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First day back in the Philippines

March 23, 2011

I arrived in the Manila exhausted and sleep deprived. The red eye is always the worst but then again it’s so much more economical and I don’t waste the entire day when travelling via Singapore so I always take it. It was worse than usual because instead of arriving at 5:30am we arrived at 7am. But the worse thing about it was that the airport staff at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport kept on telling us at 12:55 that the plane was only 30mins delayed (1 am departure instead of 12:30 am) …. but as a friend taking the same flight pointed out it was 12:55 and the plane wasn’t even there yet. How can someone tell you that bald-faced lie with a smile? We’ve already learned that one must be more relaxed in Jakarta and go with the flow so just chatted with my friend Brian until 2am.  You get what you pay for so we really can’t complain much =P Okay I am totally veering off topic…back to Manila!

Mary Grace Ensaymada (image: Visit Pinas)

My father in-law was nice enough to go with the new driver (who didn’t know the way) to pick me up! So sweet of him to wake up so early! Despite being tired I had breakfast with my FIL (father-in-law)… how can I resist Mary Grace ensaymada?!? With some chamomile tea to sleep.

Lechon Kawali (image: Blue !deas)

Woke up at 230 pm and lunch was beef pochero soup and lechon kawali. I was super stuffed. I think our maid in Manila knows us so well already and how much we miss PORK in Jakarta because I’m noticing that every time we go home she always makes lechon kawali for our first meal! She is amazing! Home sweet home!
Stayed home the rest of the afternoon to call and set appointments/meeting/meet-ups with all the people I want to see while I am here in Manila:
  • Dentist for cleaning, fixing of some old pastas – my friend, the gorgeous Dr. Laura Maclang, specializes in
  • Orthopedic surgeon: Dr. Vince Gomez – remember my  tennis elbow/housewife’s tendonitis/carpal tunnel combo that hasn’t healed?
  • Dermatologist for bikini and leg laser – Dr. Gina Pastorfide (FPDS President)
  • Hair cut and color from my german hairstylist, Stefan of Basement Shangri-la
  • Accountant
  • Realtor
  • Condo admin
  • Family
  • Barkada
  • The SSI MArkada
  • College friends
  • Twitter DiploFriends
  • Etc. etc!

Aside from these meet-ups and appointments I’ve many more errands to run. Too much for one week really but I gotta try my best to get it done!

Winner of the best wine list at the MBKRS Awards

We then had light dinner at Masseto this elegant restaurant in Salcedo (was inspired to go there by this post on Rajo Laurel’s blog). So far all the material I read about this place has been rave reviews. I will be honest and say that I love the place and ambiance (how it’s so intimate, like a private members only establishment), the simple but chic interiors and the amazing flower arrangements (by Maita Fores if I am not mistaken?) however we were not bowled over by the food. It was good but for the price I expected it to be better. My MIL (mother-in-law) got the cream pasta with duck (about P550 if I recall correctly) and she said there was something missing so she asked for some truffle paste which made the dish much better. Perhaps we ordered the wrong things? What do you think? (Sidenote: I can’t believe this has been there since 2009!)

I had the Sole, Brown Butter Lemon Sauce and French Beans (around P650)

Then hurried off to meet up for drinks with my best friend Jenn, her hubby, mom and aunt at Manila Pen’s Salon de Ning. Boy did my in-laws have fun there! It definitely deserves a separate post on it complete with pictures! It really is quite an experience and I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it in Manila! It reminds me of how all-out the interiors are of restos and bars in Jakarta and i hope that Salon de Ning raises the bar for other resto/bars in Manila. It just opened late last year. My friend described it as like being Alice in Wonderland. I agree it’s really like you are transported to another world! More on this next time!

The main floor... but you have got to check out the rooms! So utterly mind-blowing...

It was a wonderful first day in the Philippines and can I just say… it was SO good to have a shower here – I don’t have to be scared of opening my mouth or eyes hehe! (This is why I can’t do this in Jakarta)
It’s so good to be back!

4 Comments · manila to do

Comments

  1. Poker Goddess says

    March 24, 2011 at 8:34 AM

    Welcome back! Please gimme a ring when you can! 🙂

    Reply
  2. ocmominmanila says

    March 24, 2011 at 8:40 AM

    Of course I haven’t been to the places you went to! Hahaha. Is this Salon de Ning the old Conservatory? Is my reference so outdated??? That’s what motherhood can do…

    Hope you have time to meet up! But if you have no time, no pressure din ha!

