I will always be humble like the Cambodians

Last week, my co-workers and I went to Siem Reap, Cambodia for some temple tours to de-stress ourselves from work. Formerly known as Khmer, this country is bordered by Vietnam, Laos and Thailand and is visited mainly for its rich cultural treasures and magnificent temples like Angkor. We did not go to its capital city Phnom Penh, however I can tell this country has widespread poverty and still has a long way to improve on their infrastructure. There is not much establishments, hospitals, schools or malls not even common fast food chains like Mcdonalds. I saw one hospital and the tour guide mentioned it is free and donated by a German doctor. The doctors and teachers are usually volunteers from all over the globe. The city mainly constitute of hotels and inns along with small local restaurants and convenient stores. The roads are narrow and barely lit at night and only the main roads are cemented. The city Siem Reap can be compared to one of the Philippines rural areas.

My tour guide mentioned most Cambodians find work in neighbouring countries in Asia because of underemployment. Similar to our country but I've heard worse. I've been informed that teachers are paid only $150 per month in Cambodia! I literally had trouble imagining my budget if that was my case. I know for sure most Filipinos as well go overseas for better pay but not everyone since there are also good paying jobs here especially if you graduated from college. My tour guide even mentioned he himself, despite passing the license exam, has to pay $2000 to the government before he can officially be employed as a tour guide. It's sad to see that corruption is worse here than in my country and despite what the world telling us that Cambodia is now a communist-free country, democracy seems...  superficial. :(

Enough about Cambodia's current economical situation. Time to tell the good stuff! Siem Reap literally means Siam destroyed. I'm surprise my tour guide mentioned that in average, there are 8 million tourists a year! Philippines only has about 4 million tourists I think. The city is known for Angkor Wat, (which was part of the 7 Wonders of the World) Ta Phrom where the movie Tomb Raider was shot along with other Hindu temples. Quite having a laid back ambience with the locals very hospitable and kind, Siem Reap would be the perfect place to unwind and relax. Or so I thought! Haha I had around 16,000 steps daily during our temple tours! With the weather similar to the Philippines, bring sunblock, 2L of water, shades and towel. Prepare to be sunkissed.. I burned!

We stayed at Sonyn Retreat, a budget hotel that cost us only $50 per person for 2 air-conditioned rooms - 5 days. They also offer cheap tours, ours was a 3Day temple tour that only cost us $85 per pax. (airfare not included)

For more information visit their site: http://www.sonynretreat.com/

However I am surprise the local food is pricey! On average, one meal can cost you $15-20 per person and this is a budgeted small plated meal. In Manila or Bangkok, your $20 can buy you a steak! Anyway here are some photos of our trip.

Beautiful Angkor Wat! The temple is dedicated mainly to the Hindu god, Vishnu.

Walls are carved that tells the Hindu epic war - Ramayana and Mahabharata. Very detailed stone carvings!

One of Angkor's towers. From the top, they look like lotus buds.

Casual conversations. Casually happy people. :)

Stone carvings of Apsara - the beautiful lady. Cambodia's cultural dance is derived from her.

Old Khmer language, even my tour guide can't read it. :)

The gang! Along with Mr. Chan our guide also photographer :p

Outskirts of Ta Phrom temple also known as Tomb Raider temple, Angelina jolie temple, jungle temple!

Spung Tree- local Cambodian tree whose roots

grow larger than the actual tree trunk!

Inside of Ta Phrom, ruins! 

I feel so Lara Croft?

Shiva the Destroyer temple - we all know what Diamond Dust can do!

