“I dreamt of having this international career, but producers won’t come to Indonesia to look for talent when there is so much available in their own countries. I had to go there. I was curious, and I think it’s good to change. In Indonesia, we don’t have that much information coming in; it comes from just one source. And the Internet wasn’t as big as it is now.”—Anggun, a Notable Indonesian, in an interview with journalist Chuck Taylor from Billboard magazine in 1998.
Sahadewa Barong and Fire Dance, Ubud, Bali-February 2018
Travel Date: 2018
Travel Budget: Php 10,000 per pax
Me and my husband have been hearing a lot about Bali, Indonesia. They said the beaches are beautiful and exceptional. However, Bali is more than its beaches. The rich cultural heritage of Bali is what really makes it exceptional.
Upon arriving at the airport of Bali, the Ngura Rai International Airport, you can truly feel that Bali is distinct from its neighboring countries. They have this distinct identity from others. Bali is not a modern province of Indonesia and did not sacrifice its cultural heritage for the development.
Basic Facts About Bali, Indonesia:
Government: Officially the Republic of Indonesia
Capital: Jakarta
Currency: Indonesian Rupiah/IDR
VISA: Free for Filipinos up to 30 days
FAMOUS TOURIST SPOTS IN BALI:
1. Tegalalang Rice Terrace
Tegalalang Rice Terrace-Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
I must admit, I had this guilt feeling when I saw the Rice Terrace located in Ubud. Why? It was because I saw this first instead of our own Philippine Ifugao Rice Terraces.
It my own point of observation, the Tegalalang Rice Terraces is a compact and well maintained area
2. Tegenungan Waterfall
Tegenungan Waterfall, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
3. Batuan Temple
Batuan Temple, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
4. Barong Dance
Watching Barong Dance
5. Ubud Beach
Ubud Beach, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
NOTE: If you want to request a copy of a sample 3D/2N Itinerary, you may email me at my contact link. Pro bono. Thank you for reading!
“Macau is China’s domestic market.. don’t care if you are Chinese, Indian, European, you are supposed to go to the buffet.”- Stanley Ho, Godfather and King of Gambling of Casinos is Macau.
Ruins of St. Paul’s, Monte Fort, Macau
Date of Travel: 2014
Budget: Php 10,000 per pax
Macau is known as the “Gambling Capital of the World.”
BASIC FACTS:
GOVERNMENT: Officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China
PEOPLE: Macanese
LANGUAGES: Chinese (Cantonese) and Portuguese
CURRENCY: Macau Pataca or Macanese Pataca or MOP$ or MOP
NOTE: If you want to request a copy of a sample 3D/2N Itinerary, you may email me at my contact link. Pro bono. Thank you for reading!
“You can choose your friends but you can’t choose your neighbors. Countries must have to accept that and stop fighting wars. Why do thousands have to die for some piece of land? I travel around the world for UNICEF and I sometimes wonder why we have borders.” —Jackie Chan, notable HongKonger
Central Elevated Walkway, Hong Kong-December 2014
DATE OF TRAVEL: 2014, 2017
BUDGET: 20,000 per pax
My family first visited Hong Kong in December of 2014. Hongkongers said it is winter in Hong Kong. Cold but no snow.
Kong Kong is famous for the Disneyland Hongkong. This would be the cheapest and the most accessible Disneyland in Asia for Filipinos. Why accessible? It is because Hong Kong is a visa free country. They provide a 14 day visa upon entry.
BASIC FACTS ABOUT HONG KONG:
GOVERNMENT: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China
CURRENCY: Hong Kong Dollar- HKD/H$
PEOPLE: Hongkongers
VISA FOR FILIPINOS: Free up to 14 days
PLACES TO VISIT:
Disneyland Hong Kong
Disneyland Hong Kong, December 2014
For Updating…
NOTE: If you want to request a copy of a sample 3D/2N Itinerary, you may email me at my contact link. Pro bono. Thank you for reading!
“A nation is great not by its size alone. It is the will, the cohesion, the stamina, the discipline of his people and the quality of their leaders which ensure it an honorable place in history.” Lee Kwan Yew, 1963
Inside Singapore Changi Airport, March 2016
Dates of Travel: 2014, 2016, 2017
Budget: Php 20,000 per pax
I first visited Singapore in 2014.
