My Stay at Holiday Inn Baguio City Centre

I recently stayed at the newly opened IHG hotel in the Philippines, the Holiday Inn Baguio City Centre located along Legarda Road.


The international hotel chain finally opened in Baguio last June 5th, it is a nine-story building with basement parking which features 185 guestrooms, function, and a ballroom. HI BCC will be the first international hotel franchise to have opened in Baguio since Hyatt Terraces closed back in the '90s due to the strong earthquake that devastated the City of Pines.


I worked with IHG for a few years and it's been a while since I last stayed at an IHG hotel using employee discount but this time around I'm a guest looking to experience how things have changed.


If you're looking to travel the Philippines' Summer Capital and still in the hunt for a place to stay, please watch the video blog I created about my stay at Holiday Inn Baguio City Centre.

Vlog Up on Youtube

Here's a video blog of my sister and I's recent travel to Myanmar. Please like and subscribe. 

Thanks!

Myanmar 2017

I usually plan my vacation at least 3 months before my birthday month which is April but this year my twin sister and I didn't want work to get in the way so we decided to just to go for it and travel 1 month ahead. Our country of choice this year is Myanmar. In case you're wondering why, I find this country interesting just by looking at pictures of famous local celebrities that I've been following on Instagram. Most people who visit Myanmar recommend to visit Bagan because that's where all the ancient temples are located. My trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia three years ago is one of my most memorable travels because I have never seen such beautiful and intricately made temples so I thought about going to another country that will mesmerize me the way this country did.

My itchy feet couldn't wait any longer so I book our flight a week before our trip and just planned our itinerary afterwards. There are no direct flights from the Philippines going to Myanmar, only connecting flights with stopover to either Singapore or Malaysia depending on the airline company. We agreed to book Tiger Airways with connecting flights to Singapore going to Yangon. 

Finding a place to stay is a challenge for us since we have no idea what to expect from hotels in Myanmar. I relied heavily on reviews from Tripadvisor and travel blogs. I booked via hotels.com for our first hotel in Yangon and we want one that's close to Aung Mingular Bus Station since we're looking at going to Bagan on our second day in Myanmar. My sister decided that we book JJ Express Bus ahead of time for our Bagan trip to avoid any hassle when we get there which is highly recommended by tourists. Just an fyi, JJ Bus or Joyous Journey is a reputable bus company in Myanmar with routes going from Yangon to Bagan and vice versa, Yangon to Mandalay and v.v., Mandalay to Inle Lake and other famous tourist spots. Booking with JJ Express online is such a breeze. What my sister did was to communicate with them via Facebook messenger and we got our assigned seat numbers for both trips in no time while I took care of another hotel reservation for us so we have a place to stay when we arrived in Bagan. I jotted down four famous temples that we'll be visiting in Yangon and Bagan and hopefully it wouldn't be so hard to accomplish. 

We're all set and ready to go.

This is it!

02.27.17

Boarding soon

Upon arrival in NAIA T1 we paid our travel taxes immediately. Travel tax still cost Php1,620 each. We were starving we decided to grab a bite first while waiting for the check in counter to open. For some odd reason there's no other dining option in T1 but Jollibee. Our flight is scheduled at 9:35 PM and the check in counter opened around 7. We boarded almost 10 PM, talk about Filipino time y'know. 

Hello Singapore!

(02.28.17)

Airport and Sky train hopping at Changi

Singapore time is the same as the Philippines. We arrived in Changi Airport Terminal 2 earlier than the e.t.a (estimated time of arrival) which is 01:15 AM. We strolled the airport and hopped the Sky train to get to Terminal 3 where Singapore Foodstreet is located because I've been craving for Hainanese Chicken rice all my life since I went to Singapore 6 years ago. Chicken rice is a popular dish in SG unfortunately the only stall that sells that is not open 24 hours so I ate Duck rice instead. We enjoyed the free wifi, foot massage and exercising through the travelator for 6 hours until it's time for our 07:20 AM flight to Yangon.

Yangon-Bagan, Myanmar

Yangon International Airport is practically NAIA Terminal 1. It is a very basic and small airport you won't get lost. The only familiar fastfood chain is KFC but we preferred to eat at this local resto called Bites because I don't like eating western food when I visit other countries as much as possible just for a change.

Chicken Lemak and Coke for brunch

We hailed a cab for 6,000 kyats from Y.I.A to High Five Hotel. We're able to check in early at 11AM at no extra cost. Check in time is supposedly not until 2PM but most hotels allow early check in as long as it's not too early like maybe earlier than 9AM otherwise if you want to check in immediately, might as well book one more day and note as very late arrival if it's going to be the following day already. 

