Holy Week Adventure: Hong Kong: Part I

Well oh well, it has been a long awaited trip and I must say, it went pretty well. This will be the first part of my HK adventure... well, not really an adventure when you see the luxury that both Ric and I invested in. All in all, we spent about MYR6k+ for a 4D/5N trip.

Hotel Panorama, Tsim Tsa Tsui

The first two nights were spent in Tsim Tsa Tsui at Hotel Panorama. I must say, quite impressed with the hotel and its location. I mean, we selected the location precisely to the coordinates located on Google Earth but we didnt think we'll land right in the middle of all classed entertainment area. It was good.. what with the rooms tagged at MYR400 per nite. The hotel staff were all very professional and helpful.

The hotel rooms were averagely sized, but the view from 17th Floor was great... overlooking HK Island and it was all luxuriously furnished. Check out the bath robes, closet, etc below.

Royal Hotel Macau, Macau

Anyway, we went to Macau on the third day and it was astonishing. Again, we lavishedly splurred on Royal Hotel Macau. At about MYR700 per nite, it wasnt surprising. The hotel rooms here are in these price range and the highest could go up to about MYR2500 per nite (Venetian Casino and Resort). However, one should take note that this hotel is located in a not-quite-so-lavish area. Surrounding it were slums. The hotel staffs were extremely friendly and hey, they all spoke Tagalog, welcome to the land of Pinoys again!

The view below from the hotel room at the 15th Floor amidst the slums surrounding it.

The room itself which I shared with Ric, all complete with broadband, embedded plasma TV, lavish bathrobes and branded toiletries. The bathroom was excellent.

South Pacific Hotel, Causeway Bay, HK Island

Duly, on the final night, we were in HK Island where we spent most of the time in Causeway Bay (the famous Tung Sing area) and Wan Chai. We checked into the South Pacific Hotel and my oh my, it was luxurious. We were quickly ushered to the executive floor not knowing that we actually booked into the executive rooms! Duh!! The bell boys and concierge helpers were magnificient and very polite though, unlike what we have read before about Hongkies being all rude and nasty.

No wonder the rooms cost about MYR 400 per nite!

The lobby of the hotel, although small, was impressive based on HK standards.

A living room, 2 televisions (one in room and another in the living room), an equipped mini bar, lavish bath robes (again???), and a bath tub which was soothing! The first dip into cool waters and I did that for half and hour!

Summary

All in all, each person spent about MYR1000 on a 4 night stay which averages out to MYR250 per nite, which I would say, is above average on Msian standards but having said that, we were travelers and knowing so, we werent exactly spending our entire day in the rooms amidst the luxury accorded. Verdict was, we almost but certainly overdid it on the hotel rooms. The advantage was, it was cool that we came back almost every night feeling sore all over and thank God, we had really comfortable nights to pamper ourselves with! (Probably just trying to justify our spending there...) hmmphhh....

Part IX: San Fernando Holy Week [Easter]

Yeah… things have been quite a whirlwind since I last blog and there are loads of stories for me to tell. From today onwards, I will present you with a 9 Part Pictography Rewind back to the few weeks back... a Blast to the past from the future.

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Hey you… yeah you… nice to hear from you!

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Last week was the Holy Week, and so called by the locals due to the Easter Week and it was really nice to experience it. But first, it is indeed Mt KK that tops the agenda. Never have I felt better than standing on top of the world. It brought back a lot of memories… especially the first mountain I managed in Lake District, UK, and there’s always Chamonix in Mont Blanc, Southern France. It felt great. After almost about 15 hours accumulative, I was there at the peak. It was never gonna be easy but I thought, hey, what was harder than managing a HW project… so I thought. But fact is, and believe me, take note, if you haven’t received training… never attempt it. For me, it will be the last for many many more years to come. The only thing I regretted was not being able to take me camera up to the peak. I had to choose between going up or being stagnant halfway through.

