Tag: budget travel

Friday Thoughts: How To Travel While Working Full-time

One of the many questions people ask me now is “How do you manage to travel a lot given by Monday-Friday work schedule?” I won’t have a clear answer if you asked me the same question 5 years ago. As the months & years of travel went by, I realized there is a pattern in almost every trip I take.

Looking back at the past years, 2013 was by far the busiest. I’ve been to Davao, Zambales, Boracay (twice), Kuala Lumpur, Cebu, Bohol, Singapore, Camiguin, Cagayan de Oro, Hongkong & Macau in a span of 10 months. 2015 & 2016 came next where I’ve been to Siem Reap, Bali, Taipei, Krabi, South Korea, Yangon, Boracay & El Nido. I’ve also been to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur (again!), Singapore & Japan twice in the past 2 years. Quite a long list, eh?

View from the shores of Padang Padang Beach in Bali – the place where the Eat Pray Love beach scene was taken

Imagine the number of days I had to take leave from work, the amount of money I spent for every plane ticket, accommodation, food, drinks, activities, etc. However, I don’t regret spending a lot on travels for the past years. Every trip was just worth it. The exposure I had & experiences I gained in the different places & cultures were far more valuable than the amount of money I spent.

Now let’s get back to business. Let me give you some thoughts on how you can travel a lot given your full-time job. Please note that all these pointers are based on personal experiences; one or two may or may not be true for you.

Plan where & when to go

You need to decide where you want to go. The world has so much to offer – relaxing beaches & islands, antique or modern temples & churches, busy city streets, laid-back cultural villages, stunning landscapes, etc. You may want to visit the beautiful islands of Coron & El Nido, the world famous sunset of Boracay, the untouched beauty of Batanes or the majestic cone-shaped Mayon Volcano of Albay. You may also want to consider the delicious street food & fun street parties of Bangkok, the amazing Petronas Twin Towers of Kuala Lumpur, the famous Merlion statue of Singapore or the busy Shibuya intersection in Tokyo. It all depends on you on what you want to see or experience.

Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Twin Towers

You also need to consider when you are planning to go. Note that prices tend to double during peak summer months & during holiday breaks. You also need to consider the weather or season of the place you’re going to. Generally, it’s expensive to go everywhere during summer & Christmas / New Year.

Manage work leave credits

After deciding on where & when to go, the next question is what dates should you take. For the past years, I mostly had trips during long weekends (+1 or 2 regular days) here in the Philippines. It saved me quite a few vacation leaves, plus I get to extend for another day or two in my destination. The Philippine government releases the list of  regular & special non-working holidays pretty early so you have a lot of time to plan on which long weekends to take.

Been a year since I went to Yangon, Myanmar; it was during the Chinese New Year long weekend here in the Philippines; photo taken inside Shwedagon Pagoda

Make sure to always include Saturdays & Sundays in your trips. Your leave credits will perish fast if you always leave on a Monday & go back on a Thursday. Take advantage of the other leave privileges offered by your company. In my case, I always use my anniversary & birthday leaves for travel; additional 2 paid day offs won’t hurt.

Book tickets as early as possible

Now that you know where & when to go & you already planned your vacation leaves, you should book tickets as early as possible. I don’t consider a trip ‘official’ if I haven’t booked plane tickets.

₱1-fare ticket I booked to Bangkok last year (photo from my previous post)

You might ask me why you should book as early as you can? Simple, you get cheaper round-trip fares. 2 weeks ago, Cebu Pacific Air had a surprise ₱1.00 sale for both domestic & international routes. Domestic round-trip tickets were at less than ₱600 while international round-trip tickets were as low as ₱1,400. Super affordable, right? Booking plane tickets early will save you some money which you can already add to your trip budget.

If you need some help in booking low-fare tickets, I got you covered. I blogged about it last month; click here to know more.

Set up a travel fund

Aside from conflicting work schedules & leaves, money is probably the other reason why most people don’t travel. They think travelling is too expensive. Yes, it may be for some; but it’s affordable for most young people.

