Stayed at Teacher's Camp. Goverment employees can avail of discounts here. We stayed in a 4 rooms house. Master's bedroom had 1 en-suite CR. Another common CR shared by the rest of the rooms with 3 single beds in each room. With a large kitchen and living room.
Went to Botanical Garden, Mansion House, Mines View Park, The Cathedral, SM Baguio (!), Burnham Park.
CDO, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Iligan - FEB 2012
With Carl, Marlon, and April
Bukidnon tour c/o a local tour company. Zipline at Dahilayan Adventure Park in Bukidnon
Passed through Del Monte farms in Bukidnon.
Iligan day tour was, again, from a local tour company. A van fetched us from the hotel and took us on a road trip to Iligan. Tour included Ms. Cristina Falls, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Tinago Falls.
CDO food trip included dinner at Bigby's Cafe and Restaurant (nice decor and good food), Kagay-anon restaurant (ordered an ostrich dish) . Attendad mass at Cagayan De Oro Cathedral. Stayed at Victoria Suites, no elevator but has free wifi and is at city center.
Went to Ardent Hot Spring, White Island, Mantigue Island Nature Park, Katibawasan Falls, Guiob Church Ruins, Sunken Cemetery, Soda Swimming Pool. Bought lunch at J&A Fishpen.
Snorkeling at Mantigue Island
Summer MAY 2011 : Singapore and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Enjoyed a cross-country trip with Dianne, Apple, Kath, Fred, Hazel, Stan, and Pam.
Met Hazel and Fred at Kota Kinabalu on May 6. We stayed at King Park hotel.
Itinerary included white water rafting at Kiulu River, located in the Tampuruli district and Kinabalu Park and Poring Hot Spring tour at Mt. Kinabalu. The tour was with EXOTIC ADVENTURE . Frankly, it was fun because of the company and not the actual tours. The rafting was tamer compared to our CDO rafting and the hot spring was a disappointment. Poring Hot Spring had small tiled pools with faucets. Not the nature-like pools we were expecting.
It was the island hopping tour that redeemed the Kota Kinabalu trip. Manukan island had lots of activities to offer, including a costly underwater "scuba diving" activity.
And the beach was very nice, with it's white sand and calm waters. Boracay sand is still whiter and finer, though.
A short flight afterwards and we were in Singapore! Stayed at Traveller's Inn which had a common restroom but was clean and nice enough for our short stay. Being near Lavender's MRT station was a plus as well.
Universal Studio's The Mummy Returns ride was so fun that we had to take the ride twice.
One item crossed from my bucket list. One of my dream destination and it was worth all the preparation and money. Mother and I were in Japan from July 6 to 13, 2010.
Japan is a combination of something new and familiar. The people were nice and helpful (even if we usually had to resort to sign languages) and the weather was a bit friendly. It only rained a few times during our stay and the weather had allowed us to enjoy out trips before drenching us during late afternoons.
First stop: Osaka - commercial and industrial center of Japan.
The Cebu Pacific half fare promo was the catalyst for our trip. It was a big saving for us and gave me an excuse to justify to myself the cost of our trip. The discounted airfare was only Php 6,417.64 per person for a round trip ticket inclusive of tax!
Our flight landed on Kansai airport, about an hour away from Osaka's city center. There's a tourist friendly Kansai Pass that was budget friendly for our 3 days stay at Osaka. We checked in at Chisun Hotel near the Shin-Osaka subway station. our 3 nights stay at the Chisun Hotel costs us USD 223.72.Details of the room are:
Room Type : Twin
Free High-Speed Internet
Non Smoking**
2 Single Beds
The toilet has a separate shower room and a hi-tech toilet bowl that amazed me! Users can even have background music while you do your thing. :D
Although there was free WIFI in our room, we didn't have a laptop with us and my mobile didn't work in Japan. So I had to resort to using the prepaid PC in the lobby. Every 10 minutes costs JPY 100!!!
Some of the popular tourist spots in Osaka are the Osaka Castle, Tempozan Ferris Wheel, Tempozan Market, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.
Although entrance to castle grounds is free, there's a fee to enter the castle - JPY 600.
Mother and I did not dare ride the ferris wheel.
Dugong in the Osaka Aquarium. Entrancs to the aquarium is JPY 2,000.
On to Kyoto, famous cultural center that was once the capital of Japan.
We originally planned to tour as many castles in Kyoto but we we're so tired of our tour the day before that we slept in late. Nonetheless, the trip to Byodoin Temple was worth the 2nd day of tireless walking.
