Taipei Trip (June 2017)

I haven't posted for a while and I realized I haven't also posted about my 4-day trip in Taipei, Taiwan last June. That was actually one of my cheapest out of the country trips wherein I only spent around Php 25,000 inclusive of airfare, AirBnb accommodation, and pocket money. 

To sum up our activities, they're basically about temples, shrines, and night markets. Taipei is nice and I love their food, but it is not one of the places I'll keep coming back to. 

Anyway, here's a short video of our trip:

FMFA 2014 Experience: Day 3 Cancelled

The trip could've been perfect, but FMFA Day 3 got cancelled and it kinda ruined everything. It was cancelled even after it has already started due to some deaths of attendees that occurred the previous night. Apparently, some people got overdosed on party pills at the ASOT650 night so the Malaysian police insisted on the cancellation of Day 3. They even promised to give us a refund of 1/3 of the ticket price. However, we didn't think Day 3 was worth 1/3 of the total ticket price because it was the day with the most loaded and the best line up supposedly. If I would assess, that's worth 60% of the ticket.

the commotion outside the event grounds

Anyway, we just decided to move on from what happened so we all headed to Bukit Bintang to have some food trip. From there, some of us headed back to the hotel while some of us checked out Zouk. Apparently, it's too crowded there so we just ended up at an Irish pub for a chill session. I was surprised to see how expensive the liquors and cigarettes there. I think it's because it's a Muslim country and that they discourage vices. We even became friends with the Filipina waitress there.

in the train on our way to Bukit Bintang

Bukit Bintang

streetfood dinner

group photo at Petronas

our first out of the country trip together

Petronas Twin Towers at night

third wheelin' this couple at an Irish pub

Ate Mylene, the Pinay waitress all dressed up for St. Patrick's

The next day, we transferred to the Arenaa Star Hotel, where Angelia and Mark checked in 'cause they're staying at KL longer. Then we had lunch at a nearby cafe called Lokl and they served us really good food. Anyway, a Chinese friend I met in Seoul who's based in Kuala Lumpur met up with me there. She took us in the hawker's place in Bukit Bintang at Hotung in the basement of Lot 10 Mall. She said, that food court houses the best food  choices from all over Malaysia. Since she wanted us to try the best ones, she took charge in ordering food and even paying for the bill. In fact, it's an advantage that we went there as a group because we got to try and share more dishes together.

Lunch at Lokl

my friend June from KL

the best dishes of Malaysia under one roof!

After our early dinner, we went shopping at H&M (one of my mandatory stops in every country I go to); then we headed back to the hotel, got our stuff, and went straight to the airport to catch our flight back to Manila.

off to the airport

It's not one of the best trips I had, but I realized, fun really comes from the people's you're with. Sometimes it's not about what you do and where you go that matters most, but who you're traveling with. I was just thankful that I went there with a fun-loving group of people so the cancellation of Day3 wasn't really that bad at all.

I couldn't present much in detail how much I've spent on this trip like how I used to do in my previous travel posts, but so far, I was actually able to survive with a really low budget. Here's a quick rundown of my expenses in peso:

Airfare - Php 7,000
Festival Tickets - Php 5,000
Hostel - Php 1,500
Food, Transpo, etc. - Php 5,000
Replacement Battery for my Camera - Php 2,000
Shopping - Php 1,500
Total: Php 22,000

And of course, thanks to my friends for some free food and booze.:)

I'm not sure if I would ever plan again a trip to KL, but probably my next trip to Malaysia will be just to visit Legoland and that might happen in one of my trips to Singapore soon.


xoxo,

city girl

FMFA 2014 Experience: Arrival & Day 1

Last March 12, we left for Kuala Lumpur to catch the Future Music Festival Asia 2014. It's a 3-day music festival (March 13-15) with the world's best DJs and artists such as Pharrell Williams, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Armin Van Buuren, Martin Garrix, etc. We bought tickets for the festival via Galactix Asia and it cost us around RM 348 or around Php 5,000.00.

We arrived around midnight and we headed to our hostel, which was just near Bukit Jalil Stadium, the festival venue. Finding our hostel was a disaster. But to cut the long story short, we tried searching for a new place, but after 3 hrs, we still ended on that same hostel. We're just thankful that we've met a very helpful taxi driver. And I would just like to commend him for being a responsible head of his family. He works as an employee at Petronas in the day and as a cab driver at night.

We took some rest and went out before lunch to explore KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Center). We just went around Suria, the mall under the Petronas Towers. We had photos taken at the Petronas Towers, had lunch, and headed back to the hotel to prepare for the first day of FMFA.

it just so happened that we had the same outfits :)

it was hazy so the towers were fading in the smog

a mandatory tourist shot :))

at the front side of the mall (lovin' my monopod haha)

After fixing up, we're off to the event grounds. We arrived quite late so we didn't catch the Adventure Club. It was R3HAB who was spinning when we came. The highlight of the night was when R3HAB guested Martin Garrix for a quick spin. He gave us a preview of what we should be excited about on day 3. The night was closed by Deadmau5. It was indeed a crazy FMFA Day 1. We've met a lot of fellow Filipinos from all over the world, and new foreign friends from different parts of the world.

