Sick During Vacation

I remember the first day of my vacation: I was feeling a bit sick, and it got worse every day. I caught a cold with coughing and fever. It was so uncomfortable to travel while being sick, especially when you’re on an airplane. They blow too much cold air into the airplane, hence, the fever made me freeze. Being on the airplane for three hours was a torture to me. I cannot imagine how it would be travelling even longer, like when you go to Europe or USA. Anyway, I survived the three hours, and after a week I got better.

Now I know how hard it is to travel while being really sick. Make sure you always have medicine with you! But if you have a weak immune system, it takes more time to recover. Some people are lucky to have strong immune system. When they get sick, they take the right medicine just once and are already good on the next day. Instead. I needed one week to recover.

Thoughts about countries

From Hong Kong to Macao to Thailand and now back in the Philippines. I travelled for two weeks, and that was a long vacation for me. I feel honoured and forever be grateful for reaching five countries in two years. I do not ask for more. For me, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. It may stop for a while, but I won’t say that I will not travel again. Once I get a better job, I will save money to travel again. I think my experience is good enough to be independent abroad. Maybe working abroad is one good thing for me to do.

Hong Kong and Thailand

Guess what? I'm so excited to travel this year. I can't wait for October to come. That's the month when I will travel to Hong Kong. It's going to be my first time to visit Hong Kong, then I will be able to visit Macau as well. I heard that Macau is not large, but plenty of casinos. I wonder how expensive it is to stay there for a night? Maybe it is as expensive as Singapore. I will definitely find out later when I am already in the country.

I'm just so happy and excited. I already prepared myself for the travel. I don't want to spoil a single day without doing anything fun. I make sure to take plenty of photos. I hope it's not cold in Hong Kong when I go there. I'm not so used to cold weather. I'd be glad if the weather is the same as Singapore. See you very soon Hong Kong, Macau and Thailand! I can't wait for that day to come.

Visiting Thailand soon

Pic of Thailand thanks to Diego Delso (CC license)

I have some travel plans for the semester break. I will travel to Thailand in end of October. I can't wait to see the beauty of Thailand. I love Thai food. I have tasted few Thai dishes already and I can't wait to try more of those spicy food.

Since I am visiting Thailand, I will have to learn Thai language, at least few important words such as Sawadee ka (which means the same like Kumusta ka). I heard that Thai people don't speak English as good as in the Philippines. Maybe people will think that I am Thai and try to talk in Thai to me. The same happened while I was in Indonesia, as I was mistaken as an Indonesian. But during my stay in Indonesia, I didn't really find it difficult because the people I bumped into knew how to speak English. Not sure about Thailand!

Cebu Pacific's Bad Service

I remember my first flight of my life was with Cebu Pacific. Since then, whenever I fly, I always book Cebu Pacific, since their ticket is always cheaper than the other airfares. The only problem with Cebu Pacific is that it is an unreliable airline. There are always delays or changes in flights, for instance suddenly your afternoon flight leaves already in the morning. That's not good for people on tight schedule. Cebu Pacific already got fined several million Peso by the governmenet for the flight delays.

Why I'm talking about this issue now? Because it just happened again: I had my ticket booked a week ago and yesterday I received a text from Cebu Pacific saying that my flight is changed. Instead of a relaxed daytime flight, I need now to be at the airport in the middle of the night. Next time I might not take a flight with this airline anymore, allthough the ticket is very affordable with Cebu Pacific.

What if?

What if one day we are given a chance to travel the world without Visa/Passport and money is the only problem that hinder us to leave? Would we all work harder to earn money so that we can go and travel the world? Because I would be willing to work a lot harder! It doesn't matter which job I am having, as long as I can make money from it. Right now I only have a side job to support my studies, but when I will have a full job in the future, and I am still alive by then, I will probably just save up, rather than spending money to unnecessary things.

Many countries require Visa from Filipino travellers, and a Visa is hard to get. If that hurdle would not exist, everybody would be a lot happier, and the average people would be more ambitious and eager to support their travel. Right now this Visa hurdle is just so high that average people don't even dare to consider travelling. For those who make more money than most people, for them it was always super easy to visit their dream countries, because they are well provided with money. Therefore, when I get a job, I will try to save all my money for travel. There are still some countries that are Visa-free for Filipinos that I have not yet visited. I wish one day more countries are less restrictive against Filipinos with respect to Visa requirements. Then I can visit my dream countries in the future.

What I want to see in the world, part 3: Paris, France

I started writing a series about the many places that I want to visit one day. So, here are my thoughts about Paris, France:

France is near to Germany, and its capital Paris is one of the most visited cities in the whole world. It is called the city of love, and there are many old romantic movies with love stories that take Paris as scenery. Anyone remembers the movie Moulin Rouge? That's Paris!

