We are Staying at the Ritz

"Ladies and Gentlemen may I direct your attention to our 3 ladies Tinky Winky, Dipsy and Laa Laa.I was taken aback and I opened my eyes (which normally I dont before take off since I am praying during this time.)..and I saw 3 beautiful ladies demonstrating the "de rigeur" safety demonstrations.This is the start of our Bali vacation.

You know you are in Bali when you peek through your plane window and see mountains in the horizon. Bali is the centre of culture in Indonesia, known for its Hindu inspired Balinese architecture and its rituals. It is also fast becoming a favorite wedding destination in Asia.


We were headed for 3 blissful days in Bali and we will be staying at the Ritz Carlton Bali now re branded as Ayana Resort and Spa, recently voted as the Best Hotel in Asia. Aside from being the Best Hotel in Asia it also has the Best Spa in the World. Where in the world can you have your spa treatments using Diamonds and also in an unbelievable spa room perched on top of a Rock situated on a cliff in the middle of the Indian ocean.



Of the increasing number of upscale resorts located on Bali's touristy south side, this tasteful and luxurious property(which is near Four Seasons and Hotel Intercon), located along a seaside cliff, feels the most intimate and family-oriented. Thanks to its beautifully fragrant and blooming gardens, a convoy of golf carts at one's beck and call and about 900 employees, all of whom seem to know your name, the property manages to avoid an overwhelming effect despite its size. And the impressive Balinese-inspired design--carved stone fountains, lily ponds and low, open-air public buildings--gives the resort a healthy sense of place.

You feel rich(even if you arent) and pampered if you are surrounded by people who call you by name and who are willing to strike a conversation with you and give you full attention when you need it. Picture this (that really differentiates a Ritz Carlton experience):
- Every 2 pm everyone in the pool area are served cold drinks and cold towel anticipating that you might feel dehydrated due to the weather.
- all the rooms have standard features but they give special attention to detail..they even wrap your plastic bags with ribbons and bathrooms have aromatheraphy scents every day.
-the rooms are cleaned twice a day and staff are very polite and courteous without being obstrusive
- guests are welcomed by leis of calachuchi which seem like you are in Hawaii rather than Bali.


Its a truly amazing experience staying in "the Ritz" , really a once in a lifetime experience.

My Two Boys

Finally my two boys have matured.



There was a time I went for several months of Novena at the miraculous Novena church hoping that my two boys will pass their chinese subjects. But maybe it was never meant to be.Since despite my religious novenas my two boys still had not passed there 3rd language (Chinese).

This year finally my prayers had been answered...my eldest son Nygel is the third in his class(6th overall among secondary 1 students) and topped his chinese class(only in his class). According to his teacher it was the joke of the year since he was a Pilipino and he was the top of his chinese class amongst Chinese and some Indian and Malay classmates.

My youngest son, Niles has breezed through his Primary School Leaving Examination(PSLE). Despite an uproar about this years Maths PSLE with parents complaining that it was the hardest so far moving even some students to tears and also the first time students were allowed to use calculators(knowing they would need more time to calculate)....My son still manage to get a grade of A something which was unexpected.

These things I consider blessings in our lives.They are growing up fast..did I tell you Nygel already has a Girlfriend...that's life.(sigh)

Tales of Singapore Maids

This week one of our maids decided to resign from her employer. This rarely happens.She wants to return to the agency so she told her employer she doesnt want to work for them anymore. But she wasnt too bold to tell her male employer the reason why she quit.

Here is her story (Maid Story Number 1)
Here is her complaint:

1) The family decided to go to Macau for a vacation. While in one of the hotels, her employers (husband is Australian ,wife is from China)decided to eat in the restaurant.Her mam (China girl) asked her to go out and gave her a bottle of water and a piece of bread.

A western couple saw her eating outside and asked her why she is outside. They volunteered to pay for her meals and dine with them .She said no thanks.

Pinoy employees of the restaurant saw her and asked her to order and they will pay.She felt pity on herself.

2) The China girl employer alway asks her to wipe everything she touches with Lysol. She doesnt want her to use "their" plates and spoon. One time her China girl employer told her" I saw your plate near our plates, Dont put it in same place as our plates".
What does she think about her maid ? Even dogs are treated better.

3) One time her China girl employer said" Your country is so poor, maybe you dont clean your things well'

I am seething with anger " Who does this China girl employer think she is? SOme of her country man dont even know how to squat properly in a toilet.

MAID STORY NUMBER 2 & 3

I have several maids working for Indian Employers and most of the time the maids complain that they go hungry.

Since I always receive text messages from Maids" Mam 3pm na po d pa ako kumakain"

I texted the employer...I told her the litany..."Mam, your maid cannot work without eating on time.They cannot work just by eating noodles and bread"

I immediately receive a call from employer(siguro nainsulto)....She says" Betty, I cant believe this...she started cooking with my mom at 2:30 and she ate at 3pm".

Maybe this employer doesnt know whats the time for lunch and for snacks.

The other employer called" Betty I would never do that to my maid, I never make my maids go hungry"

The following day the maid texted me "Mam, thanks ha bumait na sila sa akin ng kinausap mo".

Maid Story Number 3

The Indonesian maid called me "Mam, my sir embraced and touched me." I said OK I will talk to him.

I called the employer " Mr Libog, do u know that the nearest Police station is just infront of your Condo? Your maid said you embraced her. If she files a report I will accompany her to the Police Station"

Sir Libog apologized" Sorry I treat her as my daughter so I was so happy I embraced her"

I told him" Sir next time dont embrace your maid or I will tell your wife".

