Much needed break in Baguio

I owe myself a much needed break so I went to Baguio. The last time I was in Baguio was in December 2007 with my then-boyfriend. We did all the touristy stuff since he studied in Baguio. This time, I went to visit and stay with my friend who is a Baguio resident and "chilled" like a local. After all, what I came up here for is our year-long catch up over cooking, cold weather and some thrift store and designer outlet shopping that I never had the chance to do before.

This time I tagged along with Paolo, who's on a solo trip to Baguio. We both booked a Victory Liner deluxe bus that is set to leave at 8:15 in the evening. We plan to go together and just meet up before we head home to elbi.

Side story: It was the long weekend and we got caught up in a horrifying traffic, drenched in our own sweat, went down earlier from the bus to take a faster route, ran and squeezed ourselves in the MRT, and walked on two overpass. Just as we were 2 minutes away from the terminal, Paolo caught this man trying to steal the contents of my backpack. Paolo smacked the guy's head when he caught him and we didn't have time to argue because we arrived at the bus terminal just as our bus was preparing to board.

We arrived at 1:20 in the morning and I was at my friend's house by 2am. I have no photos of touristy stuff, not even tried the strawberry taho, but I had such a good time with my friend that I just cannot wait to be back. 

Thank God we made it safe just in time!

I changed shirts inside the bus (the bus had its own restroom) and hanged my wet clothes and hanky on the sides #TitaMoves

First stop: Say Hello to sister campus, UP Baguio! ( This is the last photo of my umbrella too as I left it in the cab) 

We shopped at bargain shops and designer outlet stores and got the best deal. I was able to buy 1 poncho cardigan for 100, 2 Zara scarves for 800 and a Vera Wang dress for 500. 

On my first day we went to Cafe by the ruins and had a good merienda. 

We were home for dinner and  just chilled. She baked cookies while we tell stories until 1 in the morning. Every night during my stay there. 

Meet Sparkle's! My friend's daughter's dog. We immediately hit it off. 

We had merienda in this lovely place in Camp John Hay

The traffic when I was on my way back to Manila

 I booked Joy Bus for my 1pm ticket. I dropped by SM Baguio's book sale for my bus read. They even provided a nice comforter for everybody on board the deluxe bus.

It was a good 5 hour road trip. I was actually sad to see the NLex end and enter the city.

What I learned in my short stay:

1. The awful rubber smell while in traffic along Marcos Hiway are actually the smell of the clutch. It is usually non-Baguio residents who uses clutch a lot when in traffic.

2. Baguio drivers are not hot headed at all and there are good Samaritans assisting when stuck in "short cu route"traffic situation. Plus, they return change!

3. Tourists in Baguio hail cabs like they are in Manila. Baguio residents hail cabs in designated areas.

4. There is a 5 second mandatory stop before each pedestrian, and tourists pay zero attention and break the rules.

5. There's Grab Taxi Service in Baguio! My first time and it happened to be the just two weeks old available in Baguio.

6. Baguio residents stay in during tourist season. I can see why.

7. Poverty level is low in Baguio. There are some, but its relatively lower and most of them are migrants.

8. Cost of living is relatively high. Same in Manila/Makati.

9. The best Choco Flakes and Lengua de Gato is the one manufactured by SIZZLING PLATE, by REYNOSO-ANTON Bakeshop. 

I can't wait to be back! Long weekend's just not enough.

Great for Backpacking: MNL Hostel in Boracay

First of all, I would like to thank my friend Jla, for recommending this backpacker's place in Boracay. It was all our first time to stay at a backpacker's hostel. We initially booked all 6 beds in a mixed/coed air conditioned room, but Dianne (our 6th member) had to go on a business trip on the same dates. So the 6th slot opened up and we have a stranger roommate.

This is the reception. The lobby is located on the second floor. The ground floor is a Japanese restaurant. 

Photos of the lobby/common area. 

Free wifi and you can use the computer for free. 

The couch area where all the AFAMs hang out. 

There are books and hula hoop for you to enjoy: 

We actually had hula hoop video challenge that I posted on instagram haha! 

This is the hallway going to the private rooms on the second floor. If you booked the private room, you get to have your own private bathroom as well.

