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By Fung Yu

Author's Note: This article uses virtual reality technology to provide an immersive experience. Click the images to view the 360-degree VRs. Adobe Flash 10 or higher is required. Average VR size is 2.3Mb each.

ANOTHER great dream is being unfolded in a little corner of space near the grounds of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). Led by Art Valdez, the man behind the success of putting Filipinos on the summit of Mt. Everest, the new project will embark on a maritime adventure across the Philippine archipelago using a traditional wooden boat called the "balangay."

The aim of this endeavor is to re-trace some of our ancestor's journey in the Indo-Pacific during pre-colonial times in the effort to rekindle Filipino pride and spirit in the long forgotten maritime heritage.

First excavated in the late 1970s in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte by the National Museum, the balangay (also called 'Butuan boat'), is a plank boat adjoined by carved-out planks edged through pins or dowels. Nine balangays were actually discovered. The first one was preserved and displayed in the excavation site, carbon-dated at year 320AD. The second was dated to 1250 and is now displayed in the National Museum. The third was moved to the Butuan Regional Museum for preservation works, while the remaining six balangays remained in their original waterlogged condition, and are yet to be excavated.

Measuring 3 meters wide by 18 meters long (roughly the length and width of a passenger bus), and about a meter depth, the newly constructed balangay is made from a hardwood locally known as lupanga (or lutanga), an ubi-ubi family of apitong and dungon trees sourced from the eastern part of Tawi-Tawi.

A team of 10 Badjaos, also from Tawi-Tawi, led by Jubail Muyong from Sibutu and Haji Musa Malabong from Sitangkai built the boat from April to June, for a total of 41 days, with no drawn plans but based solely on knowledge passed from one generation to the next.

Based on the latest hydrostatic testing, the balangay will float in 18 inches of water at zero load, a capability that will allow it to come close to shores or to sail in shallow waters.

The maiden launch is scheduled on June 27. There is also a plan to sail it through the Pasig River in support of the river clean-up project. After which, the balangay will sail thru 67 ports from Manila to the tip of Mindanao in a voyage that will take about 6 to 8 months.

Sailing mostly during daytime with a speed between 4 to 6 knots depending on prevailing wind conditions, the boat will travel along the coast with an alternating crew of 18 personnel; the core team consists of the 8 members of the Team Everest, 4 Badjaos, 4 members of the Philippine Coast Guard/Philippine Navy, and 2 members of the Joint Manning (Seafarers) Group.

While on port, Team Balangay will undertake medical missions, school lectures, mini forums, video showing, and visits to archeological, cultural, and tourism sites.

After completing the Philippine voyage, the balangay will sail to Southeast Asia in 2010, to Polynesia and Madagascar in 2011, across the Atlantic and onward to the Pacific in 2012 and returning home in 2013.

In the words of Art Valdez, "The Balangay will become the catalyst to stir up historical consciousness among Filipinos today, a sine qua non in transporting our people to our cherished goals. Without that keen knowledge of history, our people will continue to suffer as our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, aptly described, "Ang taong hindi lumilingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa patutunguhan."

All VRs taken on June 3, 2009. References: wikipilipinas.org. Balangay's website: www.balangay-voyage.com. Article archive at: www.virtualjournals.net. The author can be reached at: fung@firefly.ph

Fung Yu Contributor

Author's Note: This article uses virtual reality technology to provide an immersive experience. Click the images to view the 360-degree VRs. Adobe Flash 10 or higher is required. Average VR size is 2.5Mb each.

THE fireworks started at exactly 7 p.m. in SM Mall of Asia, a usual weekend occurrence, except this time, I was watching it from the waters of Manila Bay, aboard the cruise ship 7107 Island Cruises while partaking our sumptuous 10-course dinner buffet. Seeing the fireworks display from afar, I noticed that the lights reflecting by the surrounding waters. The sight was kaleidoscopic.

The invitation for the Corregidor cruise came from 7107 Island Cruise, the only Filipino owned interisland cruise company that seeks to redefine travel in the Philippines. The ship currently offers cruise within the tourism triangle of Subic, Coron and Boracay.

Docked at Pier 13 in South Harbor, Manila; the ship, formerly Coco Explorer 2 from Danish-owned C&C Travel was originally built in 1968. Fully renovated in 1990 from keel to mast to fulfill international standards, all cabins are made from fire-secure material including an extensive sprinkler-system installed throughout ship.

