Land Down Under Trip Planning

I thought that if i have a chance to travel during my birthday week I see to it that it will be a major trip so this year I was given the opportunity to visit the Land Down Under. It’s my first time in this continent and in the Southern Hemisphere. I was supposed to go early this year in time of the Australian Open but it’s the peak of summer during this time and read in the news that it reached 45°C in Sydney this January so it’s good that I decided to move my trip autumn time where it’s not too hot and not too cold as also advised by friends.

Being a Filipino, visa is a big consideration so I processed by visitors visa a month before my planned trip. The processing was not so bad either as long as you have complete requirements to submit. Also learned that the visa application is now being handled by a third-party office as referred by the Australian Embassy. By the way, there’s no visa stamp on the passport instead a visa grant letter if your visa application was approved.

For the flights to Australia, there were many options to choose from. My original plan was to take the direct flight from Manila to Sydney via Philippine Airlines but since got a chance to fly A380 via Singapore Airlines, then I chose the latter. Also the cost was almost the same since I did not book a two-way ticket (flying back to Manila from Melbourne). It’s quite an experience actually flying in a jumbo jet but too bad did not choose to sit on the second deck. It was a short layover in Singapore Changi airport so I’ve had the chance again to explore the airport which is one of the best in the world. Budget airlines fly to Australia now via Singapore or Kuala Lumpur so there are many options when flying.

For the accommodation, I was lucky to have a friend in Sydney who offered her place in Chiswick suburb. But since I also traveled to Victoria on my 6th day, I booked a hotel near Melbourne CBD so I can walk to the city attractions anytime. I can say Australia is not for budget travelers as a destination so money is a big consideration on your trip. But personally I’ve had a great time in my short stay in Australia. The people are wonderful and learned to appreciate the Oz culture more.

Incredible India

This India trip almost did not push through because of Air Asia’s flights cancellation to New Delhi. booked the flight late 2011 and three months before the trip, they notified all passengers about the news. I chose to be transferred to other airlines as Air Asia have already an agreement with Malaysia Airlines. but it took a very long time that confirmed MAS e-ticket was sent. In my case i just received it two weeks before the trip so it was a stressful planning of the trip itinerary. I also got a hard time booking with cleartrip where all train bookings did not proceed while booking on their very slow site. From the start the process of registration to the site is very complicated that you need an India mobile number as required for registration. The account has been linked to IRCTC which is the main website for train bookings in India. While account registration the system will send an email password as well as mobile password which will be sent thru the provided mobile number so if you’re booking outside of India it will be harder to register. There’s a workaround and that is to request IRCTC to allow your registration by sending an email requesting a mobile password. So when they have provided one for me, the cleartrip site did not seem to cooperate as all my bookings were cancelled and all for refund.

So after i processed my visa and got the final confirmation from Malaysia Airlines i pushed through with the plan. I was able to contact India Travel Organizers based in New Delhi to arrange my itinerary for India. I decided to have this route New Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Jodhpur-New Delhi.

I arrived in the Indian capital by lunch time so not so much activities except for  India Gate and Qutab Minar. Also able to visit the presidential and parliament houses. It was a monday so lots of sights are closed. As always souvenir shop visits follow but you can ask the driver not to visit souvenir shops yet. The travel agency manager invited a dinner at home so I was able to eat my first chicken curry meal.

The next day was the start of India road trip as we go for an early travel to Agra and experience the street hot tea before proceeding to Taj Mahal, the most famous landmark of India, a UNESCO world heritage site.

Also we had a quick visit to the Agra Fort before heading to Fatehpur Sikri, a ghost town built and abandoned but now a famous Muslim and also a UNESCO heritage site. Agra buses to the heritage site were available going to the site. Then enroute to another 5-hour road trip to the pink city Jaipur.

The city is a very commercial and famous for textiles. I was able to visit lots of landmark like the Amber Fort but did not go for the elephant ride as a Maharaja to the top of the fort.

When we arrived in Jodhpur we went right away to buy spices. The city is famous for spices so found myself buying chicken tikka masala and curry powders for home use. I stayed at  Jodhpur Heritage Kuchaman Haveli.

