Dazed and Confused at Kaohsiung's Lotus Lake and Cijin Island

There were lots of options to pick for a place to go for my extra two days – Alishan, Cingjing Farm, Kenting, or spend more time exploring New Taipei. But for some reason, I had my heart set on going to Kaohsiung. I have seen it on some blog posts and was somehow convinced. Once I arrived in Kaohsiung however, I found it hard to find things to do that would suit my preference, and I got lost most of the time too, despite the ever-so-reliable Google Maps. It is most likely however that it is not Kaohsiung’s fault, but I was already suffering from “travel fatigue.”

The popular Dragon and Tiger Pagodas of Kaohsiung

Jampacked Day of Fascinating Sights in Tainan

I always enjoy strolling around small heritage cities, that’s why when asked about travel suggestions, I always mention places like Gyeongju in South Korea, Pingyao in China, Melacca in Malaysia and of course, Vigan in the Philippines. So it was a must for me to go to Tainan, Taiwan’s oldest city.

Located southwest of Taiwan, Tainan is a well-known destination for its temples and ancient buildings that has been a witness to almost 200 years of history. What makes it attractive to travelers like me is its rich culture that can be observed through the colonial buildings scattered around the city and its variety of snacks and street food.

Good morning from Tainan!

Your Two-Day Introduction to Taipei

I hate to admit it but I wasn’t so enthusiastic about Taipei when I landed at Taoyuan Airport. The capital city of Taiwan will be my first destination for this trip. I am not big on cities and probably enjoy it the least, that’s why I thought I’d explore it first because I adhere to the saying, save the best for last. As I got to know Taipei bit by bit, I started to fall in love with its amazing sights, affordable yet unlimited choices in food, accessibility and its people.

Cagayan, Palaui Island and Isabela 4 Day Trip – Itinerary, Travel Guide and Expenses

I have always wanted to go to Palaui. I have been invited to or initiated three different trips every year since 2011, with one group, we even bought our plane tickets already, but decided to cancel since there was a typhoon in Cagayan exactly on the dates of our trip. Finally, last 2014 (yes, this is a super late post!), we made this happen!A friend and I were talking a couple of months ago on how it would be nice if we went to Palaui, and some time in November, my friend called me again,  “Oi, tuloy na natin Palaui natin, holiday next week oh” and the rest is history.

5 Days Around Sorsogon, Albay and Camarines Sur: Itinerary, Bicol Travel Guide, and Expenses

I have always been curious about Bicol. I have only been to Masbate, which is my mother’s hometown, but have yet to explore its sister provinces. During gradeschool, we were always taught of how beautiful Bicol is, with my teachers boasting of Mt. Mayon. I have no idea if they have even seen it up close or only in pictures, but when I had some free time before I start with a new company, I decided it was finally my turn to see it for myself.  My sister was also about to commence with her university studies, so as a gift for her for passing the entrance exams and also an initiation (college is hard!), I decided that she also tag along on this trip. Off to new beginnings and new adventures!

Beautiful Churches That You Must See in Isabela Province

After we accomplished our main goal of visiting Palaui Island, my companions left for Manila, and because I still had one day vacation leave left, I took this as an opportunity to see Cagayan’s neighboring province, Isabela. It’s probably one of the provinces in Luzon least visited by bloggers and travelers that’s why there’s only scarce information available even on the World Wide Web. If you have been following my posts recently, you would know that I have developed a fascination with old colonial churches, and because I have limited time and money left :( I though this activity would exactly fit the bill.

Charming Churches of Camarines Sur and Exploring Naga City

Last from our Bicol itinerary is a visit to the province of Camarines Sur. We originally planned to go to Caramoan and explore the beaches there, but since it was only me and my sister, I did the math and it seems like our budget would not be able to hold up if ever we pushed through. The province is also famous for water sports but it looks like it will be another expensive activity for the both of us.

Old Beautiful Churches of Cagayan

I wasn’t a big fan of visiting churches whenever I go on trips around the country, I ONLY thought of churches as a sacred house and things such as taking pictures and talking non-religious stuff would be an act of disrespect, but this changed when I visited Cagayan. We were a bit constricted when looking for things to do in the province since most involved extreme activities like cave spelunking (we were able to go to Callao Cave though, because it was endorsed to be safe for beginners, and indeed it was) and we were with my friends’ parents so we wanted to keep the whole trip light yet still enjoyable as possible, thus we decided to visit several churches located around the different parts of the province. I am glad we did this because I finally found appreciation for the magnificent artistry and history that these churches possess.

Ngong Ping Village, Tian Tian Buddha and Our Last Day in Hong Kong

It was our last day in Hong Kong and I wanted to make the most out of it. Our tour organizer didn’t really have plans for us that day, so technically it was a free day. Our parents were a bit tired and just wanted to do their last minute shopping so me and my sister were allowed to roam around by ourselves. Yipee and yikes! We had no idea what to do and where to go! Good thing a friend of my mom used to work in HK and suggested that we go to Ngong Ping, with directions sent via SMS, we were good to go.

Playing Hide and Seek with Albay's Mayon Volcano

Seeing Mayon Volcano is probably one of the highlights for tourists visiting Albay, it would be a lie to say that we did not put this on our top agenda for this trip. All throughout Grade School, we’ve been told that Mayon is one of the country’s most beautiful landscapes, known for its “perfect cone”, so we wanted to see it with our own eyes. Unfortunately, some things just don’t go as planned.

