Last week, Don, my brother-in-law, picked up his metallic deep-blue Tesla Model 3 from one of the company’s showrooms –they sell their cars direct and not through a dealership– in Fremont, California.
A year ago, he had put up a US$ 1,000 deposit for the promised US$35, 000 Model 3 unit that had just gotten off Tesla’s designers’ drawing boards and into production mode then.
The Tesla Model 3 was supposed to catapult the fledgling company into the mainstream car market.
All their previous models, the Roadster, the Model S as well as the Model X (an SUV – sports utility vehicle) are relatively expensive, and only a few middle-income American consumers could afford them.
Tesla had been at the forefront in the rebirth of the all-electric vehicle boom that had seen the release of competing models from the big Japanese and European carmakers -notably Nissan (the ‘Leaf‘) and BMW (the i3 – with the latest release, a 2-cylinder ‘range extender’ engine is now just optional )- as well as from the top 2 American car firms — General Motors (the Chevy ‘Bolt‘) and Ford (coming up with its ‘CUV‘).
The Model 3’s simple interior and almost bare dashboard are both a boon and a bane
As it turned out, Tesla’s promised consumer-friendly price tag of US$35,000 for the Model 3 ‘base model’ ballooned to almost US$57,000 after the company failed in its promise to offer one with the ‘standard batteries‘ during the consumer rollout.
Eager to drive home with his Model 3, Don was compelled to buy a more expensive unit with long-range (up to 310 miles) batteries + a premium exterior with rear-wheel drive. His choice of color, deep blue metallic (extra $1500), and alloy sports wheels (extra $1500) set him back another $3,000 plus all the taxes and fees.
The price would have gone even higher had he opted for one with an all-wheel-drive (extra $6,000 for the ‘basic’ all-wheel drive and an extra $15,000 for the ‘performance’ all-wheel drive) & enhanced Autopilot (extra $5,000).
After all the extras, a fully loaded, top-of-the-line Model 3 goes for about $75,500 before all the taxes and fees –and that’s not a price for the average consumer. For all that money, you could buy four (4) brand-new (latest model) Toyota Corollas and still have a few thousand left in your pocket.
Charging the car at home via a dedicated 240V outlet.
So for the US$57K price, he shelled out -before Federal & State tax incentives- Don’s Model 3 car should, at least, be impressive. It is but not without some drawbacks.
Most electric cars have impressive torques, and the rear-wheel-drive Model 3 can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 5.1 seconds. The car’s handling was impressive as the 19″ wheels were big enough to mitigate some road imperfections.
You can’t say enough praise for all the tech goodies inside and outside the car with its gaggle of radars, sensors, cameras, software updates for the touchscreen control panel as well as the very impressive all-glass roof. All of the Model 3’s glass parts, including the windows, were made by Saint-Gobain Sekurit, which traces its roots all the way back to 1665 in France as the Royal Glass Works.
The Model 3’s all-glass, UV protective roof is very impressive. Those 2 micro-LED pin lights provide just enough illumination for the passengers at the back
And, as this is an all-electric vehicle, you tend to rely less on the brakes to slow down the car —just release your foot on the accelerator, and you accomplish two things: 1). slows the car down to a halt, and 2). you charge the batteries (regenerative braking).
Let’s get to the things that I didn’t like about the Tesla Model 3:
Firstly, the door handles. Opening a door is a two-handed affair. What??? You have the push the recessed handle with one hand and grab the handle’s end once it pops out with your other hand —yes, just to open a door.
If you’re quick, you can grab & open Tesla’s Model 3 doors with one hand. For most others, opening a door is a two-handed affair.
Second, there is no manual override to open the glove box compartment. To open it, you must turn on the touchscreen tablet (which acts as the sole instrument panel and controls everything inside the car) and push the ‘open glove box‘ button. Too cool but also too dumb. Any determined thief can simply use a screwdriver and force it open.
Third, and as mentioned above, the car relied too much on the 15″ touchscreen tablet in the dashboard’s center. I honestly believe that Tesla did it to cut costs in the guise of the ‘cool’ factor.
This 15″ touchscreen tablet is the only instrument panel inside the Tesla Model 3.
This is especially too distracting when driving around the city as you have to deal with all the functionalities of the car on a touchscreen panel. As if texting while driving is just not bad enough.
Fourth, for the steep price tag on any premium variants of the Tesla Model 3, real leather seats should be standard. As it is, the ‘premium interior’ model could only boast of faux leather in black.
Lastly, except for topping off the windshield washer fluid, there’s nothing a Tesla Model 3 owner who’s keen on maintaining the car himself can do. Most of the other end-user replaceable parts & fluids are either hidden underneath the car’s chassis –where the engine sits in your typical internal combustion vehicle is now a front luggage compartment- or, not that easily accessible.
This means that if ever the car needs even the most simple maintenance, you may have to take it back to a Tesla dealership. Bottom line: costlier upkeep.
Other minor flaws need no mentioning and can be ignored, but the ones above are simply too obvious to be overlooked.
After all, Tesla’s mass-production model cars -starting with the 2012 Model S- had only been around for a few years. Improvements should come in the next iterations of those models.
That is, if -with their massive debt and government subsidies in the form of tax incentives ending soon- they will remain viable and, most importantly, become profitable, as a company in the coming years.
Old habits die hard and R/C flying is one of them.
Since I caught the aerial remote-control bug during my almost four-year stint in Saudi Arabia in the early 1980s, I have never forgotten this sometimes expensive hobby. They say that the hearts of adventurous people lie in the extreme desire to fly like birds.
R/C flying has come a long way since the days of gas-powered COX engines and radio controllers with telescopic antennas—-with small banners attached to them that denoted the radio frequencies.
In today’s world dominated by computers, software, cell phones, and other Internet-connected devices, it comes as no surprise that the hobby of R/C flying has also evolved to take advantage of them.
Today, you no longer need a dedicated controller to operate an R/C device—a smartphone and the appropriate app will do it for you. Changing crystals (to change radio frequency transmission) inside the transmitters is so passé—almost all new R/C these days have Wi-Fi built-in (mostly at 2.4 GHz) and utilize that same wireless frequency to connect to the smartphone. Bluetooth is also built-in to pair with a dedicated remote controller for easier flying.
A Wi-Fi extender (shown here attached to a battery pack) and a Bluetooth controller for extra fun.
More sophisticated but expensive models incorporate GPS, 1080p, or 4K cameras propped on small but high-end gimbals, as well as a gaggle of extras for easy maneuvering even at long-range distances. Not to mention longer flight times and apps with sophisticated features.
Currently, a Chinese company called DJI dominates the aerial R/C market and has relegated the term ‘R/C’ to something more futuristic—’drone‘.
The drone market has exploded in the last six or so years after amateur and professional photographers alike made them an essential part of their toolkits for taking visually stunning aerial photos and video footage.
This unedited photo was taken with the DJI-Ryze Tello at 15 meters up in the air.
