The 6 Omens of Taipei 1.0

On 15 May 2014, my friends Gael and Celine, and I booked a cheap flight to Taipei for 21 November 2014. I was so excited that although the Taiwan visa application only takes 3 days, I applied for mine a month before.

As a woman of science, I don’t believe in things such as luck or signs. But in this case, I think bad luck sounds better than idiocy.

Omen 1: Case of the Colds

A couple of days before our departure, I unnecessarily spent hours packing and repacking for a local business trip and my trip to Taipei, which was back-to-back. I ended up sleeping late and waking up with a scratchy throat. I didn’t get to sleep well for the next couple of days and the night before my Taipei trip was spent in an 11-hour bus ride. On the night of our flight, I already had a runny nose and a headache.

Omen 2:  Can't find a Cab

It was a Friday. It was rush hour.  I had difficulty finding a cab willing to take me to the airport. It took me 30 minutes before I finally found a cab driver who would take me there—but he wanted a flat rate of 300PHP. I asked the driver to run the meter anyway. Traffic was relatively light, considering it was Manila Friday Rush Hour. I gave myself an hour and a half to get to the airport. To my surprise I got to the airport in less than 30 minutes. Even the cab driver didn’t argue when I paid him what was on the meter (PHP150). I arrived 4 hours before departure, before the check-in counter was even open.

Omen 3: Forgotten Visa

While we were checking in, Gael remembered that she forgot to print her visa exempt form. We asked the lady from the Cebu Pacific counter if there were printers in the terminal but she just shook her head and said they didn’t have any. But another Cebu Pacific employee told Gael to email him his form and he’d print it for her. So, Gael called her brother and had him fill up the form. It wasn't as easy though. After an hour of connection problems and browser problems, Gael finally got her visa and we finally got our boarding passes.

Omen 4: Immigration Migraine

While Gael and I seamlessly went through immigration, Celine was held up. As a government employee, she needed a travel authority to leave the country. But after about 10 minutes of convincing the immigration officer that she was on vacation and had a return ticket home, she was finally let through.

Omen 5: Kota Kinabalu

30 minutes before our scheduled departure, we calmly started towards gate 103, our boarding gate. We didn't hear any boarding announcement yet so I was assuming it was a few minutes delayed. I remember telling Gael about how my cousin missed his flight to China. When we arrived at gate 103, Gael mentioned that the gate was marked Kota Kinabalu. A part of me wanted to verify if we were indeed in the right boarding area, but I just shrugged it off and we continued with our conversation. *Cough, cough*—Stupid, right?

Omen 6: Run! Run! Run!

Although I’m clinically mildly deaf, I could clearly hear boarding announcements from other flights, so I figured I would hear it if our flight was already boarding. We calmly chatted away and at some point, Celine was laughing at a couple of passengers running towards gate 106. (Guess who's laughing later?)

Implication of the Omens:

PHP 3,650. At around 11:00, an acquaintance that was also on the same flight called Celine and told them that we were the only ones left who haven’t boarded. I checked my boarding pass again and to my horror, the boarding gate read gate 106 (I bought a new pair of glasses the next day). There were three of us and none of us heard our flight being called. None of us bothered to check our boarding pass. Stupid, stupid, stupid! We rushed towards the gate but it was no use. The gates were closed. We were about to miss our flight. 10 minutes later, we missed our flight. There goes our PHP 3,600.00.

NTD 1300 / 3 persons. I don’t normally use an airport pick-up service but since we were arriving in the wee hours of the morning, I decided to book a car service (it would cost the same if we were to take a cab). We called the contact in Taiwan who booked us the car service but he said the car service was already on its way to the airport.

NTD 650. Well duh, we have already reserved 3 nights for 3 people in a hostel. We cancelled the rest of our stay right away. Fortunately, each of us was only charged the first night.

Priceless. We've been anticipating for this trip for 6 months. As a national scholar, I had to arduously obtain a travel permit (this is hard to obtain when you’re working and saving your leaves) and I didn't even get to really use it. But worse of all, this trip was going to be Celine’s first travel abroad.

Total Cost of Damages: ~PHP6,000(USD135) per person + a lot of disappointment

I really didn't expect something like this to happen to me. It reminded me of my trip from Bruges to Paris, when everything that could go wrong went wrong. Except this time, we only had ourselves to blame. But oh well, the silver lining to this experience is that we now have a helluva travel blooper to tell—how we missed our flight to Taipei. We also got to experience how to depart from departure area of the airport. LOL. 

