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New York City – 42nd Street

Posted on December 4, 2014 by leawalkerblog

The 42nd St. is one of the busiest streets I’ve seen in New York City. Let me tell you why.

The Big Apple thrives on subways. I think it would shut down if you try to stop it, even for one day. Seriously. One of the biggest subways in the world, Grand Central Terminal, is located on the 42nd St. Millions of people, tourists and locals alike, use and visit this terminal to and from New York City.

My New York experience wouldn’t be authentic without “subway-ing” right? So the hubby and sis-inlaw introduced me to it. We started near 49th street and ended at the Grand Central Station.

As we waited for the train, I noticed that the air has thinned. I couldn’t breath well. But I remember saying, I commend the people who do the subway everyday. Maybe someday, we will have a subway station in Davao City, where I live. But for now, I will enjoy the sun and the fresh air as I brave the crazy traffic downtown. 🙂

I loved the experience of walking underground and waiting for a train. But I don’t think I would like to do it on a daily basis for the rest of my life….

(Above) John and my brother inlaw, trying to get tickets. 🙂

(Below) Underground shops. How cool is that! 🙂

The Main Concourse of the Grand Central Station. Its architecture is very impressive. I found it so “sosyal” for a train station. Really. 🙂 No wonder it is part of the tours when you’re in NYC.

The Audio Tour Booth, for self-guided tours. With the New York City Pass, this comes free.

Check the chandelier at the Vanderbilt Hall. 🙂 This used to be the main waiting area. But is now being used for exhibits.

Its regal look made me think how lucky New Yorkers are for having such a beautiful central station. Ka sosyal di ba? 🙂

For more details of the Grand Central Terminal, check this link –

home

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY:

Walking distance from the Grand Central Station is the New York Public Library. I will redirect you to their site so that you will see how awesome it is. –

http://www.nypl.org/locations/schwarzman

I wish we have something like this in Davao….

BRYANT PARK:

Months before our trip, as I was looking at google map trying to figure out where is what, I noticed a small patch of green, called Bryant Park. I wondered why is it there when Central Park is nearby.

When we walked into Bryant Park last October, I realized that with all the hustle and bustle of a city life, it doesn’t hurt to have more oasis in the midst of it.

Since this park is in the middle of Manhattan, people come here to have a break. Have lunch. Have coffee. Sit in the park. Think. Read. Meet friends. In our case, rest. It is surrounded by huge trees which not only gave us shade, but fresh air as well. It was so relaxing and peaceful.

Specially with this….

So far, I’ve only seen something like this in America. 🙂 I should have thought of recording her music. But I was so enthralled with everything around me, I forgot. lol If you ever come to New York, spend a few minutes enjoying the park. And listen to her play. Honestly, I felt lucky I got to experience that.

If you want to read more about the park, check their website here. –

http://bryantpark.org/

Up next is the start of our 2014 Road Trip. First stop, Lake George in Upstate New York.

Bye for now my friends! 🙂

Lea C. Walker

http://www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in America, My Travels | Leave a comment

The MET – New York City

Posted on November 26, 2014 by leawalkerblog

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is the biggest museum I have visited. At first glance, it is so impressive , I stood in awe outside its building.

The place was packed with tourists. But we didn’t mind the crowd, considering the huge space inside.

With our New York City Pass, the entrance fee was free. Normally, that’s $25 if you reserve online.

John, inside the museum. Look , how magnificent the architural design is. That’s just the start. Check the pictures below to see more.

THINGS TO SEE:

Like I said, the place is gigantic! So it is impossible to see everything in one day. To truly enjoy it, I think one has to visit at least 3 days. The first day should give you a glimpse of what’s there. Then, just come back and spend more time with everything if you want to. We would have wanted to go back there. But with a 5 day stay, there just wasn’t enough time anymore. Nonetheless, I was so glad we made this museum a part of our trip.

These artifacts came from the 1100’s.

Autumn Landscape. Its workmanship is superb.

John was as amazed as I was… 🙂 And I have that silly grin again. ha ha

Imagine, how was it back then? These soldiers look forbidding.

Ceramic Pots from the 1300’s. I love the stories behind these artifacts. It’s amazing how they made beautiful things in the past. While we are only using the commercial version these days. Kinda sad huh?!

The British Rooms. Ka sosyal na lang! he he

The Miracle of the Palm Tree. It was said that the palm tree was bent so the holy family can eat their fruits.