I totally agree with most travelers— quoting that “Singapore is the playground of the rich.” Of course, luxury and high end brands can be found in the shopping districts of Singapore, like the Orchard and Marina Bay.
Basically, visiting Singapore was my husband’s idea. It was because he misses shopping at the Abercrombie & Fitch Store, his favorite American clothing brand. Since, traveling to LA, California, USA together just to shop is an expensive trip, we researched and goggled the nearest country where Abercrombie & Fitch was available. We have found that there is only one store in South East Asia and it is along Orchard Road, Singapore.
On my second visit to Singapore in 2016, I was with my Aunt Tess and her family. I was their tour guide. Of course, I was so glad to join them.
On my travel last November, 2017, I was with my husband because it was our yearly vacation together. Basically, our November trip was to explore Malaysia. Since there is no Abercrombie & Fitch Store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, we crossed the 6-hour Johor-Singapore Causeway to shop at Orchard, Singapore.
BASIC FACTS ABOUT SINGAPORE:
GOVERNMENT: Republic of Singapore
CURRENCY:Singaporean Dollar-S$
LANGUAGES: English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese, and Tamil
CLIMATE: Tropical rain forest climate with no distinctive seasons
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM:
Taxi
Train
Bus
WHERE TO STAY: I’ll be writing this at my hotel review page.
PLACES I HAVE VISITED:
Universal Studios Singapore
Universal Studios Singapore, September 2014Gardens by the Bay-Bay South, Dragonfly Bridge, September 2014
Gardens by the Bay-OCBC Skyway Ticket Rate Board, March 2016
3. Orchard Road
Abercrombie & Fitch Store along Orchard Road, Singapore, November 2017
4. Merlion Park Along Marina Bay
Merlion Park, September 2014
5. Marina Bay Hotel View
Marina Bay Hotel View, September 2014
Visiting Singapore is not an expensive trip. JUST DON’T SHOP at the luxury stores..hahah!
NOTE: If you want to request a copy of a sample 3D/2N Itinerary, you may email me at my contact link. Pro bono. Thank you for reading!
Have you heard about the United Nations Economic, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES?
Vigan City is inscribed as one of the UNESCO World’s Heritage Sites because it is the best preserved example of a planned Spanish colonial town in Asia.
According to UNESCO, “its architecture reflects the coming together of cultural elements from elsewhere in the Philippines, from China and from Europe, resulting in a culture and townscape that have no parallel anywhere in East and South-East Asia.”(https://whc.unesco.org)
Province: Ilocos Sur
Capital City: Vigan
Seat of Local Government: Vigan City Hall located at Burgos Street cor Quezon Avenue, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur.
Head of the Local Government: Mayor
Dialect: Iloko. However, the locals can speak Filipino and English languages.
Locals are called Bigueño (Men) and Bigueña (Women)
HOW TO REACH VIGAN?
For Tourists coming from the Ninoy Aquino International Airports (NAIA), you can have connecting flights to Laoag International Airport (45 Minutes) via Philippine Airlines. From Laoag, you can take a local bus going to Vigan City. The estimated travel time is 2 hours.
For Tourists who want to take the bus from Manila, the shortest time to travel is in the evening like 9 PM or 10 PM. The estimated travel time is 8 hours. However, if you wanted to enjoy the scenery along the way, you can travel in the morning but it would take you 11-12 hours before you could reach Vigan. I would recommend Partas Bus because of their clean and comfortable buses.
BEST TIME TO VISIT:
January 22 is the Cityhood Celebration of Vigan City (RA 8988).
January 25 is the official Vigan City Fiesta in honor of the city’s Patron Saint Paul. Vigan Longganisa Festival is also being celebrated during the month.
May 3 is the Tres de Mayo Festival. Binatbatan Festival is also being celebrated.
THINGS TO DO:
CITY SIGHT SEEING:
Riding in the kalesa around the city is a must try. The capacity of a kalesa is 4 persons, including the kalesa driver. They are located at the side street of St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral. The Kalesa driver will bring you to the tourist spots:
St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral- For Catholics, one of the best way to start our cityscapade is visiting the Churches of Vigan to pray for blessings and good voyage.
