Lakbay-freak: Palawan Adventures

May 6-10, 2012

Trip Notes

• Our Palawan tour was arrange by Hadefe Travel and Tours c/o Cherry Ronao.

• Tour package cost P8,500 each for 9 pax for both Puerto Princesa and El Nido.

• Tour includes van for the whole trip, accommodations, breakfast and lunch, island tour A, B and C, city landmarks tour mentioned in the itinerary, insurance, fees (permit, conservation, park entrance, boat and tour guides)

• Round trip ticket via Cebu Pacific Air cost P3,890 per pax.

• See my entire Puerto Princesa and El Nido posts.

El Nido
May 6-8, 2012

We arrived at Puerto Princesa from Manila at around 5pm and straight to El Nido for a long raod trip.  Just had our dinner at Ka Inato.

• Stayed at Rosanna's Cottages, only a minute away from the beach but not beach front.  Our rooms are on the other side of Cama street behind the cottages.

• Please bring mosquito repellents.

• We did the tours A, B and C.  All were island hopping tours. 

• Rentals for snorkel mask is P100, snorkel fins is P100 and kayak is P700 a day.

• Electricity runs 16 hours a day (2pm-6am) and inconsistent.

• Travel time from Puerto Princesa to El Nido is 6 hours.  About 30% of the ride is rough road.

Puerto Princesa
May 9-10, 2012

From El Nido we arrived at Sabang for the Underground River.  We had our lunch at Taraw Lodge and took a boat to the Underground River.

After our Underground River tour we went to Puerto Princesa's town proper for some city tour and stayed at Remari Pension for the night.  Had our dinner at Ka Lui.

The next morning before going to the airport, we visited the crocodile farm, Mitra's ranch and bought some pasalubong at Baker's Hill.

Photos
Underwater Photos

Lakbay-freak: Exotic Foods at Wangfujing

Wangfujing Street
May 26, 2012

Wangfujing is one of  the most famous shopping streets in Beijing.  It is located in Dongcheng district.  You can also find there the exotic street snack where insects, scorpions and spiders are served as delicacies.  Most of the exotic food I tried were fried and salted and it cost RMB25 for tourists.  They were all just crunchy and salty.  Didn't have a hard time eating it.

Wangfujing Street

Wangfujing Exotic Food

Seahorse

Centipede

Scorpion

Lizard

Larva

Scorpion

Lakbay-freak: Toboggan Adventures in Beijing

Beijing Toboggans
 


Toboggans in Mutianyu and Longqing Gorge are narrow sleds with wheels and lever brakes coasting downhill on a half pipe steel as tracks.

Mutianyu Great Wall Toboggan

May 23, 2012

Took the chair lifts from the parking lot up to the great wall.  Going back, you have the option to take again the chair lifts or take the toboggan for an adventure ride.  Round trip ticket is RMB80.

Longqing Gorge Toboggan

May 25, 2012

The entrance for this park is the lowest part and to make it up to the other side of the dam where you can have your boat ride, bungee jump, cable car ride and other activities, there are these long escalators in a dragon enclosure that you can take to reach the top of the dam.  When you're done with all your activities, you can choose to go down by walkways and stairs or toboggan ride which will cost RMB20.

Mutianyu Toboggan and Longqing Gorge Toboggan @3:35

Beijing, China

23 things we did in Beijing
May 20-27, 2012

1. Checked in at Holiday Inn Express Temple of Heaven
2. Went to a Hutong.
3. Lama Temple
4. Panda House
5. Dr. Tea
6. Olympic Park
7. Watched an acrobatic show.
8. Summer Palace
9. Beijing Pearl Market
10. Temple of Heaven
11. Tian'anmen Square
12. Forbidden City
13. Ming Tombs in Underground Palace 
14. Jade Gallery
15. Mutianyu Great Wall
16. Dongwu Silk Market
17. Ming Tombs in Chang Ling
18. Badaling Great Wall
19. Wangfujing
20. Longqing Gorge
21. Ate at Quanjude Peking Duck Restaurant
22. Taoranting Park
23. Food Trips

Photos

Trip Notes

• The tour was arranged by Beijing Xinhua International Tours.

• Tour Cost - US$1,185 for 3 pax

• We made a 50% deposit and paid the remaining 50% upon arrival.

• We're in a group tour the whole trip.  Private vehicle to Longqing Gorge.

• Our round trip ticket via Cebu Pacific Air is P7,107 each.

• I recommend to take a tour package for a Beijing trip.  Only tour guides can speak English, not even the tour driver.  At restaurants, no English, no spoon and fork, no English menu, no ice.  Food on menus looks different than actual.

• Chinese Embassy-Manila is located at The World Center Building, 330 Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City.  Visa fee is P1,400 for 3 months single entry. Visa application form.

• Settle your tour package first to get your tour confirmation before you apply for a visa.

• RMB 1 = PHP 7.

May 20
Flight to Beijing, arrived at midnight. Airport hotel transfer. Stayed at Holiday Inn Express Temple of Heaven.

