Bangkok Valentine's Weekend: Arrival

My bestfriend and I have been wanting to go to Bangkok. However, the cheapest air fare that we used to find was around Php 12,000. But luckily, we stumbled upon a seat sale via Cebu Pacific late last year. We immediately booked a roundtrip flight, which cost around Php 7,000.

After booking a flight, I informed a Thai friend of mine (whom I met in a conference here in the Philippines in 2009) that we're coming on February 2013. My friend offered to give us free accommodation in Bangkok. He's a CEO of a land valuation company in Bangkok, so he booked us at a hotel near his office. And other than him, I also met the daughter of his bestfriend at the same conference. She is around 4-5 years older than me, but she's now about to graduate on her PhD, and a director (but acting CEO since her CEO father is sick) of their land valuation company. They really impressed me because they're very down to earth and really kind and very accommodating.

Anyway, if you're going to Thailand, have your peso changed into baht here in Manila before leaving. In our case, we had some of our peso changed into baht via BPI (thank God for a friend who's working there and was able to endorse us to the right person) because Czarina didn't have baht. During our previous travels, we got our money changed into won, HKD, and RMB/yuan there, given that we had them reserved. Unfortunately, not in the case of baht. 

We had our traditional BFF Valentine's dinner at the airport because our flight was at around 9pm. Then we finally boarded the plane for a 4-hour ride!:) Our flight was on Feb. 14, but we arrived in Bangkok at around 12am of Feb. 15; and we were there until the night of Feb. 17, 'cause our flight was past midnight of Feb. 18.

Upon arriving at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, we took a cab to Nararam Suite 3 (88/15 Narathiwas Soi 28, 30 Nonsi Road, Chongnonsi, Yannawa, Silom / Sathorn, Bangkok, Thailand 10120). It's important to bring a map with the address written in Thai and be sure to have the hotel's contact number ready. In our case, we printed out the address and map but it wasn't written in Thai. Just when we thought the dispatcher (can speak and understand English but not so much) was able to relay our destination to the taxi driver well, we got a bit lost. I was forced to turn on my data roaming because we badly needed Internet and GPS. Apparently, we were brought to condo nearby our hotel; it's just that we can't get through because the road is being closed every night. We had to go the longer route to get to the hotel. Good thing the cab driver was nice enough to ask people for directions, and thank God, he's not an irate driver.

pink taxi

We paid him 400 baht even if our meter was only 350 baht because we were really grateful of him. But actually if we didn't get lost, our meter would only be less than 300 baht haha! Also, other than the cab fare, we also paid for 2 toll fees from the airport. One was 25 baht and the other was 45 baht. The airport is kinda far from the city proper. So upon arriving at the boutique hotel, we just told our host's name and we were given our room key. We're happy with our accommodation because besides the fact that it's free, it's actually a nice suite. I really recommend it because it's in a peaceful neighborhood and the room rates are affordable. It just costs an average of Php 1,200 per night for 2 pax; however, it's not that close to downtown where the malls and party places are.

Here's what we have initially spent:

Manila

1. Airfare (via Cebu Pacific) - PhP 7,000
2. Accommodation (3 nights) - FREE
3. Terminal Fee - PhP 1,620
4. Travel Tax - PhP 550

TOTAL: PhP 9,170 each

Bangkok

1. Toll Fee 1: ThB 25

2. Toll Fee 2: ThB 45

3. Cab Fare: ThB 400

TOTAL: ThB 470 or PhP 655 (PhP 328 each)

Exchange rate: ThB 1.39 = PhP 1.00

TOTAL: PhP 9,825


xoxo,

city girl

A Week in Seoul, South Korea: Arrival

We booked our trip last March of this year, and our flight going to Seoul was on Nov. 14. We only got our flight for less than Php 6,000 since it's on sale via Cebu Pacific. Just like any other trip, I was the one who made our itinerary. You know, in making itineraries, I consider the following: budget, distance, what my friends like, online reviews, my friend's reviews, and my own research.

