April 21, 2005

     Giving pasalubongs is probably one of our better traits as a culture. We never fail to bring something to a relative or friend whenever we come to visit, whether we are from the other side of the world or the other side of the street. We give with happy and sincere thoughts. It just feels awkward not to bring anything. And 99% of the time, the response of our neighbors, friends, relatives, would be "Nga-a nag-dala-dala ka pa...??". Which of course, when translated means "thank you very much, I would have felt really bad if you did not bring me anything."

     Pasalubongs know no distance. I remember when we were kids, my father would bring a box or two of Dunkin' Donuts, or a box or two of Goldilocks, each time he returned from Manila during his work-related trips to the big city. They were the most popular pasalubongs then, easily picked up at the airport. I guess they're not anymore as Dunkin' Donuts and Goldilocks (or their products) are all over the place now. I did not even see a single Dunkin' Donut store during my recent visit. Mister Donut, yes, and maybe, pretty soon, Krispy Kremes. I heard that Krispy Kreme Donuts are the most popular pasalubongs for rich people returning from the U.S., particularly the west coast where PAL flies direct. For the record, and you better believe me on this, a Krispy Kreme donut tastes best when really fresh, picked up right at the store, not some supermarket or an airline cabin for carry-on luggage. When it's about a day old (which is what happens when you let it cross the Pacific), it tastes ordinary, you're better off buying bitso-bitso at the central market.

     The pasalubong, more often than not, reflects where the giver happens to come from. When I was working at Manapla, Manapla puto was the number one pasalubong, followed closely by the kalamay-hati in coconut shell from Bacolod and the Napoleones, a pastry that's only available in a bakery near the La Salle school in Bacolod (at least it was then). I think my future in-laws appreciated those pasalubongs so much, they actually started liking me.

From The Album

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      Chocolates are still the most popular from those coming from overseas, maybe followed closely by shirts and shoes, then maybe perfume and imported booze. You could't help but appreciate the gesture. Sometimes, balikbayans, particularly OFW's, have barely enough money left for themselves, yet seeing their loved ones smiling faces as they sort through boxes of goodies more than compensates for years of hard work.

     Filipinos from the U.S.A. prefer to stuff their pasalubongs into Balikbayan boxes. Each passenger is entitled to 2 checked-in baggages that don't exceed 30 kg each (72 lbs.). Let's say, three of you are travelling, that's 6 baggages in all, minus 2 for your own personal stuff, you have 4 boxes of gifts enough to open up a mini ukay-ukay.

     I felt bad during this recent trip. Our boxes of pasalubongs did not arrive on time.

     Of course, I will explain.

     It's not the airline's fault. Actually, the boxes were never in an airline, they were on a boat or a barge (whatever, anything that floats) sent a month earlier. That's how we do it. We pack the boxes way ahead of the trip, send them through a cargo carrier and just tell our folks not to open them until we arrive.

     There are several advantages why we go this route. One, you don't have to worry about airline restrictions. You can send as many as you want and as heavy as you want without going through the painstaking process of weighing your box each time you add a pair of shoes. And since nobody among us has a commercial weighing scale at home, one has to use a bathroom scale to weigh these boxes. Balancing these boxes atop a little canister placed in the scale, the process becomes 10 times more difficult, you'd rather have a root canal.

     Two, you don't have to worry about carrying big boxes at the airport like you're fleeing the country. If you have little kids, this becomes more burdensome. And if you think somebody at the airport will actually help you carry your things, think again.

     Three, you don't have to worry about security personnel opening your boxes because they have seen suspicious images on x-ray. And you don't have to worry about customs officials in Manila who will insist on opening your baggages (especially if you have way too many big boxes) just because they think you have something in there that's most likely taxable (i.e. electronics).

     There are disadvantages, of course. One, you have to pay per box when you ship it ahead. Two, there is always that danger of some or all of your stuff getting lost. Three, the boxes may be too tempting for your relatives and they may open them before you arrive. Four, and this is what happened to us, there is always that possibility that you'll arrive ahead of your balikbayan boxes.

     As of this writing, our folks have received all our boxes, all six, intact and unscathed. Bless the shipper, it's not their fault that the boxes arrived late. We sent it late, at least we just gambled that the boxes will arrive in 35 days. That's a possibility, or so says the shipper's representative.

     When we went home prior to this one (in 2000), there was a lot of time to prepare, so we sent the boxes at least 2 months ahead of our scheduled departure. We were actually the ones who opened the boxes. This current trip was planned late (at least it was to my standards), so we sent the boxes quite late also.

     If you want to try this in your next vacation, make sure you prepare and stuff those boxes early. First of all, make sure you trust your shipper. Always ask when is the "ship" leaving. You see, when they pick up your boxes from your home, they don't actually send them that day or the day after. They go by the schedule of the ship or barge (whatever, anything that floats) which is usually only twice a month. Actually, if your shipper is good, they'll tell you the following schedule - date the ship leaves, date of arrival in Manila, and date of distribution to the provinces. Still, allow at least 15 days from the date of distribution to the provinces. Your boxes may still arrive late for some other odd reasons like being held in customs for no reason. (Actually, I was told somebody sent 2 "chop-chop" motorcycles in 8 boxes altogether and they passed through customs without a problem.)

     Our boxes arrived late this time but am I doing this again? Of course. Nothing beats the comfort of carrying only 2 luggages with roller wheels at that, at the airport. You hate waiting at the airport enough, you don't want to aggravate yourself by carrying too many boxes that when piled high may look like a two-storey building. I saw a grandmother with 5 boxes and 2 small grandchildren at O'Hare on their way to Iloilo like us. It was a pitiful scene. Security officers will just look at you while you load those boxes on x-ray machines, it doesn't matter if you are 20 or 80 years old.

