flip'n travels

With the RMB coins from heaven, I immediately dialed the Philippine Consulate Office. That’s when I realized that it was a Saturday and there was no office. I called a hostel instead and finally got someone who can speak English. What a relief! But her guess was as good as mine, that a tourist information center here is like most elected local government politicians: USELESS.

So I sat, lit a stick and tried drawing resolution from the nicotine rushing through my brain. Until I spotted a group of young policemen a few meters away from me. I tried my luck and asked them the same single question I’ve been asking in the last two hours. But still, all I got are blank faces. I tried simplifying my English up to a point that we appeared like playing charades.

I noticed an old raggedy lady looking at us like a tennis audience as her head followed whoever was talking. I pointed at the counter, when I was flabbergasted by a strong slap on my arm. The raggedy lady grabbed me and literally dragged me towards the left side of the building. I got scared by the fact that I was being hauled by an old shabby Chinese wearing a deconstructed layer of self sown jacket. I looked dumbstrucked and freaked-out as the scenes from film “Drag me to Hell” were flashing in my head. Until she uttered a word..

“tsk, youngsters!” I froze.

ME: WAIT! Do you speak English? Can you understand what I’m saying?
LADY: No! No English… Tourist… window… there!

My jaw dropped with amazement as she rudely shooed me away. It felt like a scene in a Kung-fu Hustle-ish movie, or a character from a Chinese Sunday theater jumped out of the screen to help me. True enough, there’s a  building across the street that has counter inside for foreign tourists. I was able to book a return ticket. In a state of shock, I confabulatedly grabbed the ticket and walked away, I still can’t get over with what just happened.

I was still on my first day and the series of events were asphyxiating. I was drowning in whims.

It dawned on me that the price of the seat I just purchased was cheap, way too cheap. I was expecting something between RMB 300 to RMB 370 but RMB 88? Something must be seriously wrong.

I can’t wait for my first train ride. I ran and had a quick stop at a convenient store to buy a bottle of water, cookies and bread. I went straight to my train via gate 2, entered the cabin then a horrible sight welcomed me…

I booked a hard seat.

The hard seat is the lowest form of train in China, they got the fast bullet train but you really have to book days or weeks ahead of time to get a seat or a sleeper cabin.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TRAINS FROM SHANGHAI TO BEIJING

I was seated beside an old lady, when I arrived she immediately gave me a sweet smile and she was saying something in Mandarin. I told her that I don’t understand Chinese, I attempted : “Wo de Zhangwén jiang de bú tài hao.” Then I get the WTF?!-look once again. Maybe I mispronounced the words or whatev.

We started conversing:

ME: Hi, I’m Ron, what’s your name?
LADY: chor-chor-chor-chor-chor (don’t really understand what she’s saying so I will just substitute).
ME: Okay, I’m traveling alone… Im… going… to… Beijing…
LADY: Ooh PAI-JING. chor-chor-chor-chor-chor—CHOR?!
ME: Wait, I know you’re asking me something but I’m sorry, I can’t understand you.
LADY: HAHAHAHA
ME: HAHAHAHA, huh?
LADY: chor-chor-chor-chor-chor
ME: DO—YOU—SPEAK—ENGLISH? (with hand signs this time)
LADY: HAHAHAHA
ME: HAHAHA (oh Crap!)

After the next station, someone sat in front of me.  A woman  in her 30’s who got a bag-full of snacks. She opened the bag and shared it to us. I swear I was eating like it’s mine. Who cares right? They started talking, it seemed like the Old lady was trying to tell her that I was this dummy backpacker who was traveling alone without a phrasebook.

Even though I didn’t understand what they were saying, I got the groove of listening to them as if I’m getting what they were talking about. It lasted for 3 hours, amazingly without me getting bored.

Then an old man from the other seat transferred to our table and brought some sunflower seeds to nibble. He started talking to me. I was trying to explain that I don’t speak Chinese. He pulled a paper out and started drawing, and that became our form of communication–PICTIONARY!

We talked about love, life, work and family, They shared their stories, I shared mine. And after 5 hours, my energy started dwindling. While watching them talk, I realized that that scenario looked so familiar and I feel strangely at home. I stood up to walk to the end of the cabin where everyone had been going to smoke. Standing from the aisle, that’s when I saw the picture and figured out why it felt so familiar. That’s because it’s an effigy of a family–My family. It’s like us: my sister, mom and my dad on a dinner table 20 years from now.