I am eager to see the beauty of the city one day. The most famous is probably its gigantic Eiffel tower that everyone dreams to see. Champ de Mars is a large garden close to the Eiffel Tower. Sacre-Coeur on Montmarte is a Roman Catholic Church on a hill. Nearby is the Place de Tertre where you can see lots of street painters showing their fantastic art. I love to watch art.

Paris has surprisingly many parks, the largest being the Bois du Boulogne. However the Parc des Buttes Chaumont got my attention as it looks so nice on pictures, a beautiful green place with a bridge and many trees. I would love to take photos in it. There are many more places that I'd love to visit if I ever come to Paris, but I am not writing them all here.

What I want to see in the world, part 2: Thailand

There are many places in the world that I want to visit one day. Today I write about Thailand.

I know that Thailand is a little bit like the Philippines, except for the religion. Compared to Europe or USA that are very far away, Thailand is within reach for me once I save enough money. Thailand has so many interesting sights from the amazing Bhuddist temples, beautiful islands and beaches. Pattaya is one of the most visited beaches, and nearby is a Botanical Garden called Nong Nooch Tropical. This one is different than the botanical garden I’ve seen in Singapore. One day I’d love to visit the place, and see which botanical garden is better. Not so far is also the Sriracha Tiger Zoo. I’d love to take pictures besides a tiger one day. I hope the tiger will be nice to me and not eat me.

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand and it has a Safari World, which is a zoo and entertainment park with excotic animals. In Indonesia, I did ride an elephant, and I love to watch and interact with animals. In Bangkok is also the Vimanmek Mansion which is the Thai National Heritage Museum, another must see on my list.

In the northern part of the country is the Doi Inthanon National park which looks amazing. Here you can see secluded temples in a landscape of water falls, park, forests, and mountains. There are so many historical parks as well. One day I will visit them all. I am not interested to any night life, once I am in Thailand it would be just to visit places, look at the animals, talk to the people, and see the beaches.

What I want to see in the world, part 1: Germany

Besides my home country, I have only visited two countries: Singapore and Indonesia. There are so many other places I want to see one day. Today I write about Germany.

What I know about Germany is that it is cooler than the Philippines, and it is very safe there as there are no typhoons or earthquakes. It also has a long and rich history, and is known for having hundreds of old castles and palaces. Probably the most famous is the Neuschwanstein Castle, which is very beautiful. It is said that this castle was the inspiration for Cinderella's Castle in Disneyland. It would be cool if I can see that one day.

Speaking about Disneyland, there is Europe Park in Germany, which is an amusement park with rides and entertainment. It is the largest one in Germany, and the second most popular theme park in Europe, right after Paris' Disneyland. I am not into rides, but I'd be willing to take a look at the place if I am in Germany.

Berlin is certainly worth a visit. This is the capital of Germany with the famous Brandenburg Gate. The Berlin Zoological Garden looks also nice on pictures and should be part of every Berlin trip.

Berlin is in the eastern, flatter part of Germany, but Germany has also nice mountains with lots of snow. One historical place in the mountains is the Kehlsteinhaus, also known as Eagle's Nest, on an idyllic hiking route. This house was used by the NS regime that started World War 2 in Europe, so it has some historical burden, but nowadays it is a nice hiking excoursion into the nature and mountains of Germany. It looks a bit similar to Sambawan Island here in the Philippines.

All of this is just in my dreams, but who knows, one day it might happen that I go there. So many things to see, and so many countries to visit, it is just money, time, and courage is what we needed.

Travelling makes you smart

Travelling gives you lots of experiences and changes your viewpoint. It makes you smart and mature, because you can see beyond the scope of your little province life. I had been to two counties already, but that doesn't mean I'd stop travelling whenever I can. If there's another opportunity for me to travel, I'd surely grab it. Traveling is expensive, but it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn the world. Grab every opportunity, never let go of it, or you will later regret it.

There is the time of travelling and the time after travelling. Only after the travel, you learn how rich you are now with the new experiences. When I was still on the trip, I never appreciated how amazing it is being in a country. The first time I traveled, I was very tense and confused with so many strange impressions. I felt like in a movie, not in the real world, and I was not as relaxed as I should have been. Now, since the day I arrived back in the Philippines, my experiences during my travel are always in my mind. There is no day without thinking I had already been in other countries. Isn't that amazing? I am grateful for getting invited to the two trips. It will always stay in my memories.

