Bangkok, Thailand (October 10-16, 2013)

Bohol Tour 2013 (June 17 - 20, 2013)

Bohol is one of my dream destinations.  It has always my dream to see the famous chocolate hills and to look at the Philippine Tarsier, one of the world’s smallest primates up close.  I have tried looking for promo flights to Tagbilaran City (Bohol’s capital) several times but promo fares run out quickly. 

After almost four years, I’ll be taking Zest Air once again.  My last Zest Air flight was in October of 2009.  For this flight, we checked-in at NAIA Terminal 4 or the old domestic terminal.  Renovations were done and soon it will handle International flights due to the presence of immigration and customs counter.  We checked-in early and waited for two hours inside the pre-departure area.  Our flight left on time and we reached our destination on time as well.

Tagbilaran Airport Terminal

The Welcome arch outside the airport

Upon arriving at Tagbilaran Airport, we immediately went outside upon getting our luggage.  To our surprise, our arranged airport pick-up was not around.  I called the resort and it seems like they do not know my reservation even if I confirmed my arrival by calling them 3 days in advance and by texting them before departure.  Luckily, one of their service vehicles was still around the city.  They called the driver to return to the airport and pick us up. Finally, the shuttle service came after almost 10 minutes.  Our driver, Jojo, gave us some facts about the province.  We enjoyed hearing stories about the place so I decided not to complain anymore upon arriving at the resort.  We stayed at Dumaluan Beach Resort located in Panglao Island.  The resort itself is good and our room was located right in front of their swimming pool.  The room we got was clean and adequate, there’s a cable TV but it has no mini ref.  There’s a free set of soap, shampoo, and toothbrush, however, there is no complimentary bottled water.  Since we needed water, I asked the front desk where we can get complimentary water.  She said that we can get water from the restaurant.  She also said if we have empty bottle, we can refill it there.  But when we went to the restaurant, they refuse to give us water, they said they can only give water at the restaurant and we must drink it only there.  Then you can hear the front desk personnel and the restaurant staff arguing in their native dialect.  So instead of insisting, we walked-out and bought bottled water at the souvenir store.  The amount was way too expensive for a brand that is obviously cheap elsewhere.  The resort is well maintained, they have a good number of employees but they need serious training.  I won’t elaborate every bad experience with their staff as it will ruin my story!

Superior room at Dumaluan Beach Resort

We walked along the beach for a while and discovered that the sand is comparable to that of Boracay.  For dinner, we ate at their beach front restaurant.  You can order in advance and reserve the seat you want, just tell them what time you want the food to be served.  The food tastes just right, but a bit expensive for its class.  You can either pay at the restaurant or charge it to your room bill, but I suggest paying in every transaction in order for you to control your budget. 

A walk along the beach

Dinner Time!

On our next day, we woke up early for our buffet breakfast.  The selections are simple but tastes fine.  Our tour is scheduled at 8 am so we were already prepared before taking our breakfast.  For our tour, we had a different driver, Manuel.  Unlike other tours, their driver also acts as tour guides.  They give some information and gladly answers any question. 

My first Breakfast Buffet

Our first stop was the chocolate hills.  It is located in Carmen, Bohol, almost 2 hours drive from the resort.   We can already see come hills along the road leading to the viewing site.  There are actually a total of 1,776 hills in the area.  It was named chocolate hills because during summer it is brownish in color.  To get the best view, you have to climb more than 100 steps toward the top of a hill.  The view from above was spectacular, we can’t stop taking pictures around.  We spent more than 30 minutes before we finally went down.

The Famous Chocolate Hills of Bohol

(To be continued…..)