These turquoise blue pots were made in 1753 by Sevres Manufactory. I find them so exquisitely beautiful.

The Reclining Naiad and more at the European Sculpture Court area.

Mesopotamia. Have you seen a sarcophagus before? I did. First heard of the word in Stargate. 🙂 Seeing one though is sort of awesome. ha ha…

PAINTINGS AT THE MET:

Among Claude Monet’s paintings, this is my most favorite. The reflection looks so real. The brush strokes are simple yet very elegant. I simply love it.

I wonder what was going on in his mind when he was painting this beachside scene. Maybe the people relaxing beside the beach was appealing to him. To me, it epitomizes calm and peace. (Forgive the light reflection on the photo, that’s me. Not Monet.) lol

The Arch painting I think, has stronger touches than the above. What do you think? It looks powerful to me. Or I’m just biased because I love Monet’s works. hehe

Another favorite is this Spring Painting of Vincent Van Gogh. He painted the “The Flowering Orchard” in 1888. Beautiful huh? 🙂

And then there’s Auguste Renoir. Amazing painting of these children. They are the daughters of Catulle Mendes – Huguette, Claudine and Helyonne. They look so pretty right?

I cannot remember who painted this. But look at the woman in this painting. She looks eerie but beautiful. She’s like a ghost that looks real. Or maybe I’m just being weird again. ha ha

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is in Park Lane Avenue, New York City. It’s very near Central Park. If you find yourself in NYC and you love this kind of stuff, include this museum in your tour.

You won’t regret it. 🙂

Lea C. Walker

http://www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in America, My Travels | Tagged metropolitan museum of the art, monet paintings in new york, new york city museum, new york city tour, places to visit in new york, the met, things to do in new york, things to see in new york, van goh arts in new york city | Leave a comment

New York City – Central Park

Posted on November 8, 2014 by leawalkerblog

When you think of Central Park , what comes to your mind?

In my case, I thought of walking in the park… Feeling the fresh autumn breeze. Relaxing under the shady trees. And just enjoying the glorious day I am spending in Manhattan. 🙂

Beautiful thought right? That’s right and more! 🙂

It was beyond my expectations, to be honest about it. Even if autumn wasn’t in full bloom yet. But then again, I have simple joys. And remember, I am kinda boring. ha ha…. Little things make me happy.

Our day started by going to the Grand Central Station with my sister inlaw and brother inlaw.

After sending them off to Connecticut, the hubby and I, proceeded to Bryant Park along 42nd street. I will be writing about that in a separate blog. 🙂

After lunch, we took a taxi to Central Park. The driver dropped us off near Columbus Circle along 59th St. We found a big map of the park at the entrance. As we were studying it, tricycle drivers came and offered to take us for a ride. At $50 dollars for 30 minutes. lol

We said no of course. Instead we proceeded to the Visitor Center nearby and got us a copy of the map. And started strolling leisurely. 🙂

So let’s start with the map. I took this photo as soon as we arrived at the entrance. 🙂 You will find a copy here – http://www.centralpark.com/guide/maps.html or email me for a higher resolution map.

THINGS TO DO IN CENTRAL PARK:

Most people in New York City come to the park for relaxation. I saw some sleeping in the grass. Some were on a picnic. Some were jogging, biking, riding the “kalesa” (carriage) , on a tricycle ride, etc. For us, we were just enjoying the atmosphere. 🙂 John , being an american is used to park with beautiful sceneries. I am not. Parks like these are normally owned by private entities. In Davao, we have Eden nature park. It is beautiful, don’t get me wrong. But not as well developed. And not as amazing as the parks I have visited here.

Being in Real Estate, I am always thinking of the land valuation. Manhattan is one of the most expensive real estate in the world. And yet Central Park, with 843 acres (341 hectares) , is being preserved as an oasis for people who want to enjoy nature. And it is free! That to me is so amazing….

What I love about it the most is that, there was no blaring sound coming from a loud speaker. We were surrounded with high rise buildings with busy traffic and thousands of people and yet, it was not noisy. Everyone was left alone to their own world and thoughts….

I love the park bridge! Don’t you? 🙂 Ka sosyal di ba?! I don’t like walking/jogging much, but if I have this nearby, I would go here everyday. haha

THINGS TO SEE:

Ahhh.. who wouldn’t identify this bridge? Most women love chick flicks. 🙂 And the Bow Bridge has been shown in many romance films. I remember Serendipity. Ya know, that sweet movie with Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack… I’m just so happy that my own John, took me here.