We booked a new flight the following day with a new addition to the crew (so we aren't the 3 idiots anymore!) and this time we’ll be more than ready for Taipei 2.0!

Note: We got a full refund of our PHP1,620 travel tax and our PHP550 terminal fee was still valid for our next trip.

Taiwan Visa Application

15 May 2014

When I saw a PHP 3,650 (~USD 85) all-in roundtrip Manila-Taipei-Manila fare, my friends and I immediately grabbed the tickets. I knew we would still have to pay for travel tax upon departure but I completely forgot that I still had to get a Taiwan visa.

I hate visa applications. The visas from my previous passports had been obtained effortless, courtesy of a company travel agent or my mother. But two years ago, I applied for a Schengen visa... I was jobless at that time (hence no certificate of employment) and I was going to Eurail across Europe (hence no hotel reservations). I finally succumbed to the services of a travel agent and spent twice as much for the visa. A friend of mine ensured me that the Taiwan visa application was a breeze and as I went through the Taiwanese consular website, the process did seem easy. I thought that my companions all had valid US visas and I was the only one who had to go through the visa application process (I later learned that one of my companions also had to apply for a Taiwan visa). So, for the first time, I applied for a visa on my own… without a travel agent… without my mother.

Applicants were required to accomplish and submit an online application form. I find answering forms of any kind stressful.  I always have the feeling that I’d get something wrong (e.g. using today’s year as my birth year) and I have the tendency to complicate simple questions.

Should I use St. or Street in my address?

Should I use “Project Engineer” or “Engineer” in my occupation?

Do I use the Filipino-style middle name or the Western-style middle name? (In the Philippines, the middle name refers to the mother’s maiden surname)

I found this blog as a good resource for the Taiwan visa application although it’s still best to check the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office website for the most up-to-date requirements. The good thing about the Taiwan visa application is that it doesn’t require you to submit a hotel reservation. So, I simply wrote down the address of the hostel I was planning on staying.

27 October 2014

I submitted my application form online on a Friday and the following Monday, I was at the RCBC Plaza lobby with my printed out visa application form and requirements. At around 08:15 in the morning, there were already about 30 people queuing at the lobby.

 At exactly 08:45 AM, the queue started to move as we signed in at the RCBC lobby. Then, we were asked to wait outside, at the smoking area of the ground floor.  After a few minutes, the applicants names were called and numbers were given (according to when you signed in—or so I think). After I got my number (#31), I went straight up to 41^st floor and waited for my turn. There were some people who missed their turn and had to go back to the lobby to get a new number. The queue was moving fast. By 10:00 AM, I was done!

30 October 2014

My visa was ready for pick-up by Thursday afternoon. I got off work early and arrived at the Consular Office at 03:30 PM, with the queue on number 64. My number was 94. The queue was initially moving slowly but after a short while, it began to pick up some pace.  And voila, at 04:07 PM, I had officially received my Taiwan visa.

See you soon Taipei! ….Or not?

Volcano Tripping: Mount Bulusan

I have decided to include the Everest Base Camp trek in my bucket list. However, my previous hikes reminded me that I am not physically fit and I have no stamina (although I must say that I have improved since my Pinatubo trip). And so, when my friend Bill invited me for a hike on the active volcano, Mount Bulusan, situated in the province of Sorsogon in the Bicol Region, I jumped at the chance to develop my hiking skills.

Bulusan Volcano Natural Park

It was the first time I carried a full pack of 12 kilos, which was 25% of my weight. I had already started collecting (i.e., borrowing) hiking gear. My dad had lent me his 45+10L Deuter bag, his REI 3-season Chrysalis UL tent and one of his trekking poles. He also bought me a Merrell trekking shoes (my first sports shoes in 10 years) and this was the first time I got to use it. My sister lent me her head lamp. And the only thing I bought was a 2L hydration pack. 

Bill and his friends planned the entire trip. All I did was show up with my stuff and followed their lead. We took the deluxe Peñafrancia bus, with comfortable reclining seats to Sorsogon, which made the 12-hour bus ride relatively restful. From Sorsogon, we hired a tricycle to bring us to Bulusan Volcano Natural Park. The Bulusan Park has the most organized trail I’ve been to—the registration included a blood pressure check-up, they provide you with a brief orientation, and they limit the number of hikers to 20 per day.