DJI not only makes a variety of off-the-shelf hobbyist drones that cater to everyone’s budget but also custom-made ones depending on the application—be it in the military, science, agriculture, engineering, or, of course, the movie industry.
To capture the lowest end of the hobbyist drone market, DJI partnered with Intel and Shenzhen, China-based Ryze Tech and introduced the Ryze Tello.
The fun-to-fly Ryze Tello drone (shown here with a packet of some unique ‘skins’)
It’s a vision positioning system-equipped US$99 toy-hobbyist drone with a programmable Intel processor and a 5-megapixel 720p camera (at 30 fps)—I’m not sure, though, if some Hasselblad technologies were incorporated after DJI bought into the Swedish camera company in 2015—as well as some other tech goodies packed in 80 grams—battery included—of good-quality plastic and miniature circuit boards.
It’s basically a very, very small home computer with a nice webcam that flies.
What makes this little toy drone so fun is that it won’t hurt your pocketbook if you crash or lose it. It’s so stable to fly that the only way you can lose or damage it is to fly it in very windy conditions.
In actual use, the Ryze Tello flies for a good 10 minutes—specs say 13 minutes —on a full charge with a range of about 100 meters. But hacks like using a US$10 Wi-Fi repeater or range extender improve not only the range but also the video quality transmission.
Also, software hacks like TALS (free) and Altitude Limit for Tello (US$0.99)—but both are available only for iOS devices—can extend this little drone’s 10-meter height limit to 10x or 100 meters. Be careful, though, as the drone’s vision positioning system gets compromised at over 10 meters.
Accessories for the Tello are also inexpensive,, like the US$29 GameSir T1d Bluetooth controller and about US$15 to $25 for a 3 to 4 battery-charging hub. Extra original batteries—made by FullyMax—are about US$19.
These prices might be even lower if you get the Ryze Tello in ‘bundle deals‘. I once saw a DJI stall inside a very popular shopping mall in downtown San Francisco selling the Ryze Tello with an extra battery for as low as US$ 89.
Inexpensive Ryze Tello accessories: GameSir T1d Bluetooth controller, Wi-Fi extender (on the right of the silver packet), extra original battery, and Tello battery charging hub
All in all, for about US$ 200, you can truly enjoy the thrills of R/C flying -or, shall I say, drone flying- without the nasty additional expenses associated with the learning experience alone.
Once you have mastered it—it’s so easy flying this tiny toy drone—or if you have grown tired of it but truly enjoy aerial photography, you could upgrade to a DJI Spark…and then to a Mavic Air, Mavic 2, or Pro.
April 2019 update:
In late 2018, a German hobbyist named Volate!lo released a new app—available only for Android—called Tello FPV + RTH. Priced at $5.49, the feature-rich app made the Ryze Tello drone much more capable, particularly the return-to-home feature, despite the unit’s lack of a GPS.
Last November 2018, Ryze sold their Tello Boost Combo at a discounted price of only $99 (plus tax) from the current/regular price of $149 (plus tax) on DJI’s website.
The package includes the Tello drone, two (2) sets of spare propellers, three (3) original FullyMax flight batteries, a 3-battery charging hub, and a USB cable.
If purchased individually, all the contents in the Boost Combo set would easily cost between $150 and $170.
It was such a steal that I couldn’t resist but get one as a spare unit.
Ryze Tech ‘Boost Combo’ package includes the Tello aircraft, two (2) sets of spare propellers, three (3) original FullyMax aircraft batteries, a 3-battery charging hub & the USB cable — all for US$ 99 during their 2018 November sale
Also, early this year, Ryze Tech released an Iron Man Edition of their best-selling beginner drone for die-hard Marvel fans, which currently sells for US$ 129 (plus tax).
It is essentially the same Tello unit except for the Iron Man-themed protective shell, colors, and trims of predominantly metallic red and gold. This special edition Tello also comes with its own app, Tello Hero.
Note that you can use the standard Tello app to fly the Iron Man Edition Tello aircraft, but you can’t use the special Tello Hero app to fly the $99 ‘ordinary edition’ Tello.
But, of course, you can also use the much better Tello FPV +RTH app by VolaTe!lo on the Iron Man Edition unit.
A must-buy for all Marvel fans and avid Tello flyers!
Sorting out my tech stuff in the attic for spring cleaning, I discovered a cache of old MP3 players. Among them were five (5) Rio 500 made by Diamond Multimedia in the late 1990s. They all came complete with odd-looking (smaller than a standard 5-pin Mini B) USB cables and some old batteries.
Why I had 5 of them, I had forgotten. Excitedly, I put a fresh Duracell AA battery into one of the units and slid the power switch on. The unit’s small, rectangular (1.5″ x 0.57″) screen glowed a warm blue hue, and the first track in the playlist appeared.
This thing still works!
The Diamond Rio 500 MP3 Player and its unusual USB cable
The Diamond Rio 500 Digital Audio Player was one of the early MP3 players that tried vainly to simplify the intricate and sometimes confusing domain of digital music transfer and rights management until Apple’s iTunes hit the jackpot in 2001.
Released in 1999 for about US$270, the sleek 3.5″ x 2.75″ x 0.6″ gizmo (just slightly thicker than a deck of playing cards) had 64MB of memory built-in, a SmartMedia card slot for expansion, a minimalistic design, RioPort Audio Manager software, and, most importantly, a USB interface.
Note that RioPort Audio Manager was a Windows-only interface when it was released. It would take three (3), ex-Apple software engineers, to port it for the Mac (worked well under Mac OS 7. x to 9. x) that same year and called it SoundJam MP.
SoundJam, the company, was eventually bought by Apple in 2000, whose codes eventually resulted in—you guessed it right—iTunes 1.0.
Today, there are still a slew of digital audio players that eschew iTunes yet are still so easy to use because of the USB cable and the fact that computer OSes have become so much better—just drag and drop your audio files!
So, the Rio 500 has a USB interface, and I have the original USB cable, so transferring a few MP3s using the latest versions of Windows, Mac OS, Linux, or even Chrome should be easy, right?
The trouble with goodbye is hello. Or, should that be, “Hello again”?
The trouble with using old technologies and modern tools is the accompanying hassles that naturally come with them.
No, the Rio 500 won’t appear as just another USB device after I connect the unique USB cable to any of my latest computers.
It only worked—I transferred a few more MP3s—after I got hold of an ancient Dell Latitude (with a vintage Pentium 233 MMX CPU) laptop—luckily, with a solitary USB port—that operated under Windows ME (Millennium Edition).
An ancient Dell Latitude CPi (with a Pentium MMX processor) laptop running Windows ME
Thanks to software called RIOsitude (v3.12) provided by the open-source community, I could transfer a few MP3s to the vintage player via USB. In 1999, an MP3 player holding about 20 songs (at 128 Kbps bit rate) in its internal memory was impressive.
The Open-Source community delivered once more to make this MP3 player usable; it runs on one (1) AA battery!
For folks on the Apple eco-system, you need a vintage PowerPC-based Mac with a USB port and, at least, System 8.1.
