Travel diary: Melaka/Malacca

As I've said in my post here, I will share with you our unforgettable 3-day trip in Malaysia.

We arrived at the Kuala Lumpur Low Cost Carrier Terminal before 1am. Their airport was pretty easy to navigate because all the signs had English translations. Passengers were required to purchase taxi coupons from the taxi counters. Be very clear and specific with your words to ensure you get the correct price. Aside from the quantity, your bag's weight also affects the fare price. Our taxi fare to Melaka/Malacca (3 passengers with 3 medium bags) was MYR240 or around P1,082.

We were lucky to have a driver that understood English. Our driver, Satya, was very friendly, which was a good thing because he kept us awake the whole time. It took us around an hour and a half to get to Melaka. Obviously, we were pretty early for the regular check-in time. Good thing our hotel was very accommodating and didn't charge us extra even if we arrived almost 10 hours before our check-in schedule.

We stayed at 1st Inn Hotel, which we booked through Agoda, for only P2,010 per night. There were 2 double beds, CR with hot water, free towels, free water, TV... everything "basic" that you need. No toiletries though. :D

You might think it's not much, but really, this hotel was a Godsend. It's near everything we wanted to see. It was also near money changers, and some small shops that sold pasalubong, toiletries, food and spices. Plus, the receptionists were very nice. Such a steal!

Anyway, here are some more photos from our Melaka/Malacca adventure.

We had our breakfast in Selvam, which served cheap Roti with different fillings! I had the Roti Pisang (Banana) at RM 2.50 (P33.83 at that time). Unfortunately, when my parents went there early this year, Selvam was already closed. :(

The Malaysia Crew :D

Did you know that Melaka/Malacca and George Town were declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2008?

Melaka River by day.

Almost all buildings in Melaka had this color.

 We went there on a holiday so most shops were closed.

 Hello Kitty rickshaws/trishaws. Wonder how long it took them to finish designing these...

Photo: Jean Q

Jonker Walk/Street is very popular in Melaka. It has various shops selling food, souvenirs... wigs, even!

And it was there that we found the Chung Wah Chicken Rice Balls! The looong line was sooo worth it!!! The chicken rice balls were just perfect! Forgot how much this was but it's definitely easy on the wallet! I would go back to Melaka just for this.

Photo: Jean Q

 Durian Puffs. Not a fan.

Before...

After... Kept this because I love the chaos in the photo.

Melaka River at night. We took the Melaka River Cruise for RM15 (around P203). It was ok. I recommend spending your money on more chicken rice balls instead! :D

We couldn't help iiit! Since Chung Wah was already closed, we went to Baba Fred Nyonya Home Cook instead. Preferred the chicken rice balls and spicy dip of Chung Wah, but I liked Baba Fred's chicken better.

Next up: Kuala Lumpur!

Travel diary: Malaysia in 3 days

I LOVE, LOVE, LOOOVE traveling. Every time I travel, I always learn something new about myself, my companions, and the world - cultures, traditions, cuisines, governance, fashion. Because of this, I made it a point to travel at least once or twice a year. Last year, I was blessed to have been able to visit Puerto Princesa, Hong Kong, Boracay, and Malaysia.

Our Malaysia trip last October was supposed to be a couples trip: me and my boyfriend, and J (check out her blog here) and her boyfriend. Unfortunately, we found out 2 months before the trip that my boyfriend had to attend a wedding in the US at around the same time. *sigh*.

In this post, I'll share with you our itinerary, my budget, and some tips. I'll also post some photos of our trip in my next posts.

Ticket. We bought our roundtrip tickets from Cebu Pacific at P3,897, inclusive of 15kg baggage allowance. This excluded airport fees: travel tax P1,620 and terminal fee: P550. Such steep prices, considering we don't have ample CCTV cameras at the airport, huh?

Itinerary.

Day 1: Melaka/Malacca

Day 2: Kuala Lumpur: Petronas Twin Towers, Menara KL, Dining in the Dark

Day 3: Kuala Lumpur: Be Tourist Tour, Batu Caves

Budget. I carved out P20,000 from my savings, but only spent P18,323, all-in. This already included my airfare, hotel and airport fees! So happy I was able to stay within my budget and even had a few savings. Ooohhh, the power of frugality, self-discipline and a go-for-experience-and-not-things mentality. The exchange rate at that time was MYR1 = PHP13.53.