So the travel dates, leaves & tickets are all set. The question is, where will you get the money you’ll spend for the trip? My only tip for you is to open another bank account for your travel fund. This account will be different from your payroll & savings accounts. Allot a certain amount of your monthly salary to your travel fund. You must also promise yourself that you will not withdraw any money from that account up until before your trip.

Tip: To avoid withdrawing money from your travel fund account, make sure to open a passbook savings account instead of an ATM savings account. You will feel lazy lining up in the bank just to get some cash.

Some of my previous travels (L-R: El Nido, Japan, Myanmar & Taiwan)

This tips worked for me; probably the reason why I was able to travel a lot while working full time for the last 5 years. I hope this entry will inspire you to travel more! ✈️

If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or send me an email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. You can also send me a message on Facebook, drop a comment on Instagram or send me a tweet on Twitter.

Throwback Thursday Treat: Yay Hey Taipei

Hey, it’s Thursday! It only means one thing.. It’s time for another Throwback Thursday Trip! Last time, I took you to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) in Vietnam. Today, we will go somewhere north of the Philippines. No, no.. Not Japan or South Korea; but Taiwan! My high school friends & I went to Taipei for a short weekend trip last May 2015. I will elaborate below on how the trip was made, how we prepared for it, where we went & what we did in our 3 days in Taipei. 🇹🇼

Taipei crew goofing around Taipei’s Liberty Square

How the trip was made

Junelle & I planned this trip in order to sort of back up our future Japan visa application. Taiwan requires a visa for Filipino tourists; so we thought having another tourist visa in our passports would boost our chances of getting our Japan visas sooner that expected. (Fast forward, it actually helped! Our Japanese visa applications were submitted by the agency & on that same day, our visas were issued. We got it a few days after the agency claimed it.)

Before the trip

Plane Tickets – Junelle & I booked our tickets 3 months before our May trip. We came across Cebu Pacific Air‘s 50% off seat sale last 2 February 2015 & decided to book the tickets that very same day. We got our round-trip tickets at ₱5,415.60 for 2; that’s ₱2,702.80 pesos each. Good deal, right?

MNL-TPE-MNL tickets for 2 pax | Our MNL-TPE flight was moved from 6:20 pm to 10:00 pm a few weeks before the trip.

Accommodation – We decided to stay in an Airbnb flat instead of booking a room in a hotel / hostel. We booked Michael’s cozy apartment located in the middle of Wanhua District (where Ximending is located). The apartment has complete amenities – 2 spacious beds, hot & cold shower, clean toilet with toiletries, air conditioning, cable television, fast Wi-Fi & a decent storage area. It also has bonus laundry facilities & umbrellas. We arrived in Taipei past midnight & our host Michael waited for us & showed us the way to the apartment.

Our Airbnb accommodation in Ximending

Visa – Junelle & I were both busy with work so we asked Uni-Orient Travel to apply our visas on our behalf. We submitted our documents – accomplished application form, passport, photo, bank certificate, certificate of employment, income tax return & other supporting documents such as plane ticket & accommodation – to them. We got our single entry visas a week after.

Note: As of October 2016, Philippine passport holders who wish to travel to Taiwan can now apply online for an e-visa. Moreover, Taiwan has eased it’s visa-free requirements for Filipinos with valid documents, entry visas or resident cards issued by selected countries. Click here for more information.

UPDATE (23 April 2017) – Starting 1 June 2017, Filipinos can enter Taiwan for 30 days visa free. The ROC (Taiwan) Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that they will have a 1 year visa-free trial program for Philippine passport holders. Read the full announcement here. 

UPDATE (16 May 2017) – The ROC (Taiwan) Ministry of Foreign Affairs has moved the start of the visa-free entry trial program for Filipino passport holders to 1 September 2017.

Trip Surprise – 3 weeks after Junelle & I booked our tickets, Majo decided to join the trip. We were in Siem Reap when we booked her ticket; we didn’t tell Junelle she’ll join. Days after Junelle & I applied for our visa, I accompanied Majo to the agency also to submit her papers. I secretly advised her about the trip plans – accommodation, possible itineraries, etc. On the day of the trip, I met with Junelle in SM Makati & told her that I need to get something from a friend who is on her way. After a few minutes, Majo arrived with her backpack! Junelle was surprised that Majo will join us! Well, the surprise worked. 😉

Where did we go in Taipei?