Due to different schedules, we applied our Korean visa individually. I applied mine at the Embassy of South Korea in the Philippines, two weeks before our scheduled trip. Visa application was easy. Since I already have a Japanese visa from my trip there in March-June of this year, I just submitted a photocopy of that visa, plus my passport, and my accomplished visa application form (downloaded online), a passport size photo, and a certificate of employment. I didn't submit an ITR nor a bank certificate anymore because I have traveled to an OECD country within the past 2 years. My friend who had a US visa and another who had an Israel visa also submitted the same stuff. But for our friend who didn't have any visa from OECD country, she had to submit additional requirements -- a bank certificate with at least Php 50,000 of savings and ITR (Income Tax Return). But the good news was, we all got approved! Applying for visa is so quick. Just go at the embassy in McKinley Hill, Taguig (along C5) on weekdays (Monday to Friday) between 9am to 11am ONLY, with all the requirements. Then you will be issued a number. Once you're number is called, you'll get directed to one of the counters where you'll submit your requirements. No interviews anymore, unless they have some questions. Then you will be issued a claiming form, which usually takes 3 to 5 business days before you can claim you passport with or without visa. Take note that the releasing time is during weekdays at 2pm to 4pm ONLY. Visa application is free if intended length of stay in South Korea is less than 59 days. But for 60-90 days, Php 1,350 will be charged. Read more about the Tourist Visa requirements and procedures here.

So after a week of doing the itinerary, booking a reservation, and computing the budget, we're good to go! Everytime we travel, I am always the one who's in charge of the money. In the case of our Seoul trip, I collected Php 10,000 from each person for our expenses for one week. That means, shopping's not included. We have already booked our accommodation and train trips online so we just paid for that when the credit card bills arrived.

Anyway, we found the place we stayed at via airbnb.com. It's a nice condo unit in Hongdae that's very accessible to restos/cafes, bars/clubs, shopping places, and subway. We had a very nice host too. We only paid less than Php 6000 for 6 nights. (FYI I am more comfortable in using Php as currency for easier computation) It's a condo unit with 3 rooms. One of which has a bathroom, while the other two shares bathroom. Luckily, we filled one room (good for 4), which has a bathroom. In the other rooms were other nationalities who rented the bed spaces and/or the rooms. The kitchen, living room, dining area, laundry area, and balcony are all shared areas. It's interesting staying in a place like that 'coz we got to meet other travelers too. We used to hang at the dining area or the living room together and share our travel stories.

We arrived late that night since we left Manila at 7:35pm and it was a 4-hr flight. From Incheon International Airport, we took the airport bus going to Hongdae. The normal travel time would be an hour but since we missed the bus stop, we had to take the subway. Too bad for us because we were carrying our luggage and there were not much elevators/escalators at the subway stations. When we got to Hongdae (via Hongik University subway station), we walked towards the Prugio Apartment, where our host was waiting for us. Oh, I forgot to mention that it was so damn cold when we got there, around 3 degrees Celsius. We had coffee and late night meals, thanks to the groceries we brought haha! Yeah, we do that often if we're staying in a condo/apartment everytime we travel because we enjoy cooking, eating, and bonding inside the unit.

Total spending per pax prior to arrival in Seoul:
1. Airfare (via Cebu Pacific) - Php 6,000
2. Accommodation - Php 6,000
3. Terminal Fee - Php 1,620
4. Travel Tax - Php 550
TOTAL: Php 14,170

Total spending for 4 pax from Incheon Airport to Prugio Apartment (Hongdae):
1. Airport Bus #6002: 40,000 won (10,000 won each)
2. Subway (since we got lost haha): 4,200 won (1,050 won each)
TOTAL: 44,200 won = Php 1,694 (or approx. Php 424 each)

Here's a quick look on our itinerary:

Nov. 14 - Arrival in Seoul late at night

Nov. 15 - Seoul Downtown City Tour and party w/ Filipino and Korean friends at JJ Mahoney's, Hyatt Hotel in Namsan

Nov. 16 - Everland and dinner w/ new Korean friends in Samseong

Nov. 17 - Petite France, Nami Island, Namdaemun and Dongdaemun night market shopping, and a walk around Hongdae

Nov. 18 - Gyeongju City Tour (province) and Hello Kitty Cafe (Hongdae)

