Tips 'n Travels

Getting South Korean Tourist Visa

2012-02-04T22:00:00.000-08:00

After two months, I'm now finally compiling the visa infos, itinerary and expenses during our South Korea trip. Hopefully, this should help those planning to head to South Korea anytime soon.

First off, let's get into the Visa application. After getting the promo tickets from Cebu Pacific on February 2011, we didn't care that much yet about the visa. We started preparing our docs and stuff around mid-October.

Visa Information
Being a Philippine passport holder entails some challenges for me as a traveler. We have to put up with these visa applications which also doesn't guarantee 100% approval. Anyhow, like what I always tell myself, you just got to try and try for the love of travel!

South Korea, though it required visa before entry, was good enough to have tourist visas for Filipinos given without any charge. Yes, for free. Further information should be found in their site South Korean Embassy in Manila.

But for all you out there interested to know how I went with applying my SK visa, I'll give a brief story about it!

First thing is to prepare your necessary supporting documents. Make sure you read the guidelines on their Visa information site.

What I have prepared are the following:
1. The accomplished copy of the Visa form, I have downloaded and printed my own copy
2. Your latest passport (should be at least 6 mos valid by your time of travel)
3. 1 Passport size picture (I had mine in white background but I think it doesn't matter as long as it's taken in the last 6 mos and clearly shows your face, but check their site as well for more info)
4. Old Passport - If you are a frequent traveler and have old or current visas from other OECD countries like US, Australia, etc.
5. Certificate of Employment - you could request one from your HR, state your position and how long you have been working, would also help to indicate how much you are earning
6. BIR Form 2316 or ITR for the previous year
7. Bank Certificates - this can be requested from you bank. This is to show you have enough funds to travel. Some says a rough estimate would be at least $100 USD each day you are staying in the country. But this may not always be the case.

Once I had these, I was ready to pass them to the embassy.

The embassy, in McKinley, accepts application only in the morning 9-11am. In the afternoon is the schedule for visa release.

When I got there before 9am, they already allow people to get in and get numbers and I suppose they were already starting.

It was really easy and quick. At the front gate, surrender a valid Id and log you name before entering. No need to leave your bags or mobile phones. (This was the case when you go to US embassy)

Get inside the building and on your right, a person hands out a number. If you are traveling as a group, it would be good to get one number for all.

Window 1 serves those first time travelers. Window 3 for frequent travelers and those who has been to other OECD countries. I learned that in Window 3 the visa processing should only take 3 days unlike the one for Window 1 which takes a week.

I had to be in Window 1 since I applied with my friend who is a first time traveler.

So after being called your number you just need to give the documents and you will be given a piece of paper indicating the date and time to claim the result. Ours was scheduled a week after.

Don't lose the the paper as it will be needed on the day you claim the visa.

So we had a not so long wait...

Visa Result
We were excited and nervous on getting the result. So we waited at the lounge and when our number was called out we went on to the counter. It was my friend who got our passports.

And whola! South Korean Visa approved. We are allowed a single entry for 59 days. We are happy and excited.

N Seoul Tower and Lock of Love

2012-01-27T22:16:00.000-08:00

After the refreshing walk around the city and C-Stream, we decided to finally get our N Seoul Tower fix.

After another challenging set of directions, we finally ended up in N Seoul Tower. Yay! We took the bus from the correct Myeongdong exit this time. It was like an accomplished task. We are finally going up the mountain and see the tower.

The tower had an amazing light show when we arrived. It changed colour once in a while and really looks wonderful!

Aside from the tower, there's also the lock of love where couples put locks, wish and throw away the keys to symbolise the locked love. There a lot of locks in different shapes and sizes.

It was almost December, so there's also Christmas trees around, made of the locks!

Perhaps, one day I'll place one for myself and the special someone!

Cheonggyecheon Stream

2012-01-27T21:48:00.000-08:00

After the half day tour of DMZ and lunch at Myeongdong, our group decided to walk around the city.

Our first stop is the Cheonggyecheon Stream of C Stream for short. According to our friend Wikipedia:

"is an 8.4 km long, modern public recreation space in downtown Seoul, South Korea. The massive urban renewal project is on the site of a stream that flowed before the rapid post-war economic development required it to be covered by transportation infrastructure. The $900 million project initially attracted much public criticism but, after opening in 2005, has become popular among city residents and tourists."

It's a very nice sight in the middle of the bustling city. The weather is so fit for a relaxing walk along the stream. There are different things to see. There's an art exhibit, a street performer, lover, friends, children to watch and entertain you. We had fun taking photos and posing as well.

They say it's also nice to see this stream at night. I suppose there was a light show being held here as I noticed some poster about it.

The C-Stream is just a few walking distance from Myeongdong Area. You can follow thru the map if you have the Seoul Guide. At the end of the stream there is a tourist information area. They are very helpful and there wealthy of info guides you can get for free. There's also postcards! Free!

Korail and my first time ride on a Bullet Train

2012-01-27T21:16:00.000-08:00

Like many others I'm one of those dreaming of getting that experience of riding a bullet train. Finally, that dream is no longer just a wish.

Going back from Seoul to Busan, we decided to take the Korail or bullet train.

We got our tickets quick and easy by booking the night before thru their website. It's very convenient you just need to check the schedules and pay thru credit card. I didn't even have to print as we didn't have a printer available, so I just took note of the confirmation number.

To book and check for the Korail train schedules, here's the website. http://www.korail.com/. More information are also available in the website.

The one way ticket from Seoul to Busan costed us 46,700 won. It was a discounted fare if you book online instead of buying right from the ticket counter.

So on our third day in Seoul, we went for a morning walk with our host in the nearby market to do some shopping and sight seeing as well. After that, we headed and took our quick lunch before leaving and going back to Busan.

Like what I have been saying, the three days in Seoul is just not enough, we all want to stay longer! It was sad to leave Seoul knowing we haven't seen everything yet.