The younger lady is feisty and opinionated, just like my sister. The old Man is my dad, comforting and composed. The old lady, like my mom who is sweet and funny.

It made me contemplate and smile. Maybe that was God’s way of reminding me that I still have a family back home. I sat and fell asleep. The old lady folded her blanket on the table in front of me and offered it as pillow. I did not hesitate.

I woke up an hour before midnight. We had been traveling for twelve hours and we were still running fast across a vast hilly land somewhere in the middle of China. The train cabin drew significantly peaceful that time. I pulled out my ticket from my pocket and it said 12:10 so I thought we will be arriving in an hour. Time to start prepping up my stuff. But 12:10 passed, and the train was not showing signs of slowing down, no one is preparing to alight.

Chilly air creeped through my spine “Good Lord, please don’t tell me, that it’s 12:10 PM tomorrow…”

To cut the story short, my first train ride lasted for almost 24 hours… on a hard seat.

We arrived in Beijing mid-day. I asked them for their names but they were writing it in Chinese. We alighted and gave each other a hug. Who knows when I’m gonna see these three nameless souls again? Possibly not anymore. These three strangers gave me comfort far beyond the softest cabin bed. I experienced hard core cultural lessons and whoever they are, no matter how short our encounter had been, I will always remember them as my family on that slow train ride in the middle of China. They made the most uncomfortable journey my most memorable one.

Now I’m in Beijing, and I can’t find that effing shuttle I’m supposed to take… Here we go again.

I will be dedicating all my posts about my trip to China to the people I met on the road, people who helped me along the way, strangers who transformed my lonesome trip to a very meaningful journey.

I never tried doing lone backpacking before. It was three days before our flight to Shanghai when I found out that Monette ran short of time for her visa and I will definitely be flying out alone, I thought of canceling the trip.

Few hours before my scheduled flight, I was still contemplating of scrapping the whole China trip, my tummy is flipping upside down and I never had this situation where I had to decide after a time bomb. I lost my credit card few days before and traveling with limited cash at hand can be very dangerous. Should I take this serious risk?

But then an idiopathic surge of adrenalin jolted me to start packing my bag, flag a cab to the airport and jumped off the cliff, head first! Like a Russian roulette–BAHALA NA! (What will be, will be!)

As the aircraft took off, the thought of an empty seat beside me is making me wish I got pills to pop for my nerves. At 3000 m I realized that nearest passenger is a Filipina, a teacher from Bicol. Cookie is going back to work in Wuxi after her summer vacation in her hometown in Albay. We were the only Pinoys in that flight and her presence gave me a certain degree of comfort. She asked me if I was traveling with someone; if I speak mandarin; if I know anyone in Shanghai; if I had a booked train ticket to Beijing… I answered with a worried grin.

We touched down Pudong International Airport half past midnight. She told me that there’s a shuttle in the airport specially for Filipino OFW’s arriving in Shanghai from a red eye flight, a cheaper alternative to RMB200 cab ride to the city. But it wasn’t there that night. I told Cookie that I don’t mind sleeping at the airport and I did not book a Hotel so I might as well save the cab fare and bed rent and take the first bus to the city center in the morning. That was an instant RMB300 savings.

She decided to accompany me at the airport that night, she even offered to show me the train station to Beijing the following morning. Perfect! Whew! I was safe, at least for day 1 in China.

After two hours of sleep, a mix of anxiety and excitement made me want to start moving. I walked inside the airport to look for a tourist center, and try to grab a map or some useful brochures. Well, guess what. The Tourism desk personnel can barely comprehend English. DAMN! Not a good sign, I walked away empty handed. I decided to walk outside to light a stick, doors slid open and a freezing wave of breeze knocked me like an invisible hard wall, I froze to the bone. I underestimated the weather. I’ve never been to any country 31 deg N up in terms of GPS. I was wearing a thin shirt, warmer and a jacket. Not enough. Even though it’s the start of spring, at 3AM, Shanghai’s temperature can drop to 4 degrees centigrade. I quickly went back inside like a cat who pulled himself out of a freezing water.

