Our ups & down in Perth

First off, we forgot to bring Juliana’s stroller. We only realized this boo-boo midway to the airport and going back for it was unthinkable for we would surely miss our flight. We would be on holiday for roughly 10 days and any parent would understand how convenient it is to have a stroller on hand. A child, naturally, won’t have the same energy (and strides) as adults do. It won’t be much of a problem if Juliana were still a baby. But now, at close to 40 lbs., carrying her for long stretches of time is no joke. Good thing we had a three- to four-hour stopover in Singapore where Richard and I hied off to the nearest mall to get Juliana a stroller before heading to our destination – Perth, Australia.

But that’s getting ahead of the story. We were faced with another setback while still at Terminal 2. Processing took longer than usual as we were traveling with a big group and had a lot of baggage to be checked in. Since Richard and his friend Mikey Romero, along with their coach Joey Valdez, were going to Perth for the World Cup to compete in trap shooting, they naturally had to bring their firearms along. Yes, they had all the necessary documents and permits required to carry and transport firearms but it still took time for all the nitty-gritty to be polished. In between all this, we had to contend with Juliana’s whims and fancy – sometimes she wanted to be carried, at other times, she wanted to run around. Well, to make a long story short it was only when we were buckled in our seats that Richard realized something. He was so busy complying with all the procedures and helping me keep an eye on active Juliana that he forgot his backpack somewhere in the terminal. And that contained most of everything – important documents, camera, and yes, cash. To further complicate things, the cash was not even inside the zippered compartment of the bag! The envelope that contained it was just hastily stashed in one of the outside pockets. If someone made halungkat his bag that would have been the first thing he would see.

John Tan, Richard’s friend who was communicating with Richard from the terminal where his people had found the backpack, tried to ask the ground crew to re-open the cabin door. But by then, it wasn’t possible because the cabin is pressurized and re-opening it would disrupt standard operating procedures. The best that could be done was to stash the backpack in the baggage compartment of the plane and accordingly claim it in the conveyor belt upon arrival in Singapore. Logically speaking, by then it will have passed several more hands and chances of finding everything intact are even slimmer. God help us. At that point, I let it go. When push comes to shove, one’s basic instinct is to just believe in man’s innate goodness (read: whoever discovers the bag would hopefully leave everything intact) and be comforted with the thought that where probabilities end, God’s miracle begins. I just asked Him to send an angel to carry the bag safely back into our hands. Hopefully, by the time we get hold of the backpack, all the documents and every dollar will be accounted for and if, by any chance, a chunk of it or the whole envelope goes MIA (missing in action), I was resolved to be just as thankful. Que sera sera. Everything happens for a reason.

Admittedly though, from time to time during the flight I could see all the things that hard-earned money could have bought. Bags, shoes, and clothes were swimming around in circles before me like fashion-packed thought balloons. But then again, there should be no room for regrets. I was prepared for the worst but with God’s provision and grace I was also expecting the best.

The moment we deplaned, the helpful cabin crew of PAL who knew of our predicament informed an airport officer of the missing backpack. And before we knew it, the same officer came back immediately with it. I couldn’t have been happier to see the familiar black Oakley backpack that has been with us since our very first trip together. The best part was that every single item in the backpack was well accounted for – and the cash was exactly where Richard last remembered seeing it, untouched. Many thanks to the ground staff of the PAL International Terminal and their Singaporean counterpart. Special thanks, too, to the cabin crew of the flight we took. I’ve always believed there are everyday angels that the One Up There sends our way to help us get through a fix and in that particular case, these people were ours.

We arrived in Perth at midnight after a six-hour flight from Singapore, thankful that there was practically no time difference. After a good night’s rest, we were all set to discover as much of Perth as our six days there would allow. Since Richard and company were there for a competition, that pretty much left me, Juliana and yaya Lita together with Mikey’s wife Sheila, their two-year-old daughter Mandy and her yaya Olive, to enjoy Perth until the boys could join us after their training practice rounds.

Perth is very laid-back. It almost felt provincial but for the modern and urban amenities the city has to offer. If you want to just relax, Perth is the perfect place. Time seems to pass by slowly and you can’t help but rediscover the pleasure of being in touch with everything. While there, we would usually start off with a leisurely lunch at a restaurant we either read about the night before or just chanced upon.

Sheila, armed with a handful of flyers and pamphlets taken from the hotel lobby, was our instant guide. She knew (based on what she read and researched on) the best places. The nice thing about it was that the description, our expectations and the actual experience all coincided, more or less. Tourism there is packaged honestly – no puffed-up superlatives here. King’s Park, for one, is such a beautiful, simple place to be in. Even the boys, tired from their practice round, welcomed the chance to relax in a place that overlooked the whole city. It was nice just sitting on the grass while the kids had a heyday running around, just waiting for the sun to set. Having experienced that, I really wish we had more places like that here in Manila because it would be a good venue for families to bond without having to spend an arm and a leg.

