MY 2006 USA Traveloque ==================================== miles bernal

wrote: Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2006 19:17:17 -0800 (PST) From: miles bernal

Subject: My travel update for you..Part 1 To: Hi everyone, I am now on the road with my USA tour, here is my travel update to all… My travel companion (Ms Fely Mendoza) whom I met in my China travels (makati rin ang paa niya ..meaning.. travel din ang passion niya) and I arrived New York safe but too tired and exhausted. My travel agency unable to book us with Northwest hence they booked us with PAL with combination of US domestic airline ( Delta) It was a very circuitious route kaya pagod kami… On our first travel stop in New York,( we landed in JFK airport and we were belitted in Hilton Hotel Newmark in New Jersey. We at once toured all the landmarks in New York. Our schedule was so hectic I was unable to call Mila Canlas or Lito Pablo and other friends and relatives. We were out touring during the day and arrived in the hotel very late in the evening. I am now writing this e-mail in our second stop at hotel Rennaissence (sa kaniling Computer business center) in Philadelphia, state of Pensylvania, tomorrow on the go naman kami… marami pa kaming pupuntahan…we stay in different hotels everyday !!!….we will go to the east coast next week… oo nga pala… would you believe my travel companion was held and was interrogated at the MIA airport, and almost was not permitted to travel… dahil me nakita na dala siyang lumang bullet na agimat or talisman..nakita ito sa kanyang bag…( this is prohibited at the airport now a days….bringing in or out an amulet such as old bullet (even in the form of pendat) as lucky charm or as talisman is unlawful…. muntik na akong walang kasama sa travel ko tuloy…. I testified in favor of Ms Fely that the bullet is an amulet or talisman and not for any purpose… we made a lot of paper processing before she was released by the police at the airport…. Lesson learned: when you travel and will pass by airport do not bring any bullet as lucky charm or as talisman… My big thanks to Rico Manlapig for his cancer awareness message…please ask him what was it all about… he… he.. he.. (Note: while I was on New York I received txt from Rico that stated: March is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month… Salatin ang bayag ng bawat lalaking makikita… Be concerned Citizen!!! Mkikapa !!! Please pass, help all men… I sent my reply to Rico, stated like this…. Tnx ur msg… M sure mala2ki ang maka2pa ko dito, kc mala2ki clang lahat d2, iba2 pa kulay! may puti itim, at kayumanggi! …sana nand2 ka… U can have ur choice !!! ) my best regards to all, till my next update…. Miles Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 21:41:23 -0800 (PST) From: miles bernal

Subject: Travel Update part 2… To: Hello to all… I am just squeezing in this note very quick….. Our travel schedule is really hectic and exciting… I thought the weather would be ok and would be spring by this time … but it is very very coooooold, winnndy and chillllly…and snowwwwy too…..our trip involves a lot of walking, bus rides and state/countryside viewing and sigthseeing… We are done with the following Eastcoast tour schedule.. 1 - New York City Tour/Atlantic City - visited the famous Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Wall street, UN building, Rockefeller Center, Empire State building, Fifth Avenue, Chinatown, joined the Military Intrepid Tour in NYC, visited the " Ground Zero Site" , we had a Hudson River Harbor Cruise and visited the Casino at Altantlic City. 2 - Philadelphia/Washington D.C. - visited the Independence Hall, Carpenters hall and Liberty bell, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Capitol hills, white house, the super spectacular Smithsonian Museums (at last.. nakita ko na dito yong the biggest blue diamond in the world!!!) . I like the best the Smithsonian museum because of its vast history information kaya lang super lawak ng place and mahirap maglakad……you needed more energy to walk around… 3 - Harrisburg/Corning/Buffalo City/Niagara City - visited the Hershey’s Chocolate World, this is the birthplace of the famous Hershey chocolate, we have been to the fantastic glass museum and Steuben glass factory in Corning. We viewed the Niagara falls ( US side), American falls and Bridal veil falls. The Niagara falls is really an awesome site!! 4 - Boston Mass. - visited Boston Harbour, Harvard University and Quincy Market. 5 - Back to New York City and visited Uptown Manhattan, Columbia Centre, Metropolitan Museum and Conney Island. We fly and arrived California and visited the following… West coast tour itinerary……. 1 - San Francisco LA/Merced Or Fresno - we visited Danish Village of Solvang, I find the Hearst Castle really spectacular and amazing collection of antiques, it got collection of world’s art antiquities. 2 - Fresno/Yosemite - we visited the America’s natural wonderland with its spectacular falls and great formation of rocky cliffs. What a beautiful and wonderful creations of God!! If you are interested in geology, study of rocks, Yosemite National Park is nice place to visit…. Wala na akong oras para bumili ng HardRock Cafe T-shirt!!! I am also acting as care giving companion or as an aid to my female travel companion kasi matanda na (senior na rin katulad ko) siya and low tech pa… wala siyang celphone… hindi marunong ng email, hindi rin marunong mag overseas call… but she is too excited to travel?..hindi marunong gumamit ng shower button sa bathroom at may dalang tabo!!!, hindi marunong gumamit ng coffee maker/ perculator and she likes to drink coffee most of time…even if she has been to US and Europe before!!…she is my apostolic work in this trip.. I realized to have more enjoyable life, even in senior years we needed to be connected to the world, we need to learn and be updated with new technology…… also we need to understand better, be patient with senior and elderly people…..live in harmony with other people… I will later write more about my travel other learned lessons. my best regards, Miles Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 03:13:05 -0800 (PST) From: miles bernal