Anyway, so our train leave at around 3pm we left around 1:30pm to give us enough time for travel. There's a bus from our host's place that stops directly at the Korail terminal.

The train seats are quite spacious. I loved it except that we are seated opposite the train's direction. It might have felt weird but we didn't notice because of the smooth ride. There are also food offered during the duration of our travel. I got coffee and bread for myself.

I also had the chance to take some nap on the way.

Overall, the bullet train was a comfortable ride. It's the quickest way to travel from Seoul to Busan unless you are not too concerned bout the price. :)

The trip back to Busan took only 2 and a half hours. We're back to lovely Busan and we are staying again with our the same hosts the first time we arrived! Can't wait to explore more of Busan!

Failed attempt at finding Myeongdong Exit 2

2012-01-14T00:47:00.000-08:00

Part of the adventure in every travel experience is getting lost. While it does take an amount of wasted time, I'm sure our experience at getting lost may still be one of the most fun experiences of our Korean trip. And here's why Myeongdong Exit 2 has been etched deeply in our hearts. ;-)

After heading to the G-Palace on our first day out in Seoul, we decided we will head to the N-Seoul Tower. We have a guide book lent to us by our host. We need to find Myeongdong Exit 2. That's where we need to catch the bus to N-Seoul Tower. We had a couple of hits and miss finding the right way to Myeongdong Exit 2. When we were at the exit we then waited for the bus number to catch but we can't seem to find any of the buses we are supposed to board. We kind of lost our hope and thought to have some dinner first and just continue again with our quest.

We had a wonderful dinner at some random Korean resto. I had one of my favorite bibimbap.

After dinner, we decided to walk on further and maybe just check out other stuff around. We accidentally dropped by the Dongdaemun Market. We decided to head to N-Seoul tower the next day and walked through the market to shop for stuff to take back home.

It was a very lively market and there's all sorts of stuff to buy. We just got a bit of hard time haggling. But all is good, I got good stuff for souvenirs such as keychains, pens and chopsticks. Most of the stuff that I got sell for 10,000 won.

After getting tired of the walking we also went for night snacks at the food stalls in the area. We may have failed at finding the way to N-Seoul Tower, but hey it wasn't a bad day at all.

DMZ: And the hope for tomorrow

2012-01-07T19:33:00.000-08:00

One of the tours we joined during our brief stay in Seoul is the DMZ tour. We toured around the DMZ area for half a day together with the rest of the CS Manila.

On our second day in Seoul, we left for the early train to the city and meet the group at their hostel near Euljiro line.

Around 7am we left their hostel, boarded the bus to DMZ. Although it seems an interesting trip for me, I was hoping we could have gone to the other tour that lets tourists into the meeting area with the DMZ security!

Anyway, the first stop in the DMZ tour is this bridge they call the Freedom Bridge.

We then went and walked down one of the tunnels. Cameras were not allowed.

By the way near the Freedom bridge there will be shops to buy snack. I got a spam kimbap and coffee since we haven't had any breakfast yet.

After that we went to the observatory where you can have a brief glimpse of the land across the DMZ border.

Last stop is the Dorasan Station. Supposedly the station that should connect South Korea to North Korea. It's a great hope to finally achieve this in the future.

The DMZ tour ended with a quick trip to the Amethyst factory. Then the shuttle dropped us near Myeongdong area to have our lunch.

Myeongdong is full of shopping areas and restaurants, that's why it wasn't hard for us to enjoy the area. We loved it!

Of course, it's more Fun in the Philippines!

2012-01-07T06:29:00.000-08:00

So everyone's raving ~~(or bashing)~~ the new campaign slogan of Department of Tourist (DOT). Some like it, some don't, but if you ask me, I'd say: "It sounds good". And true enough, more than an adjective, it's a statement and an affirmation.

And look, it's so easy to personalise this tag line with your own experience of Philippines!

Here's one I just did :) Definitely, more fun in the Philippines

So in support of this campaign, here's my 10 reasons for saying to the world that indeed, it's more Fun in the Philippines.

1. Karaoke - I think I don't have to explain this. Every corner of the Philippines loves Karaoke or Videoke. We love to sing even if singing doesn't love us. LOL

2. Beaches, beaches and more beaches - Boracay and El Nido are just two of my most loved beaches in the Philippines. I'm sure there's lots of it I have yet to discover! Let's go!

El Nido, Palawan 2011

3. Food - Adobo, lechon, sinigang, balut etcetera etcetera. Don't get me started or this blog post won't be finished.

Tamilok, an exotic find in Palawan

Street food

Lovely noodles and soup at Bona's Palawan

4. Shopping - Oh yeah! The shopaholic me will surely love the tiangges and sprawling malls in the Metro! From Divisoria to Greenhills to Mall of Asia, it's love!

5. Christmas, New Year, Birthdays, Weddings just about any celebration - The love for good times, family and merriment is totally something Philippines will be known for. We are even known to have the longest Christmas season!

A Birthday card from my colleagues at work

6. Commuting- Jeepneys, tricycle, habal-habal. There's a variety of choice to get you from point a to b. The adventurous me even tried the topload jeep going down the mountain of Ifugao!

7. Speech, Language and Dialects - We seem to be one of the best English speaking countries in Asia but we do have dialects in some provinces. Our Filipino language is a mix of Spanish, Malay, Chinese etc. and the Gay-linggo!

8. Water activities - Being an archipelago, the country boasts a lot of water activities such as swimming in Boracay, diving in Coron, White-water rafting in Cagayan de Oro and Surfing in Siargao!

Swimming in Nagsasa

9. History and culture - Our great historical background, from the first inhabitants to Lapu-lapu's time, Magellan, Spaniards, Japanese and American occupation, oh the story is full of action and drama all weaved together.

10. Filipinos - Yes, the people itself are fun-loving citizens of the world. We get hit by natural calamities but notice when cameras are on, people flash their smiles and wave their hands to say: "We will be fine. Everything will be alright". We are known to be warm and hospitable to visitors too.