The next day we went to Meharangarh Fort overlooking the blue city of Jodhpur. Also within the vicinity is the Jaswant Thada a temple made of marble.

I parted ways with my driver and dropped me at the Jodhpur train station to board sleeper train Mandor Express back to New Delhi

Back in New Delhi I met another driver to take me around the city and visited the huge Red Fort complex, Raj Ghat, Himayun’s Tomb and Akshardham Temple in which cameras were not allowed inside.

It was really a great journey in India. Hope i had more time to visit Kerala or Amritsar or Varanasi and even Mumbai but maybe that will wait until the next visit. India is definitely one of the most colorful country i visited. It’s really incredible!

Short Stay in Yangon

Myanmar is definitely one of the Asian destinations that travellers really wanted to go. Since it’s opening to the world, many travellers have great statements about the country, good or bad, it’s still the place to be. Apparently every traveller needs a visa to enter the country even for me who’s coming from the same Southeast Asian nation. But that did not deprive us from going there.

It was a short trip from a busy work so we only went to Yangon in Myanmar. Apparently afraid of getting templed out too being the country as the land of golden pagodas. But then hopefully i could go Mandalay or Bagan soon when I got the chance again.

Anyhow we started our city walks from the hotel to the downtown Yangon where the City Hall is located just across the Sule Pagoda

On that area also we can see the Independence Monument, the Hall Of Justice Building and some old buildings in Burmese architecture. Most of the time we head to one place through a taxi where we can pay either in kyat their local currency or US dollars. It’s good that we had a great weather during our stay. That means the main tourist attraction in Yangon which is Shwedagon Pagoda is lighted in its golden glory. It’s definitely a sight to behold.

Undoubtedly the biggest golden stupa i’ve seen, way bigger than Bangkok’s temples, Shwedagon Pagoda complex is huge that one can be mesmerized and how people pay respect to the shrine. The ticket to the Shwedagon Pagoda that day can still be used as ticket for night photo opportunities so better keep those tickets.

For Burmese food, we really appreciated our lunch and dinner at Feel Myanmar restaurant. It’s quite costly but the experience was really great.

Aside from Feel Myanmar, we also experienced to eat Shan Noodles on the streets and their version of Chicken Biryani Rice. The Yangon trip was one of the most memorable even if it was a short stay.

Another Food Trip in Hanoi

Vietnam as always is more of a food trip and this time see the northern part of the country. I have been to Ho Chi Minh City some few years ago but it was a short stay as we were primarily enroute to Siem Reap. But it was an introduction to Vietnamese cuisine as we were able to experience famous food like pho, banh mi, spring rolls and the like.

On this trip we went to Hanoi as base for our Ha Long Bay trip so we stayed in a hotel just around the city’s Old Quarter. In our stay we noticed the Facebook website’s blocked the whole time but apparently can only be accessed through iPhone.

We visited Ha Long Bay, one of the 7 new wonders of nature. It was fun that the weather also cooperated.

Well most of the time in Hanoi, we always found ourselves eating either along the streets or in a restaurant as suggested by travel books. Yes it’s on the streets of Vietnam that we can find the best Vietnamese food. Undoubtedly one of the best and at least i tried the authentic.

Since it was occupied by France before, the streets of Hanoi are also filled with cafes and Vietnamese coffee is good. Vietnam has one of the best cafe culture in the world so we joined the locals and had iced coffee along the street. I will surely go back to Vietnam, it’s one of the best food destinations we had in this planet.

Pangasinan Trip

Pangasinan is a province 4-5 hour drive north of Manila. As the third most populous province in the Philippines after Cebu and Negros Occidental, people call themselves Pangasinense or Pangalatok and speak Pangasinan, Ilocano and Bolinao dialects.

Several tourist spots can be found in the province, but the most notable is the Hundred Islands.