As a bonus, we also went to Hongwan-ji temple near the Kyoto tower.
Then on to Nishiki Market for some shopping and met a fellow Filipina as well. A funny story with the Filipina, she asked my mother if I was working there and tried to referred me to the "bar" she was working at. DO I really look like a bar girl?! Hahaha.
Welcome to Universal Studios Japan
The train to USJ have it's own train with the train's design depicting some of the rides and shows. I was expecting it to be like Hongkong Disneyland, where in the train had statuettes in it of Disney characters and Mickey Mouse style window but it wasn't like that. It was an ordinary train with just the design outside.After alighting from the train, there are a stretch of stores and restaurants before the USJ gate.
It was raining almost the whole time we were in USJ but we still had a blast! The rides and shows were spectacular and we enjoyed every ride and show we got.
Space Fantasy ride is not for the fainthearted, Spiderman ride will make you a bit dizzy. Jaws, Back to the Future, and Waterworld were so real like, it seemed you were watching the actual filming. But Terminator was the best! Even just waiting in line and we couldn't understand the actor's words (she was speaking in Japanese), we we're already entertained! Being Arnie fans didn't hurt either. And to top it off, the Live Rock and Roll show was groovy!
See a video of the Waterworld show.
Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo Disneyland was so big that we were not able to tour the entire place! There was 7 different sections inside the park and we were able to go to all sections but not really explore each one. It was a good thing that I had friends who were frequent visitors of the park and they planned our itinerary for the day. We were able to avail more rides than usual because there was less people that day due to the elections and my friends took as many fastpass as they can for us.
The Pirates of the Caribbean ride should not be missed by Johnny Depp fans. Seriously.
Disney meal
;">
Picture with 2 cosplayers in Tokyo Disneyland.
They were thrilled that someone asked to have a picture with them.
Yokohama and Tokyo
This post has been long enough so just a few more stuff to consider for your own Japan tour.
Cheapest bus I found from Osaka to Tokyo was at JPY 4,900. Departure was from Osaka Umeda Plaza Motorpool and arrival was at Yokohama station west exit, in front of Tenri Building (In front of Aozora Bank). We stayed in Yokohama since my good friend Pia offered her apartment to us so that we can save on accommodations while in Tokyo. And she lent her iPhone to me as well! Her iPhone was very helpful, with the WikiMap-like app that helped us a lot.
Ippudo Ramen near Yokohama station - simply divine.
Shinkansen (bullet train) ride - expensive but something to try at least once in your life.
Akihabara - for the geeks in all of us.
And finally, enjoyed my night out with Astrid and Ramil! They treated me in one of the very nice restaurant in Tokyo and I had a taste of Wagyu beef (very delicious!) and hot sake! Afterwards, we went to a gay bar (waiters were wearing G-strings) where I had my first taste of Corona bear with lemon! Then on to a club for a night of partying!!!
Cebu Pacific tix - can't remember how much and can't open the mdi file for the ticket
Stayed at Legend Hotel for 3 nights:
ROOM 1
Room Type: Superior-Room
Type of bed: Twin x 2
Number of adults: 3
Arrival Date: February 19, 2010, 8 pm
Departure Date: February 22, 2010
Stay: 3 Night
non smoking room
Pricing per night
1 Night: 313 MYR
2 Night: 313 MYR
3 Night: 313 MYR
There's a buffet breakfast with our room! Yay!
Went to Genting Highlands with the following directions:
1. Hotel, to RapidKL (station adjacent to the hotel was the PWTC station)
2. PWTC to Titiwangsa Station (make sure train is going towards Sentul Timur)
3. After getting off the train, head towards the exit then instead of going down the stairs, go up the bridge and descend on the other side.
4. From there you'll see a yellow bus with a big sign "Genting".
This bus will take you directly to the Genting Highlands Themepark
1. RapidKL from PWTC to Masjid Jamek
2. Change trains to Kelana Jaya line
3. RapidKL to Kelana Jaya station, the last station of the line.
4. From the station, get on bus number 623 (not sure about the bus number but there are signs in the bus terminal)
For more info: http://amaterasu08.livejournal.com/tag/malaysia
Haven't been able to transfer my pictures from my laptop at work to our desktop here at home so will use pictures from the Net.
Guinness Brewery, Dublin
Went here with Sheila Pascual and Mags Magalona. Forgot how much the entrance was but the place is something new to me and the free pint of Guinness in the 360 Bar is a bonus. Guinness isn't the usual SML here in Pinas but I still wasn't able to finish the whole pint.
