Summertime Thoughts

It's officially summer, heck it is. While everyone's heading off to the beach I'm busy planning for my birthday holiday that does not involve water. Yeah, I know that it may sound strange and I love the sound of waves crashing to the shore but going to the beach is just not my thing. The last time I set afoot on a beach was back in gradeschool, it was a company outing sort of thing when my father was still working now he's retired thank God I don't have to deal with it anymore. Fyi, I never learned how to swim too even if I had swimming lessons back then that's probably one of the reasons too why I never enjoyed the water but who cares? Summer is not just all about the beach, everyone's there but not me.

The summer heat is getting into my nerves I'd rather go hiking instead of getting stuck in places where people go like the mall just to cool down so I can get some unfiltered air. Oh well, I tried hiking as a kid but it never happened again maybe I got lazy or something? I don't know but I'd love to try it again given the chance because it's a good workout and I need some of that. I'd like to commune with nature once in while. 

1 month and 6 days before my birthday? Whoa. Would you believe it?! I'm getting really old I guess that's why I'm yearning to travel while I still can. On my bucket list, I'd like to travel as many countries as I can before the age of 60. So far I've only been to 3 countries in Southeast Asia which means that I still a long way to go (nooooo!). When I started travelling I realized that I'm more interested in temple hopping than food tasting. I've become so fascinated with intricate sculptures and structures that I am always in awe whenever I see something like that. It's so hard for me to believe that a human hand can make wonders.

A girl can dream, it's free anyway. I wanna be a millionaire/billionaire (whatever) so friggin' bad that joining the lottery is my new past time. I know, it's a game of chance/luck but I'd rather take my chances as long as my life doesn't depend on it too much. I'll be a millionaire at 36 hell yeah.

When Travel Bug Bites

Travelling is like a pill to me, it is a great cure for boredom and monotony. I like to travel every year on my birthday. There is so much to learn and learning never ends in this familiar ground. 

I use to have a fear of heights and the infinite. I thought I couldn't brave the sky and the clouds, only endless roads. I told myself that planes do crash and if this will happen, lifeless bodies will be fed to sea animals or the wild ones depending on where it will crash. 

But life takes you to unexpected places. Four years ago I decided to fly and see what's out there. My first travel experience was in Singapore where I moved from one house to another along with my sister and a friend. Living in SG wasn't easy because everyone's a total stranger but it was a learning experience away from home that I will never forget. 

Getting lost in Singapore

I came to SG looking for a better life but end up missing home, there's no place like it. I fell in love with this country because it was so different from home. It is very progressive, clean and citizens are afraid of the law. Fines are huge for any violation and people respect that. There are many beautiful places to go but be prepared to spend because the cost of living isn't cheap. 

My sister and I thought we could find a job in a month apparently, it is taking longer than expected and not all employers are willing to hire foreigners without a ready work pass. We decided to explore every town we've been to instead and gave up finding a job. We moved from one HDB (government housing for rent) to another. What I love about SG is that there's always a nearby park and supermarket in every community. It's easy to get around and the MRT system is a breeze. It's amazing that this country is earthquake free so I wonder where their calamity fund goes or if they ever use it at all.  Buses and private vehicles are smoke-free so there's obviously no air pollution. 

More about SG

I didn't enjoy most of the tourist places in SG because I'm not a fan of popular places where most people go. I am more interested in eco-parks and weird theme parks like Haw Par Villa or shopping districts like Little India and Chinatown. I also fell in love with SG food. I will never forget the very tasty chicken rice, nasi lemak, the refreshing bubble tea, and Makansutra's Aglio Oglio. 