Its good Sir Libog didnt get angry with me (Siguro guilty)

Travel Bug Me

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain


Saigon, Vietnam

My colleagues in the office have noticed that for the last two months I had been away from work from Tuesday-Thursday ....an excuse to be away from work? No its an excuse for me to travel.
Siem Reap, Cambodia

I discovered that its cheaper to get tickets for a Tuesday-Thursday flight. Not everyone knows that but try searching for tickets and you would end up getting the cheapest tickets on these days.
Perth,Australia

So why aren't you travelling? With tickets nowadays selling quite dirt cheap( we sometimes even pay higher for our taxi fare from our house to Changi Airport), theres really no excuse not to travel.

When will be the best time to see the world?

During our travels I have met a lot of retirees who are just now seeing the world. Despite their age,they are climbing the temples in Southeast Asia and enjoying the beaches of Phuket and Bali. In Siem Reap we even met a Dutch couple who were travelling for a month with their two small children all over Asia.

Whenever we travel as a family, we teach our kids the differences we see in other cultures.It becomes an eye opener for our kids.Like when we went to Cebu, my two kids who were 9 and 10 years old at that time had an instant lesson in Philippine history. They remembered up to now Magellan ,Lapu Lapu and the cross and Simbang Gabi.

I would always tell them to remember distinctly certain places because we might not be able to go back there again and sometimes we do (just like when we travelled back again to Macau and we had an instant Deja vu when we were walking in the cobbled streets of Senado Square). Even in Perth, when we were already aboard the plane, it was my eldest son Nygels turn to give an advice about travelling to his brother...he told his brother to remember that particular point in time twenty years from that day.I have emphasized to my two boys that travel is one of the finest methods of self-education, that travel pursued properly expands ones horizons.

I realized that what I treasured most about travel was not that it gave me a chance to see new things. Travel gave me a chance to look with new eyes on familiar and not so familiar things.It has broadened our perspective as a family of our understanding of cultures and religions.

Theres no age limit in travel, you can travel while in your teens or when you have already retired.

If you think you have the itch to travel, dont ask questions just book the ticket and I guarantee you wont regret it...just have an open mind about travelling.

The best reason to travel is not only to discover new places; it is to discover what you would become after being affected by the places that you have visited.

Congrats Nygel

Yesterday was a happy day for us. We went to Nygel's School to attend the parent teacher conference which is customary in all schools in Singapore. I am now used to sitting down with my sons teachers to discuss the progress of their education because this is exactly what they do here in Singapore.

On the other hand, its hubbys first time to attend such a session.

We were greeted by his classmates when we entered his classroom.It seems that my son has annnounced to everyone that we were coming.

My sons teacher greeted us with a handshake and told us that they(both him and the assistant teacher) were very glad about Nygels achievements in school.They told us that during the first term Nygel was sleeping in class and was not very attentive but towards the second half of the term he suddenly emerged as a leader and an achiever in school. So because of this they decided to give him a special award in school.

Nygel is the third in class standing and the 6th overall among all secondary one classes. His teacher was even saying that if he passed his chinese (which he didnt) he could have been given a better over all standing.

His teacher informed us that they will nominate Nygel to be a student councilor next year. Congrats son.....this is all through your efforts.

The Siem Reap Work Out

Are your Ready for the Challenge of your Lifetime?

My husband said that I subjected him to a "Death March". Imagine walking for 10 hours with only 15 minutes break for breakfast and 30 minutes for lunch under the heat of the sun and drizzling rain.....thats how we did visiting the Angkor Wat Archeological Park in Siem Reap Cambodia.

Just to show you whats in store in case you go to Angkor Wat...Here are the various temples and the ups and downs of climbing and crawling through narrow steps and alleys.

See those steps below, we had to go down there


Just one of the several steep climbs we have to pass to go from one part of Angkor Wat to the other

The long hallways surrounding the temple

At Bayon Temple, to reach the best part you have to climb to the third story again using steep stairs. Most people crawl their way up.


Tony made his way up using a short cut, he didnt want to climb the steeper stairs

The other tourists waiting for their friends who are still climbing


One of the steep stairways


This is the 3rd storey level


Bring a flash light,most areas are darkly lit.

Tips:
1) Wear Rubber shoes (the older the better), Sandals would be fine if you dont mind having mud on your feet after skipping through rain puddles.
2) Bring flashlights and raincoat or umbrellas
3) Bring a jug of water in your back pack
4) Bring wet towels since the heat can really be unbearable
5) Bring some candies or snacks in case you dont have time to eat and look for restaurants
6) Bring a fan(abaniko) or handkerchief to wipe perspiration
7) never bring kids below age 12 , i dont think they will appreciate moving from one temple to the other.(this is not a place for young children)
8) Of course bring your handphones,cameras and video cam but make sure they are fully charged since you have plenty of photos to take
9) wear your entry pass on your neck using an ID tag because you have to show it to the guards everytime you visit each of the temples.
10) Bring a lot of US$1 bills, not $5 nor $10 since most items are sold in US$1-4
11) Donot bargain with the locals, let them bargain with you, the more you show you are not interested to buy they lower their prices.

Nice Gift items from Angkor

I just have to buy something from Siem REap and on our first day, our first order of the day was to go to the Old Market, a 10 minute stroll from our hotel.

and these are my loot from the market:

Krama: is a sturdy traditional Cambodian garment with many uses, including as a scarf, bandanna, to carry children, to cover the face, and for decorative purposes. It is worn by men, women and children, and can be fairly ornate, though most typical kramas contain a gingham pattern of some sort, and traditionally come in either red or blue.

On our second day at the temple I wore a krama and I used it to wipe my perspiration and as protection from the rain .


Embroidered and sequenced bags




You can find a lot more of these items from here.