Tag: weekend

TAIPEI Revisited: 3-Day Weekend in the Heart of Asia (Less than ₱15,000 all in!!!)

Last May 2015, my high school friends & I had a short weekend in Taipei. We got our tickets for less than ₱3,000 & spent less than ₱15,000 for the whole trip. Click here to know more about our previous trip. We were not able to visit a few places so I told myself I will go back for another weekend in the so-called Heart of Asia.

Taipei 2017 crew while having breakfast (R-L: Rona, Shiela & yours truly)

Fast forward to June 2017, my colleagues & I were able to book another batch of tickets less than ₱3,000; ₱2,877.48 to be exact. That’s roughly ₱100 pesos more than our ticket in 2015. Tickets were booked 2.5 months before the trip. Pretty good deal, right? We scheduled our 3-day trip during the Eid Muslim Holiday, where it was declared a special non-working holiday in the Philippines.

₱5,754.96 for 2 round trip tickets to Taipei. Super cheap, right?

Note: The Office of the Philippine President has just declared the regular & special non-working holidays for 2018. Click here to have an idea on the 2018 long weekends. You can now start planning your trips for next year.

Note 2: I previously blogged about travelling with your full-time job. Check out this link to help you plan out your trips & your vacation leaves.

Going back to our 3-day weekend trip, let me elaborate below how it went. I will also discuss our entry permits & accommodation, pre-trip bookings, the places we visited & some random stuff.

Entry Permit

Last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Republic of China (Taiwan) announced that they will ease the visa application scheme for Filipino passport holders. In addition to that, those with valid & expired visas (for the last 10 years) for certain countries like Japan, South Korea & the like can enter Taiwan visa free but with a valid entry permit. You can apply for the entry permit here.

A few months ago, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Republic of China (Taiwan) announced that they will try a 1-year visa-free entry scheme for Filipino passport holders. Due to some internal matters, the visa-free entry scheme was postponed to a later date, possibly September 2017. Watch out for the official announcement soon.

My friends & I all have valid/expired Japan & South Korea tourist visas so we only needed an entry permit to enter Taiwan. To be fair, the application process & the approval of the entry permit took us less than 5 minutes. Make sure to bring your valid / expired visas + the printed entry permit with you during your trip.

Accommodation

Taipei has a wide range of accommodation choices; from affordable & top-rated hostels, simple & beautiful guesthouses, modern-themed boutique hotels to the luxurious branded hotels. Just like every trip, I searched & read through different platforms where is the best place to stay in the city.

We decided to stay in Hostelworld‘s 4th Best Large Hostel for 2016 – Star Hostel Taipei Main Station. Going by the name, the hostel is located a few minutes walk from the Taipei Main Station & also to Taipei’s central bus terminal. The hostel has both private & dormitory rooms. Since we are traveling on budget plus we don’t mind sharing the room with other travelers, we each got a dormitory bed for NTD 620 a night.

My dormitory bed for 2 nights

Each bed includes a comfortable bed & pillow with sheets (plus comforter), curtains for privacy, a reading light & plug & access to a fast Wi-Fi. Each guest is given an electronic locker & a security key card (no need for padlocks). All rooms are air-conditioned & fitted really well. Common shower areas & toilets are clean & well-maintained. Luggage storage is free before check in & after check out (before 11:00 pm).

Taiwanese burger, hard-boiled egg, fruits & a cup of milk tea for breakfast!

Free breakfast is offered to all guests. Breakfast set differs per day; but it always has fruits & eggs plus coffee (or tea), toast with butter & jam. Guests also have access to a common kitchen & spacious lounge areas.

Star Hostel Taipei Main Stations spacious common area 😍

The hostel rates in Taipei are very close to that of rates in Japan & South Korea. Yes, it may be a little expensive than the hostel rates here in Southeast Asia, but you definitely get more than you pay for. For someone who has stayed in a number of hostels around Southeast & East Asia, the rates of Star Hostel Taipei Main Station are reasonable & super affordable. Make sure to check this hostel when you’re flying to Taipei soon. They are fully booked most of the time; make sure to secure your dormitory bed early.

