Puerto Princesa Weekend (Day 1)

It's cool to find out that my closest friends in graduate school also love traveling as much as I do. The first time we traveled together was in Davao last August (see my previous post here), and after that, we already booked our flight to Puerto Princesa, Palawan for the Bonifacio Day long weekend. Also this time, a Couchsurfer whom Dennis was hosting also joined us in the trip.

This time, it was our friend, Mayette who took charge of our itinerary. She called the local travel agency that toured her sister in Puerto Princesa. Besides our 3-day itinerary, it's the travel agency who arranged our accommodation and all our transfers/transportation too. The agency's name is Diamond Princess Travel & Tours. We requested for April as our tour guide for 3 days but she was able to accommodate us on the 2nd and 3rd day only. She's very lively and funny so we really liked her.

Our airfare was around Php 3,500 roundtrip. We flew Zest Air going to Puerto Princesa then Seair (Tiger Airways) back to Manila. And we only spent around Php 6,500 for our accommodation, meals, and activities for 3 days there. We stayed at Corazon Tourist Inn which is located near the airport and the commercial areas. So here's how our 3-day trip went:

Day 1 (Nov.30) - Puerto Princesa City Tour

Arrival at Puerto Princesa Airport - Our flight from Manila was more than 2 hours delayed.

trying to entertain ourselves despite the delayed flight

this is what I call, very "touristic"! like yeah, we're sooo tourists! LOL!

Puerto Princesa Coliseum - We went there to physically sign up for the Underground River tour. Since it's now one of the New Wonders of Nature, there are limited slots each day for the tour and they prioritize those who appear there physically to sign up.

Checked in at Corazon Tourist Inn - All 7 of us fit one room. We paid Php 350 each per night for our accommodation. That included free breakfast too. Anyway, from the airport, we just left our stuff in the room and headed out for lunch.

the reception

the van

Lunch at Badjao Restaurant - It's a nice place and the food was good too. We only spent around Php250 each.

Plaza Cuartel - The van picked us up from the resto then our city tour officially started.  You must memorize your van's plate number because all tourist vans look the same. Our first stop was a historical spot. Okay, I couldn't remember the story the tour guide told us, so never mind haha.

 
Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral - Just like every "first time" in every church, I stepped my left foot in first then I made a wish. Now I forgot what I wished for lol!

Pasalubong Center - There's this huge pasalubong center near the hotel, but I forgot its name. I just bought cashew nuts 'coz they said that's what's good there.

Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center - I wasn't so sure if that's the first time I saw crocodiles, but what I was sure about was, I've never seen such crazy huge crocodiles in my life! And it got me proud to have seen lots of species that are endemic to Palawan, such as the Palawan Bearcat! It's kinda cute yet scary haha!

LOL!

it's real!

baby crocodiles

the bum crocodile lol

cute kids carrying the Bearcat

Mitra's Ranch - There's zipline and horseback riding, but what's only free was picture taking, so that's the only thing we did. LOL!

Honda Bay at our background

jump!

Snacks at Baker's Hill - It's a nice place to hang because there are a lot to see. Plus, there are lots of food to munch on too, and hopia is a popular one. We had snacks there, which included in our city tour package.

Binuatan Weaving Center - It's my first time to try traditional weaving and it's really an interesting experience. The creations of the weavers there were being sold not just there at the center but also to different places outside Palawan. One of the ladies there told us that they're supplying Rustan's and Marks & Spencer too.

supervisor mode LOL!

my turn :)

finished products

Firefly watching and dinner on the boat - It was supposed to be in Iwahig, but they said that's more expensive and farther. So we just settled for this firefly watching somewhere 30 minutes away from the Puerto Princesa Port. The fireflies can be found at the mangroves so we had to transfer to a smaller boat to enter the mangrove area. We changed boats at the middle of the sea. We were actually the second batch who went to the mangroves for firefly watching. While the first batch was away, our boat seats were transformed into a dining table where we feasted on a seafood dinner. But besides the crabs, fishes and shrimps, they also served us what they called, "Amazing Eggplant", which really tasted good! When the first batch got back, it's their turn for dinner and it's our turn to go firefly watching. It was so dark there and our only light was the moon. Anyway, our tour guide was carrying a red light because everytime she flashes it to this plant, which I forgot the name again, the fireflies sparkle like Christmas lights. After 45 minutes there at the mangroves, we headed back to the boat; then we headed back to the port, then back to the hotel.

dinner in the middle of the sea :)

So that's our first day. Here's our total spending for airfare and accommodation:
1. Airfare - Php 3,500
2. Accommodation - Php 700 (Php 350/night per pax) - additional charges for our extension would be indicated on our last day expenses.
TOTAL: Php 4,200 per pax

