Category Archives: Travel

On Tulips, Spaceships and Hot Air Balloons

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My dream date is a tall, dark, handsome, blue eyed man with a bubble butt who will whisk me away to Paris in a hot air balloon to wine me, dine me and… – Karen McDougal

Some girls do dream of a hot air balloon date. I thought the idea was cool when I read a lot of fairytales and books as a kid. Now that I am a grown-up, idealistic woman, I figured out that a hot air balloon date is expensive and it can also be dangerous. Well, I am worth every penny and risks. Chos!

Hot Air Balloon Fiesta - Clark, Pampanga

I was able to catch the last day of the 18th Hot Air Balloon Festival in Clark, Pampanga with my grandfather last Sunday. It was a short, tiring yet fun trip. If I remember it right, around 31 Balloons flew for this year’s fiesta. I saw a number of familiar balloons which I saw in 2010. The new ones were really cute and appealing specially to the young crowd.

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On Turning 25 and Other Concerns

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I am suffering from mild headache as I type this entry here in my ‘office’. I slept at 3AM, woke up at 12noon for lunch with my grandparents and went back to bed at 2PM. My supposed short nap was extended to four hours. I think oversleeping is the cause of this sudden headache of mine. I thought that a Jollibee meal and a dose of my favorite Iced Mocha can cure me. I guess I’m wrong.

Smooth-sailing at 25.Â

Heavy rain. I want to buy medicine, but the rain is making me lazy. I just finished a Mother’s Day post and the fact that I have a lot of travel-related backlogs makes me want to hit my head on the wall. How can I not blog about these wonderful memories from the past months?

Now that I am stuck here, I will just write and write and write whatever hits my head.

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The Wrangler Road Trip Notes

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SIQUIJOR is one of the places in the Philippines that only a few people would dare to visit way back. Blame it on the media hype about the Balete tree and horror flicks with it as the prime location, it somewhat drove our kababayans away from this beautiful island.

Wrangler
Life is like a Wrangler Road Trip

I have to admit that I am one of those who would think twice to visit Siquijor, but I am truly curious about it. I’m lucky to have met Dylan, a travel blogger who was born and raised in Siquijor. I read some of his blog entries related to Siquijor and he narrated some stories about the beauty of his hometown when we met last December in Moalboal. I asked him if the stories about Siquijor were true. He told me that he doesn’t believe in such things and he only found out about the so-called legend when he saw the Halloween Special of Magandang Gabi, Bayan about the Balete Tree.

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Living the Dream and Wandering – Why?

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I am seated right now in a pizza and pasta place somewhere along Pub Street in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It is my 3rd night here and I am truly savoring every moment. I am not a Tomb Raider fan and I only saw the movie once in an unclear copy, but I knew that I wanted to explore Angkor Wat. During the release of the Angelina Jolie starer, traveling from Manila to Siem Reap is not easy. Well, it is not really that easy since there are no direct flights yet (although a local airline announced that they will launch their Siem Reap routes by June.

I Wander while I work

It is my first time to cross borders. Thailand and Cambodia are two different countries with a certain charm that makes them a favorite destination of foreign travelers. I spent two nights in Bangkok and will be going back in a few days, but I now know why the tag ‘Amazing Thailand’ worked. I met a number of Thailander students in Pangasinan who are studying Medicine and they’re thoughtful especially to my grandparents. Gallivanting along Khao San Road is an overwhelming experience – it is chaotic yet I love it. I even went on the middle of the famous backpacker’s lane and danced like nobody’s watching. Well, a lot of people were watching hehe 😀

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Chasing The Flight

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I’m back in Manila after spending almost a week in Cebu with the PTB Bagets. It’s my 9th time (or 10th? I lost count LOL) in Cebu,  but it was my first time to visit Moalboal and Bantayan. It is a jam-packed trip full of activities and expected things that happened. Want me to start with storytelling? Let’s start with the trip going to the airport…

Motivational photo to not give up on the Cebu Flight!

A day before the trip, Robbie and I agreed to go together. I’ll take the taxi and pick him up on his place so we can go straight to the airport sharing the fare. At 6pm, he told me that he’s about to leave Quezon City and he is taking the MRT train going to the Bonifacio station. I lacked sleep so I fell asleep while waiting for his next update. He gave me a missed call at 7:10pm prompting that he will just do the last minute preparations and he’s ready to go.

With a sleepyhead and hungry stomach, I picked up my things and wore the slippers next to my bed. I went to the lobby to wait for a vacant taxi. There are two more passengers waiting before me. It started to rain and the Saturday traffic jam starts to go crazy. I hailed a cab after 30 minutes and while waiting, I was texting Robbie to just ride a cab when he sees one and i’ll try my very best to follow. We were both worried that we’ll miss our flight. Gah.

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On Airports, Departures and Arrivals

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The Airport is such a busy place. Everyone is roaming around with their luggages and you will literally see people from different walks of life patiently waiting in line to put their bags on the check-in area. Most backpackers prefer the hand-carry option by bringing less clothes and stuff in order to save some money. They have different reasons on why they’re here: Majority flies to go on a vacation, some have work-related tasks to do while there are those who are eager to go home.