Simply called The Lake, this is where most visitors ride in paddle boats. It’s so romantic right? Maybe if we had more time, we would have tried it too. For now, I just contented myself by taking photos of the beautiful scenery infront of me.

THE MARIONETTE THEATRE:

Famously known as the Swedish Cottage, this cottage was built in Sweden in 1876. And was placed in Central Park on 1877. It served as Headquarters of the Civil Defense during World War II.

But now, it is being used as a theatre. Hence, the name Marionette Theatre.

THE BELVEDERE CASTLE:

Originally built in 1869, Belvedere Castle was used as a look out. This time, it is being used as New York’s Meteorological Observatory supervised by the United States Weather Bureau.

Photo above. The view from the roof top. 🙂

A little trivia below. 🙂

From the castle, we walked towards the back and followed the small trail.

Turtle Pond. As viewed on the trail at the back of Belvedere Castle. So peacefully beautiful right? I love Central Park! 🙂

THE OBELISK: (text – courtesy of http://www.centralpark.com/guide/attractions/obelisk.html)

Known as Cleopatra’s Needle, this ancient artifact was Pharaoh Thutmosis III around 1450 BC in celebration of his 3rd jubilee. Two of these obelisks were constructed, and, around 13 or 12BC, they were transported from Heliopolis to Alexandria. The pair was separated in the late 19th century; one was sent to London and another to New York City, both by the Khedive of Egypt in exchange for aid in modernizing his country.

The Obelisk’s move to New York City was nothing short of arduous. Once in the City, it took laborers four months to simply move it from the Hudson River to Central Park where it now stands, located behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Obelisk is known as the oldest man-made construction in Central Park. Its shaft is 71 feet high and weighs about 200 tons. Each corner of the Obelisk’s base is supported by huge, 900 pound bronze replicas of sea crabs originally created by the Romans while it was in Alexandria. Each year visitors come to marvel at this piece of history, officially designated a scenic landmark in 1974 by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.

As of the moment, it is being renovated. Hence, wasn’t ready for viewing yet, when we where there.

THE CENTRAL PARK RESERVOIR:

TAVERN ON THE GREEN:

If you get hungry from that long walk, this restaurant offers good food. Movies like Ghostbusters and Wallstreet, were partly shot here. 🙂

CHILLIN’:

There are benches all over the place. So you can stop , sit …. Mind or not mind about everyone and everything around you. See.. that’s me trying to rest. hehe

OR you can sit on the grass….

I soooo loved my experiences in Central Park. 🙂

Thank you Lord for the blessings. And thank you John for making this memorable.

Lea C. Walker

http://www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in America, My Travels | Tagged central park, manhattan park, new york tour, things to do in new york city, traveling in new york | Leave a comment

New York City – Night Tour

Posted on November 1, 2014 by leawalkerblog

Okay, Times Square is crazy at night! ha ha…

It’s difficult to move without bumping other people. That’s how crowded it is. 🙂 But I guess that’s what make it fun. To see other tourists waiting in a long line for a show. Others are busy taking pictures of the huge lighted billboards, while some are busy hanging out with friends. The locals were just in a hurry. Period. lol I wondered if they were going home or they have other destinations? Maybe both…

Ahh.. The City, that is …. New York, New York .

I guess, ours was the boring one. As usual. ha ha.. Remember we’re not young ones anymore. So you cannot expect a wild-er blog, ya know. ha ha ha…

On our first night, the first thing we did was walk towards Times Square. Our hotel is near according to the staff. For a Filipina who is so used to riding, 2 or more blocks is far! But walking is what New Yorkers do. So there I was, doing what the “Romans” or should I say “New Yorkers” do. Walk… lol

I just have to mention this, Aldo boots, other than being stylish, more than served its purpose. Believe me, it’s very comfortable in walking. I loved the soft material inside. And the cushion it gave to my feet. Plus of course, it’s perfect for the cold. You do not want to mess with the weather in New York. It is freakin’ cold.

A few minutes later, we found ourselves in 7th Avenue. Across the Times Square Plaza is an AT & T store. Yep, we bought a US Sim Card because it’s cheaper that way. The $60 dollar package has an unlimited call, text and data. Yes, data! 🙂 That’s good for one month. To my Filipino friends, never use your roaming line. Unless it’s an emergency. Be very careful about it. Believe me, you would not want to make that mistake!

