Planning a pilgrimage to my mother’s motherland!
This homecoming trip, initially delayed by the onset of global pestilence, has been a long time coming. It’s challenging to underscore how impactful the experience was for me in reuniting with family members I haven’t seen since 1998 (a quarter of a century ago). The last time I was in the Philippines, I was in 3rd grade and served as a ring bearer at my older cousin’s (Manong Dennis) wedding. Through extensive planning with my younger brother Pat, sister Bev, and cousin Tiff, we returned to our parents’ hometowns from the perspective of an adult and a heightened sense of our own Americanness.Ingressing Incheon, South Korea, our gateway to Asia
My family and I departed from Seattle on Delta metal, and this was my first time enjoying Delta One cabin benefits on an 11-hour international flight. We had a brief pitstop at Incheon, which was ostensibly cleaner than any US airport. We then took our flight to Manila via Korean Air, and I redeemed a Prestige Class (their version of business) flight in their powder blue interior—they also had the most entertaining (K-pop choreographed) airplane takeoff video I’ve ever seen. We arrived in Manila in style with balikbayan boxes to distribute to our relatives located in Northern Luzon. We were received by our older cousins who immediately took us to a Jollibee where we got to scarf down some chicken joys in an elevated back room before taking an 8-hour bus trip to spend a week with our lineage's maternal and paternal sides.Immersing ourselves in Ilocus Sur where it’s all about family
Uncle Flory housed us during our 4-night stay in Tangaoan, Ilocus Sur. On our first full morning in the Philippines, we stopped by the local cemetery to pay our respects to our grandparents, whose bodies lay at rest. Every single one of the family houses we visited had a karaoke machine, and singing was one of the shared ways we spent time with our family abroad (fun fact: I scored a 100/100 on Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now”). There were so many memories made, including: harvesting coconuts from my dad's plot of land in Tinaan; encountering a carabao on the side of the road; eating a hearty handful of balut in the middle of the night; tasting sinanglaw with native calamansi (life-changing and my new replacement for pho); touching a Dosono-named street sign; sharing an empanada with Uncle Al on his balcony; hearing my cousin Karlota belt out Rhianna’s “California King Bed” and nailing all the high notes; sitting in a mass at the Santa Maria Church (a UNESCO world heritage site); observing the ways in which napkin sizes were cut in half (presumably to cut down on waste); hearing how car honking here is used more as a friendly greeting and less as an aggravating warning as heard stateside; and getting to meet a dizzying amount of both extended family members and neighborhood locals through the multiple family reunions my mom coordinated (which included hearing an entire village sing a birthday song for me and MC-ing a minigame where elders had to guess my age). We also made day trips to the City of Vigan with our cousin Chavit where I rode a horse-drawn carriage through a colonially preserved town, the City of Cabugao where we visited my godmother Ninang Openg, and Baguio City in Benguet to re-enact photos that my parents captured 25 years ago.Maneuvering Metro Manila and its consumerist cityscapes
Most of our navigating throughout our trip was done through van transportation. After our stay in Ilocus Sur, Uncle Efren transported us back to Metro Manila where we would stay for three nights. I used my Hyatt Globalist status to check us into our two rooms at the Grand Hyatt Manila, the tallest building in the country—and we were upgraded to a complimentary suite on the executive lounge level! My favorite Globalist benefit was the free breakfast buffets (I doubled down on carbs of glutinous rice) with amazing skyscraper views that all of my family members enjoyed during our stay. The pulsating bidets and forceful showerheads were a welcomed contrast to the tabòs used for the past several days. With my wedding upcoming in August 2024, we shopped for traditional ethnic garb to wear at the massive Mall of Asia. We celebrated my birthday in a fancy wine cellar at our hotel (which gave me Game of Thrones vibes), and I co-opted that moment to ask my brother to be one of my groomsmen (he said yes). We spent another day at the Manila Zoo before dropping off Pat to the airport (he was spending the 2nd week of his vacation on a trip to Thailand with his friends); we squeezed in must-do visits to Binodo (the world’s oldest Chinatown), Intramuros, and Rizal Park. In Manila, I held a sampaguita—the national flower of the Philippines (which, ironically enough, isn’t even native to the country). On our final night staying at the hotel, we were informed that BBM (who the locals colloquially refer to as the current president in power) was on the premises so we even had a first-hand sneak peek into the security protocols of the country. Additional linguistic nuances to note: individuals greet each other by saying “hello, mamsir” and bathrooms are referred to as “comfort rooms” or “CR” for short.Centering Cebu on ecotourist eccentricities
