Philippine Airlines Econolight Class

from the Philippines Airlines website

Get great value from our “NO-FRILLS” to ALL PAL Domestic flights and selected Asian Destinations. For selling immediately and for traveling effective 10 November 2008.

Published international EconoLight fares are valid for sale, ticketing and travel until 18 March 2009, while domestic EconoLight fares are valid until further notice.

Only available for purchase through the PAL website.

Below are the applicable routes and fares:

INTERNATIONAL ROUND TRIP FARES excluding taxes, surcharges and airport terminal fee

• For as low as US $48 (with PBWEB Fare Basis)/Minimum 2 days and maximum 8 days of stay
  Between MANILA and BANGKOK /HO CHI MINH* / HONG KONG /JAKARTA / MACAU / SINGAPORE / TAIPEI

*Not available for HO CHI MINH to MANILA.

• For as low as U S $128 (with PBWEB Fare Basis)/ Minimum 2 days and maximum of 14 days stay
  Between MANILA and BEIJING/ SHANGHAI

Note: International fares will be quoted in the currency of the country of departure except for Philippines and Indonesia where fares are quoted in USD.

Learn more about the PAL Econolight Class

Pictures sourced from Philippine Pictures

Isla Shekhina: An island in a lake on a mountain

Location: Cavinti, Laguna Province, Philippines

Just discovered a unique and  little-known retreat from families and groups– an island in a lake on a mountain.

Isla Shekhina is a pearl on Lake Lumot, nestled in Cavinti, Laguna, in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range.

“Your paradise for the moment is just three hours away from the city.

Think of it – your own 3,000 square meter island for the weekend in the clear waters of Lake Lumot, Cavinti, Laguna.

Go boating, fishing, wading, strolling, bird-watching, star-gazing, isle-hopping or just meditating and counting your breath slowly while viewing blessed Mt. Banahaw in the distance. If you are a certified swimmer, you will enjoy doing laps on the eastern side of the island.”

I did check the website at http://islashekhina.angelfire.com and fell in love with the place immediately.  Isla Shekhina is like no other regular resort.  It’s very private, and allows for great communing with nature. Amenities are sparse, but then that’s the beauty of the experience, right. One can sleep in the 4-person cabin, or sleep under the stars, in tents or in the gazebo. Electricity is available 4 hours in the night, enough to charge your cellphone, or check mail on your laptop. Torches light your way the rest of the night.

What to do on Isla Shekhina? Swim in the freshwater lake, catch fresh fish for your lunch in the open lake, run around with the2  resident pet dogs, count the stars and constellations, practice your yoga or taichi exercises, watch the grass grow, contemplate on your life achievements,  “stare in amazement as the rising moon’s reflection becomes a pillar of light that breaks nto a million shards across the lake.” Of course work-a-holics will also surely have fun conducting mini-workshops on the island.

Suggest you bring you own pillows and beddings, sweater or jacket, flashlight, fishing rod, swim wear and towels, food supplies, a bible or your spirituality book.

Visit Isla Shekhina website to whet your appetite for a simple outdoors retreat, which is only a 4-hour ride from Metro Manila, via the zigzag road of Rizal Province through Pelilia and Paete, or via the SLEX through Los Banos and Pagsanjan in Laguna Province.  A motorized banca provides round trip transfers from docking to house,which is just 3 min.away from the barangay.

Dictionary of colloquial Filipino

The Philippines boasts of a highly literate population, and one that actually speaks English.  No less than 96% of Filipinos anywhere around the 7100+ islands can understand and speak English, a result of the Education Department’s stress on English as a medium of instruction.

Yet because of the predominant use of the national language, Filipino, one can expect Filipinos to understand and speak at least 2 languages plus one, two  or more of the 100+ regional dialects. Expectedly, over the decades of migration to the cities, several sub-languages are evolving, which leave even some locales wondering how best to use the words.

Yet, the sub-languages seem to be the colloquial Filipino, a creative, sometimes funny, fusion of English, Filipino, Tagalog, Ilocano, Kapampanga, Ilongo, and several other dialects.