Things To Book Before Leaving The Philippines

Have you ever heard of Klook? It is a website that offers discounted travel activities & itineraries, attraction tickets, airport transfers & pocket Wi-Fi rentals in major tourist destinations all over the world. We decided to avail some offers prior to our trip to Taipei.

List of pre-trip bookings we made with Klook.

Pocket Wi-Fi

We got out pocket Wi-Fi for only ₱91 per day, a total of ₱273 for 3 days. Pick-up & drop off was super fast & easy. You just need to present your voucher (either printed or via the mobile application) & your passport to the attendant & you will be given your pocket Wi-Fi package.

Jiufen & Shifen Bus Tour

We initially thought of getting the Yehliu Geopark – Shifen – Jiufen Tourist Bus (costs a little over ₱1,000 per person) but we ran out of slots on our preferred date; we opted to get the Shifen & Jiufen Tourist Bus worth ₱763 each. The pick-up & drop-offs were on time. The guide spoke very basic English, but he could still understand us. The bus seats were comfortable. We were given enough time to explore & walk around the Shifen Old Street & Jiufen.

Taipei 101 Observatory Tickets

Observatory tickets cost a little over ₱1,000 each if you buy them in the ticket counters. Klook offers the admission ticket at a discounted price; we got ours for ₱846 each. Ticket redemption is as easy as 1, 2 & 3. You just need to show your voucher (either printed or via the mobile application) to the attendant at the ticket counter.

It doesn’t end there, Klook offers promo codes on top of these discounted rates. We saved ₱500+ each because of a promo code that only valid at the time of booking. Make sure to look for Klook promo codes before booking your next activity & attraction ticket.

Places Visited

I’ve been to most of these places way back in 2015 so I won’t talk about them anymore; instead I will show more photos of these beautiful places. There will be minor details about the places I’ve been to for the first time.

Taipei 101

Outside Taipei 101, on a hot cloudy day. ☁

Taipei City Hall Public Square

The Taipei City Hall Public Square is located at the back of Taipei 101. You will pass by this square if you decide to walk from Taipei 101 to Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. The square is located in front of the City Hall Building.

Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall

My friend, Shiela & her rainbow flag outside the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall

The Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall was built in memory of Dr. Sun Yat Sen, the founder of the Republic of China. The hall shows the life & achievements of Dr. Sun Yat Sen. The nearest train station is the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall Station on the Blue Line.

National Theater

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

Trivia: This iconic gate of the Liberty Square & Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall is called Dahzongmen.

Liberty Square

228 Peace Park

Located a few minutes walk from the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, the 228 Peace Park is a memorial park dedicated to the victims of the February 28, 1947 massacre in Taiwan where thousands of people were killed during an uprising. The park can also be accessed by going down the National Taiwan University Hospital Station of the Tamsui Line (Red Line).

Shilin Night Market

Crowded market on a Sunday late afternoon

Shilin Night Market is Taipei’s biggest & most famous night market. We went here for street food. Yes, the market has so many kinds of street food to try – from stinky tofu, oyster mee sua, oyster omelette, pork knuckles to fried milk, xiao long bao & flame grilled steak cubes. Make sure to go there with an empty stomach, you’ll definitely eat a lot.

One of the hundreds (if not thousands) of stalls in Shilin Night Market

The Shilin Night Market can be accessed via Jintian & Shilin Stations of the Tamsui (Red Line).

Ximending

Shifen Old Street

Flying lanterns & people taking photos

View from the local Shifen Station

Jiufen

Came across this small restaurant in Jiufen which serves 8 pieces of really good xiao long bao for only NTD 120. I finished 2 servings! 🐷🐷🐷

Vibrant colors of Jiufen 😍

Tour Me Away Pub Crawl*

Tour Me Away is one of the well-recommended Taipei ‘things-to-do’ in TripAdvisor. This organization is a group of adventure-seeking & easy-going Taiwanese locals who want to meet people & show their beautiful city to visitors. They offer various walking tours & activities, depending on your interest.