The sunset that we waited for over an hour! I honestly was so tired that I mentioned all sunset anywhere looks like this. haha (I'm right though. :P hence my lousy shot)

Buffet dinner we-fie while watching Cambodia's cultural dances :)

On our way to Tonle Sap lake, largest in southeast asia. Too bad the water is murky and not like ones we have in the Philippines. :(

These are just some of my photos you have to actually travel to Siem Reap to appreciate the beautiful temples. Can you believe how awesome people centuries ago were? Using bare hands and crude tools to build something extraordinary for the gods? Imagine the hard work. I myself, as mentioned before, is a lapsed Catholic (meaning I am born Catholic because my parents are Catholic but no longer believe in it). I am an atheist and I still believe that man created God for both selfish and unselfish reasons. Religion do have its positive and negative side, I know, but seeing the world, reading theology books and life experience broaden my mind and lead me to question my faith. Anyway enough. Religion is usually a taboo topic.

Sorry I don't have much photos uploaded my patience ran out and I'm not the type to upload every single moment of my life. :p If you want to learn about Hinduism, travel to Bali and Siem Reap! I certainly enjoyed my pleasant stay here. You will meet the kindest, simplest and humblest people.

I don't have any travel plans for now but my brother and sister in law is asking me to travel with them to Japan next year. I've been to Japan only for a night and only at Narita area because I got stranded on my way back from USA last year. Maybe next year, I'd be able to write my authentic Japanese travel experience! We'll see. I think I got enough miles to fly me to Hongkong for free but not to Tokyo. Bummer.

I passed as a local Balinese!

About a week ago, A and myself went to Bali to go on a holiday. Honestly there aren't much Filipino tourists in Bali or in Indonesia for that matter as many perceives this country much similar to the Philippines (which means they'd rather go somewhere else!) 

As you know, both countries are an archipelago with similar ethnicity, food, traditions and sad to say, both countries are prone to natural disasters! Such as last week, I almost thought we'd have problems flying through Bali due to thick volcanic ashes erupted by Mount Raung on Java! Thousands were stranded a week prior to our flight because the airport was shut down. Luckily, volcano stopped spewing ashes and Denpasar was cleared off air traffic.

Btw I easily passed as a local! Some people were speaking to me on either Bahasa or Balinese because they mistook me from Jakarta/Bali. Like the Philippines, they have many local dialects. Some words are even similar to Tagalog such as manok (chicken) and kangkung (water spinach).

Religion in Bali is mostly Hinduism as mentioned by my guide, however the country's main religion is Islam and there are about 85% muslims. 

During our stay, many local tourists from Java were also visiting Bali because of what they call the "Galungan Holiday" (Java are also Hindu). For 10 days, Balinese will say their prayers then provide small offerings to the Gods which you can find on almost every corner in Bali. The offerings are in small woven leaves in a form of a plate with flowers and food. Even our car had one because it means they prayed for your safe journey. There were also tall bamboo like poles beautifully decorated along the roads. We were lucky to witness such event. The festival symbolizes the victory of good over evil.

An offering. These were found literally everywhere even on Kuta beach!

Anyway here are some of the photos of famous tourists spots and temples during our tour. It's quite pricey to go to Bali, I alone spent about Php 50,000 on this trip but this is mainly because I went paragliding, flyboarding (it's some kind of water jet pack placed on your feet, very difficult!) and rode a jetski! 

Day 1 - Uluwatu tour and Kecak Fire Dance

Kecak fire dance, also known as monkey chant. Men chanting 'cak' over and over while raising their arms. It's a story about Ramayana, a hindu epic. For the complete story - http://www.kecakdance.com/story.php

Sunset at Uluwatu

Wild monkeys are roaming everywhere in Uluwatu! However they are also known to pickpocket so you'd have to watch out!

Day 2 - Ubud, Kintamani, Mount Batur and Jimbaran Beach

Brahma's temple, god of creation. I think Siva the destroyer's temple is in Cambodia which I will visit on October 

This is one of the pagodas inside Brahma's temple

Mount Batur :)

Had seafood dinner at Jimbaran beach! It has a romantic and cozy ambiance.