At the coast of Lucap in Alaminos City, you can hire a day-trip boat to the most famous tourist spot in Pangasinan, the Hundred Islands. The Hundred Islands, 124 islands in total at low tide and 123 islands at high tide are scattered along the Lingayen Gulf. With these hundred islands, only three have been developed for tourists. These are the Governor Island, the Quezon Island and the Children’s Island.

Apparently there were no hotel or inn accomodations in those islands but one can bring tents for their overnight stays. We stayed at the Governor’s island for a night. It’s also considered as a national park so tourists are required to pay environment fees as well.

An hour drive from the Alaminos City is the capital town of the province which is Lingayen. Aside from the famous Lingayen beach, the Pangasinan capitol building is undoubtedly one of the best government building in the country. Built in 18th century, it’s the seat of government in the province.

At the back of the building you will see a great view of the Lingayen beach where the annual Pistay Dayat festivities are held.

Few hours drive to the east and passing Dagupan City is the town of Manaoag, famous for the Shrine of Our Lady Of Manaoag. This site is famous especially to the Catholic devotees of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As a predominant Christian nation in Asia, pilgrims and people from all over Luzon flock to this church.

Other tourist spots here in the province are Bolinao, Dagupan, San Fabian, Anda and Dasol beaches and Mangataren hot springs. It’s also famous with food which includes the best bangus, the local term for milkfish and the puto in Calasiao town. Would probably post another entry for food stuff next time.

Archipelago Tour in Stockholm

In our stay in Stockholm, our colleagues hosted  a dinner for us. It’s a different dinner as we boarded a steam boat for an archipelago tour. Stockholm is composed of islands and islets and ferries are available as a means of transport. So from our office in Kista, we went to Stockholm metro locally known as Stockholm tunnelbana straight to Kungsträdgården station to board Storskär boat for the tour. It was a 2-3 hour tour to the islets of Stockholm so dinner was also served. s/s Storskär is the Archipelago’s fastest steamboat which aside from the tour, it also serves passengers to and from Stockholm suburbs including Vaxholm.

The classic steamboat menu served includes ship herring inlaid with cheese and crispbread for the first course. It was my first time to taste herring and its almost the same taste as mackerel. It’s food that they did not serve the fermented one

For the second course, steamboat steak served traditionally with fried onions and potatoes. This meal was very heavy as lots of potatoes were spread under the steak.

Vanilla ice cream with fresh seasonal berries. Of course dinner is not complete without Swedish beer and schnapps. Swedes always wants to have a good time so are we.

It was so far one of the best experiences in Stockholm to explore the city. Food is undoubtedly good and with a great company, you cannot really ask for more.

Stockholm: The Capital of Scandinavia

Stockholm: The Capital of Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a region in northern Europe that comprises of Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden. Stockholm is the biggest city in Sweden and undoubtedly the most cosmopolitan among the capital cities in the region. From Linkoping in the Ostergotland region we traveled by train via SJ trains which also connects to Stockholm Arlanda airport and to down south to Copenhagen in Denmark. It was a two-hour trip and we arrived at Stockholm Central station where you can connect to Stockholm metro. Other alternative route is 3 hour bus ride from Linkoping via www.swebusexpress.com

From train station we went right away to the Stochholm royal garden, locally known as Djurgården.  You can see how beautiful the city is from the island. It was good that the sun was shining brightly, perfect for spring weather so every Swedes that time are out doing some outdoor activities. Famous attractions in Djurgården area include the Vasa Museum, Nordic Museum and the open museum Skansen. We visited the Vasa Museum as it’s the most famous. These tourist spots are interconnected by a tram as well.

Vasa Museum is where the famous Vasa warship stands. Relics and artifacts about the Vasa ship are stored in the museum. Brief history on the Vasa ship, it sank after sailing within 2kms on her maiden voyage. It’s actually a small museum that generally occupied by the Vasa ship. We skipped Skansen and Nordic Museum as were rushing to meet colleagues in Gamla Stan area. Stockholm Old Town or popularly known as Gamla Stan is an area in the city. Stockholm is composed of thousands of islets interconnected with bridges. It was lovely design for a city that’s why Stockholm is one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world.