Nov. 19 - Lunch w/ Korean friends in Samseong, shopping in Myeongdong, Samgyeopsal dinner and Hello Kitty Cafe in Hongdae w/ Korea-based Filipino friends, departure of 2 of our companions

Nov. 20 - Last-minute shopping and the 1st Shop of Coffee Prince in Hongdae, shopping in Duty-Free in Incheon Int'l airport, and flight back to Manila at night

See my next posts for our complete adventures!:)

First time in Bacolod: Arrival for Masskara 2012

I think it was in July when we asked the travel agency to book us a roundtrip flight to Bacolod for the Masskara Festival. Good thing one of our friends has relatives there so our accommodation is free.

It's my first time in Bacolod, and I didn't expect it to be a nice place with really nice people. The Masskara festival surprised me because it's very colorful and happy. It's super cool that I was able to understand what the Ilonggos were saying 'coz I have somehow learned the Ilonggo dialect from my friends from Iloilo.

We left Manila on Friday night, Oct. 19. We were picked up by my friend's aunt from Bacolod Silay International Airport then we travelled around 30 minutes to the city. We had dinner at Nena Rose, where we ordered the city's specialty which is the Bacolod chicken inasal, pork barbecue, and an iced tea tower. And we ate using our hands! It was a treat by my friend's aunt. Super awesome!:)

 Waiting for the plane...

we were too hungry to take a photo of our food haha

We headed to my friend's grandmother's place. It's a huge house inside a village of huge houses. We stayed at the guest room, which was connected to the main house but had a separate door. It's great news for us because if we arrive late at night, we can just proceed to our room from the gate, without having to pass through the main house. haha!

 the guest room

Since I was trying to rush my last paper for the semester, it took us a while before leaving the house to experience the Bacolod nightlife. At 11pm, we headed out. The driver took us to Dugout Sports Bar because there's a Smart-sponsored event there and we were supposed to meet with our friends from Vans. Unfortunately, something came up and they didn't make it. Too bad we had to pay Php 250 'coz we were not in the guestlist. We're supposed to join the reserved table of our friends to get in for free but they didn't arrive. Actually there wasn't much of a crowd there because everyone's at the Globe Tattoo/Republiq/Opus rooftop party at L' Fischer Hotel. At 1am, we headed back to the house to rest and prepare for the following day.

 Dugout

sleepy faces haha

Next post is about our experience in the Mambukal Resort:)

We Survived Shanghai!

The night of our Day 3 was the schedule of our flight back to Manila. We took the Metro Line 2 from East Nanjing Road to Pudong International Airport, which took us a little over an hour in the train. We checked-in at the Cebu Pacific counter, but since it's already 11pm, most of the food places there were already closed. There's one open somewhere near the boarding gates, but it's quite expensive there. We chose to spend all the Yuans left in our pockets here! haha! (But when I got home I actually found a left over of around 140 RMB in the deepest part of my bag haha)

survivors! haha!

 we were too hungry that we forgot to take a photo of the ramen we ordered lol

just so you won't get bored at the airport

After all the misadventures in our 3-day trip in Shanghai, I can say that we really had fun. We had a lot of discoveries and we learned a lot from this trip.

Although we initially planned to visit Shanghai Zoo, the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium, the Jiang'an Temple, the Jade Buddha Temple, and the buffet at the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, we were not able to do so due to our very tight itinerary. We could've gone to all of those places if we stayed there for 5 days. But of course, that would mean more expenses. So here's a quick estimate of our expenses:

Round Trip Airfare (Manila-Pudong Shanghai-Manila) - Php 5000+ each

*Our trip was dated Sept. 20-24 and we bought it on promo on the 1st week of June.