If you have a G3, G4, or G5-powered Mac running OS X, ensure it is loaded with Mac OS X Tiger (10.4.x ) or lower torun in Classic Mode (typically, System 9. x).
Apple discontinued the ability to run Classic Mode in subsequent revisions of Mac OS X — 10.5.x (Leopard) and later.
Then utilize –what else?– iTunes precursor, SoundJam MP, to transfer your MP3 files to the Diamond Rio 500 MP.
Before iTunes and the iPod, there was SoundJam MP and the Diamond Rio 500 MP3 Player.
Today, most portable gadgets are designed for ‘planned obsolescence, which is why it’s always nice and fun to rediscover technologies of yesteryears.
While my 6th-generation iPod nano -released 2010-had been out of service for almost 3 years after the tiny built-in lithium-ion battery inside gave up & trying to open it up required the skill set of a world-class surgeon; this 20-year-old music player still works.
As long as you have the right tools, there’s a good chance that gadgets made 20-30 years ago—or even older—will still be operational today.
Notes: You can download the English version of RIOsitude (v 3.12) and the USB drivers for the Diamond RIO 500 MP3 player as a zipped package here. Please note that these will work only under Windows 98, ME, and 2000.
For vintage Mac OS users, you can download the version of SoundJam that will suit your needs- zipped or bin file version- on this page.
Today, I received my Amazon Fire TV Cube right at my doorstep and was able to set it up in about half an hour, including the installation of all my apps — mostly to watch TV shows and movies all over the web.
I would admit that it is fascinating yet cheap -got it at the pre-sale price of $89– device but only if these factors are present in your setup:
Very fast internet connection – the unit has dual-band Wi-Fi ac built-in, but an Ethernet (10/100) adapter is included with the set
A Smart 4K (UHD) TV (recommended) or any TV that uses an HDMI input
And, if you have an AV system, the receiver(s) -the TV provider box and/or the home theater receiver- must be compatible
It was only a few years back -January 2015, to be exact- when Amazon launched its very first salvo in the home automation market with the Amazon Echo.
Amazon’s latest play in the very lucrative “smart home” market
They had since integrated the core Alexa far-field voice control and recognition technology from the Echo into almost all their line-up of devices, including the cheapest Fire TV Stick.
Now with the Fire TV Cube, Amazon has one-upped again the competition by crossing-over an Echo with the capabilities of today’s web-connected TVs and audio systems.
While the Echo was such a ground-breaking gadget that led Apple and Google to release their incarnations in the HomePod & Google Home, respectively, the Fire TV Cube targets a market segment dominated by the Lausanne, Switzerland/Newark, California-based Logitech: the smart-universal remote control.
Fire TV Cube has buttons for volume control, microphone muting, as well as an ‘action’ button
Although the Fire TV Cube set includes the similar remote that comes with any Alexa-built-in Fire TV devices (note: the first 2 generations of the Fire TV devices didn’t have Alexa), its main use is for inputting information like usernames & passwords to services like Hulu, Sling, Netflix, YouTube, etc., as well as to install and to operate open-source apps.
Amazon advertises the Fire TV Cube as a device to “control your TV hands-free from across the room,” but the applications and possible uses are so much more than that — all in a very, very small package.
Update: In October 2018, Amazon came up with a new version of the Alexa Voice Remote (2nd generation) with TV control for the Fire TV series and now comes bundled with the latest Fire TV Stick (4K) and the Fire TV Cube. By itself, the new remote costs $30.
It now has dedicated buttons for power, mute & volume (up/down) – to control some TV functions.
However, the new remote is compatible only with newer versions of the Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Stick (4K), Fire TV (3rd gen – pendant style), and the Fire TV Cube.
Amazon had also discontinued the original, square Fire TV with built-in Ethernet series and the Fire TV (3rd-gen, pendant style).
The 2nd Generation Alexa Voice Remote for Fire TV with TV Control
In the last week of January of this year, I was reunited with my vintage Toshiba Aurex System 10 hi-fi stereo set, which I had been using in Manila since 1984.
I purchased the micro hi-fi system in 1982 in the commercial district of Al-Batha, Saudi Arabia. It was the height of the oil kingdom’s industrial phase, and I actually worked in the district of Al-Hair—about 20 minutes from the capital city of Riyadh—for a business conglomerate owned by a sheik.
Life was not only lonely but also very boring in a country whose religion is Sunni Islam and where Sharia laws are strictly enforced. Moreover, I was there to make a living and not as a tourist on a short visit to explore and enjoy the desert kingdom.
The Toshiba Aurex System 10 appeared in a German hi-fi catalog layout in 1979, with dimensions shown. Top to bottom: SB-A10 amplifier, ST-T10 hi-fi AM/FM tuner, and PC-D10 dual-head stereo cassette tape deck.
On the weekends -Friday and Saturday—we usually go to the big city to window shop, meet friends or relatives of friends, hang around in a park where most ex-pats congregate or do just about anything to keep our sanity until we finish the terms of our work contracts.
Typically, after working hours, we enjoyed listening to music on our stereo systems. At the same time, we watched the sun transition from a fiery ball of yellow to a magnificent mélange of orange hues as it hid behind the dunes.
The late 1970s to the mid-80s were the peak of hi-fi’s golden years as digital music began its slow but sure march to take over the entire musical landscape. I can still recall those early models of CD players being priced as high as US$1,000 plus in the few electronics and audio shops that showcased them.
Back then, Sony had been dominating the music scene after the huge success of the Walkman. Because of its portability and affordability, it also made the compact cassette tape the de facto standard.
In the 1980s, the average price of an original music cassette at a shop in Riyadh was about 10 riyals (about US$3), while the bootleg version was about 3 riyals (US$0.90). Like any marketing ploy, the so-called ‘metal tapes’ (type 4), of course, provided the best sound if you had the appropriate cassette tape deck/player.
I bought the Toshiba Aurex System 10 after I had saved enough money and had grown tired of listening to my growing collection of music cassette tapes on my portable cassette player.
I emphasized music cassette tapes since plain audio cassettes were also the very popular media ex-pats used to record and send messages to their loved ones back home as the Internet was still reserved for a few people in the academe and government back then.
Via the AUX (auxiliary) jack, this vintage Toshiba Aurex System 10 can still play today’s digital devices –iPods, CDs, and, yes, MiniDiscs as well as DAT (digital audio tape) players.
Before my purchase, I had watched with envy as my coworkers—especially the senior ones with much fatter paychecks—unloaded and unboxed their expensive, high-end stereo systems with huge speaker sets inside their villas.
Sansui, Denon, NAD, McIntosh, Nakamichi, Tannoy, Pioneer, Marantz, Bang & Olufsen, JBL, Teac, Grundig, Kenwood, and other leading Japanese, American, and European hi-fi brands were the buzzwords those days. And those systems were manufactured in Japan, the U.S., and Europe.
I visited several audio shops in downtown Riyadh before I decided on the micro-sized Toshiba Aurex System 10 because of its uniqueness, design, and almost magical impression.