With CouchSurfing Manila, Nagsasa Summer Ender

So hey, why do you think it's more fun in the Philippines

When in Korea, Eat Kimchi

2011-12-31T00:46:00.000-08:00

Well, this post is basically dedicated to the food that we tried during the trip, not just Kimchi!

Whenever I travel overseas I also try and taste what their food are like.

So in this post, I'd like to share what you could expect to eat if you are not really familiar with their dishes, like myself.

The descriptions of the dishes are taken from Wikipedia, my ever best friend.

1. Kimchi - is a traditional fermented Korean dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, green onions or cucumber. It is the most common banchan, or side dish, in Korean cuisine.

I got to try Kimchi even before we went to Korea. It was okay dish for me. I can eat it once in a while. There was a time we were in Korea and we just got so used to having Kimchi so we were so excited to finally see Burger King!

2. Samgyeupsal - is a popular Korean dish. Commonly served as an evening meal, it consists of thick, fatty slices of pork belly meat (similar to uncured bacon). The meat, usually neither marinated nor seasoned, is cooked on a grill at the diners' table. Usually diners grill the meat themselves and eat directly from a grill.

On our first night in Busan, we head to this nice Korean restaurant and ordered Samyeopsal. We loved it. There's a variety of unlimited side-dishes, including Kimchi. The dish we had only cost 10,000 KRW, that's already for the four of us.

3. Dakgalbi - is a popular South Korean dish generally made by stir-frying marinated diced chicken in a gochujang (chili pepper paste) based sauce, and sliced cabbage, sweet potato, scallions, onions and tteok (rice cake) together on a hot plate. It is a local specialty food for the city of Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, where dak galbi originates. Because of its origin, the dish is also called Chuncheon dak galbi.

On our first night in Seoul, we get to try this nice dish. Yum, I got to eat some rice. Yay!

4. Bulgogi - is a Korean dish that usually consists of marinated barbecued beef, although chicken or pork may also be used.

5. Bibimbap - is a signature Korean dish. The word literally means "mixed meal." Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating. It can be served either cold or hot.

I loved bibimbap when I first got to try it during my trip in Sydney. It's full of everything - vegetables, rice, spicy sauce and meat. It's my perfect dish!

6. Kimbap - is a popular Korean dish made from steamed white rice (bap) and various other ingredients, rolled in gim (sheets of dried laver seaweed) and served in bite-size slices. Gimbap is often eaten during picnics or outdoor events, or as a light lunch, served with danmuji or kimchi.

This photo is a spam filled kimbap, which I ate during our trip to DMZ. It's nice for a quick snack if you are on the go.

7. Soju - is a distilled beverage native to Korea. Its taste is comparable to vodka, though often slightly sweeter due to sugars added in the manufacturing process. It is usually consumed neat.

The one on the right is the Soju. On the left is the Korean beer, I think.

Most brands of soju are made in South Korea. Though it is traditionally made from rice, most modern producers of soju use supplements or even replace rice with other starches, such as potatoes, wheat, barley, sweet potatoes, or tapioca.

8. Galbi - generally refers to a variety of gui or grilled dishes in Korean cuisine that is made with marinated beef (or pork) short ribs in a ganjang-based sauce (Korean soy sauce).[1] In the Korean language, galbi literally means "rib" and can often indicate uncooked ribs. In addition, the dish's full name is galbi gui, although "gui" (grilling) is commonly omitted to refer to it.

Okay, now this made me hungry and miss Korea all the more!

I'm sure there's more other delicious stuff to try in Korea aside from the one I've listed. But truly, I did enjoy their food and of course, the Kimchi!

Gyeongbokgung Palace

2011-12-30T23:02:00.000-08:00

The first stop in our Seoul-searching day is the Gyeongbokgung Palace.

We took the train and stopped at Gyeongbokgung station.

Gyeongbokgung, also known as Gyeongbokgung Palace or Gyeongbok Palace, is a royal palace located in northern Seoul, South Korea. First constructed in 1394 and reconstructed in 1867, it was the main and largest palace of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty. The name of the palace, Gyeongbokgung, translates in English as "Palace of Shining Happiness."
Nearly destroyed by the Japanese government in the early 20th century, the walled palace complex is slowly being restored to its original form prior to destruction. As of 2009, roughly 40 percent of the original number of palace buildings still stand or are reconstructed. - from Wikipedia

We had a great time taking photos at the G-Palace. Plus we were in time to catch the changing of guards which happens every hour. There were a lot of tourist as well so yeah, it was a challenge to get a photo without them at the background. We didn't try to go inside the palace since it's already about to close in an hour. We just then sufficed ourselves with the views outside and...photo op with the Korean guards and police!

It was awesome to see right in the middle of bustling city, a temple such as this. I'm quite mesmerized that it is well maintained and tourist friendly and accessible - very near the train station.

We walked across to find more wonderful sights to see and yes to celebrate our freedom to be camera happy!

Seoul Searching

2011-12-30T22:01:00.000-08:00

South Korea is such a big surprise for me. I thought I would only be interested because I just wanted to try skiing. But I was totally wrong. I liked it more than the skiing - which I actually didn't get to try.

Anyway, there's so much to see in Busan, let alone Seoul. So I made a promise to go back to make sure I cover all of the places we missed. Promise!

On our first day in Seoul, we basically just decided to head to the city and visit the temple and perhaps wherever our feet could take us. Although I had sketched a plan, we didn't follow it since we got up quite late and well, we just want to take our time. Haha. But yeah, we could have covered more if we stick to it.

We went around Kim's Club, which is a nice grocery full of nice find. We should have shopped here before we went back to Busan.

Before we head to the tour, we decided to grab breakfast at a nearby food court before heading out to the city.

I just have to get my quick coffee fix!

Free Shuttle from Busan to Seoul

2011-12-30T21:06:00.000-08:00

A few weeks after I have booked our ticket, we started to research about our plans for the trip and got the information about their free shuttle. This is a great help for us since we don't want to spend too much on transpo.