And here's our total spending (per pax) for the Day 1:
1. Terminal fee - 0 (It's already included in our airfare)
2. Lunch - Php 250
3. City Tour - Php 480 (originally priced at Php 600 but we got 20% discount)
4. Eco-Tourism Fee - Php 40
5. Snacks - FREE (included in te tour package)
6. Firefly watching w/ Dinner - Php 1,200
TOTAL: Php 1970 per pax

Coming up next is my post about our Day 2: Honda bay Island Hopping. :)

Hey SEOUL Sisters! (Day 3)

It's our Day 3 (Nov. 17) in Seoul and there's still so much to do. This day, we're off to Petite France and Nami Island, which were both far from downtown. If you were wondering how we manage to navigate around Seoul, we just did some research and we downloaded the "Subway Korea" application for iOS and Android. It's a very useful app as it calculates the fastest routes and the train fares. It even includes the time table of the train trips so you won't miss the train.

From Hongik University Station, it took us about 2 hrs to get to Cheongpyong Station of the ITX line. Well that already included walking through multiple train transfers. Outside the Cheongpyong Station, we took the City Tour Bus, worth 5,000 won each. That would go through several attractions but we only chose the Petite France and the Nami Island. At Petite France, we paid 8,000 won each for entry. Actually, there's nothing much to do inside. We just saw a France-like community, which we were able to appreciate since we couldn't afford yet to go to the real France haha! There's this cool rock band who performed their own version of Oppa Gangnam Style and I liked it! After 20 minutes of going around, we had lunch at a restaurant there. The average rate per plate was around 9,000 won, which was quite pricey.

at the train station

Petite France

it's cold! brrr...

vanity attacked! lol

make a wish!

my most favorite spot

band performing their own version of Oppa Gangnam Style

watch their performance :)

We missed the bus going to Nami Island. We were just a few minutes late because we were not able to note the time of arrival of the bus written at the brochures given to us. The next bus would arrive after an hour and a half, so we just decided to take a cab. The Nami Island was quite far from Petite France that it cost us around 28,000 won. Yikes! Anyway, Nami Island's entrance starts from the port where the ferry is. That ferry takes the guests to the Nami Island itself, which for marketing purposes they called, Nami Republic. There were lots of tourists of different nationalities there; thus, the long queue at the ticket booth. Admission Fee (5,000 won) and ferry ride (3,000 won) amounted to 8,000 won each. It was just a quick 15-minute ride to get to the island from the mainland. Nami Island has become popular because it was the shooting place of Winter Sonata, one of the most popular Korean dramas. Other than biking and taking photos, there's nothing else to do there. So after 30 minutes, we went back to the mainland.

the ferry to Nami Island

just like a Korean haha

my shot via Instagram

First Kiss Bridge (Winter Sonata)

this was where the First Kiss in the Korean drama, Winter Sonata was shot

Seoul sisters in Nami Island :)

what a relaxing view :)

We waited for the bus to Gapyeong Station of the ITX line and we headed back downtown. We had dinner at a mall in Dongdaemun. I tried their Jjampong and I liked it. Plus we ordered crepes for dessert haha. We shopped a little at the night markets there, then we headed home. But since Dianne and I were a bit bored, we went out for a walk around Hongdae. We discovered a lot of coffee shops, bars/clubs, streetfood stalls, and clothing and accessories shops. We had some spicy chicken skewers and something like a tempura for our streetfood trip. We're not much of risk-takers when it comes to food so we didn't try weird-looking streetfood haha.

Jjampong

i forgot its name :))

Starbucks tumblers

heaven!!! LOL!

it actually tasted good :)

After more than an hour of walking around, we went back to the hotel room and met new housemates who were Filipinos too. They were staying inside the room in front of our room. There are three rooms in Pastel's Guesthouse in Prugio Apartment in Hongdae (the building where Nolita is) and the place is really nice. There are a lot of freebies too -- toiletries, hot/cold water, coffee/tea. Plus, our host, Jimmy (owner of the apartment) is also nice for assisting us with directions and other travel concerns. Check out this link to see how awesome the place is!:)

Total spending for the day for 4 pax:
Transportation - 47,000 won (subway and cab for 4pax)
Gapyeong Tour Bus - 20,000 won (5,000 won each)
Lunch - 40,000 won (in Petite France)
Dinner - 36,000 won (plus crepes for dessert)
TOTAL: 143,000 won = Php 5,470 (or approx. Php 1,368/pax)

Day 4 coming up next!:)

Hey SEOUL Sisters! (Day 2)

It's our second day (Nov. 16) in Seoul, and we're getting used to the cold weather. For our Day 2, we're off to Everland Resort. It's an amusement park like Disneyland. We though about going to Lotte World too, but it's gonna cost us a lot of time and money to go to both. Lotte World an indoor one but they said it's more of for kiddos while Everland had more thrilling rides for young adults. However, one of the advantages of Lotte World is, it's nearer the city. It's accessible via subway 'coz it's just at Jamsil Station. But since we chose Everland, which was outside the city, we had to travel for more than 2 hours to get there.