Puerto Princesa, Palawan

12 things we did in Puerto Princesa, Palawan
May 5, 9-10, 2012

1. Dinner at Ka Inato
2. Checked in at Remari Pension
3. Underground River
4. Tiangge
5. Plaza Quartel
6. Immaculate Conception Cathedral
7. Dinner at KaLui
8. Bay Walk
9. Crocodile Farm
10. Mitra's Ranch
11. Baker's Hill
12. Food Trips

Photos

Trip Notes

• Our Palawan tour was arrange by Hadefe Travel and Tours c/o Cherry Ronao.

• Tour package cost - P8,500 each for 9 pax including El Nido.

• Tour includes van for the whole trip, accommodations in Puerto Princesa and El Nido, breakfast and lunch, island tour A, B and C, city landmarks tour mentioned in the itinerary, insurance, fees (permit, conservation, park entrance, boat and tour guides)

• Round trip ticket via Cebu Pacific Air cost P3,890 per pax.

• Stayed in Remari Pension.

• Please bring mosquito repellents.

• Travel time from Puerto Princesa to El Nido is 6 hours.  About 30% of the ride is rough road.

May 5
Arrived in Puerto Princesa at 5:05pm.  Picked up by Hadefe Van.  Dinner at Ka Inato.  Head straight to El Nido for 6 hours.

• What we had at Ka Inato.

Ka Inato

Here is my El Nido Palawan post.

El Nido, Palawan

11 things we did in El Nido Palawan
May 6-9, 2012

1. Checked in at Rosanna's
2. Island Tour A
3. Kayaking
4. Snorkeling
5. Dinner at Squido's
6. Island Tour C
7. St. Francis of Assisi Parish Church 
8. Had Bird's Nest Soup at El Nido Skyline Restaurant
9. Dinner at The Alternative Restaurant
10. Island Tour B
11. Food Trips

Photos
Underwater Photos

Trip Notes

• Our Palawan tour was arrange by Hadefe Travel and Tours c/o Cherry Ronao.

• Tour package cost P8,500 each for 9 pax including Puerto Princesa.

• Tour includes van for the whole trip, accommodations, breakfast and lunch, island tour A, B and C, city landmarks tour mentioned in the itinerary, insurance, fees (permit, conservation, park entrance, boat and tour guides)

• Round trip ticket via Cebu Pacific Air cost P3,890 per pax.

• Stayed at Rosanna's Cottages, only a minute away from the beach but not beach front.  Our rooms are on the other side of Cama street behind the cottages.

• Please bring mosquito repellents.

• Rentals for snorkel mask is P100, snorkel fins is P100 and kayak is P700 a day.

• Electricity runs 16 hours a day (2pm-6am) and inconsistent.

• Travel time from Puerto Princesa to El Nido is 6 hours.  About 30% of the ride is rough road.

May 6 (B, L)
Arrived at 2am, checked in at Rosanna's.
Island Hopping
Tour A:  Miniloc Island (Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon), Simizu Beach, Inatula Island and Seven Commando

• We stayed at Rosanna's 2 storey building, not in the beach front cottages.  It's fairly good, you get what you pay for a budget room.  Problems we had are the place is infested with mosquitoes and bed bugs.  On our second night, electricity went out, they have generator but the authorized person to operate it is nowhere to be found.

• Big Lagoon.  We are in the middle of a lagoon on a platform.

Big Lagoon

• Small Lagoon.  We are being tugged by our tour guide on the kayak.
• Kayak rental for 1 day is P700.

Small Lagoon

• Simizu Beach.  We had our lunch here prepared by our tour guides.  

Simizu Beach

• Seven Commando Island.  This island has a small store where you can have some snack and refreshments.  Bought my 8oz coke here for P30, the price didn't bother me because it's ice cold, I'd rather have this than a fresh coconut juice.  It also has a volleyball net set up and some hammocks.  Played the frisbee here.

Small store at Seven Commando Island

Ice Cold Coke

• Dinner at Squido's.  I ordered their best seller Grilled Stuffed Squid.  Check out what else I ate.

Squido's

  

Hong Kong 2012

February 22, 2012

6 things I did in Hong Kong

1. Checked in at Chungking Mansion
2. Avenue of the Stars
3. Symphony of Lights
4. Temple Street
5. Nathan Road
6. Food Trips

Information

• One day in Hong Kong
• This is my connecting flight from Dubai to Manila.  Went out for 1 day in Hong Kong and 1 day in Macau but stayed at Chungking Mansion in Hong Kong.
• HK$1 = PHP6

Photos

My room at Chunking Mansion

Avenue of the Stars

Waiting for the Symphony of Lights

Nathan Road

Macau 2012

February 21, 2012

5 things I did in Macau

1. Fisherman's Wharf
2. The Venetian
3. Senado Square
4. St. Paul Church Ruins
5. Food Trips

Information

• One day in Macau.
• Hong Kong is my connecting flight from Dubai to Manila.  So from Hong Kong I took the TurboJet to visit Macau.
• Free shuttle from the pier to The Venetian
• TurboJet from Macau to Tsim Sha Tsui is until 11pm, Macau to Hong Kong is 24 hours.
• TurboJet Economy ticket is HK$140 and HK$151 respectively.
• MOP1 = PHP6

Photos

The Venetian

Fisherman's Wharf

Senado Square

St. Paul Church Ruins