Go Hotels Puerto Princesa

My friend-slash-officemate Nikki was the master planner of this Palawan trip all. She wanted a budget-friendly yet super sulit, super enjoyable and super memorable trip (super daming super!),  to which the rest of us who were going agreed. Imagine, five thousand pesos for a four-day stay in Palawan. All-in. Yes, as in, including airfare, hotel accommodation, food, bus fare, van rental, boat rental, UR permit, island fees and every basic need. Cheap, right? Kaya bet na bet kong sumama. Like I always say here in my blog, I am cheap. But due to a change in AirAsia's flight itinerary, na-extend kami ng one day kaya we have to stay there for five days. That means, we have to book for another day of hotel accommodation. So that's an additional expense on us. But not as big as you may think. Mga less than one thousand pesos lang. I'll see if I can make a post later with a detailed list of our expenses for five days.

In March, after booking the flight, for five months, Nikki searched all over the internet - all sorts of blogs, forums and all - for the cheapest everything - hotels, restaurants, van rental service, etc. - in Palawan. It was a perfect timing because Go Hotels Puerto Princesa was on a sale. For P388 per room per night for two persons, we had nothing fancy but a cozy, aiconditioned room that opens and turns power using an electronic key card and that has a super comfy Windsor bed, hot and cold (rain) shower, LCD cable TV, safety vault and the most important free WiFi. P388 lang per night for two persons. Oo, alam ko na nasabi ko na 'yan. Gusto ko lang naman i-emphasize na ang mura talaga niya. Pero siyempre, wala ng free meal 'yun. Abuso naman na, P388 na nga lang. ^_^

Reception Area

The Flight

Forgive me if even this one I still have to write about. Pagbigyan niyo na 'ne? First time ko e. I wanted something to remind me how it felt like the first time I flew. 

☻☺☻☺☻

Despite Dr. Dominguez' don't-worry-about-it-you'll-be-fine advice, I couldn't stop thinking of possible things, embarrassing things, that could happen to me inside the plane. From the time while in the bus on the way to Clark, on the way to DMIA and waiting for the gate to open for boarding, I was really feeling more frightened than excited. Halo-halo na din siguro. But I was good in hiding it. Cool lang. Picture-picture lang with friends.
 

Bus ride from Baguio

Coffee break in Sison bus stop

Sinus Problem And Flying Do Not Go Well Together, True?

After twenty nine years, I finally flew. Yes, I started late. ^_^

Before that happened, I was in a serious dilemma. Read on. (Please?)

So far, I have never been diagnosed of sinusitis. When consulting a doctor, it's always been allergic rhinitis. I didn't lack research about sinusitis. Almost all the symptoms my body show were that of it. That's why I would like to believe that it was sinusitis. After extensive research about this topic, I came to know this: flying with a sinus problem or even with just a bad cold is a bad idea. I totally forgot about this little piece of information until two days before our flight to Palawan.

So I started googling about "sinus problem and flying" and found a number of sites saying things like these:

• "avoid flying with a sinus infection"
• "serious pain and potential complications"
• "rupture of the tympanic membrane in severe cases"
• "excruciating pain about my left eye as the plane starts to land"
• "head feels like it was going to explode" 

I already felt my "head like it was going to explode". That happened, on two separate occasions, when on a bus going down from Baguio to Nueva Ecija. I had a bad cold during that time. I slept all the way from Baguio to Pugo, La Union. When I woke up, it felt like there was something going on from my eyes to my nose to the back of my ears and above my nape. It was like something got trapped inside my head that could not get out. Excruciating really was the perfect word to describe the pain.

We'll Come Back To You, Manila

Educational trips, often called field trips, are now a part of most schools activities. My school in elementary and the same school where I attended highschool (oh yes, that's 11 years in OLSHA, now OLSHCO), never had any field trip AT ALL...or that's as far as I can remember. I guess the school already had enough activities for the whole year kaya hindi na maisingit ang field trips. My brother still attends the school. He's now in 3rd year high school. Last time I heard, may field trips na din sila. Bongga! Baka nga hindi lang uso nung time namin.