Tips.

• It's better to exchange your Philippine Peso (PHP) to US Dollars (USD), then USD to Malaysian Ringgit (MYR). The conversion rate is much better. Best to also exchange your PHP to USD in the Philippines and your USD to MYR in Malaysia.
• Before traveling, I always make it a point to research about the country's weather. In Malaysia, you can be sure that the weather is almost always hot with occasional rains. Thankfully, it didn't rain when we were there but best to be prepared as well. I suggest packing these essentials:
• Sunblock (super important if you don't want nasty sunburns!)
• Off! Lotion to fight mosquitoes
• Cover-ups such as cap, sunglasses, cardigan (light enough to lug around when you're touring but thick enough to keep you warm indoors)
• Comfortable footwear (I always bring my trusty Converse or Keds)
• Water bottle (major tipid tip!)
• Vitamins and medicines (mostly for headaches and stomachaches)
• Research, research, research! Print out maps and addresses. You might also want to research estimate fares since there are cab drivers who target innocent tourists. You should also research must-try dishes and restaurants, and must-visit places so you can make the most out of your trip.
• Fill your water bottle at the hotel before you leave so you don't have to buy outside.
• It's always a good idea to talk to the locals. You can learn so much history you can't get from Wikipedia. They're also your best source on must-try (and dirt cheap!) restaurants. These are sometimes hole-in-the-wall restaurants you won't normally see on the internet.
• Don't be afraid to try new things or taste new cuisines. To be perfectly honest, most of my favorite dishes from this trip didn't look appetizing (or clean) at all. LOL.
• ENERGY! Every single second is important so always make the most of your vacation.

Watch out for my next posts on our Malaysia trip!

Travel diary: Bacolod

I love traveling. I realized that it's really one of my passions. While I love being home, being in a different place just gives me a very light and happy feeling. It can be a local destination, an international one, or even just another city that's an hour away from home. My family really loves overnight stays and with all these crazy deals online, our family escapades have become more frequent. Aside from my family, I also love traveling with friends and my boyfriend of 6 years (yey!). Again, this is just a re-post from my old blog. I'll be going to Bacolod again this coming September so I'm pretty excited to see these places again after 3 years.

My boyfriend and I went to Bacolod for my birthday celebration 3 years ago. I know it's a long time ago but I just want to share our itinerary and experience with everyone. :) Anyway, it's a 1-day trip 'coz my parents are pretty conservative haha! Honestly, I don't think I'll be doing that kind of trip again. It's very, very, VERY stressful (yes, it deserves 3 "very"s). It's like playing Amazing Race under the scorching heat! It's fun, yes, and an adrenaline upper but I don't really recommend it, not just because of the stress factor because that I can handle. The thing is, I think it wouldn't have been as stressful if we were able to leave the airport on time. That's really one of the things I super hate about our airlines. Flights are almost ALWAYS delayed. For 1-day trips like this, it's more vital to really leave on schedule because an hour makes a huge difference. Anyway, enough about this and on to our Bacolod adventure circa 2011! Hahaha! :D

obligatory airport shot

We arrived at the Silay International Airport at around 10:30am, an hour and a half delayed. There was no time to waste ranting though. Tricycles, cabs and jeeps can easily be found outside the airport so getting around was a breeze. We went to Talisay and headed for Manukan Country where the authentic and best Chicken Inasals are found. Chicken heaven! Being a chicken lover, I made sure to include this in our list of must-dos. Best paired with toyo and calamansi (for some, with a hint of sili).

authentic chicken inasal

We didn't know any of the shops so we just picked a random one because there really was no time to dilly-dally. The food was really good! They made Chicken Inasals in Manila seem like rip-offs. :( Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take note of the store's name, but I'm sure any of those are good. Based on online reviews though, they say Aida's Chicken serves the best.