Subject: Traveloque… Part 3 To: "mciocson@yaho.com.ph"

Hi and hello to all, Here is my Travel Trivia/Insights …..Part 3…. In our flight from San Francisco to New York, our plane was suddenly diverted to Kansas City, due to one passenger suffered heart attack while on flight. We saw the 911 emergency in action with great speed, soon we landed at Kansas City airport, the paramedic staff was ready and have been waiting for the patient on airport ground. Our plane was delayed in New York and we were too worried and nervous that we would not catch up with our travel agent on time and it would mean we will travel to our hotel on our own and we would shoulder additional expense. But good karma made our day…God has been good to us…the travel agent waited for us till 11:00 PM!!!… we appreciated and very thankful to the travel agent…siempre may tip siya sa amin.. While we were in Niagara, Buffalo City, viewing the great Niagara falls in the evening, (Nite viewing of Niagara falls was recommended by our tourist guide because of the lights surrounding the falls and the park) my travel companion, due to excitement and while walking very fast along the icy Niagara park, she stripped and fell down. I thought we will have another emergency!! Good thing she was not badly hurt. I realized when it is winter and snowy, water gets frozen along the roads/streets, there are icicles all around, along the roads/streets, on parks steel railings, on plants and trees too. It is very slippery, its hard to walk on these icy roads/streets. Learned lesson: It is important to be very very careful while walking outdoor during winter or when it is raining, if possible use rubber shoes or skid free shoes. In both our East and Westcoast travel, our tour group composed of mostly Chinese tourists.There is a great bulk of Chinese tourist in USA ngayon !!!….tourists composed of chinese who are US residents, from Taiwan, China and Hongkong (dahil marami silang pera !!) most of the chinese travel with their families, however most of them do not speak English. We tried to interact with them but they do not know how to speak English…they were enthusuastic to meet people and talk/converse but hirap na hirap silang magsalita ng English…most of the chinese residents in the US are interested in travelling interstate, they travel with their families and in groups. Dahil maraming Chinese in the group, our tourist guide has to speak in English then translate it to Chinese..kaya mahaba ang dialoque niya.. kaya pagod na pagod siya!!! (Because most of the tour participants are chinese, the tourist guide parati kaming dinadala sa "Chinese eat all you can restaurant" costing about $ 10 - 13 per head which we find expensive… kaya kung minsan hanap kami ang Mcdo, King Burger, Wendys, Jack in the box or KFC which is very cheap.. one order is already good for both of us na… Americans are big people kaya siguro they got big serving of foods….. sabi nga nila… " Everything in America is big" !!!) Very often, our English group got difficulty in deciphering what the tourist guide was talking about… kasi ang English niya eh.. parang Chinese din.. hindi clear and hindi maintindihan… barok English baga !!!! Kaya siguro mura lang ang tour package namin..!!! While getting ready for our trip to Yosemite National Park very early in the morning, a girl/child tour participant met an accident, she suffered a head cut while horse playing with her younger sister inside their hotel room. The mother called the hotel for medical assistance…she got difficulty expressing herself in mimic way…the whole tour participants rode in the tourist bus and we brought the patient to Fresno Children’s Hospital, the child underwent 8 stitches surgery at the hospital. Our trip was delayed and later the family of the child opted to stay behind and not to join the tour. ( Malaki siguro naging medical bills ng chinese family na yon!!!) kaya takot me sa accident!!! Learned Lesson: Watch out and look after your kids when joining a travel tour…or huwag magdadala ang makukulit na anak sa travel tour…. be safety cautious at all times to avoid accident. My travel companion and I enjoyed our Eastcoast travel tour group composed of 55 participants, at the end of our travel itinerary, all tour participants such as chinese, Irish, Malaysians, Filipinos, Bolivians, Japanese (while we were inside the moving bus) were requested to introduce oneself, or do something either to sing, recite a poem, or say comments or anything about the tour sort of interactive presentation. I represented our group when we were called out by the tourist guide. …. No.. I didn’t sing….. but siempre itinayo ko ang bandera ng Pilipinas… I initiated parlor games inside the bus, the " longest breath", “charade” and " bring me contest" ala Cebu Pacific Airline" contest baga….. and of course I gave blessings and give-away tokens ( good luck bracelets from Philippines, dala ko from Pinas! ) to winners. Everybody esp. the children enjoyed my games, they were all happy. My travel companion (si Ms. Fely) commented natalo ko raw yong tourist guide sa pag- entertained sa mga tour participants. It made our travel more interesting, avoided boring moments and I made the connections to others daw…. Till next mail… kung may free internet connection ang aming susunod na hotel… My warm regards, Miles Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 22:47:00 -0800 (PST) From: miles bernal