Boracay Family Trip (May 19 - 23, 2013)

            This is actually my 5^th visit to Boracay.  But this time, I’m with my family (My Mom, my sister, my two nieces, and one nephew).  Our ticket only costs 550 Pesos roundtrip each.  This was actually my last booking with Air Asia Philippines (PQ), and they were consistent in ruining all my bookings.  After their very disappointing cancellation of our Macau flights, and changes on our replacement flights, then a month before our flight, they moved our flight to 7 PM.  So this time I questioned them, why reschedule it to a useless time, if we arrive Kalibo by 8 PM, then we still have to travel 2 hours to Caticlan and to Boracay.  Who would cross the island at that time knowing that we already had our hotel bookings.  So the only solution is to rebook the flight a day earlier.  Then I requested for an overnight accommodation so we can travel the next day to Boracay.  But the request for accommodation was denied because according to them it is only valid if we are already at the airport at the time of cancellation.  So in order not to ruin our first family vacation in Boracay,  I had to book an overnight accommodation in Kalibo.  Luckily I found a very cheap yet nice hotel.  On the date of travel, we went to Trinoma and from there we took the Bus service at the Clark Airport Lounge.  The fare costs 200 Pesos each way.  Because our departure time is 6:45 PM, we had a heavy snack before we check-in at the airport.  We boarded the aircraft on time but had to wait more than an hour inside the plane because according to them, there is congestion at Kalibo Airport so we are waiting for their clearance.  We finally departed past 8 in the evening so we arrived Kalibo at past 9 PM.

We stayed at Bee bee lodge.  From the airport, we hired a tricycle to the hotel for only 150 Pesos.  It is located in a quiet area, yet only a few minutes walk to McDonald’s and a convenience store.   The rooms are clean and spacious. We booked two triple rooms for only 750 Pesos Per night each room.  The other room has 1 double bed and 1 single bed while the other had 3 single beds.  There are built-in tables outside each room where you can have your coffee or to eat.  Since this is a budget hotel designed for overnight stay only, do not expect too much service, it does not have free breakfast, and if you need hot water, you have to go down and get it for yourself.   When we arrived, almost all stores are closed except for McDonald’s.  We only bought rice and dessert from there and ate our packed dinner at the hotel.  Yes, because we knew that we are arriving late, we had adobo in our baggage and some bottled water.  Since our official trip begins on the next day, we had to save since we are only in Kalibo for an overnight stay.

Outside Clark International Airport

My Niece enjoying her inflight snack

The next day comes our official Boracay Tour.  We woke up early and ate cup noodles and flakes.  At around 9 AM, our tricycle is already waiting outside, we arranged a service to the Van Terminal going to Caticlan.  The service costs 100 Pesos.  From the terminal, it only costs 100 Pesos to Caticlan Jetty Port.  This one proved to be faster than taking a bus which costs 175 to 200 Pesos each.  Our travel time only took 1 hour and 18 Minutes.  It is around 2 hours when taking a bus.  At the Caticlan Jetty Port, you have to pay the usual Environmental Fe (75 Pesos for Adults, 60 Pesos for Senior Citizens amd students, Free for 12 years and below), Terminal Fee which is still 100 Pesos each( Free for 5 years old and Below),and the Fastcraft  ( 30 Pesos).  You can also take smaller motor boats worth 25 Pesos, however, it is more convenient to take a fastcraft because it is bigger and air-conditioned, although waiting time is longer.

Our tricycle service to the Van terminal.

Upon reaching the island of Boracay, we took the tricycle which will bring us directly to the hotel. On our way to the hotel, we saw “Chooks to go” along station 3, so I decided to use my Gift Certificate to get 1 whole grilled chicken for free.  We reached our hotel almost 12 o’ clock in the afternoon.  Check-in time is 2 PM; luckily there was an available room already so we were able to check-in early.

We stayed at La Carmela de Boracay Hotel.  Our room is located a few steps away from the restaurant which is a few walk to the beach area.  This was my second stay at this resort.  I chose this one because it will be easy for kids to reach the beach area since this establishment is beach front.  It is also best for families since it is away from the party area so kids can enjoy a more pleasant beach experience.

Their first dip at the beach.

