Whenever I have a major trip, I almost always have one song that I would listen on repeat during the entirety of the travel. And for Japan, it was Bruce Springteen's "I'm on Fire" and Dire Strait's "Walk of Life". I know "I'm on Fire" has some negative connotation when you listen to the lyrics, but I felt like dancing to it with the sub-zero winter temperature of Hokkaido.

Wala lang, I just felt like mentioning it.

Anyway, I finally finished our Hokkaido travel video after almost two months of editing. Lol 

Hokkaido was a dream, especially for us two Asian girls who experienced real snow for the first time.

This trip was one year in the making. It was 31st of January 2018 when one of my good friends sent me a message saying, "Bessy, kapag game ka ng Japan sa January 2019, game ako." And my instant impulsive answer was, "Sige. G."  I have a lot of friends who are all high praises when talking about Japan, and that made me curious.  I have been wanting to go, but I thought my first time in Japan should not be a solo trip. Thank God for my naturally adventurous friends.

I am feeling so overly productive these past few days. Three months have passed since this trip, and I finally edited a few videos we took during our trip. Whenever I'm with these two, it always feels like home. (Halata naman siguro sa mga tawa namin. Lol) Watch 'til the end on how Batangueñas really talk, even in foreign land. :)

A few of our travel diaries below!

A Day in Ubud

Seminyak & Bali Eats

Nusa Penida Island Experience

From Camp Sawi in Cebu last year, to Broken Beach in Bali this year. Now, where to next?

It took me a while to write about our experience in Nusa Penida Island. I was hesitant, because part of me wanted to agree with all the positive reviews on the internet. But who am I kidding? This isn't gonna be a review or a where-to-go kind of travel post. You can find a lot of travel tips, itineraries and suggestions on the world wide web (Does anyone still call it like that?) or on Facebook groups where I actually got ours. Rather, this is a travel diary where I'm just gonna share our firsthand experience at the island. But for the benefit of my future self, I will (I think) publish a post about our actual itinerary, expenses and some first hand experienced tips.

Keeping up with the sequel of our Cebu trip last year, we went to Bali for 4 days last March. Pam and Alvie flew from Manila, whilst I flew from Singapore. Our first day/night was spent in Ubud. Then we stayed in Seminyak for the remaining days.

Apparently, we didn't get to to try surfing, which I would blame to our lazy asses. Lol So here's what went down on our second and last day in Bali.

Pro Tip : If you're a party goer, then stay in Kuta (although there are also decent bars around Seminyak too). But if you prefer exploring cafes and restaurants, then stay in Seminyak.

Finally, here's the sequel to our epic, adventure-filled (or lack thereof) tri-island North Cebu trip last year! (Intrigue? Find more about it here, and here, and here. )

We are three long-distance friends who basically met more than ten years ago when our only world was our precious little town of Ibaan, Batangas, Philippines; friends who now have a bit of luxury to travel and have expanded that little world over the time. We are friends who used to be inseparable, but then life threw us oceans across from each other. And that, made this trip more specifically special and exciting. Our yearly ganap, as I want to call it.

You cannot imagine how happy we were when the sun decided to finally show up. This trip won't be complete without at least peeking into the island life, even for just a day. So after two days being stuck in the city, we went straight to Lakawon Island, a banana-shaped island located at the northern most part of Negros Occidental.

What do you do when it is Mother Nature who gets in the way of your travel plans? When weather won't just let you follow the itinerary you did weeks of planning? When you already set your mind to a sunny beach escape, but then the sky just kept on pouring? I say, you go on. You continue, and still find ways to enjoy.

Gloomy weather in Taipei.

After sharing our North Cebu trip and video few months back, a few people/friends were asking me how did we manage to hop from island to island in North Cebu. So I figured I should write a post about our itinerary. I know it's months too late, but it's better late than never, right?

(This post has been sitting on my drafts for more than half year already. :)

First thing that we had to figured out was on which island to go first. South Cebu (where the famous "swimming with the whale sharks" is) was already scrapped off from our list since we've all been there before. Since I have also been to Bantayan Island before (and I am the designated travel planner), we opted to go to Malapascua Island first.

How to go to Malapascua Island from Mactan Int'l Airport

1. We hired a taxi from the airport going to Northern Bus Terminal. Ride was 20-25 minutes including the traffic.
2. From there, there are two choices going to Maya Port - via bus or shuttle vans. Look for the bus/vans with signs saying Maya Port. Do not be confuse as there are also buses going to Hagnaya Port (this is for those going to Bantayan Island). As we were all sleep deprived, we chose to ride a van instead. The trip was around 4 hours. Bus ride will take longer as it has pit stops along the way.
3. At Maya Port, we rode a small boat for 20-30 minutes going to Malapascua Island. From here, there are already people offering island tours. This is where my haggling skills were tested.