To: Melania ǩocson

, "mciocson@yaho.com.ph"

Subject: My traveloque … Part 4 Hi and hello to all… Sharing you my travel adventure Part 4…. Our Westcoast tour composed of visit to Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate, Union Square, the famous zigzag road garden in San Francisco…. Para kang nasa Pinas na rin dito because of the sobrang traffic…..office workers needed to leave their houses very early to avoid traffic along the way. Imagined when we reached this area eh.. 5:00 AM palang but me traffic na !!! .. I noticed great improvements in Fisherman’s Wharf area, when I was here many years ago, many of the structures used to be made of wood and temporary materials, but now most of the establishments are made of concrete na !!!!… there are more fly overs and reclaimed areas.. there are many many people/tourist in this area… elbow to elbow esp. if the tourist buses came in all at the same time!!! I noticed there are more houses and subdivisions constructed along the hilly slopes…I felt scary for them because San Francisco is within the earthquake fault zone area di ba!! Kahit na regaluhan mo pa ako ng 2 Million dollar house in this area hindi ko tatangapin!!!! he..he…he… I find the Hearst Castle in San Simeon California really spectacular and amazing collection of antiques, it got collection of world’s art antiquities. The museum is an evidence of the obession of Mr. Hearst (the famous owner of newspapers in America) for Roman and other European Arts and antiques. He had purchased tons and tons of European antiques and transported them to his ranch and mansion in the US…during his time he only shared his mansion with the elite people…. Upon his death he turned over his Hearst castle to be shared to other people to the government of San Simeon, California. Learned Lesson: Whatever earthly possession you got you will all leave them behind when you die….do not count or accumulate wealth because you can’t bring them along with you when you die… instead count happy memories…schedule and make bonding with your familes… do not count your wealth…it is best to count happy moments and memories…… On our way to Fresno, we also visited a charming resort or tourist spot area called Danish Village of Solvang.. I called this area as " Pekeng Europe area" because it is a mini Europe style community, imagined a mini Europe community transported to USA!!! namemeke din pala ang US eh !!! … all houses/store’s facades and decors here are all " ala Europe styles and designs such as Windmills in Holland, Eiffel Tower in Paris, Dutch wooden shoes, etc…. I have seen all of these in my travel to Europe many years ago……para makatipid ang mga Americans punta sila dito..tapos……magpakuha ng many pictures…parang nagpunta ka na rin sa Europe .. he… he..he… On our way to Las Vegas, Nevada there is also another resort and tourist area in Lake Havasu, there is a replika of the London Bridge built in the area, all the houses and stores are European designs and styles…I called it the " famous " pekeng London Bridge" but in pictures you will not tell the difference!!! so you need to watch out also pala for pekeng "Europe pictures…..he… he… he… (Speaking of "fake" there is now a Law about carrying " fake" things such as bags, T-shirts, CDs/ DVD, signature outfits/garments in large quantity for commecial purposes outside of Philippines esp entry to USA……so be careful ….) We went to Disneyland in LA…. our hotel is very near the area hence we have the whole day roaming around the " happiest place on earth" … I vividly remember the rides and the places I went to when I was here many years ago… kaya alam ko na ikot ikot dito…there was not much changes in the area… it is well maintained and still being patronized by many people esp children…….this is the first time of Ms Fely in the area kaya excited siya and overwhelmed….. nalilito siya kahit na meron ng Mapa….most of the time hindi niya makita ang toilet area…. (Speaking of Restroom area, we were requested by our tourist guide not to use the toilet in the bus often to avoid smelly condition in the bus… he instructed us to always use restroom before boarding the bus……but because of the cold weather and most of the tour participants are female, the ladies room are always crowded more than the " gentlemen" and the ladies group are called the " wewe" group.. there was a time…because I needed the ladiesroom very badly na…..I used the "gentlemen room" wala kasing pila doon…he… he.. he.. ) when I was in Disneyland the first time many years ago, I was so happy and at the same time hoped sana meron din Disneyland sa Pinas….I even prayed to God that " sana magkaroon din ng kahit 1/4 bahagi lang ng Disneyland area in the Philppines…and God that time heard my prayer… God gave us the……. " Enchanted Kingdom" ……I realized hindi SMART ang vision or prayer ko noon…sabi ko kasi 1/4 lang ng Disneyland……sana sinabi noon boung Disneyland dalhin sa Pinas!!!! I was thinking loud….. siguro ang mga taga Hongkong they have full vision of Disneyland kaya meron silang Hongkong Disneyland ngayon!! I find the Universal Studio the same place of fantasy..I noticed they display new " behind the scenes" magic of movie making, thrilling rides based on the new trends now a days.. wala na yong " Cassandra Crossing" scenes, or "Back draft" scenes, it is now replaced with Jurassic Park, ET and Back to the Future….. We had only little time touring the City of Los Angeles but at least we passed by the Beverly Hills, Music center, Rodeo Drive - the famous expensive shopping center in Hollywood, Hollywood Bowl Resort, Sta Monica Blvd, the famous Sunset blvd (parang M. H. Del Pilar natin or red light district of LA), I like the famous Venice beach nila…..Mann’s Chinese Theatre - site of the Stars Footprints and Hollywood Walk of Fame…Para din Pinas ang Los Angeles sa sobrang traffic…. Also on our way to Las Vegas, we went to this area called " Barstow" sabi nila this is the best place for shopping best bargains in America for best buys of US branded items. Because of our peso conversion rate mahal pa rin sa akin ang presio!!! kaya wala akong nabili.. sayang pera eh…. binusog ko na lang ang aking mga mata !!! Marami sa mga chinese ang namili, right away they used their new US branded shoes or bags!!!.. Till next mail God Bless Miles Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2006 04:41:56 -0800 (PST) From: miles bernal