Bulusan Lake

To get to the trail, we kayaked across the Bulusan Lake. The trail to the base camp was shaded by trees but it was humid.  I trotted with my 12-kilo backpack, frequently stopping to catch my breath while Bill patiently waited for me. At about 2/3 of the way—with approximately 2 km left to base camp, I had to give up my bag (reluctantly) to a porter since it was already getting dark. I was quite disappointed but soon, it was already twilight and the trail was getting steeper to the point that I was glad I wasn’t bringing my bag. I made it to camp after 5 hours (Note: It took Bill’s friends about 2 hours)

The crater at the summit

We started hiking to the summit at 3 AM. The others were already at the summit before 5 AM. I think I arrived at around 6:30 AM. I literally crawled going up and slid going down—on purpose. The ascent was continuously steep (and I mean really steep), I was struggling all the way up. I must’ve looked so pitiful that when we came across other hikers, they were cheering me on. When we finally reached the summit, my exhaustion left me incapable of showing emotion but the view was breathtaking.  The summit or crater area was cool and windy. On one side, you can see Mt. Mayon from a distance.

View of Mayon Volcano from the summit

The Mt. Bulusan hike was by far the most strenuous activity I’ve ever done in my twenties.  Through this experience, I concluded that:
1) I was nowhere near ready to trek to Everest Base Camp—my level of physical fitness was appalling.
2) I needed to hike some more to build my muscles and cardio. On the other hand, maybe I should skip Mt. Apo and Mt. Kota Kinabalu and go straight to EBC. Wish me luck!
3) I will NEVER again bring a pack 25% of my body weight. This was the last time I’d carry a 45 liter backpack. Next time, I'll stick with 32-36 L and sleep in someone else's tent. 

 

Expenses:

Category	PHP
Transportation	3,210.00
Bus	2,600.00
Local Transportation (tricycle, taxi, jeep)	610.00
Food	184.00
Fees and Guides	654.00
Others	330.00
Tip	330.00
Total	4,378.00

See Detailed Expenses

Bumming in Calaguas

9-hour cockroach-infested bus ride.

2-hour bangka ride.

1 beautiful beach.

This is Calaguas.

White sand beach

I have been putting off going to the beach for the last few years. With my ever increasing travel bucket list, I’ve been prioritizing traveling to places that is best visited while I’m still young (like sky-diving in New Zealand or trekking to EBC). But I’ve been reading a lot about the virgin beach Calaguas and how it’s starting to be commercialized. So, I wanted to visit it while it still isn't as massacred as Boracay.

Clear blue sea

I wanted to do a DIY trip but after reading several blogs, we decided it was simply more convenient to take a packaged trip. It was more convenient—the operator picked us up at the terminal, arranged our boat at Vinzons, and provided us with tent, food and drinking water on the beach. We even had them arrange our bus ride (yeah, we were that lazy).  And since there were only 4 of us in a group, it was more cost-effective.

Camping on the beach

When we arrived at the beach, the shoreline was divided according to the tour group operators. There was only one group (two guys) who were there on their own. There was one tour group who was blazing music all day long. Nevertheless, the water was clear and blue. And the sand was fine and white—just like Boracay, but without the dog shit and less cigarette butts on the sand. The strip of white sand is approximately 1.5 km long. Although we had to pump the water we needed to take a bath and sleep in a tent, we weren’t really roughing it out. There were cottages along the shore, a sari-sari store with all the essentials and several toilets in different areas of the beach.

Calaguas shoreline

My friends and I spent the entire weekend bumming around (except for Leo who did activities). Occasionally, we’d wade around the clear blue water. But essentially, we spent the entire weekend just sleeping and eating.

Beach bumming

Calaguas Photo Gallery

Expenses:

Expense	Cost (PhP)
Package (Travel Factor)	3,300
Incl.  permits, gear, food & transportation
Others	132
Snacks, toilet, etc.
Total	PHP  3,432.00

Peaking Pico de Loro

After trekking Mt. Pulag, I swore I’d never trek again for the next 10 years… But I wanted to set foot on top of this monolith…

The Monolith

So, I found myself hiking at Mt. Pico de Loro.

My stamina had already improved slightly. I could now run 300 meters once a week. I had completed 5 yoga sessions a few months back. And I had been thinking about exercising. Plus, this was only a day hike, so I was quite excited to conquer that monolith. I booked the trek with Travel Factor with my friends Leo and Luther (who agreed to sweep me, knowing that I was incredibly slow). And on the wee hours of one Saturday, we hopped into a van and off we went.