Morning came, Cookie and I ran to catch the first bus to the South Railway Station. We took bus #5, paid RMB22 and arrived at the station after about an hour.

I originally planned an over night stay in Shanghai before taking the train to Beijing. But the crowded train station was an indication that I might just have to pull a plan B off my a**. Cookie told me that it is better to reserve a week ahead of time if you want a good seat. True enough, all sleeper trains were fully booked. I just got lucky to book the last seat (not a bed) of a train that was leaving in… err… two hours! WTF!

Cookie had to leave to catch her train to Wuxi. She gave me her contact details in case of emergency. I gave her a hug and bid her farewell.

But I still don’t have a return ticket! My flight back to Manila will be departing from Shanghai, and if I don’t get a return ticket, I will be stuck in Beijing for god knows how long. Again I don’t have my credit cards with me. I don’t have enough cash at hand to book a new flight and I definitely don’t want to miss Beijing. I was morbidly worried and almost froth in the mouth.

I lost the phrasebook I printed back home, but I still tried asking people and policemen as to where I can get a return ticket or at least a tourist information center. But no one can even utter a single english word. I kept on trying for an hour and I ended up sitting hopeless on a corner. Then I saw the red phone booth. A light bulb moment! Maybe I can call the Philippine Consulate Office! I ran towards it, lifted the hand set then I realized I didn’t have loose coins. Out of frustration I slammed the phone as the world around me seemed to melt slowly… Well guess what? RMB4 coins magically came out of the change slot. I swear my knees went wobbly and I wanted to kneel down the ground, look up the sky and scream “thank you po!”

… to be continued

Pudong Airport to Shanghai City Center

By Bus
There are ten airport bus lines handle transfers from Pudong International Airport to the city center. Take Bus #5 From Pudong International Airport to Shanghai Railway Station, Operating Hours 7:20~23:00.

By Maglev
Shanghai Maglev Train (Magnetic Levitation Train, fastest in the world) operates between Pudong International Airport and Longyang Rd. There is a train depart from Pudong Airport Subway Station every day from 6:45 to 21:40 at intervals of 15 to 20 minutes. The whole journey takes only eight minutes. The charge is CNY 50 for an ordinary single trip and CNY 100 for VIP, CNY 80 for an ordinary round trip and CNY 160 for VIP. You can buy an ordinary single ticket at a preferential price of CNY 40 if you have an intraday air ticket. When you get off at Longyang Rd. Station, you can transfer to Subway Line 2 running westward and passing many of Shanghai’ s prosperous areas such as Century Park, Lujiazui, East Nanjing Road and People’s Square.

By Subway Line 2
Shanghai Subway Line 2 is a long and busy line connecting Pudong and Puxi. After extentions, now, it has stretched to Pudong Airport, led to Hongqiao Airport. Passengers have to get off the 4-car metro train at Guanglan Road Station (between Longyang Road Station and Pudong Airport) and then change another  8-car metro train. Vice versa, passengers get off at the same subway station from a 8-car train and get on a 4-car train to enter Pudong Airport. It costs CNY9 for the whole trip and CNY8 from Pudong to Hongqiao airport. It needs more than one hour between the two airports.

By Taxi
A taxi costs approximately CNY 150-200 from Pudong International Airport to People’s Square, the center of Shanghai, and it takes about 50 minutes.

We booked a flight to China early this year, and I could have started applying for the Chinese visa long ago, but I guess I’m too busy procrastinating in the last two months that’s why I end up (you guessed it) cramming.

Here are my struggles in getting the much coveted L Type (Tourist) Visa:

There are different types of Chinese visas. But for a first timer Filipino passport holders, the L visa is what we need. Since I only have less than 2 weeks to burn before hitting the airport to Shanghai, I decided to process the application by myself, assuming It will be faster to cut down transaction time with a third party processor. So I went through the whole 9 yards from completing requirements to queuing-up the line at the embassy. WRONG MOVE!

I got misled by their website that they have an expedited visa processing (Two days processing/extra-urgent). Apparently, they scrapped this one since last year and the fastest would take two days to work on. I thought it’s going to be a walk in the park since I have all the requirements at hand, but it’s  not. Imagine, you have to be at the embassy as early as 5:00 AM to queue-up the line to get a number. I went there at 6:00 AM and I got off the hook at 11:50 AM.

