Wer na U? Dito na ME!

When travelling..

I love to eat. I love to sleep. But most of all, I love to travel.
I am a very practical person. I consider the expenses in hand, and average quality.
If travelling takes about 2.5 hours, then I'd consider the cost.
(Gotta find the cheapest ride) 
Otherwise, I'd consider the quality. Be it quality sleep or something else, it still depends on the day or season.

As a solo backpacker,  I don't mind struggling with heat since I'm well-adjusted under warm conditions than cold ones.
When I travel with my mom or friends, of course, I have to adjust it according to their preference. (Especially when they turn the aircon to 2 or 3(MAX)..Brrrr~,,)
I don't mind spending more for my parents' interest, and a little bit for my "closest" friends.

Generally, what's inside my bag?

• Food/Snacks/500 mL water bottle
• Alcohol/Powder/Cologne/Lip balm/Lipstick/Small mirror/Liquid Soap (size of an alcogel)
• Map/Compass/Low-end Smartphone (SGY Duos GT-S6102
• 1 Extra Outfit (decent one) + Another "Just-an-average-shirt"/2 Towels
• Pen/Small ntbk./Charger/Shades/Umbrella
• My secret weapon

Note: I bring Emergency Money for unexpected cases (All the time!).. It's hidden somewhere where even I also forgot where I place it.

How big was my bag?

All of my stuff can fit perfectly in a bag of 14" laptop with one side pocket..(Imagine!)
Backpacks are quite heavy, and sweats up my back..It's a big NO, NO for me..
In some, medium-high end places where thieves/goons are less likely to exist, I prefer wheeled travel bags.

What's my outfit-like?

Shirt, jeans, and watch, and a good shoes (A tomboy style..you could say that)
Oh well, at least I feel safer this way when I travel ALONE.

To young and solo backpackers out there, like me..

Always trust in yourself first than any other folks..

Ask twice, thrice, or a hundred of times. It's better to be sure.

Heck! they don't even know you. 

If you don't know the place, then inspect your surroundings..

Check for nearby police stations or city/municipal halls or crowded landmarks.

Dun ka magtanong kung wala kang tiwala sa iba.. 

It's night already, and there's only a few people around. There is already a ride going to your destination but if you could walk to that nearby street you can afford a ride for cheaper prices.

Beggars can't be choosy. Going alone at night? You don't live there, stop making a fuss.

For domestic flights,

Airline/Ferry Promos! Weather Forecast! Cheap Backpacker's Inn/Transient Room

Saan ka na ba nadala ng 300 mo? 500? o 1000? 

Ako marami na! :p

My Lakbayan grade is D!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Tips when traveling

I often go out travelling on my own. 
With that said, I've almost learned some of the basic stuff during those times.

Let me list some of the stuffs i need when going out/during my travel.

1. Rice - basically this is one of the important things you really need to bring. I often eat outside than bring my own food (baon) especially during group outings. These days, rice costs around 10 to 25 pesos. Some restaurants do have some corkage fee for wine/drinks or fee for bringing in outside food which I often try to avoid.

2. Stuffs for Hygienic Purposes - These mainly includes alcohol, travel toothpaste & toothbrush, comb, perfume, and soap (preferably liquid soap).

3. Emergency Money - This money is not something you must spend. This must be hidden somewhere close to your body.

4. Water bottle - Fill up your water bottle with water (not juice). Some juice will just make you  more thirsty because of its sweetness. It is advisable that you place it in the freezer or fill it up mostly with ice.  I own a 500 mL water bottle. 

5. Extra towel/shirt/undergarments & a small baby powder - Well, if you wanna smell like something then don't bring anything. If going for a long journey, probably you will need extra clothes.

6. Load cards - It would be a real hassle if you went to rural places so at least bring one. 

7. Smart phone - Selecting the right phone for your travel should be one of your priority. Most of our lives presently depends on this little machine, or so they say. Your smart phone must be equipped with GPS, durable, not eye-catching, and is not your most treasured phone. When I say durable, it must be something you can just throw without cracking the screen. Keep your contacts in sync with google account or whatever online account you have there. 

I hate to say this but most of my friends get lost when they travel, like seriously??..
GPS is really important unless you don't mind bringing a map with you.
(I still bring my own map since GPS is not something you can trust when phone signal fluctuates). Knowing the directions to that place is something you must find out first.