On our first day in Boracay, we immediately went to the beach right after our late lunch.  The kids enjoyed the water and the soft white sands.  At night time, we went strolling along the beach and had our barbecue dinner in station 2.  After dinner, we again walked along the beach while taking pictures on interesting places on our way back to the hotel.

On our next day in Boracay, we woke up early to have our buffet breakfast and went our way to station 1.  There, we visited the grotto and enjoyed swimming around.  We stayed there for a couple of hours before we finally went back to our hotel to take a shower and change clothes.  We went back to Station 2 to have our lunch at Mang Inasal before we went shopping.  My family enjoyed their souvenir shopping and went hungry again, so this time we tried Halowich, this is halo halo with a twist!  We ordered the largest bowl and it was worth it.  It costs 399 Pesos per order, god for 6 to 8 persons. It includes fresh fruits such as mangos and bananas filled with flavored ice of your choice, and with lots of soft ice cream around the bowl topped with a cherry.  The serving is really huge and mouthwatering.  After that very delicious snack, we went back shopping and walked our way back to our room.

At Station 1 grotto

The Halowich experience!

For dinner, we decided to eat at our resort’s buffet dinner at the beachfront.  There were many food selections so we enjoyed our dinner very much.  We had a contest of who will create the best Mongolian noodles, and to our surprise, my 7 year old nephew had the best tasting while his 13 year old sister had the worst!  After than heavy and fun filled dinner, we walked along station 3, we had our photos taken at a photo booth for only 75 Pesos, printed on a waterproof photo paper.  Station 3 had the reputation of having the cheapest hotels in the island; however, there are now many 5 star resorts here such as Sand and Crown Regency.  And according to some people there, the most expensive resort is Asya Premiere Suites, which is also located in station 3.  More and more resorts are being built in the area, maybe because this area wider, almost unaffected by the erosions which affected station 1 greatly.

Our photo booth picture

On our last day in Boracay, we decided to spend the entire morning at the beach.  We checked out at exactly 12 o’clock in the afternoon and left our luggage at their luggage storage for free.  We again walked our way to station 2 for our lunch and last minute shopping.  Afterwards, we hired a tricycle back to our hotel and claimed our luggage and headed to Cagban Jetty port.  Here, a terminal fee is also collected aside from the ticket.  Upon reaching Caticlan Jetty Port, we saw an air-conditioned van service to Kalibo at the Port’s exit.  Fare to Kalibo Proper is only 100 Pesos and only 150 Pesos to Kalibo International Airport.  Since our flight is still tomorrow, we just paid 100 Pesos going to Kalibo, Luckily,  the van passes through Ati-atihan Festival Hostel, this is were we had our reservation.

Last minute shopping at D' Mall

Time to Leave Boracay1

Ati-atihan Festival Hostel is one of the best places to have an overnight stay in Kalibo, the room we had was the Family dormitory.  It has 6 single beds, a 6-seater dining area, a living room with 29-inch TV, a mini refrigerator, and 2 shower rooms and a separate toilet.  The place is only a few walk from the public market and Gaisano Capital Mall.  But since we are at the annex building, the water dispenser is too far away from us so we bought our own water, although they provide complimentary bottled water upon check-in.  A small yet clean eatery can also be found along the side of the hostel which serves affordable and delicious food.  Before we slept, we uploaded our photos on facebook using their fast wifi which comes free.

We all have our own bed.

There are 2 shower rooms and a toilet

The dining area

The living area

Due to limited time, we were unable to explore Kalibo.  They say it best to visit Sampaguita Gardens and the Mangrove eco Park.  We should have went straight to Kalibo upon check-out in Boracay.  Here, prices are almost 50% cheaper so we were able to buy more pasalubong.  The hostel also has their own Pasalubong store and items are packed in a nice paper bag for a more presentable look.

Gaisano Capital Mall in Kalibo

Outside the hotel are tricycles waiting for passengers.  You can hire it for only 100 Pesos to the airport.  We waited at the second floor to take a shot on departing planes.  A duty free shop selling affordable items can also be found at this section.  Our plane departed on time and we reached Clark also on time.

