Part 5 of 7 of our Japan trip: Universal Studios Japan!

THE DAY THAT WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR HAS ARRIVED! Actually, I am not a fan of theme parks, but I really, really want to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. So, I was looking forward to this day.

Below, I would share our USJ experience and some tips and strategies we’ve learned during our visit.
*Please know that I am not an expert on ALL the rides and attractions inside USJ, but I’ll be happy to share what I know based on our experiences.*

Part 4 of 7 of our Japan Diary: Osaka Castle and Food trip at Dotonbori

I slept for 8 hours inside the bus. We spent our 3rd night inside a sleeper bus en route to Osaka. If you plan to go to Osaka from Tokyo, you can take the bullet train or the bus. If you are on a budget trip (like me), the best option is to take the sleeper bus. You get to save a night of accommodation and your day itinerary will not be compromised. 

Part 3 of 7 of our Japan trip: Tsukiji Fish Market, Senso-ji Temple and En Route to Osaka

LAST DAY IN TOKYO. Three days were not enough to visit Tokyo. There were still a lot of places on our list that we want to visit but we had to limit ourselves due to time and budget constraints (ako lang pala ang may budget constraints lol). For our last day in Tokyo, we went to Tsukiji Fish Market. It is known for its fresh array of seafood and its tuna auction. We skipped the Tuna Auction because (tbh) we won’t wake up early just to see it.

Tokyo – Osaka – Kyoto in 7 days: An Itinerary

I’ve been asked a couple of times for our Japan itinerary and how I got to fit 40,000Php all-in for this trip. I actually prefer to blog our activities per day, so I can share our day in detail and the breakdown of our expenses. But since you asked for it, I’ll share here our 7 day itinerary.

To those who would like to read our daily activities in Japan, you can check Day 1 Day 2 Day 3. and Day 4. I’m currently working on Day 5.

Part 2 of 7 of our Japan Diary: Gotemba Premium Outlet, Mt. Fuji and Tokyo Tower

YEY! SECOND DAY IN JAPAN! We started the day feeling fresh after a good night sleep. I bet everyone slept well considering how tired we were from all the walking we did on our first day. At least second day in Japan was more comfortable because we didn’t have to worry about our luggages anymore because they were tucked safe at home. 

Part 1 of 7 of our Japan Diary: Manila to Tokyo. Meiji Shrine, Harajuku and Shibuya

After all the planning and researching, it’s time to make it come to life.

Our flight to Tokyo was through Jetstar, which was stationed at Terminal 1. We left at 12:40AM and arrived at Narita International Airport at 6AM. (Their time is 1 hour ahead).  It was my first time to fly via Jetstar and I’d say we had a smooth sailing flight since I was asleep the entire time. Little did I know, there was a strong turbulence midway that caused our plane to sink a few feet. LITERAL BES! As in, bumagsak daw yung plane at ang mga puso nila. The FAs panicked and instructed everyone to use their seatbelt. And I. WAS. ASLEEP.  When I woke up, we were about to land na. 🙂

Travel Guide: 3 days in Taipei

Travel date: July 29 – August 2 (midnight) 2016

Finally! I found the time to share my Taipei itinerary.

Few months back, Taiwan remained to be just another country for me. I didn’t know a lot of people who have visited Taiwan, compared to those who have gone to Japan or Korea. But what convinced us to book a trip to Taiwan? What did we do there? Where did we eat? What are my tips to those who will be visiting Taiwan soon? I will answer everything below. 🙂

Itinerary: Sagada

MAY 2015

Duration: 2 days , 2 nights

Day 0

11:00PM – Left Manila to Sagada

8:00AM – Side trip to Banaue Rice Terraces and breakfast at Point Valley Inn Restaurant

10:00AM – Arrival in Sagada; Tourist Registration

10:30: Settled in George Guest House

Afternoon: City Tour

•Echo Valley Hanging Coffins
•Sagada Underground River Entrance
•St. Mary’s Church
•Bokong falls
•Valley Rice Fields

7:00PM – dinner at the Yoghurt House

Day 2:

3:00AM – Wake Up

4:00AM – On the Way to Kiltepan

4:30AM – Waiting for the Kiltepan Sunrise

6:00AM – Toploading back to the house

7:00AM – Breakfast at Sagada Brew

9:00AM – 5 hours Spelunking (Caving from Lumiang cave to Sumaguing Cave)

3:00PM – Head back to house to rest

7:00PM – Dinner at  Lemon House

Day 3:

4:00AM – Check out at George Guest House

9:00AM – Breakfast at Good Taste, Baguio City

10:00AM – Left for Manila to celebrate Father’s day with the family.