So we checked the website and it was very easy to reserve a seat. There's a catch though. You may reserve but the seat will not be confirmed until two weeks before your trip and passengers are actually chosen by drawing lots. A few months passed and lucky enough we got the confirmation.

For more information on the free shuttle and other treats from South Korea's Visit Korea Year, go to the following site: Free Shuttle - VISIT Korea Year

After our quick tour around Busan on our first day, we head to Seomyon to grab a quick lunch at the mall's food court.

After that fulfilling lunch we walked to Lotte World Hotel's lobby to wait for the shuttle bus. We waited a few minutes and the bus arrived. It was time to leave Busan for a while.

I'd say the getting the shuttle bus was very convenient. It was our quick chance at getting some rest after a day of wandering in Busan.

We had one stop over to get some food and toilet-break. After around five hours we then arrived in a rather colder Seoul.

From central Seoul, we need to get to the train and head to our host's place.

We got to meet another CS'er named, Paul, near Cheolsan station. He brought us to a nice Korean place to have dinner.

It was a great night. We had fun with the Soju game. We also tried some shooting game and the 3D ride.

After dinner we head to his place to take some rest. We definitely can't wait for the next day to explore Seoul.

Haedong Younggungsa Temple

2011-12-24T04:12:00.000-08:00

Since we are very pressed for time, we just chose to head to this temple found in a cliff as recommended by our tour guide friends.

It's the Haedong Younggungsa Temple. It's definitely a must to go to this beautiful temple. The view is really amazing.

It's a mysterious-looking temple established on rocks and stones near the sea. According to the guide it's famous for the glorious sunrise lighting up over the East Sea.

From early in the morning, the temple is crowed with people wanting to see the beautiful sunrise.

We got there by taking a train and taxi. It was almost lunch we arrived. There were also a number of tourists and students taking their field trip, I suppose.

At the entrance there are some food stands and souvenir shops. I was tempted to buy some but I thought I'll just buy them at the shopping center when we come back to Busan.

We went walking down the stairs going to the temple. There was even this area where I dropped a coin to wish!

It was nice walking around the area. There were cute little buddhas on display. I wanted to get one!

There was a also a room full of buddhas where I think people enclose their wishes. I was also tempted to adopt one buddha for my wish. Anyway, maybe I'll do it next time.

We get the chance to drink water from this area. It's probably a miracle water? So I took it.

Gwangalli Beach and Gwangan Bridge

2011-12-24T02:55:00.000-08:00

On our officially first day of stay in Busan, we met Kath's wonderful friends/students who have offered to take us around. It was really a cool bunch and we definitely enjoyed their company.

Our first stop was to get something to eat as we haven't eaten anything yet for breakfast. We walked to the Gwangalli Beach. The view is really amazing. Plus, the weather is fairly better than last night and sun is up but still with that chilly feeling.

I forgot the name of the place, but I remember it's just right on the great spot to check out the Gwangan Bridge. We then ordered our food.

I had a rice porridge with bean sprouts. It's an interesting dish as it has nice soup (I love soups!) although it's not too salty for me. The lady gave us this fish paste to put onto it if we want to put some flavor. I liked the fish paste because I kinda like salty foods.

After the nice breakfast we went walking along the beach and took many beautiful photos until it's time we headed to our next stop. You'll notice nobody's swimming in the beach. Yeah, it's too cold!

Busan: Our First Surprise

2011-12-23T22:29:00.000-08:00

We left for Busan on the afternoon of 23rd November. Donned our semi-winter clothes, we boarded the Cebu Pacific plane and traveled for almost 2 and a half hours.

We arrived in the chilly Gimhae International Airport at around 9pm. We went through the usual immigration and took a cab to our hosts' place. Oh but before that, we need to get some cash so there were a few ATMs available near the exit.

TIP: If travelling overseas and plans to withdraw money thru ATM, make sure that you're ATMs are suited to be used internationally. I believe you can tell by the logo of Cirrus or MasterCard or Visa on your ATM. But to be 100% sure, drop by your nearest bank to confirm it'll work before you head off.

I actually did most of the planning which is REALLY, a bit of a challenge. I had to spend sleepless nights balancing my busy work and researching all the stuff about this trip. I did enjoy it though but it's still not easy.

We actually planned to take a bus rather than a taxi to get to our hosts' place. But we decided to take the offer of a taxi driver to take us to the place to avoid getting lost on our first night in Korea.

We were then welcomed by our very nice and warm hosts, Kath and Sandy. We know it was late at night and the two ladies should be off to bed, but they were up for a quick chat and gave us helpful directions in getting around. We also met some CS friends who dropped by to say hi.

Kath was very nice to offer us to take us to a Korean restaurant just some walking distance from their place since we are a bit hungry. We haven't had dinner since we we left Manila. We had a really nice serving of Samgyeopsal ( I hope that's correct!) for the five of us. That meal was really cheap and we were really happy and stuffed!

After the meal we head to take a walk near the bridge. Across the bridge is one of the largest malls in the world which is Shinsegae Centum City. Amazingly, we didn't have the chance to enter this mall during our stay in Busan. That is why we really have to go back.

It was getting really cold that night so the four of us decided to go back and take a rest. The next day's going to be more fun. We are going around Busan with Kath's friends.

The Surprise that is South Korea

2011-12-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

The first and foremost reason I wanted to go to South Korea is to catch the winter season! I suppose it is the closest country I could get to to fulfill this wish. It's been a long time dream to finally see, feel and experience winter and snow. When I learned that South Korea is also one of Cebu Pacific's destination, I promised myself I'd find a way to book a promo fare when I get that chance.

And the chance came last February of 2011. Cebu Pacific offered 70% off on limited international destinations. What's cool is that, I'm not travelling alone and I got a bunch of travel hippies with me from CS Manila. It was another long wait, I tell you. But as I always say, the wait is definitely worth it!