OOTD

Girls' OOTD

Philippines REPRESENT!

met a Filipino guy who's based in HK\

woohooo! R3HAB on the decks!

a perfect shot indeed :)

so we found more Filipinos in the moshpit

couples representin'

another artsy effect

my friends just designed their own festival shirts and shades

Deadmau5

FMFA Day 1 DONE!

xoxo,

city girl

Finally Found the Right Way to Fly with AirAsia Zest!

Flying to my favorite local and international destinations at affordable prices is now possible as AirAsia and Zest have now partnered! With its new brand name, AirAsia Zest, I am sure it has a lot in store for us dear travellers. And the best part is, AirAsia Zest flies from Manila!!! No more hassle driving too far because the flights depart from NAIA Terminal 4. How cool is that? :)

Ok, so now that I found the Right Way to Fly, it's about time for me to make new travel plans. Here's my AirAsia Zest destination (local and international) wish list:

#5 TAGBILARAN, BOHOL

I haven't been to Bohol but I've been wanting to visit the place to see the Chocolate Hills, the old churches, the white sand beaches, and to dine at the floating restaurants in Loboc River. Although the recent 7.2 magnitude have destroyed many of these tourist spots, it won't stop me from going there. I wanna see how the people of Bohol are recovering from the tragedy and I would like to extend a helping hand too, even in my own little way. Also, I am a fan of old churches as they take me back in time. I was saddened that the old churches of Bohol are now turned into ruins; but still, I would like to visit them and pray. And of course, being the beach bum that I am, I would love to have some jump shots at the sand bars of Panglao's white sand beaches! :)

This BEFORE and AFTER photo of BOHOL churches is from

(http://www.pinoystop.com/news/world/2429/magnitude-72-earthquake-hits-central-philippines-kills-20)

#4 CAGAYAN DE ORO

This is another must-see travel destination in the Philippines, which I haven't been to. Being an adventurous person that I am, I know that I will definitely enjoy CDO because first, it's where I can try whitewater rafting at the first time; and second, it's also my gateway to Bukidnon and Camiguin. With just a ferry ride, I could get to Camiguin to see the Underwater Cemetery and of course, more white sand beaches! Also, with just a bus ride, I can get to the Dahilayan Adventure Park and try the Asia's Longest Dual Zipline plus get a taste of the best pineapples in Bukidnon.

Whitewater rafting photo from my friend, Josh Reyes' Facebook page.

#3 KALIBO (BORACAY)

Boracay will always be my sweet escape. Whenever I wanna relax or just get away from the busy city, I always head to Boracay. It's just my happy place. In fact, I've already had some local friends there, whom I've met in my many Boracay trips in the past. I just find the place very relaxing, most especially at the Puka Beach. Nothing beats the feeling when I am seated by the shore, my feet buried in the sand as I drink some fruit shake or cocktail, while reading a good book or chatting with my friends. Besides relaxation, Boracay also gives me a really fun nightlife experience. This island is the place-to-be for the best summer parties and sunset sessions. I super love Boracay that whenever I meet new foreign friends, I always tell them not to miss Boracay when they travel in the Philippines.

me at Puka Beach in March 2012

But besides spending time in Boracay Island, I also want to explore Kalibo, the home of the Ati-Atihan festival. I've been to a lot of festivals in the Philippines but I haven't experienced Ati-Atihan yet. I also wanna take a walk in the eco-trail of the Bakhawan Mangrove Forest. And of course, I would like to have a taste of authentic Aklanon cuisine, which I know tastes good and is very affordable.

a fire dancer

 sunset at Puka Beach :)

#2 KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

I haven't been to Malaysia but I know Kuala Lumpur is the home of the Petronas Twin Towers. I have always admired my friends' photos in this popular tourist attraction and I want to have my own photo with it too. I am a fan of cityscapes and I wish to capture a typical night scene at KL. Shopping and dining are relatively cheap in Malaysia so I want to take advantage of that. Plus, I also want to visit my Malaysian friends, as they promised me before that they'll show me around.

A photo of the Petronas Twin Towers from (http://www.cuti.my/Sub/Kl/guide_kuala_lumpur_petronas_twin_towers.htm)

I've also heard of other tourist destinations such as the Batu Caves and other Buddhist temples in nearby towns/provinces, which I wanna visit. And of course, being the Lego fan that I am, I must not miss Legoland! Well it's actually far from KL but I've heard they have comfy buses from the city going there so I don't think transportation would be problem. And besides, I can also have a side trip to Singapore, which is just a few hours away from Legoland. It's a place where I have a lot of Filipino friends I wanna visit.

#1 INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA

Of all the Asian countries I have been to, I would say that South Korea is my second favorite, next to Japan. In terms of culture, they're pretty much the same; but for me, South Korea is more laid back. It was my first time in South Korea in November of last year via Incheon and I would say that it's one of my best international trips so far. I have visited a lot of tourist attractions in Seoul because my friends and I took a hop on-hop off city tour bus. We've also been to Everland, Nami Island and Petite France, which weren't too far from Seoul. The farthest we've gone to was at Gyeongju City where we visited many of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. It took us a 2-hr bullet train (KTR) ride one way just to get there.