I arrived around 3 p.m. that day to an already short queue of equally excited passengers. Upon boarding, and right after being led to my assigned cabin, I immediately set out to explore the features and amenities of the ship.

Capable of accommodating 600 guests, the ship features an entertainment lounge, a small open-air pool, a deck, a salon, a clinic (staffed with a doctor and a nurse for every voyage), a spa, and a restaurant & bar. Cabin types range from the standard/deluxe rooms in deck A, B, and C to the exquisite suites in the promenade and bridge levels.

Cruising at 8 to 10 knots (1 knot being 1 nautical mile per hour and 1 nm = 1.852km), the overnight trip to Corregidor passed by with all of us in restful slumber. By the time I woke up, the ship was already docking at Corregidor pier.

"The Island of Valor" as Corregidor is often known, lies 48 kilometers west of Manila. It is a tadpole-shaped island located at the mouth of Manila Bay and partly of Cavite. The island is actually a remnant of a volcano, Corregidor Caldera, which was active about 1 million years ago. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology still consider it to be a potential active volcano to this day.

Due to its strategic location, the island was fortified and called Fort Mills in 1908 by the Americans. Divided into three parts--Topside, Middleside and Bottomside--the island was a military outpost made prominent by numerous coastal artillery and gun emplacements.

Corregidor saw its glory during World War II by delaying the advance of Japanese forces in the Far East to Australia, giving Allied forces the time needed to overturn the war to its eventual victory.

I met Steve, our tour guide who is about 6-foot-six and bespectacled American in barong. Now this was my fourth visit to Corregidor and I thought nothing of the regular tour would surprise me anymore. I wrong.

Steve Kwiecinski and his wife, Marcia came to live in the Philippines sometime in October 2008. Both retirees, they chose to settle in Corregidor, away from the 'chaos' of city living and primarily because of a historical and emotional attachment.

Steve's father, Walter, was a soldier stationed in Corregidor during the siege. He was commander of the last functioning gun battery (Battery Way) that was silenced by enemy shelling in May 1942. A survivor of the infamous Death March, he was able to share his stories of Corregidor with Steve that the latter grew up to love and admire.

During the tour, Steve narrated some of the events that took place from the personal exploits of his father. How Walter, with engineering background, repaired the Battery Way after the initial heavy bombings by the Japanese.

Walter Kwiecinski passed away in May 8, 1988. By staying in Corregidor and recounting the stories of WWII to the visitors of the island, Steve hoped to honor the memory of his father.

The present day island of Corregidor is a significant site for both historical and tourism value. Today, its guns may be silent. But the place is a testament to an era's past; where sacrifices and bravery of many heroes, many unnamed, would forever echo in generations to come.

VRs of Battery Way, Japanese Memorial Garden, and Malinta Tunnel taken on June 19, 2005. All other VRs taken on March 15, 2009. 7107 Islands Cruise's website: www.7107islandscruise.net. Reference: wikipedia.org. Article archive at: www.virtualjournals.net. The author can be reached at: fung@firefly.ph

