June is the time for my car registration renewal.  Just like last year, I came early, however it's almost 9AM this time.

The procedure I followed is basically the same as last year except that I got my CTPL from Cebuana Lhuillier this time, hoping to save some time at LTO.  By the way, Cebuana Lhuillier has a tie up with LTO.

Requirements:
- Photocopy of Official Receipt (OR) and Certificate of Registration (CR)
- CTPL insurance, if you already have one

Last year, I posted that 2 copies of the OR and CR is needed.  It seems that this is only needed if you still don't have CTPL and somebody else would line up for the insurance while you do other things.

Steps:

1. Submit photocopy of OR and CR plus original copy of CTPL to inspector.  I was advised by Cebuana to submit duplicate copy but the inspector asked for the original.
2. Papers will be passed to the person who does the recording.  Wait for your name to be called by the person who would get the stencil from your car.  It took about 15minutes for my name to be called, about 10-15minutes for him to finish the stencil for the other car assigned to him and about 20-25minutes more for him to finish with the stencil of my car.  He had some difficulty locating the chassis and had to get help from one of his colleagues.  The person who assisted me asked if I have early warning device (EWD) in my car as that would be inspected later.  I told him I have it and he informed me that there's a new EWD, one with red and yellow. Hmmm... I haven't heard of that, I just continued with the procedure.  Well, I got mine if they ever want to check it.
3. Proceed with smoke emission testing.  I paid for it and brought my car on the side of the building for testing (took about 25minutes).
4. Bring the papers back to the inspector and bring the documents to window 3.  Again, wait for your name to be called (took about 20 minutes).
5. My name was called at window 4 and I paid the necessary fees.
6. Write your name and address, and affix signature on the yellow copy of the receipt.
7. Go to window 5 and claim stickers.

All in all, it took about 2 hours to finish.  It must have taken longer if I don't have CTPL yet (long lines for the insurance).

Please note that I haven't been asked for my EWD or had it inspected when I returned my papers to the inspector.  It seems like this is one of the rackets of those in LTO, they would sell you one hoping that you'll fall for it the moment they tell you.

Anyway, total cost of my car registration is PhP2,860.40.  Here's the summary:

CTPL	PhP   610.40
Smoke Emission Test	PhP   420.00
Car Registration	PhP 1,830.00

I have heard of Villa Escudero for years now, seen pictures of it and have always wanted to go there.  Alas, I have been able to.  It was a treat by my sister and brother-in-law for my nephew's birthday.

We went out early on a Sunday morning, took South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) to Sto. Tomas exit.  At Sto. Tomas junction, we turned left and just followed the main road up to the Quezon arch, passing the towns of Alaminos and San Pablo.  We then turned left on the first street right after the arch and followed the dirt road that led us to the resort area.

Toll Fee:
C5 to Calamba		PhP 214.00
Calamba to Sto. Tomas		PhP 25.00

It was the feast of the ascension so they have this to welcome guests

Day tour hours is from 8:00AM to 5:00PM.  It is recommended for guests to make their reservation in advance as the resort may be booked for a special occasion. But, in cases when they're not booked, they do accept walk-ins.
 

Day Tour Fee:
Adult		PhP 1,400.00
Children below 4ft		PhP 700.00
Senior Citizen		PhP 1,000.00

The fee includes welcome drink at the reception area, carabao cart ride, use of outdoor recreational areas, visit to the museum and lunch at the waterfalls.  Their rooms are only available for overnight guests.  For day tour guests, they could stay at the restaurant or at some tables/chairs around the pool area.

Reception Area

Tickets

After getting our tickets and having some "gulaman" at the reception, we walked to the museum.  We had our bags with us.  Good thing is that they have a left luggage area at the gates to the museum area.  Pictures are not allowed to be taken inside the museum.  Also, children below 5 years old are not allowed inside the museum.  So, if you have kids with you, you could take turns in entering the museum, while the others are with the kids in the playground just beside the museum.

Way to the museum

Museum

After the museum, we went to the waiting area for the carabao cart ride.  We passed by some old planes and tankers on display.


The carabao cart ride took about 10-15 minutes.  There would also be some resort staff that will be on the ride and singing folk songs with the accompaniment of a guitar.
 

Our carabao "Sexy" having some dose of water

One carabao is named Ligaya

On board carabao Sexy

Resort staff singing "Ang Pipit"

View during the carabao cart ride

View during the carabao cart ride

When we got off the ride, we followed the path going to the left for the swimming pool.  There's a restaurant around the area in case you need some snacks/drinks.

Restaurant area

Restaurant area

The restaurant is also by the river where free activities such as bamboo rafting and fishing can be done.  The path to the accommodations is also by that area.

