Throwback Thursday: My Unexpected Love for Luang Prabang

It was back in early 2012 when my ex-colleague and I randomly chatted how we both wanted to backpack around SouthEast Asia. He shared how he did it few years ago during his university gap year and how he still wanted to visit those places again. I, on the other hand, wanted to visit those I haven't been to.  

On our list was Hanoi Vietnam, Siem Reap Cambodia, Koh Samui Thailand, and Laos. We have to find a way how to travel to these places safely without sacrificing time and visit at least three on the list. During our search, we luckily found out that Bangkok Airways has a discovery airpass thing. This type of routing and booking allows you to choose international and domestic flights operated by Bangkok Airways and Lao Airlines within some of the SouthEast Asian countries/cities. All you have to do is plot out your desired route based on the routing schedule they have already set. Unfortunately, a flight departing from Singapore is not included in their routing. But don't fret, because lots of budget airlines fly out of Singapore to either Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and even Laos. Wherever you plan to start your trip from Singapore, that would be your starting point of the discovery airpass. Cool right?

Flashback Europe...traveling light!

Wow, its been 7 months since my last post! What a lazy a** I am. But before anyone condemn me for not updating (if anyone cared to read this blog), I have been busy taking care of my belly bump for the past 6 months and writing a post requires a lot of effort :) But since I am now nesting, I've got the time to finally post something. Hope someone do care to check my updates :)

Speaking of nesting, I've been spending my time going through my travel photos. I finally managed to arranged it by folder and segregate by places. Imagine it took me two years to check all photos from our Europe trip in 2011! It was quite massive that I always dread opening one folder. I'm just glad I had the courage and time to do it :) So expect more travel photos/updates to come while I wait for the arrival of our little bun.

The photo above reminded me of how amazing my travel to Europe was. I was there for 23 days with a 40L backpack. I can't remember how I was able to managed traveling light in such a beautiful place. Normally, I would bring clothes for everyday change and one clothing should not be worn again. But it was the opposite while in Europe. Though I did not really wear the same clothes everyday, I experimented on whatever clothing I brought and made sure I brought the basics. That made the difference. Plus it was summer, so it was easier to bring light clothing.

If I'll have the chance to do it again, I would do it without batting an eyelash. I've experienced the pros of traveling with a backpack rather than lugging a huge suitcase. Maybe it will be quite difficult if you travel during winter but during the summer season, it's very doable. I wish i took a photo of what was inside my pack but for reasons I cannot remember, I forgot :) Got too excited I guess.

Barcelona Spain: Our favorite city in Europe

Okay, we haven't really traveled to many cities across Europe and my husband only visited Spain but we both agreed that OUR favorite city is Barcelona :)

Last June 30, we celebrated our 32nd wedding monthsary, so I thought of sharing one of our favorite travel destinations. (And Spain trashed Italy at the Euro Cup Finals 2012. Viva Espanya!)

I remembered how the husband almost did not make it to visit this beautiful city when he initially didn't want to extend his leave from work. But when we set foot in our first city in Spain, he immediately decided he wanted to extend :D I can't blame him!

His decision was worth it! Although I traveled a day ahead, our excitement never died down.  Actually, I was more excited to travel alone for the first time on an overnight sleeper train from Madrid to Barcelona :D It was one of those experiences for the books. ( I will share more about that later).


Barcelona was a refreshing sight to behold after our busy stay in Madrid. We felt more at home as  tourists. Although, we've read that pick pocketing is massive in the city, we did not feel unsafe. Probably we were just very careful of our belongings and mindful of our surroundings. You get that kind of feeling when you've been traveling for a while.

Rome: Hottest City I've visited in Europe

When we were planning for our trip to Europe last year, we were completely aware that its the summer season. For a sun chaser like me, this added to my excitement. Yey! I thought that it will be kinda similar to the summer I used to have in the Philippines. I packed my summer clothes - colorful and light, lots of sun block and my favorite sunnies. What we were not prepared of was the kind of heat we were about to experience.

It was excruciatingly HOT in Rome! While in Spain (our first Europe destination), we were not bothered so much of the heat because the experience of being finally in Europe was still sinking in. But when we traveled to Italy and set foot in Rome, I almost died in dehydration and heat stroke. Seriously!

