It is that time of the year when the ‘ber’ months arrive and
the scent of Christmas is just around the corner. It is always a challenge for me to
find the best Christmas gifts at the most reasonable prices. After all, nobody wants to be
tagged as a cheapsie come the year’s most expensive season. And cheapsie as I am,
I don’t want my gifts to be regarded as such.
This year, the challenge is twice as hard. The recent
calamities that hit our country didn’t really put any of us in a mood for celebrations. But Christmas has to go on, right. And we all have to move on. Not
even Typhoon Santi, the Zamboanga siege, or the 7.2 earthquake can trample the strong Filipino spirit.
For this year, I want to be Santa Claus. And if I can, I’ll fly
to these three destinations:
1. Tagbilaran
My father’s ancestry can be traced to Bohol. As a matter of
fact, that is where my grandfather lived almost half of his life. I have lots of
relatives in there, more particularly in Loboc.
My gift to my relatives and all Boholanos: A Pillow
If I were Santa Claus, I’d go to Bohol right now and give all my relatives there the softest pillow I can find. I want them to have the most restful, most comfortable sleep. They are going to need it now more than ever. I know that along with that sleep comes the energy to take on the challenges and the peace of mind that everything will be okay very soon.
2. Cebu
I have several cousins and nephews living in San Fernando Cebu.
The moment the news of the earthquake hit the wires and the media. We rushed to
our Facebook account to find out if they’re okay. When my cousin said that they
were, we all breathed a big sigh of relief. However, she said that the kids
still won’t stop crying. They were scared of what just happened.
My gift to my Cebuanos nieces and nephews: Balloons and candies
The kids have to forget the scare that was brought about by a 7.1
magnitude earthquake. It’s not going to be easy, but a pair of comforting arms around
their slender bodies could calm them down. I’d fly to Cebu if only to bring all
the colourful balloons and candies to the kids. That will surely lighten up
their mood, albeit for a short period of time.
3. Cagayan de Oro
My favourite aunt now resides in Iligan City and the Cagayan de
Oro airport is the nearest and fastest point of entry. My constant text
messages to her revealed that she was indeed, affected by the typhoon, the
earthquake, and the MILF rundown in Zamboanga City, although not as much as
those who live in the affected cities. My heart goes out to her because she’s
all alone up there. She only has her dog Peanut to help her go through the day.
My gift to my aunt: Tickets to Manila and back
I wouldn't mind the flight to CDO, then travel the miles to Iligan
City, just to reach her and then take her back to Manila so she can spend the
Christmas with us. After all, Christmas is not supposed to be celebrated alone.
This is my travel wish list and my Christmas list at the
same time. But even if I can’t be Santa Claus, I sure can travel to these three
destinations via the AirAsia Zest. AirAsia Zest flies from Manila to Cebu,
Davao, Kalibo (Boracay), Puerto Princesa, Tagbilaran, Cagayan De Oro. With their
help, I can be the Santa Claus that I wanted to be.
AirAsia has recently partnered with Zest Air. Both a low cost
airline, they joined their resources together to give Filipinos the better and the much cheaper option when travelling in the Philippines and selected Asian cities. Used to be housed at the Clark Airport, one can now access AirAsia in Manila via AirAsia Zest, NAIA
Terminal 4. Anyone can now travel in the Philippines with AirAsia Zest and travel in Asia with
AirAsia.
All thanks to AirAsia Zest, The Right Way to Fly. Maybe I will just be able to do all of these.
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