I bought it discounted but complete with a pair of black Aurex (S12W) 80-watt bookshelf speakers for about US$800. It has a more sophisticated—and expensive—sibling in System 15 (about US$1,200 without speakers), but it was just way beyond my budget at that time.
The PC-D10 cassette tape deck needs the replacement of a few rubber belts inside. The DC motor & tape heads still function well. This unit has manual tape controls.
Both models were spectacularly designed and housed in high-grade aluminum chassis that made them withstand the elements as well as high-quality internal electronic components.
As a bonus, the Aurex models sold in the Middle East had power supply voltage selector switches so that AC power input can be set to either 115V or 230V—depending on where you are or what country you’ll plug them in.
So what are the differences?
System 15 has a beautiful main amplifier (SC-M15) housed in one-piece diecast aluminum. Its all-DC toroidal transformer drives 40 watts per channel into 8 ohms (or 100 watts in ‘BTL’ mode). The back of the amp has professional-grade connectors (screw-on and ‘banana’ plug) for two sets of speakers.
The separate pre-amp (SY-C15) had 2 phono inputs, various switches typically found in bigger, high-end stereo systems, andgold-plated contacts for all the RCA jacks at the back.
The FM-only tuner (ST-F15) has a VFD (vacuum fluorescent) digital display with a 10-button direct/up-down push-button tuning with memory preset capability.
Finally, a better metal-capable tape deck (PC-D15) that utilized two (2) separate DC motors to drive the reels. A touch-key tape operation control pad perfectly complemented the elegant unit.
The very elegant Toshiba Aurex System 15. Including a pair of speakers would have cost me a month of my salary back in 1982! Top to bottom: SC-M15 main power amplifier, SY-C15 pre-amp, ST-F15 FM-only digital tuner, and the PC-D15 stereo cassette deck with 2-motors plus IC-logic control.
System 10 was a much simpler set with just 3 pieces. An integrated amplifier (SB-A10) that’s also encased in extruded aluminum with a much smaller DC toroidal power transformer that drives 20 watts per channel into 8 ohms, an FM/AM tuner (ST-T10) with an old-school knob & scale tuning, and a tape deck (PC-D10) with a single servo motor to drive the flywheel & reels plus manual tape operation controls.
You could mix and match decks or components from either system and even use two (2) SC-M15 amplifiers in monaural mode via the BTL (bridge-tied load/ bridged transformerless) feature to drive a massive 100 watts per channel.
There were cheaper mid-sized/micro component options during those days, like Sony’s FH-7 or Technics’ Concise series, but most used plastic or sheet metal housing. They did not look as elegant as Toshiba’s Aurex System 15 and 10.
After 36 years, I am still amazed how this vintage hi-fi system can remain as beautiful and elegant as some of today’s latest digital audio decks and still sound so impressive– after I hooked up either my FiiO(X2 and X3 Mark III) high-resolution audio players, the iPod Classic or, yes, a Sony Discman via the amp’s auxiliary input.
While we don’t want our computer hardware to fail at all or even while still under its warranty period, it’s a fact of life that some of them do.
In my case, I thought solid-state drives (SSDs) would be more reliable than conventional ones because the former has no mechanical or moving components.
I was dead wrong.
In a week, two (2) – one (a 120 GB PNY CS1311) was used as a back-up in a Mac while the other (a 480 GB OCZ-Toshiba ARC100) was the primary drive in a custom-made PC- of my, SSDs failed that left me scrambling to look for their invoices up in our attic.
Luckily, I had saved those receipts, and both SSDs are still within their warranty periods. Most SSD manufacturers nowadays offer a 3-year warranty for their entry-level to mid-range models. Some high-end units (usually the ‘enterprise’ models) get from 5 to 10-year warranty periods.
So this was my RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) experience for the two products:
For the 480 GB ARC100 by OCZ-Toshiba, my expense waszero, and I had my replacement SSD in hand after four (4) days of filing the RMA. They have the best warranty program in the industry with their “Advanced Warranty Program” for most of their SSDs, including some ‘legacy‘ (aka: obsolete) models.
After they had received a copy of the receipt (proof of purchase as well as to confirm if it’s still under warranty) via email, a UPS Ground return label was included with the RMA number. The next day, they promptly shipped a replacement SSD via UPS 2-day service.
OCZ-Toshiba’s customer support was very professional, straightforward, and excellent. No nagging and unnecessary questions. Moreover, you are constantly notified via email of the entire RMA process. This is what customer service/support is all about.
The defective 480 GB OCZ ARC100 (left) and the replacement 480 GB OCZ Vertex 460A. The replacement SSD was received just 4 days after I requested an RMA number from OCZ-Toshiba. Thanks to their “Advanced Warranty Program”.
For the 120 GB CS1311 made by PNY, my expense came toabout $10 –shipping back the defective unit via USPS Priority Mail to their support center in Parsippany, New Jersey- and I had the replacement SSD in hand eleven (11) days after I filed for an RMA number.
It could have taken more time had I not sent the defective unit back via USPS Priority Mail which usually takes just two (2) business days. PNY shipped the replacement only after they had received the bad SSD and utilized the cheaper but slower UPS Ground service.
To its credit, PNY’s customer support was also prompt and straightforward, but it lacked the same attention to detail as OCZ-Toshiba. And, they didn’t send follow-up emails to inform how the entire RMA process had evolved. You had to constantly go to a link they had provided after the RMA # was issued to check on its status.
Verdict: Hands down, OCZ-Toshiba was the winner with its “no cost to the consumer approach” and very fast turnaround.
That’s why a product’s warranty is the only protection consumers have for their hard-earned money.
And, how companies honor their warranties spells the difference between respectability and plain money-grab.
So, when buying a solid-state drive, make sure that you save those receipts and keep them inside an envelope, as most of them are printed out on thermal paper. Prolonged light exposure will erase all the information and render it useless.
NOTE: OCZ-Toshiba and PNY replaced their defective units with brand-new, retail-box sets.
Sometime in May of this year, my six years old (purchased in January 2011) Sony Dash Personal Internet Viewer (HID-C10) received a control panel update to inform me that service for the device would end in July.
The last firmware update (from version 1.7.1461 to 1.7.1526) was done on April 08, 2016, after the device had issues “downloading the main control panel” and rendered it useless.
Over the 6+ years that I had owned the unit, there were intermittent issues with Sony’s backend servers that kept it inactive. But Sony was always able to come up with firmware updates to keep the service going — until July of this year.
Sony Dash (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Sony Dash is a small tabletop alarm clock-radio-weather/gadget with a 7″ touchscreen that sold for $199 when initially released in April 2010. Its functionality relied 100% on the Internet, hence, Wi-Fi (a/g) is built in.
Aside from the beautiful design, the main attraction of the gadget, just like a smartphone, is its capability to load additional “widgets” (or, apps) via its built-in memory. It enabled owners to stream videos and music from content providers like Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, Pandora, Slacker, Sony Music, etc. There are also thousands of other useful widgets that range from the arts to zoology.