Next Summer - I will be an explorer in Palawan!

Tao Philippines: Explorers Wanted from Scott Sporleder on Vimeo.



In the beautiful island of Palawan, Philippines!

I've seen their feature in Discovery Channel today and I am just in awe. I've been to Puerto Princesa and dreamt of visiting Coron and El Nido soon. However, I never thought I could actually join an expedition in the island and visit smaller remote islands. All I had in mind before was to beach bum and island hop in the usual place.

I learned that the expedition is organized by a group called Tao Philippines. After reading through their website, reviews and articles written by other travelers, I am paying my highest respect to them. What they're currently doing in Palawan is everything I dreamt of doing in Cebu in the future.

Best Paella is in Valencia, Spain!

I swear I've tasted the best paella in Valencia, Spain!

We travelled to four cities in Spain and almost always had paella every meal :D Don't judge us, it was our first time in the country!

Valencia was never part of my cities to visit, however, since the husband couldn't travel with me to Italy and France, I gave him the freedom to choose the cities he wanted to visit in Spain. Expectedly, the history/architecture buff in him prevailed.

City of Arts and Sciences

Indeed this lovely city did not fail us in the architecture department. The old buildings were a sight to behold. I heard myself saying "wow" a million times :D

Coz travel stories are meant to be shared...

YES! I have decided to reincarnate my almost dead blog :)

I realized I could not design a blog of my own and css codes are just too much for my little brain to handle  thus I am back to blogspot. Nevermind that I purchased a domain and tried to make my own travel website but to no avail. So I am back! :)

I promise to tell you stories about my recent travels and previous ones that I have yet to sort out photos :) I am soo lazy at this kind of thing, sorting out photos that is. Makes me miss the place all the more, yet it gives me a different kind of excitement.

For the next couple of days or months, I will share the awesome and not-so nice experiences we had while backpacking in Europe with my sister, the two weeks break I had (because I resigned from work) and backpacked to Bangkok, Laos and Koh Samui, the first time we joined a package tour in Chiang Mai Thailand, the relaxing/pampered trip we had in Melbourne and Sydney with my mum and my recent birthday trip to Bali. Looooong list! Expect an overload of photos soon. Watch this space! =)

Meantime, while I dissect words to post, enjoy my current favorite travel song ^_^





Btw, who knows how to edit my header so I can add a background photo in it? :D

Beach bumming in Bali, Indonesia

Long overdue post ahead... :D

I can't believe I forgot to write more about our Bali trip last year :D I've written about our first day but didn't bother to write about the rest of our trip. And it took me almost a year to remember to finally share our awesome experience in the island :D Pasensya tao lang! hihi

Bali is known for its long stretch of white sand beaches, surfing, scuba diving and recently became more famous because of the movie Eat, Pray, Love =) . This place has been one of my must-see places to visit and I was not disappointed during our entire trip last November 2010.


Since, we traveled during the off peak season, the usually crowded Kuta beach is fortunately quite.

Our major agenda on this trip was to just BEACH BUM and maybe try out surfing if we don't chicken out. Apparently, my friend Chris was already itching to try it and after watching her learn the tricks, I was convinced to try it out myself...even if I DO NOT know how to swim :)) Confidence and courage were my weapons :))) Luckily though, I survived and did a few stands while riding the waves. Awesome experience! Unfortunately, my actual surfing photos are not yet available for the viewing public, so enjoy the following for now :D

How we enjoyed the busy Ho Chi Minh City!

Last April, the husband and I backpacked to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the first time. It was our first in the country and our first in a backpackers hostel.

We arrived around 9:00pm local time at the Tan Son Nhat Airport (thanks to Jetstar's Friday Sale) with so much anticipation of the place and the people. We booked our stay in a lovely and cheap Nguyen Kang Hostel located in District 1. They're clean, simple, decent and in a good location. Before we confirmed our trip, I made tentative reservation through email and their staff were all kind enough to reserved a place for us without any downpayment. They charged us 20usd per night (with simple breakfast) for a room with windows. However, if you are comfortable to stay in a room without windows, they charge 18usd. Not bad! And if you arrive in the evening, I suggest you request for airport pick up from your hostel because getting a cab from the airport is a bit difficult. For one, most locals do not speak English and two, they could overcharge you. Haggling with these cab drivers is pointless because you won't understand each other =) The airport pick up saves you the hassle of explaining the direction to the driver which will of course eventually saves your time. Our hostel charged 8usd to 14usd, depending on how late you arrive.