To: Melania ǩocson

, Subject: My Traveloque… Part 5 Hi everyone Sharing you my travel adventure… Part 5 If you like to see the Grand Canyon or Las Vegas the easy way, use the plane….in our case dahil nga mura ang tour package namin we have to contend ourselves with the long back aching bus rides… but it was worth it… I regarded it as very informative… I learned more about directions, geography and enjoyed a lot the breathtaking view of the countryside, the vast lands and desert etc. I saw several houses and subdivisions currently being built and for sale along the way…I think because of land slides, earthquakes, tornado, storm problems many US residents are transferring to the state of Nevada which got better climate and tornado free place, my cousin is transfering to Nevada from Chicago… he said the tax here is also lower than other states in America… …. the Nevada state is surrounded by mountain ranges which protect the community residents from storm, tornados and bad weather… Travelling to Grand canyon and Las Vegas involves a long bus ride hence you need to prepare yourself well, have more rest and sleep, eat more energy foods and lots of vitamin C, you need to be physically fit prior travel. There are a lot of senior citizens like us in our tour group….I noticed there were more old folks who travel than the young ones… kasi daw wala pang pera ang young ones and can’t afford to travel pa sila… while the old ones got the money but some are not physically fit anymore to travel… kc pag matanda na mahina na.. marami ng nararamdamang sakit…. there are old folks travelling in wheel chair in America….. hence they needed more care and aid when traveliing.. Learned Lesson: if you are interested to travel save money while you are young, ( magdildil ng asin katulad ko.. meaning ..save, save and save money… schedule travel ( kahit local travel lang) once a year with your family, it will perk up travel interest among children. If you have the means, don’t postpone travel plans while you are young……don’t postpone being a happy person….. be happy now !!!!. Travel while you are young…. In going to the Grand Canyon , we passed 3 states namely California, Nevada and Phoenix Arizona. Nevada is the Entertainment State of America, we went to 3 big cities of Nevada, Reno the State Capital, Las Vegas, which is called the " Entertainment Capital of the World" and Laughlin Area. We spend our evening in these areas by enjoying the beautiful shows, casinos and the many spectacular hotels in the place. In Las Vegas, we were belittled at Grand Plaza hotel very near and overlooking the world famous Freemonth Street Experience. This area is the center stage and home to several film and television moments like " Back to the Future" " Casino", " Pay It Forward" and " The Mexican" . In this place you can view at the ceiling ( lahat kayo nakatingin sa taas or ceiling) for the lights/sound video technology presentation for about 6 - 7 minutes which costs about 2 million dollars every presentation daw per our tourist guide…. I specially requested our tourist guide to lead us to Venetian hotel ( I saw the documentary series of how this hotel was built (pattern with the great Venice atmosphere in Italy) in the TV discovery channel kaya nag-special request ako sa kanya…The Venetian Hotel is really beautiful… when you view the venice canal area you seems or feel to be in outdoor scene, an outdoor illusion because of the "pekeng" sky blue ceiling …I even sang with the gondola rower… they usually sing oldies songs like " Bolare" or " O Solo Mio" which I know…its my contemporary songs you know… ang ibig lang sabihin eh… matanda na yong kanta….kasing tanda ko na… he..he.. he.. So if you will go to Las Vegas, don’t miss the Venetian hotel… I tremendously like the splendour of Grand Canyon!! .It is my most unforgetable lifetime travel adventure/experience ..Would you believe that when I reached the grand view point and while veiwing the grand canyon I had goose pimples and I really cried hard that I needed to reach for my hanky….. because right there, I felt a miracle and I felt the presence of God… I really appreciated and very thankful for such creations !!! .. it was such an awesome, stunning, wonderful, beautiful, spectacular, awe-inspiring site, I felt blessed and I felt I have partaken the holy sacrament….. ( I was thinking loud.. the scene is a respite…. inspite of the so many problems that we have, such as war, garbage, pollutions, political and government issues, terrorism, corruptions etc. we still have so many things to thank God for….. such as his beautiful creations !! ). We also learned the history of the place, how it was discovered many many years ago, it was then inhabited by the indians, via video Imax viewing in a theatre near the National Park. Tipong ala "enchanted Kingdom realto" viewing, you are part of the expedition in discovering the colorado river that traverses the grand canyon area. The grand Canyon National park has been declared as World Cultural heritage park by Unesco, it is well funded kaya it is a well maintained park. Sana ganoon din well maintained ang mga park and sites sa Pinas which were declared by Unesco as World Cultural heritage sites such as the " Palawan underground river, Paoay Church in Ilocos, Vigan town, Batanes Islands, Miagao Church in Ilolilo and others…. Learned lesson: We need to be focused, be thankful and be appreciative of what we have… we should not focused on what we do not have, it will make you greedy and will feel discontented… The Grand Canyon is regarded as the world’s most spectacular illustration of erosion… Para sa mga elite and very rich people they view the Grand canyon and Las Vegas via helicopter which is very very expensive… I am simply contented that I saw the Grand Canyon !!…. thanks God… Till next mail…I hope you enjoy my travel notes specially made for you… God Bless, Miles Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2006 10:31:01 -0700 (PDT) From: miles bernal