River at Villa Escudero

Path to the accommodations

As for the swimming pools, there's 3 available (at least that's what we saw).  One for the kids, the other is about 5ft (with slides) and the other is about 2ft deep where most of the elders stay (because of the somewhat warmer, as compared to the other 2, temperature of the water).  Lockers can be rented for PhP50.00 (plus PhP50.00 deposit) to put your things while swimming.  The toilet/shower is for public use so there may be a lot of people specially when it's near closing time.

Kiddie Pool

Pool that is about 5ft deep (with slides)

Other pool about 2ft deep

Lunch (included in the admission fee) by the waterfalls is served from 11AM to 2PM.  We went there around 12NN so there's already a lot of people there.  On the way to the falls, we passed by the Arsenio Escudero Hydroelectric Powerplant.  The path would be to the left going down some steps after the powerplant.

Hydroelectric Power Plant

Lunch by the waterfalls

Since there tables near the falls are already packed, we got a table a bit far from the falls but near the food area.  There were about 3 areas to get food from but only 2 are filled with the same food.  Ticket stub for the food has to be presented to be able to get a plate.  One stub, one plate.  The selection has ensalada, pork/beef/chicken/fish/vegetable viands, soup, pancit canton, pineapple fruit and banana cue for dessert.


Cultural show starts at 2PM (up to 3:15PM) at the restaurant area.  Expect a lot of people to be in that area during that time.


After the show, expect that there would already be lots of people going home and that the wait for the carabao ride might take some time.  I guess in cases of peak hours, they do deploy some motor vehicles to bring people back to the reception area.

Here are some other pictures I took before leaving.

San Pablo / Quezon arch (boundary) right after we turn right at the main road from the resort

When we talk of Italy, pizza and pasta always comes to mind.  But more than that, Italy is also a land of art and architecture.  It is evident in structures, even just in Rome.

It was already late when we got to FCO (Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport) via Vueling Airlines.  We were just in time to catch some of the last bus trips to the city (Roma Termini station).  We took the Terravision bus for Euro5/person to city center.  I think when you buy online, it'll just cost Euro4.  We got to the city in about an hour, there's no more traffic at that time.  We looked for our accommodation for the night which is just walking distance from the Roma Termini station.  There are some personnel in the station that you could ask for directions of hotels.  Actually, if you still don't have any, they'll offer you one.

Terravision bus tickets

Below is our day-to-day itinerary in Italy.

Day 1:
- Check in at Affittacamere Fanti B&B

Day 2:
- Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
- Moved to San Peter Angels
- Vatican Museum
- St. Peter's Square / St. Peter's Basilica
- Castel Sant Angelo
- Santa Maria Del Carmelo In Traspontina

Day 3:
- Colosseum
- Piazza del Popolo
- Piazza Spagna / Spanish Steps / Trinita dei Monti
- Triton Fountain / Piazza Barberini
- Trevi Fountain
- Pantheon
- Piazza Navona

Day 4:
- Pisa and Florence
-
Day 5:
- Palm Sunday Mass at St. Peter's Square

* I'll update itinerary links as it becomes available

Our last day coincides with Palm Sunday and since we're attending the mass at St. Peter's Square, we went to Roma Termini to leave our luggage (left luggage in Roma Termini).  Cost is Euro 6 for every piece of baggage for the first 5 hours, 6th to 12th hour is Euro 0.90/hour, and Euro 0.40 for each additional hour after the 12th hour.

We took the Leonardo Express train from Roma Termini to FCO for Euro 14/person.  We could have taken the bus to save on cost but we're worried about traffic.  There's no specific time indicated in the tickets that we bought at the station.  We were told that it can be used at any time.  As with other trains, just be sure to have it validated in one of the machines in the station before boarding the train.

Roma Termini

Leonardo Express train tickets

Ticket Validation Machine [image from source]

Dichiarazione di Presenza (Declaration of Presence)

When I got my passport (with visa) back from the Italian Embassy, it came with the notice below.  It was stated that "upon entry, you are required to declare your presence in Italy to the border authorities (ensuring that the passport is stamped) or, if you are entering Italy from another Schengen country, to the territorially competent Questura (Police Station) within 8 working days from the date of entry in Italy".  My friend, who applied for her visa in Singapore, didn't have this notice when she received her passport back.

Notice from the Italian Embassy

I did some research on this and found out that this is called Dichiarazione di Presenza (Declaration of Presence).  More information on this site.

"For those staying in hotels and other reception facilities, the declaration of presence is handled by the reception facility upon check-in, a copy of which is supplied to the guest to be displayed to authorities upon eventual request."