I might come back to SG but there's more to explore in Southeast Asia.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Last year on my 34th birthday, I decided to spend it in Siem Reap, Cambodia. As much as I hate evening flights, I have no choice because all the morning slots are sold out so my sister and I endured the view of nothing but darkness outside. A three-hour flight seemed like forever thank God the weather is good so there's no turbulence or any scary factor. A tuk-tuk (Cambodia's version of tricycle) driver brought us to a 3-star hotel called Hotel Angkoriana where we have reservations for 2 days and 2 nights. What I like about this hotel even if it is 30 minutes away from the airport, is that it is cheap but decent. They have all the basic amenities in the room like coffee and tea making facilities, free wifi, breakfast, pool, airport pickup (via tuk-tuk), etc. I remember staying at a cheap hotel near NAIA T3 that's way too basic they have no electric pot, mini fridge, not even a telephone in the room so if you want room service you have to use your cellphone to order from the menu posted in the walls of your room from the restaurant at the ground floor. Seriously? I'd rather go down and eat. Spell inconvenience. 

Seam Reap, Cambodia

We arranged a 1 day Angkor Wat tour at the hotel front desk upon arrival. Our tour guide and driver fetched us from the hotel around 8AM the next day. I think the tour finished almost 2PM. We visited I think less than 10 temples. We kept walking under the scorching heat of the summer sun, the only chance we got to rest was during our lunch at a fancy jam-packed restaurant filled with foreigners too. At the end of the tour we are so darn exhausted, we were all sticky and dusty that I couldn't wait to shower as soon as we head back to our hotel. After an hour of rest, we strolled "Pub Street" which is only few minutes from our hotel via tuktuk for food and souvenir shopping. Nothing much to remember about food in Cambodia because we only tried one dish but for sure, lots of spices will always be present. I don't know why we only spent 2 days in Cambodia. I thought maybe because there's not much to do anymore but later I realized that we have time to spare for 1 more day. Cambodia time is an hour behind from us we got confused the next day if we have to follow their time or Philippine time for our flight so we arrived really early at the Siem Reap Airport. I guess it's better to be early when in doubt just to be safe. 

I guess I'm addicted to adventure. This year on my 35th birthday along with my twin sister, as usual, we visited Hongkong for a change. I had my sister booked our flight and ensure that we get a morning flight this time thank God most flights to and from HK are in the morning, yay! A travel agency arranged a 4D/3N trip for us. We stayed at a 3-star hotel called Silka Far East in Tsuen Wan near the MTR station but far from all the major tourist attractions. My sister's first choice is a hotel in Mongkok because it is in the shopping district but the hotel doesn't look good on pictures and the area seem crowded and unsafe so I decided that it's best for us to stay in a hotel that's a little far but comfortable. 

Hongkong getaway 2015

Our half day city tour the following day lasted for only 3 hours we spent half of the day exploring HK. We climbed the long stairs of the Tian Tian or Big Buddha temple then went night shopping in Mongkok. It was our birthday the next day and have nothing more to do so we bought cupcakes from Hello Kitty's Le Petit Cafe and some more souvenirs. We flew back to Manila the day after and checked in at the nearby airport hotel then traveled back to Baguio the following day. 

Hopefully, I can visit Vietnam next year. I'm looking forward to seeing the beauty of Ho Chi Minh and stay at the Old Quarter. I have done some research already on nearby places to go but still collecting more information. So much to see, so little time. My feet is yearning to travel again, I can't wait.

Hello Clark

I love traveling and I wanna do this more often. How I wish I could go on vacation forever! I've always wanted to visit Clark for so long and I'm glad it finally happened last week even if it was just an overnight stay it was all worth it. 

Foodie

View from our room

Hello

Good morning Clark

Goodnight

I love traveling and I wanna do this more often. How I wish I could go on vacation forever! I've always wanted to visit Clark for so long and I'm glad it finally happened last week even if it was just an overnight stay it was all worth it. 


My sister and I stayed in Holiday Inn Clark because it's just a ride away to Parkson's Duty Free where we went shopping for chocolates. We also bought some cute holiday decors and a Christmas tree from Arjans. We had a hard time looking for this hotel because we are backpackers so we had to walk far to get to the entrance. I think it's not very accessible for commuters. It's kind of located remotely there are no minimarts or restaurants close by. We ordered room service for breakfast so early in the morning, thank God it's 24 hours. I had a comfortable stay but may not go there next time without a car.


I can't wait to plan my next vacation hopefully out of the country next time like in Hongkong, Disneyland for my birthday perhaps? For the time being, I'll be busy decorating the Christmas tree that we bought from Arjans. I'm not thinking about Halloween anymore I'm quite excited for Christmas already.  