And so, one day in July this year, I saw the dreaded firmware update – 1.7.1604– that would turn an otherwise very useful device into a door stopper.
Don’t hit the OK button!!! The dreaded Dash firmware update -1.7.1604- would stop all functionality of the unit
Of course, I did not do the firmware update but, instead, called Sony’s customer service (in the U.S., it’s: 1-800-222-7669) to ask them what to do with a useless unit.
To the company’s credit, it promptly replaced a product that had reached its ‘end-of-life’(aka, planned obsolescence), with a choice of either an alarm clock/AM-FM radio(ICF-C1) or a Bluetooth speaker (XB10) after I e-mailed the image of the unit’s serial number.
When the replacement ICF-C1 clock radio arrived a week later via FedEx (shipping also paid by Sony), I grabbed the Dash that sat atop one of my stereo speakers – still with the ‘Update available’ screen- and yanked out its power supply.
Sony sent this free ICF-C1 clock-AM-FM radio (or, the XB-10 Bluetooth speaker) as a way of recompensing owners of bricked Dash units
Meanwhile, somewhere in the coastal city of San Diego, California, a guy had been very busy writing code to port the Dash (running firmware 1.7.1526) to make it work with Chumby.com’s server(s) after Sony’s May software update alert.
Chumby (now, operated by Blue Octy, LLC) is a small company behind a line of very affordable “Internet viewers” similar to the Dash. The Dash runs on an OS modified from the Chumby OS.
Finally, in early August, Blue Octy released the software patch (but only for the Dash HID-C10 model) that resurrected some Dash units. The patch is Chumby-HIDC10-1.0.0.zip. It could also be downloaded here.
So, if you have an HID-C10 Sony Dash, just ensure that your unit is running firmware 1.7.1526. If you had accidentally installed firmware 1.7.1604 and bricked the unit, simply revert to firmware 1.7.1526 via the instructions here before applying the patch.
All set to install the patch to the Sony Dash (for model HID-C10 only) to enable it to run off Chumby.com’s server
If you applied the patch correctly, you should have restored some usefulness to your Dash such as the clock, weather, and a few radio stations. A $3 monthly subscription fee would enable one to get numerous apps as well as multiple channels on this gadget that — simply, refuses to go away.
Sony Dash is back in business with a new Blue Octy channel/control panel interface!!!
If you’re a hard-core music enthusiast but still listen to your collections on your phone, then you’re missing out a lot.
And if you’re an Apple fanboy still buying songs through the iTunes Store and listening to them on your iPhone or iPad, you’re simply paying a hefty premium for the brand.
Songs bought from the Apple store are encoded in Apple’s version of the venerated (especially during the Napster years) MP3 format, AAC (Apple Audio Codec). It is streamed at 128 kbps bit rate with a sample rate of 44.100 kHz. AAC (and MP3) is a ‘lossy’ format but is very popular due to its small file size due to compression.
Although you can rip all your CDs to a lossless format within iTunes using ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec), the resulting files are huge and playable only on Apple devices.
FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is an open-source musical format that gives you bit-perfect copies of CDs. It also supports ‘tags’ that enable you to retain artists, album covers, lyrics, etc., on the format.
With FLAC, you’re not only getting half the space occupied by a CD with no loss in quality, but you’re also going to be able to get up to 24-bit at 192 kHz of music. That’s studio-master quality. MP3 and AAC are no match for FLAC.
Rare is the true high-definition audio enthusiast who listens to his FLAC collection on a smartphone. For Android phone users, even with the rock-bottom prices of microSD cards these days, it’s obvious that smartphone makers are too focused on improving camera features.
For iPhone users, it’s going to look ugly if you want to stick in a Lightning-capable microSD card adapter to expand the memory capacity of the unit, as there’s no memory expansion slot on those phones. And, the saddest part of all, you can only transfer pictures and videos using the adapter—no music files. Apple simply wants you to pay $970 for their top-of-the-line unit with 256 GB built-in.
Picture of a MicroSD Card with its Adapter. Frontal and Back. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
But even most high-end smartphones from Samsung and Apple don’t have the top-tier, audiophile-grade chips to support FLAC at 192 kHz/24-bit, nor do they offer native DSD (direct stream digital) decoding, which is the best way to listen to streaming music.
While high-quality audio always comes with a price, this doesn’t mean you’ll have to break your piggy bank. So, what are the cheaper options?
For content, there’s nothing that will beat allflac.com. The U.K.-founded but now Chinese-owned music website has one of the cheapest rates around, and you’ll be surprised to find some of the songs you can’t find elsewhere, including the iTunes Music Store.
ALLFLAC contends to have the world’s largest lossless music collection
What’s more, not only do they have albums for as low as $1.99, but you can also download them in either FLAC, M4A, or MP3 (or all) format. There is no membership fee, and you can fund your account for as little as $10 with no balance expiration.
A handful of high-definition audio players are available, especially in Asia, Europe, and the North American markets. These include the Kickstarter-funded, Neil Young-backed PonoPlayer and players from well-known companies like Sony, Onkyo, Pioneer, and others.
But one company stands out because of its low price without sacrificing quality: FiiO.
The FiiO X1 (2nd generation) model is highly recommended to budding audio enthusiasts with limited budgets. It retails for US$120 but could be had for as low as US$80, discounted if you shop around.
It’s a mid-entry model, but it surely does not lack features found in their more expensive ones. Most importantly, it supports microSD cards up to 256 GB, or approximately 8,700+ FLAC songs (at 30 MB per song). That’s a lot of studio-master-quality tunes to keep you in the groove.
The FiiO X1 (2nd generation) high-def audio player in action
The company’s catchphrase is “Born for Music and Happy,” and, indeed, you’ll be more than happy once you have listened to some of your music collections – in the FLAC format. Of course, using one of their portable high-definition players.
Two days ago, I received an e-mail from Microsoft’s Insider Program about the availability of Windows 10 Creators Update (OS Build 16179)
But, if you’re a music lover who spends a lot of time listening to your collection using iTunes on your PC, specifically one running the 64-bit flavor of Windows 10, here’s a caveat.
Don’t update to the latest version of Windows 10 – Creators Update.
Even if you have the latest version of iTunes (currently, 12.6.0.100) on that PC, the Windows 10 Creators Update will screw up your previously perfectly working iTunes, and you will regret why you updated it in the first place.
Here are some of the frustrations, as well as observations, that you’ll have with iTunes after the Windows 10 Creators Update:
iTunes will not launch, forcing you to restart your PC.
If iTunes launches after the restart, it will hang up in almost every way you use it, forcing you to restart or terminate the program.
Only iTunes seems to be affected by the Windows 10 Creators Update. Is Microsoft forcing you to uninstall iTunes? Is it bullying you into utter frustration and resignation to use its Groove Music app instead? But you don’t want to mess up your iTunes library by uninstalling and reinstalling it, especially if you have thousands or even a million songs in your collection.
Reinstalling or repairing iTunes will not solve the issue. Don’t even bother uninstalling it and dealing with all the hassle that comes with re-installing it. It didn’t work despite several tries.