If you’re going to be in the US and will be travelling for awhile, getting a US sim is a big help. Specially with directions. I used our data and built in gps during our road trip too. That’s another story though. 🙂 So make sure to continue coming back. hehe

US sim card, check. 🙂 So now we can call our relatives. John took care of mom and his sister. While I checked in with my parents. I had to inform them that we have safely arrived in the big apple. 🙂 We installed a magic jack at mama’s house so she can connect with us or vice versa. And well, there’s Skype and facebook calls available these days. So you just need to educate your mom or dad about those and voila, communication isn’t a problem anymore.

FIRST NIGHT PHOTOS:

We found this fast food on our way back to the hotel. John loved their pizza. And I was so glad I found some rice. ha ha. I ordered roasted chicken with 2 side dishes. I said 1 rice and 1 mac and cheese. Geee… I forgot that their serving is big! Needless to say, I left a lot of extra food on the table. I feel guilty doing that because there are so many people who go without. 😦

NIGHT TWO PHOTOS:

My sister inlaw and brother inlaw met us in New York city on our 2nd day there. 🙂 So sweet of them! So we went on a night tour together. 🙂

Times Square.

Mr. Click – click. I think his name is Jaime, our tour guide that night. He was a really funny guy. Lol. He’d tell us, prepare your cameras. You’re about to take picture of this and that.. That’s why he is called Mr. Click-click. ha ha Everytime we see another tour bus (from their company of course), he’d tell us to shout what’s up?! Because of the other tourists looked sleepy. hehe… Can’t blame them, it’s cold when you’re on top of the bus at night, in New York during autumn.

Look at the crowd outside Good Morning America’s set! Plus of course, Emeril and Ty, of Food Network were there. 🙂

We took this group photo after the tour. It was fun! 🙂 Photo credits to my sister inlaw , Jane. Thanks!

DINNER AT TIMES SQUARE:

John’s Pizzeria came highly recommended. So we decided to check it out. 🙂 I’m glad we did because, their pizza tasted delicious indeed!

Loved their interiors as well. 🙂

Nearby buildings:

I mentioned in my previous blog the New York City Pass right? Tonight’s bus tour was free complimentary of the said pass.

Also, if you want to watch shows in Broadway, the pass comes with a discount. So if you are thinking of visiting New York City, read my previous article. You will save tons of money. 🙂

Till next time my friends.. 🙂

Lea C. Walker

http://www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in America, My Travels | Tagged at&t, food network emeril, food network ty, good morning america, john's pizzeria, manhattan, new york city, new york city tour, new york night tour, times square | Leave a comment

New York City – Day Tour

Posted on October 27, 2014 by leawalkerblog

BEFORE DEPARTURE:

I read / researched a lot about New York City Tours months before this trip. And I’ve seen so many options. I finally decided though to go with this one –

http://www.newyorkpass.com/En/

Let me elaborate why:

1. The said pass has 80 free tours we can enjoy. So it’s up to us how many of those tours we will avail.

2. It comes out a lot cheaper than paying for day tours.

I opted for a 2 day pass with hop on / hop off bus ride.

And after paying online, I had the New York Pass Cards and Guidebooks sent to our home.

AFTER ARRIVAL:

The guidebook comes with a map. It showed us also where to pick up our bus tickets. When I booked our hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn between 8th and 9th Streets, I knew that the City Sights Bus Tour office is a block away. When we got there, I realized that it’s just a few steps away! So convenient huh! 🙂

Upon showing our NYC Pass, we were given 2 id’s which we need to present to the drivers during our hop-on / hop-off tour.

Please note everyone, this alone costs $99 dollars per person for a 2 day + plus 1 day ride. That’s just for the day tour. There’s a separate cost for night tours. And I only paid $159 per person for a 2 day pass and bus tour. It’s a no brainer right?

Our first destination of the day was the Statue of Liberty. We took the red bus. And hopped off at the stop near the Ellis Island Terminal. After a short walk in the park, we found the ticket booths. Those with passes went to a separate booth and were given tickets immediately. And true enough, we did not pay. Remember , 80 tourist attractions with free entrance fees.

It looked cloudy that day. No rain but I remember it to be cold. There were big waves but eventually the sea calmed down. After a few minutes, I saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time. 🙂 That’s like a cool moment for me because I only saw that in TV or the movies. ha ha …

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the US representing Libertas , “the Roman Goddess of Freedom”.

From there, we proceeded to Ellis Island. According to history, that’s the US Immigration a long time ago. Looking at the preserved things there was like going back in time. S0 interesting….

