My 2012 Travel Plans…so far.

It’s been a while since I last posted anything on this blog, but I sure have not been remiss in making travel plans for this year! So far, my calendar looks like this:

Image from www.jossandmain.com

March (mid) – Hong Kong: Been traveling to Hong Kong since my teens but I will never, ever have enough of it! Going this time primarily to sit as a judge in a competition, but will definitely squeeze in some time to explore areas I haven’t been before. This will be easy since I will be based in Shatin…not somewhere touristy like Tsim Sha Tsui or Central.

March (late) – Hanoi, Vietnam: Excited to fly to Hanoi to redeem my Vietnam impression. Went to Ho Chi Minh City and explored it for a bit in 2010, but didn’t find it interesting as I am not a fan of bargain markets. Loved the food, though, and I’m looking forward to having more Vietnamese and French dishes, and discover Hanoi delicacies. Highlight of the trip will be the Halong Bay Cruise and the company of friends I last travelled with in 2007.

June (mid) – Coron, Palawan: Coming a few months after my Hanoi trip, I’m excited to see how the scenery here will rival Halong Bay. I should be able to squeeze in my open water certification and at least 2 open water dives in Anilao or Subic before I go here because I’m really looking forward to doing some wreck-diving here.

July-August: New York, USA: Only if I’m able to prepare for the exam. We’ll see.

August: Scotland, UK: If I’m not able to finish preparing for the exam and have the budget for it. Also contingent on an AirAsia X sale.

September (mid) – Jakarta, Indonesia: Haven’t done my research on Jakarta yet, but I can skip the city and just prioritize seeing Borobudur. Can’t wait to get on a train and see the Indonesian countryside! Found a friend who’s willing to travel here with me, just need to book her ticket as soon as another sale comes along. Got mine for an unbelievably low price (as with my Coron and Legazpi flights)

November (late) – Legazpi, Albay: I’ve seen the Mayon Volcano when I was 9 years old and again when I was 23, so I’m skipping that part and head straight to Donsol to swim with Whale Sharks!

So far, that’s what I have lined up for the year. Comment below if you want to join me and my friends on these trips and/or if you’re ever in my home base of Metro Manila, Philippines and want to meet up!

Scuba Journey – Part 0, and a mini-rant

As I’ve mentioned in my first blog post, one of my new year’s resolutions for 2012 is to learn how to scuba dive. So I did a bit of research on the Internet, and at first I was looking into doing the Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) program of PADI, which is supposed to be just a very basic intro, and will not actually get me certified, but will just get my feet wet (unavoidable pun). From what I understand, it’s only when the scuba school lets the DSD trainee go on an open water dive that such part of the training can be credited towards certification. To me, it’s kind of a waste of money, since I doubt that the PADI dive centers will actually give me a discount on the Open Water package JUST BECAUSE I don’t need an extra dive to complete my certification. Plus, the cost of the DSD is around 1/3 of the cost of the Open Water Course, when it’s just for half a day compared to the Open Water’s 3-4 day duration. The only pro I see with doing the DSD first is that if I realize after the DSD that scuba isn’t for me, I wouldn’t have wasted an additional Php8,000 (around US$180). Heck, I say throw me in at the deep end!

On Dive Centers:

There are several dive centers that are within the same island as I am, and for at least my first few dives I want to stick to the dive spots close to where I live obviously to save on airfare. I’m partial to enrolling at a center with a facility in my city so that I can do the Knowledge Development and Confined Water Dives without having to travel too far. I just hope the rates of the centers close to me are just as good as those centers that only have their facilities close to the dive spots. Oh, and I hope they reply to my e-mail inquiries soon!

Soon I'll have an actual photo of me in a wetsuit!

Beware: Mini-rant

This brings me to a non-scuba but travel and customer service related mini-topic: replies to e-mail inquiries. If there are any hotel/service personnel out there reading this, I sincerely hope that you always reply to e-mail inquiries ASAP, and not after 2 days or so. You see, the beauty of e-mail and internet technology is that your clients don’t have to wait for the postman to come, or pay long-distance charges to talk to you. Personally, even if a hotel seems great on pictures, I am discouraged to book with them when I don’t get prompt replies to my e-mail inquiries, because to me it’s already a sign of the kind of service I can expect when I get there. Do you get what I mean?

Anyway, that’s just what I think…and it doesn’t even fit into this whole entry, so I’ll stop here.

It’s More Fun in the Philippines! (Ads by Roland Benzon)

I wasn’t initially impressed by the Philippines’ Department of Tourism slogan, but after seeing these ad studies by Roland Benzon, it couldn’t help but exclaim, “IT’S MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES”!

No copyright infringement intended. All ads were created by Roland Benzon, and all photographs are the property of those who shot them…all in the Philippines. Do not use these for commercial purposes without the express written permission of those who own the copyright.