Day 3 - Mengwi, Taman Ayun or Lake temple and Tanah Lot tour

Pagodas are place for worship and are on odd numbers. The highest one is made of 11 stacks - for the gods.

This is only a fraction of Lake temple. It's like a huge park with lakeside view plus we rode a speedboat and cruised around it!

See the fog? We came at the perfect time in Bali. Since it's winter in Australia, Bali gets about 27-29C during the day and 24C at night!

You must stop by at Tanah Lot and enjoy a relaxing afternoon as the sun sets.

Yep obligatory selfie on new places!

DAY 4: FREE DAY!! This is where we availed activities such as flyboarding wherein a water jet pack powered by a jetski, is attached to a board strapped to your feet! Water is forced under pressure on boots with jet nozzles allowing you to thrust or hover on water. I didn't want to try this one because I knew I would fail at it and I did! I couldn't even stand up haha, the pressure was too strong on my feet and the one controlling it can't even understand a word I'm saying. (even the word quit) I was shouting 'I quitt!' coz I kept swallowing water! Good thing our guide went by and I told him I wanted to stop. My expectations were met haha. 'A' persevered and was able to hover for seconds haha! I stopped before I injured my bad back. :) 

Here's an uber cool guy who looks effortless! Some can even backflip like ironman!

We also rode a jetski, something relaxing for a change. But the highlight of this trip was being able to paraglide! The paragliding area is in a cliff with Nusa Dua beach as your view as well as the expensive villas there. (Villas had their own private pool, much have cost a fortune to stay there.) This is a tandem jump and your pilot is a licensed paraglider so you'd pretty much just sit down and enjoy the view. :) It's a bit pricey but I say go for it while you are here. We don't have paragliders in the Philippines so you'd better add this to your itinerary. Over all this water adventure plus paraglide package cost $195/pax.

Soaring high! One extreme sport off bucketlist.

After a good flight, we head off to one of Bali's prestigious outdoor malls (similar to our Fort strip) called the Bali Collection and had dessert! Nusa Dua is what you call the 'Upper east side of Bali'. All the luxurious villas are in this area.

Bali is also filled with Aussies! I think there are more Aussies than the actual locals! I suppose it's near Australia so they prefer flying here especially if you're at Perth. 

Anyway I would say Bali is similar to the Philippines but I would prefer our beaches at any day. Btw we got our tour package again at Airlite for Php 20,000 / pax. this includes full boarded meals plus accommodations at Best Western Kuta beach resort. Also airfare, water activities, paragliding are not included. In case you're interested, here is their website: www.airlitetours.com

Worth every buck this is in front of Kuta beach. Hotel is very decent at an affordable price!

Deluxe room, free wifi with friendly and accommodating staff. For more info, visit www.bwkutabeach.com

I'm off to Cambodia on October so  temple run part 2 coming up on next post. :)

Wanderlust - A trip is a trip

Cities I've been to outside the Philippines:

1. Beijing, China
2. Shanghai, China
3. Hongkong, Hongkong
4. Macau, China
5. Singapore, Singapore
6. Bangkok, Thailand
7. Ayutthaya, Thailand
8. Chicago, Illinois
9. Manhattan, New York
10. Orlando, Florida
11. Newark, New Jersey
12. Buffalo, New York
13. Washington DC, USA
14. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 
15. Memphis, Tennessee 
16. Kansas, Missouri
17. Denver, Colorado

This list is simply not long enough (sigh). 

I've got Bali, Indonesia and Siem Reap, Cambodia coming up this year but I need to see more of the world.

Tell me, how do I make more money? Not for shopping because I don't need those earthly things. (except maybe for that car I am obsessing with which I am saving up 'til the end of this year.) until then I am working my ass off and off course, investing on the stock market. Anyway my definition of a good way to spend money is to go on a holiday. That's it.

...

Clearly I am bored tonight. The sad part is ... my wallet is on a diet.

The Nest in Palawan

I know an overdue post.