Ximending

Ximending is Wanhua District’s famous shopping center (also the tourist’s number 1 shopping destination in Taipei). There are department stores, specialty stores, bars & restaurants in the area. You can compare this area to Tokyo’s Shibuya District & Seoul’s Hongdae – where the young people go. The historic Red House Theater built during the Japanese rule is also located here.

Tip: It’s best to buy either a TaipeiPass or a reloadable EasyCard when going around the city. These are ‘touch & go’ IC cards used in the subway & city buses. Personally, I prefer using the EasyCard because it can also be used in some shops & convenience stores.

Pingxi -Jiufen – Keelung Day Tour

Shifen Waterfalls

We went on a day tour to check out Pingxi & Riufang Districts in the east of Xinbei (New Taipei City). We took bus #795 to Pingxi from the bus stop near Muzha Station. Upon arrival, we walked straight up to see the Shifen Waterfall. After a few minutes, we went back to Pingxi & went around the old town & street. This place is also famous for the Sky Lantern Festival. There were a number of people who released sky lanterns when we were walking around the area. This place is also good for street food & the never-ending milk tea.

The not-so-busy Pingxi Old Street

Local train to Riufang passing by the old street

After hours of walking around Pingxi, we decided to go to Jiufen. We took the local train to Riufang Station; then boarded bus #788 to Jiufen. The weather wasn’t that good, but we still walked around the old street & village. We stopped by a local cafe for snacks. There were a lot of local cafes, restaurants & fancy souvenir shops in the area.  Outside the village, you will see a stunning view of the countryside.

Jiufen Old Street tend to be very busy during weekends

Countryside view outside Jiufen Old Street

We boarded bus #788 again in front of 7 Eleven & headed to Keelung, a port city in Northern Taiwan. The trip took about an hour because the rain was pouring hard & the roads were slippery. The plan was to go & have dinner at the famous Keelung Miaokou Night Market but our trip was cut short by the unfavorable weather. We directly went to the main train station & bought tickets back to Taipei Main Station.

Taipei Main Station

Taipei Main Station is the main transportation hub at the center of Taipei. It is where train lines (Taiwan High Speed Rail, Taipei Metro Subway & Taiwan Railways) & local bus lines meet. The station also features a lot of shopping malls, department stores, cafes & restaurants, making it one of the busiest places in Taipei. We walked around the station complex & also decided to have dinner here.

Holy Family Church

We started our second day in Taipei with an English Sunday mass at Holy Family Church along 50 Xin Sheng South Rd. The church can be reached by a short walk from Daan Park Station Exit 2. The only Sunday English Mass is at 9:45 am. Church seats fill up fast so best to go there early. There was a fundraising event & a festival during our visit. It was nice to see fellow Filipinos there.

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall & Liberty Square

After the mass, we went to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. This memorial hall was built in memory of former President Chiang Kai-Shek. The hall has different display rooms & galleries where you will know more about the former president. The memorial hall can be accessed from MRT Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall Station Exit 5 (both green & red lines). Outside the memorial hall is Liberty Square, Taiwan’s biggest public plaza. The National Theater & Concert Halls are located at each side of the square; these 2 places are also worth visiting.

Outside the National Theater in Taipei

Raohe Street Night Market

My friends & I preferred to go to the less busy Raohe Street Night Market on our last night in Taipei. The 600 m street market was full of interesting cheap eats, fancy souvenirs & awesome shopping choices. Some items were relatively cheaper by a few NT$ compared to those found in Ximending. (Tip: Nearest station & exit – Songshan Station Exit 5)

Street food! 😋😋😋

More street food! Yay for some angus beef cuts! 😋😋😋

Hello Kity Cafe

Inside the Hello Kitty Cafe; my friends loved it there!