Pub Crawl group! Thanks to Rona for the photo. 🤳

My friends & I took their Saturday night pub crawl activity. For only NTD 700, we had different kinds of drinks (Taiwanese beer, gauliang & the 81-shot roulette) in 3 different bars. We also met a bunch of amazing people whom we spent the night (& early morning until around 3:30 am) with. The pub crawl fee also includes a free entry to Triangle, a bar / club in Zhongshan District. It was a fun fun night!

Check out the TourMeAway website for all available tours during your trip to Taipei. You’ll definitely enjoy it!

*We went home from the Pub Crawl minutes before 4:00 am & decided to stay in the hostel common area until around 5:00 in the morning. We were so tired we woke up super late that morning. We were supposed to go to Yehliu Geopark; but we thought sleep was far more important that those rock formations. I promise to go back to Taiwan for the Yehliu Geopark day trip!

Trip Agenda

One of the reasons why I flew to Taipei was to try my luck in buying the new HTC U11 smartphone. I’ve been an HTC user for some years now & it’s been a while since I changed my phone. I thought the HTC U11 will be a great upgrade from the HTC One M8.

My new phone!!!! 📱😍

I bought my new phone in the HTC store in Guanghua Digital Plaza. The 6 GB RAM x 128 GB Blue variant cost me NTD 21,990 or ₱36,856.85 (amount reflected in my credit card statement) minus ₱1,488.14 tax refund = ₱35,368.71. For a phone with such high end specs + super big memory, the price is super worth it.

Breakdown of Expenses

Curious how much I spent for this trip? Let’s have a look below (doesn’t include the phone). Note that we exchanged a few NTD here before we left. Exchange rate that time was NTD 1 = ₱1.85.

Note: We set a daily budget of NTD 1,000 for lunch & dinner plus transportation, possible entrance fees & beers. This daily budget was just right; we even had some extra dollars in our pockets at the end of each day.

Thoughts: Spending less than ₱15,000 for a 3-day overseas trip (airfare included) is such a great deal. We visited a number of beautiful places, stayed in a high-rated hostel, drank enough dose of alcohol, walked around while having a constant Wi-Fi connection for such a low cost. Taipei isn’t as expensive as you think. If given the chance, I would add a little more in the budget & stay for a few more days.

This basically sums up my recent Taipei trip. It was nice to go back & explore this beautiful city for the 2nd time. I’ve been to the city both during summer or ‘almost’ summer; so for the next trip, I want to check it out during winter season. I wonder when would that be?

Have you been to Taipei recently? What do you think of the city? Were there other places I need to put in my list when I go back for the 3rd time? Feel free to post your suggestions in the comments below. You can also send me an email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. Drop me a message on Facebook, drop a comment on Instagram or send me a tweet on Twitter.

Curious how I book these super duper low fare tickets? I’ve just shared by secret. Head over to this post (and this post too) to know more.

PS. Most of the photos were taken using my HTC Re & HTC U11.

CORON – Paradise Beyond Words

A month ago, during the Labor Day long weekend, I flew to Busuanga, Palawan for a quick trip with my backpack, phone, wallet & HTC Re camera. Fine, I went all by myself. I spent 4 days & 3 nights in a paradise called Coron.

View from my airplane seat minutes before landing in Busuanga Airport

I’ve been to Palawan a few times – Puerto Princesa (November 2012), El Nido (March 2014, August 2014 & August 2016) & Port Barton (March 2017) – but I’ve never been to Coron. My friends kept on telling me to visit this beautiful place, but I could not find affordable plane tickets to the island. I don’t know the reason why airfare to Busuanga is always expensive, most of the time more expensive than a round-trip ticket to a nearby international destination.

I was lucky to find a good airfare deal to Busuanga (USU) last February (about 2 months before the trip) so I didn’t hesitate to book it. I will elaborate more on the trip details – ticket, accommodation & tours – below.

Ticket

My super duper cheap plane ticket to Coron!