Zest Air taking off at Kalibo International Airport

But the happy vacation went irritating as the bus service as stated on Clark-Trinoma Airport Lounge’s schedule didn’t came.  I called the lounge and they told me to wait for the bus which already departed, the Genesis bus should arrive by 5PM but it was already 6PM when we found out that the bus did not proceed to Clark Airport because they had no passengers.  That was so annoying because why did they post about schedules from Clark to Trinoma if it will depend only if they have passengers from Trinoma.  Because of that we were forced to hire the entire air-con jeep to Dau bus station for 500 Pesos because if will wait for other passengers, it will take us another one and a half hour for the next plane to arrive.  We took the Victory liner Bus to Cubao and asked the conductor why they discontinued the free shuttle to the terminal, and they said they lost the bidding.  So that boils down to another question in my mind, why choose Genesis Bus with poor service against other bus companies who have a proven record of good service to passengers to Clark.  I think Victory liner is much better because they have a bus station very near to Clark that can act as feeder services for scheduled passenger services.  I think the Clark Airport Management should reconsider their partnership with Genesis Bus which may later make their lounge useless.

Well except for the hassles that the Airport lounge service gave us.  What is important is we went home safe after several changes with heavy luggage.  I’d love to take my family elsewhere someday and hopefully it will be sooner.

Kuala Lumpur Trip with my Mom (January 31 - February 3, 2013

My second time in Kuala Lumpur.  This time, with my Mom.  Our journey began in Singapore, after staying there for four days; we flew to Kuala Lumpur for another four days.  Flying time is less than an hour.   Our lunch was served upon gaining altitude and a few minutes after we were descending.  It was a short trip and we were in Kuala Lumpur just in time.   Immigration here is slower compared to Singapore, and because we are at the Low Cost Terminal, there are no train connections to the city.  This airport is actually located in Sepang, more than an hour drive from Kuala Lumpur.  There are many buses outside the airport which will take you to KL Sentral.  If you’re taking AirAsia, better buy skybus tickets online as it is cheaper, around RM 7 as compared to RM 9 when walk-in.  However there are other bus companies that offer RM 8 fares but I prefer the Skybus, Air Asia’s official bus service because it gets full easily so you’ll depart faster compared to other buses that will have longer waiting time.

Lunch on board Air Asia

For this trip, we stayed for 3 nights at D’ Oriental Inn Hotel located along the famous Petaling street in Chinatown.  The nearest LRT Station is Pasar Seni, from there, it’s just more or less than five minutes walk.  The hotel is quite old and a bit hard to find because when we arrived, the entire street was turned into a shopping haven.  Lots of people and we couldn’t seem to find a place to walk our luggage. We had a long walk because we alighted at Plaza Rakyat Station instead of Pasar Seni.   The hotel staffs were friendly and always smiling.  The buffet breakfast ensures a full tummy before leaving for a tour.

Hotel Facade

Buffet Breakfast

We thought that prices within Chinatown are cheaper like Chinatowns found elsewhere, however, in Kuala Lumpur, they tend to overprice the items, some wont give you discount even if you asked but will tend to lower it once you begin to leave the store.  During our entire stay, we were only able to buy one item in Chinatown, surprisingly; we bought cheaper and better items at the skyway terminal building going to Genting Highlands.

The Famous Petaling Street

For sightseeing, I brought my Mom to the usual places like Batu Caves, Genting Highlands, Petronas Towers, Bukit Bintang, and some other Places in Plaza Rakyat for great bargains.  

Batu Caves

My Mom wasn’t able to see what’s inside Batu Cave because she didn’t have the energy to climb its 272 steps.  Instead, we just took photos around and went straight to Genting Highlands.  We booked the 2 PM bus schedule so we can eat Lunch before getting there.  It was less than an hour ride to the Skyway station and another 15 minutes at the cable car.  My Mom thought it was just a short ride but was shocked as we get higher and higher.  It was not as cold when I first went there last October but it is still generally cool.  From Genting, we went to the Petronas Towers to take pictures and later on ate inside the Suria KLCC Mall between the twin towers.  After our sumptuous dinner, we went back to our hotel and rest.

