September 2008 Archives

By Izah Morales BEFORE the sun painted the sky with orange and indigo hues, my companions Liberty, Maya, Red, Jing, Eden and I found ourselves stuck in traffic as we approached Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC). The cab driver told us that almost every household in Kuala Lumpur owned a vehicle, which explained the traffic jams. Sitting for almost an hour and a half reminded me of how this trip from the Pan Pacific Hotel to KLCC was like going from Calamba City to Makati City. Finally, the cab driver dropped us in front of the famous Petronas Twin Towers, which was the world’s tallest building from 1998 until 2004 when Taipei 101 claimed the title of being the tallest building. From the Petronas Twin Towers, we headed to the Raja Chulan Station, KL’s monorail. Paying RM 1.60 (approximately P15), Maya and I were off to Maharajalela Station, where Petaling Street was just a few meters walk while the others went to Bukit Bintang. Unlike the train stations in the Philippines, the KL Monorail stations have some sort of fences on the platforms protecting passengers from accidentally falling on the railway. As we boarded the train, I noticed that a mixed of men and women were riding the same coach, a stark contrast to the Philippines’ Metro Rail Train and Light Rail Train 1 where a separate coach is designated for the female and the elderly. As we alighted from the train, I grabbed the map from my backpack just like Dora the Explorer, the animated TV series, to check what direction to take to get to our destination, Petaling Street. The map seemed different from the real picture of the place. It was still better to ask a local. Luckily, a woman in her 50s pointed us to where we’re supposed to go. A glimpse of a Chinese Temple told us that we were on the right path because Petaling Street is also known as Chinatown. Since 1857, the Chinese have been staying in KL and have populated this area and thus was called Chinatown. So what brought us to Petaling Street? Nothing else but bargain goods. Seeing the Ark of Petaling St.reminded me of Binondo, Manila’s own Chinatown. The walkway on the street was narrow because stalls have occupied almost three-fourths of the street leaving a quarter of the walkway for customers. Maya and I hopped from one stall to another to canvass first before buying anything. From branded bootleg watches to bags, shirts to shoes, name it, they have it. We bargain hunters do not mind walking from one stall to another to find the right price. During our stall hopping, one vendor instantly recognized that we were Filipinos. He said, "Maganda ka. Mahal kita. Bili na [You’re beautiful. I love you. Buy now]." Haggling was fun because the vendors would eventually lower their price if you appear that you’re ignoring them. At first, I did not know about this technique. When the sales lady said that the batik polo was priced at RM 100 (P1,300), my counter-offer was RM70. I eventually got the polo for RM 80. What I learned was that you should bargain for about 60 percent of the original price. That way, you’ll get a very good price. Nonetheless, in my succeeding purchases, I got good deals like a souvenir shirt, which originally costs RM8 (P104), and I bargained for RM 5 (P65). After shopping for almost an hour, our legs and feet were about to give up so we made our way back to KL Sentral to ride the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Express train, which took us back to our hotel. But when we passed by the diamond-like glitter of the Petronas Twin Towers, we did not let the chance slip by and took souvenir photos. Visiting downtown KL allowed me to see some similarities with Philippines. We have similar features as well as similar words but different meanings like tanda (toilet), bayaran (fee), pintu, and kompleks.