To: Melania Çiocson

, Subject: My Traveloque… Part 6 Hi everyone… Sharing you my travel notes/adventure Part 6.. This is one lesson I will never forget….while we were in Los Angeles, it was our last leg of our travel itinerary in the US. On our last day, we were supposed to have LA City tour and Universal Studio guided tour by the VIP (Leisure)Tour travel agent. We were instructed that we will be picked up at our hotel by the travel agent tour shuttle at 7:00 AM. So we slept early, woke up early and we were at the hotel lobby very early. At 7 AM, while waiting at the hotel lobby, a man came and was calling loud for tour participants of VIP Tours.. we immediately and excitedly raised our hands and acknowledged his call. He didn’t asked for our names but requested us to board his tour bus. We travelled and reached their travel agency for about ten minutes, he instructed us to go to the office counter and to check in.. .. their office was an assembly and segregation place for tour participants to different touring areas ( such as LA City tour, Disneyland, Berry Knotts Farm, and Universal Studio). The office personnel couldn’t understand the tour voucher form we submitted to them.. To cut the story short…. mali pala sinakyan namin!!!…..I learned that we inadvertently boarded the wrong travel tour bus. our travel agent is supposed to be VIP (Leisure) TOUR not VIP TOURS ..(I learned magka-iba pala yong travel agency na yon at iba pala ang nag picked-up sa amin !!!! I requested help from the officer incharge and he called our travel agent and suggested that they will accommodate us in the tour but they will pick up the bill later. Our mistake was a blessing indisguise because we were in company of all English speaking group (no Chinese in the group) it means the tourist guide will use straight English in all his tour directions and explanations…. it will mean we will have a more clear information and explanations. … Learned lesson: Do not assume…always ask questions….. always verify and reconfirm data prior decision or doing any action…be attentive to specifics and details of your travel forms and itinerary…. In my previous travel to US, I noticed the most prominent hotels/inns that time are the BestWestern chain of hotels, Double Tree, Days Hotels only…. now I noticed there are a lot of hotels/Inns around USA…. such as Comfort Inn, Radisson Hotel, Ameri Suites, Radisson Hotel, Hilton Hotel, Holiday Hotel, etc. dikit- dikit ang mga hotels and Inns….. it seems there is a stiff competition for lodging and hotel accommodation services, it means more choices for hotel accommodation services. This indicates that there are more travellers and tourists in the USA now a days…. as part of customer service of some hotels, they provide free breakfast to their clients, they provide facility of free use of PC and access to internet-email. Most of the hotels charge use of PC/laftop and access to internet/email from 50 cents to 1.75 dollars per minute. Everytime we checked-in in the hotel I always ask kung me libre silang access to email.. para maka email ako ng libre……… I noticed while hotels in Asia provide the pitcher water heater only, almost all of the hotels in US they provide the coffee maker/perculator with free coffee bags for use of their customers, hence you should know how to operate/use the coffee maker/perculator…….. kaya ngayon palang mag-aral na ng gumanit ng coffee maker or coffee perculator….. Learned lesson: if you are a brewed coffee lover, learn to operate/use the coffee maker/perculator……magpaturo na kayo sa PMI !!! he.. he.. he…..sila ba pa ang maintenance contractor ninyo… What I like in America ? their plentiful and bountiful water ( hot and cold water) no matter how remote the place is there is always electricity, telephone, there is always clean restrooms with plenty of water and tissues or paper towels. Food is also bountiful that… I thought of people in other countries esp that of Africa…that do not have food to eat!!! Many people regarded America as great country but no matter how great America is… there are also Americans who beg for money or for meals and who are homeless as well. (Would you believe there was a man.. tipong " taong grasa" who walks in the street in Venice beach in LA all day long everyday…….singing " Jingle bells" a form of begging baga……. and he got about 100 - 150 dollars a day!!!. not bad ah…..) Learned Lesson: In this life, we can’t have everything ….where ever you are, life is not perfect…we should not focus on our problems or the negative side of life …..life is too short that… we should choose to enjoy life and be happy,…. to be thankful and contented of what we have……(sa mga parents, cherish and enjoy your children while they are young…madali silang lumaki and hihiwalay na sa inyo… in the end you will end up with kayong mag-asawa na lang sa big haus ninyo !!! )……lets focus on the positive side of the our country, the Philippines…. lets be positive all the time… Life is like a drama..if I undersatnd that all individuals have to play their own parts, there is a great happiness….. Abangan ang aking travel adventure Part 7 and Conclusion or ending.. My best regards to all.. God bless you… Miles Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2006 07:21:50 -0700 (PDT) From: miles bernal

Subject: My Traveloque… Part 7 To: Melania Çiocson

, "mciocson@yaho.com.ph"