Cable Car to Genting Highlands

The Petronas Towers

For a more serious shopping, we went to Bukit Bintang the next day.  I wasn’t able to visit this during my last trip due to limited time.  This place reminds me of Orchard Road,  lots of designer brand boutiques lined up the streets.  There are also several malls from which you can find better priced items.  For electronic gadgets, try visiting Low Yat Plaza, it is a huge mall dedicated for mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, etc.   For high-end shopping or simply just to stroll, try Pavillion Mall.  Here, you can find JCO Donuts.  It is my favorite donuts because of its flavor collections which are not too sweet.  

Along Bukit Bintang

For general shopping, try Mydin found in Plaza Rakyat.  This store is like Singapore’s Mustafa Centre, however this one is not open 24 hours.  From here you can buy Malaysia souvenir shirts for only RM 7 (Around 2 USD).  Local and international chocolates can also be bought here at the best price.  Breads and pastries are also available here, so for all your needs during your stay, you may visit this store and you can buy lots of stuff.

Inside Pavilion Mall

There are lots of places to eat in Kuala Lumpur; most of them are very affordable.  One thing I like in Kuala Lumpur are the prices, whether it may be food or transportation, it is always easy on the budget.  I really want to go back in Malaysia to visit other regions; however I’d like to give other countries in Southeast Asia a try first.

Singapore Trip with my Mom (January 28-31, 2013)

Yes, after just 3 months, I'm back to Singapore.  This time, the trip was unexpected.  I booked a promo flight to Macau when Air Asia Philippines (PQ) launched this newest destination.  However last October, when I just came from my Malaysia-Singapore Trip, I received a notice from Air Asia saying that my reservation to Macau was cancelled.  Since my Mom was expecting a trip for January, I decided to convert my payment to a credit shell and booked a one way flight to Singapore and another flight going to Kuala Lumpur.

Well of course my Mom was sad when she found out that we are no longer going to Macau because she personally chose that destination when I asked her.  But since I promised her that I would treat her abroad, I had to make a quick decision and booked this promo flight to Singapore while it is available.

Because our flight was scheduled to depart at 6:10 in the morning, I had to book at Tune Hotels near Clark International Airport.  We took the Victory Liner bus going to Dau Bus station for only 129 Pesos. From there, we hired a tricycle for only 100 Pesos going to Tune Hotels.  Upon check-in, we were given our key card, essential toiletries, and wifi password.  It is actually better to book for a Tune Hotel via agoda.com because all amenities are already included in the amount.  When booking straight to tune's website, all amenities including air-conditioning are charged on top of the room rates.

Inside Tune Hotels Angeles

We hired a taxi service to Clark International Airport  for only 350 Pesos.  We were picked up at 3:45 AM and we were just in time for check-in which opened at 4 o' clock in the morning.  Check-in procedure was easy because we already checked-in online and had our boarding pass printed.  Immigration counters were moved to a new location making space for increasing travelers using this airport which was evident with longer queues.

Boarding Time! My Mom's first International Flight.

Breakfast on board Air Asia.

Our flight departed on time reaching our destination a few minutes ahead of schedule.  Since Changi Airport has a rail link to the city, we were at our hotel in a few minutes.  We stayed at Fragrance Hotel Pearl in Geylang.  There are many Fragrance Hotel in Geylang and around Singapore, but we chose this one as it is closer to Aljunied MRT Station, although it is still very tiring to walk to and from the station.  There is a bus stop near Lorong 18 so instead of walking to the MRT station, we take the bus going to Bugis station bus stop and from there, we take the train to our destination.  To return to our hotel, we alight at Aljunied station and from there, we take a bus that stops near Lorong 18 and another stop in Lorong 10.  Good thing we bought EZ Link Tap card which can be used in buses and MRT.