High Five Hotel

High Five Hotel, Yangon
35, Thiri Kan Thar Street (Near North Oakalar Lane Zone), Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

We had 2 beds put together and an ironing board in the room as requested. There are large windows and the room is spacious for the two of us. The staff were hospitable and helpful but barely understand or speak English. We also noticed the frequent power outages and latency of the Internet at this hotel which is kind of frustrating I don't think they have a generator it's quite a shame to their guests. I'm aware that they do not have a lift because I read online reviews about this hotel but I did not expect the narrow stairs I regret wanting a room on the 5th floor which is the top floor.

Day 1. 

Yangon Day Tour

Shwedagon Pagoda 

After a warm shower and an hour of rest we took a cab for 5,000 kyats from our hotel to the infamous Shwedagon Pagoda. We paid an entrance ticket of 8,000 kyat total for both of us. We were given stickers and brochures of what we expect to see inside the temple. No shoes/socks allowed in Myanmar temples because it is a sacred place so we endured walking barefoot under the scorching heat of the sun our feet was literally on fire. We were in awe upon seeing golden temples we couldn't help but take lots of pictures and videos. It didn't take us an hour to get around this temple. 

Chaukhtatgyi Buddha
a.k.a Reclining Buddha

From Shwedagon Pagoda we rode a cab again to get to Chaukhtatgyi Buddha a.k.a Reclining Buddha and paid only 2,500 kyat. I suppose it's not too far that's why the fare is pretty cheap. Stray dogs roam freely at this temple but they're harmless and we really didn't mind since we're animal lovers. There are several souvenir shops around this temple we wasted no time and bought stuff like pashmina scarves, fridge magnets, and scroll artwork display. I also bought a longyi (lon-jee) for myself that I can wear every time we visit a temple. Longyi is a traditional Burmese wrap around sheet worn around the waist down to the feet, it's kinda like Sarong. Haggling is a bit of a challenge in this country probably due to language barrier but you can try, to get more value for your money. Souvenir prices range from 500 - 8,000 kyats but for high quality fabrics it can go up to 25,000 kyats. 

Souvenirs bought from Yangon

We dine at a local restaurant few blocks away from this temple then took a cab back to our hotel. We're so tired we had a good night sleep. Our first night in Yangon went well, I think. 

Day 2.

Off to Bagan 

(03.01.17)

At JJ Express Bus terminal. Snack on board and TV
made our trip really comfortable.
I fell in love with Faludah.

We checked out at 01:00 PM from High Five Hotel then went to straight to Aung Mingular Bus Station where JJ Express is located so we can pay and claim our tickets for our 08:00 PM trip. It was extremely hot in Yangon we couldn't wait at the terminal for 6-7 hours we decided to look for a place to eat and cool down for a while. There are many local restaurants in the area however, locals don't speak English and their menu is written in Burmese we nearly gave up thank God we found one restaurant with pictures of their menu posted on the wall with corresponding prices it definitely made things a lot easier we just pointed at the picture of the food that we want to eat and there we have it. We ordered fried rice chicken curry and strawberry shake because those are the only food that's familiar to us. I think Myanmar is spicy food haven because anything we ate so far are spicy. While waiting for time to pass without wifi, we edited pictures on our phones just so we will not get too bored. Later on we ordered Faludah because I read somewhere on the Internet that it is a must try dessert in Yangon we told ourselves we must not let this chance pass. Faludah tastes so darn good it's made up of rose syrup, jellies, vanilla ice cream, milk, etc. This yummy chiller made my day. 

They serve free hot coffee at JJ Express which is kinda awesome especially if you're getting kinda sleepy. We boarded the bus 10 minutes before 08:00 PM. Snacks like biscuits, bread, bottled water, soda and blanket came with our first class ticket. There's also a small TV for each passenger I watched Tom and Jerry, lol. We had a really comfortable trip so to speak. It's a 9 hour trip from Yangon to Bagan but there are stopovers for passengers to use public restrooms and find some place to eat. The first stopover is for 30 minutes and the last one is 14 minutes. It was a long ride but time passed by so quickly when you're tired and asleep anyway. We arrived in Bagan around 6 AM.

A chilly morning greeted us.

Day 3.

Good Morning Bagan 

(03.02.17)

Sky View Hotel
No. 69, Shwe Knat Kaw Street, Zay Ya Waddy Quarter
Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma)

View from our room Sky View Hotel

Bagan full day tour

Spicy and yummy tofu
at Be Kind to Animals the Moon
Restaurant

After the receptionist scanned our passports we settled in our room then had our first breakfast in Bagan at the rooftop. No wonder this hotel is named Sky View because there's literally a view of the sky and some hot air balloon from afar at the rooftop, it's kinda cool. I told my sister that this hotel offers half or full day Bagan tour. I saw a tarpaulin by the reception area so I called the receptionist from our room phone to inquire about the tour rates.