8. Umbrella - choose the foldable one for practical purposes. I advise that women must bring an umbrella everyday. Interviews were conducted in a certain group of prisoners some time ago. According to their survey, most of the "bad guys/gangsters/rapist..etc" try to avoid women who carries an umbrella (on hand). This also goes the same for men

9. Plastics/Eco bag - there are times that you really need this stuff for some purposes maybe-you-know-what-i'm-talking-about. 

10. Flashlight - you don't know if you will be walking in a dark alley. I guess you could use something small or enough to lighten up your path. If it is equipped with electric shock stun gun, then  much better.


THINGS YOU MUST KNOW BEFORE heading to somewhere:

1. Landmarks - usually malls/parks/convenient stores because everybody knows this place.
2. Main highway name - every driver knows this road.
3. Police Station and Known hospital location - for emergency purposes.
4. Safety - Is the safe place? 
5. Bus terminals

THINGS I DO THAT HAVE ITS PURPOSE IN SOME WAY:

1. Tell somebody where you are going - This is one of the measures you must do so your parents or loved ones will not worry too much.
2. Facebook - I'm not the super vain type, and super absorbed/proud of myself. At least, when I travel alone, I update my location. This makes it easier that if ever I got lost or people lost communication with me, they know where I've been.

Aristocrat Restaurant

I was tired that time after school works and laboratories. I decided to go to Robinsons Ermita.

I chose to eat at  Aristocrat Restaurant.
I ordered the Aristocrat Chicken Barbecue and a Fresh Lumpiang Ubod.
Too bad, I forgot to bring my camera.
While waiting, a man brought over a spoon, fork, knife, and a glass of water.
This was really decent. I've never eaten to such fancy yet so costly resto before.
It was my first time here.
Finally, It arrived nothing so different to Mang Inasal's chicken except that it was so expensive, kind of sweeter, and makes me feel so full.
I don't think I need another rice.
The Java sauce definitely matches the taste of the chicken but I'm not fond of sweet things.
Anyway, after finishing my food.
I opened the little warm lumpiang ubod.
I'm quite disappointed to its size.
Its price doesn't match the quality and quantity of this food.
It only took me 3 bites to finish it up..
Though the lumpia has a hint of spice maybe because of a pepper, and there's a shrimp inside which also was new to me. It's a bit appetizing but I prefer Goldilocks'.

Maybe sometime I'll come again to have a taste of their Sinigang na Hipon.

Mag-exercise tayo tuwing umaga!

Isa ako sa mga health conscious na tao sa balat ng earth at gagawin ang lahat upang masunog ang naglalaylayang taba na tipong belt ko na sa aking tiyan. Malapit lang naman ang tinutuluyan ko sa luneta at hindi ako natatakot lumabas mag-isa pag sobrang dilim except na lang kapag 11 ng gabi hanggang 4:30 ng madaling araw dahil bawal pa lumabas sa amin nun.

Nagising ako lagi ng 4:30 am upang maghilamos ng mukha at magtooth brush. Wala pang gising ng ganitong oras kundi ang mga guard, 7-eleven, at ilang sundalo/pmma/rotc students na nagjojogging ng kay aga. Dala-dala ang isang bote ng mineral water, susi, face towel, at maliit na halaga ng pocket money. I geared up na rin ang gasgas kong rubber shoes at ang 'jogging pants na pang-hayskul ko' na ginamit ko noong 2 days before, ay ready na ang lola niyo. Nilakad ko muna ang daan para malampasan ang 7-11 at mcdo para hindi halata na mag-jjogging, kunwari bibili lng ng pandesal.

 Anyway, sinimulan ko nang tahakin ang mahabang daan papuntang luneta sa pag jog at sprint. Hingal kabayo na ako pero salamat sa maxx menthol, mas madali ako maka-recover. 20 minutes lng ginugol ko upang makarating sa luneta, Anlamig at presko. Wala pang gaanong sasakyan na dumadaan kaya di pa mausok sa tabi ng kalsada. Marami na akong nasabayan na nagjjogging. Sa Luneta may mga athlete, boxingero, health conscious people, nagppractice ng kungfu, yoga, aerobics at marami pang iba. Hindi siya sobrang crowded kaya enjoy ko sarili ko. Ayoko kasi pag maraming tao eh.

Nariyan rin ang kantang ..
 "Mag-exercise tayo tuwing umaga, tuwing umaga, tuwing umaga" ang sabi ni Yoyoy Villame na maari mo ring marinig sa mga speaker na nakatago ng luneta.