What if you had installed Windows 10 Creators Update and ruined your day because you can’t listen to your music collection via iTunes anymore?
Make sure that you “Go back to an earlier build” (found under System -> Windows Update -> Update history ->Recovery option). My OS Build before the messy Creators Update was 14393.1066.
But then again, there’s another caveat: You have to do that within 10 days of updating to Windows 10 Creators Update.
Day 1 – Feb. 5, 2017 – (Sunday): Puerto Princesa on Two Wheels
“The place is orderly and clean” was our initial impression of Puerto Princesa as our driver made his way around the city towards Socrates Road after he picked us up in an old, white van at the small airport in this capital city of Palawan.
Subli Guest Cabinswould be our overnight shelter in the city that day, as Matthew and Johan would be jetting in from Manila the next morning for our northbound, overland trip to the touristy and popular but more remote El Nido.
We arrived in high spirits at the guest cabins—made of concrete and bamboo—despite our red-eye flight from Siem Reap, which included a 6-hour sleep-depriving wait inside Manila’s newer and spacious Terminal 3airport.
After verbally agreeing with the young and bubbly receptionist that we would rent their only Honda scooter for PHP 600 (USD 12) that day, we wasted no time showering and getting some sleep as soon as we checked in.
One of the hammocks underneath the huge mango tree that dominates the compoundQuiet surroundings provided deep sleep despite the spartan amenities inside these hutsThis 125 cc Honda scooter would take us around the city – and beyond!
Refreshed from our three-plus hours of rest, we strapped our helmets and ventured out at 3 PM with a bagful of dirty clothes—only to run out of gas just a few meters away from the compound.
Ruby flagged a passing ‘tricycle’ (a common form of paid transport in the country similar to ‘tuk-tuks’ – a motorcycle with a ‘sidecar’ for extra seating passengers), and they returned with petrol in a 2-liter PET plastic bottle. After we finally got going, we filled up the tank with another PHP 90 (USD 1.80) at a nearby Shell gas station along Malvar Road.
Riding a scooter, motorcycle, or even a bicycle is one of the simple joys of life that we, as human beings, tend to overlook. With the wind on your face and the sights and sounds of the surroundings all over you, one’s sense of adventure is elevated by having that constant awareness of the dangers on the road so that you hold on to dear life on that handlebar.
We saw a body of water to our right immediately after passing by the public market, so we made a right turn at the next intersection. The road narrowed markedly and took us to a sweeping descent at a small park—the Puerto Princesa Baywalk. Along its stretch were numerous open-air food stalls that overlooked a cove part of the Palawan Sea.
It was just about 4 PM, but two or three food stalls were already doing some business, so we opted for K’na Boyet sa Baywok, where a group of tourists occupied a couple of tables.
Once seated, the aroma of that familiar calamansi and soy sauce-flavored BBQs popular all over the archipelago sharpened the hunger fangs even more. We sidled towards the charcoal-fed grill, where several pans filled with assorted sea offerings vied for our attention.
Helmet off, Ruby at the Baywalk in Puerto PrincesaRuby enjoys her green mango shake while waiting for the food to arrive
An order of grilled “pork liempo” (grilled, marinated pork belly), shrimp sautéed in butter and garlic, rice, a mango shake & two bottles of San Miguel Light beer set us back for about PHP 750 (USD 14.50).
With our bellies full, we then set our sights on Baker’s Hill and asked for directions from the very amiable waitress, who suggested that we might as well visit Mitra Ranch,as both were in the same area.
Amidst moderate traffic, as it was a weekend, it didn’t take us long to find our way towards the city’s main highway, Puerto Princesa North Road, but we had to ask directions from locals twice to get to the junction of PP South Road that would lead us to our destination. We dropped off our laundry bag at a shop along the cemented two-lane highway while trying to find our way towards Baker’s Hill.
Like most roads in the city outskirts, the narrow road up towards Baker’s Hill was so puzzlingly unmarked that we overshot it by a few miles despite asking directions two or three more times—the last one from a mechanic working on a wheel of a small truck along the grass-lined fringes of the highway. The tall trees behind the shop gave us glimpses of the rice fields. They would punctuate the highway the farther we got away from the city proper.
Baker’s Hill was just a family compound with—you guessed it—a bakery, an open-air restaurant, and a souvenir stall. It became a ‘snack-stop‘ for visitors going to Mitra Ranch. The bakery tries hard to become a major tourist attraction in the city simply through word of mouth and recommendations by past visitors on travel websites. The bakery sells mostly pastries and snacks, notably the varieties of the ‘hopia‘ (thin, flaky pastry filled with mung bean paste).
Locals and tourists mill around the entrance to the bakery at Baker’s Hill, Puerto Princesa, Palawan.Inside the bakery – all the good stuff for the sweet tooth.
Just a few meters uphill, Mitra Ranch offered a better view of the city atop the hill, horseback riding, and zip-lining. The place was opened to the public after the death of the family patriarch, Ramon ‘Monching’ Mitra, Jr., an esteemed senator. Unfortunately, he lost in the 1992 Philippine presidential elections despite being tagged as the early favorite to win it all.
After we picked up our laundry and headed back to the city, dusk was upon us. We had decided to have an early bedtime since we needed to be up early to meet the couple at the airport for our morning trip to El Nido. Moreover, with our weather-beaten faces and aboard two small wheels that offered minimal comforts, tiredness had crept in on our bodies once again.
Once we reached the city proper and got lost once more, it was already dark. We then found ourselves buying some delicious ‘lechon‘ (roasted pig) for dinner from a makeshift stall in front of a shop that sold various solar-powered devices.
After handing us the take-out goodie in a plastic bag, the middle-aged vendor summoned us at the sidewalk’s edge and pointed to an intersection where we would make a right towards Malvar Road. His instructions sounded like music to our ears.
It was about 8:30 PM when we made the final turn back to the comforts of Subli’s compound aboard our trusty scooter.
Day 2 – Feb. 6, 2017 – (Monday): The Road to El Nido
It was about 8:45 in the morning, and the air was crisp with a light gust from the east. It made the flowers -protected by a low, concrete encasement- sway to its rhythm. I spotted the driver holding a sign with Matthew’s name on it while he waited just a few yards away from the Puerto Princesa airport exit gates and chatted with him.
Just an hour ago, we checked out at Subli and took a tricycle to meet Matthew and Johan for our van ride to El Nido. Matthew had arranged the rides and our accommodations in that popular destination north of Puerto Princesa. We would be out of the airport by 9:15 aboard a van that badly needed a new set of shock absorbers.
Ruby at Subli’s dining area the morning we checked out to meet Mat & JohanJohan, Mat & Ruby at Palawan’s Puerto Princesa airport
The driver briefly stopped by a hotel with a cheesy name‘ Lucky Garden Inn– and picked up a young couple from the U.K. who joined us for the trip. The four of us would stay for a night in Puerto Princesa at this hotel after our El Nido escapade.