We took Cebu Pacific Air to get to Cebu, which cost only 40 USD for an hour-long flight. As a newly minuted Filipino Martial Arts Guro, I took us to see the Lapu-Lapu Monument on Mactan Island up close before we checked into our Airbnb (my mom even remembered singing songs she learned as a kid about Lapu-Lapu and how he slain the Portuguese colonizer Magellan) near Cebu IT Park. I booked an Airbnb experience for us to explore the beautiful province of Bohol in the country’s Central Visayas region. We toured through the Chocolate Hills, whispered quietly in a tarsier conservation area, cruised on a Loboc River floating resto, traipsed through a lemur and butterfly garden (where I held a giant boa snake around my shoulders and my Aunt Julie summoned butterflies with ease), and stopped by the Blood Compact Monument. Bev introduced me to Viator, a helpful resource in coordinating travel-oriented experiences, which she used to book a Mactan Island Hopping Tour spanning Gilutungan Island, Caohagan Island, Nalusuan Island, and involved guided snorkeling, shell collecting, and starfish bopping. It was our third and last night in Cebu where we actually had downtime to rest, and we stumbled upon a couple of Filipino dramas (Luv Is: Caught in His Arms; Mga Lihim ni Urduja) and caught up on current events by watching local news (e.g., a recent hazing ritual death). My mom found herself content with peeling lanzones fruit for us to eat alongside our dinners.Basking in Boracay with some fun in the sun
We flew Cebu Pacific Air again from CEB airport to MPH airport (similar to the previous flight, this one cost under 40 USD for an hour-long flight). Via MyBoracayGuide, we took an additional van, a boat, and another van before we finally arrived on Boracay Island proper. And it was certainly a picturesque site to see: the adrenaline adventurers were kitesurfing in the cerulean waters, and the camera-obsessed were posing on top of perfectly positioned palm tree trunks. Our shanty was set up on Bulabog Beach, which meant we had a phenomenal backyard view of all the action for our final two nights. When we weren’t spending a considerable amount of time souvenir shopping (I scored deals on deals of Nike-branded products, haha) and getting escorted with electronic tricycles (or e-trikes), we partook in water activities of our own! In addition to a sunset cruise with the parents, Tiff, Bev, and I added a crystal kayak activity before we ascended into the air in a riveting paragliding experience. I also made time to curate a solo exploration by ordering traditional hilot massage sessions on two consecutive days—a Filipino art of healing. We relished in Kamayan-style dining (boodle fight) for our last night in Boracay (there was so much food that we didn’t even get to finish half of what we ordered, which meant plenty of leftovers for our last breakfast). After spending two weeks abroad in the tropics, we ended up finishing three bottles of mineral sunscreen and a newfound sonder of life in the Philippines.Hopping Hong Kong airport lounges
While Bev, Tiff, my mom, and my Aunt Julie flew back to Seattle with a repeat layover in Incheon, South Korea (and took a day trip around Seoul), I met up with Pat again for an overnight stay in Hong Kong, China. We ended up lounge-hopping across different Plaza Premium offerings; separate lounges' opening/closing times served as the forcing function to transition between dinner, shower, and slumber. Some random guest threw up on the lounge carpet near where we were sleeping, and nobody seemed to have batted an eye. We spent the following morning in the humongous Hong Kong international airport checking out an outdoor observation deck, which we initially sought to explore to assess air quality—only to find out it was a designated smoking area. Given my credit card privileges, we ate a well-plated breakfast in the first-ever Chase Sapphire Lounge (entered via Priority Pass). I also accessed the swanky American Express Centurion Lounge (with my AmEx Platinum Card). It would be another 18+ hours before I returned home to NYC via Cathay Pacific.Photo album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/H117YzRKf9tXS4rS7.
Redemption run down
On this trip, my points hobby netted us $12,300.49 USD in added value for this season of summer travel. As I mentioned in my Maldives post where I saved over $40K USD, the formula I use to calculate cent per point is:- CPP = 100 * (Cash Prize - Expenses) / (Award Prize)
- Business class on Air France from SEA to MNL retailed for $7,110.90.
- Redeemed via 255,000 Delta SkyMiles (and $5.60 in taxes and fees) for leg from SEA to ICN in Delta One Suites and redeemed 35,000 Delta SkyMiles for leg from ICN to MNL in Korean Air Prestige Class (and ₩28,000 KRW or $23.52 USD purchased on January 20, 2023)
- CPP = 100 * (7,110.90 - 23.52) / (255,000 + 35,000) = 2.44 CPP
- Coach class on Cathay Pacific from MNL to JFK retailed for $2,817.
- Redeemed via 30,000 Alaskan Airline miles (and $88.35 in taxes and fees)
- CPP = 100 * (2,817 - 88.35) / (30,000) = 9.10 CPP (amazing value!)
- 3 nights in Grand Suite retailed for $1,062.18 (or ₱54,840 purchased on January 17, 2023)
- Redeemed via 36,000 World of Hyatt points (and $0 in taxes and fees) initially as a double bedroom that was later bumped as a free suite upgrade upon check-in.
- CPP = 100 * (1,062.18 - 0 ) / 36,000 = 2.95 CPP
- 3 nights in King Bed Deluxe room in Grand Hyatt Manila retailed for $746.58 (or ₱38,340 purchased on January 17, 2023).
- Redeemed via 24,000 World of Hyatt points and 1 free night certificate (Category 3 property worth 12,000 points) initially as a double bedroom that was later bumped to a free deluxe upgrade upon check-in. Booked under sister’s name via Globalist Guest of Honor perk.
- CPP = 100 * (746.58 - 0) / (24,000 + 12,000) = 2.07 CPP
This journey to the Philippines was more than just about traversing through its varying geographical locations; it fulfilled a longing return to the heart of my heritage. Sharing this journey with my family—especially alongside the extra embellishments of award travel—made the retracing of ancestral roots more meaningful and enriching.
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