Ok, so we booked and I realised we've booked it a few days early for their winter season. Anyhow, it didn't break my excitement. South Korea is still South Korea and I'm heading there with or without snow!

The big trip happened on the 23rd of November. We arrived in Busan and then to headed to Seoul too.

Well, it took a while to put up and prepare everything.

Firstly, we need the visa. It is good that South Korea do not charge fee for Filipinos applying for tourist visa. You only need to pass the required documents, wait for a few days and then claim it at the embassy. Easy! I'll get a separate post about the visa application for you curious kiddos! But the best bet of course is to head to their website for latest information.

As I mentioned, I travelled with my CS friends. And yes we all decided, we went CouchSurfing in Busan and Seoul. This is my second time CouchSurfing overseas. It's definitely a great experience.

In summary, we almost spent 2 days in Busan and 3 days in Seoul. BUT, it wasn't really enough! I have made another promise to myself I will go back! :)

Follow through the next posts for the details of my trip in Busan and Seoul.

Hey, It's Christmas Time

2011-12-23T18:54:00.000-08:00

I'm very happy today because it's weekend and tonight is Christmas Eve!

I woke up this morning not thinking about work but actually planning of updating my blog, finally. It's been a month since we've flown to South Korea and now is the time I got to put all the thoughts up in my blog. It has been quite busy at work so I have very little choice, that is to delay the South Korea posts even if I'm really itching already to write about it!

But hey, before anything else, here's a short clip I'd like to share to all you lovely readers of my blog!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thanks so much for reading, commenting and viewing my humble blog, the fruit of my travel addiction. I got you all something special...

Surf and Music Festival at Baler, Aurora

2011-11-01T00:26:00.000-07:00

I've just been to the 3 day and 2 nights trip in Baler, Aurora and I must say I definitely had a great time.

Surf Up

Baler, the capital of Aurora, is a coastal town located in eastern Luzon some 230 km from Manila. Aside from having a very unique geography, Baler's waves during September to February attract troops of surfers from all over the Philippines.

Baler is considered to be the birthplace of surfing in the Philippines. It happened when the crew members of the 1979 film Apocalypse Now left their surfboards for the locals to use!

- Details taken from Surfvival Manual

Lots of activities were prepared by the organizers, Aloha Boardsports and TravelFactor. This is my first time to join a TravelFactor group and I must say, I'm happy with our first experience.

We left the meet up point at around 11pm on Friday, 28th October at Ynares Center in Ortigas. After around 8 hours on the road, we arrived finally.

We were checked-in at a fan room at Little Surfer Girls Lodge, which is quite close to the shore.

After a few minutes of resting, we were supposed to start with our free Surf Lessons but we hesitated as it's too hot and thought we can do it on Monday instead.

We then had lunch at the Bahia de Baler Bar & Grill. I'm stuffed as usual!

In the afternoon there was a Frisbee Clinic but we weren't too keen to have another activity in the sun so we decided to just head to town and explore other sites in Baler. We were glad to have had the chance to visit the Museo de Baler, the town plaza, Quezon's house and have enough time to buy pasalubong at the souvenir shops!

Later that night there was a line-up of band playing that capped off our first night.

On the second day we woke up with a gloomy and rainy morning. The Surfvivor Challenge is supposed to start but have to be moved later when the weather has improved. Abby and myself just decided to take our breakfast at Bay's Inn. The breakfast is also included in the package.

A few minutes later, we heard news that the Surfvivor has started so we head to the site to marvel at the surfers joining the competition. It was a cool contest and everybody performed well on each of the divisions.

Later on we head to town again to have late lunch and then went to hear mass at the church.

We head back to our lodge and rest for a while and later that night head to the second night of the music festival. Abby is looking forward to see Echo and Basti (Wolfgang). The concert ended around 2am but we didn't complain as we had so much fun, even if it rained a bit during the concert.

On our third day, sadly our last day in Baler, we had our usual breakfast and then finally head to the surfing lessons.

I was a little scared to see the waves but kuya assisted me and gave me enough instructions on what to do. And the first timer that I am, I wasn't able to stand up right but at least I can sit on the surfboard! Haha. Anyway, it was quite a nice experience, if not for the heat of the sun I could have mustered more energy to finally get myself to stand up.

After the surfing lesson, Abby and myself went on to go up the Ermita Hill. We rented the tricycle for 150 pesos to take us up and back to the beach.

Ermita Hill sits a top and has a great view of Baler and the shoreline. View was magnificent of course.

We then head back to our lodge to fix up ourselves and get ready to check out. After check out we had lunch and then a few minutes later boarded our bus back to Manila!

Overall, I had a very nice and relaxing experience in Baler. And you know what's great is that we didn't have to bother and plan for itinerary and activities because everything is set and we just decide if want to go or not. We had complete set of things to do and it lessened the stress. So good job to TravelFactor and its organizers!

I hope to try more of the surfing next time! Also, thanks to Abby for getting me to join this and taking care of our booking :)

I'm still pumped up with the happenings in Baler, I thought of making up a video montage instead.

Here you go, enjoy!

Great Travelers Garage Sale

2011-10-22T03:52:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad to be part of the first ever Great Travelers Garage Sale. It was an idea by the Sole Sisters Lois and Chi Chi which gathers like minded travelers hoping to fund their next travel pursuit, the idea of the garage sale seems a good idea to kick start our goals.

The garage sale featured wonderful items like clothes, shoes, slippers, books, bags and all sort of stuff from fellow travelers. The sale started morning and lasted until afternoon.

I was able to sell my old canon camera, some lanyards, the bangles and a pen!

Here are some photos. Thanks to WeAreSoleSisters for coming up with this. I think we are cooking up another one, soon I hope! To Monette of Flip 'n Travels for hosting the garage sale in their humble home and to those who also dropped by! Til the next one!

Shoes for sale!

Aileen and Mallow visits me at the garage

Gian, a fellow couchsurfer also dropped by and gave me a gift!

