Behind the Amazing Tour

Saturday, July 16, 2011

"IF PEOPLE don't believe in the goodness of man, how can they believe in the goodness of God?"

This wisdom of the author, Frank Mihalic, SVD, taught my heart to believe.

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My family and I, for the first time, experienced stepping on foreign lands through the promo tickets that we favorably bought from Cebu to Singapore.

I filed a one-week vacation leave. We decided to start the tour in a local tourist destination, like white beaches, before going outside the country without any tour guide or a travel agency but purely relying on God's intervention to help us wherever we are.

We started our journey from Cebu City through land trip. Upon reaching the place, we looked for a beach resort to sleep overnight.

We never expect that God has already prepared ahead a special place for us. It was a nice beach resort with a security guard. Inside were cottages with amenities and outside were swimming pools, clean and wide green lawn and a gate to the beach. We noticed there was nobody checking in the whole day and night except us. It's as if it was meant for us. We went out at night to buy food to cook for dinner and breakfast with the key left to us by the guard to open the entrance gate as we arrived. It boosted us since we felt like an owner of the whole resort in a day.

Then we flew to Singapore. After three hours, we arrived at the Changi Airport. It was pre-dawn when we arrived so we immediately checked in our baggage to our booked hotel, Fragrance Hotel.

After a couple of hours, when it was already daybreak, we went back to the airport and proceeded to Malaysia on board another plane and we disembarked at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. We managed ourselves by asking some security guards as we walked to the different tourist spots.

We also asked storekeepers and anyone whom we thought could sincerely help us on how to get there, by KLIA Express, Transit and low-cost carrier. They even advised us to go to the nearest but best places and told us of the minimum fare.

We wandered in that foreign land with our video-camera always ready. We went to Petronas Twin Towers, Masjed Jamek, Dataran Merdeka, KL Tower, Petaling Street Chinatown, Central Market, Masjed Negara National Mosque and Malaysia Tourism Centre (MATIC). It was a great surprise that we were able to visit these places in just a day.

We spent the whole day to the max. In late afternoon, we rushed to the airport to fly back to Singapore.

Back in Singapore, we rode a taxi from the Changi International Airport to Fragrance Hotel. We made some adjustments in our itinerary with the map and brochures at hand. We started another adventure to the popular tourist attractions in Sentosa, exciting Universal Studio with all the fun rides the whole day, then we marveled at the Songs of the Sea and we rode back after eating in a fine restaurant in a souvenir shop.

The next day, we went to Vivo City (by the name itself), People's Park, Chinatown, world's best Rainforest Zoo with all the forest animals' wild encounters and beautiful plants, with a river beside.

What struck us most was the terrific Fish Massage and Foot Spa which captured us, like Splash Zapari of a sea lion, Heavyweights in Action of the elephants, Pet Animals' exhibition and the ride in the wild side through a bumble boat.

We went back to Chinatown for a shopping spree since it offered cheaper items and bargain sale.

For the food, we took coconut rice. Most of their menus were cooked or mixed with coconut milk which eventually helped my memory to be revitalized.

Indeed, the things we saw were wonders and awe-inspiring. And now I understand why Singapore is fondly called as the "Fine City." It is because aside from being a city of Malaysia and British colony before, with a clean, green, nice ideal country having well-known honest and disciplined people, it imposes strict penalty to violators of its ordinances and policies, like spitting or urinating on the street or anywhere, throwing butts, candy wrappers or any trash and eating or drinking inside the bus. Violators are fined with $500 and so they joke it as a "fine city."

But the quality pays.

Behind our amazing tour was Emmanuel -- "God with us." He was there through the people who had helped us to realize our humble tour successfully. He manifested His presence to the security guards, storekeepers, taxi drivers and passengers, hotel in-charge, Embassy officers, kind Regional Director who approved my leave, supportive Superintendent and colleagues and to all who have prayed for us.

He was also there in the fine weather, good engine condition, safe way and enjoyment.

(The writer is a supervisor of the Department of Education in Misamis Oriental)