Accommodation for 2pax (3 nights) - Php 4100 (so Php 2,050 each)

*We booked it via Agoda and paid through credit card. Among the Jinjiang Group of Hotels, Jinjiang Inn in Donbaoxing had the highest ratings, and we agree!:)

Philippine Travel Tax: Php 1620 each

NAIA Terminal 3 Terminal Fee: Php 550 each

ERA: Intersection of Time (Shanghai Circus World) - Php 1254 each (or 190 RMB)

*We're supposed to by the farthest seats at 90 RMB but we missed the day we originally reserved those seats so we had no choice but to use a credit card to pay for 190 RMB each on the night of the show (since 90 RMB seats were already full); but it's worth it!:)

Pocket Money (shopping not included) - Php 7500 each

*We had this changed to Yuan at Czarina Money Changer in Makati Cinema Square. Just make sure you reserve Yuans 3 days prior to the day you'll have your money changed. To cover transportation, food (and cocktails haha) expenses, entrance fees to attractions and some "pasalubong" to our common friends. It's always better to bring a credit card or contingency funds.

Emergency Expense (Airport Hotel Accommodation for 2 pax for 12 hrs) - Php 2,625 (or Php 1312 each

*Cebu Pacific flights are always at 8:20pm and you arrive there in Shanghai at midnight. It is better to book that as your first night in your hotel because that's our mistake. We thought we could stay at the airport 'til the Metro opens at around 5:30am but Pudong International Airport was just a dead zone by midnight 'til before sunrise. So we ended up booking an airport hotel (15 mins away from the airport w/ free transfers) at 398 RMB even if we stayed there for only 8hrs. Thank God for credit cards!

So we spent a a total of Php 21,400 each in our 3-day trip. Could've been cheaper if not because of that emergency expense haha!

Some quick tips:

1. Do a lot of research so you can plan your itinerary and come up with a budget.

2. Download these apps: Trip Advisor, Wow Shanghai, Shanghai Metro, Guidepal Shanghai.

3. To be updated of the events, log on to www.smartshanghai.com.

4. If you're a CouchSurfer, there are a lot of CS members there who have available couches you can surf. Although I wasn't able to meet with any of them due to our tight schedule.

5. Make a reservation online for your ERA tickets and just pay upon pick-up before the show.

6. Be sure that your check-in baggage weighs exactly as the allowable baggage weight or else you'll end up opening your baggage there and pulling out your stuff to make them your carry-on baggage. I suggest you bring an extra bag (a foldable one) so if you have to remove stuff from your check-in baggage, you can move some of your stuff to your extra bag for carry-on baggage.

7.Bring food and water all the time because you might be skipping meals trying to accomplish everything in your itinerary.

8. Wear comfortable clothes, most especially your footwear! Flats or sneakers will do.

9. Bring Chinese Yuan. Reserve Yuan first at Czarina Money Changer.

10. Do not trust the 1st price they give you. Haggle to death! Be kind always but try to act as if you're leaving so they'll chase you and give you the price you want.

11. Get a city map at the airport. It will navigate you to the famous attractions there.

12. Bars and Clubs are primarily located in Fuxing Road, plus some are in Century Avenue and The Bund.

13. In crossing the Huangpu River, take the ferry as its way cheaper and better than The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel.

14. Dedicate an entire day for shopping. We were not able to do it!

15. Get the number of the Shanghai Translator (maybe online).

16. Roam your mobile phone. Data roaming is available at promo rates with Globe because of the Bridge Alliance. For Smart, data charging is per KB usage.

17. Ask the person from the check-in counter to put a "Fragile" mark on your luggage so they won't torture your luggage.

18. They don't have Facebook and Twitter there but there's Foursquare, Path, and Instagram.

19. It's super hard to find a free wifi hotspot there. There's an open wifi at O'yamee in Century Avenue though haha!

20. They said buffet's good at the Oriental Pearl TV Tower revolving restaurant. Lunch is cheaper than dinner, and it's priced at around Php 2000 - Php 2500. We missed that because we didn't have much time.

So that's a wrap! Hope this can guide you as you plan your trip to Shanghai.:) Check out my previous posts for more detailed tips:

http://www.citygirldiaries.com/2012/10/surviving-shanghai-day-3.html

http://www.citygirldiaries.com/2012/10/surviving-shanghai-day-3.html

http://www.citygirldiaries.com/2012/10/surviving-shanghai-day-1-official.html

http://www.citygirldiaries.com/2012/10/surviving-shanghai-arrival-mishaps.html

xoxo!

