Foursome

Funny story. Around July/August, a friend from Summit invited me to join her and her friend in HK, but I didn’t want to be a third wheel and be a sagabal to their bonding. So I called Pia and asked her if she wanted to go back to HK and do her (take note, her, since I was calculating my already negative bank account) christmas shopping there. Obviously she said yes. I also invited Chonx, but she said no. Sad.

Months later, out of the blue, our other high school kabarkada wanted us girls to go on a trip abroad, so Pia and I talked it over and asked her if she wanted to join us in our HK trip. She said yes, so ang duo ay naging trio.

Around October, Chonkywonky started calling/tweeting me asking about the trip, mukhang nag-bago ang isip at nagka-calculate kung makakasama ba siya sa amin! And yes, she did join us!

So ang duo (Pia and Aia) na naging trio (Pia, Aia and Iris) ay naging quartet (Pia, Aia, Iris and Chonx)! Item number 13 on my 30 in my 30′s list: check!

Here are a few photos from our trip :)

Chiang Mai

In my last post, I mentioned that we spent 6 days in Thailand with 4 days in Bangkok, but did not mention where we spent the other 2 days. Well, Pia and I travelled all the way to the north of Thailand to see a portion of Chiang Mai.

We were supposed to travel by train from Ayutthaya, but due to the flooding both the Ayutthaya trip and train ride (which I was so excited about!) was cancelled. We searched for an alternative and found out that we could A) fly to Chiang Mai or B) travel by bus. Flying was the best option since it will only take an hour, but it’ll require us to spend about THB4,000/person, so, no. The bus will take us 10-12 hours, but its waaaay cheaper. We bought Nakonchai Air bus tickets to and from Chiang Mai—we purchased Gold tickets going (THB605/person) and First Class (last photo in this set) to Bangkok (THB806/person)—and it was probably the best bus ride of my life. Plus, it helps that I can actually sleep anywhere. (Yep, anywhere!) Our bus had television (with movies like Fast and the Furious 5, Remember Me), bathroom (never got to use it), food, blankets, and reclining seats. The difference between the two? Gold has 4 seats per row, while First Class only has three plus ala Lazy Boy seats. Taking the bus, like the train, was actually a way for us to not spend on a hotel and saving time. We left Point A at night and got to Point B in the morning.

So what did we do in Chiang Mai?

On our first day we hired a taxi-jeep to take us to Doi Suthep (which is about an hour from the old city) then followed the Lonely Planet guide book’s walking tour which took us to see Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phan Tao. (But before that, we got stuck in our hotel, Saithong Guest House, because I got glued to the telly watching A Crazy Little Thing Called Love.) Then that night we went to the Night Market.

For our second, and last, day (bitin super!), we booked with Chiang Dao tours which already has a set itinerary. The tour consisted of Elephant-filled activities (feeding, watch them showcase what they can do, ride through the forest), market visits, a little bit of light caving and river rafting/cruising, plus visiting tribes (we were most excited about the Karen tribe!) who are now living in Thailand. Also included is a tour guide and vehicle. We booked the non-private tour but we were lucky that it was off-peak season so we had the van and the guide all to ourselves. If you’re curious about the full itinerary of our tour, click here.

We also made a side trip to Tiger Kingdom to see some real tigers!

(photo from Pia)

Bangkok rain keeps falling down

Pia and I flew to Thailand for our “annual” trip. Funny pa kasi it’s the same time as our Hong Kong trip last year, as in same dates! We we there from October 13-18, spent a total of 6 days in Thailand, 4 in Bangkok.

We stayed in two different hotels during our stay. Our first hotel was Room@Bangkok, a botique hotel with really cute furniture and home accessories; it’s about 5-10 minute walk to the Asok BTS (their version of MRT) station. The staff was very accomodating (considering we arrived at the ungodly hour of 2am due to flight delays!) and helpful. The second was iResidence Hotel in Silom, which is very convenient since its about a minute walk from the BTS station, plus its surrounded by restaurants and convenient stores in the area; they also have a pool but we never got the chance to swim. (Insert sad face) The former hotel has wi-fi which is convenient for last minute research, and the latter has a business center.

Rain was on and off, so the weather was humid, but rain or heat didn’t stop us from going around the city. This trip was both our second time in Bangkok, so we basically skipped all the basic tourist-must-sees (reclining Buddha, giant Buddha, other temples), and it so happened that we haven’t seen the same things. So, off we went to see the Jim Thompson House, Erawan Shrine, MBK Mall—which is very similar to our Greenhills, Chatuchak (weekend market) and Pratunam—their version of Divisoria with some stuff cheaper (yes, cheaper!) than what we have here if you know where to look and kung super matiyaga ka lang, and then rode the boat along Chao Phraya River going to Wat Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha and the Grand Palace).

Oh, and if you’re going to Wat Phra Kaew, beware of people who will tell you that the Palace is closed, don’t believe them. Kahit na sinasabi niyang palace guard siya (like what happened to us), don’t believe them. It’s a scam! They will be persistent about it, but just say that you don’t want and walk away and look for the entrance for the Grand Palace.

