Q & A: How To Save Money For Your Dream Vacation

Found this post from the GypsyGals's blog ... a very timely article for the dream gap adventure I'm planning with the Hubby :) Although not we're not exactly traveling 'solo'. ;-)


Q & A: How To Save Money For Your Dream Vacation


RTW here we come!

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P100 Sale at Airphil Express

It's AirPhil Express's 1ST ANNIVERSARY! 
 
And to celebrate the occasion, we have a treat for all of you! P100 SALE for all A320 domestic destinations! Woohoo! 


Travel period: June 1, 2011 to Feb 15, 2012! This is it, guys! Booking starts NOW!

Plus you can also get a chance to win a trip to Palawan!


:)

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Itchy Feet Know No Relief.


After almost 2 years of being on a travel "diet" (meaning, only a few trips per year)... the Itchy Feet gang is on the roll again!

Because most of us are corporate geishas (ain't this better sounding than corporate slaves) working in the banking, BPO & O&O industries, long weekends and Philippine holidays are what we live for.  (Peste si PNoy, no holiday economics this year. Boo.)

So it was good that we kicked the year off with New Year in Baguio.  Feb and March were out of the question because I had to stay home and rest after my operation. 

Here are the trips planned for the rest of the year *woot woot!*

  • April - Ilocos OR Caramoan (North or South) road trip
  • May - ??
  • June - ??
  • July - Iloilo & Guimaras (Cebu Pacific & Zest Air sale)
  • August - Roxas (Php 499 CebuPacific sale)
  • September - Boracay (Php 16 Seair sale :))
  • October -Cebu for the hubby & me - attending a wedding :-D
  • November - ??
  • December - ?? (praying - Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, etc)
Except for Boracay, I'm extremely excited about all the other trips! I've been to Ilocos and Caramoan, but there's still tons to see and do!

As for Boracay, (I know I'll have a lot of criticism *insert here*)... but I've never been a fan of Boracay. Yes, nice... it draws a lot of tourists, foreign investments, and all that sh*t.  But at the expense of everything else?  I heard the sand is no longer white and fine, there are too many resorts and bars (what's new. People just care about the moolah), there's too much hedonism (well again $$)... hay buhay.

I probably would've liked Boracay if it weren't  I so overdeveloped and overpopulated with bars and establishments that pollute the once-pristine white sand beach. I'll post siguro my observations once I visit the place again this September.  Would love to try kiteboarding though, and see how Bulabog Beach fares compared to the overrated white (err... hindi na nga daw white) beach. 

Hope everyone (tourists and locals alike) can work together to help with cleanliness, environmental preservation, etc.  Otherwise, wala na tayong pwedeng puntahan next time!  Look what happened to Anawangin & Nagsasa. :(

But anyway, just want to say that the Itchy Feet gang is back putting more pins on their maps.

Thank you Lord for all the blessings :)  

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Philips Go Gear 2GB from Good Times with Mo Podcast!

I received the gadget I "won" from the Good Times with Mo Podcast this afternoon!  :)

I decided to send in a question last March 3, to the GTWM Podcast guest that night, Kuya Kim (Kim Atienza), via SMS. And lo and behold, Pat of GTWM called me after a few minutes! I really wasn't expecting a call.  Well they did call, I got put on hold 3x, got cut off 2x, got called back. Finally got to ask my question. They didn't talk to me much though.

Anyhoo, the next day, a certain Ed of Tradeport sent me an SMS, asking me for my address for the mp3 player delivery. I initially thought it was bogus. But what the heck, I sent in my details anyway.

Today, I got the gear :)

It's the Philips GoGear MP3 Player SA011102S 2GB which retails at Tradeport (at time of writing) for Php 2,190 + Php 140 shipping charge.
Image from Tradeport.com.ph

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It's sooooo NOT nice...

... getting peed on by a dog.

  
The evidence... + The culprit
Apparently Billy wanted to "greet" his new friend... aka ME.

Say hello to Billy, Dennis's new 'toy' :)  Or should I say, Momo's new toy.

LOL!

Had a quick get together earlier with the Itchy Feet gang at Mercato Centrale's new location. Honestly, I personally did not like the new location.  I liked their old location better.  And from personal observation, I think they had more visitors before than now. 
  • It was a tad bit dusty.  Or rather, the ground was.  Dusty / dirty. :(
  • Were there fewer vendors? Was trying to find the yummy truffle fries, the fish & chips, and the cute cupcakes with the yummy dates. But didn't get to see them.  Maybe it's just me. :-P  Could not go around much due to my condition.
  • I think the vendors themselves do not like the new location.  I overheard some mentioning... "Ay baket walang signs?" Yada yada...
What I liked now though is that they have regular trash collectors.  I honestly would have preferred if visitors cleaned up after their own mess. CLaYGo = Clean as You Go! Proper etiquette lang naman diba.  Oh, and on a side note, that more trash bins/recycling bins should be put up at the venue.  But then again, maybe that's just me.

I also liked that some of the vendors now have biodegradable containers rather than styro (I HATE STYRO!!!) or plastic bags.  Kudos to the vendor that sells Lavosh and the dips.  She had those cornstarch-based biodegradable containers for her 'healthy' food. She's good with PR too :)

------------
I came across Anton Diaz's feed about Mercato Centrale and I'm happy that he had a "pahabol" ... or postscript about the dang plastic containers :) 
P.S. We are banning plastics, styrofoam containers and plastic bags by April 22, Earth Day. We are looking for eco-friendly solutions for Mercato Centrale. Let us know if you have suggestions!
Yay!
------------

I didn't get to try a lot of food. It was too hot today, I didn't want to go around and sweat while looking for food. Arte ano? BUT... There was one notable heavenly find... Thanks Kring for the bread pudding creme brulee!

