Returning to Baguio and Ilocos Sur

LOL mugtech, I think you have too much time on your hands, perhaps I'm wrong,  - @bigpearl

          I never have enough time to do all the things I want to do.  Most days I watch two NBA games, some are better than others.  I always look forward to the playyoffs in April, May and June.  Of course baseball about ready to blast off, get to see the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs live in Allentown when I get back to PA.  Just checked in on line for our cruise at the end of April cruise from Japan to Seattle.  Plenty of time and no jobs  to do on a ship, plenty of live entertainment.  Live entertainment is what we lack most here in the Philippines.

        Woke up at 5AM and the electricity was off.  Later the neighbor told us it was announced that there would be an all day shut down.  So I went to the third floor back porch and read under the sunlight.   Finished Spymaster, and since it ended with gunshots, had to read the first 60 pages of the next book, Near Dark, to find out what up.  Otherwise it was a very dull day, no hot water meant no shower, so I just hung out.  Electricity went back on at 5:30 PM.  In Ilocos Sur the shutdowns do not start until around 9 AM and are back a few minutes before 5PM.  Hate to miss the morning news and sports, and no internet all day.  Tomorrow will be better

Yeah the reliable grid, why we went stand alone and don't notice unless we go outside at night and see black and candles burning in windows. Cold showers work for us but we are not in Baguio where I'm sure the water is a lot colder, glad you are enjoying your reading.

Cheers, Steve.

         So we did the last events of our stay in Baguio.  We went to PLDT on Holy Thursday to let them know we were leaving the following Tuesday.  They told us we had to stop in on Monday, 4/21, to shut it down.  Previously we had stopped in the last Thursday of the month to pay for the next month.  They said it was too soon, we had to come in the next month, so we went in the following Monday.

            This time we got a number at 1:22 PM and almost all the seats were taken.  We got called up 40 minutes later and explained we would be gone for 6 months.  So we had to pay 100 pesos/ month maintenance fee.  So we handed over 600 pesos, got a receipt and headed out.  It was 2:25 PM, every seat was taken, and there was a line out the door and down Sessions Road.  Looked like about 30 people in line.  Good Luck.

         On Tuesday it took 75 minutes until we found a taxi, headed right to the Victory Liner station.  At 12:55PM we made it to a bus leaving at 1PM for Pasay.  It was 4 hours and 50 minutes driving and two CR stops totalling 35 minutes.  The cost was 540 pesos each, including senior discount.  Microtel was a short cab ride, and NAIA is a short ride from there.

          Wednesday morning were arrived at terminal one 3 hours before the flight.  As we checked in it was noticed that my name includes a Jr on my passport but not on the ticket.  So I had to go to the PAL ticket counter and get it changed.  There was no line and it only took 10 minutes to fix.  I had to pay $25 for the change.  Went back to the same check in  girl and she was on a CR break.  When she got back she apologized for the wait, said her frequent breaks was why she could not work on the planes.  The flight landed a few minutes early in Tokyo.  By the time we got all of the luggage, immigration, customs plus a health voucher, caught a cab and got to our hotel in Yokohama it was 10PM.  Now just counting down to Friday morning, 11AM check out and a cab ride to the docks.