D’ Lucky Garden Inn’s very eclectic landscaping left an impression on us.
The very long (almost 5 hrs.) and tiring ride, mainly along the two-lane but cemented Puerto Princesa North Road, was uneventful except for a few stops where the driver loaded up on a few more passengers to augment his earnings. A mandatory stop was at an ‘agricultural checkpoint‘ where we bought some drinks from a nearby store. At kilometer 131, just along the highway, we had our lunch break at Elfredo’s Manokan & Seafood Restaurant in the sleepy municipality of Roxas.
Mat & Johan about to clean up their plates at Elfredo’s restaurantAlong the Puerto Princesa North Highway towards El Nido
We would pass through undulating roads along the fringes of the municipalities of San Vicente and Taytay (the first capital of Palawan dating back to the Spanish colonial period and where the small Fort Santa Isabel – constructed in 1667- still stands until, on a small rotunda, we bade goodbye to the PPNR and veered west towards the Taytay-El Nido National Highway.
Previews of what to expect in El Nido manifested along the T-ENNH as the road steepened as it followed the Malampaya River. Majestic views of a few islands would behold our eyes as soon as the van crested a steep hill.
We finally arrived at the terminal in El Nido at about 3 PM, and a short tricycle ride (PHP 50 or USD) whisked us to our hotel’s downtown office along Calle Hama.
A woman in her mid-20s with hints of Middle Eastern ancestry confirmed our reservations and radioed for 2 smaller tricycles to pick us up. She also gave some insights and impressions about the entire place and handed out a simple map of El Nido, including a list of massage parlors, bars, and restaurants nearby.
Simple map guide in downtown El Nido, Palawan, provided by Caalan Beach Resort.
The road leading to Caalan Beach Resort was too narrow—barely a meter wide in some areas—so on several occasions along the way, either our ride or the incoming one had to stop and give way to the other.
The cemented road followed the shoreline until you hit an unsealed portion lined by coconut, banana & other small fruit trees as well as a variety of ornamental plants with nipa huts, slow-slung houses, two-story concrete hostels, ‘sari-sari’stores (a small, family-operated shop that sells sodas, snacks & various household goods typically attached to the house), makeshift food-stands, dogs by the roadside, all mingled in a locale called “Barrio Taiyo” (Taiyo Village).
At the resort, we were greeted and offered welcome drinks by Bee, who informed us that she’s simply helping her parents run the place along with her husband, John when they’re in the country for a vacation. She added that her father -married to a Japanese- was an engineer from South Korea who decided to settle in this part of Palawan when he got assigned near the area during a road construction project.
We finally settled in our second-level room with a balcony that offered magnificent views of several islands in the bay, the immediate & largest one among them being Cadlao Island.
That’s our room on the right, 2nd level inside the Caalan Beach Resort in Barrio Taiyo, El Nido, PalawanThis is the view from the terrace if you stay in the room seen in the preceding picture.
Mat and Johan checked out the beachfront but found it too rocky and the nearby waters too shallow to take a quick swim, so we all just had a quick nap before heading back to town to have dinner after briefly waiting out the mild drizzle brought by dark clouds that passed by.
The beachfront at Caalan Beach Resort was too rocky to take a quick swim in.
Calle Hama is the unofficial party street in El Nido since it’s where most tourists end up after their sorties along the beach. It’s a narrow, interior road; hence, it is closed at night to all vehicular traffic –except for tricycles owned by resorts along the coast– to allow enough space for all the touristy goings-on.
Because of poor or even non-existent urban planning and zoning, it suffers, like most remote bayside resorts all over the country, from its failure to exude any charm or appeal. The area is simply a potpourri of haphazardly erected food stalls, souvenir shops, hostels, and houses, where locals, backpackers barely out of their teens, and elderly tourists mingle and simply wander around.
After trying a few pieces of barbeque on a stick from a sidewalk stand, we got bored with the area, as it was a bit early, and took another tricycle ride towards Bulalo Plaza.
We stopped just a few meters after we exited the junction of Rizal Street and the Taytay-El Nido highway. Unless you’re a local, and although the place is open 24 hours every day, it is easy to miss as the small signage is overwhelmed by the cliff walls and the surrounding greenery.
We climbed a few steps into the eatery and were ushered to a table right in the middle of the place by a pleasant, effeminate waiter who introduced himself as Megan. The entire setup looked more like a kitchen converted into a restaurant with about 8 wooden tables and bamboo benches in a squat, elevated location that fronted the highway.
Two orders of the house special, bulalo (beef shank soup with vegetables), a plate of seafood sisig (a variety of minced seafood sautéed in a sizzling skillet topped with chilis and fresh egg), rice, sodas, and a bottle of beer, were more than enough for our stomachs. Afterward, we walked back to town to shake off some cholesterol deposits.
Along the way, Mat and Johan inquired from a roadside travel and tour stall about the earliest trip back to Puerto Princesa on Wednesday to catch the underground cave trip on the same day. Mat balked at the idea after learning that they would not only barely make it to PP on time but that he would also lose the money he paid for our already-booked and scheduled return trip.
Mat and Johan — just outside a travel & tour stall along the Taytay-El Nido National Highway
Back at Calle Hama to get our free ride back to the resort, the trio went shopping for souvenirs while I scoured some cold beer in cans. I managed to get some, but they were not cold, so I searched in vain for some ice. Our driver suggested I could just ask them for free back at the resort, so our tricycle squeezed back into that narrow alley, its motor sputtering in the stillness of the early evening along the shore.
Ruby showed up later in the room holding a block of ice wrapped in plastic that Bee had given her. While they all prepared their things for the island-hopping trip the next morning, I sat back on the bed to enjoy my ice-filled glass as I slowly poured the country’s best beer –San Miguel– into it.
It was a luxury I would regret in the next few hours, in fact, for the next few days.
Day 3 – Feb. 7, 2017 – (Tuesday): Island Hopping Tour Day
Immediately after breakfast, Johntapped on our door and informed us that we must prepare for the island-hopping tour by 9. A few guests had already milled around the nipa-roofed gazebo, where we could see them choose and pick among several sizes and colors of snorkel gear neatly arranged atop a low table in the middle of the sandy floor.
Early morning in El Nido
Last night, however, my seemingly innocuous decision to ask for some ice for my warm canned beer resulted in vomiting episodes and several trips to the bathroom—bad water—that rendered me physically exhausted. But who wants to miss a cruise of the islands on a nice day in El Nido?
He prepared six other guests and us for what to expect during the ‘island-hopping’ tour and offered great tips on how to ‘survive’ the almost day-long water trip. Then, without John, our boat crew of four, led by a spunky Palaweña in her late twenties, herded us to a quarter-mile walk along the shore towards the deeper part of the bay where the resort-owned outrigger was moored.
Yesterday afternoon, before we headed downtown for our dinner, we had agreed to purchase island-hopping package C (hidden beaches and shrines), which began with almost an hour-long ride towards Tapiutan Island. Our group was barely enjoying the waters in our snorkel gear when a coast guard band of two aboard a small motorboat waved us to move to a different location to protect the coral reefs in the area we were on.