Mena Crisologo Street- This is the famous street in the Philippines. You can enjoy here the beauty of the old Spanish houses and the cobble stone road. You can find local and international restaurants here. There are also souvenir shops located along the street.
Pagburnayan- There are two best spots to visit in this Barangay. They have the shops where clay products are molded and the Mira Hills where the Vigan Public Pool and Buridek Museum are located.
Baluarte Zoo- The biggest zoo in the province.
Hidden Garden- This is local restaurant offering local authentic Ilokano delicacies.
Plaza Salcedo- This spot is located just in front of the St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral, however, this is where the dancing fountain is located. The show would start around 6PM and 7PM.
Museums-there are also museums in the city like the Quirino Museum, Burgos Museum, Syquia Mansions and the many more.
FOOD EXPLORATIONS: Due to the booming tourism industry in the city, a lot food establishments known locally and internationally are already available in the City. However, the following local delicacies are a must try.
Bagnet- This is like Fried Pork but cook in a local version. The product is available at the Vigan City Public Market, just infront of the Partas-Vigan Bus Station.
Vigan Chichacorn- This is super crispy fried corn in many flavors like original, garlic, cheese, adobo and etc.
Empanada- This delicacy is one of the well known local delicacies in the city. Most of the food stalls can be found infront of the McDonalds store. There are also “Empanadaan” along Mena Crisologo Street.
Sinanglao- This delicacy’s ingredients are mostly the internal organs of a cow. For those who have hypertension and heart problems, please regulate the serving size.
Vigan Longganisa- This is a local chorizo or sausage. The garlic,salty and sour tastes distinguished it from other sausages.
Warek-Warek (Dinakdakan in Tagalog)- The best Warek-Warek can be tasted at “Panganan ken Ihawan sa Ciudad Vigan.” Local cuisine “Dinengdeng” is also available. The local restaurant has been featured by Jessica Soho. The restaurant is located along Bonifacio Street cor Rizal Street, Vigan City.
WHERE TO STAY: I’ll be writing this at my hotel reviews page.
SOUVENIRS: Souvenir shops are located along Mena Crisologo Street.
NOTE: If you wished to request a copy of a sample 3D/2N Itinerary, you may email me at my contact link. Pro bone. Thank you for reading!
Every successful runner or Podium Half-Marathoner or Marathoner started with their baby steps……. Here are my official runs and races. From my 3K journey to 21K.
I wish everyone can share theirs…Be inspired! Be motivated! Let us run our baby steps until such time we can conquer our first marathon..and tiathlon…See you at the finish line!
Scholar Run May 2013
2013 FIRST RUN: “3K” The photo above was my first fun run in Metro Manila. Skolar Run on May 18, 2013, Aseana City.
Why I ran the Skolar Run? It was because I was a Scholar for 9 years. (4 years Provincial Government of Ilocos Sur Scholar and 5 years British Sponsored Scholar). Also, I can relate to the theme of the event and it was because I highly respect the scholars in all aspects.
Being a scholar is a privilege granted to the few, highly commendable and academic excellent students of a certain field of study. These are students who strongly believe that “Hindi hadlang ang kahirapan sa pag-abot ng mga pangarap” (Poverty is not a hindrance in attaining ones goals in life).
While I was running, I remember my life as a college student. I remember the struggles. However, through discipline and perseverance, I finished my college days race.
2013 SECOND RUN: “3K” September 1, 2013. Got to Believe (G2B) Color Fun Run.
2013 THIRD RUN: “5K” Rexona Run on October 20, 2013. Mall of Asia.
“ As an internationally recognized landmark, the PETRONAS Twin Towers symbolise the courage, ingenuity, initiative, and determination, energy, confidence, optimism, advancement and zest of a nation. ” –Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Former Prime Minister of Malaysia (1981-2003)
One of the Highlights of our trip to Malaysia was Exploring the Petronas Twin Towers.
View from the Bottom of the Twin Towers, October 2018
Date of Travel: October-November, 2017
Budget: Php 20,000 per pax
EXPLORING THE SKYSCRAPER
Traveling to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia would not be complete without stopping and posing between the world’s famous Tallest Skyscrapers, the Petronas Twin Towers.