My Saturday afternoon in San Francisco turned out to be interesting. Arriving around lunch time September 20 (Pacific time), I decided to take the train instead of the more expensive taxi from the airport to the Grand Hyatt hotel. Several minutes later, I emerged in the Powell St. Station, which is three to four blocks from the Union Square. Placards saying," No to Scientology" greeted me, as I exited toward Powell St. I searched for a tourist information center and found one near the station, and grabbed myself a map. But I also asked for directions. I was told to go straight toward Union Square, then look for Stockton St. corner Sutter St., which is the location of Grand Hyatt hotel. On my way to the hotel, I found this amusing guys who was holding up a placard saying, " Need cash for Alcohol Research." I'm certain he's no researcher. Anyway, this story is not the highlight of my Saturday afternoon. My Filipino friends --Jamz and Yna -- and I decided to find Lombard Street, the world's most crooked road. Instead of taking the car, we decided to walk to the place. My techie friend Jamz took out his mobile phone and used Google Maps to find Lombard. The map said we have to walk northward from Union Square (or near that area, which was my landmark). We passed by China Town, and got lost for a while. (Google Map is not that reliable at this point, but we pressed on). We checked our electronic map and decided to walk toward the bay. As we walked, I noticed the Victorian-inspired buildings, the famous California Cable Car line (you pay $5 for one way), and streets lined with parked cars (some unused for a while) and wondered if this was the effect of the oil price increases. San Francisco homes are mostly low-rise apartments rising only up to two to three floors, which is a limit imposed by the city. San Francisco is a financial district -- similar to Makati City. But as we searched for Lombard St., I saw certain areas typical of a suburban neighborhood. A patch of green trees, people walking their dog, people jogging, kids eating ice cream, and a family strolling with one little cute kid saying, "Hi people." It was a heart-warming scene until you hit Lombard St. You know you're there when you'll notice a growing number of tourists --armed with digital cameras and video cameras -- causing a traffic snarl. After almost an hour, we finally found Lombard Street. For those unfamiliar with it, Lombard Street is the world's most crooked road. This photo shows the big "5" sign, which tells motorists that they can only go as fast at 5 miles per hour through this one-way street. Lombard is found on the Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets. It has a total of eight sharp turns, earning the reputation of being the world's most crooked street. According to its history, the road was designed this way to reduce accidents because this street is also very steep to climb for both vehicles and pedestrians. The street is about 400 meters long and is paved with red bricks. So they never thought that this would become a tourist spot. So next time you're in SanFo, don't miss this turn, or should I say eight turns.

QUEZON CITY, Philippines -- University of the Philippines Diliman starts the UP Padyak, a project that promotes the use of bicycles as the primary method of transportation within the huge campus. The project was started by UP Mountaineers who want to encourage students to live healthier lifestyles, and help conserve the environment by reducing the use of smoke-belching vehicles that deplete the ozone layer. Bicycles are rented to the enrolled students per semester after a payment of P500 to the UP Mountaineers organization. INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Alex Villafania talks to Jojo Gutierrez of the UP Mountaineers about this project.

Lawrence Casiraya INQUIRER.net SINGAPORE -- Honestly, I didn't even know it was a fountain, considering I've been noticing it each time I go to Singapore. Arriving from the airport, when the cab makes a left towards Suntec City and I see this particular structure, I know I'm almost near whichever hotel in Marina Bay I am staying. But one day, while walking back to my hotel, I decided to cross the street and check out this circular mass of steel that looks like it can hold a giant crystal ball. Turns out, it's the world's largest fountain -- since 1998, actually, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. In Singapore, almost every landmark you see denotes wealth and progress, from high-rise buildings to the art center that is the Esplanade to sprawling the recently built ferris-wheel-cum-viewdeck they call the Singapore Flyer. But the Fountain of Wealth is no ordinary fountain put there for aesthetic purposes alone. It is designed according to feng shui, or the Chinese art of, well, putting things in their proper places. According to people I've talked to, the fountain does spew water but during the afternoon, it pauses to allow people to go to the center and make a wish. But unlike other fountains, you need not scratch your pockets for coins. You make a wish, touch the water while walking around in circles three times. But you need not be Chinese to believe that, of course. Like other tourists, I made my wish and walked around it. But by and large, it just felt great to dip my hands into the water in the middle of the usual hot, humid day in Singapore.

THREE hours can be a boring trip but if you let your eyes be amused by the green scenery and the atmosphere of a province, it won’t be. As we were on our way to the Pantabangan Dam, the sights of the green fields and the bathing carabao (water buffalo) in a stream tell me how serene and simple life can be in the province. Though the landscape of the province can be relaxing to the eyes, the zigzag road can make one feel dizzy. No wonder why some of our companions chose to sleep.
It took us three hours before we reached our destination -- Pantabangan dam in Nueva Ecija. It so happened that there were three routes going to the dam. We took the Rizal-Llanera-Pantabangan route. We should have taken the shortcut from Munoz but we were given wrong directions. So we got lost. Before we entered the Pantabangan Complex, where the Pantabangan dam is located, we passed by security inspection at the gate. Inside the complex, you’ll also find hydro-electric power plants, a hotel, and barangay (village). The scenic view of the Pantabangan dam enveloped by the Sierra Madre mountain was worth the long trip. The view would be a sure delight to photographers and painters who love to paint and take photos of landscapes. The Pantabangan dam is one of the most visited tourist spots in Nueva Ecija, the tourism department says.