We took advantage of the full day tour for 35,000 kyats. What I like most about this hotel is that they offer private tours, we have group tours we want be able to take charge of our time y'know. The driver of the SUV awaits us outside the hotel and picked us up at 09:00 AM. We went to several temples in Old and New Bagan where we took a lot of photos and videos as usual. We went shopping for more souvenirs and had lunch at this vegan restaurant called Be Kind to Animals the Moon located in Old Bagan. We decided to end our tour at around 3 in the afternoon and head back to the hotel to get some rest. We missed seeing the Bagan sunset supposedly at 5 PM which is still part of our tour but we're already very tired from our trip last night and we've been walking all day.

Bagan have too many beautiful temples

Keep walking

Awesome structures

Very rich culture

At Mahabodhi Temple

I love rooms with large windows. This hotel do not have coffee and tea making facilities, a hairdryer and in-room safe but there's a mini fridge and we're okay with that. Free breakfast and wifi is offered in most hotels in Myanmar but the Internet is not fast just like in Yangon.  

It's a nice room we got. No power outage.

We slept soundly.

Day 4.

Leaving Soon

(03.03.17)

Palm tree farm in central Myanmar

Check out time is at 12 noon but we have nowhere to go after leaving the hotel. The cab driver who drove us to JJ Express terminal told us that we're too early to be at the terminal because our trip back to Yangon is not until 08:00 PM so he offered us a tour to Mt. Popa for 35,000 kyats but we asked him first to take us to downtown to have our money changed since we are running out of kyats then we went back to the bus terminal to pay for our tickets before going to Mt. Popa which is an hour drive located southeast of Bagan in central Myanmar.

View from Mt. Popa summit

Bright as the sun

Spicy stir fried noodles and monkey
guarding the temples at Mt. Popa

On our way to Mt. Popa we had a quick stopover at a Palm tree farm where we saw interesting products made from palm tree juice, leaves, etc. Upon reaching Mt. Popa the driver parked the car across the entrance of the temple that we have to climb. I got a little scared because there are monkeys everywhere and they are not very friendly but I kinda pity them when I saw how poor their health condition was. They have scabies all over their bodies and they feed on anything that tourists will throw at them no wonder why they snatch food because they are not fed properly. It's a long climb to get to the summit I just realized that we climbed 777 steps when my sister Googled how many steps there are to get to the peak of Mt. Popa. Well, that explains why my legs are shaking really bad after.

We arrived at the bus terminal around 5 PM  which is still quite early but I think we're able to manage our time wisely. I booked us another hotel in Yangon via Agoda.com while at Sky View Hotel but I forgot to note that we'll be arriving really late. I called the hotel from JJ Bus ticketing booth I'm glad the lady was kind enough to let me advise the hotel. 

It's another 9 hour bus ride from Bagan to Yangon.

Goodnight and goodbye Bagan. 

Day 5.

Back to you, Yangon 

(03.04.17)

Galaxy Hotel
No.(2A/5A). Okkalar Thiri Garden Street, (D) expand,
North Okkalapa Township, Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

Our room at Galaxy Hotel.
They have a lift and nice dining room

Galaxy Hotel have a western feel for me. It's modern and newer compared to High Five. We arrived in Yangon as early as 5 in the morning good thing it's not very difficult to get a cab from the bus terminal to our hotel. Upon arriving at Galaxy Hotel I showed the booking number from my phone to the receptionist. She gave us orange juice as refreshments and asked us to wait while she scan our passports. After giving our room key and wifi password we immediately went to our room at the 4th floor unfortunately we had to come down after a few minutes because the wifi isn't working. The receptionist couldn't figure out what was wrong why both our mobile phones wouldn't connect to the Internet she eventually rebooted the router and that solved the problem. We're about to head back to our room when she called my attention that breakfast is ready. I honestly enjoyed breakfast at this hotel because they have more options compared to all the other hotels we've stayed at. I also like their dining room, it's nice and clean.

We thought about visiting one more temple since it's our last day in Yangon but our plans changed we decided to just stay at the hotel and get a good rest. We bought snacks at a nearby convenience store then spend the rest of the day watching movies.

Day 6.

Goodbye Yangon

(03.05.17)

Goodbye Yangon!

Our flight is scheduled at 09:25 AM (Yangon standard time) so we checked out from the hotel at 6 AM. We arrived at the airport before 7 but the taxi driver dropped us off the wrong terminal we had to walked passed 2 terminals good thing terminals at Y.I.A are not too far from each other. The check in counter is not open yet we had our last breakfast in Yangon at KFC. We thought about spending all the local money that we have left so we bought flavored gum and bottled water. I'm kinda sad our vacation is almost over but still excited for our 12 hour layover in SG.

Our plane departed kinda late I guess Burmese people also have their own version of Filipino time.

Goodbye Yangon!

