The Travel Continues: Post SAS Probs, NYC, Manila

Bye bye, SAS Fa13 *sniff*

It's been a week since I disembarked from the MV Explorer for the last time, and here I am, still trying to figure out how to approach "normalcy" again. I didn't expect to be missing ship life this much because my excitement about going home and seeing my family initially overshadowed the idea of experiencing SAS withdrawals. But now it's hitting me like a strong wave against the stern (pardon the sailing reference.. can't help it). Someone from the voyage posted a 4-second video on our SAS Fa13 Facebook page, showing the MV Explorer leaving the port of Fort Lauderdale, getting ready for another voyage for a whole new set of people. I seriously almost teared up. I actually felt my heart tighten a bit, as I swallowed the reality that the ship I have learned to call home will be welcoming new passengers on board, and that I am not one of them. All of this in that 4-second video. Talk about post SAS probs!

I guess it's a good thing that I still have yet to write about the rest of the ports we've visited (Ghana, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Bahamas) so I can relive my favorite moments in those places as I stroll down memory lane with you guys. But before I begin yet another set of backtrack posts, let me recap what I've been up to this week, aside from silently grieving over the end of my SAS adventure..

16 December 2013
Monday

After all the goodbyes were said and done, my friend Liz dropped me off at the Fort Lauderdale airport 10 minutes away from the ship port around 12:30pm, giving me plenty of time to kill before I can board my flight to Pennsylvania at 6:30pm. I was going to meet up with my sister Kai in Philadelphia before going back home to Manila together on the 19th. I was so psyched because this reunion with my sister was something we both were eagerly waiting for ever since this summer! We were literally counting down the days 'til #KaiNenReunion since August. We planned on going around Philly a bit, and then taking a bus to New York City for a day! But what made us look forward to our reunion more was the fact that we would have someone to endure that looooong travel back home with. A travel buddy makes a world of a difference when you're in transit for over 30+ hours!

Yay for my sister-travel-buddy! And yes, we are of very different skin tones  :p

Anyway, I didn't arrive in Philly until midnight, so when Ate Kai picked me up from the airport, we just headed straight to her dorm at UPenn, got our stuff ready for the next day, and passed out. Tomorrow--New York City!

17 December 2013
Tuesday

Taking the Bolt bus out of Philly at 8am, we arrived in NYC two hours later. The freezing weather did not make our walk to the hotel easy, as we trekked under the sleet for at least a good 20 minutes. My ears were starting to hurt and my fingers were getting numb, but heck, we were in New York! When we finally found the Holiday Inn, we dropped our bags off and went back out into the cold again.

I've been craving for Starbucks like crazy, so I definitely needed one of their
holiday drinks for a quick pick-me-up! Mmm Peppermint Mocha...Yum.

Ate Kai and I just walked around the rest of the afternoon, snapping photos and enjoying being in the city that never sleeps. We covered Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and the NBC store that sold
awesome Friends stuff!!! We're both obsessed with this TV show, so we couldn't exit the store without buying any Friends paraphernalia!

F.R.I.E.N.D.S
Gotta love the whole gang!

Having lunch at one of my favorite restaurants EVER: Olive Garden!
One simply cannot have enough of their breadsticks. True story.
And look at that pretty cool view of Times Square behind me! T'was a great lunch indeed.

Later that evening, we got ourselves ready to watch one of the most popular broadway musicals in the world: WICKED! I was super excited because I've always wanted to see this show, and what better place to finally watch it than in the glamourous New York City?! My sister surprised me with the ticket the night before, telling me it was her and Harvey's Christmas present for me. What can I say, they're too cool for mah life!

Wicked is wickedly amazeballs. #forrealdoe

The theater stage!

Wicked definitely exceeded my already high expectations! I obviously expected it to be amazing, but actually watching it blew my mind. The musical was so entertaining from beginning til the end. It was funny, interesting, and even gave me goosebumps! It's shows like that that makes me all the more appreciate and respect the field of arts.

After the show ended, Ate Kai and I made our way back to the hotel, taking more photos around the city along the way.

Somewhere in Times Square

Rockefeller at night!

18 December 2013
Wednesday

We missed our 10:45am Bolton bus back to Philly, so we had to wait for the 11:30 bus. Thankfully, once you have a purchased ticket, you can get on any Bolton bus at any time, so long as there's space on the bus. When the 11:30 bus finally pulled up by the waiting station, we hopped on and slept all the way back to Philly.

The LOVE monument thingamajig somewhere in UPenn

Ate Kai gave me a personal tour of the University of Pennsylvania campus, or at least a part of it. The university was so big, there was no way we could've done a whole tour in one afternoon! The rest of the day was spent walking around some more, visiting the "Christmas Village" in the heart of the city, and getting to witness a marriage proposal! Maybe I'll put up the video sometime hehe.

UPenn Wynn Commons

By the end of the afternoon, we decided we just wanted to have dinner back in my sister's apartment while watching movies. It was so cozy having dinner in bed with Home Alone playing on TV :) Before retiring for the night, we finalized our packing, and checked our flight tickets for our trip back home tomorrow!!

Dinner is served!

Walrus

19 December 2013
Thursday

We're going home today!

Our flight was at 7:20 in the morning, so we were already at the airport by 5:30am. This flight back home involved three plane changes and a whole lotta idle time. From Philadelphia, our first flight connected to Detroit, where we had a six-hour layover. Good thing there was free wifi available at the Detroit airport, as well as a Starbucks conveniently positioned right next to our gate. From Detroit, we crossed the Pacific Ocean and land in Nagoya, Japan. We spent an hour and a half waiting for our third and final connecting flight to Manila, Philippines.

21 December 2013
Saturday

Because of timezone differences, flying back home from the US always makes us lose a whole day. We arrived at NAIA at midnight of the 21st, completely skipping over December 20th. We were joyfully reunited with our parents after they picked us up from the airport. That's always my favorite part--that first hug back. :)

Home for Christmas! :)

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Since arriving back in Manila, I have not unpacked nor have I even attempted to do so. I have, however, been battling jet lag. I've been successful in keeping myself awake during the afternoon and not giving in to the temptation of taking a nap. This makes me go to bed at night super early, which I don't mind, and makes me wake up before (or right at) sun rise, which actually does not bother me.

My eldest sister and brother-in-law visited yesterday, bringing with them my two super duper adorable munchkins: my 3-year-old nephew Jaden, and my 9-month-old niece Sophia! I can't even explain my love for these two kids. The cutie little boy had me running around the house, constantly telling ordering me to play with him, while the beautiful baby girl looked on, smiling and clapping as she watched her kuya Jaden with adoring eyes.

Meet Sophia and Jaden! :)

So blessed to have three wonderful sisters!
From L-R: Kai, Angel, me, Teya

That's all for now! Stay tuned for more posts!
Seamester Shenanigans lives on!