AT the start of the year, festivals in the country open with the “mother of Philippine festivals:” the Ati-Atihan in Kalibo, Aklan. INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Alex Villafania and production specialist Edzelle Pena and I were witnessed to the Ati-Atihan festival. For six days, we roamed Aklan and visited Caticlan, Boracay, Kalibo and Batan. But three days before our flight, a plane mishap was reported in Caticlan airport, which affected operations in the airport. Our trip, however, was smooth and we landed safely despite the windy weather. From the airport, we were ushered to a jetty port, where we boarded a 30-seater boat or “banca.” The boat braved the big waves. After 15 minutes, we got to the famous Boracay island. This seven-kilometer island has been famous since its discovery in the 1970s. But it was my first time to have set foot on its pristine white sand. The fine white sand felt like talc powder. Maybe, that’s the reason why many tourists, mostly Europeans and Koreans, love the island. Since it was a January, a cold breeze gave us the chills. Yet tourists were there. I saw footprints on the white sand, sand castles and people taking a dip in the blue-green waters of Boracay. I saw locals braiding hair of tourists. There were also a lot of tattoo shops and little stores selling all kinds of merchandise. Boracay is increasingly becoming a commercial district because of the presence of a mall and branded stores. Still, small art shops abound in Boracay. While walking along the beach, we spotted a sculpted dolphin on the sand. There were also sculptures and paintings sold in the island. Inspired by the seascape of Boracay, artists there were selling shirts inspired by the island. We also saw hand-painted shirts being sold. For a first-timer like me, capturing the sunset was on the top of my list. Unfortunately, the sky was cloudy that day. After two days, we went back to Caticlan and boarded a van going to Kalibo. We paid P100 each for that ride. There are other modes of transportation like the jeepney and bus. The trip from Caticlan to Kalibo took two hours. We encountered traffic in the town of Makato. On our way, we saw locals --young and old --dressed in their colorful costumes dancing to the beat of the drums. Apparently, the town of Makato was celebrating its own Ati-Atihan festival ahead of Kalibo. When we arrived in Kalibo, we felt a very warm welcome. The spirit of the festival can already be felt, as the tribes began dancing and beating their drums even before the actual festival cum contest on January 17. As we strolled around town, we noticed Aetas selling charms near a grocery store. I talked to one of them and learned that the charms were parts of a tree used to cure illnesses or to protect people from the “aswang.” Up to this day, there are still a few people who believe in the existence of this mythical creature in Filipino folklore. Aswangs are especially popular in Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo, which are neighboring provinces of Aklan. On our third day in Aklan, we together with lawyer Sonny Regalado, a native of Batan, traveled for about two hours from Kalibo to Batan to find out more about the “Code of Kalantiaw.” The municipality of Batan is home of the shrine of Datu Kalantiaw who was believed to have promulgated the Code of Kalantiaw in 1433. However, in 2004, the National Historical Institute (NHI) has declared that the code had no valid historical basis. Hence, the NHI pulled out from the shrine. Wandering in Aklan for six days taught me how a festival like the Ati-Atihan can give color to a simple life in the province.

Fung Yu was recently in in Sagada, Mountain Province, where he was able to catch President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the First Family visiting one of the more popular tourist destinations in the country last week. Watch these 3D shots taken by Yu. Echo Valley Hanging Coffins Lumiang Cave

By Anna Valmero MAKATI CITY, Philippines -- Good news to Makati commuters. Taxi drivers who abuse their passengers will be apprehended, according to Makati city mayor Jejomar Binay who ordered the re-launch of the "Oplan Isnaberong Tsuper" this holiday season. According to the Makati City local government website, Binay ordered both the Makati Police and the Department of Public Safety to help protect Makati’s constituents from taxi drivers who refuse passengers and even charge extra fare. “We will no tolerate abusive and snobbish taxi drivers in Makati. Taxis are public utility vehicles and as such they must be fair in their dealings with the public,” Binay said in a press statement. Operatives in plainclothes are deployed to conduct entrapment operations against abusive taxi drivers in Makati. Moreover, enforcers of Department of Public Safety will be deployed at mall taxi stands of Shoemart, Landmark, Rustan’s, Glorietta 1 and 3 and public loading areas in Makati. In a phone interview with Sherwin Cruz, data controller at Makati City Hall Command Center, passengers can report erring taxi drivers to the Command Center. “When they call the Command Center, they must give the body number of the taxi and the plate number, which we will then report to the LTFRB,” Cruz said. Penalties for violators include confiscation of licenses and issuance of Ordinance Violation Receipts with P1,000 fine. For assistance, Cruz said passengers can call these numbers: 870-1920, 870-1923 and 870-1926.

I was aimlessly wandering around CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines) when I sighted what seemed to be structures amid a clump of coconut trees. So I went further to explore what looked like a park, half-expecting to sit for a while in the shade. What I found instead were bare-footed kids playing and later on people lying on cartons under the shade. And then it dawned on me that these people could be ACTUALLY living here. From afar, camouflaged by trees and foliage, I spotted makeshift tents. And more kids. I tried making conversation with Joey and Jingjing -- they won’t give me their surnames -- and learn more about the people living there. They told me there are about 200 people who live in this park Joey, a 47-year-old native of Iloilo, was the more amiable one, telling me stories about how they are able to survive through "pangangalakal" or the picking up thrown away stuff they can sell -- along Roxas Boulevard and nearby areas. According to this marker I found, the 6th ASEAN Square Sculpture Symposium was ordered built in 1989 by former Foreign Affairs secretary Raul Manglapus. Some of the sculptures produced during this gathering were put in this park right beside the Sarimanok site, the venue for the Miss Universe pageant held in the country back in 1974. Spain’s Amparo Munoz, who later became actress, won that year. I wanted to linger for a while but seeing more and more kids gathering around me begging for alms -- not to mention this suspicious -- looking character who tried to lure me to look more “statues” somewhere -- I decided to go. So then maybe it’s just fair to warn people to be extra cautious should you find yourself in this park along Roxas Boulevard, fronting Aliw Theater right beside CCP. The sculptures look interesting but in dire need of restoration. Unfortunately, I won’t guarantee that the place is safe enough for a leisurely stroll.