Trinity College, Dublin
Did not take the guided tour inside the college because I felt it wasn't worth it. Not that the tour was by the students but because it's not on my high list of expenses while I was there. I just took some pictures.
St. Stephens Green
Went around the park and took some pics. Wasn't able to tour the whole place because it's too big and I didn't have enough time. It's a big place and I understand why it's popular to the locals. Families will have a good time here.
Temple Bar
During one of our trek to city center, we went to the famous Temple Bar area to see some of the local restaurants and bars.
Malahide Castle
The castle was well preserved and there are lots of relics with a nice tour of the whole castle. But the castle was smaller than I was expecting. In the books I read, the castles have large rooms for parties and bedrooms that could fit my whole house. I was told that for castles of that size, I should go to England.
Dalkey Castle
Dalkey Castle was another castle that didn't meet my expectation of what a castle should look like in real life but the actors that played as medieval tour guides were a delight. They had the accent and looks down pat minus the smell. :D
SeaLife, Bray
SeaLife was probably the most disappointing aquarium I have ever visited. It was quite small and the fish we're not as exotic or varied than what I have visited before. BUT, they have a fair sized octopus and it's my first time to see one.
Outside of Dublin
Glendalough
There's a Bus Éireann (Ireland's national bus line) trip to Glendalough that Sheila and I should have taken but I was late so we had to look for another bus. I forgot the name of the bus but this one only brought us to Glendalough where we stayed for about 3-4 hours roaming the 2 lakes and the ruins of an old monastery.
Cliffs of Moher
Even if I wasn't able to convince my other friends to go to this trip with me, I decided to go ahead and avail of the Cliffs of Moher tour by Barratt Tours. It was the cheapest tour I could find in the Net and in the tons of brochures I collected. I had to take the train from Dublin to Limerick but it was Barratt who arranged the train ticket. I just had to pick it up from the train station on the day of the tour.
It was another experience for me while in Dublin so I grabbed the chance. I did not have a seatmate so I was able to take pictures and explore the area near my seat to my heart's content. Although I have not tried riding the train here in the Philippines, the train from Dublin to Limerick was nice. The seat was roomy and comfortable and there were only few passengers. There are even mini tables for the passenger's convenience. You even get your name printed out above your seat if you have reservations! :D
Some other sights included in the tour are:
Leamenagh Castle
Poulnabrone Tomb
Powerscourt Estate
Ross McConnell, the head honcho in Dublin office, invited us to a tour of Wicklow mountains and Powerscourt garden. According to him, this garden is in the top ten gardens of all Europe. And it has earned that right with it's beautiful flower arrangements, towering sculptures, and more! THIS is the Victorian gardens I have read for years now. I can imagine the characters of my favorite historical romances in this place.
TIPS: For someone who's used to the tropical heat of the Philippines, Ireland's summer is still a bit cold. I always wore a jacket, even a thin one, whenever I am outside.
Need to know the DART schedule so that you won't have to wait in the cold for a long time.
Be prepared to have coins because sometimes some of the DART stations doesn't have a teller and the ticket machines only accepts small denominations.
I and a bunch of people coordinated with Travel Factor to arrange a Cagayan de oro-Camiguin trip last May 1-4, 2009.
Day 1
Flight to Cagayan de Oro at 8:30am. Landed at CDO airport around 10am. Took a 2hours drive to port Benino in Misamis Oriental to take a roro to Camiguin port. Then another 45 mins jeepney ride to Golden Sunset Beach Resort.
We were at the resort around 3pm. Off we go to White Island for some beach bumming and photo op.
Day 2
Camiguin day tour.
1st stop is the Vjandep main shop near the parola.
Next is the Katibawasan Falls. The water was too cold for the girls to take a dip.
Lunch and snorkeling were at Mantigue Island. This is a great snorkeling site if it weren't for the fact that we had only a short time to snorkel, our life vests were horrendous, it was cloudy, and the waves were big!
We enjoyed the most the Ardent water spring with one of the spring having a temp of 39 degrees Celsius!
Some picture taking in the old church and sunken cemetery to cap our day trip.
And dinner at Pizza Luna.
Day 3
Back to Cagayan de Oro for our white water rafting and zipline activities. Winner ang rafting! It was the highlight of the whole trip!
Day 4
Ikot ikot sa Limketkai mall for pasalubong and lunch at Kagayanon. Had ostrich (yum yum!) for lunch and sizzling bulalo!