Since I got my Ipad two years ago, I RARELY use my laptop these days so this post is long overdue. If my photos were on my Ipad I could have posted earlier but I only use my phone to take photos and it's quite difficult for me to create a post on my mobile. Anyway I finally had the time to transfer media files to my persocom (coz my 64GB is almost full!) so here we go.

I've been to Puerto Princesa and Coron but I've only been to El Nido, Palawan last month. El Nido, if you don't know, is spanish for 'The Nest'. It's named after the edible nests found on the island (made from swiftlet's saliva) and considered a prized delicacy. From memory, our tour guide mentioned it cost Php 10,000 ($250) for a gram! Jesus. I changed my mind on trying this dish out when he mentioned the price. From what I hear, it's also because the supply of bird's nest has been rapidly declining. Not to mention acquiring these nests require superb mountain climbing skills!!

It's also where some scenes on the movie, Bourne Legacy was filmed.

Bird's nest soup is made from swiftlet's saliva which you can find inside caves on top of sharp, mountain-like limestones.

It's common misconception when people think travelling to El Nido, Palawan requires a lot of money. It is!! If you don't know where to look. You book hotels or resorts on private beaches then it can cost as high as Php 70,000 ($1,800) per night however booking at the local town, it can cost as low as Php 5,000 ($130) per night. As you know, I'm quite the traveller. A smart one. So we've booked at the local town in Ipil Suites. The owner of this resort is a friend of my auntie's that's why we availed here. We also got discounts since we booked our stay during Manila's travel expo. For more information, you can visit this link:

http://www.ipilsuites.com/elnido.html

My travel companions.

Tour packages are also price fixed, meaning all local travel agencies in El Nido have agreed to offer the same tour at a fix price so don't bother wasting your time canvassing or haggling.

TOUR A: Php 700 *$18 per person
Big and small lagoon, Simizu island, Secret Lagoon and 7 commando.

TOUR B: Php 800 *$20 per person
Pangulusian, snake and Pinagbuotan Islands, Codognon and Cathedral caves

TOUR C: Php 900 *$23 per person
Hidden and Secret beach, Matinloc shrine and Helicopter Island

TOUR D: Php 700 *$18 per person
Caldao Lagoon and Paradise Beach

You can also arrange customized tour with them if you prefer. During our 3 day stay, we availed tour packages A and C. Here are some photos taken on my mobile so you'd have an idea what it's like. I don't have much and photography isn't exactly one of my skills.

The island hopping humbled boat

My typical selfie. Our room is good for 6 people.

Palawan is surrounded by limestones

Clean beaches compared to over rated Boracay

This house is on Ipil beach. It's not part of the tour but since my auntie mentioned I'm coming over, they took us here. My auntie's friend owns this house as well as Ipil Suites.

I don't know which is more breath taking, myself or the view. Just kidding!

Hidden beach of tour C. You'd have to swim across lagoons with huge jellies to get here. Be careful too because April is jelly season! My friend got stung here. Jellies as big as your head!

You can also kayak here. There are parrot fishes underneath the corals that are quite hostile so proceed with caution. I got bitten by these bitches haha! Seriously they mistook my foot as lunch.

Snorkel on crystal clear water

Mandatory two piece selfie. Let's just hide my tummy fats!

I swear the view is a lot better in person, I'm just quite lazy at taking pictures other than myself. Lol. But seriously El Nido, Palawan is one of the top tourist destinations in the Philippines so visit here too. There are a lot of Europeans here in El Nido, some of them have set up their own businesses and are retired there. In my opinion though, Coron is more beautiful especially if you're a diver. There are sunken boats from world war II and you will encounter a lot more marine life there than in El Nido.

My coron blog post is here if you're interested: http://thegoddessfreya.blogspot.com/2012/05/next-stop-coron.html

I'm flying to Bali in July so I'd add it here in my blog soon. If you know any good resorts and tour packages, hit me up please!