Here's what was left of the yummy bread pudding slash creme caramel slash creme brulee thingie we tried earlier (and after taking the pic, we almost licked the tin clean. Good thing we had our doggies to do that for us). That guy manning the booth... he shoved the free taste to me.. and it was well worth it!! :)  Php 190 a tin c/o Kristina.  YUM-O!
Perfectly bruleed top.  Cracks when you tap your spoon. Yummy x infinity.

(Gosh I need a better camera phone.)
The Bread Pudding Creme Brulee was from Desserts To Go Friday! at MedChef by Chef Hasset Go.

For orders and inquiries:
585-6052 / 0915-487-1332
Look for Jayson, Ritchel or Hasset)
Store Address: 139 Mother Ignacia Ave.,Quezon City, Philippines (Across ABS-CBN)


We even saw Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet taking pictures. I'm such a groupie. :)


Visit Midnight Mercato & Mercato Centrale every weekend!

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Ensogo + Benefits Salon vouchers A-OK!

Finally! After 48 years ... I got a decent haircut.

Had my hair treated with keratin too.

Had taken advantage of free wifi ... a plus point for Eastwood, most areas have free wi fi!

Had my caffeine fix at Starbucks Eastwood Mall with Momsie's senior citizen discount (ok barat ako... so sue me) .  Was trying to get the 'free' cake pop that they mentioned was free for each purchase today because of their 40th Anniversary. But didn't get the freebie! Only for the first 30 customers daw. They sure didn't mention that on FB! :-P

Spent the rest of the afternoon at Padre Pio...

All for Php 736.

  • Haircut = Php 168 (valued at Php 450)
  • Hair Keratin Treatment =  Php 249 (valued at Php 1000)
  • Tip/s = Php 150
  • Starbucks Tall Latte = Php 84 (with Momsie's SC discount :) )
  • Parking = Php 85 (Php 45 at Eastwood Mall, Php 40 at Padre Pio)
  • Grand Total = Php 736 :)

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Prayers are with Japan and the rest of the world

LET US ALL PRAY TOGETHER: Dear Jesus, we fervently pray for your intercession so that our nation will be spared from a threatening earthquake. Save us from further calamities by embracing our country with your protective grace & merciful blessings. Please pass on to start prayer brigades.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/11/japan.quake/index.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-earthquake-2011-3

Got this video tweeted by Business Insider (@businessinsider) -- which gives you a pretty remarkable video gives you a sense of the speed of a tsunami.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/japanese-airport-tsunami-2011-3#ixzz1GHyYJ0sm




Let's pray for our world.  8.8 - 8.9?



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Today's Affirmation - Have Feet... Will Travel

I will make time to blog about my travels.  Even those that date back to 1997!

No day but today.

:-P


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25 Things to Do in the Philippines (from Inquirer.net)

Sharing a nice article someone posted on her Facebook wall. An interesting read.  Huwag nga naman maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan diba?  

Enjoy!


25 THINGS TO DO IN THE PHILIPPINES - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

By Jill Lejano
Philippine Daily Inquirer
DateFirst Posted 22:05:00 12/04/2010

… before fantasizing about exploring other countries


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Cambodia Tips for Vinz & Vero

For Vinz & Vero...

I'm not so sure how helpful this would be, because when we went there last time, our entry point was HCMC (Saigon) and exit point was Bangkok.

We wanted to squeeze in Vietnam (Saigon, Mekong Delta), Cambodia (Phnom Penh & Siem Reap), and Thailand into our 9-day trip.  Too short!!



So here are a few tips right at the top of my head:

- If you can book early, book flights out of BKK to Cambodia (there are flights to Phnom Penh- capital, or if you're going to Angkor Wat - flights to Siem Reap)
-  We came from Phnom Penh, so our flight to Siem Reap was via Cambodia Angkor Air - booked through the Vietnam Airlines website.

- Spend minimum 3 days in Siem Reap. The Angkor complex is huge.  Bring lots of SD cards, or memory for your camera/s.  You can never capture the true beauty of Angkor. Take it all in!!!

- In Phnom Penh we stayed at Blue Lime. http://www.bluelime.asia/  $40 a night, pool, great staff, modern minimalist decor.  Near the Royal Palace, National Museum, etc.  Lots of nightlife in Phnom Penh - parang red light district natin.

- Phnom Penh is an interesting city. But we only spent 2 days there.  Visit the usual touristy spots like the Royal Palace, Killing Fields, Toul Sleng Genocide Museum.  Bring tissue.  It will break your heart. $ is the main currency.

- In Siem Reap, we stayed at Motherhome Guesthouse. http://www.motherhomeguesthouse.com/  Their honeymoon suite is $20 per night! :) Great staff. They have wi fi too.
- Siem Reap is very very very touristy. It's pretty safe to walk around even at night. You'll mostly see expats. They have lots of nightlife too.
- It's pointless to stay at those big hotel chains that charge > $50 / night. You will be out the whole day touring Angkor Wat and the surrounding areas and will be back late.  Don't forget to include Bantaey Srei even if it's far. It's worth it.



- Here are tips I found on google re travel from BKK to Siem Reap

Don't use the minibus scam service
If you have money - fly
If you have loads of time - take the train
Never talk to touts (parang sa atin, mga fixer, scammer)
Don't use the minibus scam service
IF you still have time, then tour Saigon & the Mekong Delta.  Traveling to Laos is pushing it. But I heard Laos is nice too.



Enjoy!! :)

 

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The Philippines (oh... and the World) Is Just Awesome (Boom De Yada)



Let's keep it that way :)

:)

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