We had our afternoon snack in Hello Kitty Cafe just before going to Taipei 101 & the airport. We had our own dessert sets – includes a slice of cake, a macaroon, a jelly snack & a drink. Everything in the cafe has the touch of Hello Kitty (food, interiors, everything!). Each set costs around NT$400. It’s expensive, I know! (Tip: Nearest station & exit – Zhongxiao Fuxing Exit 3)

The expensive afternoon tea set

Taipei 101

A visit to Taipei will never be complete without going to the city’s iconic Taipei 101. Also known as Taipei World Financial Center, this building is the city’s tallest mixed use skyscraper. It also houses the world’s fastest elevator ride; it will only take you 49 – 53 seconds to go up from the 5th to the 87th floor. The building can be accessed by getting of Taipei 101 / World Trade Center Station Exit 4.

The tuned mass wind damper (728 tons) suspended from levels 87 to 92 😮

We spent our last few hours in Taipei walking around the 88th & 89th floor of this 101-storey building. The observatory gives amazing views of the city! Too bad the 91st open air observatory was closed due to unfavorable weather. Entrance fee during our time was NT$500 each; however the website says the entrance fee has increased to NT$600 each. It may be a bit pricey but the experience is all worth it.

View from Level 89 observatory 😍

3 full days in Taipei is really short. We missed quite a few notable spots like Yehliu Geopark, Shilin Night Market, Longshan Temple, Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall & Beitou Hot Springs. Oh well.. I just found a reason to fly back to Taipei. Who knows, I might go back really soon. 😉

Hope you enjoyed today’s Throwback Thursday post. Thank you for reading. 😃

PS. Many thanks to Junelle for allowing me to use some of her photos.

The Japan Series | 3 of 3: OSAKA

For the past weeks, I talked about how I spent roughly ₱40,000 for this Japan trip, how we enjoyed Tokyo for 5 days & how we managed to squeeze as much as we can in our brief 1.5 days in Kyoto. Now, it’s down to the last part of this series; our final 2.5 days in Osaka. I will give you a detailed recap on what we did & where we went in our last days in Japan.

Let me tell you that the primary reason we dropped by Osaka is to visit Universal Studios Japan, especially The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We kind of relaxed a bit in this part of the trip; there was no pressure to go to this place or that.

The Japan crew at Universal Studios Japan 😃

Day 1 (Day 0.5)

After getting the our bags at Backpackers Hostel K’s House Kyoto, we walked to the JR Kyoto Station & took the 29-minute train to Osaka Station. We then transferred to the local Midosuji Line to Namba Station where our Airbnb apartment is near.

Inside Namba Parks Shopping Centre

We dropped our stuff & settled for a while. After an hour of rest, we walked around the nearby Namba Parks. It is a commercial complex with an 8-level garden with waterfalls, ponds, etc. It also has very interesting interiors. After walking around the complex, we then walked our way to Dōtonbori via the Shinsaibashi shopping street. I think it was a 1.5 km walk from Namba Parks. We didn’t mind walking because the weather was nice.

Colorful Dōtonbori at night (with the famous Glico Man)

We braved the crowd & took photos with the famous Glico Man. We also checked out the shops & restaurants within the shopping area. We stopped by a local tempura shop to have dinner before we walked back to the apartment.

Day 2

We only had one planned for this day & it was the main reason we stopped by Osaka before going home – to visit Universal Studios Japan. Ticket purchases were only available on site during our visit (unlike Tokyo Disney Sea, where we booked our tickets online). Each entry park ticket costs ¥7,400 per person (₱2,886 that time).

Upon entering the theme park, we immediately went to the ‘timed-entry’ ticketing booths for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to get our scheduled entry passes. Yes, you’ve read that right, you need to secure your entry passes for you to go to the Harry Potter World. They regulate the entry of the guests every 20 minutes. Slots fill up really fast so make sure to get yours as soon as you enter the park.

USJ Park Ticket & Harry Potter World Timed-Entry Pass

We planned to get in there around sunset, but there were no longer passes available so we took the latest – 3:20 pm. We walked around the park & tried as many rides as we can while waiting for our turn. We had our lunch in SAWS Restaurant inside the Sharks Village. We also checked out the goodies in the specialty shops nearby & watched the daily parade of stars.