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Day 1		08-Apr-2017
2:30		Meetup at Airport - PAL Domestic Terminal 2
4:00		ETD Manila
5:10		ETA Cebu
6:30		Taxi to Northern Bus Terminal / Brekafast
7:00		ETD to Maya Port (Bus)
9:00		ETA to Maya Port
10:00		ETD Maya Port to Malapascua Island
11:00		ETA Malapascua
11:00	onwards	Explore Malapascua - Island hopping, or any activities
Day 2		09-Apr-2017
		Kalanggaman Island Whole Day Tour
Day 3		10-Apr-2017
7:00		ETD Malapascua via Boat
9:30		ETA Bantayan
10:00	onwards	Bantayan Island Tour
Day 4		11-Apr-2017
10:00		ETD Bantayan via Ferry
12:00		ETA Hagnaya Port
12:00	13:00	Lunch
13:00		ETD Hagnaya Port to Cebu
16:00		ETD Cebu City
16:30	21:00	Dinner/Meetup with friends/Pasalubong Buying
22:00		ETD Cebu City
23:15		ETA Manila

And here's our 4 day expenses excluding airfares. Note that we are three in the group. And I know, we ate too much. Haha

	Expense per person in Php
April 8-11, 2017
Taxi to Northern Bus Terminal / Breakfast	150
Van to Maya Port	200
Boat to Malapascua Island	80
Kalanggaman Island Day Tour (with lunch)	735
Boat ride from Malapascua to Bantayan Island
Blue Corals Beach Resort (2 nights Malapascua Is.)	1350
Bantayan Huts (1 night)	390
Bike Rental in Bantayan (24hours)	150
Bantayan Island Day Tour	500
Ferry Boat from Bantayan to Hagnaya Port	180
Ride to from Hagnaya Port to Cebu City	200
Food and other expenses	3500
Total	7435

Hope this helps!

Recap : Days 1 and 2 were spent in Taipei City joining free walking tours. Day 3 was another day in Taipei at the Northern most part.

Day4 was perhaps the only full day that I had actually explored alone. I booked a two-way High-Speed Rail tickets going to Taichung City, a municipality located at the center-western of Taiwan. It only took an hour from Taipei to Taichung, with their always on-time and comfortable HSR trains. (How I wish, there is also such a thing in Philippines. Travelling from one province to another would be so much easier.)



There were a lot of tourist spots that I wasn't able to visit as it was very far from the city. The option of renting a taxi is quite expensive and would be very unpractical. Besides, where is the fun on renting a taxi all for yourself? And hey, Taichung City did not disappoint. It was a mix of modern-classic buildings. It was a city for artists, and the creative minds alike.

And the biggest bonus? Getting around using my MRT EasyCard was free. Yes, ALL FREE. So, I hopped on and off on buses going from one place to another, not really caring how much I have spend on bus fares.

Rainbow Village

This place should definitely NOT be missed whenever in Taichung. It was a colourful one-man masterpiece. Story is that a former solider named Huang Yung-Fu painted his settlement, so that government will refrain from demolishing his home. Over the years, he also started painting other houses in the village. Now, he is the only one left living in the village. He is popularly called as Rainbow Grandpa.

National Taichung Theater

It was recommended to me by Jaenna, a local tour guide from Like it Formosa. And she was absolutely right about the place. The architecture was stunning, both from the outside and the inside. No doubt it is regarded as the newest landmark in Taiwan, boasting three big theaters.

Miyahara

This dessert restaurant can somehow remind someone of Hogwarts with its high ceilings, glossy floors, and wooden furnitures. It sells traditional Taiwanese desserts and 60-flavored ice creams.

Tunghai University/Luce Memorial Chapel

It reminded me of university days; of the good old college days. The relax feel of the surroundings inside the university was so inviting. How nice would it be to study on a campus like that of Tunghai University? I can just sit on the grass on a relaxing day, with my book in one hand, and a drink on the other. Or maybe hangout with friends under the shade of a tree. It left me asking myself, "What if I go to school again? What if I pursue my passion this time?"


Inside the university sits Luce Memorial Chapel. It is a Christian Orthodox chapel named after Henry W. Luce.

Thank you to the kind stranger who volunteered taking my photo. May God bless your soul. :)

Din Tai Fung

Xia Long Bao or Xia Long Bae as I like to call it, could actually be my favorite Chinese food. So it would be a crime against my taste buds and my foodie self to not try XLB at Din Tai Fung's home country. Surprisingly, it tasted differently from that of in SG. The meat was not as smooth and tender. But in any case, at least now I know.


I cannot recall on the number of buses I have rode that day for FREE; on the number of kilometers it took me to reach more than 20000 steps just in one day; on the number of unfamiliar chinky faces I have seen. But one thing I was sure of, the most exhilarating, funny and faith-in-humanity-restored experience happened in this city (which I won't go into details). I went back to Taipei with my energy only enough to drag myself back to the hostel. In any case, I went back satisfied and fulfilled. It was another day of achievements unlocked.

Visited this Instagrammable ice cream parlor. Thank you to the waitress who took this photo of me. :)