Hi everyone… Sharing you my travel notes/adventure Part 7.. I am done with my USA travel tour…. very tired and exhausted but happy, thankful and very rich in wisdom and experiences…I am very thankful that we didn’t meet any untoward incidents during the trip…. Upon arrival in Manila, I immediately delivered all my clothes for laundry and packed another new set of luggage and hopped in again for another one week travel adventure to Malaysia and Singapore…. wala akong pahinga !!!… (Prior to my USA trip I promised my nephew and niece for an Asian trip, hence when I got hold of a budget package tour (from Travel Tour Expo at MegaMall) to Malaysia and Singapore last February, I immediately confirmed the booking). However, upon my arrival from USA, .I got the shocked in my life !!! I found out that the passport of my nephew Mark (who is listed in the tour and who is supposed to go with me to Malaysia/Singapore), was to expire within one month time. My nephew and I overlooked the expiry date of his passport. It will mean that he can’t travel with me due to his expired passport!!! the travel package contract term stated that traveller should meet immigration requirements of Malaysia which is, passport should be 6 months valid prior departure, and airline ticket name change will be allowed if made at least within 48 hours period prior departure……at that time we didn’t meet this time requirement, because we had only about 5 hours to plan and implement actions…I got very limited time to trouble shoot the problem..( my plan was to talk to my travel agent to replace the name of my nephew to another nephew who got same surname)… If I can’t make the passenger name substitution, my travel booking and payment will be forfeited….sayang ang perang ibinayad ko!!!!!!! . I prayed for miracle!!!! I prayed to God that my travel agent will be able to effect name change…… On the very day of our departure ( we were supposed to leave in the afternoon) , I went to my travel agent very early in the morning and requested for help… Praise God… He heard my prayers…. my travel agent was able to arrange the name change in a very quick manner. I was extremely grateful….I believe in miracles…. and this was the miracle I got on that day !!! The name change gave an opportunity to my other nephew (who is 19 years old) to travel abroad for the first time!!! (good thing his passport was ready and available that time) .. the problem situation ends well…. the conflict situation became a new door of opportunity………… . Learned Lesson: Be aware of immigration requirements and be attentive to details of your travel documents…when you travel to any country it is a requirement that passport should be 6-7 months valid prior departure.. Finally the three of us finally made it to Malaysia/Singapore via Clark airport..we went to Kuala Lumpur City, Malaysia and Singapore for a week… I regarded this place as Universal Studio and Disneyland na pinag-isa.. Tropical green and cool invigorating air surrounds this resort and is complimented by a superb range of facilities, such as an indoor and outdoor theme park, casinos, (they said this place is the only legal gambling place in Malaysia), entertainment arenas that can accommodate 6,000 people, got about 5,600 hotel room of international standards ( we were belitted at First World Hotel, that has very long line of about 28 hotel desk counters ( for check-in and check out). When we reached the foot of the mountain, we rode the cable car for about 20-25 minutes to reach the resort, (luma ang cable car ng Ocean park in Hongkong or cable car in Sentoza in Singapore dito !!!) kaya kung may phobia ka sa heights don’t take the cable car… am sure children will love this place.. I love the history of Genting Highlands as a resort area….. it was founded my Sri Datu Lim Goh Tong who got a "from rags to riches story"….. it was a vision of Mr Sri Datu Lim Goh Tong, a successful businessman in Malaysia (a poor boy from Fujian, China, who out of poverty, travelled to Malaysia for greener opportunities) sacrificed and struggled hard, worked as carpenter, laborer until he learned the rudiments of construction, until he became successful building contractor, enterprenuer and now one of the riches businessmen in Malaysia…His Genting Highlands vision was at first laughed at by many people as crazy idea… but he followed up his vision and worked hard on it by building and constructing roads in the mountains…( I suspect the Tagaygay Highlands was patterned with Genting idea. ) Mr. Goh Tong owns many Malaysian businesses/companies such as energy and oil companies, Telecommunications company, many hotels Real Estates in Malaysia, he owns the Star/Virgo cruises and other luxury liner operating in Asia and Europe and other business enterprises…… super yaman niya…….gaya ni Mr. Zobel Ayala of Pinas, Mr. Goh Tong recently handed down his business conglomerates to his sons…….hinanap ko nga yong anak ni Mr. Goh Tong sa Malaysia eh !!!!