Saw Flying Ford Anglia before entering the theme park

At exactly 3:20 pm, we entered The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was a bit of a walk from the USJ theme park; but the long walk was worth it. The Hogwarts Express welcomed us to the park. We walked to Hogsmeade afterwards. We were lucky the butterbeer pop-up shop in just opened. I got a glass of iced butterbeer worth ¥700.

Iced butterbeer!!! 😋

We walked to the Hogwarts Castle & waited for the sun to set. The castle was beyond beautiful during sunset. We went inside the castle, saw some moving & talking people in the frames (just like the ones in the movie), a hologram of Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione & Ron & other familiar sightings from the movie.

The Hogwarts Castle before sunset

Sunset from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

After a long day at USJ, we decided to go back to Shinsaibashi to have dinner. We also dropped by Daiso (the ¥108 shop) to get some goodies before heading back to the apartment.

Day 3

It was our last day in Japan. It was also a Sunday, so Junelle & I decided to hear mass in Sacra Familia Catholic Church in Umeda. Majo wasn’t able to join us because she could barely walk due to fatigue. We attended the 9:00 Sunday English mass.

Had a nice stroll at the Osaka Castle Park

After mass, we decided to have a quick look at the Osaka Castle. We took the subway to Osaka Business Park Station then walked through to the Osaka Castle Park. Due to limited time, we were not able to go inside the castle. We had to rush back to the apartment to get our things.

Outside Osaka Castle

After fixing our bags, we went out to have lunch in a nearby ramen restaurant. We had a short walk around Namba Parks again; then tried the famous okonomiyaki (pan-fried food with batter, cabbage & a variety of toppings & ingredients) on our way back. We got our luggage & went straight to Kansai International Airport for our flight back to Manila. The flight left Osaka a little late, but we landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on schedule.

That pretty much sums up the short stay we had in Osaka. Before we left Japan, I made a promise to myself that I will go back to this beautiful country as soon as possible to explore more. That promise materialized after a year where I went back to Japan for 13 days & explored 7 cities. I will tell you more about that recent trip in the upcoming blog posts.

I hope you had fun reading through the 3 parts of our October 2015 Japan trip. Make sure to also check out how I managed to spend less than ₱40,000 for this 9-day trip. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or send me an email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. Alternatively, you can also send me a message on Facebook or ask me on Instagram or Twitter.

Arigatou gozaimasu (ありがとうございます) 🇯🇵 & have a nice day! 😃

PS. Thanks again to Junelle for allowing me to use some of her photos.

The Japan Series | 2 of 3: KYOTO

Welcome to the 2nd installment of the 3-part blog series about our Japan trip last October 2015. After spending 5 days in Tokyo, Majo, Junelle & I decided to go down to Kyoto, Japan’s ancient capital via night bus.

Kyoto is known for its breathtaking landscapes, beautiful heritage-listed temples & rich history. Most people go to Kyoto only for a day trip from either Tokyo or Osaka but we opted to stay for 1 night to cover as much as we can.

Japan ’15 crew @ Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

I will keep this blog informal & perhaps discuss it part by part – from where we stayed, how we went around Kyoto, what we did & where we went.

Where We Stayed

We’ve read reviews of the best places to stay in Kyoto; we found Backpacker’s K House Kyoto as one of the most affordable & well-recommended accommodation near JK Kyoto Station. It is about 10 minutes walk from the main station.

Since we were a group of 3 with big bags, we decided to get a triple private room with shared bathroom for around ¥3,200 each (¥9,600 per night). The room consisted of a bunk bed & a single bed. If you are travelling by yourself & you want to meet other people, the hostel also offers bunk beds for a more affordable rate.

The hostel has a spacious reception area. It also features a 2nd floor large common area. It has couches, computers, outdoor terrace, common dining & kitchen area. It also has a common traditional Japanese bathroom & toilet. There is also a bar & restaurant, called Zen Cafe, at the ground floor beside reception.

The hostel allows both incoming & outgoing guests to use the facilities in the common area while waiting for their room access (which starts at 3:00 in the afternoon) or their night buses or flights. Given we arrived in the morning, they allowed us to use the bathroom & toilet in the common area to freshen up & then had our bags stored in the luggage room.