Manhattan skyline, as seen from Ellis Island.

After Ellis Island, we opted to go back to Battery Park. (We had an option to go to New Jersey as part of the boat cruise. ) Walking through the park is nice, specially with all the birds and squirrels playing on the ground. Finding those in the middle of a busy city is just awesome to me. 🙂

A few minutes walk from Battery Park is the Financial District of New York. I don’t know if I told you before but I used to be a currency trader. So Wall St. made a big part of my day a long time ago. That said, of course, I would not pass out an opportunity to see the Wall St. Bull, would I?! Duh… haha

Around this time, I was already tired of walking. ha ha. So John and I hopped on another bus and took the guided city tour.

We saw the Empire State Building. Our city pass gave us free access to going inside and seeing NYC’s skyline. But we were kinda lazy to go down the bus. lol So we just contented ourselves with just looking at it from the road.

Empire State Building, in the middle.

Other places that are included in the tour are: china town, shopping district, Little Italy, etc.

Famous structures along the way are: 911 memorial. World Trade Center, which is being done now. Trump Towers. Waldorf Astoria, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt supposedly live there according to the tour guide. I saw a very nice Forever 21 store. Different from all the others that I’ve seen.

The Rockefeller Center, by wikipedia – is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres (89,000 m²) between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.^[2]^[3]^[4]

The Head Quarters of NBC is in this area. And currently the home of : Top of the Rock. And the Today Show, among others.

NBC Studios is where MS-NBC News is recorded. 🙂

The Waldorf-Astoria. (photo below).

Donald Trump’s building is so flashy, with its gold color. hehe

You know, I just have to say this. Most buildings in Manhattan are really nice. The workmanship is really admirable.

I still have so many pictures. But I cannot put them all here. 🙂 So I’ll end this article with a quiet place we found in Times Square. Amidst its chaotic pace, it is nice to find a peaceful dwelling to contemplate and say a thanksgiving before the day ends.

Lea C. Walker

http://www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in America, My Travels | Tagged battery park, donald trump, ellis island, ms nbc news, nbc studio, new york bus tour, new york city pass, new york city tour, rockefeller center, statue of liberty, times square, waldorf astoria, wall street, wall street bull | Leave a comment

US Roadtrip 2014 – Prologue

Posted on October 20, 2014 by leawalkerblog

I have been remiss on my blog again. I apologize everyone. I had a really hectic month before I left for our yearly vacation. Work’s been busy , as usual. I just got so tired most days that I didn’t have the chance to write anymore.

I am cutting off my Philippine Road Trip 2014 blog to make way for our US Roadtrip this year.

We left Davao City on September 30. We had to stay overnight in Manila since there’s no flight from Davao that would make it to our early morning flight for the US. We flew with Delta this time. And note, they are now located in Terminal 3. We stayed at Remington Hotel because it’s just near the airport. And the cost is okay, for an overnight stay. I’ll write a review about it and the rest of the hotels we’ve stayed at after our road trip. 🙂 I’m writing a review about Cebu Pacific as well. For those who frequently travel, you would want to read those.

October 1 – we arrived at the airport 3 hours ahead of time. That’s to make sure that we finish the immigration process and the check point inspection on time. As you know, when you’re late, things usually go wrong. That’s just how life works right? haha So we try to be early. That way, we do not get stressed. 🙂

Boarding with Delta wasn’t a problem. And the flight went well. Until we reached Japan.

Our departure was delayed because of some aircon problem. It took them at least an hour to fix such. So that meant an additional waiting time of 1 hour.

And then, we were advised that there’s traffic at Detroit Airport. So our landing was delayed for another 30 minutes. We were having fun huh? lol We were told, that the incident in Chicago’s O’hare Airport the previous month caused a lot of problems for several airports. Hence, the traffic.

But since it’s the airline’s fault, they moved our connecting flight to a later time.

Ok, I mentioned above that there was a traffic delay right? Imagine how many people were affected with several delayed flights? And imagine how long the line was at the immigration counter?

Yes you guessed it right. Very long. ha ha… But at least the interview was fast. So after 30 minute or so, my time came. The usual questions again were asked, like how long will I be in the US and what am I doing there. Which I excitedly replied with, we are going on a roadtrip. haha… I was given a stamp for 6 months again. But of course, we cannot stay more than 2 months because of the business back home. 🙂

You know I really had a good laugh when the Customs Officer asked me these – “Do you have something to declare ma’am? Are you sure you did not bring hopia, dried mango or dried fish?” That was funny right?! ha ha…

Obviously, those are not allowed. So to all my Filipino friends, remember those. I don’t know what the penalties are, but just to be safe, please do not bring anything that would cause you problems upon arrival in America.