"Mayon, where na u? Dito na us!"

Lost No More at Ligao City's Kawa-Kawa Hill and Natural Park

We thought Albay was only all about Mayon Volcano. Turns out, there was so much more to see.
First, there was Hoyop-Hoyopan Cave that kept us occupied for half a day with its amusing history. Our next destination the following day was a breath of fresh air, figuratively and literally, since we got to travel away from the city center.

Inside Cagayan’s Callao Cave

The weather was threatening us not to push through with our trip to Cagayan. A few days before our trip, I have watched out for forecasts but it will tell me of a predicted typhoon. I kept on checking with my travel buddies whether we should still push through, since our top priority was to see Palaui Island, and yet everyone was optimistic which helped me keep my hopes up. It was an 11-hour drizzly bus ride with Florida Bus, we still chose this bus provider despite having been suspended and started operation a couple of days before. I was just glad that I was traveling with a big group, and a cool one at that.

the famous "postcard view" of Callao Cave

Cooling Off at Hoyop Hoyopan Cave, Albay

It has been amazingly hot at Bicol, most especially in Albay, and we realized that we cannot endure this weather with our bodies that were probably designed to enjoy strong blows of wind. I hoped for that refreshing summer breeze, that’s why we went here during first week of June, but it seemed like we will never achieve that. We only planned to see attractions that concentrated around Mt. Mayon, Bicol’s pride and glory, but one friendly local suggested that if we were looking for a place to cool off, we probably should head to Hoyop Hoyopan Cave.

at Hoyop Hoyopan Cave with a birdie photobomber.

Holy Week Penitence and Crucifixions in San Pedro Cutud, Pampanga

Spending the Holy Week in the Philippines can be a colorful and almost as festive as the major holidays in the country. Lenten traditions that have been passed from different generations are still practiced, making this season not just religious but culturally relevant as well. One province in the Philippines that surely has an interesting Easter tradition is Pampanga. It annually gathers thousands of local and foreign tourists for an event that literally shows true Filipino sacrifice and "blood". This is a famous sacred practice in the country that is mentioned in almost every travel guide about the Philippines.

A Swift Journey to Paguriran Island and Sorsogon City

We did not really have an itinerary or places to see when we risked this trip to Bicol, well of course, we knew we had to see Mt. Mayon, but we mostly relied on my phone’s lousy internet capability and the trustworthy locals whom we met on the road for their best recommendations and cheap ways on how to reach those places. The province might be not be known for its beaches, but Sorsogon also takes pride for the beauty of Subic Beach at Matnog, Sorsogon known for its white sand reminiscent of Boracay but with less crowd, less pollution and less commercialization. We were supposed to go there as we were enticed by the pictures we saw at the internet but due to budget constraints, I opted to scrap this plan and look for another place where we can still enjoy an affordable beach escapade. So we were told to take ourselves to this quaint town of Bacon. To all the meat lovers out there (like me), this is not a town that prides itself for selling bacon. Our main purpose here was to see Paguriran Island. I was worried because if it is an island then definitely we would need more money to charter a boat, just like at Subic Beach, but she assured we will have no problems so we went off and followed her advice.

The rocky lagoon that is Paguriran Island

Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, Quezon Province

May of 2011, we set off for a day trip to the province of Quezon to experience Pahiyas Festival. Also situated in Lucban, we headed for the Shrine of Kamay ni Hesus to catch the morning mass and also to explore the entirety of the grotto.

Pingyao’s Treasures: Wang Family Compound, Shuanglin Temple and Zhangbi Ancient Castle

My trip to Pingyao has been quite interesting so far, and it’s not about natural landscape that has charmed me, but the preserved ancient man-made buildings and structures that show a lot about China’s traditional way of living. After a day of wandering around the Old City, I decided to join a group from my hostel who planned for another day trip on some attractions around the Shanxi countryside.

Entrance to Wang Family Compound

Hanging Monastery of Datong, China: Not for the weak hearted!

The sights of Datong did not disappoint so far. Yungang Grottoes was nothing short of amazing, making my expectations set high on our next destination, the Hanging Monastery. After lunch, our group took a 3-hour ride going there, though it was a long and tedious one, provided us with brilliant views of the mountain ranges in the area.

Hanging Monastery of Datong, China

The Remarkable Yungang Grottoes of Datong

We were blessed with great weather and clear blue skies on my second day in Datong. Perfect for seeing tourist spots that we have planned for the day. I was off with a group and we rented a van provided by our hostel and I can say that the 75¥ fee per person was not bad given how far those tourists spots were located from each other. After an hour, we have arrived at our first stop, Yungang Grottoes.

Yungang Grottoes, Datong

Wat Chayamangkalaram & Dhammikarama Temple - Day 8 in Malaysia

I was left alone alone on my third day, and also left with no plans on what to do, I consulted our host who recommended going to Batu Feringghi. I really wasn't up for it as the weather seemed a bit gloomy (even looked like it might rain) so I discarded the idea. After an hour or so of browsing the internet, I came upon two unique temples located just north-east of Penang that has piqued my interest.