Surviving Shanghai: Arrival Mishaps!

So I went on a weekend trip to Shanghai with my BFF. There's only 1 flight everyday from Manila to Shanghai via Cebu Pacific at 8:20 pm and it arrives in Shanghai at around 12mn. 

We got our tickets booked on sale last June and it only cost us around Php 5000+ roundtrip. About the visa, we got it 4 days after our application. Well we just renewed the Chinese visa we got September last year for a weekend trip in Beijing. I suggest you course it through an established travel agency because it's a whole lot easier.

We left Manila (NAIA Terminal 3) on Sept. 20, 8:20 pm. During our trip, the plane was less than half full. And 90% of the passengers were Chinese. After more than 3 hrs in the plane, we're finally in Shanghai. You better grab those tourist maps you can see on your way to the immigration.

neck pillows:)

The Pudong International Airport was almost closed when we got there. We were starving but got no place to eat. Our check-in at the hotel is at 12 noon and we have 12 hours more to go. We thought we could hang in the airport but we're wrong. Then an English-speaking Chinese guy with an "airport service" name plate approached us and offered us help in getting an "airport hotel". At first we thought that's the "per hour" hotel at the airport but we ended up booking a hotel, which was a 15-minute ride from the airport. initially the guy told us it will only cost us 300 RMB so we agreed. We bought snacks from Family Mart, the only open convenience store in the airport. Then we got out of the airport, rode a van, and arrived at the hotel. There we were charged 398 RMB for our room. Thank God, to the Chinese-speaking South African guy, a hotel guest who was nice enough to do the translation. The place was a bit creepy. And the bathroom was see-through! So we slept for a couple of hours and left the hotel at 10am. They gave us a free ride from the hotel back to the airport.

never again!

right before we left the "emergency hotel" haha

We're supposed to take the MagLev train but it will cost us a lot more so we settled on the regular Metro train. That's Line 2 from the airport. You better pay attention while in the train because at Guanglan Station, you'll have to get out of the train, transfer to the other side and ride a new train because if not, you'll end up heading back to the airport. It's kinda weird because when the train reaches Guanglan Road, it does not head to the next station, but goes back to the airport. When we noticed that the train was pulling back, we got off immediately after two stations back. We went back again to Guanglan Station and rode the right train after. Anyway, so we got off at East Nanjing Road, then transferred to Line 10 and got off at North Sichuan Road. Our hotel is at Dongbaoxing Road so it took us a really long walk to get to our hotel, most especially because we started walking at the wrong way. haha!

Note: The SHANGHAI METRO app is very helpful. Be sure to download it before going to Shanghai. It navigates you around Shanghai by telling what Metro Lines to take and which stations to go. It even calculates your estimated travel time. It's an offline app so you can use it even if you're not connected to the internet.

We stayed at Jinjiang Inn. It's a group of hotels so there are a lot of branches in Shanghai. But for the Dongbaoxing branch, we're really satisfied. They got good service and they got really nice rooms. We booked it via Agoda, and 3 nights cost us about Php 4,000+. It's super worth it! There's LAN in the rooms, plus cable TV, and heater at the shower. They also have wifi at the lobby. Room keys are cards, and these cards are required to be inserted in the elevator to bring you up in your room.

After a few minutes of rest at the hotel, we went out and started exploring the city. That's what my next post will be all about....

xoxo

Awesome Hong Kong-Macau Weekend (Part 1)

In January, my girl friends found a seat sale and impulsively booked themselves on a round trip flight to Hong Kong at Php 4000 each. Before they booked, they invited me but I had to say no since I was trying to save money at that time. But after a day or two, I finally decided to go with them, but only the flight back was on sale, and my round trip fare amounted to Php 7000+. Gosh, if I only knew I'll be coming, I should've asked them to book for me the same time they did. But during the trip, I realized that my plane fare was worth it!:)

March 17 was our flight. I had to go through an earlier flight ('coz it's cheaper). My flight was at 7pm while my friends' flight was at 10pm. But again, I had no choice but to go to the airport alone. Unfortunately, I left my other cellphone in the cab as I went down the airport. I forced myself to feel okay despite what happened. I read a book while having coffee and waiting for my boarding time.