Autumn 2012 in Seoul

ancient tombs in Gyeongju

Me at Nami Island, where Winter Sonata's first kiss scene was shot.

Gwanghwamun

Just last August, I have attended a Korean travel seminar where I've learned a lot of must-see tourist destinations in South Korea. I realized I haven't seen much of what the place has to offer because I haven't explored its provinces. In fact, I gathered a lot of travel brochures and maps from the seminar so I could plan my next travel to South Korea very well.

some of the brochures I got from the Korean travel seminar

SHOPPING and EATING are the top 2 things I really enjoyed doing in South Korea, particularly in Seoul. I wanna come back to shop for more beauty products and clothes, and to do another food trip! I just love the "samgyeopsal" and the coffee shops of different themes! I also wanna visit more of the shooting locations of my favorite Korean dramas and hopefully see some K-pop artists haha! I feel like I won't run out of things to do when I'm there that's why it's my top 1 in this list.

healthy and yummy Korean cuisine!

so here's a photo of me at Petite France, wishing for another awesome trip to South Korea :)

So that's how my list goes. I really hope I can travel in Asia with AirAsia because I haven't tried flying with them and I heard some good reviews about it from my friends, so I want to experience it myself.

If you're a foreigner who wanna travel in the Philippines, there are a lot of places here that you shouldn't miss; and you can visit these places at affordable prices via AirAsia Zest too. Just click the photo below to visit their website.

Autumn in Beijing Day 1 - CULTURE

This trip was booked 3 months ago. After a long time of waiting, it's finally time for our Beijing trip! Our accommodation and meals were covered by our friend Pam, who was sent there by her employer for a bit of work.

Currency Conversion:

CNY 1.00 (Chinese Yuan Renminbi) = PHP 6.78

Our plane left Manila at 7:35 of September 15 and we arrived in Beijing International Airport at 12:05am of September 16.

Tip: Go where the bulk of people are going. There's a long line getting a cab but it's fast moving. Don;t let other cab drivers on the side fool you. Flag down rate that night was  CNY 11.00 and meter was CNY 2.00. We paid CNY 100.00 upon arriving at the hotel.

Essentials:

Map of the hotel and its business card

Beijing map w/ Subway guide

A list of helpful vocabulary written in Chinese characters

We stayed at the Grand Mercure Hotel. Our friend got a free upgrade from a Deluxe Room to an Executive Room, which was at the topmost floor (10th) of the hotel and can only be accessed by the elevator upon swiping the room card.

We slept for a couple of hours and woke up at around 9am to prepare for a long day of walking around Beijing. Since Pam was at work, only my bestfriend Dianne and I toured the city together for the day. Our map didn't let us down! It was fun walking around in a bit cold weather and a clean surroundings.

 nice flowers we saw along the way

happy BFFs!:)

THE EGG (National Grand Theater of China)

It was just a few blocks from the hotel. We referred to our map and we ended up passing by the inner streets that were a bit scary haha. Then we reached The Egg, however, they said it's better to go there at night because of the nice effect of its lights.

The Egg at night (a photo from Pam)

THE FORBIDDEN CITY

From The Egg, we're supposed to go to the Tian'anmen Square. But we kinda lost our way and entered the street on the left of the Monument to the People's Heroes. Then we found a garden on our right where we entered. We paid CNY 3.00 to get in. We kept on walking 'til we saw a gate full of tourists. As we entered, we saw a huge "plaza" and realized that it's the gate to the Forbidden City.

We bought tickets at CNY 60.00 each. Since it's kind of expensive, we just chose not to rent audio guides anymore at CNY 40.00. It's a gadget that tells you the story of the Forbidden City in your preferred language as you tour around. We actually tried finding a group of English tourists and free-ride on their tour guides but we didn't find any 'coz most tourists were Chinese speaking also.

  at the entrance

 it's just so awesome!

After an hour of walking around, we finally reached the exit. We rode a bus headed to Dongzhimen and we went down somewhere along the way to have some authentic Chinese late lunch. We were so delighted that we got really good service. There were a lot of choices from the menu! Thank God for the photos of the food haha. They also served food fast. And the best part was, we only paid CNY 59.00 for everything we had -- roast duck, soup, fried rice, soda!:)

After lunch, we walked going nowhere 'til we found the Oriental Plaza, which I will discuss on my next blog entry. So after there, we tried going to the subway. We're supposed to go back to the hotel and go down at Xidan but we accidentally went down at Tian'amen haha! 

TIAN'ANMEN SQUARE (Gate of the Heavenly Peace)

So there, we're surprised to see the Mao Zedong Mausoleum, which actually led us to the main entrance of the Forbidden City. It took us a long walk to have such discoveries haha.

Then we walked going to Xidan station where we road the train to Xuanwumen, which was just a few meters away from our hotel. It has been such an awesome day of experiencing ancient Chinese culture. We may be tired from walking, but we're happy on how our day turned out.:)