If there was a downside to Perth, it would be the fact that almost everything stops at 5 p.m. The shops are closed and people literally go back to their homes and spend time with their families. Around 4, Sheila and I would be on a marathon run trying to cover as many shops as time would allow. By 5 p.m., we were literally window shopping, our faces pressed against the closed shop windows. I made the mistake of asking a cab driver why the shops have to close so early, not knowing how passionately he felt about that. With just that one question he went on and on about how he couldn’t understand Asia and the late shopping hours they keep, stressing further that in Perth people valued family life. I told him that with all due respect, our late shopping hours have nothing to do with how much we value family life. I explained to him that eating out and strolling in the mall with our families are, like staying home together, also a time for bonding. I finally got him to agree that as a tourist in a foreign country, it is but natural that you question little things like that. It doesn’t mean I don’t agree with it. Differences like that are what make a place unique; it’s all a matter of getting used to, that’s all.

It’s just sad that when people we talked to found out we were Filipinos, they would immediately ask about the Abu Sayyaf problem and the Davao bombings. They have this notion that we live in a war-stricken land and much as I try to explain that it’s not as bad as it seems, I realized there was no way one could downplay the situation. Whether the incident happened in Davao or in the city, they would still think it’s the whole country.

We had the chance to eat at some really nice places too, some fronting either the beach or the Perth river. I particularly enjoyed dining at Fremantle, a quaint place that had strings of shops and restaurants. I also enjoyed the time Richard, Juliana and I spent at Moorings, a restaurant by the jetty where I had all the fish and chips that I wanted, day in and day out.

On our third or fourth day, Sheila finally commented that Australians have this uncanny way of making everything sound near. The concierge at the hotel, for instance would tell us that so and so would be a lovely 10-minute walk. I tell you, it feels farther than that. Maybe they walk faster or they have some trick to it but as far as Sheila and I (and our kids, too, I suppose) are concerned, the walk may be lovely but it is hot. They welcome a 38oC day with gusto and the hottest we ever walked under was a record 43oC! We were so scorched and thirsty that yaya Lita once quipped, "Ma’am parang nasa Cubao lang tayo."

Juliana embraced the company of Mandy and it was so nice to have two happy, active kids around. Mandy was the earliest riser (after the boys) and each morning she would come to our room looking for her playmate. I would wake up to her voice saying "Good morning, Juliana!" It was easier for Sheila and me to keep our kids at bay whenever they were naughty because we would just make them examples of each other. We would always tell them, "Look at Mandy, she’s eating her food" or "Look at Juliana, she’s sleeping already." Probably the highlight of the trip for the kids was when we took them to the zoo to see the koala bears and the kangaroos.

One night in the hotel, Juliana started mimicking ice skaters being shown on TV, turning and swaying until she hit her forehead on the bedside table. The bump started to swell up to the size of an egg and amid Juliana’s fat tears I felt like crying myself. I tried to call her pediatrician but for some reason the call wouldn’t connect. I desperately scrolled through my phonebook and found the number of Dr. Aye Nuguid who gave me instructions on what to do. I was actually hesitant to call because it happened late at night but I was desperate. Well, all’s well that ends well and I’m just really grateful that he was there when we needed medical opinion. He was another one of those God-sent earth angels. Thanks, Aye!

Richard and Mikey, competing as they were with the world’s best, didn’t really expect much given that they are relatively new at the sport. They were there for the experience more than anything and, in hindsight, they all agreed they had nothing to lose but everything to gain from that meet. The day before their competition, they went to an Adidas shop in the mall to get some identical shirts that would serve as their uniform. The irony of it all was that the Prime Minister actually singled them out as having the best uniform. We were all amused because they were not even custom-made, just bought off-the-rack. They had their pictures taken with Lance Bade and Brett Erickson who happen to be Olympic and World Cup Champions, respectively. Though I barely know anything about trap and skeet shooting, it’s actually a nice spectator sport and during the finals, I was surprised to find myself enjoying the match.

From Perth, we flew back to Singapore and stayed there for two nights. What we weren’t able to enjoy in Perth we more than made up for in Singapore. This time around, with the competition out of the way, the boys could join us and we had fun shopping (that the shops close at 9 p.m. was a welcome treat!) and of course, eating. For me, two of the standouts are Hawker (their version of our dampa in Parañaque) and Brazil Churascascaria at Bukit Timah, a restaurant where waiters go around with huge skewers of lamb, pork, chicken, beef and fish meat that they slice off straight onto your plate – as much as you want, and all that you can eat. Mmmmmmmm, yummy. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

We had a wonderful stay at the Ritz Carlton – one that, in my opinion, ended much too soon. Yes, I definitely would want to go back soon. All in all, it was a good holiday and despite the kinks that we had to go through, I realize there is much to be thankful for.