Spacious hostel lounge area

I recommend staying in Backpacker’s K House when in Kyoto. The hostel is centrally-located & offers great amenities plus really nice & helpful staff. Make sure to book your rooms / beds early because they are usually fully booked.

How we went (or to go) around Kyoto

Apart from having a JR Pass, there are other ways of going around Kyoto. As mentioned in my Tokyo blog, we each got an IC card which is valid in almost all train lines all over Japan. We opted to use our IC cards for that day. We took the JR train to Arashiyama, boarded the local tram & city buses to the different temples & went to Gion & Inari via local subway all using the IC card.

A cheaper alternative is to get the 1-day Kyoto bus pass for ¥500 or the 1-day Kyoto Tourist pass for around ¥1,000+. The bus pass gives you unlimited access to all city bus routes for a day. This option is cheap but one thing you need to know is that lines can really be long in different bus stops (especially the buses leaving from Kyoto Station). The tourist pass gives you unlimited access both to the city buses & local subway lines.

Each bus ride / subway ride costs around ¥200 yen to ¥240 yen, except the JR line to Arashiyama which costs around ¥400+. Come think of it, the 1-day bus pass is really a good deal. It will save you some cash but just make sure you are not in a hurry. Both passes are available at the Kyoto Bus Information Center in front of JR Kyoto Station.

View of Kyoto Tower outside JR Kyoto Station

What We Did & Where We Went

Given we had limited time in Kyoto, we carefully planned our itinerary for our stay. Too bad we were not able to cover everything but we managed to visit as much temples & places as we can.

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove – This place is famous for the famous scenic bamboo forest. It is a short passageway full of bamboos on both sides. Make sure to go up to the end to take pictures with lesser people in the background. It would also be better to go there around 8 in the morning to avoid the crowd. (No entrance fee)

Taken towards the end of the Bamboo Forest where there were less people

Tenryū-ji – This is Arashiyama’s most famous & most important temple. This  white zen temple is also listed as a world heritage site. It features a landscaped garden with central pond surrounded by rocks & trees. (Entrance fee: ¥‎500 per person – for more information about the temple, click here)

Right outside the main temple building

Ryōan-ji – This is a temple famous for its rock garden. Viewed from the Hojo Building (former head priest’s residence), the garden consists of pebbles & rocks laid out in portions of moss. People are advised to keep quiet while inside the building. The temple grounds also feature a park & a pond; one of Kyoto’s most beautiful spots during spring & autumn. (Entrance fee: ¥‎500 per person – for more information about the temple, click here)

View from the Hojo Building

Ninna-ji – This is another world heritage-listed zen temple famous for its temple buildings & beautiful gardens. It also features a five storey pagoda, which you can immediately see upon entering the temple grounds. Just like Ryōan-ji, this is another famous spot for cherry blossoms every spring. (Entrance fee: ¥‎500 per person – for more information about the temple, click here)

Ninna-ji’s 5-storey pagoda

Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavilion) – This is the most famous temple in Kyoto; I reckon also the most beautiful I’ve seen that day. The golden temple features a pond in front & a garden at the back. Seeing its reflection in the water on a sunny / clear day makes it even more beautiful. Make sure to also go early to get decent photos & also to avoid the crowd. (Entrance fee: ¥400 per person)

Stunning view of the Golden Pavilion

Gion – This is the Kyoto’s famous geisha district. It is full of traditional Japanese restaurants & tea houses, modern cafes & shops. Make sure to head over to Hanami-Koji Street & it’s alleys to try your luck with spotting geishas. My friends & I gave it a try & we saw around 10 of them (real ones). We even identified one of the many geisha houses in the area.

We weren’t able to see all temples & shrines on the same day so we moved the visit to Fushimi Inari Taisha the next morning. The temple is in the foot of Mount Inari & is famous for the big & small torii gates. These torii gates lead you up to the forests of mountain as well as to the peak. We had limited time here so we did not bother going up that far from the main grounds.