The time of my arrival in HK was the time of the departure of my friends from Manila. One of my friends came from Singapore and had a connecting flight from Manila to HK. I waited for 4 hours in Hong Kong International Airport. Thank God they got a really nice airport. Plus I was so thankful that BBM worked on wifi. Because of that, my friend Rein who's living in HK met me up in the airport with her mom. They even treated me for dinner.

w/ my friend Rein

  dinner

My friends arrived at 1am. God, it was freaking cold as we got out of the airport. We didn't pack right because according to my research, it was not as cold in HK  anymore at that time. It was only when I got in Manila International Airport Terminal 3 that Rein texted me that temperature in HK suddenly dropped. Gosh, I was kind of in trouble since I didn't pack any thick clothes. All I had to save me from that weather were just a couple of cardigans and a pair of jeans. I even left my stockings/leggings at home.

 travel buddies

We took a cab going to the condo unit of Thina's aunt who works as an FA in Cathay Pacific. Good thing she's in Manila so the place was all ours.:)

inside the bldg elevator

When we arrived in the room, we freshened up, had dinner and watched a DVD movie. We slept at around 4am looking forward to fantastic day when we wake up.

(To be continued) 

Singapore Fun! (Part 1)

Thank God to Cebu Pacific's seat sale that we found really cheap round trip fare to Singapore! I was the one who found it online and immediately sent SMS to my KSP friends to encourage them to go with me. Luckily, I found the first four people and we immediately booked using one of our credit cards. So there were five of us who were officially booked! Then five other friends booking using another credit card. Then there were 10 of us who booked last October for a Singapore trip in January.


It's the "out of the country" trip with the most number of attendance! So happy that there were 8 of us, even though 2 of our friends were not able to come despite having booked a couple of months before our scheduled trip. But despite the absence of some of our friends, we were still able to enjoy Singapore!:)

We were too excited that we got a tight itinerary. We used our credit cards to buy tickets online such as those for Universal Studios and Night Safari. Got my credit card bill so bloody red! haha!:))

Arrival in SG (Jan 21-22)

We departed from Manila late at night and arrived in Singapore past midnight. We had to wait for two of our friends who were in an hour later flight.

batch 1

 batch 2

 while waiting for batch 2 outside the Changi Airport

We stayed at the condo unit of Lalie's dad in Carissa Park, Tampines. When we got home at around 3am, we feasted on the "adobo" that Lalie's dad cooked for us. Then we all slept for around 3-4 hours. We woke up and got ready for the city tour!

Day 1 (Jan 22) - SHOPPING and "MEET YOUR FRIENDS" DAY

the girls (outside the condo unit)

by the Carissa Park pool

We took a double-decker bus going to Bugis. We toured around the oldest hotel, Raffles. We tried the Roast Duck in food Republic. We shopped for clothes and pasalubong at Bugis Street. We shopped in Ion Orchard Mall, where I found the Rubi Flats! Then we met up with some of our SG-based friends.

 Raffles Hotel

 we survived w/ only maps and trains:)

 travel sisters' reunion in SG

 

We took a train to Ang Mo Kio and took a bus to the Night Safari. Too bad, we were not able to take photos there 'coz it's dark and flash photography wasn't allowed. Then we went back to the other side of SG for dinner in a strip of street food stalls beside One Esplanade where we saw a lot of Filipinos. We walked from One Esplanade to the Merlion. Then we walked again to Clarke Quay where we met up with our other friends. We got free entrance plus free drinks courtesy of our Singaporean friends whom we've met back in December in Boracay. We had drinks at the Pump Room then went home.:)

 before our tram ride in Night Safari

street food dinner

 Marina Bay Sands

 Singapore Flyer

Merlion at the back

 LOL!

 crazy friends!:))

reverse bungee!

 and I wasn't prepared for the cam haha

 Singaporean friends. They're super nice!

 fellow party people haha

 finally partied the SG way!:)

It was indeed a fun first day! We were able to do a lot of things the entire day. It may be tiring but it's all worth it:)

 

(TO BE CONTINUED IN MY NEXT BLOG ENTRY)