Forested trail of Mt. Pico de Loro

The trail to the summit—to the parrot’s beak—was mostly forested.  But although we were protected from the glaring summer sun, it was very, very humid. I consumed about 3 liters of water and Gatorade during the entire trek. Leo consumed about 4-5 liters. It was a good thing that there was a tindahan halfway to the peak because I only brought 2 liters of water. The trail was quite challenging (in my opinion) too… It was steep and we had to walk over boulders.

Steep descent from the Parrot’s beak to the monolith

A little bit of climbing was needed to get onto the monolith. Fortunately for me, I had Leo to step on from below and Luther to pull me from above. So, I didn’t really do that much climbing. We were on top of the monolith around noon so the heat was blazing. But the views were fantastic. On one side, you could see the green mountains and on another side, you could see the Pico de Loro beach.

Trekking + Me = ####

And so, after all the heat, the sweat, and a dead toe nail… I conquered the monolith at Pico de Loro and lost 2 lbs. Hurray!

Expenses:

Expense	Cost (PhP)
Package (Travel Factor)	1,810
Inclusive of permits, guide and transportation
Others	248
Breakfast at McDonald’s	78
Cab to/from pick-up/drop off point	70
Additional drinks: Gatorade and Coke	100
Total	PHP  2,058.00

Siem Reap

Back in 2009, fresh from my first low-budget trip in Thailand, I started planning for my trip to Cambodia. However, it wasn’t until almost five years later when I finally got myself to Siem Reap.

Angkor Wat

 It was 19° Celsius when we landed. While this may be the average temperature in some countries, I live in a country where the average temperature is 30° Celsius and 25° Celsius is considered cold. My parents went to Cambodia earlier that year, in April, and mum had been quite emphatic with the fact that it was very, very hot. Since it was December, I assumed that the climate would be cool, like the rest of Southeast Asia. My cousin Gill was practical enough to check the weather before we left. However, my sister Tin, brought shorts and flimsy clothes for the trip. Thankfully, there were $2-4 scarves being sold everywhere.

We arrived late at night in Siem Reap and a friendly tuktuk driver met us at the airport, compliments of our hotel. Recommended by mum, we stayed at Gloria Angkor Hotel. It’s a nice small hotel—clean rooms with bathroom ensuite, hot shower, free wifi and breakfast (which you can take anytime of the day). There are probably other cheaper accommodations in Siem Reap but Gloria Angkor was a comfortable option at a good price. We got the package that included a tuktuk for the duration of our stay.

An introduction to Angkor

Although we did our research on which places we wanted to see, our background on Angkor architecture and how Hinduism, Buddhism and Khmer history fits into it was limited. So naturally, our first stop was at the Angkor Archaeological Museum. The museum was an educational experience for me especially since I didn’t know much about Hinduism (Devas, Asuras, Apsaras…) or Khmer architecture (lingas, lintels, gopuras, bas-reliefs…). Among the 8 galleries of the museum, my favorite was the gallery of 1,000 Buddhas. The details of the relics were intricate and of really good quality; it was hard to believe that these were created centuries ago.

We also went to the Silk Farm by Artisan’s d’Angkor on our first day. About 30 minutes from the city center, the silk farm offers a free tour of silk farming, production and weaving. Until I visited the farm, I had no idea how meticulous it was to weave!

Angkor Silk Farm

The temple run

There are a loooooot of temples in Siem Reap. I don’t have enough patience to describe each temple in detail—they’re all available in Wikipedia. And we didn’t go to all the temples, including Beng Mealea, which according to my research, was too far to reach by tuktuk. Nevertheless, with our 3-day Angkor Pass, we visited enough temples to satiate our temple fever.

Let’s start with the most recognizable temple and the main reason I was in Siem Reap: Angkor Wat Built in the 12^th century, Angkor Wat (Temple City) is an engineering wonder (of course I have to say that… I’m an engineer!). Our tuktuk driver dropped us off the East Entrance, where we met a couple of monkeys. We took our time deciphering the bas-reliefs at the eastern gallery and then we climbed the steep stairs to the Bakan, Angkor Wat’s uppermost terrace.

Although Angkor Wat is undeniably grander and more striking, my favorite temple visit was at Preah Khan, probably because we practically had the temple to ourselves when we were there. Preah Khan was mostly ruins with the jungle enveloping the structure. Talking about trees growing out of the structures, Ta Prohm was the most “jungled” among the temples. In terms of carvings and bas-reliefs, I liked Banteay Srei the most. The carvings in Banteay Srei’s red sandstone were of really good quality.

Ta Prohm

Our visit to the Angkor Archaeological Museum before any of our temple visits was definitely a good decision—we were able to appreciate and differentiate the carvings, bas-reliefs and the entire temple structure. Visiting the Angkor Archaeological Park was like stepping into a different era (with a bunch of other tourists).