Just like any other famous place in Kyoto, I recommend that you go here before 8:00 in the morning to enjoy the place by yourselves. As far as I can remember, the place is open for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so you can go there as early as you can. (No entrance fee)

Inside the row of torii gates

We’ve been to a lot in our 1.5-day stay in Kyoto but I reckon we haven’t covered most of it – only some of the major ones. If ever you are to visit Kyoto soon, make sure to stay here for a few days (not just the usual 1 day tour) to see more of what this beautiful city has to offer. Kyoto is one of my favorites in Japan; I will definitely visit this place again soon.

Just in case you missed it, click here to read about our first 5 days in Tokyo. I also blogged how I spent less than ₱40,000 for this Japan trip. You want to know how? Check this out! I will talk about our last stop, Osaka, in the final installment of this 3-part Japan Series in the coming weeks. Thank you for reading! 😊

PS. Thanks again to Junelle for allowing me to use some of her photos.

Throwback Thursday Treat: N9 Weekend in Saigon

Hey everyone! I hope all had a memorable holiday break. Most of you are back to your normal paces while some people (like me!) are still enjoying the last few days of the break. I am on my last day here in the province; I will be flying back to Manila tonight.

Now back to business. Today, I will be introducing a section called Throwback Thursday Treat. I will blog about experiences I had in my past international & domestic trips. It will feature places to go, food to eat, activities / tours to take & a lot more.

First destination – Saigon! Last May 2014, I got the chance to visit Vietnam’s largest city, Saigon (also known as Ho Chi Minh City). I went for a full 3-day weekend trip with my college blockmates, Shane & Jolly.

Saigon crew! (L-R) Paolo, Jolly & Shane

3 days were not enough to explore everything the city has to offer but here were 4 activities we did for that short weekend trip:

1. Mekong Delta Day Tour (My Tho & Ben Tre)

We booked this tour through our hotel a week before we arrived in Saigon. The tour guide picked us up in the hotel at 7:30 am. Kathy, a Filipino tourist who was on the same flight to Ho Chi Minh as ours & also a guest in our hotel. joined our group for that day. We took a 2 hour bus ride to My Tho, then transferred to a local motor boat to Unicorn Island. We were given samples of locally produced honey. We also went around the local village then headed to the natural water coconut canal. Each paddle boat can accommodate up to 6 people (2 guides & 4 guests). This is my highlight of that day tour. I enjoyed every moment while traversing the calm waters of the canal. I also saw a glimpse of how the locals survive the day-to-day challenge.

First stop at Unicorn Island (with Kathy!)

After the natural water coconut canal tour, we transferred to another local motor boat & headed to Ben Tre. We visited the handmade coconut candy workshop. The women from the shop showed us how they make the coconut candies. Then, we headed to a local restaurant for lunch. We were also given free time to go biking & explore the village. My friends & I opted to just sit down & talk. Last stop was the tropical fruit garden where we had slices of pineapples, papaya & dragon fruit while listening to Vietnamese traditional music. We then rode the motorboat back to My Tho, then to our bus back to Ho Chi Minh City.

At the paddle boat for the natural water coconut canal tour

If only I have a couple of days to spare, I would stay in one of the villages near Mekong Delta; but if you only have a few days in Saigon, this day tour is worth-taking. Just make sure to bring a big bottle of water & towels because it’s very hot in the area.

2. Saigon Hotpot Tours

Few weeks before our trip, I’ve read about Saigon Hotpot. It’s a non-profit organization of Vietnamese students & young professionals who take tourists around for free in exchange for English conversations. What usually happens is one books a tour via their website then days before your schedule, you will get an email from your guide re: arrangements of pick-up. Your guide will join you throughout the day / tour but you have to pay for their entrance fees & food / drinks. Fair enough, right?

With our walking tour guide Emily outside the War Remnants Museum

We took 2 tours with Saigon Hotpot. First, we had the city walking tour with Emily. She’s a very nice young woman who became our friend after the tour. She used to work for BCI Asia Vietnam (& I work for BCI Asia Philippines) & she knows my previous boss; probably the reason why we clicked. We walked around the different landmarks of District 1 namely The Ho Chi Minh City Supreme People’s Court, The Reunification (or Independence) Palace, The War Remnants Museum, Saigon Central Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral & Bến Thành Market. Normally the tour ends at 5:00 but we extended up until dinner. Good times!