Happy shoppers

Paul, Monette, Tito Ed and Gian

Sorting out stuff

Bags, books, clothes

Accessories and Books on display

These cute purses for 100 pesos

Lovely shoes!

A buyer checks out the clothes

The Tadpole-shaped Fortress called Corregidor Island

2011-10-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

The main reason for traveling to Corregidor Island is for our group's team building which happened way back around March of 2010. Aside from the fact that we get to bond with each other, it was great and interesting to find the amazing sights and stories behind the once defense fortress during the World War II.

The Tadpole-shaped Corregidor Island

The experience was a mix of sadness, creepiness and pride. Anyhow, it was definitely a trip worth doing. You can either take a day trip or if you fancy discovering the island further, I suggest spend an overnight stay. There's so many activities to do. There is only one hotel in the island unless you are the adventurous type, you can pitch a tent as well. When we went there, a group of photography students were also in the area and they stayed near the beach and slept in their tents. Cool eh!

From Wikipedia:

During World War II, Corregidor played an important role during the invasion and liberation of the Philippines from Japanese forces. Heavily bombarded in the latter part of the war, the ruins left on the island serves as a military memorial to several American, Filipino and Japanese soldiers who served or lost their lives on the island. Corregidor is one of the important historic and tourist sites in the country.

If you haven't been to Corregidor, these are the top sites I really found interesting and I'm sure you will find them capturing your hearts and soul too:

1. Malinta Tunnel
Because our group availed of the day tour in Corregidor all these sights are part of their usual itinerary. So the first stop is the Malinta Tunnel. We were actually wondering why it was named such. And true to our guesses, this tunnel used to be housed with leeches or 'linta' in Tagalog.

The Malinta tunnel used to be the hiding spot during the war.

We walked accross the tunnel and inside there's a light and sound presentation.

Lights and sound presentation

Quite creepy actually walking inside the tunnel

Can you imagine the time when soldiers kept this place as refuge?

Entrance to Malinta Tunnel

2. Filipino Heroes Memorial

This spot is a vast space with murals and statues and served as a memorial ground for our fallen soldiers who fought during the war.

3. Japanese Garden of Peace

4. World War II Bldgs

We passed by and took the opportunity to taking photos at this ruined building. Actually, there some more buildings around the area which are almost destroyed like this one on the photo.

5. Battery grounds

The battery grounds refer to these spots with cannons and mortars. It was amazing to walk thru the paths. I can feel that kind of chill to imagine those day during the war.

6. Pacific War Memorial

There was a nice museum at this area. You will find different artifacts during the war. It's interesting to see these as well.

Marker of the Pacific War Memorial

At the far end from the marker is a solar powered 'Eternal Flame'. I'm not sure if it did light up.

7. Corregidor Lighthouse

Some of our group went up the lighthouse. The view was stunning

8. Remains of the hospital

Some of us actually dreaded to to this site. Knowing it was a hospital but still didn't survive the war, we all knew well, lots of people could have also died instantly during those times.

We still got the chance to go up the building even thought it seems it's gonna break up any moment.

For some reasons, this was one of the site that gave me a little chilly feeling. I don't know why.

9. Sunset

I forgot the spot where we caught a glimpse of the sunset. But from this site you will also be able to catch the smaller island named Caballo Island.

10. Night Lateral Tour of Malinta Tunnel

Of course, this would have to be the scariest part! After a day of going around the island, part of the tour is the Night Lateral Tour of the tunnel. It's an exciting and at the same time scary. We had to wear head gear as we had to crawl into small passages.

I won't spoil the fun to those who haven't been there so I will not give too much details. But I suggest do this tour if you happen to be in Corregidor and will be spending the night.

and there's more attractions you can discover around the island...

South Beach

A chapel in Corregidor

This is my second entry so far for the monthly Pinoy Travel Bloggers' Blog Carnival. This month's theme is "Dark Tourism: Philippines in Focus" hosted by Gael of The Pinay Solo Backpacker

Travel Talks 2 with the Sole Sisters

2011-09-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

I was really looking forward to joining the Session 2 of the Sole Sisters' Travel Talks last Thursday. It was a weekday but that didn't stop me from going. I tried to leave the office a little early so I can be on time. Luckily, I got to ROX just in time to join in the dancing of Papa Americano! :)

Four wonderful speakers shared very helpful tips on traveling, photography and backpacking. There's James of JourneyingJames giving 10 Tips on backpacking, Estan of Langyaw with his tips on travel photography, Chi Chi of WeAreSoleSisters with her tips on preparing their 6 month long SEA backpacking trip and Lois, also of WeAreSoleSisters with the 100,000 pesos budgeting tip for their 6 month journey.

As usual, I was inspired again to do and jump into my own adventure of a lifetime. I'm taking it step by step that next year my first ever solo trip in the Philippines will debut with a trip down south!

It was also a nice event where I get to meet other Pinoy Travel Bloggers and friends from CouchSurfing. Apart from that, there were also games and free food afterwards. It was definitely worth attending.

If you haven't had the chance to join the first two sessions, they have the last one coming up this Sunday, 18th September. It'll be travel story and talent sharing night. Definitely a fun event to end the Travel Talk series with a bang! So go ahead and sign-up now - Travel Talk Session 3 - Travel Story Sharing Night

Photo credits: Grabbed from Kath of CS Manila and Lois/Chi chi of WeAreSoleSisters

A Weekend Trip to Bicolandia

2011-09-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

I was so desperate to go out of town last long weekend. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't cooperating then and like many others I was stuck at home sleeping and just staying indoors. Gladly, last week a CS friend has invited me to join them to travel to Legaspi, Albay. I thought about it for a while since we are only going to travel on a weekend and because of work commitments I cannot afford to take another leave. Well, I was actually saving up my leaves for my travel on November and for next year!