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Then, there was this Crucifix Day on Friday when Jesus was crucified. My colleagues and I set off to the Northern Region Philippines in San Fernando, Pampanga, to watch the re-enactment of what transpired during the days leading up to Easter. I was surprised at the highly regarded event that attracted many foreigners actually. I was thinking that it would be an ordinary event with local folks participating but to my surprise, international news broadcasters, local media and many avid photographers like myself were there. It wasn’t just an ordinary outdoor session mind you, it was extremely hot as the event was at about 3pm and the scorching sun was actually quite a nuisance. As for my colleagues, they had already had it with the whole thing and was complaining about going back although I managed to coax them to stay a while longer so that I can take a few shots and experience for the first time in my life what was it all about. Apparently, it is also a popular event in the South Americas.

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Updates to begin from a long long absence from today.

Part IX : San Fernando Holy Week [Easter]
Part VIII : Mount Kinabalu, KK
Part VII : Kota Kinabalu Sunset
Part VI : Manukan Island, KK
Part V : Philippines Landmarks
Part IV : Quezon National Park, Philippines
Part III : Mount Mayon, Legaspi, Philippines
Part II : My Pride: Naga Office
Part I : My Honor

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The Easter Celebrations at San Fernando's Holy Week

This event, is held annually during the Holy Week in March and is about a 90 minutes easy drive from Central Manila taking the NLEX (North Luzon Expressway) and turning off at the San Fernando Exit towards Pampanga.

The celebration that caught the eye and imagination of the world with news crews jostling for vantage points.




Located at the city of San Fernando in Pampanga, the nothern region of Philippines, the town comes alive during this event.

Mounted 'Roman' soldiers on horsebacks leads the way in a virtual re-enactment of the path that 'Jesus' took before He was crucified.





Devotees taking to the streets in an act of self sacrifice or repaying their vows similar to those celebrated at home during Thaipusam or the Nine Emperor Festival in Malaysia.

The re-enactment begins with a 3km walk under the scorching hot sun with 2 disciples leading the way

'Jesus' carrying the cross en route to the hill where he was crucified. Take note of the 'Roman' soldiers surrounding him, taunting him with verbal and physical torture.

'Jesus' falls to the ground from the unberable taunts and torture meted out at Him. The re-enacted script also included His passionate followers (in blue cloak), stopping at every conjuncture when 'Jesus' fell to the ground. Scripts were read but was in Tagalog which I didnt understand but presumably was the words recited and picked from the actual manuscripts.

'Roman' soldiers at the top of the hill preparing the stage for what is seen as His place of crucifix. This was about 3 km's later on.

The soldiers finally reached the hill escorting "Jesus's" disciples to their crosses. In the blue and red cloaks are presumably "Jesus's" mother, Mother Mary and etc.

... and the soldiers descending the hill after escorting Him to the great priest at the top of the hill...

Here, you can see that 'Jesus' and his disciples are in the process of being nailed to the cross, guarded by the soldiers as His followers looked on

Here, the soldiers hammers the final nail onto this feet.

The crucifix moment...

Here, the Great Priest shouts out to him to force him for a submission...

A soldier adds to his pain by physical torture...

... the group virtually pleads for his submission and to the High Priest to stop the pain 'Jesus' was going through. Merciful cries filled the air in what was the most wrenching moment I have ever been in... silence from the crowd was deafening as there were some who broke down in tears...

... finally, the forgiving chant uttered by 'Jesus' during the last moments.

... as the soldiers finally removed those nails....

... and brought Jesus down from the crucifix after wrapping him in a white cloth.

This actually brought the entire re-enactment to a close with a final verse read out aloud through the blaring loudspeakers as the somber mood filled the air, people reflecting upon "Jesus's" sacrifice, in what has become an annual tradition in this sleepy hollow if not for the event.

Personally, it was a first for me to be seeing it live instead of watching it years back then through the movie 'Passion of the Christ'. I felt a sense of calmness through each and every scene, it was surreal, as real as it can get. Journalists, Photographers, TV crews from around the world all jostled to get a glimpse of what transpired throughout the 3 hours...

The hordes of people soon left, as what actually happened back then, when the villagers soon dispersed back to their huts, still pondering what had happened, as to us now. The feeling was probably mutual...

To me, it was a good experience as well as to hone my photography skills. All pictures were taken using a Canon 400D, EFS 18-55mm and a USM EF Zoom Lens 75-300mm.