3:00PM – Arrived in QC

In Transit: Vietnam to Cambodia

When we booked our tickets for our Vietnam – Cambodia trip, we already decided that we were doing a cross-country trip. We booked a ticket from Manila to Ho Chih Minh then Siem Reap to Manila. We had no choice but to do our research on how to get from Ho Chih Minh to Siem Reap. You are probably reading this because you, too, are planning to do a cross-country trip from Vietnam to Cambodia.

It is very easy, actually.

Travel Diary: Vietnam

I received a lot of questions via email and comments regarding my VietCam trip last year. The Rappler article really helped to spread my article! I think it is now time to write about our trip in detail.

Date: July 24 – July 31 | Group of 3: Me, Krissy and Bea | Budget: P25,000/pax

How to be Pretentiously Artsy in Pinto Art Museum

I didn’t know that we have a Museum Month here in the Philippines. But in time for that celebration, I would like to share some photos from my favorite museum: Pinto Art Museum.

I have always enjoyed going to museums. I’ve been to Negros Museum, Metropolitan Museum, National Museum and War Remnants Museum in Vietnam to name some. But Pinto Art Museum is my favorite so far. I first saw it from Tracy Ayson’s blog early this year then it has been all over my feeds since then. So last April, I went to see it for myself. And I was not disappointed.

Here, let me share some of my photos…

Photo Blog: Flotsam and Jetsam

There are times when you just want to get away from the city and take a break from the hustle and bustle of Manila, but you don’t have time to book tickets or plan your itinerary. Good thing, we have nearby provinces that you can go to by bus and just be spontaneous: no itineraries, no plans. That is what we did exactly on that weekend in La Union.

Me and my friend, Krissy, like artsy stuff. So when we saw Flotsam and Jetsam in our Instagram feeds, we both knew we have to go there. So let me take you to that one weekend getaway to La Union’s Flotsam and Jetsam.

Oslob: Whale Shark Watching

 

It was about 2 years ago when I saw someone posted on social media a very clear photo of a butanding (whale shark) in the background. And I thought, this can not be in Donsol. I’ve been to Donsol back in 2011 and watched and swam with the butanding but it was not very visible, the water was dark and unclear. But the photo I’ve seen 2 years ago was different. And that’s when I get to know the place called Oslob.

 I’ve got no plans to go to Oslob until we booked a flight to Cebu for Sinulog and I ended up booking a flight back to Manila 6 days after to save airfare cost (Airfare for Ceb – Mnl after Sinulog is pretty expensive). So after the Sinulog weekend, we still have 3 days to spare in Cebu so I thought of what else to do in the Queen City of the South. We have a lot of options actually. There is Bantayan, Moalboal, Malapascua. But I decided to go to Oslob.

 Since it was my first time in Cebu, moreover in Oslob, I did a thorough research about the place.

 Here are some tips and guide on how to go around Oslob.

Bacolod City: Your next food trip destination!

Disclaimer: Long post

It was in 2013 when my sister booked us a ticket to Bacolod City for a week-long vacation. I don’t have any idea what is in Bacolod City, except for Calea. So I was ecstatic upon knowing that finally I will get to taste the cakes from Calea! I didn’t know that I was in for a bigger surprise.

October 2013, when we landed at Silay Airport, I was shocked when we were greeted by loud music from people wearing masks, drumming their heart out in a festive tune in the airport. Man, it turned out it was Masskara Festival! And my sister didn’t even bother to tell me. I thought I was just going to eat for the whole week (which is not a problem with me)!

Masskara was my first festival, and it has been my favorite festival since then. After that week-long vacation, I have fallen in love with Bacolod. I love the festival, the people and especially the food! And to prove that point, I’ve been there 3 times already since 2013.

There are a lot of reasons to love Bacolod, but on the top of my list will always be their food. During that vacation, I learned that Bacolod is the Sugar Capital of the Philippines! No wonder restaurants and cake shops are everywhere! My favorite street is Lacson Street, where the Masskara Parade was also held. If you’re ready to gain a little weight, then come and visit Bacolod!

Here are the some of the restaurants we’ve tried in Bacolod

VietCam 2015: Itinerary and Expenses

I just came back from a weeklong trip to Vietnam and Cambodia and I am very eager to blog about our trip due to a lot of messages I received asking our itinerary and expenses on this trip.

People often has a misconception that travelling is expensive. I thought so too. But after travelling for quite sometime, both local and international, researching and making itineraries, I learned how you can save and still make the most out of your trip.

With that, let me share how we came up with a trip that cost us 20,000 – 25,000 PHP to 2 Asian cities in 6 days.

On this post, I will give you an overview of our expenses and activities in Ho Chi Minh and Siem Reap. And some tips on how you can save on your trip.