Based on the statement above, it seems that this should be handled by our accommodation.  Hopefully, they have done this as I'm not sure what to show the authorities when asked for this document.  I've seen a sample of the form from a website but I haven't gotten any document that looks like it.  Our hosts did copy some information from my passport and my friend's passport though but we only got a receipt from both accommodations, which I kept hoping it will serve as declaration of presence when asked.  Well, I don't know if that would work but I'm thankful we were not asked by any police/authority for it.

Receipt from both accommodations

Palm Sunday in Vatican

Being a Catholic, it is one of my wishes to attend a papal mass in Vatican.  It is actually one item in the itinerary we submitted to the embassy.  We gather that the Pope have general audiences on Wednesdays (check schedule here or here) and tickets to the events are free.  Tickets can be scheduled in advance by writing to them.  [More information on papal audience tickets here.]  We passed on this since our arrival in Rome is on a Wednesday evening.

We were exploring Vatican on a Thursday.  On our way back to St. Peter's Square from Vatican Museum, we passed upon a gate and took our chance if that's where we could get tickets.  Seems like Lady Luck is with us, we were able to get tickets from the Swiss Guards at the gate!  Woohoo!

Location on where to get tickets from papalaudience.org (source)

Bronze door

Bronze door

Swiss guard at the bronze door

Swiss guard giving ticket

Our tickets to Palm Sunday mass

Please take note that tickets do not guarantee entrance to the event.  When the area is already full, gates will be closed.  Come early to be able to have a greater chance to get in.  For Palm Sunday, gates opened at 7:30AM, even if mass is at 9:30AM.  We were there around 8:00AM and the line is already long.  Persons going into the square need to pass through security scanners, where tickets would also need to be presented.  We were given a postcard and missalette upon entry.  There were already lots of people, mostly seated on the front areas, when we got in.

Line of people going into St. Peter's Square

My ticket, postcard and missalette served as my souvenir

We were able to buy mini-palms (Euro 2 each) on the way to St. Peter's.  We later on learned that there are some olive tree branches being given to those attending the event.  We haven't really seen where people got the branches but we were able to ask some from our "seatmates".  I think they use more of the olive tree branches than palms here.  We've actually seen these branches being brought inside churches and placed in front of altars the past days, we just didn't know what it is and what's it for... Now, we know.

It was only a matter of minutes and the square was already filled with people.  Good thing that we were there early and were able to secure a seat.  Now, it's time for pictures.

Our mini-palm with St. Peter's Basilica in the background

The altar

Captured from one of the big screens in the venue

It was around 9:15AM, when the procession for the blessing of the palms started.  It took about 40 minutes for the whole entourage to get into the center of the square, blessing of the palms and for them to go to the main altar.

Procession

Procession

Procession

Procession

Blessing of the palms

Pope Francis on the way to the main altar

The next 2 hours was spent for the mass proper.

• Nobody is allowed to loiter during the celebration.
• Security is everywhere to maintain orderliness and solemnity of the mass.
• The mass is in Italian language but with the help of the missalette, we were able to follow.  
• Each prayer in Prayer of the Faithful is spoken in different languages, the last one is in Filipino.  
• Communion is facilitated by a priest in every aisle to serve a lot of mass goers.  We were just near an aisle so it was easy for us to line up.  I think there was just a certain number of minutes for the communion and then the priests had to go back to the altar even if there's still a line for it.  
• The last part was Angelus, although it's still 10 (or was it 15) minutes before 12NN.  

To preserve the solemnity of the mass, I have just taken very few pictures during the celebration.

During the mass

Filipino-looking priest facilitating communion

We stayed a bit longer after Pope Francis got into the pope mobile then we started on our way out, only to find out that we cannot go out yet.  Why?  The gates are still closed, Swiss guards and other security are making sure nobody blocks/goes through the aisles.  That means we have to wait until we are allowed to go out of the area we're in.  It seems that Pope Francis is still doing a round in the crowd aboard the pope mobile.  I was about 2 persons away from the blockade and am standing in a chair so I got a good view.  This was when I saw that the street (from the area near Castel Sant Angelo) leading to St. Peter's Square is full of people who attended the mass.  Too bad I hadn't been able to take a picture of that.

After a few minutes of waiting, we saw Pope Francis coming.  I was star-strucked (and blessed) when I saw him up-close.

People waiting for Pope Francis

Here comes the Pope

Pope Francis aboard the pope mobile

Pope Francis aboard the pope mobile

Pope Francis up-close

All in all, it was an awesome experience.  It was the longest mass I attended but it was all worth it.  Good thing we bought some water and light snacks with us as it was already 1PM when we got out.

Mission accomplished!