Nag-sprint pa ako ng 2 beses paikot ng Luneta. Masarap talaga at sulit iyon. Basang-basa na likod ko ng pawis kaya napagpasiyahan kong umuwi na.
Laging tandaan na ang pag-eexercise ay hindi sinusukat kung gaano katagal ginagawa instead sinusukat ito kung gaano katindi ka mag-exercise. (Intensity yun!)

Isang oras lang ang morning exercise ko o kaya bago mag-6 am kailangan nakauwi na ako dahil maypasok pa ako ng 7:30 am. Nagpalit ako ng damit, uminom ng tubig, nagpahinga at sabay tulog. Magising man ako ng 7 am ay bahala na si Batman!??..

Beep, beep, beep - estudyante lng po! (Bus Review)

Masarap bumiyahe lalo na pag hindi traffic at lalong lalo na kapag komportable ka sa sasakyang sinasakyan mo. Ako ay isang ordinaryong estudyante ng Maynila at kapag may oras ako para umuwi ay ginagawa ko. Well, ang hirap kaya ma-homesick. Mahirap bumiyahe lalo na pag maaga o di kaya peak hours at rush hours. Sobra ang traffic kapag umuulan dahil andyan ang baha lalo sa maynila.

 Kalimitan sa mga bus na sinasakyan ko ay ang San Agustin, Star Liner, at Dionets Liner. Pero mas trip ko sa Star Liner at Dionets Liner dahil walang ipis at hindi ganun kadumi, di tulad ng iba.

 - Wala talaga akong masyadong reklamo sa Star Liner tungkol sa kalinisan ngunit ang problema nga lang ay ang mga upuan na halos di ka magkasya lalo dahil kalahati o 1/4 ng pwet mo ay malalaglag na kung malapit ka sa mga standing na pasahero. May ilan ding konduktor na suplado o mas masungit pa kaysa mga babaeng may buwanang dalaw. Pero ok lng yun.
- Ang Dionets Liner ang isa sa komportableng bus dahil malinis na at maluwag pa ang upuan (tig-dadalawa bawat side). Para kang nasa fieldtrip lng na bus pero ang downside nga lang ay ang bagal ng usad. Para lng ito sa mga taong di mahilig magmadali at gustong komportable at enjoyin ang byahe.
- Sa San Agustin naman, maswerte ka kung makasakay ka sa bus na malinis kasi mas kalimitan sa mga bus na bumibyahe sa mas malayong lugar (e.g Lian) ay madumi at may maliliit na ipis.
 - Ang Lorna Express na bus ay matatagpuan malapit sa Intramuros (malapit sa Letran) na naghihintay ng pasahero at hindi aalis hangga't di napupuno dahil dun siya parang nakaterminal. Ayokong sumakay jan except k ung no choice na dahil rush hour. Bakit? Kasi amoy pugo, mani, chicharon at halo-halong amoy na di ko maintindihan kung masusuka ba ako o hindi. Andyan din ang nagsisigapang na maliliit na ipis sa may upuan, sa gilid at lalong-lalo na kung nakapwesto ka sa likod. Rare lang makatagpo ng Lorna Express na malinis at hindi tagpi-tagpi ang upuan.
 - Ang Cavite-Batangas naman ay gaya rin ng Lorna Express bus pero hindi ganun kalala "Medyo lang".
- Eto namang Erjohn and Almark bus ay hindi halos pabyahe ng maynila dahil karaniwan itong bumiyabyahe sa makati. Malinis naman siya at isa din sa maayos na bus.
- Ang Don Aldrin bus ay isa sa pinakadelikadong bus na pwede mong masakyan lalo na kung standing ka. Wala silang pakialam sa mga standing na pasahero kung maaksidente. Walang hawakan kapag nakatayo ka at pupunuin pa nila ang bus as in "overload" yung tipong nakasakay ka sa lrt kapag punuan. May kaibigan akong tinakbo sa ospital dahil nabalian mula sa pagkabagsak niya sa unahan sa sobrang lakas ng preno dahil sugapa sa pasahero ang Don Aldrin bus. Maaring may mga taong magsabi na okey naman ang bus na ito pero pag nasa manila ka lng dahil huhulihin sila, pero pag nasa provincial places pa ang byahe nito ay punuan talaga. Maraming pasahero ang umaangal sa systema ng bus na ito.

