The severe typhoon "Milenyo" passed through the South of Luzon on through Metro Manila northward. Peter, Aunty Prossy and I were fortunate that we had left Manila on Wednesday experiencing some on and off rain showers in Bacolod. Due to the heavy rains, we did not get to tour around the main town of Bacolod. The most convenient place for us to go to was the mall - Robinsons (SM Mall is still under construction and will soon open this December). Aunty had her hair colored on Thursday since we had to cancel our appointment with a friend to tour the Sugar Mill in Victorias. Peter was still recuperating from the colds so he just hung out in the hotel while we were malling.
That Thursday night news of the destruction in Manila and the neighboring cities and towns caused by "milenyo" were all over the TV news coverage. I was getting a bit worried that my parents and brother will not be able to fly out to Bacolod for the wedding. I tried contacting them through the cell and the land line and all three phones weren't picking up or was busy. I was already imagining things but was hopeful that all was well. Later that night I tried calling again and visualized that my dad answered and thank God, he did. My worries quickly disappeared. The airport had resumed flights that afternoon and they were sure to fly out the next day. Thank God for that. I was able to sleep well that night.
By next morning the Sun came out and dried out all the rain and the wet roads. Peter and I went to McDonald's hoping to try their McCafe only to find out they weren't open that early. We had their regular pancakes instead. After breakfast we walked back to the hotel. At least even though it was just a short walk we got to experience Bacolod without the rains. We packed up and checked out of the hotel around 9 a.m. then took the shuttle to the Palmas Del Mar hotel where the wedding was going to be held.
Palmas Del Mar is a resort hotel near the ocean and right behind the airport. They have cabanas, function rooms, huts, swimming pools, etc. My family and I were given a 4 bed cabana and a connecting door to my brother, Aunty Prossy and Uncle Romy's cabana. Most of the guests of my cousin's wedding, most specially the out of town guests, stayed there. It was very convenient for all us, logistics-wise.
The day of the wedding the weather was a bit overcast and humid. It rained in the late morning but thankfully stopped just in time for the wedding preparations and set-up to start. The family and relatives had a leisurely time spent eating and talking story with one another. By 2:30 pm the pictorials began. And by 4 p.m. the wedding ceremony started. My parents, my Aunty Prossy and Uncle Romy were just 2 couples out of the 10 pairs of Principal Sponsors for the wedding. My brother was one of the Groomsmen. Peter and I, fortunately, were just guests/photogaphers.
The ceremony was held outside in the resort's garden with a raised stage and tent decorated with lovely pink and blue flowers. The guests and the bridal entourage faced west toward the stage. It was beautifully decorated and the twinkly string of lights hung on tree branches added to the romantic effect. The bride was radiant. As she walked down the aisle butterflies were released alongside of her providing an awesome feeling of life and beauty. That was the first time I saw anything like that. It was one of those "wow" experiences.
The whole ceremony took place in an hour and a half with the releasing of the wedding doves right there on the garden just before they began the picture taking session. Afterwhich we were all directed to the cocktail area for drinks and pupus before the dinner reception. I snuck out after the picture taking and walked with sore feet back to our room to change shoes (from balck pumps to chocolate crocs) and change outfit (from Ladie's Barong blouse to an all black attire with turquoise blue shawl). I wasn't comfortable wearing the pumps because there was never an occasion for me to use them in Hawaii. Luckily I was just a guest and I could wear anything comfortable as long as it's presentable. I managed to escape Aunty's criciticism about my attire but not the glare! Anyway, Peter, my brother and I were assigned to the table with my two other cousins, Franz and Pinky, along with their escorts and two other cousins from their mother's side. The food was good but my eyes just got too big that I ended up getting so much and leaving most of it uneaten.
The program for the reception included the Couple's first dance, the cutting of the cake, the garter fun (where the single men rushes to put the garter through their body and pass it on to the next), the bouquet fun (where ribbons were attached at the end of the bouquet and each single lady holds one and at the count of three pulls their ribbon and whoever gets the one that is firmly attached to the bouquet is supposedly the next bride), the "how well do you know the couple" game, the toast by the best man, the message from the Groom's Dad and the Bride's Mom, the picture taking of guests and couple per table, and well wishes from the guests. My brother had a great message for the couple, it goes: Love is not a Word but a Sentence. It's a Life Sentence. But I hope that you serve that Sentence well! I commented that it was one of the good messages I have heard at a wedding. And he responded by saying, he had to research on wedding messages because he was a best man at a recent wedding in Huangzhou, China.
Everything ended at around 9 p.m. Most of us went back to our respective rooms and started packing. Our relatives that came from Dipolog whom we haven't seen yet hung out outside our cabanas for some dessert and fruit and beer and water. My parents and their cousins talked story for a long time. Peter and I and my brother were so tired that we slept early.
This morning my mom and Aunty Prossy left to buy more fruits for breakfast. They came back with one Durian, 2 Marang, 6 Atis (sweetsop), 1 small oblong watermelon, 1 Kilo of Lanzones, and Rambutan. YUM!
