Posts Tagged ‘Boktor’
THE UNEXPECTED ADVENTURES OF BOKTOR AND PANDORA IN LEGAZPI, ALBAY (continued)
The Hotel Venezia
Boktor and I were not expecting to be billeted in a fancy hotel. Lucky for us, our hotel in Legazpi, the Hotel Venezia, surpassed our expectations.
Hotel Venezia is a three-minute ride away from the airport. Surprisingly, I never saw or heard any planes flying overhead. I was told that this is because the planes fly from the opposite direction of the hotel. The hotel is located inside a quiet and well secured subdivision away from the busy streets of Legazpi. I was able to walk around the area without fear of being run over by cars or bothered by other pedestrians.
When Boktor and I got to the hotel, we checked-in and went directly to our rooms to unload our things. When I stepped inside my room, I immediately noticed that the room had already been cooled for me. I also saw that it was very clean and the layout was simple and made good use of the space. My room had a king-sized bed with white crisp clean sheet and huge fluffy pillows, an LDC TV, a desk, a coffee table, a comfortable arm chair and a closet. When I opened the closet to put my bag in, I was surprised to note that I was provided with a cotton robe (the one with the small square pattern), room slippers and a laundry bag. I was also pleased when I saw that there was a safe, a well-stocked mini-bar (I just like seeing that there are things to eat in the min-bar but I am not one to binge on mini-bar food) and a bathroom that had complete amenities like cotton buds, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, lotion, hair dryer, comb and shower cap. My room had a veranda, and when I stepped out, I realized that my view was Mt. Mayon. Sadly, it was cloudy so I could only see parts of it. (more…)
THE UNEXPECTED ADVENTURES OF BOKTOR AND PANDORA IN LEGAZPI, ALBAY (continued)
Alam mo…
The phrase alam mo literally means “you know” in the Filipino language and is used as an informal introduction to stories (usually gossip) told verbally to friends. Often times, the phrase is said when the person telling the story is excited to tell it. So, I start this story by saying alam mo…
When Boktor and I arrived in Legazpi, Mr. Ketel told us that he made reservations at a popular restaurant for lunch. According to Mr. Ketel, this restaurant is usually full and we cannot get seats without reservations. So, I turned around and excitedly told Boktor that we were going to a restaurant that not everyone gets to go to. Then, I asked Mr. Ketel the name of the restaurant but he could not remember what it was called. I was intrigued.
On our way there, Mr. Ketel told us that the restaurant was actually an eatery in a house. Boktor later told me that when he heard that the restaurant was in a house, he assumed that the place we were going to was like a Sonia’s garden or that house in Urdaneta where Chef Laudico serves gourmet food.
As we got closer to the restaurant, Mr. Ketel informed us that the owners of the house were the cooks and waiters. When I asked him what kind of food was served, Mr. Ketel said that the food is lutong bahay (home cooked food). After hearing this, I had a strange feeling that this restaurant was not at all what Boktor expected it to be.
After a few minutes of driving through narrow one-way lanes, our driver stopped at a non-descript area full of small houses built side-by-side like jigsaw puzzles. Mr. Ketel then led us through a narrow alleyway, and before the dead-end, he pointed to a door to the right that had a sign that read “Alamo’s Eatery Please Come In”.
THE UNEXPECTED ADVENTURES OF BOKTOR AND PANDORA IN LEGAZPI, ALBAY
Boktor (not his real name) and I went to Legazpi, Albay.
It was Boktor’s first time in Legazpi and he was excited about the trip. It was my second time in Legazpi. I was not excited. We were to stay in Legazpi only over night and I did not expect to see much of the place.
Also, my memories of my first Legazpi trip were not so good. At that time, I was forced to take a ten-hour land trip from Manila to Legazpi as my flight was canceled due to bad weather. After that long trip, I only stayed in Legazpi for less than an hour.
This time, I was really not exited about the trip.
The flight to Legazpi
On my way to the airport, I got a text message from Boktor telling me that the client representative, Mr. Ketel (not his real name), advised us to bring jackets because it was raining in Legazpi. Oh, no!!! Thoughts like “Will the flight be canceled?” and ” Will I be forced to take a ten-hour land trip again?” immediately came to mind. I was really really not excited about the trip.
When I got to the airport, the ground attendant told me that our flight would not be canceled. Phew.
Meanwhile, I learned that before the plane lands at the Legazpi Airport, it flies along side Mt. Mayon, a perfect cone-shaped active volcano and the main attraction of Albay. I was assigned a window seat on the left-side of the plane and discovered that this is the best place to get a view of the volcano. Unfortunately, clouds shrouded Mt. Mayon and I was only able to see its tip.
I just informed Boktor that I will be posting an article about our unexpected adventures in Legazpi, Albay tomorrow. Boktor jumped with joy and said “Yahoo! I’m excited about my internet debut!” At least someone is excited.
Anyway, here is Boktor riding at the back of an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) on the way to the lava trail.