Friday evening, I left the office to board the bus heading to Daet. One of my objectives as well for this weekend trip is to get another stamp at the Rizal monument in Daet, Camarines Norte! I was travelling with another CS friend, Charlie. He is coming from Cubao, but I decided to take the bus from Pasay which is near my office. The bus stops at the Pasay terminal at 9 PM. The bus fare costs 730 pesos one way. After a few around 7 hours we reached Daet - 4:30 AM. Since the stamp site is not yet open we decided to get something to eat a nearby lugawan station!

Lugawan sa Daet

We walked to the monument and just got some photos. There was a Jollibee just at the other end so we decided to stop by there and perhaps have our second session of breakfast. Okay, so I had pancakes and coffee. I was really stuffed.

Oldest Rizal Monument

It was so long ago

When the sun was finally shining, we walked to the capitol building again to finally get my Rizal stamp. Good thing it was already open at 6 AM. We looked and waited for kuya guard to place the stamp. Since we are meeting the other group in Legaspi, we actually still need to travel from Daet to Legaspi.

I need to log my name to be validated

Stamped in Daet!

Capitol Building in Daet

We dropped by the church

From Daet, we took the tricycle that took us to the terminal for vans. Tricycle costs 8 pesos. This is where we will board a van to Naga, then from Naga, take another van going to Legaspi.

The vans leave the terminal as soon as its filled up, so you may have to actually wait a while. The cost for the van to Naga is 145 pesos, travel time of around 2 hours.

From Naga, we wanted to drop by the mall but it was still closed. So we just decided to ride the next van to Legaspi instead. Naga to Legaspi costs 150 pesos, travel time of around 2.5 hours.

We arrived in Legaspi at noon. We have booked to stay at Mayon View Apartelle. Tricycle could be a bit expensive, our tricycle to the accommodation cost us 30 pesos each.

Since it was lunch time, we went to the mall to eat. We had lunch at Chicboy which was newly opened at that time. From our hotel to the mall, tricycle costs 15 pesos.

After lunch we went back to the hotel to wait for the rest of the group. After a while, Jay, Sam and Martin arrived.

Our plan for the day is to climb up Lignon Hill and view the majestic Mt. Mayon. But since the group were hungry, we went back to the mall again. We ate at Bigg's Diner. It looks somewhat like an American restaurant and had nice look and feel! While waiting we were entertained with answering the sudoku on the paper placemat.

With Sam and Charlie

Sudoku while you wait

Entrance to Lignon Hill

After the fulfilling meal, we took another tricycle to Lignon Hill, which is 20 pesos each person. The tricycle won't be able to go up so we had to hike up the hill. It was probably 15 to 20 minutes hike. The entrance to the hill costs 20 pesos.

The view at the top is overwhelming! We are so lucky to have finally seen the unobstructed view of the perfect cone of Mt. Mayon! There is a zipline also for those who want to try it.

Myself and Mt.Mayon

Majestic Mt. Mayon

We took lots of photos and later on decided to head to Embarcadero de Legaspi for dinner.

Embarcadero is great for chilling and should offer a nice view of Mayon on a good weather. We got our dinner in one of the restaurants, unfortunately when we ordered Bicol Express, it wasn't available.

There are a couple of shops in Embarcadero if you are the shopaholic type.

We went back to the hotel to rest and prepare for the next day. It was funny because we had enjoyed sleeping that we woke up so late in the afternoon and was only ready to check out.

We just had lunch again at Embarcadero and rested a while. We didn't have time left for other activities anyway. We had to be at the terminal at 6:15 as it was the departure time for the bus back to Manila.

Walking around Embarcadero shops

From Legaspi to Manila, we took the Deluxe bus worth 1,100 and arrived in Manila at around 4 AM.

Wow, it was such a quick but also fun trip. As always, it would have been better if we have spent more time to explore but nonetheless I'm fine with that spur of the moment trip with CS friends.

I can't wait to travel with my backpack again! :)

Itinerary Summary: Manila - Daet (Rizal Monument) - Naga - Legaspi - Lignon Hill - Embarcadero

Transpo:
Bus - Manila to Daet - 735
Van - Daet to Naga - 145
Van - Naga to Legaspi - 150
Bus - Legaspi to Manila - 1,100

Tricycle around Legaspi depends on location and haggling skills :)

Entrance fee:
Lignon Hill - 20

The See-saw and the Cubby House

2011-09-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

"A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors (where it may be called a tot lot in some regions.[1])"

That's the copy-pasted definition of a playground from our online best friend Wikipedia.

I'm quite sure each one of us had that very wonderful time playing at a playground when we were kids. That very sweet moment when we were so young and care-free. Well, I've always enjoyed the playground. It's a place to meet our playmates and consume the day with nothing but joys and laughter. Most of us if not all, had a good chance of having these memories as part our growing years.

Most of us, but not all...not everyone.

More than a year ago, myself and a group of CouchSurfers hiked up the mountains of Ifugao, traveling for a total of 10 hours from Manila.

We just arrived in Lagawe

It's the first out of town trip that I did with CS. Most of them I have only met once before and some were new faces I've met right at the bus terminal. Therefore, we are mostly strangers to each other. Each of us came from different backgrounds with different personalities. Different we all are in some ways, we were common in our goal to head to the mountains. We all decided to spend a weekend to help and volunteer in building a playground for the kids of Pula.

Not looking like a playground yet

Up to this day, I'm still very thankful and humbled I got that chance to travel with the CS group and to volunteer for the playground build.

It was there that we met Felix.

Felix - our favorite

Among all the kids in Pula, Felix was the kid who made a very nice impression to me and the group. He was the kid who was always smiling. He was also one of them who helped us in painting the blocks of wood, assisted if we need anything and kept us going when we were all giving up as we climbed up the mountain bringing the sand from the river. The day before we went back to Manila, I gave Felix a small stuffed toy to thank him of the great experience we had in Pula.

Felix and the rest of the kids enjoying the camera

When I see Felix and the rest of the kids with their smile on their faces, I feel their great anticipation of the completion of the playground. I will always remember the lessons I got from this volunteer work and the kids of Pula.

