Local: I Love You, Cebu 2016

It was just to good to disconnect from your work. Well, I got to travel again to Cebu City! 

It’s my duty to me share with you the best and accessible places in the Queen City of the South:

1. Basilica del San Niño and Magellan’s Cross for strolling and holy visit.

2. House of Lechon for your best Lechon experience 

3. Cebu Business Park for shopping

4. Larsian for your late-night foodtrip

5. Taboan Public Market for your take-home goodies

Local: The Little Santorini of Bolinao, Pangasinan 2016

If you’re still looking for a perfect summer hols, this can be the best and rewarding one.

It was a 6-8 hour travel from Manila going to Bolinao. We booked our tickets at Victory Liner, 459 PHP each, at 8:30 PM and left the concrete jungle at 2:00 AM. Be sure to book early!

There were three stop overs along the way and the fourth and last was at the bus terminal and that’s where we alighted. But before heading to the’Little Santorini‘ of Bolinao, we visited some of the tranquil spots.

So went to the Bolinao Falls, Bolinao Beach and The Enchanted Cave.

From those famous landmarks, we took a tricycle and headed to the sublime Sundowners Vacation Villas.

Sundowners Vacation Villas offers a Santorini-inspired vacation villas for rent which is located in Bolinao, Pangasinan. They offer very spacious and truly relaxing villas. Infinity pool? Relaxation area? They all have it.

What we like about this place, you can bring your own food. Yes, you can cook and they will prepare all the kitchenwares you need during your stay. For your convenience, I suggest that you buy your ingredients and goods in Bolinao Wet Market. It’s just near the terminal and the villa so it’s hassle-free!

Even if we only had less than 24 hours to enjoy this ethereal place, I can say that it’s all worth it. The aesthetic exterior of the villas and its views makes it more stunning. 

This was the room in the villa we rented. Isn’t it cozy?

Here are some of the great spots of the villa.

As of the moment, they only accept cash, no credit card or check payments. Good thing though, you won’t be charged for other extra fees, just reserve and enjoy.

There are a lot of astonishing feel-at-home villas to choose from. And if you’re still finding a great vacation experience, I highly recommend this.

Sundowners Vacation Villas is located at Luciente 1, Bolinao, Pangasinan.

Attraction: Amazing Stories of Yexel’s Museum

It was a very fine day when we went to Amazing Stories of Yexel’s Museum in Manila Ocean Park. I  am really not into this kind of experience, but honestly, this place truly magnetized me right before we went inside.

This isn’t a typical toy exhibit. The museum showcases the huge toys and personal collections of Yexel Sebastian, a Filipino television personality, dancer, toy collector and curator who owns the largest Optimus Prime bust in Asia.

We decided to visit the one in Manila due to its proximity, but he main museum is located in Las Piñas. And I only took pictures of the models I am familiar with, but there are a lot of other displays inside.

Although I am not fond of cartoons and movies, I still had fun! And that goes to show that this happy place isn’t only for kids, but also for big guys who are young at heart.

  

Here comes the stormtroopers! They are the fictional soldiers in Star Wars.

And yes, I have a photo with Mr. Stark. 😉

The tickets are for sale inside Manila Ocean Park for 250 PHP. You don’t need to pay for any other entrance fees, you can just avail the ASYM ticket.

Schedule:

• 10 AM to 7 PM – Weekdays
• 9 AM to 7 PM – Weekends & Holidays

Last entry is at 6:30 PM and you can only buy tickets before 6:15 PM

If you’re planning to see more and more of their awesome toys and exciting collections, I suggest that you visit the main museum.

Amazing Stories of Yexel’s Museum, the one I visited, is located inside Manila Ocean Park beside Quirino Grandstand in Manila.

International: Your Singapore 2015

07012015 – And so we moved to the beautiful city of Singapore. This time, we went there by coach. We chose Aeroline for our coach experience. This is the finest coach company in Malaysia and Singapore. We were so comfortable and relaxed while we’re travelling.

  

It took us 3 to 4 hours to get to Singapore. Oh well, I enjoyed the travel! 😊

When we got to the city, we had our USD converted to SGD. And finally, we headed to our hotel by MRT. And I must say, people here in Singapore are really disciplined. They respectively follow the policies and they value their time. Good job!

We dropped off at Kallang Station and hailed a cab going to Fragrance Hotel – Pearl. And to finally accomplish my itenerary for the day, we went to Night Safari on Mandai Lake Road. Thanks to my friend, Jay, for the free ticket – birthday treat I mean. ☺️🎂

For 42 SGD, you’ll get to experience a close encounter with the nocturnal animals by walking trails. Right after the viewing, you can watch the Creatures of the Night Show where they will feature the star performers, the animals of course, in action.