Outside Saigon Central Post Office

 

Kathy joined us for afternoon coffee & dinner before she left for Manila

The 2nd & last tour we took with Saigon Hotpot is the traditional meal tour. It is somewhat similar to a Vietnamese cooking class; the meals are prepared & eaten in the house of the guide. Sue, a guide from Saigon Hotpot, picked us up at the hotel at 8:00 am & she accompanied us to our host Jenny & her house. Jenny’s family already went to the market earlier that morning to buy the ingredients we need. We prepared spring rolls, spinach with fish sauce, tofu & pineapple & a lot more. Apart from learning how to cook local dishes, we also got to know their family as well as their way of life. This tour is one of the best ways to get to know the locals, their food & way of life. In return, we tourists help them practice their English-speaking skills.

Traditional meal tour with our host Jenny & her good friend Sue

I recommend that you check out Saigon Hotpot when you go to Vietnam. We did not only know about the Vietnamese history, food & culture; we also met new friends & gained memorable experiences in their tours.

3. Vietnamese Cultural Show

Saigon is famous for 2 cultural shows – the water puppet show & the AO Show. The water puppet show features Vietnamese cultures & traditions through dancing water puppets. On the other hand, the AO Show depicts how the rural Vietnamese community adapts to modernization through traditional music & dances & modern acrobatic movements.

The Vietnam crew before the AO show

My friends & went for the AO show where we enjoyed traditional songs & dances with some nerve-wrecking acrobatic stunts. The show ran for about 2 hours with a 10-minute interlude. For more information about the show, schedule & ticket prices, head over to the AO Show website. I would recommend everyone going to Saigon to at least catch one of these 2 shows.

4. Food & Coffee Trip

There is no other way of knowing a country or a city than by trying its local cuisine. Vietnam is known for their spring rolls, phở, bánh mì & coffee. We’ve explored most of District 1 by foot; all I can say is that local restaurants, cafés & food stalls are everywhere. The food these cafés & restaurants serve are all delicious & affordable. I’ll give a brief overview below where we had some nice meals / drinks in Saigon:

Phở – We had dinner in Phở 2000, one of the 2 famous phở restaurants in Saigon. It is where former US President Bill Clinton dined when he visited Saigon in  year 2000. The place is a few steps from the famous Bến Thành Market. They serve really delicious phở. I would recommend this place to everyone.

Phở 2000’s famous dish

Coffee – Trung Nguyên Coffee is the drink to beat! I don’t drink coffee but my friends do; so we tried it. I sipped from my friend’s cup; their coffee is really strong! I didn’t like it but I think other people love it. I brought home some packs for my mom & grandma.

Spring Rolls & Bánh mì – We’ve had a few ones of these, but I reckon the best ones are those sold in the streets. They’re everywhere so you won’t have any trouble looking for one.

Bánh mì from ABC Bakery

Milk Tea – There’s this small coffee shop after Bến Thành Market named Phúc Long Coffee & Tea. Yes, they also serve coffee but what I really enjoyed here is their winter melon milk tea. It is one of the best milk tea’s I’ve tried! Seriously, it is one drink you should try when you go to Saigon. Next time I fly back to Saigon, I will head to another Phuc Long Coffee & Tea Shop & order 1 big glass of milk tea!

Phuc Long’s Milk Tea

Side story: The first ever McDonald’s in Vietnam was in soft opening while we were there. Of course they had other fast food restaurants like KFC. People were lining up in the counters. We got curious so we tried McPork, a burger which was not in the McDonald’s menu in the Philippines. It tasted like our local longganisa & it was good.

Saigon skyline from Khu A – Công Viên 23/9 (September 23 Park)

There were still a lot places to discover, activities to do & local food to eat but we only had limited time so we were only able to do the ones above. Next time I go back to Saigon, I’ll definitely go for that Cu Chi Tunnels tour, watch the Water Puppet show, eat in the famous Lunch Lady & take a Vietnamese cooking class. I’m looking forward to my second visit to Saigon! 🇻🇳

PS: All photos taken using my HTC One M8.