When you go up, this is what you will see upon reaching the 3rd floor, aka the dorm type rooms.

Some AFAMs pass out on this couch, other hang to read and listen to music.

 

The hallway leading to our room on the third floor:

This is where we stayed:

This is what our actual room and bed look like. It's like a capsule bed or bed pod type but enough to give your privacy:

I forgot to take a photo of my capsule bed space, but I borrowed Yeye's photo. Look how cozy it is and to think this is the upper bunk:

Aya and I had our sarongs covering our bed for a little more privacy because on the third lower bunk bed is our australian backpacker roommate:

The dorm rooms share a common bathroom. These are the doors for the toilet. 

What does the toilet look like? It is well maintained, they clean it all the time, they have a lot of tissue and water supply. Here is what one of the toilet looks like:

This area is for the shower rooms:

Yes, its rainfall shower type with heater. 

This area has a hair blower for the ladies.

Our stay comes with a free breakfast. You choose your own bread, toast it or not, choose from a variety of jams, get a hard boiled egg, get a banana, and you have the option for a brewed coffee or pineapple juice.

This is what the pool table looks like in the morning: A make shift breakfast table, cool huh?  This area also has a free wifi so by evening til late at night, expect a lot of AFAMs/foreigners/guests in this area.

The pool table by noon: 

Speaking of noon, we made use of the available facilities like this kitchen/pantry and cooked our own lunch:

We had a very nice lunch cooked by Aya and Paully. I miss this breakfast style lunch! 

Other cool place to hang out: The sun deck

It used to have parties and yoga classes held up there but we weren't able to hang out a lot in this place due to rain showers.

They took our photo while waiting for our Southwest service to pick us up:

Hopefully we'll make it to their wall, hihi!

In all our 5 days, our individual budget did not even reach 10k, and that's everything in (activities, food, souvenirs, shopping, massage, accommodation, plane fares and transfers). We only paid Php2,600.00 each for all four nights.

If you plan to be in Boracay on a budget, this is a great place to stay. They also have a branch in Makati, but I haven't seen it. MNL hostel has excellent service, nice staff, they provide you with free lockers with keys, beach towel and a shower towel. Some stuff like toiletries you need to purchase. They have water dispenser so you can refill your water bottles for free since Boracay charge so much for bottled water. They change your towels and sheets every three days and the staff makes excellent recommendations about the cheap places to eat, how to get to a certain place without paying too much, and etc. You can tell how comfortable their guests are with their staff. One of the reason we were able to save is because we used their available amenities for cooking and when it rained we were hanging out at the roof deck playing pool/billiards for free, instead of hanging out in bars and be forced to order an overpriced drink.

Thank you for the great stay MNL!

*AFAM- A Foreigner Assigned in Manila

[Project FeeTrail September 2014]: Hello Hong Kong, Merry Macau

This trip to Hong Kong and Macau has long been booked since last year. Aprille and I scored really cheap tickets online and decided to book a trip to Hong Kong as gift for our mom's birthday. It's our first ever trip together as a family. My parents have been in Hong Kong years ago and our mom's last visit in HK was back in 1997 so with all the new technologies and improvement, it's like seeing HK again for the first time.

Since this trip is a gift, 95% of the total expenses was shouldered by my sister and me. And because we already knew that beforehand, we saved up and researched all the possible discounts, made our own itinerary (to save up from tour agency fees), bought USD and HKD as per recommendation of friends who traveled to HK before.

When asked how's the HK-Macau trip was, I could sum it up as: Learning experience. On top of the other stuff that I already learned when traveling, here are my discoveries in this trip:

1. When travelling with a Senior Citizen (SC), it is important to have a big, nice, very comfortable accommodation. ( I flunked this part because we stayed at a traveler's inn/backpacker's inn. The photo looked nothing like the one on the internet and I was not informed that we have to pay cash upon arrival. But it turned out good because we just really need a place to sleep with wifi, and we saved a lot on transportation as we are situated in a good location, few steps from the MTR)

2. Check your itinerary, make sure it is SC-friendly. ( Macau is probably the best decision for the SC-friendly tour as we walked and discovered the city, watched the House of Dancing Waters-stay tuned for that post-and rode a comfortable ferry.) The other travel boo-boos we had was we had Ocean Park and Disneyland as part of the trip. It requires a long walk under the sun. Although my mom enjoyed the trip to the Peak Tram and Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, all the walking tired her out at the end of the day.