If you book in the same hostel, this creepy-looking alley will be your main entrance. Be not afraid! because on our last day, they painted the walls, light blue :D Notice the half-done wall paint? :P

We love Vietnamese food and we've read many good reviews of cafes and restaurants around the city. So on our first night, we immediately searched for one resto in our list. Apparently, the resto's location is a bit far from our hostel and since we were soo famished, we rummaged the first nice looking cafe we saw - Sasa Cafe (along District 1). They have the yummiest lime juice I've tasted so far!

Along this area, you will find many street food vendors, pubs and homeless old people sleeping in corners and shacks :(

The following days were spent getting-to-know-more-about-the-city, which was equivalent to bracing the summer heat and tired (but happy) feet =)

The post office where I dropped the postcards sent to our housemates <3

The Notredame Cathedral

The War Museum - where photos and stories broke my heart and made me feeling drained even after we left the place :( I did not bother to take photos because it was too painful to look at.  But I salute the brave photographers who risked their lives just to capture the dreadful scenes. If not for them, tourists and locals alike will not have an inch of idea what Vietnam was during the war.  Still a must visit!

Don't forget to try out their yummy iced coffee on the streets. I bet my life for you to try this one! :P

Okay, so this photo does not give justice on how interesting Ben Thanh Market was :) Ignore the facial expression and list the place on your itinerary. You will surely find a thing or two while strolling around the market. Try going there during the day and during the night, you will then know what I mean :)

This place is a must for dinner :D Quan An Ngon along Vo Van Tan Street. Delish and cheap Vietnamese food. Nice ambiance and friendly staffs =)

If you are on strict budget, the food stalls along the street is another option. Some of them looked unclean from the outside but in fairness, they do serve it clean. Still delicious and most importantly, cheap :D

And if you feel like splurging on your last lunch in the city, try out Lemongrass along District 1. It's a bit pricey but worth it, at least for us :)

Then check out artwork displays. Unfortunately, most of them were not real paintings.

And oh, if you're feeling a bit spontaneous or tired, you can try their bike tour. They have the most unusual bikes I've seen so far and most overpriced at that :P Be careful when checking the price, the drivers will convince you with their "have-pity-on-me-i-am-old" look :D Nevertheless, we tried it for an hour and ended up paying for two hours because the grandpa was too slow. Oh well, the fun was worth it anyway! Look at our happy faces :D

Can you guess how old the driver is? :)

The city is quite small so you only need a day to check out all the interesting places and still have time for shopping :) We were there for three days and had so much free time lazing around and finding off the beaten tracks. Our second day was spent on the Mekong River tour. Up on the next post.

Hope you find this post helpful =) My mind is now wandering around Southeast Asia and the many more countries I need to visit. Wander lusting mood for now!

Being Open while on the Road.

I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself. 

~ James Baldwin

Louvre, Paris France

I agree with you Mr. Baldwin!

After Spain, I was set to travel to Italy and France, without the husband. Unfortunately, he could not extend his trip due to limited vacation leaves. I have already psyched myself mentally and emotionally before our actual trip. I was thinking about what was to come and what I will become without him. Honestly, I have been wanting to travel alone in a new place as I was not able to actually do it before getting married. So this was the best opportunity for me to do what I’ve been dreaming of except that I will eventually be joined by my youngest sister in the trip.

I was literally alone from Barcelona to Rome. I was suppose to meet my sister in the same Rome airport but she missed her flight so I had to go alone to the city and find our hostel. While I was finding my way to the bus terminal to take my ride to the city, it finally sank in that nobody was there to guide me where to go. I had to figure it out myself. Luckily, I have a good sense of direction. Not wanting to miss my stop, I instantly went down where most tourists alighted. At the back of my head I thought, “they could be going the same direction as I am and anyway they are also World Youth Day delegates so there is no harm joining them”. And how lucky I was to befriend them! They helped me buy my ticket because unfortunately I bought the wrong train ticket at the airport  When we reached Roma Termini, I found out that they have not booked their accommodations so I asked them to check out the hostel where I was staying. Good karma was on our side and they got their room.