Another week of vacay coming up yay! I'm not too excited I think that's why I'm up this early. I can't wait for this day to end so I can go home to our home up in the mountains to surprise my parents with my decorating skills haha! Gtg for now. 

30th Birthday in Vigan

My sister and I just got back from vacation 2 days ago and I'm writing about it just now because I got really tired. Imagine a 10 hour bus ride from Vigan, Ilocos Sur to Manila plus I'm also kinda busy editing and organizing lots of pictures from our 3 day tour of the historic and beautiful city of Vigan. I promise to write as much as a can remember from that memorable trip.

Day 1 

We left Partas Bus terminal in Cubao past 12 midnight hoping to arrive early in Vigan but we got stuck for over an hour in Sison, Pangasinan during the first stopover due to engine problem so the supposedly less than 10 hour trip didn't happen. We arrived in Vigan past 10AM. From Partas Bus terminal we rode a tricycle to get to Grandpa's Inn where we booked a room but the check in time is not until 2PM. We're so tired from perhaps the longest bus ride of our lives. Since we have nowhere else to go we left our bags in the care of the receptionist and had our first breakfast in Vigan at the onsite restaurant called Kusina Felicitas located in the lobby. We had pasta and coffee chillers to cool us down. I honestly didn't like my spaghetti pomodoro because it's a little too salty for me but I did enjoy my Irish cream chilled coffee. After breakfast we decided to take a walk along Calle Crisologo which is just few blocks away from Grandpa's Inn. Oh boy! I know it's summertime but the summer heat in Vigan is even

worse than Mandaluyong. I started taking pictures using my new DSLR camera when a cuchero named JR approached us and offered a tour of Vigan's famous tourist spots for Php150/hour. We didn't say yes right way and thought of the offer first but I told my sister that from what I researched and read on other blogs that the price offered to us is the standard Department of Tourism-accredited rate, others double up the price so to cut the chase we go for it. 

First stop is the century old Vigan Cathedral then to the Arzobispado (Archbishop House) just beside the cathedral. We thought we're able to get inside Arzobispado unfortunately it's closed when we went there but according to some lady we talked to that the museum keeper is out and will be back after lunch we're advised to try back but we didn't bother anymore. Another church we dropped by is the St. Augustine Church. Just fronting the church sits the Belfry on the Hill. According to JR that some scenes from the movie "Panday" was filmed there. We also visited ancestral houses converted into museums that house artifacts and real old furnitures like the 

Crisologo Museum (the ancestral house of the Crisologo clan). The late Floro Crisologo, father of Bingbong Crisologo
and probably the most famous in the Crisologo clan who was assasinated inside the Vigan Cathedral and up to date the killer was never caught), Father Burgos Museum (the birthplace of Father Burgos where he grew up) and the Syquia Mansion (a.k.a. Quirino Mansion, owned by the family of the late president Quirino's wife). The calesa ride tour took 3 and a half hours but it was all worth it we're able to accomplish pretty much half of our itinerary for the coming days thanks to our cuchero JR and of course our horse

named RN (or somehing like that). We asked for our cuchero's cellphone number so we can just call or text him our itinerary for the following day so we don't have to look for a different cuchero plus we like JR, he's courteous and doesn't talk much unless we ask him questions. He was able to give us useful information on places we visited. 

We head back to Grandpa's Inn past 3PM and by then our room is ready. The staff already brought our bags inside room 7, we settled

in immediately. The room assigned to us is not very spacious but good enough for 2 people. The ceiling fan wasn't very airy at all but it's okay since we're not going to stay in the room for the most part of our vacation. There's a huge screened window so we pretty much have a view of people coming in and out of the Inn. We are so darn tired we rested for hours. I checked out the bathroom and noticed that even the water coming out of the shower is warm. I also noticed that the water is not clear and smells like deep well but regardless, I had a good bath. At night, we slept with dim lights on and didn't have a good sleep really because the room temperature is steaming hot. I didn't actually expect that the weather in Vigan is going to be hotter than hot. That's a wrap for our first day.