Immigration interview, check. Customs officer inspection, check. Homeland Security inspection, check. 🙂

So now we have to run going to our connecting flight terminal. Have you ever been to Detroit Airport? It seemed massive to me! I believe it really is.. Because they have a tram/train that would take you from one end of the airport to the other. ha ha… According to our watch, we have a few minutes left before our boarding time. Geee.. that was stressful. And then we found out that the flight was delayed again because of traffic jam again.

Check the tram above me? hehehe… That’s just so cool to me. 🙂

So our supposed arrival schedule of 3:30pm in New York City was way ,way over. But I’m just glad that despite all the delays , we made it to our connecting flight.

At around 6:00 in the evening, we finally landed in New York City. Woo hoo!

The taxi ride from the airport went well. The airport driver was kind enough to not give us the city tour before bringing us to the hotel. Thank you. 🙂 He just might visit the Philippines because 1) he wants to travel to Asia. 2) John told him how beautiful our country is….

After a few minutes, we have arrived at The Hilton Garden Inn in New York City. This will be our home in the next few days. 🙂

So come back next time guys for my New York Tour blog. And thank you for visiting my blog even when I was quiet for a long time. 🙂

Thank you Lord for the safe trip.

Lea C. Walker

http://www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Roadtrip Day 2 – Manila Ocean Park

Posted on September 5, 2014 by leawalkerblog

Our second day was spent at the Manila Ocean Park. I have never been there. So I thought it would be fun to show the park to my nephews as well. 🙂

After the buffet breakfast at the hotel, we proceeded to check out. And headed to Manila Ocean Park. From Makati , where Prince Plaza II is located, we travelled about 15-20 minutes only. The GPS of the new car proved to be a very good help! If not for it, I’m sure we would have been lost. lol

I made the bookings online. So we did not fall in line anymore. I found that so convenient because the Ocean Park had a full crowd. I just went directly to the counter and had the vouchers replaced with the tickets for the following: oceanarium, trails to Antarctica, jellies exhibit, sea lion show, birds of prey, fish spa and our lunch tickets at Liquid Buffet.

Mama and Papa at the parking space of Manila Ocean Park.

Marco looked so excited. haha

My other travel buddies, nephews Blaire and Wemce, with their papa. 🙂

Don’t you just love these nemos? 🙂

Sea horses. They look so cute. 🙂

Lion Fishes.

Inside the oceanarium.

John, being his funny self. Again. ha ha

I had to pose too, right?! lol

SEA LION SHOW:

I loved this part of our Manila Ocean Park adventure. My nephews loved this too! 🙂

TRAILS TO ANTARCTICA:

The main attraction with Trails to Antarctica is their Snow Village. Since we have no snow in the Philippines, everyone was so excited to experience how it is. ha ha. The family loved it. But they all couldn’t wait to get out because it was like freezer cold. lol

I told them I felt the same way the first time I saw snow in America.

FISH SPA:

John and I experienced our first fish spa in Siem Reap, Cambodia in 2011. That was fun! 🙂

I was glad that my nephews are so adventurous, they tried it as well. I couldn’t help but laugh when Wemce, the youngest one, kept on giggling. haha…

JELLIES EXHIBIT:

You know, I’ve seen jelly fishes in their natural habitat. Remember our Bucas Grande Islands adventure in 2012? The stingless jelly fish sanctuary there is so beautiful and peaceful.

This exhibit is nice but I would prefer to see the ones in Bucas Grande again, given the chance.

LIQUID BUFFET:

It is called as such because of this swimming pool beside the restaurant. Yes, you can swim. 🙂

I couldn’t remember much about the food. We just wanted to get out of there because their sound system was so loud it gave me and John a headache. 😦 I really don’t understand that. I mean isn’t it nice to just eat in peace? It’s supposed to be a relaxing experience…..

And of all places, I saw my high school classmate there. 🙂 So nice to see you again Joy!

BIRDS OF PREY:

They have several eagles in a very large cage. It wasn’t that exciting for us anymore because we have the Philippine Eagle Center in Davao. And it’s a lot nicer than this one.