Enjoy and be inspired to visit…because It’s More Fun in the Philippines!

 

And my personal favorite….

Have a good laugh and let me know which one made you decide to come to the Philippines, ok? :)

 

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Ever since I read about Burning Man in some book I don’t even remember the title of right now, I’ve always thought that it’s a place that’s nice to read about, but too cool for me to enjoy. I enjoy visiting new places, taking part in new, exciting activities, but there are still some things that are too “out there” for me to be comfortable in. That aside, however, I find that this video of Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, the Places You’ll Go”, read by the interesting people at Burning Man is the most moving video I’ve seen in a long time. Makes me rethink my life, and possibly, adding “attending Burning Man” to my bucket list.

Travel Firsts (#TNI)

Today the lovely ladies at ZipSetGo started a fun, new Q&A under the Twitter Travel Chat, “Travelers’ Night In” (#TNI) with the theme, “Travel Firsts”. Just to let all of you know more about me and my previous travels, I’m pasting all the questions and the answers I posted on my Twitter account. Hope you enjoy reading them and do share your answers in the comments section, ok? :)

Q1. When did you first realize that you really, really loved travel?

A1. At age 9, after traveling 13 hours by land to see the perfectly shaped Mayon Volcano.

Q2. First time you saw the ocean? Thoughts?

A2. At age 5, thinking, “I could swim all the way to China!”

Q3. City that was your first love? Why?

A3. Vienna, because it’s got my kind of snooty :) Never felt more comfortable anywhere else, not even my own hometown!

Q4. Where was your first international adventure? Business or pleasure?

A4. Hong Kong at age 13. Pleasure! Planet Hollywood! Hahaha :P

Q5. First place you loved so much you had to go back? Why?

A5. Vienna! The history, art, architecture, people…OH MY GOD!!

Q6. First encounter with something bigger than life?

A6. St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. Magnificent. Oh, and Sue the T-Rex at the Field Museum in Chicago!

Q7. First thing that ever took your breath away?

A7. Mt Kinabalu, Malaysia. I was literally out of breath climbing to the top! LOL

Q8. First hard lesson you learned while on the road?

A8. Traveling can bring out the worst in people you thought you knew very well!

Q9. First time out of your comfort zone while traveling?

A9. Can’t think of one! Traveling is my comfort zone!

Q10. First place that compelled you to stay out all night?

A10. Cebu, Philippines! The company is always great, so much yummy street food at Larsian’s, everyone wants to give you a good time!

Sue's really larger than life, I tell ya!

Begging for entry

If you’re from my part of the world, one of the biggest troubles you have to go through before traveling is getting a visa. For many people, visa applications are dreadful enough to keep them from even thinking of going to a place other than Hong Kong, or an ASEAN Member country, since those places do not require visas for short trips. I’ve heard so many horror stories about rejections from the US Embassy or the consulate of a Schengen state, and for those with such bad experiences, the rejection might be strong enough to discourage future attempts. There are also those who keep banging on consular doors, so to speak, begging the visa officers to let them into their far, exotic, and elusive shores.

Fortunately for me, though, I haven’t experienced any problems with my visa applications, having gone through the entire process several times. I’ve never used a professional service to help me with my visa applications, except when I got my Japanese Visa (which I hate seeing, because my photo looks horrible) just because the Japanese Embassy requires that all applicants submit their requirements through an accredited travel agency. However, for those who might have some trouble understanding what it takes to get a visa approved, professional documentation assistance might be advisable to avoid any rejections, as most visa application forms contain questions relating to previous applications, etc.

I know that there are countless issues/reasons for people (especially from my country) to get their visa applications denied, and I won’t talk about them here, but I have only two very important tips for visa applicants:

1. Make sure your documentation is complete; and
2. BE HONEST.

my brown passport that's usually not good enough for entry unless it carries a visa stamped prior to departure

If you’re interested in a more specific blog post about going through the visa application process, please leave a comment and I’ll do my best to give you my tips and suggestions.

Before I forget, I got the idea of writing this entry because a friend posted a note on Facebook about the US Department of State’s Visa Reissuance Program (VRP). That was such great news for me because my US B1/B2 Visa expired last year and I haven’t gotten around to applying for a new one because I’ve been too lazy to get my documentation in order. Fortunately, I found out about this program just in time to still be qualified for it (I only have until 30 March to get it done), and that means, I just need to get my photo taken, pay the fee, and go to the Embassy! That’s right, no complicated financial and employment documents necessary! What a relief!

I’ll tell you all about that experience as I go through it. I’ve never been to the US Embassy before since I got my old US Visa through the old dropbox system, so no personal appearance, no interview (Lucky, I know.). So do keep coming back for updates and join me in my future travel adventures!