3. Book your tickets in advance to avoid the hassle. I got discounted tickets from Madame Tussauds (due to early booking online), and discounted Ocean Park and Disneyland tickets (from Travel and tour office in MTR stations). My sister booked the House of Dancing Water a week before the trip so we will not be lured in getting the priciest tickets when we get to Macau (it's a tactic, I was told).

4. Coins are important and handy, especially in MTRs. Important to pack your own tissue (restaurants/eatery don't usually give them out freely), bring an umbrella, bring a huge garbage bag for luggage protections when it rains, and when shopping, use a stroller bag. Bring your own toiletries, HK doesn't have the retail (tingi) culture, so no sachet shampoo or conditioner available.

5. Check the weather, dress accordingly. HK weather in September is HOT. Like Summer in Manila. When we were there, it didn't feel like we are in a different country at all. I also downloaded a lot of smartphone apps to help us get around including currency converter, MTR map, and journey planner in HK. I also printed out a day to day itinerary (that I made myself) and instructions how to get around HK. We were able to roam around HK like locals, made friends with other fellow pinoys (there are a lot of them!) and if only I took a picture of every Filipino that my mom made friends with, I will have a collage.

6. When in HK/Macau, pay when you can pay using a credit card (provided you are a responsible spender, of course) you never know when your actual HKD cash will come in handy.  You can buy HKD at the airport, and it is surprisingly cheaper. But always make sure to have a USD with you. Another lesson I learned when buying dollars is it is illegal to buy dollars in the Philippines if you are not travelling. You can't just buy dollars and deposit it in a dollar account. That is why some banks require you to present your passport/plane ticket/itinerary. Some banks don't allow you to buy dollars from them unless you are an account holder and charge Php 100 for it (read: PNB).

7. Forget what it says on the internet, ask the locals to show you the good finds. Everyone was saying shop at Mongkok, but there are other places for really affordable goods.

8. Earlier this year, my sister and I traveled to Japan. Japan was the comparison point we had since it was the most recent out of the country trip we had this year. I learned a lot of culture and values stuff from HK locals, that in respect for HK locals, I will not write them in this blog.

9. Overseas Filipino Workers are really nice to Pinoy Travelers. Of course, not 100%, but we were blessed to have met really nice pinoys who gladly, and willingly showed us where to go. Also, its a good thing my friend Rogus and his wife Carie are based in HK, they delighted us with stories about life in Hong Kong.

At the Venetian, in Macau

At the Ocean Park Observatory, Hong Kong 

The night before our flight, Hong Kong released a Typhoon 8 warning signal and all business establishments shut down. They sent everyone home, regardless if there are still customers in stores. I was worried that our flight might be cancelled (I never experienced that before). Carie told me not to worry because storms in HK only lasts up to 6 hours, it'll be gone by the time of our flight. But at 3am, I got an email and text from our airline that our 10:40 am flight was moved to 2:50 pm. That's alright, but when we got to the airport, I found out that all flights were cancelled due to bad weather. To make the story short, I fought to get seats for the next available flight. Although it's no one fault, I learned that:

10. In the event of a cancelled/moved flight due to a force majeure, You will have to call the airline call center (Cebu Pacific Manila Office) to rebook your ticket, otherwise you will just be considered as a chance passenger. Re-booking your ticket means your names are on the list and secured. But you can only do it once, if you re-book again on another time, you will have to pay the charges. I also found out that when your mobile phone's roaming is on, Globe charges you Php 120.00 per minute. I spent the first call to Manila for about 5-7 mins then got cut off. The second call was a success lasting 13 minutes with secured plane tickets. The next day Globe cut my line off saying I exceeded my line credit and that I have to settle it first. But my mobile phone plan was on auto-charge in my credit card, so they definitely heard from me. They heard a lot from me.