You will be racing side by side with liaison officers from travel agencies, that means most of them got at least 5 passports with them and they really are the early birds. And since these people are embassy regulars they pretty much know everyone and they can easily talk their way around the office. Bottom line—have an agency process the visa on your behalf. That will spare you of wasting long waiting time and the hassle of driving to Makati on a rush hour.

Fee Schedule:

Single : 1400 (4 working days); 2500 (3 days); 3100 (2 days).
Double : 2100 (4 working days); 3200 (3 days); 3800 (2 days).
6 mos multiple : 2800 (4 working days); 3900 (3 days); 4500 (2 days).
12 mos multiple : 4200 (4 working days); 5300 (3 days); 5900 (2 days).

Requirements:

1. Applicant’s passport with blank pages and at least 6 months validity left before expiration.
2. A truly and completely filled application form affixed with one passport-size or 2×2 colored photo, with white background. Photo must be glued on the application form. Stapled pictures will not be accepted. Scanned photos will also not be accepted.
3. A copy of the round-trip plane ticket
4. Hotel reservation / invitation letter with a copy of the inviter’s valid Chinese residence visa and passport information page of inviter’s or Chinese national identity card.
5. Previously used China visa in old or new passport (Only visa stickers will be accepted.  Those with stamped visas must submit additional documents for first time China visa applicants. Please refer to the list below.)
6. For first time applicants to China (Philippine passport holders, 18 years old and above), they are required to provide the following:

• original NBI clearance valid for travel abroad
• original bank certificate with receipt or original passbook, updated within the month that you are applying
• employment certificate, company ID, SSS ID and contributions, TIN ID and latest ITR
• for businessmen, provide business registration of company, TIN ID and latest ITR
• Personal appearance is required for those who are 16-21 years old.

7. The emergency contact information page in the applicant’s passport should be filled out and photocopied.
8. Other documents required by the visa officers if necessary.

On the day of scheduled releasing of my visa, I decided to cut my shift to 2 hours under time so that I can hit the embassy at 5AM. I’m at number 6 and waited for three hours for the gate to be opened. I got my visa at around 9:30 AM, from the window counter, I immediately grabbed my passport, went home to pack my bags and hit the road to Clark International Airport for my flight to Borneo.

Whew!

After our Kota Kinabalu stint last April, we were asked the question “How much was the damage?” for God knows how many times. So we stole this idea of post trip accounting from Nina Fuentes of justwandering.org

So here you go, once and for all

PART 1: MANILA TO CLARK

The only Airline that flies from Philippines to Kota Kinabalu is Air Asia, which embarks at Clark International Airport in Pampanga.

Bus from Quezon City to Dau – PhP 130

Tricycle to Clark gate – PhP 70

Private jeep to Clak Airport – PhP 200

Travel & Airport Taxes – PhP 1,650 + PhP 720

Other Options:

1. Shuttle from Megamall to Clark Airport – PhP 400
2. Bus from Manila to Dau – PhP 130 ——> Airport Shuttle to Clark – PhP 50

PART 2: KOTA KINABALU AND AROUND

cab from KK Airport to Hostel – MYR 30

food (average per meal) – MYR 10

Borneo Backpackers Accommodation (Air-conditioned Dorm bed/common bathroom; per bed/night) -  MYR 25

Tip: Everything in Kota Kinabalu is within walking distance, bus or cab rides  aren’t necessary.

PART 3 : MT. KINABALU

Shuttle to Park gate – MYR 15

Climbing guide (per group) – MYR 100

Conservation fee – MYR 15

Shuttle from Park gate to Timpohon gate – MYR 10

Sutera Sanctuary Package (per climber)- MYR 492

Inclusions:

• Panar Laban Accomodation for 1 night
• Packed lunch
• Buffet dinner, supper and breakfast at Laban Rata
• Post climb lunch at Balsam Restaurant
• Climbing permit
• Insurance

Cab from Park Gate to Kota Kinabalu – MYR 110

Tip: After the climb, the mini shuttle buses that we took going to the park where nowhere to be found, instead cab drivers were all waiting for tourist going back to the city. But we find it too expensive to at MYR 150. another option is to take the Ranau-KK Big Bus, but it was too late, the last bus left at 5 PM (MYR 20). Monette used her charm to a cab driver waiting across the street outside the gate. We got it for MYR 110, still too pricey.