By 9 a.m. our cab came and brought us to the airport. We were there a half hour before the waiting area and gates were open. We had 4 checked baggage (our bag had a long umbrella attached to it (because we heard we couldn't hand carry it). Boarding was a little late, about 10:50 a.m. The flight was only 55 minutes.
THE STORY OF THE LOST LUGGAGE
We arrived NAIA a little after 12 noon. Got off the tarmac and straight on to the shuttle bus. At the baggage claim we waited for our four baggages. Three came but our (Peter and my) bag was nowhere to be found. We waited and waited until we were directed to the PAL office. There was a crowd of people getting their confiscated items and looking for their lost items and baggage. One particular person, a Mestizo Filipino, was getting so irate because the airlines had lost his "Truffle Oil" which was very expensive. At the same time a Japanese couple were waiting for their lost luggage, their situation was not good because they had a connecting flight which was soon to leave. Then there we were puzzled as to how a small airport could loose a luggage that was supposed to be for the only flight in the morning. The person helping us tried to contact the Bacolod PAL office to check but no one was answering, even on their hotline, on that end. He said that they will send a telex to inform them of the lost luggage. We gave him the description of the luggage and our contact information so they can deliver the bag when found. We waited a bit and finally we just left to leave them to do their job. The Mestizo Filipino with the lost oil was still there and just couldn't get any answers from these PAL representatives - poor thing, I wonder how much that Truffle Oil cost, I guess it was so expensive that he'd rather take the risk and put it in his hand carry and be confiscated than pack it inside his checked luggage. Oh, well, that's the price he paid for the choice he made.
While on our way to Lagro I texted my cousins in Bacolod telling them about our situation. They informed me that they will look into it. Anyway, we arrived Lagro at around 2:30 p.m. While eating I received a call from my new cousin-in law, Lou Jeane, that they have found our luggage and talked to the personnel there to make sure it made the 7:05 p.m. flight tonight. She said that her brother, Ramon, who did the inquiry almost wanted to scold the people at PAL but decided not to. It was a good thing I think because if you scold them they might just react a different way instead of the way you wanted them to react. Now happy to hear that our luggage has been found, Peter called that PAL office and asked them if they had any luck - no luck, they said. When Peter told them that we located the bag they were surprised and asked how we did it, Peter's answer was, "cellphone technology, we are in the 21st century". We deduced that PAL, eventhough it is owned by one of the Filipino Chinese billionaires, Lucio Tan, aren't given the correct resources to be up-to-date. They still operate on landlines and no cellphone contacts at all. How ancient! Well, Peter will continue to call them until that bag is delivered tomorrow morning.
So that's the saga of our lost luggage. Hmmmm....I wonder if that guy did find his lost oil? I checked the internet only to find out that the oil doesn't really cost that much, well, maybe if it's really from a rare variety of truffle.
That Thursday night news of the destruction in Manila and the neighboring cities and towns caused by "milenyo" were all over the TV news coverage. I was getting a bit worried that my parents and brother will not be able to fly out to Bacolod for the wedding. I tried contacting them through the cell and the land line and all three phones weren't picking up or was busy. I was already imagining things but was hopeful that all was well. Later that night I tried calling again and visualized that my dad answered and thank God, he did. My worries quickly disappeared. The airport had resumed flights that afternoon and they were sure to fly out the next day. Thank God for that. I was able to sleep well that night.
By next morning the Sun came out and dried out all the rain and the wet roads. Peter and I went to McDonald's hoping to try their McCafe only to find out they weren't open that early. We had their regular pancakes instead. After breakfast we walked back to the hotel. At least even though it was just a short walk we got to experience Bacolod without the rains. We packed up and checked out of the hotel around 9 a.m. then took the shuttle to the Palmas Del Mar hotel where the wedding was going to be held.
Palmas Del Mar is a resort hotel near the ocean and right behind the airport. They have cabanas, function rooms, huts, swimming pools, etc. My family and I were given a 4 bed cabana and a connecting door to my brother, Aunty Prossy and Uncle Romy's cabana. Most of the guests of my cousin's wedding, most specially the out of town guests, stayed there. It was very convenient for all us, logistics-wise.
The day of the wedding the weather was a bit overcast and humid. It rained in the late morning but thankfully stopped just in time for the wedding preparations and set-up to start. The family and relatives had a leisurely time spent eating and talking story with one another. By 2:30 pm the pictorials began. And by 4 p.m. the wedding ceremony started. My parents, my Aunty Prossy and Uncle Romy were just 2 couples out of the 10 pairs of Principal Sponsors for the wedding. My brother was one of the Groomsmen. Peter and I, fortunately, were just guests/photogaphers.
The ceremony was held outside in the resort's garden with a raised stage and tent decorated with lovely pink and blue flowers. The guests and the bridal entourage faced west toward the stage. It was beautifully decorated and the twinkly string of lights hung on tree branches added to the romantic effect. The bride was radiant. As she walked down the aisle butterflies were released alongside of her providing an awesome feeling of life and beauty. That was the first time I saw anything like that. It was one of those "wow" experiences.