Anyway, when we finally reached home, I wrote this lengthy Facebook post to commemorate the day:

Braved Hong Kong's Typhoon signal 8; got drenched running in the rain trying to get to the airport; reached the airport found out that all flights to MNL were cancelled; called airline in Manila and fought for the last seats for the last flight of the day; got stranded for 12 hrs at the airport; camped out and napped at McDo couch; had limited pocket money; read the news about the bad weather flight to HK from MNL hrs before our flight; concealed anxiety over expected turbulence by chatting with friends via Viber and Line; finally got our new flight ticket boarding pass; flight back home got delayed by an hour, landed in the Philippines at almost 2am; and now I finally get to sleep on my own bed by almost 4. Hong Kong was fun, but I am really glad to be home! Thank you Lord! Good Mornight!

#JapanDiaries: Thrifty Travel Tips and Tricks

Now that Japan relaxed giving out Visas, are you excited? You are? I know the feeling!

In fact, we are super excited that we researched/printed and had dinner with friends (Hello and Thank you Ria!) who lived in Japan for tips about what to do in Japan since it's going to be our first time. We're very thankful that we are staying with Kuya Benz who is already a local after having lived in Japan for more than 5 years!

Pre-Japan:
1. Check the weather to decide what clothing to bring especially if you have check in baggage.
2. When in doubt, wear tights. In fact, when travelling abroad always bring tights/leggings.
3. Ditch the boots. Wear your comfiest flats ( I packed just 2 foot wear, my trusty, super light crocs and Chuck Taylors)
4. Weigh in before the flight to avoid surprise excess baggage. My sister is a master at packing! Once sealed, don't open it again!
5. Bring petroleum jelly in your First Aid kit. Never have I imagined using petroleum jelly on my face but it provided really good base/coverage for powder foundation, plus it did not dry up my face when it got really cold!
6. Wear your "heavy clothes"like jeans at the airport to avoid added baggage. (It's just a short international flight, but make sure your jeans are not heavy denim)
7. Bring extra water bottle.
8. Those scarves, wools, that you got some Christmases ago? Those will come in handy!
9. Customize your medicine kit with the basics (Vitamins, anti-histamine, pain killers, etc.) according to your length of stay.
10. Have your travel documents ready (like passport) especially if you work for the government. Like me, I made sure I have my authority to travel document (yellow sheet), because otherwise, the immigration will not let me get on with the flight.

More tipid tips and tricks after the jump! Click on! 

Boracay Birthday Getaway: How to have a nice time on a strict budget

Ok let me tell you this as early as now. This post is not advisable if it's your first time in Boracay. Three years ago, we were in Boracay with my family and cousins and we're super super excited roaming/walking the whole Boracay shoreline, determining which one is the Station 1, 2 or 3. We had scheduled activities, prepared drinking cocktails before sunset, walking along D'Mall in maxi dresses then bar-hopping like the rest of kids our age. I was 25 and I'm pretty sure you get the picture.

Since we almost forgot that we booked this trip, we were on a strict budget. This time, we decided that we are just going to chill. No itineraries just lie around and do whatever you like.

And since we don't have any agenda in mind, other than swim in the ocean and enjoy the powder-like sand Boracay is famous for, I googled blogs on what stuff I should not miss when in Boracay:

Boracay Birthday Getaway: Veli's Inn

"You're flying to Boracay in 20 days and you still don't have accommodation? That's so not you."  Kuya Stew said on his last night in Laguna. He's been to Boracay twice this year.

His then girlfriend, now wife, booked their accommodations using this website: Agoda.com. I'm not really a  fan of these sites, because I prefer the direct transaction. It's exactly what I did when I booked our trip to Davao last year and when we booked ourselves in a nice hotel in Kalinga. I always, always want to transact directly to the hotel concerned. Trust issues, I guess.

I was supposed to go on this Boracay trip alone, then my sister booked herself as well because the roundtrip airfare from Manila to Caticlan (Boracay) is so amazingly cheap that we got it for less than Php 1,300.00 ( Less than $32.00, Less than 20.00 British pounds, that's all in with travel insurance). We booked it on a P2.00 promo flight of Air Philippines last February, we forgot about it when Dad got sick, then now that we have an already paid round trip ticket on hand to one of the Philippine's most amazing paradise, it would really be crazy not to go!

