pinayRN

Bohol Experience (1 Day Itinerary)

2012-09-29T16:24:00.003+08:00

Long time no post guys! I've been really busy sorting things out in my life right now. haha. But as promised on my Back in Cebu post, this is our 1 Day Itinerary and some travel tips in Bohol. It wasn't really a planned and prepared trip, so if you have been in Bohol and you have some tips to add, feel free to post on the comments section. :)

So we woke up at 5:00 am and left the hotel at around 6:15 am. We rode a taxi to Pier 4 Cebu City, which was about a 10-minute ride if you are from the town area (we paid about Php 98 for the fare).

When you reach the entrance of the pier, tell the taxi to drop you off on the ticketing office. In our case, the driver brought us straight inside the pier. As a result, we have to walk our way out to the entrance for us to buy our tickets. (noob mode. haha)

Make sure you get off in this area. But if you already have a ticket, you can go straight inside the Pier.

There are so many ferries to chose from. But since Weesam Express cancelled their morning trip, we chose 2GO (formerly known as SuperCat).

Fare for Cebu-Tagbilaran and Tagbilaran-Cebu is Php 875 for one person. For the Business Class, the fare is about Php 1,500.

This was the boat we rode to Tagbilaran. The trip was about an hour and 45 minutes, so if you got to the pier early, it's your time to sleep here. hehe.

We arrived about 8:55 am at Tagbilaran and there were a lot of Tour Agencies inviting us to avail their services. Their prices were pretty much the same, Php 2,500 for Car rental and 3,500 for Van rental. But since I am good with haggling, I got a Php 2,000 deal for a Van rental. Yipee!

The itinerary was Chocolate Hills, Loboc River and Floating Restaurant, Tarsier Sanctuary, Butterfly Garden, Baclayon Church and Blood Compact Site.

Our Tourist Driver was Felix Salomon. 0935-234-6605, you can also ask him for the same price. But I can't guarantee his approval because gasoline price ranges. hehe. But he's really kind.

The travel time to chocolate hills is about 2 hours. So if you are on the front seat, make sure to talk with the driver. Because the road is a bit hypnotizing and sometimes tourist drivers work late at night and you don't want him falling asleep. lol. The entrance fee for Chocolate Hills is Php 50 per person.

Below are shots of Chocolate Hills. I might open a Flickr account for my photos, because there are a lot of pictures I would like to share and I can't post everything here. haha.

After the Chocolate Hills tour, we went to the Tarsier Sanctuary. The entrance fee is Php 60, they give a Php 10 discount for students. Luckily, I brought the School ID that I use for my Masters Degree and the lady thought I was still in college. hahaha. So I paid 50 pesos instead of 60 pesos. (ayaw paawat. lol)

Here are some cute photos of the tarsiers. :D

Emo Tarsier. hahaha

After these, we went to Loboc River where we rode a Floating Restaurant. The Entrance Fee is Php100, and the eat-all-you-can meal per person is Php300. Honestly, I wasn't really satisfied with the buffet because it isn't that delectable, there were also fleas flying around and some viands were already cold and hard to bite. And because we were early, we saw how they refill the buffet table, and the container they used to transfer food is not a good looking one. So I doubted if the preparation of the food is hygienic. But I still ate the food, it is quite tolerable. Besides, you don't wanna waste your Php 400. hahaha

Anyways, here are the pictures of the Loboc River.

After lunch, we looked around the souvenir shops and bought some shirts and stuffs. But we didn't buy too much, because we know the prices were inflated there. You can buy it much cheaper on malls and stores in the town area.

Manong Felix was about to bring us to the Butterfly Garden, but we opted not to go there because we wanted to save time for pasalubong shopping (plus there were already butterfly gardens in Zamboanga) so we skipped it. And we went straight to Baclayon Church.

Baclayon Church is the oldest church in Bohol. There are no entrance fee here, don't pay if someone asks for a certain amount.