The good deal I mentioned earlier was using my GetGo Points, Cebu Pacific Air’s lifestyle rewards program. I got my Manila-Busuanga-Manila ticket for 10,140 GetGo points & ₱1,068.12 worth of taxes & airline fees. I know that’s quite a lot of points, but I don’t have anything to use it for anyway so I grabbed the chance. For everyone’s information, the regular round-trip ticket (same flights) costs around ₱13,500+ at the time of booking. I was able to save more than ₱12,000 by using my points. Great deal, right?

Tip: Head over to this post (& this post too) on how you can increase your chances of getting low fare tickets like I did for this Coron trip.

Accommodation

As mentioned in a recent blog post, I’ve been staying in accommodations with dormitory rooms & nice communal areas. I’ve read around different booking & review sites & found Seahorse Guesthouse as the best option.

Seahorse Guesthouse’ reception area

I booked with Agoda & got my 3-night stay for only ₱1,773.13. Rate is a few hundreds cheaper than that on the website (₱750 per night as per the website). I stayed in an air-conditioned dormitory room for 4 people. Each room has its own shower & toilet area. Each guest is given a spacious & a comfy bed with pillow & sheets, reading light & a locker with a padlock (included). For such an affordable price, guests are also given free breakfast (choice between American breakfast & Filipino breakfasts – tocino / corned beef with rice, egg & banana + coffee / tea).

My spacious bed for 3 nights

The hostel has a communal lounge area (also the breakfast area) at the rooftop where you can meet & talk to other travellers. It is also the best place to use the guesthouse’s free Wi-Fi access. Don’t expect the Wi-Fi to work well in your rooms; the facility’s Wi-Fi only depends on the mobile network & not through a wired connection. My favorite perk of being a guest at Seahose Guesthouse is the water refill dispensers in the reception & rooftop areas. You can refill as many times as you can.

4th floor common lounge & breakfast area

The hostel has nice & helpful staff. They arranged my airport transfers (₱150 per way), helped me book my island tours & gave recommendations on which restaurants to have dinner. Shoutout to Lindon & Mark for answering my questions & for helping me when the tour agency messed up with my booked island tour (more details below).

Went to the nearby gelato shop with the people I met in the dorm & island tour

I recommend everyone going to Coron to stay in Seahorse Guesthouse. This accommodation is located in Coron town, a few minutes walk to the public market, wharf, banks, stores & restaurants – pretty much close to everything. You get more than what you pay for! Make sure to book your stay early as they are usually fully-booked.

Day Tours

I only had a few days in Coron & I want to explore / visit as much as I can. First / arrival day is usually allotted for the Coron Town Tour, which will visit the Coron Public Market, Lualhati Park, San Agustin Church, Cashew Farm, Mount Tapyas View Deck & Maquinit Hot Spring. The tour costs ₱700 & it includes all fees & transfers. I sort-of got lazy after check-in & decided to skip this tour. Instead, I walked to & went up Mount Tapyas at around 5:00 in the afternoon also to watch the sunset. Entrance to the view deck is free.

Sunset from Mount Tapyas view deck

Just like El Nido, Coron also has Tours A-D. Each tour has around 4 or 5 stops with a rate of ₱800 to a little over ₱1,000 per tour (lunch included). I only had 2 days for island tours so I decided to pay a higher price to visit more islands / beaches. Locals say Calamian Islands Travel & Tours is the biggest & the best tour agency in town. I booked the 2 island tours with them through the hostel – the Coron Ultimate Island Tour (7 destinations for ₱1,600) & the Island Escapade Tour (3 islands for ₱1,700). The escapade tour is more expensive that the island tour because the 3 islands are about 1.5-2 hours boat ride away from Coron town.