I tried calling other googled accommodations that seems to be offering good and practical rates. My sister and I are determined to make this a budget trip so every peso counts! I've been calling Boracay Courtyard, Taj's Guesthouse, but they keep on hanging up on us when we called. I guess it's either they are freaked out by an anonymous callers (then why give your business number online) or they have jampacked guests. (They could've just properly said so.)

Since I do not want to be stressed last minute, I decided to give in to this whole Agoda thing and booked my sister a room for 3 nights and 4 days. We found Veli's Inn.

Travelling Solo: If not now, when?

"I remember an old catholic joke about a man who spent his whole life going to a church every day and prayed to the statue of a great saint begging "please, please, please, let me win the lottery." Finally the exasperated statue comes to life and looks down at the begging man and says "my son, please, please, please, buy a ticket." So now I get the joke, and I bought three tickets." - Liz Gilbert (source)

I bought a ticket because I’ve never been on a trip alone. Plus, I've been itching to "one-up" my last birthday trip in Davao last year.

I've been hearing stories of solo travellers donning the Eat, Pray, Love Journey, I figured out maybe I can do the same. Original plan is to make sure I am out of the country but then I am on a strict budget.

So when I found a round trip ticket to the beach (that I fell in love with) that costs only Php 918  ($21.3657 to be exact, round trip plane fare with insurance) that fell on the weekend before my birthday, I immediately grabbed it!

Actually, special thanks to sis for booking it for me. My office internet was acting up and so I let her use my credit card. 

I have almost 8 months to prepare my self for this trip. :)

Next on the list: Accommodations in Boracay

Does anyone know a nice room for a budget SOLO traveller? Emphasis on the SOLO Traveller. I do not need AC. I just want a nice solo room with a comfortable bed, fan room, clean rest room since I will be out most of the day.

I came, I surfed and got Stoked in 2009

I blame  my friend Karen, who I first surfed with,  for this post. She sent me a text message saying:

" I remember the Tower of John!"

Back in 2009, I so wanted to go and try surfing. I've been telling everyone that I want to go to La Union and surf even though I don't swim well. Who cares? I'm young and fearless plus I'm willing to pay a surfing instructor to guide me and teach me how to paddle.

We were already set to go to La Union when we got a text from one of my friend's contact and heard the ultimate party pooper for surfers:

"There's no waves today and in the next few days sir."

Whaaat?!

I've already bought a surfing outfit and my bags are all packed two days before and now don't tell me we're not going?! I have already set my heart to surf and there's no way I'm going home and spend the weekend in take outs and DVDs.

By three in the morning I was furiously googling places where we can surf until I stumbled upon Zambales and found Crystal Beach Resort. And the next thing I knew, all of us, coming from Pasig, QC, Makati were furiously running to catch the last decent time bus going to the bus terminal.

The photos here are intended for personal consumption, I did not plan on blogging about it until Karen's text.

So, here are some of the photos from my first ever surfing trip.

The surfing school and beach/campsite/retreat

We stayed at the Tower of John. I wish I had taken more photos so that I can show you what it looks like. It was the cheapest and scariest looking hut, it was more like a tree house and we paid Php1,000.00/night when it was worth Php500. Well, at least breakfast is included.

 The  next night we transferred to the attic with decent doors and bathroom and paid extra.

We had the traditional tocilog breakfast and met the owner, June, who was very nice.

They have Kayak boats and Indo Board to practice balancing. 

On our way to the beach (separate from the resort) to surf. We had to take lessons from instructors first before going in.

I wish I could post surfing pics but I swear they're not flattering! Haha!

But I am very happy that I was able to stand on the board, and well, surf to be politically correct.

I did try and try until you almost himatay! 

Unfortunately I have not been into any surfing trips after that, but at least for once in my life I have felt what exactly it feels like to be stoked. Although the very next day after surfing, I can’t laugh without feeling that my entire ribs are about to crack, but it is just the best feeling ever. 

Contact Information:

Mobile Numbers:

SUN :(0922) 841-9004
GLOBE: (0917) 545-2791
SMART: (0919) 939-3153
Manila Tel: (02) 514-2117, (02) 941-9004


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