is a little bit more costly, but not the 25 cents it takes to message from Guam to there.
I also look forward to shopping for "pasolubong" (sp?). It's like the Filipino equivalent of Japanese "omiyagi". It's gifts for the peeps at home to enjoy. And I'm already asking for wish lists, provided I'm told where to go get things. So...if you need something back there, just let me know. I'll try my best to get it :-)
=================== IN OTHER NEWS... =======================
If you know me, you know I don't do clubs and the like. Well, my coworkers do clubs. And they love to go out. And after many invites to such places, I finally accepted and went.
My first club experience was at the Globe on Saturday night. We changed clothes at work (yes, we were working the 3-11 shift, but still went out after work), and I drove everyone over to the Globe. Of course, I don't know where anything is in Tumon, so they gladly navigated. It turns out Saturday night was some sort of country music night, and there were statesiders galore. I felt like a midget in the land of the giants. Even the ladies were taller than me. And the place was full of square-dancing folk. The music was definitely unbecoming for us, so we stayed long enough only for a round of drinks, then quickly left.
My second club (and last, due to time constraints - we had to work the next day) of the night was a new place called Club Pash. That was more to my liking. The music was a Hit Radio 100 DJ production, and it was mostly good. Lots of popular dance songs were played, and surpisingly some 808 songs - which I must find on the internet as soon as I find their names. They played some dance-hall music, some hip-hop, some weird remixes. It was a rather small place, but maybe that's because the dance floor took up half the space. Seating was limited, I thought, but the furniture was a fun modern-retro mix. It was really cold in there though. The air-con seemed to be on full-blast.
I saw Lani and Michelle there, and I tried to wave to them, but I don't think they saw me :-( Lots of people were there, a good mix of locals and statesiders. The statesiders were kind of too wild for me - a small group of them had their own little private party going on, complete with reciprocating lap dances. It was entertaining to watch :P
I even got up to dance a couple of times, although I don't know how to dance for shit...and it was fun. The lights in there were kind of intense...almost seizure provoking, but interesting still.
I went home with my body aching, clothes smelling of smoke, but with a new experience under my belt. I don't think I'll be hitting the clubs on a regular basis, but I know now that it can be fun.
I"ll be gone from March 15 - March 24. That should be enough time to be hospitalized...and enough time for shopping :-)
I've been learning what I can, little by little, about traveling in the PI. I shouldn't go any place without toting my own toilet tissue or kleenex, or even better, baby wipes. Apparently, cars and everything are fueled by diesel, and that leaves everything in a black mess...your clothes, your face, your nose, etc... And also, it seems toilet tissue is never provided in restrooms, so bringing TP is a must.
I also learned that I should exchange at least $20 US into Pesos here on Guam prior to leaving, so that I have a little money to tip and stuff initially. Then, when there, I can exchange the rest of my money, as the exchange rate is better. I learned that shopping is a must, and that I will fall so much in love with shopping that I will be singing praises upon return to Guam about how cheap everything is there. This is something I look forward to :-) I've been finding it hard to find a certain Filipino snack here on Guam, and I'll be buying loads of it.
Safety is something I need to be concerned about. I should only drink bottled water. I should only use the "hotel taxi" as any other mode of transportation is risky. I shouldn't walk out in the streets as much as possible, and just take the hotel taxi everywhere. When in the taxi, I should lock my door, roll-up the window...so air-con taxis are a must.
I also must ignore and not give to the needy population, which are mostly kids. Apparently, if I give to one little kid, they will run and fetch a thousand more, who will also be expecting money, and they will chase until money is given. The magic phrase that I should say to reject them: "Walang Pera" - "No money". It reminds me of Bali - you can't even entertain the sales-people on the street - you know, the ones wanting to sell you "rolex" watches - the minute you show one bit of interest, they think you automatically mean to buy, and they won't leave you alone until you do. They will also chase you down.
So, I've got to be careful back there. And I need to teach my mom about these rules too, as she will be alone for some time, while I'm isolated in the hospital. I'm scared mom will be so bored by herself that she'll wander about alone and someone will take advantage of her.
I'm getting a little bit of a head-start on my trip though. My coworker just left for the PI today, and I asked him to buy me a sim-card for my phone (a tri-band phone...whee!!), and a pre-paid load, so that when I get there, my cell phone is set for mom to use when I'm admitted (and the familia will have a phone number ready for which to call us). Apparently, cell phones and cell phone essentials are hella-cheap. Even sending text messages within the PI is cheap. Sending text messages to Guam is a little bit more costly, but not the 25 cents it takes to message from Guam to there.
I also look forward to shopping for "pasolubong" (sp?). It's like the Filipino equivalent of Japanese "omiyagi". It's gifts for the peeps at home to enjoy. And I'm already asking for wish lists, provided I'm told where to go get things. So...if you need something back there, just let me know. I'll try my best to get it :-)
=================== IN OTHER NEWS... =======================
If you know me, you know I don't do clubs and the like. Well, my coworkers do clubs. And they love to go out. And after many invites to such places, I finally accepted and went.
My first club experience was at the Globe on Saturday night. We changed clothes at work (yes, we were working the 3-11 shift, but still went out after work), and I drove everyone over to the Globe. Of course, I don't know where anything is in Tumon, so they gladly navigated. It turns out Saturday night was some sort of country music night, and there were statesiders galore. I felt like a midget in the land of the giants. Even the ladies were taller than me. And the place was full of square-dancing folk. The music was definitely unbecoming for us, so we stayed long enough only for a round of drinks, then quickly left.
My second club (and last, due to time constraints - we had to work the next day) of the night was a new place called Club Pash. That was more to my liking. The music was a Hit Radio 100 DJ production, and it was mostly good. Lots of popular dance songs were played, and surpisingly some 808 songs - which I must find on the internet as soon as I find their names. They played some dance-hall music, some hip-hop, some weird remixes. It was a rather small place, but maybe that's because the dance floor took up half the space. Seating was limited, I thought, but the furniture was a fun modern-retro mix. It was really cold in there though. The air-con seemed to be on full-blast.
I saw Lani and Michelle there, and I tried to wave to them, but I don't think they saw me :-( Lots of people were there, a good mix of locals and statesiders. The statesiders were kind of too wild for me - a small group of them had their own little private party going on, complete with reciprocating lap dances. It was entertaining to watch :P
I even got up to dance a couple of times, although I don't know how to dance for shit...and it was fun. The lights in there were kind of intense...almost seizure provoking, but interesting still.
I went home with my body aching, clothes smelling of smoke, but with a new experience under my belt. I don't think I'll be hitting the clubs on a regular basis, but I know now that it can be fun.
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