Surely passing travelers can safely survive the tour with English spoken clearly and slightly slower than normal.

For natural and alien residents, a working knowledge of the colloquial language can work wonders, especially when trying to negotiate a bargain.

Fortunately,  there’s an online reference (and a book) to refer to, for those oft-intriguing bastardized words, phrases and idioms that local Filipinos use — the better for our immigrant and foreign-based Pinoys to understand our language and culture, and for foreigners in the country to finally learn to speak some colloquial Filipino.

Ano ba ‘yon? Ano ba ‘yan? http://www.anoyon.com is authored by Cynch Sta. Maria-Baron, and enriched by contributions of family, friends, and the general public. The site is a great reference for conversational Filipino, at least for use of some phrases, though it is a continuing work in progress. As I went through the long list, I actually learned a word or two, perhaps less commonly used, but nonetheless a part of colloquial Tagalog. I see the site evolving with thousands of additional words and phrases, corrections and adjustments, as well as a section on sample usage of these words, phrases and idioms.

The book version of the website was  launched November 15, 2008, and available at all major bookstores.

Do you need a visa to enter the Philippines?

“For stays of up to 21 days (three weeks), tourists and business travelers from 146 countries with a valid passport for 6 months beyond the period of stay and a return or onward ticket are given free entry into the Philippines.  Visitors wishing to stay longer than 21 days need a visa. Here is a list from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs.  Inquire here for a visa for the Philippines.

Nationals of the following countries require a visa even if staying less than 7 days: Afghanistan*, Albania, Algeria*, Bangladesh, Belize, Bosnia-Herzegovina, China (People’s Republic), CIS, Croatia, Cuba, East Timor*, Egypt*, Estonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, India*, Iran*, Irag*, Jordan*, Korea (Democratic Republic), Latvia, Lebanon*, Libya*, Lithuania, Nauru, Nigeria*, Pakistan*, Palestine*, Sierra Leone, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia, Sri Lanka*, Sudan*, Syria*, Tonga, Vanuatu and Yemen*.

*Nationals of these countries must apply for a Temporary Visitor Visa in their country of origin or place of legal residence.”

SOURCE:www.RetireAsia.com

What types of visas are issued by the Philippine Government?

Visitors to the Philippines may apply for an entry visa depending on their length of stay in the country, as well as the country they’re coming from, as indicated in the above information.

The Philippine Government issues 3 types of visas:

NON-IMMIGRANT VISA issued by the Bureau of Immigration

A foreign national may apply for a temporary visitor’s visa as a “foreign tourist . . . defined as a person without distinction of race, gender, language or religion, who is proceeding to the Philippines for a legitimate, non-immigrant purpose such as sightseeing, sports, health, family reasons, training or study (excluding enrolment in schools for the purpose of obtaining a title or degree), religious pilgrimage, business, cultural and scientific purposes.” (SOURCE: Department of Foreign Affairs). Get more information from the Bureau of Immigration’s website on Non-Immigrant Visa, particularly for foreign government officials, students and pre-arranged employment.

IMMIGRANT VISA issued by the Bureau of Immigration

Foreign nationals may apply for immigrant visa if they meet very specific requirements, and even quotas.  Learn if you are entitled to apply for this visa type, and other requirements from the Immigrant Visa pages the Bureau of Immigration’s website on Non-Immigrant Visa

SPECIAL RETIREE RESIDENT VISA issue by the Philippine Retirement Authority

The SRRV is a special type of visa issued for returning Filipinos who have acquired foreign citizenship as well as foreign nationals who wish to retire in the Philippines.It is a special non-immigrant visa separate that entitles the holder to reside in the Philippines for an indefinite period with multiple-entry privileges as long as the required minimum deposit investment subsists.

We have a special page explaining this visa. . . the SRRV, or you may check out the pages of the Philippine Retirement Authority.

Tara Na Biyahe Na (Come On, Let’s Travel)

21 artists invite Filipino overseas to visit and experience the new Philippines

more about “Tara Na Biyahe Na (Come On, Let’s Tra…“, posted with vodpod