…….he….he….he.. This is my third time in Malaysia and I find it still truly amazing…I like how they maintained their superwide roads, 8 lanes highways, and they continue building more airports, buildings with ultra modern designs, bridges with uniques designs. We went to Putradyaja district where all the Malaysian government and administrative offices ( thier new offices are all magnificent in designs) are all situated in one street avenue or one district, kaya kung me kailangan ka from any government agencies, nandito na lahat yon !!! I am truly amazed with the fast progress of Malaysia… sana ganoon din ang Pinas.. We went to Singapore via overland and had only a one day tour going around the city of Singapore, inspite of being a small city with many people they were able to maintain their city very clean, green and very organized. ( by the way chewing gum is banned in Singapore…….kaya when in Singapore do not carry or bring in chewing gum …its is prohibited… Learned lesson: Vital ingredients of success in life are hard work, sacrifice and industry…..parang mga required competencies ng Chevron/Unocal baga !!!…..Share and follow your vision/goals and work hard to achieve it….. Speaking of immigration process, the SOP of every country is for traveller to fill up and submit embarkation card or arrival card upon entry, (upon arrival in the country, immigration will stamp date of your arrival in your passport) on your departure, you need to submit the disemmarkation/departure card, immigration will again stamp date of your departure in your passport…in our case, when we departed from LA airport, we didn’t pass LA immigration and we didn’t have date of departure stamped in our passport. At LA airport, the airline or PAL personnel just got our departure card which was clipped in our passport…I was worried about this process, for better explanation and clarification, I questioned and verify this process, I asked many airline and airport personnel and other passengers about this process….they said that airline personnel who got our departure card will handle coordination with immigration authorities….they said the arrival date in Philippines will signify we departed US…. this means there are changes or deviations in US immigration process now a days….. Learned lesson: If you do not understand a process, ask questions, verify and seek clarification. Be assertive, be informed of immigration process and regulations… Looking back and speaking of miracles, we encountered many miracles in our travel…. when we were about to leave Disneyland in LA, we were looking for our shuttle bus in the big big parking area, all of a sudden a young lady offered help, even without us asking her help !!!.( mabasa niya agad ang problema namin…..mapaka pro-active niya !!!)….. even if our plane left the airport very late, we always arrived to our destination on time!!!…… when we needed someone to take our pictures, there was always someone who volunteered to take our pictures !!!! we got lost in a street in New York where our coach was parked, when it was about time to board the coach, we couldn’t remember the place/street where our coach was parked, we were surprised, all of a sudden we saw the our tourist guide calling for us!!!! We encountered many miracles in our travel..My travel companion Ms. Fely commented that it was good karma for us…. while I called it " daily miracles or "A PAYFORWARD" because we have been very supportive and cooperative in transporting sick passenger to hospital, we offered help to our fellow travellers, ( we came to know a lady from Columbia who didn’t bring a camera in the tour, we offered to take her pictures and promised to send her picture via email), we did other little things that will benefits others during the tour….. Learned lesson: Karma is a universal Law, meaning it applies equally to all people regardless of religion, creed, race or color : what ever good things you do unto others.. it will always bounce back to you… meaning something good will always come your way….(you will meet miracles along the way)…. so… do good and be nice to others…….. I simply felt that God was always with us, looking after us in our trip, thanks God…. abangan… my traveloque conclusion.. My best regards to all.. God bless you… Miles Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2006 07:43:14 -0700 (PDT) From: miles bernal