After our temple fever had lost its heat, we visited the Floating Village at the Tonle Sap Lake. It’s a bit of a tourist trap—you need to pay an additional fee to see the inner village and mangroves, on top of the short motorboat ride. And I bet none of the money goes to the villagers! But the row boat was a nice quiet experience... and something I’ve never done before.

Photo: Tonle Sap

Itinerary

DAY 1 Morning: Angkor National Museum, Royal Residence (Not open to public) and Royal Garden (there’s a shrine nearby), Angkor Silk Farm; Afternoon: Wat Thmey (killing field), sunset at Phnom Bakheng Mountain

DAY 2 Morning: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom (Bayon, Baphuon, Phimeanakas, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King); Afternoon: Chau Say Tevoda, Thommanon, Ta Keo (under renovation), Ta Prohm, sunset at Pre Rup temple 

DAY 3 Morning: Sunrise at Angkor Wat, Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon, Banteay Samre, Banteay Srei; Afternoon: Bantey Kdei, Prasat Cravan 

DAY 4 Morning: Rolous Group (Preah Ko, Bakong, Lolei), Floating Village/Tonle Sap lake; Afternoon:  Tonle Sap lake, Souvenir shopping at Pub Street, Sunset at Phnom Bakheng

 DAY 5 – FREE DAY!

Catching the sunset

Our first attempt to catch the sunset was on our first day, at Phnom Bakheng (Note: When you buy your ticket after ~4:30 PM, the activation date of your ticket will be the next day). We endured the 30 minute hike up the mountain and the long queue to the top of the temple. However, it was too cloudy, so there was no sunset.

Our second attempt was on our second day, at Pre Rup. We stayed for about 2 hours in this temple, hoping to catch the sunset. But again, it was too cloudy.

Our third attempt was catching the sunrise at Angkor Wat (okay, so this isn’t a sunset but let’s categorize it with our sunset attempt anyway…). We woke up 4AM and eagerly waited for a postcard-perfect sunrise at the west entrance, facing Angkor Wat. Ideally, the sun would rise behind the temple with the beautiful reflection of the temple at the lily-filled water basin. Sadly, the clouds were on the way again.

On our fourth day, the last day of our 3-day Angkor Pass, after enduring another hike up hill at Phnom Bakheng… luck was on our side. On our fourth attempt, we finally saw the sun gracefully setting down unto the horizon.

Sunset at Phnom Bakheng

Shopping and Food trips

Since I’m a frugal travel, I don’t really shop or eat much when I travel. However, with my foodie and shopaholic sister in this trip, shopping and eating were in the itinerary. We spent every night at Pub Street, the Old Market or at Siem Reap Art Center Night Market.

Photo: Pub Street

Although we also ate at other local stalls around Siem Reap (that our tuktuk driver recommended), I liked the food at Pub Street area best. The Amok Sampler at Amok Restaurant is a good way to taste the famous Khmer amok, however, it was the loklak that I loved best. We also tried spring rolls and some curry dish at temple bar while enjoying the free Apsara Dance over dinner. Although I’m pretty sure it’s not Cambodian, we also had crocodile pizza at The World Lounge Restaurant. And of course, we didn’t pass the chance of eating some special sort of pizza at Happy Special Pizza. I got quite happy 3 hours later and then after an hour more, maybe a little too happy.

Finale

I have finally stepped foot on the astounding Angkor Wat! Cambodia did not disappoint my expectation. The temples were astonishing and the Cambodians were the friendliest people I’ve met. Why have I been putting off this trip for five years? Shrug. Looking back during the time when I first got into low-budget travels, I thought I needed more than a backpack (a big luggage) to travel. Today, I can fit a lot of things into a 32-liter backpack and it’s enough for me. But then again, whenever I return home, I do carry with me more—that intangible thing that comes with travelling.

Expenses

Category	USD
Transportation	278
Airfare (MNL-SRP-MNL)	236
Taxi, Tuktuk, Toll Fee, etc (MNL, SRP)	6
Travel Tax (MNL, PHP 1620)	36
Accommodation	82
Package ($217/room)	72
Additional night ($30/room)	10
Food	39
Attractions	73
Shopping	14
Personal souvenirs	5
Gifts	9
Others	13
Total	$  499.00

*We also spent about $15 for tips (my sister was in-charge of the tips) 

Detailed Expenses



Siem Reap Photo Gallery