     We have used the same shipper ever since. And even if I don't get anything for this, I'll mention it here - Orient Star Shipping, based off of Skokie, Illinois. They have offices in New Jersey and Warren, Michigan. We have never lost a thing shipping through them. They also have an office in Lapuz, Iloilo City, so following up your luggage is not a problem. They'll deliver your package door to door, intact and unscathed. I am hoping though that in case they stumble upon this endorsement, they'll ship my next 6 boxes for free. (Are you shipping through them next time? Please tell them you read it here *wink* *wink*)

     I talked to my brother over the phone the other day and he had my niece and one of my nephews thank me profusely for the things they got. Looking at your relatives enjoying your "pasalubongs" is, undeniably, the best part of going home, bar none. How I wish I got to experience that. How I wish I was actually there, in person, when they opened those packages.

     Nothing beats planning early. We just never got a chance to.

     No vacation blog is complete without talking about one's experiences at the airport. We have the privilege of passing through O'Hare International Airport, which is still in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the most takeoffs and landings of any airport in the world. The airport management probably is too busy watching these takeoffs and landings that they miss everything else. Like putting some decent restaurants in the pre-departure area. The only thing I noticed that's new were the newspapers on store shelves.

     The most common complaint you'll hear, however, is airport security. Or too much of it, the airport has earned a new monicker "the place where common sense goes to die". Like Chicago Sun-Times' Richard Roeper who wrote recently whining and complaining about the security process. His observations: Women in their 90s and veterans in wheelchairs getting patted down as if they'd been wearing "OSAMA RULES" T-shirts and chanting "America sucks!" Business travelers taking off their belts and shoes and placing them in plastic bins, like indicted carjackers getting processed at the local jail. Young women (and men?) getting flagged because their nipple rings set off the buzzer. Security workers fondling your clothes and toiletries, searching for God knows what. Congressmen getting patted down because their knee braces set off the security alarm. Entire airports shutting down because somebody spotted a backpack in a bathroom, or a suspicious jar of something that turns out to be gumbo.

     Hey, Richie Boy, if you don't like it, take the train. Just because you are a suit-wearing, briefcase-carrying, don't-you-know-who-I-am movie critic, it doesn't mean you can't be subjected to the same security process as someone wearing jeans, a fleece jacket, and a backpack. So what if it accomplishes nothing? You should have seen the security personnel dozing off while looking at the x-ray monitor. I did and I, along with the others who were in the same line complained and the person was promptly replaced (he should have been fired right there, if you ask me). And can the server at the pre-departure area's Mcdonald's be any faster? Now, that's something to write about.

     You see, these whiners are frequent flyers who probably fly every other day. They have enough frequent flyer miles to fly to the moon and back in their lifetime. Understandably so, they want to be treated differently. A group of show-business people even proposed to have their own check-in counter separate from the rest of us so they can board their planes faster. So when Roeper writes about a woman with a nipple ring getting delayed at a security check, he is actually talking about himself getting delayed. Not that he has a nipple ring or anything.

     What's next, getting your own line at Starbucks? Getting your own lane in expressways? Stop complaining or get your own plane. John Travolta did.

     This reminds me of the good Senator Franklin Drilon who complained (diplomatic protest?) when he was asked to take his shoes off at a U.S. airport. 'Hey, I'm a senator from the Philippines, it doesn't matter if I look like I have mad-cow disease, I should never take my shoes off in front of you guys.' Seriously, what's wrong and humiliating about taking off your shoes? Got holes in your socks? Don't blame the airport people. Blame the idiot Robert Reid who tried to light a bomb in his shoe on a flight from Paris.

     Let common sense die at the airport, who cares? Security procedures should be the same for everybody. You complain about stereotyping middle-eastern looking people and women wearing head-scarves. Yet, when it's your turn to be patted on, you gripe. I'm Richard "I write for the Sun-Times and you don't" Roeper, I should get a pass. You are Rolour "You look like a terrorist" Garcia, you should be strip-searched. Hey, isn't that stereotyping too?

     I do have one complaint about security at O'Hare. They lost our luggage locks. I was told by security to leave our luggage unlocked after we checked in. I presumed that they'd lock the bags after they're done sifting through our "clothes and toiletries". Those locks were never seen again.

     This is probably something to complain about but I won't. I'm telling, not complaining. My daughter has this 10-year-old Cabbage Patch doll she fondly calls "Manong" (older brother) and who never leaves her side. Would you believe he was subjected to security search and was made to pass by the x-ray too? I won't be surprised if a year from now, he grows an extra arm. I mean, that radiation. Geez.

     Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea, however, is a breath of fresh air, literally. The place is so clean and immaculate. Alright, it's two years old but those who are contemplating to build an international airport should take a clue. Stores and restaurants are just walking distance from pre-departure gates. There's a hotel above the stores for long layovers. If you don't want to pay to stretch your body and steal a few hours of sleep (50 bucks for 6 hours), you can stay by the passengers' lounge for free where there are recliner seats where you can actually get a nap in a horizontal position. There's a video game arcade, internet access, and a lot of restaurants. Who cares if all they serve is kim-chi? At least, they get it. I won't mind passing through this airport again.

     Sometimes I wonder if they purposely put passengers on long layovers so we can use their facilities. I mean, when we passed by the old Seoul International Airport 5 years ago, the longest layover we had was 2 hours. The old Seoul International Airport was built purposely for the 1988 Olympics and it quickly deteriorated after the event. It smelled horrible, like primitive floor wax (the one you boiled with kerosene). It was possibly technologically behind too that instead of upgrading it, they just built a new one.

     Give the South Koreans credit. They did not only give the world Hyundai, Kia, and Lebron James' Nikes. They have a very beautiful airport too.

     Next week, arriving in Manila.

     Finally.

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