From Baclayon church, we went to the Blood Compact site of Rajah Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

No entrance fee for this place as well. There are some vendors who sell cheap souvenirs here. Just don't buy food souvenirs from them because sometimes the items are already past the expiry date so they sell it cheaper.

From the Blood Compact Park, manong felix drove us to the town area and dropped us in front of the mall. We paid the Php2,000 and gave him a Php200 tip (tips are optional, i don't usually tip but I saw his honesty and he was not like the common drivers who are always after the money).

Anyways, after shopping some pasalubongs we went to the ferry terminal (we rode a tricycle costing Php8 per person) and waited for our ferry back to Cebu.

Here's the summary of our expenses:

Travel Cost (Personal Expenses like pasalubong, tips and etc. excluded

2GO Ferry Ticket (Two-way) - Php 875 (terminal fee included)
Chocolate Hills Entrance Fee - Php 50
Tarsier Sanctuary Entrance Fee - Php 50 (discounted)
Loboc Floating Restaurant - Php 400 (meal and entrance fee)
Tricycle Fare from mall to pier - Php 8
Tagbilaran Terminal Fee - Php 11.25

Semi Total = Php 1,394.25

Van rental cost is subjective, meaning for 8 persons it's just Php 250 and for 4 persons it's Php 500.

For 8 persons total cost is Php 1644.25
For 4 persons total cost is Php 1894.25

But of course, prices change from time to time. Just do some research on Ferry fares so you won't get short on your budget.

And this ends my post! Thanks for reading!

Your NOD,
Pinay RN

Saudi Prometric Exam for Nurses (Saudi Council Exam)

2012-09-10T18:14:00.001+08:00

According to POEA, the Saudi Council mandates all foreign nurses to pass the Prometric Exam before working in the Kingdom. So for the last 2-3 years to this present date, Filipino nurses who would want to work in Saudi take the Prometric Exam standardized by the SAUDI COMMISSION FOR HEALTH SPECIALTIES (SCHS).

Prometric is a trusted test development and delivery provider to more than 400 organizations worldwide. They have testing centers in Manila and Cebu. I was originally planning to take it in Manila, but since we have a scheduled vacation in Cebu, I decided to take it there rather than spending again for another set of tickets.

It took me some time to figure out where to go to schedule the exam. So to make it easier for you guys follow the simple steps below. :)

How to Schedule a Prometric Exam:

1. Go directly to this link: https://securereg3.prometric.com/

2. Select your Program: Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (non-elig) (Note: this option is only for those outside of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.) Then, click NEXT >.

3. It will then refresh into a new window. Click Schedule an Appointment.

4. On the next window, Information Review will appear. Some of the details include: Registration Requirements, What to Bring to the Testing Center, What Time to Arrive at the Testing Center, Payment, Reschedule/Cancel Policy, etc. After reading carefully, click NEXT >.

5. On the next page, read the Privacy Policy Review and select I agree, then click NEXT >.

6. In Appointment Selection, Select Nurse Technician or Nurse Specialist. (Accordingly, most SRO agencies tell applicants to take Nurse Technician. I also took the Nurse Technician Exam). Then click NEXT >.

7. For the Test Center Selection, type Manila or Cebu then click Search. Check the information of the testing Centers below:

Prometric Testing Centers

#8475 and #8479: MANILA, PHILIPPINES

ACESS 2/F ATENEO PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS

SALCEDO VILLAGE, 130 HV DELA COSTA ST.

MAKATI CITY, PHL 1227

Phone: (632) 892 0383

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/5sLFI

For Manila the schedule of exams are from Tuesdays to Fridays.

Directions: Prometric Testing Center-Manila is located at the Ateneo Professional Schools Salcedo (APS Salcedo) on H.V. de la Costa Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City. APS Salcedo is between Tordesillas and Sanchez Streets. Across APS Salcedo are the Megaworld Center and GF Partners. From the EDSA – Buendia Metro Rail Transit (MRT) station or Gil Puyat – Light Rail Transit (LRT) station, take a jeepney going to Gil Puyat Avenue. Disembark at Yupangco Building or Mapua Information Technology, cross to the covered walk between ACT Tower and GF Partners to get to APS Salcedo at H. V. de la Costa Street.