From Manukan, we went to San Sebastian Cathedral. It was well-maintained and had this really grand aura to it. After saying our prayers and taking photos, we went strolling at the Central Market and the public plaza. These 2 places were packed with people, it was crazy! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take photos of the 2 latter locations. :(

We were supposed to walk to our next destination but we just couldn't find the right street. We also had a hard time communicating with the locals since many didn't speak Filipino and/or English. Since we were running out of time and patience, we just rode a cab to ANP Showroom. ANP stands for Association of Negros Producers and sure enough, this place was a pasalubong haven. They had statues, keychains, pens, food and lot of other knick-knacks. Of course, maskaras of different sizes and colors were everywhere. For those who don't know, the MassKara Festival is one of the more popular festivals celebrated in the Philippines. From Wikipedia, "The word 'Masskara' is a portmanteau, coined by the late artist Ely Santiago from mass (a multitude of people), and the Spanish word cara (face), thus forming MassKara (a multitude of faces). The word is also a pun on maskara (Filipino for "mask"), since a prominent feature of the festival are the masks worn by participants, which are always adorned with smiling faces." Here's a wonderful display of the maskaras.

colorful maskaras

From there, we took a cab to The Ruins. Just a brief history from this site: "The mansion was built in the early 1900's by the sugar baron, Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson... The mansion was the largest residential structure ever built at that time and had in it one of the finest furniture, chinaware and decorative items..." The structure was burned down in World War 2 by guerilla fighters but to this day, the structure, albeit burnt and "ruined", still stands beautifully. Looking at it, you can't help but be awed. A lot of pre-nup photos are taken at this very place. It's breathtakingly beautiful. Definitely a must-visit. To enter, you just have to pay P50, which most probably goes to maintenance.

After The Ruins, we went to Balay Negrense. It was a house built in 1897 and was turned into a museum in 1990. It housed interesting items from the old times so it was really kind of an inspiring place, for me at least. Walking around, it made me feel blessed and at the same time sad to be living in this time. Life seemed so easy back then... Although I really couldn't imagine living during those times with the war and all that. Plus, no gadgets! How shallow! hahahaha! Of course, being in an old place, we couldn't help but feel creeped out. I was a bit scared to go through my photos from this place, for fear of seeing something or someone that shouldn't be there haha! I'm such a chicken. There's just a minimal fee of P40, again, probably for maintenance. Here's a bunch of photos from the house.

The whole time, I was dreading to see something scary. Haha! What can I say, I just find old places really spooky. I mean, just look at these photos!

Final stop: El Ideal Bakery. This was a pretty popular place and it was listed as one of the must-visit places in Bacolod. It's quite near from Balay Negrense and the airport so we decided to grab a quick bite before heading to the airport. Their most popular dish was the Guapple Pie. Sounds weird, I know. It's like apple pie with guava. Hmmkay. I still prefer apple pie but for a unique experience, I think you guys should try it as well.

For foodies out there, here are 2 other places we weren't able to visit but also had great reviews: Calea's and Felicia's. They're both located in Lacson Street so if you have time and are staying for more than a day, try to visit these as well. Let me know how their food is!

After El Ideal, it's back to the airport for us! What a day! Vans that take tourists to and from the airport stop near El Ideal so it's very convenient. These vans are likely your Bacolod version of Manila's UV Express.

That's it for our 1-day getaway! Hope you enjoyed this post. :)

2015 Philippine holidays

The Philippine government has finally released the list of holidays for 2015! Yey! Here are the dates as per Proclamation 831, s. 2014: (didn't classify if it's regular or special and didn't include holidays specific to students only)

• January 1 - New Year
• January 2
• February 19 - Chinese New Year
• April 2 - Maundy Thursday
• April 3 - Good Friday
• April 4 - Black Saturday
• April 9 - Araw ng Kagitingan
• May 1 - Labor Day
• June 12 - Independence Day
• August 21 - Ninoy Aquino Day
• August 31 - National Heroes Day
• November 1 - All Saints Day
• November 30 - Bonifacio Day
• December 24 
• December 25 - Christmas Day
• December 30 - Rizal Day
• December 31