John tried to pet one. 🙂

Our Manila Ocean Park adventure was a fun experience, all in all. What made me happiest was the fact that my parents and nephews enjoyed it as much as John and I did. So if you have kids, nephews or nieces, I highly recommend this place. It is educational and at the same time, really fun.

For more details of the Manila Ocean Park, please visit their website:

https://www.manilaoceanpark.com/main/

Thank you all for reading my blog. And come back again for the next installment of our Manila-Davao Roadtrip. 🙂

Ciao for now!

Lea C. Walker

http://www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in My Travels | Tagged birds of prey, jelly fish, liquid buffet, manila ocean park, oceanarium, sea lion show, trails to antarctica | 1 Comment

Road Trip (Manila to Davao) – Day 1

Posted on August 25, 2014 by leawalkerblog

Last summer, my family and I flew to Manila, to pick up the new vehicles we bought. They’ve been sitting at the dealers’ places for over a month already but I had to schedule its pick up during the Holy Week because we got almost a week of holiday during this time.

The flight from Davao to Manila was uneventful. And my nephews, ages 15 , 7 and 3 were so cool about their first flying experience. 🙂 I was glad because someday, they might be our travel buddies too. ha ha

Upon arrival at the airport, I called up Ariel Noora of Nissan. I was told that he is waiting outside with the van. Boy was I happy about that! Their van was perfect for a party of 9 adults and 2 kids. 🙂 Plus all the luggages. So it was a relief that Nissan, being our favorite dealer, offered to pick us up at the airport. Amazing customer service right? That is why I will forever be a Nissan – Makati fan. Thank you Ariel.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at two dealerships. Nissan in Makati for our new van. And Mitsubishi in Manila Bay area for the new Montero.

So those are the reasons why we brought the whole family. The van can accommodate a maximum of 15 people, which I believe is perfect for family get away! 🙂

Being in the Real Estate brokerage and dealership business, we bought the new van for “site visit” purposes actually. But well, we had to break it in right? ha ha

The Montero is for me and John. We need a 4×4 vehicle when we inspect land in Samal and other places. So we thought that it is perfect for us.

You know, prior to buying the Montero, we studied the Fortuner too. But well Toyota Davao isn’t big on customer service. John and I normally wear shorts and slippers during our days off. So I guess, they thought we were bums when we visited their place. ha ha

The biggest reason that turned us off actually, was the fact that they prefer for their clients to get their In-house financing. We didn’t like it because of the high interest rate. If you purchase other than that scheme, I sensed that they are not so interested? I maybe wrong. Maybe they just didn’t seem to need our business.

So that is how we decided to get another Mitsubishi vehicle. I said “another” because I received a Mitsubishi L300 Van in 2002 for being the Top Seller Awardee. That van brought me and my family to a lot of places. Their L300 just kept on going despite the age. Yep, that’s Mitsubishi for you.

Ok, so back to Makati. 🙂

From the dealers, we proceeded to Prince Plaza Condotel. After presenting my Agoda voucher, check in was fast and easy. We were brought to our respective rooms immediately. Perfect considering how tired we were. Their Studio Premier was spacious. It was more than enough for 2 people. The bathroom was big and very clean too. We also booked 2 Studio De Luxe for my parents and my sister’s family. Each room could accommodate 4 people. All our bookings included buffet breakfast. Booking through http://www.agoda.com gave us a cheaper price already. With the free breakfast, I found that really worth it!

I chose Prince Plaza II because it’s just right across Greenbelt. I love that Mall! The garden in the middle is so relaxing. Plus of course, there are so many restaurants that we can choose from. The most important reason this time though, is that John wanted to check Blim’s Lazy Boys. We have one in Abreeza Davao. But they have limited stock. He was hoping that there’s more on display in Greenbelt. As it is, the design he wanted was out of stock.

We found ourselves roaming in Greenbelt after freshening up. Wemce, my youngest nephew had fun running around in the park. While we contented ourselves, sitting beside the fountain. ha ha… Low bat na, ika nga. lol

We had dinner at the Krazy Garlik but for what I paid, it wasn’t worth it. 😦 We all agreed that we should have just looked for the food court. hahaha…. I mean seriously, even if you decided that the food wasn’t good, the price was just ok. So it doesn’t hurt too much right? LOL Ok, so that’s the stingy and crazy me talking…

So you’re probably wondering why we buy our vehicles in Manila? I mentioned this in my Philippine Road Trip blog in 2010. I’ll say this again. Buying in Manila is a lot cheaper. I will let the details below tell you why I said that:

1. Big discount upon purchase. – We were given almost 200k cash discount for both vehicles. You won’t find that in Davao. Believe me.

