On Foot

Traveling with Friends

2017-02-11T01:54:00.000-08:00

I found my love for traveling from an early age. My parents used to take the family on out of town trips. My fondest memories from childhood were when we used to go Corregidor Island every summer, and we would go with my cousins as well.

As a teen, I only got to travel for on family reunions, field trips, school retreats. And then I joined an organization which gave me the opportunity to travel more. All those times, I never minded traveling the distance. In fact, I've always enjoyed the scenery while I traveled.

2009 started my best travel experiences. It was the time I started traveling with friends who have since become my travel buddies, until now. However, over time, several of my friends started getting married one by one, and now the only ones able to travel are us single ladies. I miss traveling with my best buddies. But that's just how it is. Change happens and priorities change.

This year, I look forward to traveling with three of my friends. Our next stop... Hong Kong. Hopefully this won't be the last of it.

Some photo throwbacks of my years traveling with my lovely friends.


Puerto Galera 2009


Bohol 2010

Coron 2011

Camiguin 2012

Cagayan De Oro 2012


Bukidnon 2012


Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2015

Singapore 2015

Siem Reap, Cambodia 2016

Damnoen Saduak, Thailand

Bangkok 2016

2016, Phuket

Angkor Wat Sunrise Tour

2016-06-30T09:32:00.001-07:00

This is the first time lapse video I've taken.

I highly recommend taking a sunrise tour of the Angkor Wat. And here are some of the reasons why should you consider doing this.

It can get very hot in Siem Reap that you can feel like you're having a fever when the hot wind blows in the afternoon. So it's best to start your tour when it's not yet that hot.
You can take really nice silhouette photos of the Angkor Wat.
The Angkor Archaeological Park is really huge so starting early is best.

Here are some tips when you take this tour:

Make sure to leave your hotel very early. It's about a 30 or 40-minute ride on a tuktuk.
If your tuktuk driver says he'll pick you up at 5:00 am, make sure you're ready by 5:00 am.
There are thousands of tourists wanting to do the tour and vying for a good spot to take photos or videos of the sunrise, that's why it pays to be early to avoid long queues at the ticketing center and to get a good spot for taking that perfect photo or video.
I feel the best place for that perfect photo is by the pond so you get really nice silhouette shots with the Angkor reflected on the water.

Check this out!

I Will Have My First Ever Trip Abroad Next Month

2013-04-14T00:00:00.002-07:00

It's been a while since I wrote anything on this blog. I created this hoping to write about my travels and make suggestions for travelers especially those who are on a budget.

Anyway, for the past four years, I had been traveling with my friends all over the country - Puerto Galera, Bohol, Coron, Camiguin, Cagayan De Oro, and Budkidnon. But next month, on May 2, I will leave the country for Phuket, Thailand and it's going to be my first ever travel experience out of the country.

For that, I plan to chronicle my travel and hopefully give travel tips as I go along.

See you until then.

Affordable Coron Tour Package: Leidy's Coron Tours

2012-02-18T01:03:00.001-08:00

When my friends and I were looking for a Coron tour package, the search took us several weeks as we realized that a 4D3N package would be really expensive. Our budget range was within 5,000-6000. But the packages that we saw were about 8,000-9,000 especially since we wanted a tour that included a trip to the Calauit Safari.

We contacted several tour companies to get the best deal. Until one night, a friend found an advertisement on 88DB.com about a tour guide. I sent an email to Ms. Leidy of Leidy's Coron Tour. I didn't get a reply at once, but one day in January, she called me and quoted a price of 4,900/pax for a 4D3N at coron including Calauit Safari tour. She gave us that price because there were 17 of us.

Tour inclusions:

- Roundtrip land transfer via van (airport-hotel-airport)

- 4 days 3 nights accommodation at the private house

- 3 set of breakfast meal

- Buffet lunch during island hopping tour

- Coron inland tour (private and exclusively for the group only)

- Two days of island hopping (private and exclusively for the group only)

- All entrance fees

- Permits and taxes

- Life vest

- Boatman and tour guide during the tour

We agreed on the package. We stayed at Tameta House. The tour was great, the food was superb, and Coron is beautiful. Ms. Leidy and her staff cooked lunch at the boat. It was great - fresh seafood all the time and lots of fruits. It was like a feast. Then the afternoon snacks were great as well. We got energized after getting hungry from all the swimming we had to do.

If you need a tour coordinator in Coron, try Leidy's Coron Tour. She has prices for different packages on her Multiply site. If she's not able to respond soon oline, that's because she goes on tour with her guests also. You can check out Ms. Leidy's pages:

Facebook
Multiply

Or send her SMS: 09999936639 and 09154435633
or call: pldt 4756208

Where to Stay in Coron

2011-11-19T18:59:00.001-08:00

Tameta Pension House

*Receiving area at the left and the dinig area at the right on the first floor
photo courtesy of Leidy De Ocampo of Coron Tours

In the middle of the residential area by the shore of Coron Bay is the three-storey stone lodging house, Tameta's Pension House. The lodging house's address is Bgy Poblacion 5, Coron, Palawan. It is close to other lodging houses like Patrik's Guest House and a walking distance from the town market and pier and plaza areas.

Tameta has six rooms that can accommodate up to 24 guests. There is a room that can be good for 4-6 persons at the first and second floors. The rooms at the first and second floors each have its own bathroom inside the room, airconditioning unit, cabinet, TV set, 2 double beds, and an ample space in the middle where an extra bedding can be put on the floor. A living room space is also provided outside the rooms.

*Room 1 at the 2nd floor

*Room 2

*Room 2 at the 2nd floor

2nd floor living room

The 3 rooms at the third floor can accommodate 2 persons per room. One of the rooms has its own bathroom while the other two have bathrooms outside the rooms.

*Room 1 at the 3rd floor

*Room 2 at the 3rd floor

**Third floor living area

Athe the first floor of the house, you can find the living room/receiving area and the dining area which are connected by a walkway. The owner can lend you their Magic Sing and have karaoke at the first floor living room, but you will only be allowed up to 10 p.m. (strictly) as respect to the neighbors. Coron is a very quiet town, so no Karaoke allowed beyond 10 p.m.

The living room/receiving area

**having karaoke fun at night

**The stairs and the first floor room at the back of the living area

The dining area beside the living room is an open space. Nothing to worry about flies while you eat as the place is clean and not pestered with flies or other bugs. The owner provided everything we needed for meal times including drinking water.

**first night dinner, takeout from a restaurant

Sumptuous dinner on second night

Our meals were well-provided by our tour coordinator, Ms. Leidy of Leidy's Coron Tours

There's a basketball goal at the compound grounds where you can play some hoops as an exercise in the morning or laze around in the small kubo anytime of the day. There is also a sari-sari store operated by the house's owner by the gate of the compound where you can buy anything you need. This is a plus on the convenience of your stay in the house.

Add caption

The kubo before the basketball goal

The best things about staying at Tameta Pension House are that you are within walking distance from the town and the souvenir shops, the house and the area are clean, you can have a very nice view of Coron Bay from the second floor, and you also get free Wi-Fi access. Plus, the owner and the helpers are very nice and accommodating - and good-looking. ;-)

All in all, our stay at Tameta Pension House was very comfortable.

You can check their facebook page and contact the owner through it:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/TAmetAs-penSion-HAUZ/229259650419233?sk=info

*Photos courtesy of Leidy de Ocampo, Leidy's Coron Tours

**Photos courtesy of friends who were with me in our Coron Tour, 2011