Source: http://www.gov.ph/2014/07/23/list-of-nationwide-holidays-for-2015/

For easier reference come seat sales, I made a list of possible long weekends you can enjoy:

• December 27, 2014 -  January 4, 2015 (9 days) - 1 leave on December 29
• February 19 - 22 (4 days) - 1 leave on February 18
• April 9 - 12 (4 days) - 1 leave on April 10
• May 1 - 3 (3 days)
• June 12 - 14 (3 days)
• August 21 - 23 (3 days)
• August 29 - 31 (3 days)
• November 28 - 30 (3 days)
• December 24 - 27 (4 days)
• December 30, 2015 - January 3, 2016 (5 days)
• OR you can combine the last 2 bullets: December 24, 2015 - January 3, 2016 (11 days) - 2 leaves on December 28 and 29

That's a LOT of long weekends. I'm so excited for the coming year (as always)!!!

Travel diary: Hong Kong 2013

Last year, I visited Hong Kong in April with my officemates. This year, I went to Hong Kong again with my family. Obviously, I could never get enough of that place, even if I've been there numerous times. This post is about last year's Hong Kong trip - a repost from my old blog. Hope you like it!

As I mentioned, I went there with my officemates. Good thing my old company allowed all of us to go on leave on the same day. We were 7 in the group so it was fun, sometimes stressful, but most of all, memorable. :)

 

Here are photos of what we did and where we went to in our 3-day trip. 

1. Airport Camwhoring

It was our first time at the Clark Airport, Pampanga so we went camera-crazy.

That's me with my college-work buddy/image consultant (haha!)

With J. Check out her blog here.

2. Hotel Camwhoring

Look at that cute carpet! So colorful. The lobby also had a beautiful wall that's perfect for impromptu photo shoots and #selfies haha! We stayed at Newton Hotel.

3. Din Tai Fung - very much recommended! 

Food: ★★★★★ || Price: ★★★☆☆ || Ambiance: ★★★★☆ (we felt somewhat rushed) 

Quite expensive but the food was delicious. My favorites were the drunken chicken and xiao long bao. Offhand though, some people said the food's better in Singapore. Haven't tried it yet, but I was able to go to their branch in Taipei 101. Same delicious food. :D

From top left clockwise: logo, xiao long bao, drunken chicken, fried pork chop (I think). We ordered other dishes, but we weren't able to take photos.

4. Hullett House and A Symphony of Lights 
I highly recommend this. Going to Hong Kong, you automatically think: Shopping! Food! Disneyland! But there's more to Hong Kong than just those. They have hidden gems that are not your cookie-cutter tourist spots. For example, have you guys heard of the Hullett House? It's a very beautiful place - pre-nup shoot kind of beautiful. :) Here's a brief description from their website: "Situated in the colonial white-stucco building that was formerly the Marine Police Headquarters on Canton Road, Hullett House comprises an intimate design-led heritage hotel, five restaurants and bars, a souvenir store and a performance area specially created as a venue for showcasing traditional festivals and celebrations." One of the restaurants, Stables Grill, was an actual horse stable before! Cool, right? The waiters were kinda strict so we just sweet-talked them to let us in for a quick photo op. Haha!

From left to right: Hullett House, guy doing some exhibitions on the street

5. Lan Kwai Fong 
Street par-tay! The street was full of people of "every color and every hue..." (I'm singing now haha! Only Filipino readers will get this though.). If only people were like this every single day, there would be no wars, hatred, crimes and discrimination.

6. Compulsory Tour

The tours I joined in the past were different from this one so I actually enjoyed.

Golden Bauhinia Square

Aberdeen Harbour

7. DISNEYLAND!!!

I LOOOVE Disneyland. It's the best place to be at! Whenever I'm there, I always feel free and alive. I also got teary-eyed with the different lands and all the shows. I was transported back to my childhood. Life was so easy back then... not much computer games and all that. Just good ol' Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Barney and the like... *sigh* Moving on...

8. Ocean Park

I also love this place,. Obviously, I love Disneyland more with my all-caps and exclamation points haha! The pandas were so cute! Buhay baboy, kain-tulog hahaha! 