    Reply
    • diplomaticwife says

      March 25, 2011 at 1:29 AM

      Hi OCmom, my friend said it used to be the old area for their breakfast buffet? I’m not familiar with the Conservatory… perhaps I was still a dork during those days…? I didn’t use to go out a lot hehe

      No worries, I have penciled it in! I just have to make reservations in Apartment 1B! See ya soon! Eeeep I’ve to make my order pa pala at aquasana! I’ll do it now na.

      Reply
  3. Chuzai Living says

    March 25, 2011 at 12:50 AM

    How nice! You have a big list of things to do there! Fun, fun, fun! I hope we can get together soon after you come back. I’ll keep reading your twitter so that I’ll know. 🙂 Ensaymada looks yummy! How funny you said you can open your mouth in the shower in Manila. I wish the water quality in Jakarta was better… Have a great time!!!

    Reply

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Welcome

Hello! I’m Ayessa, trailing spouse to a diplomat, mama to DiploBaby and DiploDog and founder of Declutter MNL. I love talking about how to achieve a minimaluxe lifestyle one step at a time.

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One of the things people love about the Philippine One of the things people love about the Philippines is the warmth & heartfelt friendships of the Filipino people.

And was reminded about that when @pattylaurel & her wonderful family took the time to meet up with us on their last day in Geneva.

Though we’ve only seen each other in person once before… lifetimes ago when I was handling marketing for @beautybarph and she was our gracious model for Dashing Diva, hanging out with them felts so warm & natural. 

Even @diplobaby was so happy to have such quick friends and playmates.

Thank you Patty for letting me use your photos. You & @patrickfilart take such amazing ones! Perfect combo of influencer & IG husband 🤪🤪🤪

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We had such a beautiful day together… the kids (and us) didn’t want it to end so we went from playground/dinner to a walk about in our neighborhood Château & even to the house! 😂

Thank you for the epic day Patty, Patrick, Theo & Astrid. Till we meet again! More adventures in Switzerland I hope!

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TOOL FREE BIDET INSTALL One of the things we miss TOOL FREE BIDET INSTALL

One of the things we miss about living in the Philippines & Indonesia is having a bidet in our bathrooms.

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The only time you might need a tool (pliers) is if you can’t loosen the AERATOR to remove it from your faucet.

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As a renter, I want to avoid making holes in the walls whenever I can. Even if I weren’t a renter I don’t recommend putting holes on tiles coz they might crack.

So I used the strongest @tesa_de  double sided tape on the bidet holder. You can see how I did it step by step on the video. Be sure to use Teflon scissors so they don’t get damaged by the adhesive. Clear monster tape will also work well for this.

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WHY CANT YOU INSTALL IT IN YOUR TOILET

The toilets here are all built in. There are no exposed tubes to connect bidets to like in Asia. 

That’s why this hack is a God send! No plumbing experience or tools needed! YAY!

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1. Go in SPRING like us so prices are lower, no long lines/crowds & no need for super thick snow suits, but low chance of seeing Aurora Borealis & some places might be closed/melted. 

3. A friend who lived in Scandinavia told us for Aurora Borealis, the best time is SEPTEMBER coz it’s not too cold yet. Though some resorts might only be opening in OCTOBER like @glass_resort.

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 ❄️ bring waterproof shoes/boots so you don’t get sick if melted snow gets in. 

❄️ If you will touch snow/have snowball fights, waterproof gloves are a must

❄️ Ask hotel if sleds are free to borrow

❄️ Bring SPF coz snow reflects sun

❄️ As you can see in the reel on our first day it was winter wonderland. The day after things started melting. On our last day things were starting to puddle. After I imagine rivers!

❄️ there was this gigantic snowman & I was too tired to take a pic. It disappeared the next day to my disappointment.

❄️ The SNOWMAN WORLD was already closed when we arrived. It would have been so cool to see the ice resto/bar, slides & disco!

❄️ We found out that the day we were leaving was also the last full day of our hotel. So though Santa Claus Office is open 365 days a year, check with the hotels to see which ones are open.

☀️ Summer activities are different. For example the huskies pull sleds with wheels.

🌈 BONUS TIP: If you pick a resort inside @santaclausvillage_rovaniemi, 3 days is enough. Because of the perfect location of @glass_resort we were able to make SO many wonderful memories in such a short time.

#udwinsantaclausvillage
PARTIES & PLUMBING #diplolife + OUR FIRST TIME TO PARTIES & PLUMBING #diplolife

+ OUR FIRST TIME TO HOST AMBASSADORS IN OUR SWISS #DIPLOHOME
(Except for my FIL of course)

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This is #diplolife guys… PARTIES AND PLUMBING! LOL!!!

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