Now that I'm 20-ish and have two kids which one of them already goes to school...okay fine, nahinto ako sa compound statement na ito at nakalimutan ko na ang thought na isusulat ko dapat.  

Going back. Nikki already goes to school here in Baguio. She's in Grade 2 na. (Akalain mo 'yan? May Grade 2 na pala ako.) When she was in Grade 1 in OLSHCO din, I didn't let her join the field trip na. Kasi Zoobic Safari sila noon e nakapunta na kami dun before. Just last week, they had a field trip. Some time late last year, nasimulan ng pagplanuhan ng school ang field trip na 'to. Since first time ni Nikki um-attend sa school niya ngayon, plus the fact na wala akong idea how field trips are done, wala din ako idea how the school does it every year. Every year daw kasi nila activity ang field trip. So, join si Nikki this time. Manila tour daw. Whatever.

I'm not sure if keri lang yung bayad. P4,000+ for two na 'yun - student and guardian. Swak naman sa day off ko so ako ang kasama niyang guardian (angel :P). One day tour, including the travel time? I thought it was gonna be so tiring. And I thought right. Despite all the puyat and pagod na inabot KO, kasi si Nikki naman ay pagod lang, sarap ng tulog niya sa bus kasi may dala kaming blanket and pillow and all. Going back. Despite all the puyat and pagod na inabot KO, I have to admit na nag-enjoy ako more than Nikki did. Andami kong additional knowledge na nakalap. Bits and pieces of knowledge lang about Manila na hindi ko alam before. Like --

Tara Lets!

I have been so into reading travel blogs lately.

As 2012 entered, I started to have this feeling of the need to be somewhere this year that I have not been to before. Almost everyday I've been thinking about travelling. This time, I am gonna make it happen with or without anyone with me. I realized that my plans of travelling before were never realized because I didn't want to travel alone. But these travel bloggers whose blogs I've been reading/following a lot lately, inspire me so much. Some travel alone, backpacking as they call it. There's also this thing they call budget travel. Which is true, really true. I don't want to spend too much on accommodation because I'll be out of the hotel room almost the entire time.

One of them even said in her blog that there's no reason why one cannot travel. Time, money, <insert reason here> are not acceptable reasons why one cannot travel. And I realized, that's so true. People say "If there's a will, there's a way." So I am making a way. I am gonna make it happen. In fact, I've made my first step. Secret muna.

It's More Fun in the Philippines. I like. I support. So, in the meantime, I'm moving away from the idea of travelling overseas. I gotta familiarize myself first pa sa do's and don't's ng travelling by doing it first sa domestic travels.

Plus, I found this site. And I'm making this as my inspiration. Look naman kasi how pathetic mine oh? 

My Lakbayan grade is D!
How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!
Created by Eugene Villar.

Okay, I'm back to travel blogs reading.

Ciao! ♥

  

Spotting For A Spot

Mohammed once said (no, not to me ^_^), "Don't tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have travelled."

Ouch! I feel so dumb, stupid, moron and all now. Yes, you got it. I am one of the (sooo) many Filipinos who are not privileged (time-wise, budget-wise, convenience-wise) to travel a lot, or next to not at all.

Earlier last year, I planned of going to Hong Kong as my first destination overseas. It never happened. Later last year, I again planned of going to Singapore. It never happened. Sometimes, I would feel like the right timing would never come.

Before 2011 ended, I told myself that whatever happened, I would go somewhere in 2012. I thought of, again, Hong Kong. I've always wanted to bring Nikki and Calli to Disneyland. Then cross over to Macau. And because Elmer and I are celebrating in August our 10th year of being together, we agreed on being somewhere we've never been and doing something we've never done before, preferrably without Nikki and Calli. He said we'd just plan another thing for all of us some time. (But I've already planned of going to Star City+Manila Ocean Park+MOA or Enchanted Kingdom+Tagaytay this summer vacation with Nikki and Calli.)