Day 2

We had our first complimentary breakfast at the dining room of Kusina Felicitas because they don't offer room service anymore unlike what I read from travellers who stayed there. JR the cuchero, called me on my cellphone while waiting for our breakfast to be served so he waited roughly 20-30 minutes outside Grandpa's Inn. Our 2nd day tour of Vigan went on for almost 6 hours. JR waited for us while we heard mass at the Vigan Cathedral since it's a Sunday but we didn't understand

anything because the mass was in Ilocano. We prayed in silence and left after a few minutes. We strolled along Plaza Salcedo then checked out some tiangge (flea market) across the street where my sister bought comfy shorts so she doesn't have to wear jogging pants at night. We visited Burgos Plaza afterwards and bought 4 empanadas to go for Php30 each. I took a picture of Father Burgos' statue in the plaza and the empanadan logo. We also dropped by the Pagburnayan Jar Factory but didn't buy any for souvenir since it'll be difficult to bring it home because we're just backpackers. Next stop is Christy's Handloom weaving, there's really nothing much we just took a peek of the weaving area but there's no one to show us a demo of the weaving process so we didn't stay long and head to the much awaited part of the tour, Chavit Singson's

Baluarte which is a 70 hectare mini zoo. It was a huge open field where some animals can roam freely. We were greeted by 2 tigers in a cage, colorful birds like parrots, etc. These birds are quite entertaining we had their pictures taken. We also saw some deer, an ostrich, a camel sitting and resting on the field and a reindeer rummaging a trash bin for some reason. We also saw endangered wild cats in a cage and snakes in aquariums. We scoured the park for I think over an hour under the scorching heat of the summer sun it's no surprise we had a good tan after. We didn't get hungry but got so thirsty we consumed 2 mineral medium sized water bottles each. Our last stop for the day is the Hidden Garden in an isolated barangay of Vigan where they sell plants for a cheaper price. It's a beautiful garden, I'm not into plants but I find the experience refreshing. So that ends our tour for the day. We head back to Grandpa's Inn, rested and had a sumptous dinner of garlic rice, chicken inasal and bagnet at where else but Kusina Felicitas, our place to be. We called it a day. Since there's nothing left for us to do we just stayed in the room and watched cable. I thought I can somehow get a good night sleep but was awakened by the sound of the rain during the wee hours of the morning then followed by a blackout that lasted for a few minutes. The heat in the room is just getting into my nerves I told myself that I need to convince my sister to check out tomorrow noon. I just can't take the discomfort anymore. 

Day 3

It's our 30th birthday, we woke up early and talked about checking out at noon since we've accomplished pretty much everything. Walking along the streets of Vigan I noticed that it's a very small town. Everything is just walking distance that's why there are no taxis. We went out to look for a place where we can have breakfast like a local coffee shop or a restaurant perhaps. My sister prefer not to eat at any fast food chain like McDo or Chowking for a more local experience. I asked her if we can try eating at the empanadan area within Plaza Burgos where I read about native dishes but she said no so We kept walking. We saw a coffee shop called Cafe Leona but the shop isn't open until we came across another coffee shop along Heritage Village called "A Perfect Cup." I ordered a large cafe latte and clubhouse sandwich whilst my sister had ham sandwich and a large cup of cappucino. That's a good breakfast for our last day in Vigan. 

We took pictures of the beautiful Calle Crisologo (Heritage Village) after we had breakfast then went souvenir shopping. I bought myself a key chain whilst my sister got herself a fridge magnet. We also bought shirts, bagnet and a straw mat shoulder bag for our mom. There are lots of nice souvenirs to choose from but are quite expensive. We rode a tricycle back to Grandpa's Inn. 

We checked out from Grandpa's Inn at 12 noon From there we rode a trike to get to Partas Bus Terminal. We had nothing but foodie and movie marathon while on the bus. During the stopover we bought a box of this "Royal Bibingka" from this minimart/restaurant and I fell in love with it because it tastes so darn good if only I can have all of it for myself but a box costs Php60 and we spent pretty much everything while in Vigan. We arrived very late in Manila. Seriously, that was the longest bus ride of my life.