Month: September 2019

Weddings, Vows and Nostalgia

This weekend, I’ve witnessed my dear sister walk down the aisle. She looked so happy, so serene, so sure of her choice. I couldn’t help but cry, tears of joy running down my cheeks – ruining my make up. ✌🏾 One can never contain the happiness upon seeing their loved ones in pure bliss.

My heart melted as they exchanged their vows before God and before the church. The promises of loyalty, fidelity and generosity; fleetingly made me believe in romantic love. The sincerity in their eyes as they recited the lines; “to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part”, was beautiful beyond words.

The ceremony made me curious if the same line is being recited among all wedding ceremonies. I have found out that most of the Christian wedding, exchange almost the same vow. It only varies in the sentence construction and the choice of words but basically the same thought. I also found out an interesting thing, Hindus do not exchange wedding vows, but the Seven Steps, or Saptha Padhi, around a flame (honoring the fire god, Agni) spell out the promises the couple makes to each other:

“Let us take the first step to provide for our household a nourishing and pure diet, avoiding those foods injurious to healthy living.

“Let us take the second step to develop physical, mental and spiritual powers.

“Let us take the third step to increase our wealth by righteous means and proper use.

“Let us take the fourth step to acquire knowledge, happiness and harmony by mutual love and trust.

“Let us take the fifth step so that we are blessed with strong, virtuous and heroic children.

“Let us take the sixth step for self-restraint and longevity.

“Finally, let us take the seventh step and be true companions and remain lifelong partners by this wedlock.”

Such wonderful steps that everybody not just the newly weds should ponder on. It’s more of a guide to life, broken down into bite-size pieces.

The Jewish on the other hand summarizes all the promises in one verse from Song of Songs “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.” Such concise but meaningful line that embodies all the principles stated in every promise being spoken on different wedding ceremonies.

Whatever pledge the newly-wed have sworn, the most important thing is that they will uphold and cherish it. Life ahead is never going to be smooth sailing at all times but whenever the waves crash on them, they have each other to hold on to and the promise they have sworn will be their lifeline and guiding light.

The Grand Palace – Bangkok, Thailand

As mentioned in my previous post, this attraction is a bit overrated. Since, this can be seen in almost all travel blogs about Bangkok and the number 1 place suggested by travel guides, most tourists convene in this place.

This according to the internet was the official residence of the Kings of Thailand until 1925. The present king no longer resides there but some official events are still held in there. The Grand Palace is a complex of different buildings, one of which is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha or Wat Phra Kaew.

Scams

Before visiting this spectacular place; be wary of the scams though, the oldest and the most well-known is the “The Palace is closed today Scam”. It is when a tourist roams near the Palace complex, a friendly English speaking local would approach the tourist and casually drop statements like this “Oh, you want to see the Grand Palace? Too bad it is closed today due to some events.” Then would offer to take you to other temples at 20-40baht Tuktuk ride but would actually bring the victim to shops where they could get a kick back from the owner from every purchase of the poor traveller.

How to get there?

The fastest route is to take the BTS or Sky Train; take the Silom line and get off at Saphan Taksin Station and look for the Chao Phraya Express Boat dock, and then get off at Tha Tiang Pier. The Grand Palace is just a few minutes walk from there. For boat routes, time table and fares, check the Chao Phraya Express Boat webpage.

Another option is to take a Tuktuk or a motorcycle taxi, this is another fun option but is not advisable for the faint-hearted because the drivers are often weave through the traffic swiftly.

A more comfortable option is to take a taxi but it would take you an eternity to reach the destination if you’d be trapped in a gridlock.

Notes:

  1. The Grand Palace is open from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM but the ticket office closes at 3:30 PM.
  2. A strict dress code is being implemented at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Long pants, shirts with sleeves must be worn. See-through or revealing clothing are not be allowed.
  3. Entrance is free for Thais but costs 500 Baht for foreigners. This includes a travel guide on what to see inside the complex.
  4. Tourists are EVERYWHERE! Patience is really a virtue.
  5. The heat can be very exhausting. Drink lots of fluids but then travel responsibly. Bring your own water bottle.
  6. Wat Pho is just a few minutes walk from the Grand Palace.
  7. Wat Arun is just across the river.
  8. To be able to explore and see most of the place, it would take at least 4 hours and to avoid the heat, the best time would be to visit this place as soon as it opens.

La Union – Eco commune

Living in Metro Manila is a bit stressful, with all the fast-paced, daily hustle and bustle, the week seems so long and exhausting. Most people agree that the best way to relax is to commune with nature. Studies even prove that being with nature truly allows an individual to unplug and thus,decreasing secretion of stress hormones.

After a very busy month, I’ve decided to unwind at last. The first thing that came into my mind was to go trekking and stay overnight under the stars, but this option was not feasible because of two reasons: I don’t have a tent and it’s now in the wet season. So another option would be to stay at the beach and accessible locations would be Batangas, Quezon Province, Cavite, Bataan, Pangasinan and La Union. Influenced by a desire to learn how to surf; despite being the farthest among the choices, La Union was the chosen destination.

La Union is a well-known destination among surfers who want to catch the waves and for weary souls who want to recharge. San Fernando and San Juan are amongst the most famous surfing spots in this town. Tourists and travellers alike flock these towns on weekend.

The trip

It took us 4 hours to get to Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union from Manila. According to bloggers, it usually takes 5-6 hours depending on the traffic situation. The drive was a bit long but the view was very rewarding. Scenic views of the countryside greeted us along the way.

The decision to stay at Fatwave Surf Resort was undoubtedly perfect, this resort offers a beachfront view with a bar that opens until midnight I think. They even serve complimentary breakfast – a hearty meal and coffee to fuel the day.

The beach, bars, restaurants and even the streets usually get crowded with travellers in the afternoon until late night. Swimming and surfing is limited from 6AM to 6PM for safety reasons, so most of the people are bar crawling and partying in the evening.

The perfect time to stroll in the beach would be early in the morning, however the beach is facing the west side so sunrise could not be witnessed from the beach side, but the view is equally stunning. The moment the sky changes from dark to pinkish to bluish is very spectacular. Sitting on the sand, listening to the rumbling of the waves, waiting for the water to play with my toes was just the perfect weekend. I can almost hear Zac Brown Band sing:

“I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand

Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand

Life is good today, life is good today.”🎶🎵

The sea, sand and the sun – truly the best medicine for the enervated.

That might have been relaxing already but the experience even went better, I had also a chance to pick grapes from the farm in Bauang, La Union. It’s not harvesting season yet but I had so much fun. Looking for ripe fruits under the grape vines was like a treasure hunt; it was very invigorating both for the mind and the spirit. Yes, we could easily purchase all the grapes that we want at the supermarket but the helping local farmers is a lot fulfilling; the experience and the thought of being able to contribute to local economy make the grapes tastier. 😉

After a very rough month, “I certainly deserved that break”, I told myself and I did. I felt so relaxed; I was at home. Nature truly is the best place to recharge and heal. As mentioned in a Chinese proverb, “Nature, time and patience are the three great physicians.” Nature by the far is the most accessible.