The clearest waters of Coron, Palawan 😍

The initial plan was to take the Island Escapade Tour first & the Ultimate Island Tour the following day, but the agency messed up with some of the bookings. Pick-up for the escapade tour was supposed to be 7:30 am & I waited until 9:00 am. Mark (from the hostel) accompanied me to the agency office & we found out the boat left without me. DISASTER! The agency confirmed they got my booking but, the van driver & tour guide forgot to pick me up from the hostel. I was offered to join the other group of guests (also with booking problems) for the ultimate island tour; I said yes not to waste the day I have in Coron. We were given a speed boat for the tour. The snorkeling gears were given for free (usually for rent at ₱150).

Coron Ultimate Island Tour

Kayangan Lake

Beach 91 – the place where we had lunch

Skeleton Wreck

On the way to Twin Lagoon (no photo inside the Twin Lagoon, sorry!)

Snorkeling at Siete Picados

On our way back to Coron Town

Island Escapade Tour

On our way to the islands~

Malcapuya Island – stunningly beautiful!

Banana Island – the place where we had lunch

Bulog Dos

Verdict: I enjoyed the escapade tour over the ultimate island tour. The latter was jam packed with tourists; maybe because it was a long weekend in the Philippines. The ultimate tour was full of activities like snorkeling, swimming, hiking, etc. while the escapade tour was a little laid-back & relaxing – just sitting in the lying down in the sand, a little of swimming & snorkeling. For me, Kayangan Lake, Siete Picados & Beach 91 were the highlights of the ultimate tour. On the other hand, Malcapuya Island was the best island / beach I’ve been to in Coron – its beauty was beyond words.

Can’t get enough Malcapuya Island’s beauty

This pretty much sums up my 4-day weekend trip in Coron. If only I had more days to spare, I could’ve tried the Reefs & Wrecks Tour as well as the Calauit Safari Tour. I should’ve also rented a scooter to drive up to the inhabited beaches of Busuanga Island. I guess these activities will definitely be the reason to go back to Coron in the future.

Expenses

Beautiful islands, lagoons & beaches. Coron is truly a paradise! 😍

Curious how much I spent for the entire trip? Here’s a breakdown of my expenses.

Thoughts: ₱8,476.25. I believe I spent just the right amount of money for a 4-day trip. The airfare was definitely a bargain; the accommodation was a good deal. It provided everything a guest needs. The tours were a bit expensive, but I think it was all good. The islands & beaches were amazing, one of the best places I’ve been to.

If you haven’t been to Coron, make sure to go there in the next few months / years before it gets super duper busy & crowded. It’s another trip for the books & I couldn’t wait to visit again!

I will definitely visit this paradise again! 😍

HELP! Recent news say that Nickelodeon (Viacom International Media Networks) & Coral World Park Undersea Resorts Inc. are planning to develop an underwater theme park in Coron. Please help stop this plan. Coron is NOT Bikini Bottom. Show your support by signing in this petition created by environmentalist Anna Oposa. I am not in any way related to the organization, but I share the same sentiments & I believe it’s worth-sharing.

Malcapuya Island – Beauty beyond words! 😍

Have you been to Coron? What was your favorite lagoon or island? Are you planning to fly there soon? Do you have any questions about the town or the islands? 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.

Happy weekend! 😎

PS. All photos above were shot using my HTC Re.

PORT BARTON: Palawan’s Secret Paradise

A few weeks ago, I went on a weekend trip to Port Barton, Palawan. This remote place is still unknown to the local tourism scene, but is starting to gain attention from foreign travelers & backpackers. Let me share with you how my 3 days & 3 nights in Port Barton went.

Disclaimer: My goal when I went to Port Barton was to relax from the busy city life. I got lazy most of the time & I didn’t go around much to explore.

In case you missed it, I went back to Port Barton in June 2018. Check out the latest Port Barton blog post here. Enjoy!

Where is Port Barton?

When I first mentioned Port Barton to my friends, they were like, “In what country is that?” They don’t believe me when I told them it is located here in the Philippines. Well, yes it is.

Port Barton is a small coastal village in San Vicente, Province of Palawan. It is 23 kilometers away from the town of Roxas, about 3 hours land trip from Puerto Princesa City & about 4.5 to 5 land trip hours from El Nido. The peaceful village is characterized by simple lives of the locals, beautiful beaches & unspoiled nature.