Kids have the right to be kids and be happy.

This playground is the medium for them to have fun, interact, learn and enjoy their youth.

Volunteering for a humble cause is one of the most liberating experience.

After a day of work, we are still poised for the camera

Definitely a rewarding experience

I've done some charity work at school before but that was because it was part of our curriculum, but this volunteer work was something that struck me in many ways because I did it on my own initiative. I tried to tell myself I want to change the world even in my very own small way.

Pula playground cubby house

Yay! There's now a see-saw

That volunteer didn't end with one visit. We went back a few months after we heard the playground is finally complete. It was great to see the kids the second time. Felix has always had his welcoming smile. That time I have a couple of small notebooks as tokens for the kids as I know for the fact we won't be back anytime soon since the playground was almost completed. Seeing them so delighted is priceless.

Rand, Felix and the kids showing off the small notebooks

After more than one year, myself and the rest of the group that volunteered at the playground, plans to revisit the place on October. We definitely hope to see the kids again enjoying the small world that we created for them.

Photo Credits: Two photos came from a CS friend Billy :)

This is my very first entry to Pinoy Travel Bloggers' Blog Carnival, now in it's 11th edition (if I'm not mistaken). :)

Theme for this month of September is “Unforgettable Human Encounters on the Road” and hosted by Marky Ramone Go of Nomadic Experiences.

There's a total of 32 entries for this month's Blog Carnival, go check it out on the link above! ;)

I'm going Solo

2011-08-30T03:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I woke up with an overflowing number of text messages from a CS friend telling me about another Piso fare from Cebu Pacific. Of course, I didn't think twice and got myself up in no time. I logged on to my laptop and hurriedly entered all sorts of destinations and dates that should have a piso promo! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to grab the one that my friend was hoping to get. *Sad* We were actually looking forward to going to flying to Virac!

I wasn't quite happy and so I thought of checking more destinations. As I was actually planning to also finish up the Rizal stamps, I tried and see if I can find one that could get me to either Iloilo or better, Zamboanga or Dipolog. Luckily there were still piso fares available on the dates I selected. Without much thinking, I booked the Manila to Dipolog roundtrip flight for 27th to 29th of January.

Did I say it was only a ticket for myself? Haha! Yes, I might be travelling solo this time! I'm not too sure if there will still be chances I could be travelling with a group but as of this moment, this looks like my first ever trip on my own. And a back packing trip first time on the southern part of the Philippines. I'm not sure if my family will be surprised or what but, hey, will see!

I'm not yet that much excited although I guess I'm really looking forward to it! Woohoo!

Dipolog Cathedral
Source: http://www.dipologcity.com/At_the_Gate.jpg

Map showing Dipolog
Source: http://www.zamboanga.com/z/images/0/0d/Zamboanga_del_norte_dipolog.png

Rant or Rave: Dumaluan Beach Resort (Panglao, Bohol)

2011-08-21T02:34:00.000-07:00

One last post for today! Is my experience at Dumaluan Beach Resort.

This is a trip with my sister last September. The whole travel package is pre-arranged and we chose Dumaluan Beach because it has good reviews and the cheapest we can find during that time.

Me and my sister decided to make this trip because we had a feeling she will be flying to UK soon and thus, this will be my despedida getaway treat for her.

I have no qualms about this resort. And the beach is definitely stunning. It can't quite compare it to the liveliness of Boracay because for one, I didn't find the time to walk around because me and sis were really tired on our first day.

The resort has it's own pool which we only tried on our last day. We also liked the food served during breakfast - we actually had a buffet styled breakfast and I think their prices are reasonable.

They have very accommodating staffs as well who made sure our stay in the island was memorable. We even had a chat with one of the waiters who also used to work in Manila but had to go back to Bohol due to the harder life in the city.

Lovely beach during lunch time

DBR's Welcome at the beach

The restaurant

Myself at the restaurant entrance

Nipa huts along the beach

Nice and quiet...relaxing

We got ref and tv

Nice and clean toilet and bath tub

Outside our room is a small coffee table

My and my sister waiting for our breakfast

Clean and refreshing pool

At the resorts lobby, waiting for our transfer

More information about Dumaluan Beach Resort:
http://www.dumaluanbeach.com/

DUMALUAN BEACH RESORT, PANGLAO, BOHOL, PHILIPPINES
E-MAIL: RESORT@DUMALUANBEACH.COM
LANDLINE: 038 502-9092
FAX: 038-502-9081
MOBILE: +639178834888(GLOBE)

Rant or Rave: Tans Guesthouse Boracay

2011-08-21T01:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm getting really pumped up to reviewing other accommodations in Boracay. I've been missing the beach so much!

On my third trip to the island, I traveled with my parents and a few family members on my mother's side. This time we only spent one night because we wanted to explore the rest of the Panay island.

I actually got the idea of this guesthouse from the post of Ms.Nina of Justwandering.org . The guesthouse is not beach front but is just a 1-2 minute walk and whola, you will find the relaxing white beach!

I chose this because of the nice review I have read from Ms.Nina's blog. Also, it was very close to D'Mall so we have the very quick access to the restaurants and shops!

Because we are almost seven people, I had to book 2 rooms. One at the first floor and one at the second floor. Both rooms have A/C, toilet and bath and free Wifi! They of course have the usual toiletries handy and towels to use.

I loved this place mainly because it has nice rooms and really very close to the beach and the mall.

My favorite beach

Cozy bed for my parents

Outside the room there is a towel hanger

Tans Guest House entrance

The way that leads to the beach

If I ever go back to Boracay next year, I might as well stay here again! :)

More information on Tans Guesthouse:
http://www.tghboracay.com/

MS NET SACAPAÑO
Telephone: 036 288 6878
Mobile: 09285000040 / 09209202481 (FROM 9 AM - 6 PM)
EMail tgh_bora@yahoo.com