Colosseum, Rome Italy

There were many other instances during our travel that allowed us to help and ask help from strangers. I realized that it’s normal to act paranoid but it’s also okay to ask help from anyone. Traveling with my sister was entirely different than traveling with my husband. I had to read the map and find our direction the easiest way. I was so used to just following where my husband would lead me because he usually carried the map and knew exactly where to go. But when my sister and I were finding our way to a spot, there were lots of times when we got lost and could not even find our way back. It was during those times that I had to act brave and enjoy the trail.

However, I soon realized that being lost isn’t always a bad idea. Not following your itinerary is as exciting as finally finding your hostel after hours of walking with a heavy backpack. I also realized that tourists are all the same. We slept in airport terminals just so we can save one night’s accommodation and that’s okay. We also try to endure the pain of walking miles so we could really enjoy the beauty of the place. We have the same fears whether you are Asian, British or American. We all fear being robbed, abused, and taken advantage of. I mean all these fears are normal when you’re in a new place and it all depends on how you act. Luck was on our side every time we asked help people had been helpful. Some even went out of their way and accompanied us to the metro station even if they were late for their appointment. Others cooked dinner for us and invited us to join them. Little things like being offered a seat in the bus or offering to take our photo or teaching us which bus to take. But I assure you that every time we were in those situations I had all sorts of scenarios in my head whether this man is sincere or the food is safe. I know it’s ridiculous to think bad things about people who are offering help but I can’t help it. Paranoia is in my system. 

The lessons I learned while on the road is incomparable. I thought that if you have a detailed plan and itinerary you will know everything and you will not need help. But I was wrong. Language barrier was one of the challenges and direction was another. My impatient self was always bothered every time I couldn’t find my way or when I was being served with the wrong food because the waiter didn’t understand and I was too hungry to even argue. So yes, I learned a lot of patience.  

Piazza del Duomo, Milan Italy

Among the vastness of the crowd of tourists and locals alike, I felt like a small mustard seed totally invisible from everyone else. I learned humility. No matter how different your status was in your hometown – in a new place you are a stranger. You really don’t know everything. You are also expected to follow and respect culture or traditions whether you agree or not. 

I least expected myself to experience all these realizations but believe me I did! Normally, I am not that patient and open. I usually say what I think whether its nice or not. And I have lots of fears I am not willing to overcome. But traveling alone, even with my husband or with my sister, taught me a lot beyond my expectations. William Least Heat Moon said is his book Blue Highways, “When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” And this explains my experience while on the road in Europe.

~

Thank you, Grace of PinayontheMove for featuring this post on your pretty travel blog.

Backpacking Europe for the first time.

Okay before you raise your eyebrows or ignore this post, allow me first to explain why I backpacked instead of traveling comfortably...

Most first timers to Europe would rather book a travel package with everything included so they won't have to worry where to go, where to sleep, where to eat and how to explore the place. This is the easiest way for first time travelers. But I am not a fan of travel packages or tour groups (sorry no offense, its just me). I appreciate how convenient they are for those incapable of doing more research or for those who don't want the hassle of preparing the itinerary on their own - it's truly helpful if you are that type of traveler. I would prefer to use it if I am traveling with my family in a place where the English language is unknown.

I don't consider myself a hardcore backpacker compared to other travelers who really carry with them huge backpacks and travel for months. I've learned to backpack just because I've always wanted to travel cheap so I can save for shopping. Haha, how ironic! But at least I have the motivation :p So when we started planning for our Europe trip, backpacking came in handy. Booking a one (1) star was not even an option. Hostelbookers was very helpful in planning our accommodation. Although some of our actual experiences were somehow different from the reviews, but that will be a separate blogpost. 