Hiking to Guinduyan

I got invited by my friends to go hiking to Guinduyan, a place between Nagaja and Ularon. This is part of Hernani, but I haven't been to Guinduyan before. Hence, it was my first time. Guinduyan has a beach and a cove, but it is a bit away from the street, hence you have to hike through nature. I feared rain was coming to make my camera wet, but luckily this did not happen.

It is not easy to go to Guinduyanan at all. You'll have to walk for an hour before you can see the place. Make sure you are wearing jogging pants or jeans to avoid scratches, because there are plenty of sharp grass and bushes and rocks. And bring a hiking gloves, just in case you need to climb. How to find the place: you just simply look for the highest rock, climb on top and look around. You can also take photos there. Guinduyanan itself is actually quite small, but it is surrounded by huge rocks. The middle is what they call Guinduyanan. The cave is the edge part of it.

After we spend some time in Guinduyanan taking photos, we decided to take a different route to walk back. We wanted to see the other side of Guinduyanan. That route was a bit risky, because we had to walk by the side of the rock connected to the cave with the big waves. On that route, we had to jump from rock to rock with the right timing to avoid getting hit by a wave. I had no problem with this, as I am slender and good at climbing, but some of the olders of us needed help. At the end, we all made it. Everyone seemed relieved that no one got hurts. That was a memorable hiking experience for us. Thanks to my new friends who invited me. Most of them are teachers.

The next day after the hike, I started to feel a bit muscle pain in my both legs. It felt like doing squats the whole day in the gym. Hiking keeps you fit. Overall, that was a good experience. Gosh I'm dying to do another adventure!

Travel Tips for Sambawan

Tips on how to get to Sambawan Island: I started in Hernani, but you might want to start in Tacloban. From Hernani Eastern Samar to Tacloban City was 3 hours by van-van. In Tacloban, you'll have to go to the terminal bound to Naval, Biliran. The trip will take another 3 hours. Once you arrived on Biliran, if you're first timer, you can ask anyone where you can take a ride going to Kawayan, in the north of Biliran. There are jeepneys and private cars. A jeepney costs 30 Pesos. I don't know what a private car would cost. The trip from Naval to Kawayan takes 1 hour.

So right when you get to Kawayan, there will be people to accommodate you for the boat ride. The boat ride to the Island cost 3000 Peso but it can be cheaper if you're with a group of people. Because you can just tear apart the price of the boat. It is another 1 hour travel to the island. The total hours of travel I had was 8 hours, but seeing the island for the first time, my effort visiting the place was all worth it. Everyone can go there, Just Google Sambawan Island to find more info.

My first visit of Sambawan Island

Sambawan is a small idyllic island near Biliran. I wouldn't know about Sambawan if my classmate wouldn't have praised it. According to her, she found out about Sambawan Island through google. She knows and has visited so many nice places, no wonder she is always vacationing. Now, Sambawan Island is no longer a strange place to me, because I have been there. Since it is so small, it lacks a civic infrastructure, but I still love it there because it is pure nature. From the top of the mountain, you can see everything, the beauty of the Island is really captivating. At the very top, there were a tree house where you can stay and rest for a bit, and you'll be able to see and take photos of every view that attracts your eyes.

If you're an adventurous person, Sambawan Island is good for you. You can hike, and look around, or swim in the sea. The ocean is not deep there, and it looks green and clear. It is a nice swim. But afterwards, you cannot shower with the water, because the water that comes out from the faucet is also ocean water. So there's no use showering at all. That's the only thing that disappointed me while I was there. But I enjoyed my stayed. I had fun.

Unexpected Invitation

I just got invited by one of my colleagues to go to Sambawan Island this Saturday. I didn't know what to say, because this invitation was unexpected and such a short notice. I thought about it and asked how much would be the cost for each person to go there. She said it is at least 1500 PHP per person, but with that budget we need more people to come with us so we don't need to spend more for the boat rent. She has 6 people with her, and I'm thinking of taking my cousin since she wants to come with me. That's a good idea because then my cousin can take pictures of me and I take pictures of her. I just need to find a way to organize the budget.

According to my classmate, Sambawan Island is in Biliran, so from Tacloban it will be 2-3 hours travel to get to the place. And if we go with them, we will have to be in Tacloban on Friday already, because the trip starts at 4:00 on Saturday in Tacloban. It is already Thursday, hence the notice came short. She could have told me earlier so I have enough time to think, and get ready.

Easter Gift Waiting in Borongan

Hurray, I will get an Easter Gift! I just received a call from LBC to notify me about a package for me. Since they don't deliver all the way to Hernani, I need to go to Borongan to get it. The LBC woman who called me sent me two tracking numbers. I know one package is chocolate, but I wonder what the other tracking number might be. I will find out in Borongan.