Subject: My Traveloque… Conclusion… To: Melania Çiocson

, "mciocson@yaho.com.ph"

Hello to everyone… Sharing you the conclusion of my travel notes…….. I am glad you enjoyed reading my travel notes, I am happy and thankful to all for taking your time to read my travel notes… I deeply appreciate all your comments, notes and feedback about this traveloques such as: … "para na rin ako nasa States"… "as if I am part of the adventure"… Masarap and kawiliwili ang mga kuwento mo" … "parang telenovela na inaabangan".. Parang kasama kami sa travel mo" … "very thrilling and informative" … parang naka-travel na rin ako….masarap kang magkuwento" …"haba travel mo.. na-inspire na akong mag-travel tuloy".. …Kumpleto recados ang traveloques mo… I was entertained and at the times me learnings ako…. I missed Part 1 to 4 please re-send to me……. when are you coming back lets plan our travel na….wala akong masabi sa travel mo…..keep the travel enthusiasm burning…… continue touching lives and motivating people…….. I like your learned lessons……your travel is a journey that will not end and will not have a conslucion it is only the beginning….. All of these are music to my ears you know !!!! during the long coach rides I organized my thoughts and composed and scribbled notes for my traveloque.. I enjoyed and at the same time was laughing while racalling and writing down my notes…. my travel notes was done from the heart and specially made for you……sabi nga ni Inday…" irrors are under your care" …..he… he…. he… In some way, in my own little way… I hope I have perked up your travel interest, I have inspired and touched your lives, I have enligthened you with my travel information and experiences and most specially I have cheered up your bored and dull moments……….sana…… napatawa ko kayo !!! In travelling what is important is the relationship with people you made, you better appreciate the place you visited when you connect with people, in my travels I love people watching, I like to see different faces, different colors, different heights, different fashions or how they dressed up… people watching made my day….I like to observe people how they talk, how they move, how they work, how they react to a certain things, how they struggle to survive, to hear their success stories… in this way I tend to discover many behaviors and lives of people, I discover inner beauty, talents, indepth feelings of people, hence I better appreciate LIFE and thank God for it… Travel is learning and broadening. It is a very good way of spending your vacations if you have the means. Through travel, you learn much of the places, culture and people, develop proper human relations, and you will derive great pleasure and relaxation. Traveling is a reality of movie, classroom education and what you read in books. It is a journey of life, of your dream and of your ambitions and goals.. Learned lessons: I have learned that a life with an aim is a worthy life.. I have learned that if you smile at people, they almost always smile back… If I care only for myself, others will begin to careless about me..so reach our and care for others. The most powerful state of consciousness is an open mind…. If I am loving, sweet and cooperative in company, I am valuable….. Solutions come easily from a calm mind… Grow up by always finding the opportunity in change… Anyone who keeps learning stays young…..kaya bata pa ako….he…he…. he…. For others who missed parts of my traveloque, please advise I will gladly send it to you….. Please keep in touch… My warm and best wishes to all… God Bless. Miles THE END