In short, ang the best para sa akin ay ang starliner, dionets liner, at ang erjohn and almark. Hindi safe sa Don Aldrin bus, promise!!..

Rizal Memorial Sports Complex

Just some info..from Wikipedia..

The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, is national sports complex of the Philippines, located on Pablo Ocampo St. (formerly Vito Cruz St.), Malate, Manila. It is named after the country's national hero, José Rizal.
Formerly the Manila Carnival Grounds, the RMSC was built in 1934 for the Far Eastern Championship Games, a precursor to the Asian Games. It was destroyed during World War II, and reconstructed in 1953 for use in the 1954 Asian Games.
The complex was renovated in 2011. The National Stadium, the centerpiece of the sports complex, has a maximum seating capacity of 30,000. The complex also houses the administrative office of the Philippine Sports Commission, and quarters for the Philippine national athletes.

1.) Ninoy Aquino Stadium (Basketball)
2.) PSC Badminton Hall
3.) Rizal Memorial Swimming Center
4.) Rizal Memorial Coliseum (Basketball)
5.) Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium
6.) Rizal Memorial Track and Football Stadium (National Stadium) (Athletics and Football)
7.) Rizal Memorial Tennis Center
8.) Philippine Taekwondo Association Dojang and Main Office
9.) PSC Bowling Hall
10.) Gymnastics Hall
11.) Philippine Center for Sports Medicine
12.) Boxing Gym
13.) Pencak Silat Gym

At the R.M. Track and Football Stadium.

This place is really big. There are people who practice here early in the morning around 6 am. They are good runners.I haven't seen an actual Football game yet but I'm looking forward to see one..^^

At the R.M. Swimming Center.

It only have 3 outdoor pools --- kids pool which was 3-3.5 ft almost, a 25x100 lapping pool about 4-8 ft, and a diving pool about 16 ft. Swimming attire is a must and strictly no food inside.. Many people do swim there but not everyday. It is open to public, students, pro-swimmers and others. There are available swimming coaches around who are willing to teach you. They offer 10 session swimming lessons for PHP 3500 (78.17 USD). So if want to have some swimming lessons, I'll watch and look closely for the best swimming coaches before randomly selecting them since it is quite expensive. I would rather prefer a male teacher than softy female coach. (based on experience..I can' t learn much from my female coach).
The entrance is cheap --P45 for students, P40 for pasay residents, and P60 for non-residents of Pasay. Quite good, ain't it?. It is open Tuesday to Sundays 8-00 am - 11:30 am and 1:00 pm-4:30 pm (except when there is an ongoing games written on their announcement board or ask the guard at the entrance gate of the RMS Complex). They clean the pool during Monday.
They have shower rooms for males and females. The shower rooms seems okay, although the drainage becomes clogged when the shower rooms are full. The place is not crowded when not summer and in weekdays.

Update (8/02/2015): The place is no longer open for public unless you consider getting first a swimming coach. Check out their administration building first to talk to some of the coaches DIRECTLY. 

At the Philippine Taekwondo Association Dojang,

I've never been in this place but one of my acquaintances do practice quite a lot here every Tuesday and Thursday.around 8 am.

HUNGRY?

If you ever get hungry. There are nearby malls -- Harrison plaza, Hypermarket, SM, University Mall, and etc.

PS: I'll try out the other center, if possible.

Dairy Queen

wew..
I was roaming around Robinsons Ermita when I saw this..

         Dairy Queen was located near the Supermarket at the Ground Floor

This store gives a scent of dairies which I don't actually like.
My nose was a little bit weird, don't you think?..(may be I'm lactose intolerant?)
Usually, i throw up when I smell something dairy (e.g margarines) and even scent of oils as in virgin coconut oil.
But then, since I'm already here.
I'll find out whether the taste of their ice cream here was really good

So first up, I ordered blizzard cookies n' cream.
Yeah right, it doesn't fall out of the container (..so how am I supposed to react?..I'm not a kid, but kids would be amazed by this..)
I don't know if there's a theory behind this.
Anyway, it's just your ordinary ice cream.
There's nothing amazing, they just added more cookies in the ice cream.
Do you know Selecta ice cream? Well, it just taste like that.
But inspite of that, may people enjoy eating here..
Maybe, I'll try the banana split..

Overall, there's nothing new for the taste..
It just sticks inside the container.
Quiet pricey~
:p


I'll update this after some time then..