From Hongdae, we took the subway to Gangnam Station which took us around 40mins. Then we went to the middle of the wide street where the bust stop was. There were three stops there. Buses were very organized that they stop on the designated bus stops. We were waiting for bus 5002 (not 500-2) going to Everland. However, we were at the 1st bus stop and that bus' stop was on the 2nd one, and we couldn't stop the bus that we just stared at it as it went away. Good thing a bus arrives every 30mins. Anyway, so we went to right bus stop this time so were finally able to ride a bus. It took us an hour and a half until the last stop, which was the Everland. But that stop was not so near Everland itself so we had to take Everland's special mini bus, which took us to the Everland entrance.

photobooth at the Gangnam station

we didn't know how to grab the photos haha

It was so cold in Everland because it's in a mountain I guess. At the ticket booth, we paid for 4 All-Day passes at 32,000 won each. Originally, each 1-Day ticket is worth 40,000 for adults but since we got a discount coupon for foreigners at their website, we only paid 32,000 won each. We just showed our passports as a proof that we're foreign tourists. Click this link for the ticket prices and discount coupon. They also have Night passes, which is good for 5pm 'til 30 minutes before closing time. The theme park hours vary from day to day. So just check their website. But most of the time, they operate from 10am to 8pm.

Everland!

look at that backdrop haha so fake!

huggable bears!

Seoul sisters with the Everland bears:))

We took a cable car to our first ride, which was the huge rollercoaster that had tracks made of wood. It's called the T Express. There was a long queue but we were patient enough to stay in line. We were not allowed to wear hats/bonnets and scarves so imagine how cold it was up there! The ride was about 3 minutes or less but it was so fun! We actually found ourselves in tears after the ride because of the cold wind that hit our faces. haha! So after that ride, we went to the SK Telecom lounge for foreigners wherein we got free coffee and wifi. Then we had lunch at a fastfood. Ok, so even their burgers were a bit spicy. Good thing I love spicy food!:)

T Express

I love the SK Telecom Lounge!

Then we watched the parade and walked around. Then we entered the Global Village, which was a rip-off of "It's a Small World" of Disneyland. Plus, Disneyland's got better looking dolls haha! Anyway, our next ride was the Hurricane, but only Pam and I chose to ride it. That ride was fun but got us quite dizzy. It actually resembles the Pizza-La ride in Fuji-Q Highland in Japan; but in the Hurricane, people are facing each other, while at the Pizza-La, people are facing outside the circle. From there, Pam and I queued for the Double Rock Spin. While in line, we could see how the ride was spinning the others, which got Pam and I really scared to the point of almost backing out. But then again, we only live once! haha! So we took the risk! Before the ride started, we already said our goodbyes and farewell messages. Yeah, we were paranoids! LOL! But luckily, we survived the ride! haha! We're close to throwing up though! haha! After that, we entered the 3D theater for the Pororo 3D Adventure and besides the fact that we couldn't understand it, we also didn't enjoy it. Disneyland's Philharmagic is a better 3D adventure than that. We left the theme park at around 4:30pm because we had to meet Pam's friends in CoEx Mall in Samseong.

fake snow right there!

yummy float!

while watching the parade

Double Rock Spin

while waiting for the Everland bus

We got off at Gangnam bus stop. But since we thought it's near, we tried walking from there to Samseong. It was raining and we're getting wet 'coz we didn't bring umbrellas. Then we realized it's far so we took the subway from Seollung to Samseong (just one station away). The station was connected to CoEx so we just waited for Pam's friends at CoEx. Then they treated us to dinner at Mad Garlic, which was just a 5-minute walk from CoEx Mall. We ordered different pastas and pizzas, some of them were really spicy, but yummy!:) After dinner, we dropped by the IDC Seoul office to borrow umbrella from Pam's friends. And since we were so tired and sleepy, we just headed back home.

dinner:)

really nice new Korean friends :)

at IDC Seoul, South Korea office

Total expenses for the day:

1. Transportation (bus & subway) - 20,000 won

2. Entrance Fee (32,000 won each) - 128,000 won 

3. Lunch (fastfood) - 17,000 won

4. Dinner - FREE!

TOTAL: 165,000 won = Php 6,320 (or approx. Php 1,580/pax)

That was a fun and freezing Day 2! Follow our Seoul adventure in my next posts.