Back to you Singapore

I love Changi and chicken rice!

Our plane landed in Singapore earlier than 01:15 in the afternoon, our e.t.a. We didn't have to go through Immigration check since we purchased Tiger connect which is kinda convenient unfortunately we didn't get our passports stamped nevertheless, we're glad to be spending more time in Changi this time around. We availed of the 24 hour free wifi we just scanned our passports in their self service wifi kiosk then we had our late lunch at Singapore Foodstreet. I'm a happy camper I was able to finally savour Hainanese Chicken rice, yay! We went souvenir shopping afterwards. We changed some of our $US to $SG so we have some money to spend on food and drinks while at the airport. We bought pizza bread before checking in at Aerotel Transit Hotel located at Terminal 1. We had a hard time finding this hotel for some reason maybe we're just really tired or something but thank God the front desk guy whom I suspect is a Filipino too, adjusted our check out time because we booked for 6 hours from 4-10 PM supposedly however, we arrived late around 4:30 PM already looking for this lounge, geez.

Aerotel Transit Hotel
Level 3, Departure Transit Lounge, Terminal 1 (above Gate D41)
Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore 819642

Our room at Aerotel Transit Hotel

I'm in love with that life sized
cosmetic mirror

We had a really comfortable stay at Aerotel. We booked a 6 hour day rate package (minimum length of stay) for $76. We got a medium twin room with an ensuite shower room, TV, coffee and tea and free wifi (Changi airport's public wifi). There's no in-room safe or mini fridge but it's no biggie. Their rates may be a little overpriced but we didn't mind because we really need a place where we can rest comfortably and shower before our flight back to Manila.

We stayed at The Wings Transit Lounge in NAIA T3 last year when we went to Hanoi, Vietnam because we intentionally arrived really early for our flight to avoid getting stuck in traffic. We booked a twin room with bunk beds but the actual room size is rather small. There's no air conditioning and no private bathroom. There's free meal to boot but we didn't have a comfortable experience for a hefty price of Php1,800 only for 4 hours compared to Aerotel.

We checked out before 10:30 PM although our flight is not until 01:55 AM so we still have time to eat and stroll Changi.

Time is up. Goodbye Singapore!

Touchdown Manila

(03.06.17)

Our plane landed past 5 in the morning at NAIA T1. I'm not a fan of  this terminal simply because there's no place to eat but thank God at least there's Foreign Exchange around the corner. We had our foreign currencies changed back to PhP and finally travelled back home.

Travelling is such a wonderful experience. I cannot wait to travel again.

Right on!

Itchy Feet

Hanoi Old Quarter

It's five days to go before my birthday and only four more days until my most awaited birthday getaway, yay! My twin sister and I usually plan our birthday trip a year in advance and book our flight at least 2 or 3 months before our birthday month but this year we got really busy so we just booked our flight last month, would you believe it? We're just lucky that there are still cheap airfares left. 

Our trip to Hongkong last year was quite enjoyable but I think it's best for families with kids since there are several attractions for kids to enjoy in HK. I thought that our trip to Cambodia last 2014 is far better (in my opinion) since I'm a fan of ancient structures and I find Siem Reap more picturesque. This year, my sister and I agreed that the Old Quarter area in Hanoi, Vietnam is the best destination to spend our birthday because we were awed by how rich the culture is plus we're traveling on a budget and according to our research, this is one of the best places to visit for backpackers since the cost of accommodation and food is reasonably cheap.

The Wings Transit Hotel Twin Room
at NAIA T3

Hanoi flights are usually late in the evening or wee hours of the morning so as much as I don't like flying at night because I cannot see anything, I guess I just have to deal with it (snort). I'm not a night owl but I like sleeping late for some reason, just not flying y' know. It's best to arrive early at the airport so we thought about arriving around 3PM and just spend a few hours at the The Wings Transit Lounge located at the 4th level of NAIA T3. I didn't realize that a lounge like this exists at the airport hadn't I checked for hotels that offer hourly rates within the airport area. If you want to know what I'm talking about you may visit their website at http://jipang-group.com/thewings/ . We booked a twin room for 3 hours at Php1,800 which is quite expensive for a few hours stay but it's better than booking a hotel room where you pay the daily rate regardless if you stay less than 24 hours plus you are at the comfort of the airport so you don't have to worry about missing your flight and getting stuck in the middle of traffic. 

Vietnamese Dong

Before traveling to another country, it's best to bring local money but there are instances that the currency may not be available, not even in black market so just have your cash handy and have it exchanged at the airport or at the hotel when you get there. Fyi, Vietnamese Dong is quite hard to find we even scoured the black market looking for it but to no avail or bring US dollars instead.

I still have a lot of packing to do and I don't want to get too excited. My oh my. I'll see you soon Hanoi! 

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.