The whole ceremony took place in an hour and a half with the releasing of the wedding doves right there on the garden just before they began the picture taking session. Afterwhich we were all directed to the cocktail area for drinks and pupus before the dinner reception. I snuck out after the picture taking and walked with sore feet back to our room to change shoes (from balck pumps to chocolate crocs) and change outfit (from Ladie's Barong blouse to an all black attire with turquoise blue shawl). I wasn't comfortable wearing the pumps because there was never an occasion for me to use them in Hawaii. Luckily I was just a guest and I could wear anything comfortable as long as it's presentable. I managed to escape Aunty's criciticism about my attire but not the glare! Anyway, Peter, my brother and I were assigned to the table with my two other cousins, Franz and Pinky, along with their escorts and two other cousins from their mother's side. The food was good but my eyes just got too big that I ended up getting so much and leaving most of it uneaten.
The program for the reception included the Couple's first dance, the cutting of the cake, the garter fun (where the single men rushes to put the garter through their body and pass it on to the next), the bouquet fun (where ribbons were attached at the end of the bouquet and each single lady holds one and at the count of three pulls their ribbon and whoever gets the one that is firmly attached to the bouquet is supposedly the next bride), the "how well do you know the couple" game, the toast by the best man, the message from the Groom's Dad and the Bride's Mom, the picture taking of guests and couple per table, and well wishes from the guests. My brother had a great message for the couple, it goes: Love is not a Word but a Sentence. It's a Life Sentence. But I hope that you serve that Sentence well! I commented that it was one of the good messages I have heard at a wedding. And he responded by saying, he had to research on wedding messages because he was a best man at a recent wedding in Huangzhou, China.
Everything ended at around 9 p.m. Most of us went back to our respective rooms and started packing. Our relatives that came from Dipolog whom we haven't seen yet hung out outside our cabanas for some dessert and fruit and beer and water. My parents and their cousins talked story for a long time. Peter and I and my brother were so tired that we slept early.
This morning my mom and Aunty Prossy left to buy more fruits for breakfast. They came back with one Durian, 2 Marang, 6 Atis (sweetsop), 1 small oblong watermelon, 1 Kilo of Lanzones, and Rambutan. YUM!
By 9 a.m. our cab came and brought us to the airport. We were there a half hour before the waiting area and gates were open. We had 4 checked baggage (our bag had a long umbrella attached to it (because we heard we couldn't hand carry it). Boarding was a little late, about 10:50 a.m. The flight was only 55 minutes.
THE STORY OF THE LOST LUGGAGE
We arrived NAIA a little after 12 noon. Got off the tarmac and straight on to the shuttle bus. At the baggage claim we waited for our four baggages. Three came but our (Peter and my) bag was nowhere to be found. We waited and waited until we were directed to the PAL office. There was a crowd of people getting their confiscated items and looking for their lost items and baggage. One particular person, a Mestizo Filipino, was getting so irate because the airlines had lost his "Truffle Oil" which was very expensive. At the same time a Japanese couple were waiting for their lost luggage, their situation was not good because they had a connecting flight which was soon to leave. Then there we were puzzled as to how a small airport could loose a luggage that was supposed to be for the only flight in the morning. The person helping us tried to contact the Bacolod PAL office to check but no one was answering, even on their hotline, on that end. He said that they will send a telex to inform them of the lost luggage. We gave him the description of the luggage and our contact information so they can deliver the bag when found. We waited a bit and finally we just left to leave them to do their job. The Mestizo Filipino with the lost oil was still there and just couldn't get any answers from these PAL representatives - poor thing, I wonder how much that Truffle Oil cost, I guess it was so expensive that he'd rather take the risk and put it in his hand carry and be confiscated than pack it inside his checked luggage. Oh, well, that's the price he paid for the choice he made.
While on our way to Lagro I texted my cousins in Bacolod telling them about our situation. They informed me that they will look into it. Anyway, we arrived Lagro at around 2:30 p.m. While eating I received a call from my new cousin-in law, Lou Jeane, that they have found our luggage and talked to the personnel there to make sure it made the 7:05 p.m. flight tonight. She said that her brother, Ramon, who did the inquiry almost wanted to scold the people at PAL but decided not to. It was a good thing I think because if you scold them they might just react a different way instead of the way you wanted them to react. Now happy to hear that our luggage has been found, Peter called that PAL office and asked them if they had any luck - no luck, they said. When Peter told them that we located the bag they were surprised and asked how we did it, Peter's answer was, "cellphone technology, we are in the 21st century". We deduced that PAL, eventhough it is owned by one of the Filipino Chinese billionaires, Lucio Tan, aren't given the correct resources to be up-to-date. They still operate on landlines and no cellphone contacts at all. How ancient! Well, Peter will continue to call them until that bag is delivered tomorrow morning.
So that's the saga of our lost luggage. Hmmmm....I wonder if that guy did find his lost oil? I checked the internet only to find out that the oil doesn't really cost that much, well, maybe if it's really from a rare variety of truffle.
posted by Mimi | 10:19 PM
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