Gamla Stan is also where the Swedish Royal Palace is located. Also in the are are other government, arts buildings, theaters and other architectural landmarks in Scandinavia. Stockholm trip will not be complete without the archipelago tour. It’s a tour by a steamboat with dinner and drinks. It was a great experience looking at the city from the sea. One of the best views, the archipelago tour also includes a visit to several islands near the capital.  Not to mention food was one of the best dinners I’ve got in Sweden. The package includes tour and food which includes herring with cheese, crisp bread, steamboat steak, with fried onions and potatoes and choice of beer or schnapps

It was only a 3-day stay in Stockholm including work day so no time to really explore the numerous museums and attractions in the city. Stockholm is also the H&M hub where every block has a branch. Hope to explore more of Stockholm. Definitely a lovely city and the capital of Scandinavia.

Min Resa I Sverige

Min Resa I Sverige means My Trip in Sweden.

It was actually a business trip and I was blessed to be sent to Sweden. I learned that i’ll be going to Sweden three weeks before the scheduled trip so the processing of visa via the Swiss embassy was done right away. We got no Sweden embassy here in Manila and the nearest is still in Bangkok so the processing was done quickly in Swiss embassy where Schengen visa applications are processed. The consideration too was the weather and lucky that it’s spring time in Sweden so i must say it was the best time to visit.

We got two offices in Sweden, one in Kista in Stockholm and another one in Linkoping, two hours drive from the capital. Most of our counterparts are assigned in Linkoping, so we stayed in this city, the 5th biggest in the whole of Sweden. Very laid back town and with charming old town , Swedish are really nice and friendly people. Also like Filipinos, most Swedes speak English fluently and at least understand it. It was great experience to really engage with the locals in my month’s stay and I could say one of the most memorable trips in my life. We flew Manila to Linkoping via Amsterdam. Luckily KLM flies to Linkoping directly so there was no need to change flights. We arrived there in time for the start of spring celebration so right away our Swedish hosts invited us in the bonfire that signifies the start of spring.

Then the first experience of Swedish beer at the city square makes it more appropriate for an expat. Swedes are beer and coffee drinkers and in this case, a cold beer in 10 degrees spring weather was not totally bad.  People stay the whole day and night outdoors during spring and summer seasons as they usually stay at home for the rest of the year at the end of fall and winter. It’s “depressing weather” for them until the snow arrives where it will brighten the dark atmosphere.

The following days were spent in touring the city. Important sights to visit include St. Lars Cathedral, the Domkyrka, Swedish Air Force Museum and Linkoping Museum.

Linkoping is such a small city and just like most of European cities and towns, it has charming old town, city square, laid back downtown and lovely sights. This was my home for four weeks.

I fell in love with the city and can probably say I can always go back. It’s not only the place but also the people there who were really nice and accomodating.

Malaysia Truly Asia

Malaysia will always be the first country I visited outside the Philippines. I also had first glimpse of a big airport too – Kuala Lumpur International Airport. AirAsia used it before until all budget airlines were tranferred to KLIA-LCCT terminal.

This first trip outside the country was also my first experience of a backpack travel – staying in a hostel, DIY itinerary and with backpacks! Maybe not so lucky to have a luxury travel as a tourist on my first trip but I got the idea that travelling is not always expensive after all. It was a very short stay as we were headed to Bali later that day so we only went to KLCC Petronas Towers for sightseeing.

The second trip to Malaysia was two months ago connecting to New Delhi via Kuala Lumpur. But this time via Cebu Pacific. It was a longer trip and this time I went to Batu Caves, exploring more city sights like Merdeka Square, Chinatown and shopping in Bukit Bintang. Not to mention i had my solo food trip as well from the classic Nasi Lemak to their classic white coffee.

Definitely Malaysia is truly Asia. I may agree that some cultures they portray in their tourism ads are not distinctly Malaysia but at least they promote tourism not only for the country but also for the Southeast Asia region. Apparently the Philippines is not on the tourist trail in the region but hopefully she will have the same tourist success stories like Malaysia.