Tapiutan Island from a distance
The next stop is ‘Secret Beach‘. It is accessible via a narrow portal that leads to a cove with shallow water surrounded by limestone walls that have witnessed a good slice of mankind’s history. The big boulders below the water make it an ideal place to waddle around and enjoy the sun.
Lunch aboard the boat consisted of a salad medley of cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, grilled pork liempo (pork belly), steamed tahong (mussels), and grilled tambakol (skipjack tuna) complemented by slices of watermelon and pineapple. We also bought fresh coconuts from an enterprising vendor who sold canned soda and beer on a boat.
Boats converge in the calm waters on Matinloc Island, where island-hoppers have their lunch.
After lunch, our boat headed to Hidden Beach, which was the most difficult part of the trip for non-swimmers. One had to fight a swell near the edge of the cove amidst huge rocks constantly slammed with waves. At least two boat crews had to assist each guest who either couldn’t swim or wouldn’t dare venture into the dangerous waters.
The last leg of the tour was a brief stop at the Helicopter Island -so-called because its silhouette resembles a heli when viewed from a distance, where we took pictures of the majestic cliff walls. We missed those beautiful sunset views as gray skies were the theme for the rest of the afternoon.
Matt & Johan at the shore of Helicopter Island, El Nido, PalawanBong – the web author- in El Nido, Palawan
It was almost 5 PM when we finally made the channel crossing back to the bay and a short walk along a narrow, tree-lined path leading to the resort’s back door, where some drinks and biscuits awaited us.
Day 4 – Feb. 8, 2017 – (Wednesday): Back to Puerto Princesa on a Bum Stomach
My stomach felt better after a cup of tea and a Pepto-Bismol tablet. Breakfast consisted of two boiled eggs, as I was too weak and tired to go to the restaurant. The styrofoam box with my dinner lay untouched on top of the shelf.
Last night, after the boat trip, Mat and Johan went back downtown to get some food and check it out a bit more, while Ruby just opted to stay to help me out with my stomach bug.
We quietly packed all our stuff and our still-damp clothes, as the lack of breeze from the bayfront and the fact that it had been mostly overcast for the remainder of the afternoon after the boat trip didn’t help the somber mood.
A narrow tricycle with enough space for the 4 of us took us back to town for our ride back to Puerto Princesa. At the bus terminal, I looked for our luggage while they took off on foot, searching for a pharmacy to get some anti-diarrheal tablets, electrolyte mix, and bottled water to stabilize my bum stomach on the long trip back to PP.
For reasons unbeknownst to us, we were transferred to another van loaded with 2 other passengers just a few miles out of El Nido. The van was more comfortable, so we didn’t complain. The return trip was uneventful except for a lunch stop at an open-air restaurant that offered a nice view of the hillside and a glimpse of the waterfront further down.
We all managed to doze off in the air-conditioned van along the way, maybe partly in anticipation of all the activities when we reached PP or partly because our bodies were still recuperating from those strenuous water activities we had yesterday. Or maybe it was just another one of those sleepy, beginning-of-summer days in Palawan that’s perfect for a siesta?
By 2 PM, we were back in Puerto Princesa, and we had to wait for a few minutes at the odd mixed-business-and-living-room-like reception area of the enigmatic D’ Lucky Garden Inn—our overnight shelter for the day before we headed back to Manila the next morning.
The place had such an unusual appeal because of its maze of very narrow passageways that lead to several doors that will leave you guessing where they will lead you next. I suspect the entire place is an ‘all-purpose lodge’ that can accommodate all patrons looking for a quick 3-hour ‘love motel’service to monthly renters.
Mat had booked two separate rooms for us, and both had the unmistakable scent of a love motel, which I could simply describe as a mix of household bleach and a strong musk fragrance. Mat and Johan’s room even had a motif—a red mosquito-net-like fabric draped over the center of the double-sized bed.
One of the maze-like alleys inside D’Lucky Garden Inn – Puerto Princesa, Palawan
After settling down in our rooms and taking cold showers, we rested for the remainder of the afternoon until the couple took off again aboard another van for the ‘firefly watching‘ trip in an area of the Iwahig River where a penal colony is situated nearby. They would be the only takers for the PHP 1200 (USD 24) per head tour as the inclement weather discouraged other tourists.
Meanwhile, Ruby wandered around to sort out the entire compound while I stayed inside the room to battle the bacterial infection that had settled in my lower intestines. The numerous trips to the bathroom made me so hungry that the ham and cheese sandwich, fries, and a bottle of Sprite that I ordered did not last long on the serving tray.
Mat texted me to inform me that we were both already asleep when they returned from their trip by 9:30.
The following morning, they would report that while they enjoyed the food at the restaurant stop before they took the boat for the firefly watching, just a few of them showed up and failed to dazzle with their fireworks as it briefly rained during the trip.
Day 5 – Feb. 9, 2017 – (Thursday): Puerto Princesa Airport in 3 Minutes
Since our one-and-a-half-hour flight back to Manila was scheduled for noon, just after having their early morning coffees, the trio took up on the offer of one of the receptionists- whose husband owns a tricycle- to give them a ride to Baker’s Hill and Mitra Ranch, at a discount. Ruby returned to Baker’s Hill to buy that delicious hopia again, this time as ‘pasalubongs‘ (presents) for the folks back in Manila.
The young couple at the zipline experience inside Mitra Ranch, PP, PalawanEntrance to the former Mitra family residence in Palawan. It is now a family-run museum.
With renewed spirits after being in bed for almost 18 hours since we arrived, I decided to look around the place after a hearty breakfast of ‘cornsilog‘ (corned beef hash, fried egg, and fried rice). My bum stomach had markedly improved after the continuous intake of the electrolyte mix, cold Sprite, and Diatabs.
The ‘lucky garden’ was just across our room, so I made a few trips between the bathroom, the garden, and the restaurant just to the right. I took pictures of the surrounding areas to waste time waiting for the trio to return.
A nipa hut at the middle of the D’ Lucky Garden Inn’s interior gardenProbably the owner himself was the chief landscaping architect of the entire place
Sometimes, you visit a place, and one bad experience would be enough to ruin your entire perception of its people. On the other hand, the friendliness of the people in a particular place could be so overwhelming that you wish you had stayed much longer.
Palawan is one of those places that could be categorized as the latter. Its people will afford you just the right amount of personal space to simply introspect your life’s journey and enjoy what the island has to offer.
Ruby, Johan & Mat at Puerto Princesa airport’s boarding gateMalaysian-owned Air Asia planes at Puerto Princesa airport
After the trio arrived, an almost brand-new white van picked us up at about 10:50 AM. From PEO Road, it turned left towards Rizal Avenue, then turned right into an open gate after a brief moment. After that very long trip to El Nido and back, we’re all surprised by that rather brief interlude of a ride to the airport.
At 10:53 AM, we quietly unloaded our bags from the van and headed to the Air Asia check-in counter for the flight back to Manila.