Editor's note: You can also read this story on Talk of the Town on the Philippine Daily Inquirer. I am Dino Alberto E. Subingsubing, 44, a communication specialist working with a non-government organization (NGO) health project. Married with three kids, I’m just your regular working dude -- except that I’ve been a regular bicycle commuter for the past 15 years. Yup, I bike to work three to four days a week from Novaliches (where I live) to TM Kalaw (where I work). Let’s see…that would be about 20 kilometers one way. It takes me one and a half hours of leisurely cycling along my regular bike route, which covers Quirino Highway, Mindanao Avenue, C5, North Avenue, Agham Road, Quezon Boulevard, España, Earnshaw, Legarda / Mendiola, Ayala Bridge, Taft Avenue and TM Kalaw (where my office is located). That would be 40 kilometers in a day, 160 kilometers in a week, 640 kilometers in a month, 7,680 kilometers in a year. Imagine how it translates into the number of calories burned! Translated in the amount of money saved in terms of transportation fare, that would be about P150 a day, or P600 a week, or P2,400 a month and P28,800 a year. Imagine what you could buy with that. I really didn’t start out a hardcore bike commuter. In fact, I only learned to ride a bike in 1992. But the appeal of being able to travel at your own pace, being free to choose your own route at will and not getting stuck in traffic gridlock made me choose biking as my ideal commuting mode. The decision to bike to work (and almost everywhere) came at a time when I turned by all things ecological and environment-friendly -- organic backyard gardening, home birth and Lamaze birthing techniques (two out of my three children were born at home, with my partner being assisted in childbirth by a health center midwife), traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, and eating lower on the food chain (vegetarianism and macrobiotic diets). It was also a time when such a lifestyle (diet and all) contributed to my being very physically fit and mentally laid back. I also noticed that I tended to be cranky, tense and irritable whenever I would get caught in traffic while riding the bus, jeepney or taxi (there weren’t any FX transports at that time). I’d get impatient, all sweaty and smelly while being stuck in traffic. By the time I arrived in the office, I’d be like a wilted plant, and my mind would be so fogged by car fumes and tired that it would take me a while to be mentally prepared for work in the office. So the segue into bike commuting was almost seamless. Bike commuting was, for me, not just a commuting mode. It was part of a way of life that I entered into in the first half of the 1990s, and which I maintain to this day. Aside from the obvious economic benefits of bike commuting, staying healthy has been an incentive for me to keep biking for the past 15 years. I’ve rarely had a bout with colds or flu. I haven’t suffered hypertension or high blood pressure (which has been a family curse) even in my 44th year. In my experience, bike commuting has kept my mind sharp and alert, because that’s what is needed when you’re biking in traffic, with buses, cars, trucks and motorcycles passing you by front, back and sideways. It’s like meditation in motion. At the same time, by the time I arrive at the office, my mind and body are alert, because blood is in full circulation after about an hour and a half of bicycling. Of course, the impact on air quality cannot be overestimated. One thing, though, for newbie bike commuters -- don a face mask (or even a gas mask, which I used to do) when traveling on routes where motor vehicle traffic is heavy. You don’t want to be inhaling all those car fumes. Our cyclist physiology -- being more cardiovascularly efficient than your car-pampered motorist -- just makes all that air pollution circulate faster within our bodies. I would personally recommend the face masks sold at any ACE hardware store, with the replaceable filters. Socially, I’ve started making friends with other bicycle commuters. The pace is slower and more relaxed, and there is even time for conversation among cyclists traveling alongside each other, or when traffic is stopped at intersections. During my everyday commute along Quirino Highway in Novaliches, or along Quezon Boulevard, several familiar cyclists ride alongside me. There is the black clad mountain cyclist who has a small backpack with the yellow smiley face imprinted on it; there is also the young lady (who I call Manang or Sister) who bikes from Philcoa to a bike shop in Quiapo. To date, I am a semi-active member of the Firefly Brigade, a volunteer citizens’ group advocating bicycling as a sustainable means of transportation and sustainable cities. I am one of its e-group moderators and ride during the annual Tour of the Fireflies every Earth Day. My bike commuting life hasn’t exactly been accident- or trouble-free. I’ve had my share of spills, collisions with both vehicles and pedestrians, even the occasional guerrilla warfare scrapes with abusive motorists. When I was learning to ride on the road -- around 1993 to 1994 -- I remember two spills when I tried to avoid a taxi cab and a passenger jeepney approaching from the left side. I tried to avoid them by swerving nearer the pedestrian curb. I shouldn’t have done that because it resulted in my front wheel being caught in the gutter, causing a spill and a tumble. Lesson: When biking on the road, claim the entire lane. After all, your bicycle is a vehicle and you have an equal right to the road. By being visible in the middle of your chosen lane, you are also training motorists to respect you as a road user. Just signal them to pass you by, if you are going at a slower speed than they are. Other lessons I’ve learned from more than a decade of bike commuting include:Practice, Practice, Practice: Pedal between parked cars at malls, supermarket lots or in your own neighborhood to get used to having all that metal around you. Don’t worry excessively about the traffic behind you. The majority of city car-bike accidents (about 25 percent) happen when driver and rider cross each other’s paths at intersections and driveways, especially when drivers turn across cyclists’ paths. Have an experienced road warrior accompany you on your first ride, alternately leading and following. When you’re in back, try to determine why he’s doing what he’s doing. When you’re in front, try to do what he did and listen to shouted advice. Learn how to look behind without swerving. This is a key skill for surviving busy streets. We call this scanning the road. Don’t rely on peripheral vision. You should be able to turn your head far enough to make actual eye contact. Make eye contact. To be recognized for what you are, wiggle your handlebar (but not enough to cause instability), and use body English on your bike. This helps you register in their peripheral vision and also helps indicate your direction. Be seen. Wear bright clothes. Helmets are another potential eye-catcher. Use a good rear flasher, a front light with side visibility and as much reflective material as you can bear to put on your helmet and bike frame. In normal situations, ride in the right lane, but as far to the left as is practical. Drivers won’t be tempted to squeeze past you. Claim the entire lane if that’s what you need to ensure safety. Stay out there where you belong. Use your position in the lane as a signal of your intentions. Use the left part of the lane when you’re preparing to merge or turn left. The center is for when you’re traveling straight at cruising speed -- quick enough to not be a nuisance to traffic. The right is for merging or turning in that direction, or permitting cars to pass. Scan the street (and sidewalk!) ahead. Identify potential hazards. Predict their movements. Decide on a course of action. Execute the maneuver that takes you safely along your chosen line. Vehicles that don’t signal still give notice of their turns by the angle of the wheels or the drivers’ heads. Check the car alongside -- you can often see the turn signals on the dash. In heavy traffic, scan 2 or more cars ahead for exhaust smoke (indicating acceleration or deceleration) and ‘shivers’, which indicate potholes and other rough spots. Don’t get squeezed. Drivers will try to squeeze past you then cut you off to turn right. Stay centered in the lane to make them wait for you -- or just slow and stay out of the way. Your call. Don’t get nosed. Gas guzzlers test for traffic openings by sticking their noses out of driveways and side streets with limited visibility. When you approach such spots, stand tall in the pedals and try for eye contact. Take the center of the lane and check for empty escape space to the left. Watch for slippery surfaces. If you find yourself on a sketchy surface: straighten the bike, level the pedals to 3 and 9 o’clock, don’t brake, keep you elbows and knees flexed and let momentum carry you through. When you stop, be ready for emergency take-offs. Keep a foot on the high pedal while you check your rear. If that bus driver doesn’t notice you, you want to be able to move. Fast. When you can’t avoid road hazards such as potholes, ride over them as lightly as possible. Level your pedals as you approach the obstacle. Just before impact, lift the front of the bike or at least take your weight off it. When the front clears, lean forward to take weight off the rear wheel. Pedal away. To get safely down from a curb to the street, reverse the process. Level your pedals. Lean back on the seat as your front wheel touches down. Hop lightly off the pedals as the back of the bike drops down to street level. Be sure clearing a curb doesn’t distract you from traffic. Do unto pedestrians. You will sometimes ride the sidewalk. It is not your place. You are a guest. Don’t bring the rush of street riding over the curb. When passing, don’t ring, whistle, or shout within 5 feet of pedestrians. Otherwise, all you’re doing is scaring them. Don’t dog them, riding on their heels until they let you pass. Learn to ride the rhythms of the city. One of the most powerful is ‘the pulse’, when a series of timed traffic signals create a solid mass of vehicles that catch synchronized green lights. Don’t let traffic force you into meaningless sprints to red lights. Maki-BIKE ka, huwag matakot! [Bike with us, don't be afraid]. As a bicycle activist as well as bike commuter, I predict that in the next couple of years, bicycle commuting will increase, given the continuing price rise in oil products (despite temporary falls), the increasingly gridlocked main road arteries in Metro Manila, and the increasing affordability of good quality bicycles. This, coupled with the increase in bicycling groups -- from the different cycling clubs to advocacy groups like the Firefly Brigade and Cycling Advocates (CYCAD) not only in the National Capital Region, but in other major urban centers as well (like Baguio City, Bacolod and Davao). To paraphrase an old activist slogan, the call of the time for commuters is Maki-BIKE ka, Huwag Matakot!