Overall, it was a great experience for me and this trip made me fall in love with Hong Kong... so much so that I went back again this year! Watch out for that post! For now, I'd like to leave you with some tips to make your Hong Kong stay stress-free and more enjoyable. 

1. Canvas and book in advance 
From airlines to hotels to tours, you should always canvas to get the best price. First off, you should decide if you want a packaged tour or DIY trip. DIYs are definitely cheaper but you've got to be prepared to do everything yourself. For packaged tours, you're paying for convenience. Don't worry though. There are already many travel agencies that offer very affordable rates that are almost at par with DIY ones. You can check out Google. For this trip, we booked with Alisto Travel & Tours. Our package, which costs around PhP12,000, includes the following:

• Roundtrip tickets via Seair
• 3D/2N stay at Newton Hotel, Kowloon - Recommended if you're not that picky about location. It's cheap, but kinda far from tourist and shopping places so you really have to weigh your options. Which is cheaper and more convenient for you: staying in a cheap but far hotel (higher transportation costs) OR staying in an expensive but very accessible hotel that's a stone's throw away from your favorite go-to places?
• Compulsory tour
• Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center with the Golden Bauhinia Squar
• Hong Kong Jewelry Factory - They sell really nice pieces so it's a good stop for those who are into quality jewelry. Before they let you inside the actual store, they first have a short lecture about the place, what their most popular pieces are, where they source their precious stones, and who their most famous customers are. After which, there's a mini quiz where you can get a prize! Being a freebie lover that I am, I listened intently and raised my hand at the first question. I won a garnet stone! Woot! The only catch is that it's really just that, an effing stone. You have to pay extra for the pendant version. It's much cheaper than the actual selling price so I went for it. I still don't know what to do with it haha!
• Sampan ride in Aberdeen - This is where you can see actual boathouses with TV sets, aircons, hanging laundry, and the like.
• Outlet store - Not impressed with this one but it's a nice experience for first-timers. They also sell cheap Disney merchandise that's great for pasalubongs.
• Daily breakfast at McDo
• Roundtrip transfers to and from the airport
• Disney tickets

You can contact Alisto Travel & Tours at +632-4742683. They offer many affordable packages, both local and international. Check them out and look for Janice Santos, she's very nice and effy. 

2. Know where you're going 
When traveling in big groups, there's a high chance that you have different interests. Instead of feeling disappointed and sulking at the sidelines, best to research in advance, go your own way and just decide on a specific meet-up place and time. 

3. Always be on time 

People in Hong Kong are very particular about time. NEVER, ever be late especially when you're part of a tour group. It's very irritating because while you apparently don't care about your time, you're wasting other people's so please BE CONSIDERATE at all times. Unlike in the Philippines where being late is the norm, in Hong Kong, they can actually leave you if you're late. I mean honestly, if you were in their place, won't waiting for late, inconsiderate people annoy you? 

4. Follow local rules and practices
Be respectful. If you see a stop sign, then please stop and don't embarrass yourself. Walk fast if you don't want to experience hard bumps and irritated grunts. When riding escalators and you're not in a hurry, always stay on the right side. Don't hog the whole space. 

5. Octopus card 
If you're going to visit a lot of places, I suggest getting the Octopus card. It's only HKD150, I think, and almost all of it's refundable except for HKD6 or 9 for processing. Aside from MTRs, you can also use the Octopus in buses, convenience stores and other restaurants. It's very useful. Side note: Don't you ever wonder why they call it "Octopus" card and not, say, MTR card or, I don't know, Panda card? If you know why, hope you can comment on this post and let me know. :)

6. Other places I suggest you visit

• Madama Tussaud's
• Ladies' Market or Temple Street Night Market
• Avenue of Stars
• Victoria Peak
• Soho, IFC Mall, Granville
• Ikea

 Also, don't leave without eating in authentic Chinese restaurants (unless you have freebies, of course): 1 fine dining and 1 hole in the wall restaurant. You can always eat McDo in the Philippines, or wherever you are hehe!

'Til the next post, y'all. XO 

PS. Some of the photos are from my friends. 
Photo credits: Mili C., Jean Q., Ben E.