#8473: CEBU CITY INT'L STC

C/O TRAIN,EDUC & DEV CONS INC SUITE

308-CENTRO MAXIMO D JAKOSALEM ST

CEBU CITY, PHL

Phone: (6332) 253 5514

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/xbmah

For Cebu the schedule of exams are from Mondays to Thursdays.

Directions: Name of the building is Centro Maximo, it is located at the corner of Jakosalem and Ranudo Sts. Cebu City. It is across the AMWAY. Other landmarks are near the Bayantel Building and IAU Building.

8. After deciding where you would like to take the prometric exam, click Schedule an Appointment, it's right beside the testing center name and above the Get Directions.

9. You will then choose what Date and Time you would like to take the exam in the Date and Time Selection page.

Tips: #8475 Manila Testing Center usually get fully booked first, so try to check the #8479 Manila Testing Center.

The length of the exam is exactly 2 hours. So exams are scheduled at 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm.

10. Fill out the Additional Information page. For the Government ID, you can type PRC ID or PASSPORT. To be sure, just bring both in the testing center.

11. For the Payment, you can use Visa, MasterCard, or American Express credit cards. The exam costs USD 90.00 or PHP 3,849.87 (exact billing on my CC statement), but it depends on the exchange rate on the day you scheduled.

12. After filling out the Credit Card Details, Click Next >. Then you will see the information you filled out, take time to verify the details. Then click Complete Registration.

PRINT the Appointment Summary or save it as PDF to print at a later time. You can also check your email for the Appointment Confirmation.

And you're now done. :)

My Experience in taking the Prometric Exam in Cebu

Our vacation was for a week so I strategically scheduled the exam a day before our departure date. I scheduled it that way so that I can enjoy before the exam, and if in case I get a bad result, our vacation won't get ruined. haha.

Anyways, I really haven't had the chance to thoroughly review for the exam. It's hard to review while you are in a vacay, especially if you are enjoying. haha. The night before the exam, I started to feel the pressure. So I got my laptop and downloaded the Saunders NCLEX reviewer.

I tried to review but because I was lying on my bed, I slipped into dreamland. haha. My mom woke me up at 6am and I was so terrified because I knew I wasn't really prepared. So while arranging my clothes and stuff, I tried answering about 50+ items.

Since my exam was scheduled at 11am, we went to Ayala first but we didn't realize that it was too early so the mall was still closed. lol. At around 9:10 am, the pressure in my head was building up so I started to ask some people if Centro Maximo is far away from Ayala, but no one seems to know where Centro Maximo or Jekosalem Street is. I was starting to panic and ask more people until I saw a delivery driver, he told me that it's not too far away and I should just say to the taxi drivers "Centro Maximo near Bayantel". I got so relieved and decided to go to the exam center at an early time, after about 10 minutes, the driver stopped and told me that we were already in Centro Maximo. So at 9:45 am I was already there. Way too early for an 11:00 am exam. haha.

Here are some photos I took using my phone:

This is the entrance of Centro Maximo.

Amyway is right across the street

This is the exact building where the testing center is located.

The guard is quite friendly, I told him I was going to take the exam and he said that it was on the 3rd floor. At first I planned to wait til 10:30, but I was already pacing back and forth because of nervousness so I decided to go up already.

Upon reaching the 3rd floor, you will see signs like this that will lead you to the exam center.

When I reached the venue, I greeted the proctor and told her that I am scheduled for an 11am exam. I asked her if I could take it earlier and she smiled and said yes. (I don't know for others, but for some cebu prometric exam takers, they were not allowed to take the exam earlier than their schedule.)

Anyways, the lady gave me a list of rules for me to read, after that I was escorted to the locker area and she told me to put all my things there, except my ID and the key to the locker.