By Izah Morales INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines-- Singaporean adventurer and world-record holder Khoo Swee Chiow was in the Philippines to climb the second highest peak in Luzon, Mt. Pulag. He also decided to visit Mountain Province’s Sagada, which is known for its “hanging coffins” and mummies. It was Swee Chiow’s first time to explore the country despite having explored the world and set world records in the process. “I would definitely go back and bring my family here,” Swee Chiow said. An adventurer, Swee Chiow has scaled at least seven summits in the seven continents, conquered Mt. Everest twice, traveled to the North Pole without an oxygen, skied in the South Pole for 57 days, skated from Hanoi to Singapore for 94 days, cycled from Singapore to Beijing for 73 days, swam the Malacca strait and dived for 220 hours earning him the world’s record of doing the longest scuba dive. His most memorable adventure involved his first journey to North Pole where suffered frost bite. He later succeeded during his second attempt and said the journey was sweeter. Swee Chiow said being adventurer entailed a lot of sacrifices. “I quit my stable, high-paying job and decided to follow my passion,” he said, adding that he would continue doing new things. Asked for tips, Swee Chiow said any explorer should always bring a whistle and a mirror, which could be used during emergencies. More important, he noted that one should learn life-saving skills, such as first aid. Swee Chiow’s greatest lesson, however, was discovering his potentials during a crisis. “To me, it’s about finding out my weaknesses, finding out my strengths, and how I should keep going,” Swee Chiow said.