Just Arrived Singapore!

There were still no vacant rooms when we arrived at the hotel so we left our luggage and I decided to go to the city center and let my Mom have a glimpse of Singapore.  We went to Raffles center, Marina Bay, and of course we took pictures with the world famous Merlion, Singapore’s National Symbol.  We ate lunch at Lau Pa Sat and we also bought  a Steamed Saba Fish for take-out.  After a very exciting tour of the city, we went back to our hotel to check-in.  After check-in, we fixed our belongings and prepare clithes that will be used for our Singapore tour.  We took some rest and decided to eat our take-out for dinner.  The fish was so deliciously cooked and my Mom loved it.  After dinner, we went out again to go to Bugis Street so my Mom would have a first taste of Singapore bargain Shopping.  It was already dark when we arrived Bugis,  my Mom never imagined that there are cheap bargains in Singapore so she bought souvenir shirts for her grandchildren.  She also bought some items for her friends, and of course she bought her self a nice leather bag.  After shopping, we went back to our hotel to rest and prepare for tomorrow’s trip.

Marina Bay Sands

My Mom having a little chat with the statues!

A friendly Filipino took this photo for us.

Day 2:  This time we are going to Sentosa to visit Resorts World.  We first ate early lunch at Vivo City Mall, this is where you can take trains going to Sentosa Island.  We ate at the Halal Section food court.  After that, we went straight to the Sentosa Express station located at Level L, 3^rd Floor of VivoCity.  We alighted at Waterfront station and took a walk around.  We took photos at the Universal Studios, but since my Mom won’t take any rides, we decided not to enter inside the park.  We walked our way around bought some souvenirs.  Upon walking our way near Imbiah Station, we again took the monorail to the Beach Station.  From here, we walked to Siloso Beach but we did not reached the center because it was too hot.  We took some rest before taking the monorail back to Vivo City.  

Lunch Time!

            Although tired, we still went to Chinatown before going back to our hotel.  We looked for some things to buy but unfortunately, we find Bugis a better option, so instead of shopping, we tried several foods from the kiosks.  The seaweed sandwich was good.  From Chinatown,   we went to Little India.  Our destination is Mustafa Centre, but it was a long walk because this place is near Farrer Park Station rather than Little India Station.  We bought Merlion Chocolates and other things to be brought home.  Prices here are cheaper compared to other malls.  After shopping, we went to City Square Mall near Farrer Park Station to rest for a while before boarding the train. My mom decided to call home to talk to her grandchildren whom she already misses.   When we got our energy back, we boarded the train back to Aljunied Station.  We ate dinner at an eatery outside the station before we took a bus back to our hotel.  It was a very tiring but exciting day for us.  After a soothing hot shower, we went to our bed and had a nice sleep.

Seaweed Bun

Mustafa Centre at Little India

On our third day, my Mom requested to go back to Bugis Street so she could buy more things.  Then after that, we proceeded to Suntec City to see the Fountain of Wealth, the world’s larget fountain.  Unfortunately, it was under renovation that time, so my Mom wasn’t able to see it.  So we went straight to Orchard road to have a walk around.  My Mom liked the ambiance of this place.  We went to Lucky Plaza to eat lunch.  She was already craving for Filipino Food so I brought her there.  We were given a free Ponkan upon ordering at a Filipino Food Stall inside the food court.  I thought my Mom’s shopping spree is done, until she saw another cheap bargains,  we actually exceeded our  budget in Singapore and had to exchange some extra Pesos so we wouldn’t use our budget for our next day’s destination which is Kuala Lumpur.  We also went to centerpoint mall to buy bottled water and other necessities.  On this day, we went back to our hotel early to pack our stuff because we are leaving for Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.

A walk along Orchard Road

It was an exciting tour because I was with my Mom.  She enjoyed her first tour out of the country.   She said she would want to go back someday so I think I’ll have to start saving for it now!