Crystal clear waters between Maxima Island & Exotic Island 😍

How to go to Port Barton

The nearest airport to Port Barton is Puerto Princesa International Airport. From Puerto Princesa City, one needs to take a van to Port Barton. There are several van companies operating between the 2 places, with a few scheduled trips leaving every day. The first trip from PPC leaves at 7:00 in the morning & the last trip is at 5:00 in the afternoon. A cheaper option is to take the local bus from San Jose Terminal.

I did not make it to the last van trip because my flight arrived a little past 5:00. I decided to stay in the city for a night & got a bed in Sheebang Hostel. The hostel is located a little bit far from the center, but it has everything you need. There is an on site restaurant & a 24 hour bar. Yes, the bar operates 24/7. I spent hours of eating & drinking in the bar with new-found friends from some parts of the world.

The following day, the van picked me up at the hostel at 8:30 in the morning. We dropped by for a while in San Jose Terminal to pick up more passengers then headed straight to Port Barton. The first 2 hours of the trip were normal, but the last hour was through rough unpaved roads.

Sheebang Hostel’s Bar

Environmental Fee

Upon arrival in Port Barton, the van dropped us off at the tourism center. All guests are required to register & pay the ₱50 environmental fee. The local staff gave me an environmental card which is needed every island hopping or boat trip. The card is valid for 10 days.

Accommodation

Port Barton has a limited number of accommodation choices. Most of these hostels, inns & homestays are not available online & can only be secured via text message, phone call or most of the time upon arrival.

I’ve read some online reviews & blogs about possible accommodations & found out that Princesa Michaella Guesthouse is the best place to stay. The hostel is 2-minutes walk from the beach, but is centrally located. A private room with toilet costs ₱600 – ₱800 while a bed in a 4-bed dormitory room costs ₱300. Since I was on a “vacation mode,” I got myself a private room for 3 nights.

The guesthouse has a spacious communal area where you can meet & talk with the other guests. What’s nice is almost all guests know each other. People also drink almost every night (or literally every night) in the common area. I’ve met a lot of amazing people during my stay. I definitely had good times with awesome people.

My private room for 3 nights in Port Barton

The guesthouse also has free Wi-Fi, but don’t expect it to be that fast. They only rely on a broadband & the area’s mobile data network isn’t as fast as Puerto Princesa’s or El Nido’s. The staff were super nice & accommodating. I also met Mama Lucy, the super duper nice owner of Princesa Michaella Guesthouse. She makes sure that all guests have a great stay in Port Barton. She greets everyone in the morning & even shares food to everyone. I personally met her during my first day. The planned brief encounter became 3 hours of non-stop storytelling.

I definitely loved my stay in Princesa Michaella played a big part in it. I recommend everyone going to Port Barton to stay in this amazing guesthouse. Make sure to send my regards to Mama Lucy for me!

Contact details: Princesa Michaella Guesthouse – 0948 236 1099 (Mama Lucy)

What to do / where to go in Port Barton

Port Barton may be a small village, but it still offers a lot of things to do & places to visit. Here are a few things you can do or places where you can go while in Port Barton:

Village Beach

The village is located by the beach. If you are into just relaxing & sunbathing, this area is perfect for you. The beachfront isn’t that busy with very few establishments & people around.

Port Barton’s beach 😍

Island Hopping

Just like El Nido, Port Barton also offers island hopping day tours but with a cheaper rate. The boatmen offer Tours A to D visiting various beaches, islands & reefs. Mama Lucy from Princesa Michaella helped me book my island tour. It costed me ₱700; the rate includes picnic lunch & all other fees. The tour started at 9:00 am & ended at 5:00 pm. We went to the following islands & reefs:

Twin Reef

Exotic Island

Maxima Island

Forgot-the-name-of-this-island-&-reef

German Island

Luli Island

I really enjoyed the island hopping tour. The islands & reefs were beautiful! It was also my first time to swim with a turtle!~ 🐢

Sunset Watching

Port Barton sunset is something one should not miss whilst there. It is one of the most dramatic sunsets I’ve ever seen. The combination of the sky colors makes it so beautiful to watch. Make sure to stay for a few minutes after the ‘official’ sunset time to witness its full glory.