070215 – We woke up around 9 AM and started to prep up for our next adventure – Cable Car! For 108 SGD, you’ll have the chance to experience the cable car, SEA Aquarium and the most anticipated and visited tourist attraction, Universal Studios Singapore. But we decided to have the cable car journey and SEA Aquarium today and move our USS date by tomorrow as we might lose the moment of enjoying and maximizing the amusement park.

To my surprise, I enjoyed riding on the cable car more than on the airplane! 😂

    

Okay, so we went to Sentosa Station from Harbourfront Station to finally experience the SEA Aquarium. Got to explore the marine realm with thousands of aquatic creatures – please don’t expect a whale!

  

    

Ooops, do not forget to bring your flip flops, you might get a footache after the tour. It’s gonna be a loooong walk, dear. As much as possible, wear your most comfortable outfit and footwear.

And to cap that day, we visited the Merlion! ☺️ I wish I can take that home.

07032015 – Finally, the moment I have been waiting for years, the USS! Universal Studios Singapore is in Sentosa, too. This time, we rode on a bus and got off to VivoCity. We could no longer take advantage the cable car as it was only good for that day. And from there, we traveled by train and went to Resorts World Sentosa.

  

  

  

    

Apparently, I am in love with Sesame Street. They took me to the higher level of happiness. ❤️ A very nostalgic experience, especially when I got to hug the cutest red creature in the world, Elmoooo! He is truly the cuteeessst! ☺️

After all these wonderful opportunities and experiences, the usual, we were in search for food and looked for the nearest Food Republic. 😋 If you’re not too adventurous in trying new dishes and want to have your tummy happy, this could be the best option for you aside from McDonalds. This paradise serves different kinds of dishes and meals. From Chinese to Japanese noodles, from Indian to Singaporean cuisine, this court has it all!

And there were other places we visited just like Mustafa in Little India and Expo. When you want buy something for yourself or for someone and you do not want to hurt your budget, then these two places are absolutely for you. The branded items here are more affordable than in your area, I swear!

07042015 – Last day in Singapore. Wow! Honestly, a week wasn’t enough to maximize the whole city. We missed the night party in Clark Quay and the beautiful Marina Sands Bay. Boo! 😤

Oh well, I promise to myself that I will go back to these two beuatiful countries for more! Happy 50th Birthday, Singapore! 🎂🎈

International: Malaysia – Truly Asia 2015

06292015 – This is gonna be my first and most unforgettable experience by far – to go out of the country. Yay!

This was booked last February via CebuPacific. I was with my friends for almost a week and we were too excited to travel and tour Malaysia and Singapore.

It wasn’t their first overseas travel, so they decided to give me a very great experience in these lovely countries.

06302015 – We arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport around 2-3 in the morning. We hailed a cab and went straight to our hotel – Signature Hotel in Sentral.

Since our tummies were empty, we decided to look for the nearest Malaysian food chain. We had Kuala Lumpur’s Nasi Lemak, Mee Goreng and Roti in ABC Brickfields. We also bought their Lychee juice and that was really the best!

After having our dinner-midnight meal, we took a power nap and went to Nu Sentral to grab our legit and real breakfast. Well, we only had 36 hours to enjoy and maximize the city as we had our early book to Singapore.

We explored the City of Kuala Lumpur by HOHO, Hop on Hop Off City Tour bus. It was so nice to experience the open double-decker bus. I was like a kid playing with my cam due to the enjoyment brought by this bus – it was my first time 😋.

The bus will take you to each lovely places of Kuala Lumpur. The bus runs on a 15 to 30 minutes at the stops between 8:30 AM until 8:30 PM. Tourists will be given a pamphlet on the city guide by the customer service on board. You’ll have access to their Free WiFi and GPS.

Ticket Price for Adult: RM 45

  

We also visited their China Town and Sentral Market where we bought our affordable souvenirs and Malaysian goodies.

  

  

At night, of course, we didn’t miss the famous Jalan Alor where best food and crazy people meet. I can’t remember the food we ate ’cause we were all famished!

  

Anyway, after eating the best food in Jalan Alor, we headed immediately to the most popular and well-constructed eye-popping Malaysia’s Petronas Towers. They said that it would be best to experience this famous landmark at night, and so we did. The twin towers really have these amazing lights and indescribable skyline. Wow! You will never resist staring at the beautiful tourist attraction.

And so we went back to the hotel after the photoshoot and prepared for our trip to Singapore. My experience in Singapore will be covered on my next blog.