Yes, I literally backpacked with a 12kg bag for three weeks. I have to mention though that carrying it for hours wouldn't be possible without the help of the husband so I suggest before you follow my lead, make sure you are ready for the back and hip pain. I was ready for all types of pain but what I was not ready for was the heat of the sun in Spain. Imagine carrying a 12kg bag in a 40C temperature??? It was crazy and I seriously went hysterical! And it's okay to be hysterical if you have a husband like mine who's ready to carry your bag otherwise, keep calm and carry on :)

I really find backpacking very convenient especially if you have shorter stays in various cities in Europe. We started in Spain and visited Valencia (2days), Toledo (2days), Madrid (6days for the WYD) and Barcelona (3days). Then I flew to Italy and met my sister. We visited Rome (3days), Florence (2days), Milan (1day) and Venice (1day). Our last stop was Paris, France. See, we were always on the go. Although the transportation in most Euro cities is very convenient such as renfe in Spain and trenitalia in Italy, their metro station is the opposite. It's not very friendly for those with huge trolley luggages. So if you carry a backpack, you'll easily find your way among the crowd compared to those dragging their luggages in the staircase :D Central metro station is an exception though especially those with connecting train rides to major cities. They have escalators, accessible lifts and travelators. My sister used the trolley luggage and although it was smaller, she really had a hard time carrying it especially when we arrived in Milan and discovered that the nearest metro station to our hostel  had the longest staircase ever! Luckily, we survived the climb!

So yeah, we enjoyed backpacking and sharing our room to other travelers. We booked private rooms in some cities but dorm type accommodations for most of our stay and enjoyed a few free upgrade from dorm to private in some :D It was fun meeting other travelers and exchanging travel stories. This kind of experience makes me enjoy backpacking a lot. I'm not fuzzy in sharing toilets/showers with other people as long as its clean and decent. I don't mind sleeping in a small bed with someone snoring on the other end. I don't care if other occupants make a mess in the same room as long as they don't steal my stuff. I mean, if the hostel is decent and the reviews are great, there's really no reason for anyone to worry. The only reason why you're there is to sleep after you've enjoyed the sights outside your hostel room. You have to make sure though that 90% of your time is spent outside, roaming rather than spending it inside, sleeping.

The amount we saved for booking cheap accommodations was spent on food and shopping few clothes :D Obviously, the latter is a not so nice idea because it will add a kilo to your backpack. But what the heck! I'd rather sacrifice the back pain for new clothes than re-wearing the used ones :P I told you I'm not a hardcore backpacker. Haha! Hopefully this mindset will change soon when my long term travel plans will take place :)))

Til here for now. Will continue the adventure soonest. Goodnight, world!

Recovering from the Travel Bug Bite...

...if there's such a word :)))

Hello blog, i missed you! Sorry for staring at that new post blank page for few weeks now. I just don't know what to write or how to start. My three weeks wander lusting was causing me too much memory overload that it almost made my brain explode. There were just too many beautiful sights and experiences to remember and my ordinary brain cannot handle the overlapping of snapshots. The thousand photos didn't even help, actually it made the situation even worst - instead of typing the words, I always end up staring and browsing for more photos.

But today is different because I've finally decided to compartmentalize and turned on my brain to come up with the most "jaw-dropping" come back post. Teehheee =)

I guess when you're bitten by the travel bug, you need to refresh yourself slowly but surely. When I came back, I didn't literally experienced jetlag because I was forced to overcome it due to work. But I noticed that after my first week, I became too lazy to do something productive and was just too comfortable slacking off. And it didn't do me any good, for one, I was not able to post anything here and two, I missed a lot of updates from friends because I was "almost-always" unreachable. Luckily, I have recovered and ready to plan for the next trip :D

Meantime, while I edit some photos, let me share to you some snapshot of the places I visited in Europa =)

City of Arts and Museum, Valencia Spain

Santo Tome, Toledo Spain

Palacio Real, Madrid Spain 

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona Spain 

Colosseum, Rome Italy

St. Peter's Basilica, Rome Italy

Palazzo Vecchio, Florence Italy 

Emmanuel Vittorio Shopping Mall, Milan Italy

Gondola by the bridge, Venice Italy 

Eiffel Tower, Paris France

Enjoy and happy week ahead!