On Hotel Buffets

Spent this day at the Diamond Hotel Manila hanging out with my friend, C, and my brother, E. We’re just here to use C’s free hotel stay and dinner buffet vouchers, so it’s generally been just a day of lazing around and thinking of our future plans.

As expected, dinner was good, but it got me thinking about the way I travel, and whether I would actually pay for hotel dinner buffets while traveling. Being the food lover that I am, I actually wouldn’t, because although hotel buffets will generally guarantee good quality food, they are also guaranteed to be boring! I think it takes away a lot from the entire experience of being in a foreign place and enjoying the new things you can learn about that city’s culture. Designed to suit an “international palate”, hotel buffets would most likely feature fare that is known globally, with flavors tempered too well to be considered authentic and local.

Since I have not been too much of an adventure traveler (save for climbing Mt. Kinabalu last year), the part that I look forward to the most next to museums and cultural attractions, is eating local delicacies and searching for fantastic restaurants serving dishes enjoyed by ACTUAL residents of the city I’m visiting. While I do check out TripAdvisor for restaurant suggestions, my better gauge for knowing where to eat is simply looking at how many people are waiting for a table outside the establishment. Besides, I don’t enjoy acting like a non-local so when in Rome, eat as the Romans do.

fried squid flakes sold by an old woman with dirty fingernails in Seoul...still enjoyed eating them, though!

That said, I can’t end this short piece without mentioning the hotel buffet that came with my booking with the Island Pacific Hotel in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Now that buffet did leave an impression on me as it was the first time I felt that each item on the menu was lovingly (haha) prepared by the good folks in the kitchen, and not mass-produced like most buffet dishes. It helped that the selection was not too overwhelming and did not seem like the chef wanted to beat a Guinness World Record for most dishes prepared in an evening; each item was carefully chosen to complement the others. I can’t describe it any better than that!

I’d like to know if any of you have tried it and enjoyed it as much as I did!

Out with the old, and a bit more.

I found the inspiration for this entry while I was taking my last shower of 2011. I had just finished a travel-sized tube of Marks and Spencer’s China Blue Moisture Rich Shower Cream, which was given to me as a gift quite a while ago. Upon emptying the fresh-smelling cream, I found myself excited at the chance to throw something away before the year ended, without any regrets.

Off to the garbage bin

You see, while I pride myself in being a great packer (and a fast one at that), the great paradox of my travel v. home life is that I am such a HOARDER. It drives me crazy thinking about it, because I like thinking of myself as someone who can just get up and go, but over the years, I’ve accumulated so much stuff that it makes me feel too attached to where I live, which is something I don’t necessarily want to be. When I really think about it, though, it has never occurred to me while I was travelling that I was leaving anything too significant back home (except loved ones, of course). So maybe I’m not that bad, but it would give me some peace if I could let go of things at home more.

Someone once said that if you want change to come into your life, you should start by cleaning out your dresser drawer. Honestly, though, this is certainly more challenging for me than packing a month’s worth of clothes into a carry-on suitcase! At least throwing away an empty bottle of body wash is a small step in that direction, don’t you think? ;P

Wonder if any of you have these ironic traveler’s issues?

The Beginning

It’s New Year’s Eve, and I’ve decided that I won’t make any “habit-changing” resolutions for 2012. Instead, I choose to have a list of things that I want to learn to do, to make my travels more, should I say, adventurous. You know, instead of just walking around, looking at stuff, taking photos here and there (although I really do much more than that, as you will soon learn). So, without further ado, my 3 things to learn to do in 2012 are:

1. Ride a bike.
2. Surf.
3. Dive.

*image taken from http://tabuyobeach.webs.com

RIDE A BIKE. I’ve never owned a bike and never learned how to ride one, but I’ve always felt I was such a travel loser because I didn’t know how to ride, especially with all the biking I saw in Amsterdam, or the cool bike tours I could have joined in Vienna. I have a 3-month deadline on this, because I’m taking a trip this coming March to a city where everyone seems to know how to ride a bicycle or a motorbike. Wish me luck!

SURF. Okay, so I’ve always said that I have absolutely NO upper body strength, and I’m pretty sure that this is something I must have before I could at least get myself up on the board. So, er, there first has to be a major change in my physical fitness level (and, yes, yes, my overall physique) before that happens. So maybe in May.

DIVE. Now this is going to be tough. I might be able to take an introductory dive, but I really don’t want it to be a one-time deal, which means that I’m going to have to spend a good chunk of cash on this. At this point I’m not sure I’ll be comfortable enough to re-allocate my funds to diving from my other needs/expenses. I really want to do this, though, because I feel it’s such a waste that I don’t even have to fly to another country to enjoy great dive spots, and I’m not able to take advantage of the proximity. So we’ll see.

And as with all my now-defunct blogs, we’ll see how long I can keep this blogging up. So come back for updates, enjoy this ride with me, and have a happy new year, everyone!