When we arrived, a lot of visitors were at the facade fountain of the skyscrapers taking their instagrammable selfies and groupies. If your mobile phone camera could not capture the full beauty of the skyscrapers, there are Malaysian vendors selling camera lenses for a certain amount. My apology, but since we were “stick on a budget travelers,” talking and price haggling to them was not even an option. Hahaha!
View at the Top of One of the Skyscrapers, October 2017
Unsure of what was in the inside of the world’s famous building, I held my husband’s hand and told him, let’s go! The buildings were tightly and seriously guarded in the facade area so we assumed that only VIPs or on appointment guests were only allowed inside. Rhod was hesitant, however, my persuasive soul tried to ask the guards. When we were directed to the entrance, I was laughing because the ground floor is a mall known as “Suria KLCC Mall” or the Suria Kuala Lumpur City Center.
I’m sorry, our trip to Malaysia was a “let’s explore on our own” on the spot booked online travel. Hahaha! I did not read nor search articles about Petronas.
But more than shopping, I was so eager to see and experience to be at the Penthouse of one of the Skyscrapers or at least I would have the chance to experience and see the view from the top. Yes! The universe had listened to my heart’s desire..hahaha!
Upon entry at the left building, we were astonished at the “Formula One” cars hanged in the lobby. Eager to explore the building, I asked one of the guards on “how can we go up?” hahaha! The guard pointed the sign and we proceeded down the ground level through an escalator and bought tickets. We showed our passports to the ticket officers. Paid our tickets in Malaysian Ringgit 85, chose the schedule and waited to be called.
Ticket to Discovery
The visitors were mostly European and few Asians. I don’t remember Pinoys in our group. But the Photographer commissioned by the Tour group is a Filipino from Bulacan. “Proud Pinay” here, I said.
When we were called, we followed a line at the entrance door. We got our ID Passes. The tourist guide made a brief introduction and informed us of the do’s and don’ts. We took two lifts; the first is what they call the “Passenger Lift” with a maximum capacity of 26 people and the second is the “Executive Lift” with at a maximum of 10 people.
Our first stop was the “Skybridge.” I felt the reaction of my toes as I crossed the “Skybridge.” The view from the top was amazing and breathtaking! I felt that time that I am so blessed to have the opportunity to see and enjoy the beauty of Malaysia. All praises to the Lord Jesus Christ! Hahaha!
Welcome sign of the Skybridge
My husband was hesitant because he has this fear of heights and yet he joined me in the exploration. He just excused himself in crossing the “Skybridge.” Hahaha!
From the Skybridge, we took the Passenger Lift up to the 83th floor and then Executive Lift going to the 86th Floor – the highest floor for the guests. Inside, we saw the large scale model of Petronas. We viewed from there the tip of the other building.
One of the best experiences I had in my life!
Who says Kuala Lumpur is boring? Try it and you will see….
After the tour, there is a gift shop at the exit. Many gifts and souvenirs are available, like water notebook mugs, shirts, bags, ref magnets, ballpens and many more.
SHOPPING AT THE Suria KLCC MALL
The shopping mall is a six storey shopping mall at the foot of the Petronas Twin Towers. It has 300 shops, selling foreign luxury goods, high end labels and mid-range retail chains.
I bought 1 souvenir bag from Ted Baker-London and I tried to have one article at Harrods. Harrods store cant be found everywhere. However, my fund was no longer sufficient that time. Hahahah!
We have dined at this cafe offering Nasi Lemak.. Hahaah! I have to search the name of the restaurant because I forgot about it. I just remembered the smell and the chili taste of the food.
If you happen to be in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, you may visit and explore inside Petronas. Don’t limit yourselves. Seeing and exploring inside Petronas is a once in a lifetime experience. Try to enjoy the view from the 86th Floor!
Address: 241, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
OTHER LOCAL SHOPPING SPOTS:
Jalan Petaling or Petaling Street- It is the Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur.
Petaling Street, October 2017
Kasturi Walk- I prefer shopping here.
Kasturi Walk, October 2017
NOTE: If you want to request a copy of a sample 3D/2N Itinerary, you may email me at my contact link. Pro bono. Thank you for reading!
