Saturday, March 25, 2017

Project KKK 2016


"I will not stop until my last breath in helping the best way i can"

The year 4 of my outreach program providing school supplies to the mangyans of Mindoro. 

Thank you to the people who extended their support.
Ms Catherine de Mendoza
Mr Tommy and Mrs Jonah Cruz
Ms Ester Won
Mr Roy Ayo
A3 Tours & Travel
Arne Lorraine Sison

There were 200kids who was blessed with the supplies. This year, it is not just grade 1 pupils but i adopted the whole school so all are happy and no jealousy with each other.

click here to view pictures





Please see below the link for my project KKK blogs.






Thursday, March 23, 2017

What to do in Bali? (When in Bali -Day 2)

Awake early for our complimentary half day tour, we have a full day ahead. Started with a breakfast buffet, we checked out early because we will be boarding the ship by noon. 

Our driver, Komang, is already waiting by the lobby. 

First stop is the Water Blow. Located at Nusa Dua, this is a famous attraction especially on windy days when large waves from the Indian ocean crashes against the limestone edges on the cliff. The nature creates a massive landscape of sharpened rocks along the south eastern cliff of the peninsula. But we have no luck today, the ocean was behaved as the sleeping beauty.




Along the way is the Nusa Dua Beach. A surfing haven for some surfers. Not my kind but its great anyways. The sand is yellowish and a bit coarse with some dead corals (Still better in my hometown,Tayamaan Beach) 


Other pictures around the Nusa Dua Beach



Second stop is at the Bali Governors Office which is adjacent to a huge park called Renon Square and at the center of the square is the Bajra Sandhi Monument



After the tour is the not to be missed shopping! We ended our tour at the port where some souvenir shops are alined. They have wide variety of items to choose, from ref magnets, dresses, shirts, keychains, table cloths, balinese frames, buddha head, and a lot more. 












What to do in Bali? (When in Bali Day 1)

Our first destination is Bali, Indonesia. We came one day ahead before we board the ship. 

Arrived late afternoon, we rushed to our room and change to swimming outfit. We only have this moment to enjoy the beach and the pool. 






Our hotel is located at Nusa Dua, Benoa, the beach is right outside the hotel. Most rooms have beach and pool view.



By night, we had an authentic Balinese massage and foot spa by the hotel. They have exclusive couple room and huge common room for big groups. 










Wednesday, March 22, 2017

What to do in Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia) for 1-hour?

MV Magellan, " the ship" will dock in Kota Kinabalu Malaysia for 5hours. We have no complimentary city tour from any of our suppliers because of the limited time to coordinate. 

We managed to join the free shuttle service from the port to the nearest shopping mall, and from there, we will start the journey around the place. As we go down the bus, there were people offering us a city tour at usd100 for a 3-hr tour. As travel agents, we know this is very high. So we decided to walk a little bit far to go away from those people. We found ourselves at the waterfront of the city and seen these picturesque spot. 



After the picture taking, my friend is so exhausted to join me around because of the heat. so she decided to stay behind the coffee shop and I decided to explore the city. 

I got a cab just outside the coffee shop and haggled a good price to show me around the city in just one hour. 

First stop, Atkinson Tower, built in memory of Francis George Atkinson. it was later used a navigational landmark for ships calling port until 1950's. 


Second Stop, Signal Hill Observatory. A place on top of the mountain overlooking the entire city and the ocean and islands around. It is good for relaxing because it is so quiet and breezy.



Third stop, the city mosque. The second largest in the city that was opened in 2000.


Last and final stop, SHOPPING! The tour ended on a shopping mall where i bought some souvenir for my friends and some of the collectible items I have for the tours that I had. Nothing much fancy or pricey, but something local, something cute, and something memorable. 










What to do in Brunei (Bandar Seri Begawan)

Brunei is a tiny country at 5,765square kilometer. Having very limited time of 7hours to explore, we have to hustle. 

Upon arrival of our ship at the Muara Port, a friend is waiting who generously shared his van and (Filipino) driver  (free of charge) to tour us around. 

Our first stop is at the Royal Regalia Museum which was established to commemorate the 25th year anniversary ruling of the Sultan. It houses the grand chariot that was used by the Sultan when he parade after his acceptance of the crown. There are also massive collection of royal gifts that was given by the Dignitary visitors during their visit to the country. 
      (Outside the Royal Regalia)

    The grand Chariot

Next stop is the waterfront overlooking the water village. There is an optional boat ride to the other side of the water but we opt not to go because of the limited time.

Going through the tour, we passed by the Omar Ali Saufuddien mosque and take a fast photo stop just around the gates 


After the City mosque, we stopped at the  Istana Nurul Iman, the royal residence. We have the opportunity to take a photo at the gates of the property. 



At around 4pm, the tour is almost finished and our driver brought us to a local coffee/tea shop called Chop Jing Chew, it was one of the oldest bakery that offers superb bread and delicious hot tea. But since i dont drink hot tea, i asked for an ice and voila! Its like my favourite cold milk tea at home. 

The tour is not complete until we were done shopping. We were then brought to a local mall and i go directly to the grocery because i was told that they had a very cheap "fabric conditioner" and tasty noodles(like pancit canton). I was not disappointed, i found a 3litre fabric conditioner for only 125pesos and bought 2 pcs of it. Just enought for me to carry. Also bought some chocolates for my kids. 

There are some information that i found out unique in Brunei
1. Their gasoline only costs 18.50pesos and diesel 12.65 per liter
2. You can be a citizen of Brunei if you lived in the country for 15 years and you know how to pronounce the complete name of the Sultan. 
3. The sultans name is Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddie
4. At the wedding ceremony, (during the sultan's wedding) you can observe that the faces of the couple are sad. Why? because it is said that the sadder they were, the longer marriage they can have. 
5. The royal residence Istana Nurul Iman was designed by a Filipino named Leandro Locsin.









Weirdest town names in America

  Weirdest town names in America