TACLOBAN CITY -- If you're in Tacloban and would like to have a quick tour of the historical and religious places of interest in the city and its environs, just hop on the "Icot-Icot" vehicle. Vicente Labro of the Inquirer Visayas writes about the "Icot-Icot" rides that will provide you a three-hour guided tour of Tacloban and some nearby towns at affordable rates. Excerpt:

Launched in September 2007, the Icot-Icot tour was first operated on weekends, says Nelieta Baguna, head of the Leyte Tourism and Investment Promotion Canter. A brainchild of Leyte Gov. Carlos Jericho L. Petilla, the "Icot-Icot" tour was conceived to provide visitors, and even the locals, an opportunity to visit tourist destinations in the city and nearby towns through a group tour. The term "Icot-icot" came from the Tagalog word "ikot-ikot," which means going around, and from the governor's nickname, "Icot." Baguna says the local government decided to make the tour available on weekdays due to the growing demand. The tour fee is P100 for the morning trip and P150 for the afternoon trip because this would include a visit to a bucolic farm resort in Babatngon, Leyte. The fee already includes the ride, tour guide and the entrance fees at the Sto. Niño Shrine and at the farm resort. The "Icot-Icot" vehicle, actually a multicab that can accommodate around 10 persons, leaves the RTR Plaza in Tacloban City at 9 o'clock for the morning trip and 2 o'clock for the afternoon tour.

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.