Port Barton’s amazing sunset 🌅

Jungle Bar

All roads to the Jungle Bar every Wednesday & Saturday night. It is a bar situated in a top of a hill, about 30 minutes away from the village center. Around 8:00 in the evening, you will hear van drivers looking for tourists / visitors who want to go to Jungle Bar. All you have to do is pay ₱150 (round-trip fare). What’s also good is the van driver will wait for you, up to what time you want to go back. The bar has reasonably-priced food & drinks. The live music is a plus!

I went to the Jungle Bar with a friend from the guesthouse. We met 4 French people in the van & decided to spend good times in the bar. Initial plan was to go home at 11:00 or 12:00 but we ended up going home at 3:00 am.

Long Beach Day Tour

The Long Beach is a 14.1 km undeveloped white beach in San Vicente. A day trip to Long Beach costs ₱2,500 for 3-4 people (doesn’t include food.) The trip takes about 2 hours per way. I was not able to go to this place because I couldn’t find anyone to share the boat with. I will probably go back to Palawan soon & will stay near the Long Beach before this becomes a busy tourist destination.

White Beach & Pamuayan Falls

This is the famous land trip taken by almost every visitor in Port Barton. The white beach is about 30 minutes walk from the village beach. There is an entrance fee of ₱25 when going to the White Beach. On the other hand, the falls is about 4 kilometer walk from the center. An easier way to visit these 2 places is by motorbike. Ask the people from your hostel / guesthouse for motorbike rentals.

Unfortunately, I missed our visiting these 2 places. I planned to visit this during my last day in Port Barton but the rain started to fall & I also got lazy to go there.

There are still few more beaches, falls & islands to visit if you have the luxury of time. I believe 3 or 4 full days in Port Barton would be enough.

Found Nemo somewhere near German Island 🐟

Facts about Port Barton

There are a few things about Port Barton that you need to know before going there.

⦁ Daily power supply only runs from little past 5:00 in the afternoon to around 1:00 in the morning. That is the only time where you can charge your phones, laptops & cameras. Make sure to bring power banks to help extend your gadgets’ lives during the day. Extension cords would also help charge many gadgets at the same time.

⦁ There are no ATMs or banks in the area. Make sure to withdraw enough cash in Puerto Princesa, San Vicente, Roxas or El Nido before going to Port Barton. Also, do not have high hopes of using your credit card. I haven’t heard of any establishment accepting card payments. It may be also hard to exchange foreign currency to Philippine peso so make sure to do that before going there.

⦁ There are no doctors or hospitals in the village. The nearest can be found in Roxas which is about an hour away. Be very careful in everything that you do. Bringing a small pouch of medicines would be good.

⦁ The village has access to limited internet speed. Yes, both Smart Communications & Globe Telecoms have networks, but the mobile data coverage is not that fast. For Globe subscribers, you can have fast (not like the metro speed though but bearable) internet if you are by the beach.

⦁ Restaurant choices are also limited. If you are heading out for dinner, make sure to go to Gacayan Restaurant early as it is always full. The price of a meal is really affordable but note that food orders take a while to be served. You can also check out the famous Jambalaya Cafe & the other restaurants nearby.

Couldn’t believe I was this close to the turtle! 🐢

I fell in love with Port Barton up to the point I want to go back there as soon as possible. It has one of the most relaxing beach fronts I’ve been to, one of the clearest waters I’ve seen & one of the most quiet islands I’ve visited. I suggest that you go to this place as soon as you can. I have a strong feeling this will be developed in 2-3 years time.

Do you have any questions about Port Barton? Is there anything you want to know about the place? 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. Suggestions for future topics are also welcome.

PS. All photos above were shot using my HTC Re.

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.

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.