I am excited to see what is in the package, because I have no idea yet. It is a good surprise. While writing my thoughts about the Easter gift, I and my cousin are already here at the side of the road waiting for van-van bound to Borongan. I haven't been to the city for a while. I'm interested to see what's new there, new stores etc.

Anyway, I choose van-van whenever I travel long distance, to avoid sweating. A van-van has air condition while a jeepney has none. A van-van also has more space on the seats. Also, a van-van is much faster because it doesn't make so many stops. In one hour, I will be in Borongan.

Visited Bacayaw beach

Yesterday, we went to Bacayaw beach. From Hernani, this is nearer than Minasangay Island Resort. You'll have to pass just a few Barangays. For a motorbike, this is easy. We used the motorbike of my brother who borrowed it to us, and we did ride all 4 people on it.

Of course, I wasn't the driver. Nobody trusted my driving skills enough, since they know I just learned driving. When 4 people are on the bike, it can be dangerous. The person who did drive is even smaller than me, but an experienced motorbike driver. Lol. We arrived in just 20 minutes, the resort doesn't have entrance fee, but I paid the parking space which cost me just 50 Pesos. We only took photos but didn't go swimming. Bacayaw beach is a fine beach with white sands. They have tables, so if you needed one, you'll just have to ask for the assistance. Each table costs 200 pesos, and it is for the whole day. It is very comfortable there. Maybe I will go swimming next time.

Leaving Silago

Here at Silago Terminal waiting for Grand Tours bound to Tacloban. This is going to be a long trip for me, because from here to the city will be 2 hours trip, and then another 3 hours from Tacloban to Samar. Being 5 hours on the road is not that good especially when the road isn't that nice.

Anyway, it was my first time to be in Silago. I've been invited to come here many times, but I never really got time to visit, because whenever I got free time I always go home to my hometown rather than going to other places. Now that I've seen Silago, I think I'd go back here next time. I like it here, so peaceful, and people are very friendly.

My friend's mother is very welcoming. During my 2 days of stay in their house, I got well provided from bed to food. I'm so grateful to have met them all. Even the grandmother of my friend is so nice. I wish I had a grandmother as nice as her. She always talks to me, I never got bored, she's funny as well. Happy that I've got to know them even just a short while.

Planning for a trip

Finally the semester is over. I am back here at Hernani in Eastern Samar. Some of my classmates have started their vacation trips already. Good for them. I hope they can enjoy and make the most of their free time. While I am still thinking where to go, I might just stay home, and wait for the Fiesta in my grandparents' town. I have not seen them for two years now. I miss my grandparents. I think visiting them in this summer is a good idea.

They are very old and I don't know how long they will still stay on this earth. I hope to see them even just for a few days. I still have enough time to plan the trip. I hope I can earn a bit of money to make the trip happen. Last year, they wanted to see me but I had no budget. I heard my mom is also going to their Fiesta. I haven't talked to her for a while now, I hope to see her too when I come.

San Juanico Bridge

Yesterday in our free time, I and my classmates decided to visit the San Juanico Bridge here in Tacloban, Leyte, which is considered the most beautiful bridge of the Philippines. It is also the longest bridge over seawater in the Philippines with 2200m (7200 ft). This was a spontaneous decision, someone came up with the idea and the majority of us liked it.

From the school, we went to downtown to look for the transport that goes to the bridge. But nobody of us did know where the Jeepney start that goes to the bridge. We tried to ask a few people until we found a jeepney. Going to San Juanico Bridge costs only 13 pesos by jeepney.

However, our trip wasn't that great. When we were half way, it started raining, and then it stopped after a while. When we reached the bridge, we were surprised that the highway wasn't wet, which means it didn't rain there. So we started walking from the beginning of the bridge to the end. But when we're in the middle of the bridge it started raining again. We got wet. We had only two umbrellas, not enough for all of us. That's what happened in our first visit to San Juanico Bridge.

Vacation soon

Just one more month, and then it is summer vacation time. It's going to be a longer vacation this time, about two months. You can do many things without thinking about school homework. Some other students will take summer classes, but my course does not need that. I still haven't figured out what I will do on the upcoming summer. There's a lot of things that I want do, yet I can't decide what to do. I wish I could go somewhere worth visiting this year though.

I even got invited by my old girl friends to go to Boracay in March, but that's too early. I will still be in class at that time, hence I said no. It would have been tempting if it was free. I am still a student, and I write blogs in order to make a little bit of money, but the money is just enough for my everyday expenses. So I refused to go with them. Maybe when I graduated and find a better job with a reasonable salary, then it's the time I could afford to travel to other places. So I guess I'll just stay in province during summer, or I go to my cousin in Manila. I still have plenty of time to think of what I want to do later anyway.