January- August 2008
The Birthing of a 3-Country Odyssey

As early as January 2008, the trip was already a nebulous plan being discussed during car rides, phone conversations, and dinners until finally a PowerPoint presentation dubbed “Let’s Go!” was shared as an invitation at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Bonifacio High Street. Commitments were slow to come, but the original proponents decided to still push through. And so the meticulous research, preparation, and discussions commenced.

Cebu Pacific precipitously started services to Ho Chi Minh City, and commitments had to be made with the release of their 0 fare promotion. Still only 4 went on board, but the trip was assured. Good thing Hanoi wasn’t the entry point as Cebu Pacific abruptly cancelled their Hanoi route which would’ve sent the organizers into a tizzy. 2 more were to climb on board before the departure date set at September 3, 11PM.

It was the first time that everyone would be going to HCMC and Siem Reap so there was no resource person to consult. The travel agency costs proved to be prohibitive for yuppies with a budget perhaps equal to two ordinary backpackers’. The Internet became an essential and powerful tool, but the onslaught of information at times became tedious and confusing. With all the knowledge we had armed ourselves with, we feared the magic of seeing the place firsthand would be lost and going would be anticlimactic. It took 1 Travel Fair, 1 Yahoo Messenger conference, 2 Starbucks powwows, 10 inquiries to travel agencies, 30 emails, and countless online articles and reviews before we were able to finalize the itinerary.

A despedida in Uno along Tomas Morato was also arranged where a handful of friends and perhaps a new friend attended. Everyone arrived at least an hour after the agreed time. Generally, we had a good time. We spent after dinner at Kozui having stupid conversations that sent everyone laughing. Then a series of unfortunate events unfolded.


Franz, Mel, Nikki and I almost couldn’t get home when two of our cars got locked inside Uno’s parking lot. Franz’s desperate heroics (jumping over the gate after entrusting his valuables to Mel and unlocking the gate) saved the evening. We couldn’t stop laughing at the absurdity of what had happened while of course being eternally grateful that F was with us. As if that wasn’t enough of a disaster, rain poured heavily over Manila, causing major roads to be flooded. Nikki, Mel and I took a circuitous route home via Sta. Mesa. Monmon and Camie suffered a worse fate. They were stuck for 30 minutes in Solis Street waiting for the flood to subside. All in all, it was one hell of a despedida.