Packing for Thailand is pretty easy since the weather is the same as ours. Just make sure you have proper outfit when you tour around, bring shawls/cardigans and sarongs for cover ups if you are wearing something body fitting or if your outfit reveals too much skin. Some temples don’t allow shorts or sleeveless tops—this is for girls and boys— so its best to have them. But most of the temples also provide sarongs for visitors. If you’re particular with going barefoot, bring socks, since some temples require one walks barefoot in sacred ground. I also think that it is best if you have a guide book (we had two versions of Lonely Planet with us) or do your research before hand. It’s doubly hard to ask for directions since most of them don’t speak English. Also, study the do’s and don’ts when visiting, you do not want to disrespect the country you’re visiting.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong!

The first and last time I went to HK was 1980-something. I’ve been to their airport about 2 times already, for stopovers, but never got the chance to step out of the departure area. Never really thought about going back… ’til Disneyland HK opened. Since then, I’ve been bugging my friends and family to go. About 6 years later, finally, naka-punta na ako.

Hong Kong has changed a lot in, let’s say, almost 15 years. For one, their airport is now in the reclaimed area and is one of the biggest airports I’ve been to. Their trains are very efficient. The environment is dirty-clean. And most importantly, they have toilets in the middle of nowhere. Or at least in the middle-of-nowhere we went to.

I think, if you stay there for 15 days as a tourist, you’ll be able to see all the toursit destinations. In my opinion, the Philippines has more to offer–beach palang taob na HK! And in shopping, halos same lang. But the HK government promoted their tourism very well. Plus, it’s very convenient to go around.

Pia and I spent three days there. Three short days. I have to go back for the temples, some decent shopping (hopefully with a bigger budget), Ocean Park and food trip. I also just want to go and people watch. I find the people there very interesting and very diverse. Somewhat similar to New York. I get surprised when some blonde chick opens her mouth and speaks Chinese/Mandarin/whatever local language. I want to immerse myself, even for a short while, on how the locals live and go about their daily lives. Hopefully I get to go back.

But for now, I share with you my photos.

I just had to buy this. It will look so cute in pictures. It’s so… Disneyland.

Diba?! (Photo from Pia.)

Sa sobrang hangin na Sky Terrace in Victoria Peak.
I wish I had long hair to achieve the dramatic windy look. Pero wala, I just look like someone who woke up and didn’t brush her hair.

This photo is just so Hong Kong. Sayang lang hindi kita yung Sassa and Bon Jour which you can find almost anywhere.

I saw this in the Wishing Tree we saw while we were on our way to the Po Lin Monastery and the Giant Buddha in Lantau.
Don’t we all just want to be happy? I know I want to be.

My tired but happy feet.

I wonder where I will go next… Oooh, I hope China! *crosses fingers*

Hellogoodbye, lah!

“It didn’t happen if you didn’t write it down.” – Tom  Clancy

If there’s such a thing called ‘financial suicide’, I think I just did it. I’m now on a social and food diet (don’t panic, food diet means no eating out lang). Why? Because Chonx and I decided to go to Singapore. For a day. Sabi nga ng Philippine Immigration “Ano kayo, magkakape lang?” and Singapore Immigration naman “You go to Singapore for a day… why bother?” Nagfi-feeling jet-setter (and mayaman) lang, bakit ba? So ang financial status ko? Mas negative pa sa negative.

So what can you do in Singapore for a day? Ride the Hippo!

The Hippo is a double deck hop on/off bus tour. In my opinion, super sulit!

“Live our dreams, Fly our flag”

The Flyer

And the main reason we (or I) flew: Singfest 2010. 30 Seconds to Mars to be more specific. Thank God it didn’t rain!

Jared Leto, I labshuuuu!!!
Closer to the Edge and Kings and Queens gave me chills. No, he gave me chills!

A total of 6 bands played that night. I can only remember three: The Vines, 30 Seconds to Mars and Smashing Pumpkins. I was awake for two performances: the first band (a local band na ok naman din ang tunog) and 30 Seconds to Mars. I survived not dozing off The Vines performance simply because we were standing up, but everything was hazy. I can only clearly remember Smashing Pumpkins playing 1979. Signs of old age na ata.

So I guess my second visit to the Lion City was a little bit of a failure in the touristic side, but Singfest—or seeing Jared Leto live, pawis and all!—was pure win. So I still have to go back. Kelangan ko pang subukan angSingapore Zoo, Night Safari, Sentosa at Universal Studios. And I wanna ride the Hippo again, and try the Duck tour too! Maybe isasabay sa next na Singfest (2011/2012)?

* Thanks to Nix and her housemates for letting us sleep in their flat for a night, and taking care of us. To JR who took a longer lunch break, and endured the heat kahit na pawisin sya, to tour us around Chinatown :)