And so it began

Not so bright and not so early the next morning we made our way to the pool deck for breakfast on a rather cool and rainy day in Singapore, after breakfast Nessa decided to brave the water and managed to get one foot wet before deciding that it was far to cold and decided that a warm shower would be a better way to start the day. Having showered and changed we set off for the harbour district to see underwater world. We decided to take the bus this time just to be different however not really sure where we were going we got off the bus one stop to early and had to walk in the rain all the while looking for someone who spoke enough English and could help us out with directions. We eventually arrived at a large shopping mall and sort information at the information desk, amazingly we were told that all we need to do to get to underwater world is to ride the elevator and board the monorail which would take us to Santosa island. If you get to Singapore underwater world is a must very interesting and amazing experience i think i will simply let the pictures do the talking on this one.

Totally awesome a huge glass column of fish




The stingrays



Nessa touching the stingray



My Angel with the angel fish



Here i am



I just love coral reefs





Lung fish



Large Australian lung fish (what a monster)



Oh craby



Seahorses totally amazing



hmmmmmmmm Jelly



Me kissing Nessa



Nessa kissing a Groper



We got stuck into a late lunch then then headed to the dolphin lagoon for the afternoon show which was really cool to sea the pink dolphins and there handlers putting them through there paces.

Pink dolphins at play












With the day flying by so fast we decided to head back to the hotel but what visit to Singapore would be complete without a a visit to the merlion a symbol which has become intrinsically linked to singapore so it was off to the merlion and a cable car rideback to singapore.


















Ok i think I will leave it there for now till next time wishing you all a happy easter 2009 and don't forget to drop by again for the next entry which i should have up and running in a week or so. Till then i hope you all find a love like i have in my sweet Nessa one so rare and wonderful.


posted by chefie

The adventure continues

Hi every one the old man is back with another adventure this time Neil and Nessa do Singapore. After all the planning and waiting for what seemed like an eternity but turned out to be a mere 6 months that glorious day in march arrived and i was off once again to spend some time with my dearest friend and traveling companion.
After a long day i show up at the airport in Brisbane just after midnight for my 2.30 flight to Singapore it was a strange mix of feelings and emotions that overcame me as i waited for the flight to start boarding tired yes excited yes but in a way sort of nervous as i tend to get before a flight. The flight was some what under sold on the Australia to Singapore leg which was a pleasant surprise for me as i had the whole row of seats to myself as did most of the other passengers so i could relax and stretch out which allowed me to get some rest in flight which was good still did not manage to sleep much though as is the normal thing with me when flying.
Seven and a half hours later and we touch down in Singapore and about 60 travel weary passengers exit the plane to face a bleak and overcast day in Singapore the beginning of what will turn out to be a long one for me as Nessa would not get in from Cebu until about 11.30 that night so i had some time on my hands about 14 and a half hours to be exact. What was i to do i asked myself i could not check into the hotel for about 5 hours so i decided to drop my bags at the hotel and find somewhere to get some breakfast. So i dragged myself to the taxi rank and settled in for what turned out to be a very pleasant and interesting trip with a very chatty taxi driver who asked many questions about Australia and laughed alot when he reminisced of his time in Australia in the late 70's Perth to be exact, The more i traveled in Singapore and got to meet and know some of the locals the more apparent it became that so many of them had at some time in their lives visited Australia for some reason or another alot of them in the 70's and the favoured destination was Perth on the west coast.
I digress after leaving my bags at the hotel i decide to ride the MRT to Bugis as i have heard of the markets there and was wanting to see them and experience it for myself and i thought that i could probably get something to eat there as well so i asked directions to the MRT and set off getting lost regardless of the directions i received, after walking in circles like a typical male not willing to ask directions a second time (its a male pride thing hehhehehehehe)i eventually found it and managed to work out there ticketing system which i must say was alot easier than finding my way to the station, with the first part of the problem behind me i figured this ought to be easy from here on in well that's what i thought anyway i guess it was not going to be my day as i found my way to the platform only to find myself slightly disoriented and not really knowing which side of the platform my train left from,after asking a few locals and finding that the local grasp of English was not quite as good as i thought it would be i consulted the station map and missed the first train in doing so but fortunately for me the trains run every 6 minutes.