Flight3

I consider the airport as one of my favorite hangout place no matter how big or small it is. For my domestic travels, I usually go two hours before my departure date, while I go to the check-in area three hours prior to the scheduled flight if I am going out of the country. Additionally, if am going out country for a long while I usually like to find a monthly parking service. It is really nice to compare flights beforehand in order to get cheaper plane tickets. You can still use your extra money to buy some snacks while waiting.

It is already a habit of mine to observe the passengers at the departure area especially if i am traveling alone. My laptop is useless when I can’t find an outlet so I tend to just sit in the corner and wait. I remember on my first solo moment at NAIA 1. I met a married couple already in their 50’s who are excited to visit their daughter in Dubai. They were excited and looking forward to their unica hija’s treat as she promised that they will shop ’till they drop.

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Sunny Weekend in Puerto Princesa with AirPhil Express

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This is a trip that I never imagined will push through. Bagyong Falcon is about to hit the country and I am in Dagupan City, Pangasinan last Thursday. I asked some of my travel blogger friends if the scheduled trip to Puerto Princesa will still push through. Most of us were hesitant because of the weather. When they finally confirmed that the weather in Puerto Princesa is good, I decided to take a bus trip from Dagupan at 6:30PM. Despite the heavy rain in some areas, i arrived safely in our house at 11PM.

Rochelle, Robbie and Mica @ Puerto Princesa Airport via AirPhil Express

I didn’t sleep during the whole duration of the bus trip. I didn’t sleep at home too even if i still have enough time to take a nap. I did some online tasks then packed my luggage at 4am. I once asked my companions if the trip will still push through since it’s raining hard that time. With the confirmation, I took a taxi to NAIA Terminal 3 to meet up with Robbie, Winston, Eric, Anton, Rochelle and JC with the staff of AirPhil Express (Line, Nicole, Mike and Brian). It’s not my first time to visit Puerto Princesa, but what made this trip exciting is that i’ll be enjoying the whole tour with some of my favorite travel companions. Also, our itinerary is loaded with activities and i’ve never been to some of the places listed. Exciting!

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My SMART LTE Testing Experience in Boracay

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When I stayed in England for three months, I can say that I was pampered with fast internet connection. It is the main reason why my homesickness was cured. Most of my Filipino friends were able to watch their favorite teleseryes online and they usually have this habit of doing live video streamings or webcam sessions with relatives and loved ones. I can also upload photos and videos in just a snap no matter how large my files are.

My Dream Workstation – Uploading and Downloading files while relaxing in Boracay (Photo by Nina Fuentes)

Last Saturday, I was invited to participate at the SMART LTE Testing in Boracay together with bloggers Fritz, Nina and Winston. I am a subscriber of Smart for more than five years and being one of the first one to try this new fourth-generation (4G) network. Some blogger friends of mine were able to attend in the first and second leg of the SMART LTE testing and all of them were claiming that it is the fastest internet connection they ever experienced in the Philippines. Hmmm… time for me to test and see. Before the trip, I already envisioned a great day – Doing my online tasks with a more reliable internet connection and speed as I enjoy the fantastic view of Boracay. 🙂 Those who would like to keep their internet data secure may buy Mobile proxies when connected to their phone’s data network.

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The Rizal Park 2010 Realization

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‘When was the last time you went to Luneta Park?’ i asked myself moments before Bryan Karl, Jerome and I headed to the National Park of the Philippines after our Ocean Park trip. I can’t really remember the exact date, but i think it is sometime in 1995 or 1996. I insisted of going there because i saw it at our Sibika at Kultura textbook. As a fan of Jose Rizal’s greatness, the Little Mica got what she requested.

Flag Pole

Saan na tayo tutungo n'yan?

During our short trip to Luneta Park at the first weekend of October 2010, my mind was a bit messed up. I wasn’t even sure if we were already in Luneta not until I saw Dr. Jose Rizal’s statue, where the guards are standing there with pokerface. Too bad we weren’t allowed to take a closer picture with them. We’ll cause too much distraction, i bet.
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Pangasinan Bloggers’ Tour Day 3 – The Puerto del Sol Bolinao Experience

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The highlight of our Pangasinan Trip is the last destination – Bolinao.

During the 80’s and 90’s, Bolinao was famous due to its scenic beaches and the Bolinao Lighthouse, which i believe is the second tallest lighthouse in the Philippines. Pinoy movie producers used to shoot some scenes there. Just a few years ago, the last Richard Gutierrez – Angel Locsin movie The Promise was shot there. It is also one of the locations of Marian Rivera’s Dyesebel.

One of my many jumpshots taken at Patar White Beach in Bolinao by Pusang Kalye

It was a sunny morning when we woke up from our relaxing sleep at Islandia Hotel ( I slept for 9 hours!). We packed our things in an instant in order to catch the early trip to Bolinao.

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