Before entering the room, she checked me for any metals (like those of security guards) and asked me to pull my pockets outward to see if there's something inside. Then, she asked for my ID, told me to verify the details on the computer screen, then she instructed me to look at the webcam for her to take a photo of me.

After that, she gave me the go signal to enter the room and a middle-aged man escorted me inside. I was so delighted to see that each cubicle has ear muffs you can use. There was a renovation on the 2nd floor and it was a bit noisy so I immediately used it.

The topics on my exam where on DM type I and II, pancreatitis, BMI, DVT, nursing procedures (BT and NGT), Apgar, Cancer (breast, prostate, lungs), simple med computations, reading graphs and interpretating it, choosing the appropriate nsg diagnosis, and prioritization. It was a bit though because the choices were similar, so you need to choose the best answer. I think there were about 50 multiple choice questions and the rest are labeling, arranging the order, graphs, and select all that applies.

During the exam, you can mark questions if you are unsure of your answer. In my case, after answering I chose the review all. But I was careful not to change my answer because most of the time, our first answers are the right ones.

After reviewing, click End and your results will flash after 5-6 seconds (I was praying so hard while waiting. hehe). When I saw the word "Pass" I wanted to jump and praise God, but there were other test takers so I just thanked and glorified Him in my mind. When I went out of the room, the proctor printed, dry sealed, and signed my results.

I took my things from the locker, and because I was so happy, I thanked and said goodbye to the proctors (extra-friendly mode). haha. The friendly manong guard congratulated me, and that was the perfect way to end that test journey. lol

Even though I'm still not decided if I should join my father in Saudi Arabia, I'm still glad I took the exam because the exam is valid for 3 years. So for those who are still thinking if they should take it or not, I suggest you take it. It's not that expensive compared to NCLEX, and if one day you decide you want to work in KSA, you would be a step ahead because you already passed the Prometric.

Hope this was helpful.

Your NOD,
PinayRN

Back in Cebu!

2012-09-08T19:45:00.001+08:00

I was gone for a quite a while because of some important matters and we celebrated my Mom's birthday in cebu. We actually went to Bohol also, but just for a day. I think I may be posting some travel tips and sample itinerary for that trip.

Since it was already our third time in Cebu, we just went to the places where we haven't visited yet like the Taoist Temple and the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.

How to go to the Taoist Temple: To reach the temple, you can ride a taxi from your hotel and just tell the driver to bring you to the Taoist Temple. From town proper to the temple, it's just around Php130-150 (or more, depending on where you stay). The temple is located inside a subdivision, so when your taxi slows down and there's a checkpoint, that means you're entering Beverly Hills, and you're already near the temple.

This is where taxis unload their passengers and where private vehicles park.

Note: If you don't have a private vehicle, tell the taxi driver to wait for you (they usually charge Php100-200), or you can do what we did - walk 'til you see a taxi (haha). But don't worry, there are usually habal-habal (public motorcycles) that are about a 5-minute-walk away from the temple (they usually charge Php10 per person). But since it was still early in the morning, we just walked and luckily we saw a taxi near the entrance of Beverly Hills Subdivision.

This is the entrance of the Temple.

WELCOME to PHILIPPINE TAOIST TEMPLE. You are entering a Taoist Sanctuary for PRAYERS' & MEDITATION. Please observe SILENCE, SOLEMNITY and follow rules while inside MEDITATE; PRAY while you go up to the Main altar.

We were lucky that there are not much tourists when we visited and we didn't encounter unwelcoming staffs in the Temple. I have heard a lot of comments/stories that they have rude staffs there. Anyways, more photos below!

This was taken while we were walking back. It was a great day to walk because it was not really that hot and sunny. So it really pays off when you go there early.

After Taoist Temple, we went straight to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. The fare was about Php90-100 (i forgot. haha)

This was my most favorite shot of all.

We wanted to go to Magellan's Cross, but it was already hot and we were already sweating like crazy so we went to the malls instead. haha.

I think I posted too much photos so let's end it here.

Thanks for reading!

Your NOD,

PinayRN