Markets at Bugis








i wandered around looking at the markets for a few hours and eventually settled in to a Starbucks for coffee and a light mid morning snack.Beginning to feel the effects of the lack of sleep in the last 24 hours and more over the jet lag i made my way back to the hotel and got some rest before Nessa arrived later that evening.
Nessa's arrival went without a hitch though about 45 minutes late we poured ourselves into a taxi and headed for the hotel and some long overdue rest,catching up on the happenings with each other on the way it was a real joy to be with my angel again,we talked and laughed all the way to the hotel all the while just enjoying being with each other again.
Our first morning together was just spent relaxing with breakfast by the pool and a quick swim although the weather had not improved we enjoyed it anyway and made the most of our time together just being there together was a joy and a moment of real happiness that i know will stay with me for a life time. We found our way through the local markets and lunch at a local restaurant that i had eaten at the night before and could not stop talking about the duck in secchuan peppers was especially nice the perfect way to pass away the afternoon.I can not think of a better way to start off our Singapore adventure.

duck in sechuan pepers for lunch





Having mastered the Mrt i wanted to showcase my newly acquired skills to my dear companion so we took a trip to Bugis junction to see the markets and the temples,It had not occurred to either of us that it was Sunday which meant that the temples were packed with worshippers and so to was the junction the scent of burning incense filled the air as the hawkers sold there incense sticks to the faithful.

us at Bugis junction





The temples of Bugis junction















Ok i think i will leave it there for now and pick it up again another day so i will say good bye for now and i hope you all find a gem as precious as i have in my dear companion don't forget to come back for the next installment see you real soon.


posted by Chefie

The town fiesta '09 (Basak, Rizal, Maasin)

In the celebration of Sinulog festival in Cebu City which i personally witnessed myself last January 18-19 of this month, my hometown Basak Rizal, Maasin Leyte had they own version on celebrating their yearly fiesta as Sto. Niño (child jesus) their patron saint. The event was held every last Saturday of January, as their way of thanking their patron saint for the bounty and peace of their place people in every home joined on celebrating and enjoying the said event. And of course, as a native child of Maasin who could've missed the event? of course i was there too!. Nanay and Tatay prepare some food and native delicacies to give thanks for the bounty and good health we achieve for the last few months...It also symbolizes unity in our family since most of our relatives from different cities in the Philippines came over just to witness and join the celebration...

Here are some photos to the said event...

Nanay preparing for lunch


I know its my time they’re talking about lunch ...(chicken)..farewell to you my friends...


Hmmm..the pig and the piglet...sorry sister i need to eat you later..

Yummy Lechon...its lunch time...


During my free time in the morning i decided to move around the place and took some photos of some interesting things in the backyard..and look what i found...check this out.


The stream in the backyard...

Big roots of the tree which amazed me how beautiful it was on my cam...

Priceless beauty

My niece carefully playing on the brook...looks like she finds her fun in this place.

What have you found darling?!


The tent was ready for the Cock fighting or SABONG here in Philippines, a tradition of some Filipinos during fiesta celebration though it’s not legal but this is just for fun...so chief it’s okay...hehehe

Then comes the bunch of people who want to witness and get lucky to win some prize...

The cocks are ready ... as the head says SA PULA...SA PUTI...

Ready for a fight!

So, the table is open for gamble...and guess what I even join the gambling just to try it and have fun and luckily I won...yehey!

The day filled with fun and everything was entertaining...we had a good time singing and of course who can refuse to eat those delicious food that my nanay cook for us...hmm yummy...so good luck on my diet! hehehe..

During our Family Dinner...

My family clan...hehehe in one table...

Nanay and my uncle mando is so serious in here...What’s wrong with you guys...too much concentration on food is not so good..

The day after the event we have our plan of going out to beach and invite some few relatives to join us and have fun together...

Did you say Beach? Can I come? Promise I’ll be good!

AT THE BEACH


Nanay and tatay together with their kids

Uncle noel doing some macho pose...

Macho?!!?Violent reactions...

With my cousins and nieces...

With princess my little princess...

As we go home the fun continued...

It’s my turn to sing...listen people...hehehe

It was a fun-filled day and very outrageous experience...including a frog who hits my face during my bedtime...Hmmm I never forget that and here’s what I do to those who disturb me during my sleeping time...

Sorry to disturb you...please let me out... (FROG)


So that’s the entire event on my visit to Leyte hope to be back soon!!! Happy fiesta!!!