2. Free 3 year LTO Registration. (for both vehicles)

3. Free Mats and Seat Covers (for both vehicles)

4. Free Window Tinting (for both vehicles)

5. Insurance – both dealers gave us an option to buy our own insurance. I prefer dealing with Banco De Oro Insurance. Why? because they are reliable. Believe me, that matters when you live in the Philippines. And most importantly, cheaper than what the Davao dealers offered us.

6. Since we picked up the units in Manila, there are no shipping charges anymore. When you buy in Davao, the dealer charges range from P30-40k per vehicle. That’s expensive. We spent about P20,000.00 only for fuel and ferry fare for both the van and the Montero. That included the cost of the passenger per head as well.

For both vehicles, we saved almost P400,000.00 . It pays off to do your due diligence, so to speak. In my case, I learned in 2010 before we bought our first Nissan van. I researched online and found out that options are available in Manila. After talking to our car agent, Ariel , I knew that we made a good decision in buying there. I wasn’t wrong. This time around, it gave us a lot of savings.

It’s a no brainer actually. If you want to save, go buy your car in Manila. There are more dealerships there that you can choose from. Hence, all the freebies and the discounts.

You know there’s this fear that vehicles bought in Manila won’t have good price values when you eventually sell them somewhere else. And this is what I say – that doesn’t matter when you have records that you bought it brand new from the dealership. That should tell the buyer that a) it’s not second hand b) it wasn’t a carnapped vehicle.

The Nissan Van we bought on 2010 in Makati was renewed in Davao. It wasn’t difficult at all, contrary to what others say. Just follow the procedure. And voila , you get the License renewal here.

So there it is. This is just the 1st installment of our Manila-Davao Roadtrip. Come back soon and travel with us! 🙂

Lea C. Walker

http://www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in My Travels | Tagged Greenbelt, Makati, Manila, Manila roadtrip, Mitsubishi, montero, Nissan | 24 Comments

Prestige Homes Awards Night

Posted on August 19, 2014 by leawalkerblog

The past weeks have been really, really busy. But I will not complain. Because no matter how tired I am, it means that business is great. Thank God. 🙂

I had the chance to have a relaxing night though last Friday. The hubby and I were invited to the Awards Night of Prestige Homes Realty Dev. Corporation, the developer of Granville.

It is definitely nice to play dress up once in a while! he he…

My date and I… 🙂

Two of my Licensed Sales Agents, Tadeo and Rey. They take care of our NCCC Mall booth.

So this was me, during the Awards Night at the Apo View Hotel on August 16, 2014.

Thank you Prax of Hairzone Salon, Victoria Plaza for the hair and make up. 🙂

Thank you Prestige Homes for a beautiful celebration!

May we all be blessed always….

Lea C. Walker

http://www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in Davao, davao city, real estate | Tagged allea real estate, davao city house for sale, granville, house for sale davao, Lea Walker | Leave a comment

Allea Real Estate – New Office

Posted on August 8, 2014 by leawalkerblog

Allea Real Estate has moved to its new location. It’s now at Commercial Unit # 2, Palmetto Place Bldg. 3 , Maa , Davao City.

The Google coordinates – https://www.google.com/maps/place/Allea+Real+Estate/@7.081121,125.583207,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!1m3!3m2!1s0x0:0x18f71e454cd41b0!2sPalmetto+Place!3m1!1s0x0:0xbd3c858df7d9a30e

Yesterday, 8 August 2014, was the Blessing of the new office. 🙂

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for coming. Your presence is a gift! I really appreciate it. 🙂

Thanks to the following:

DMC – UPDI. 🙂

Prestige Homes:

From my BPI Family. 🙂

BS INN – Thank you! 🙂

Dhines, thank you for the balloons. And Kuya Romy, thank you for the wine. 🙂

To my sister, Pearlie – thank you for the cupcakes , mini cakes and the balloon pillars. So blessed to have you as a sister!

Beth, thank you for the roses. 🙂

Bobby White (Hometown Family Restaurant) and John. 🙂

Bob, thank you for the food. Your sliders will always be my favorite. The pulled pork and roast beef sandwich are really good! Another favorite was the coleslaw. And everyone said they loved your fresh fruit salad. 🙂 Thank you again…