PART 4: POST CLIMB

1 hour Body Massage – MYR 100

Souvenir/pasalubong shopping at the Sunday market – around MYR 50-100

Day trip to Palau Manukan – MYR 45

Inclusions:

• Speed Boat round trip
• Conservation Fee

Tips: Some employees at Jesselton Port and receptionist in the islands are Filipinos, they even actually offered us snorkeling gears for free, we could have taken it if it’s not for the horde of jellyfishes in the water.

PART 5: HEADING BACK HOME

Cab to KK Airport – MYR 30

Clark to Manila (see breakdown above)- PhP 250

Traveling alone will definitely be more expensive at a mark up of at least 20% as compared to the expenses if you’re traveling with someone. In our case, for a 4 days / 4 nights in Kota Kinabalu, we spent around PhP 17,000 (excluding airfare) and we spent a huge portion of that (PhP 7,000) for our climb. Pricey we know, actually our priciest to date considering the length of the trip.

Back to Kota Kinabalu from our gargantuan climb, we head off straight to the hostel to freshen-up, feast on a hearty dinner then went straight to a spa for a well deserved full body massage.

Upon lying down the massage table, we instantaneously went in to trans, and up to this point we can hardly remember a thing. The next event we can recall is the painful ordeal of getting out of bed the next morning. Our legs were aching like B****

We still have a full day to go around the town and we need do some shopping, then providence played its game once again, we woke up with the sight of a market that rose out of nowhere a block away from our hostel–Sunday market time! We bought pasalubongs for my staff nurses and Monette’s students.

The first season of survivor was shot in Palau Tiga, an island some 30 minutes away from the city port. Since we still have a day to hit the beach and relax our about to explode muscles, we decided to spend the remnants of our budget to explore the islands, I wanted to do an island hopping and see two or three, but since our budget can only afford one–Palau Manukan it is!

Going to where the roots of the hit reality show Survivor, is no less than perfect and politically appropriate at that point, we survived the ambitious climb and we deserve the title (and no we’re not singing the Destiny’s Child cliche).

We walked several minutes from where we ate our breakfast to Jesselton Port. With almost paralyzed legs and non functioning brains we said yes to the first guy who grabbed us and offered the ride to Manukan, no negotiations, no haggling, surprisingly effortless. After paying a total of MYR45 for the speedboat ride, port fee and all those conservation sh**,  we realized we left our sunblock in our hostel. Too late, our boat is already speeding towards the island.

We weren’t expecting anything, for an island so proximal to the bustling city, we did not believe that there is a perfect beach around, at least not remotely comparable to our Boracay or Palawan. Being Filipinos, our standard bars when it comes to beaches is close to insatiable. But we were surprised with Palau Manukan.

Once our toes touched the white sand, we immediately looked for a spot under the trees, laid our sarongs, flatten the sand underneath, and slowly drift away to dreamland… It was a slothful siesta, so sinful the devil was already sending an SMS for flight schedule. But who cares? This is Kota Kinabalu compensating and calling it ‘quits’ after the epic torture.

Monette found out that the receptionist, the boatman and other staff in the island happened to be Filipinos. And being a kababayan, they actually offered the snorkeling gears for free. I so love that “Pinoy abroad” culture.

The marine life in this side of Borneo is so rich: Try to bring a piece of bread and schools of fish will swarm you, it is kind of bordering to scary actually, because some fishes aren’t small, some bigger than my torso. The water is warm and dipping is perfect to melt those premature uric acid that got crystallized during the climb, if it’s not for the fact that it’s jellyfish season, I would definitely spend the rest of the afternoon playing with fishes.

And so I did the right and most responsible thing to do, I went back to Slothville.

Before I completely surrender consciousness, I lay down stared at the sky for couple of minutes, while trying to digest the adventure that was.

Voice over:

“Whoa, climbing Kinabalu  is something that I will remember for the rest of my life.
But is it worth it? HELL YES…
Am I gonna do it again? NOT A CHANCE!”

I closed my eyes smiling, as the noon light fades out.