Part 1: Seoul Series - Cherry Blossoms in Yeouido & Myeongdong

It has been a week since our first trip in Seoul Korea and we could say that we had the best time of our lives in the land of Kimchi, Kdrama and Sangyeopsal.  In fact, I still have hang-over thinking about our wonderful experience and all the delicious foods we ate during our trip. We stayed in Seoul for 8 days which gave us an ample time to cover everything listed in our itinerary. A vacation to South Korea is definitely a dream come true for someone like me who is an avid fan of Korean dramas--and to see with my very own eyes the familiar places that I only get to watch in K-dramas literally gave me a surreal feeling. We came in Seoul just in time for cherry blossoms and it was indeed a sweet treat for us to see the Cherry blossoms for the first time.


Day 1: Arrival in Seoul

We arrived in Incheon International Airport at around past 9 in the evening. The travel time from the airport to get to our hotel is about more than an hour. We stayed in Hotel Atrium located in the prime area of Jongno. It is near Line 1 and 5 subway, the famous KwangJang Market is just across the hotel and Jongmyo shrine and Insadong are walking distance. 

We booked their King Deluxe room via agoda and paid around PHP26,000.00 for a 7 nights stay. Our room is quite spacious for a korean standard.. we have a king size bed, mini-bar with refrigerator, bath tub, hot & cold shower, and I specifically would like to mention the hi-tech toilet with featured buttons for bidet washing, seat warming and deodorizing just like in Japan. I love that our room is being made up everyday after a day of exploring the City. Check in and out went out smoothly and the receptionists can speak english quite well (and they are all good looking, too). The only downside is that you still have to pay their buffet breakfast separately which we didn't mind because we get up quite late during our stay and we prefer to dine outside to try local food (they serve western breakfast).

After we checked in, we went to a nearby restaurant for our late dinner. Establishments in Seoul closes early.. at 11pm, there are no barely establishments opened and we even saw some few korean men who were dragging themselves to walk home because they're too drunk just like what I always see in K dramas.  Koreans are heavy drinkers.. even women drink soju together with a regular meal. We walked to an alley across Kwang Jang Market and finally found an open restau that offers beer and KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) . As a loyal customer of Kyochon in my country.. we are so delighted to have KFC for our first meal in Seoul. The restaurant owner was so accommodating and suggested for us to order a mix of their sweet&spicy and sun flower chicken. Jan also ordered Cass beer to match his chicken.

KFC for our first meal in Seoul :)

Jan enjoys Cass Beer so much he drinks it everyday

Midnight snack. Bwahahaha

Day 2: Yeouido and Myeongdong

In our second day in seoul.. we went to Yeouido Park to see the cherry blossoms. Yeouido is the main finance and banking district in Seoul and is one of the popular places to go to during the Spring most especially when the cherry flowers are in full bloom. An annual Spring Flower Festival are being held here with various performances, streetfood and art craft stalls lined up for tourists and local alike to enjoy while admiring the beauty of the cherry trees. We noticed that koreans are very family-oriented.. we often see Korean dads play with their children, they go to the park with their family to go picnic and restaurant owners run their businesses with their family members. 

Jampacked of people in Yeouido Spring Flower Festival

But first.. a little OOTD pic. :D

Our Brunch.. Bimbimbap

Cherry Blossoms are so beautiful

Chicken Barbecue we bought in one of the food stalls in the park. See the photobomber uber sweet couple? :) 

Jan's moment

Busy Yeouido District

A more bloomed Cherry Tree

We stopped by again to try out Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cake) and Odeng (Fish Cake Soup) for the first time which are two popular Korean Streetfoods. 

We went back to our hotel after a half day of exploring Yeouido park. Later that evening , we went to Myeongdong for streetfood trippin and a little shopping. . The district is so vibrant at night and we definitely enjoy a leisurey walk while indulging to the local streetfoods and delicacies. 

Jan and his sausages :P

Sausage balls in different variant

Korean version of Takoyaki

Korean Ice cream with real honey on top. Yummy!

Freshly squeezed Lemon

And we ate Odeng again .. we were surprised how delicious Odeng is .. we like it more than Tteokbokki.

Beauty and make up stores are left and right and i  found it so difficult to pick what I want. I ended up buying tons of facial mask in inisfree for souvenir and bought a couple of nail polishes to retouch my cracked nails. 

And obviously, we went home that night with a fulfilled first full day in Seoul with another HAPPY TUMMIES.

Continuation here

Always,

Rica ♡

Part 1- Seoul Series: Cherry Blossoms in Yeouido & Myeongdong

Part 2- Seoul Series: Gyeongbokgung Palace & Bukchon Hanok Village

Part 3- Seoul Series: Insadong & Dongdaemun

Part 4- Seoul Series: Kwangjang Market & Gangnam

Part 5- Seoul Series: Nami Island

Part 6- Seoul Series: Last day in Seoul

Short Family weekend trip in Bohol

One of my New Year goals for this year is to treat my family an out-of-town vacation because it has been a while since we went on a vacation together as a family. Bohol is the first thing that crossed into my mind when I was planning our trip because I just thought that Bohol is a friendly tourist destination for families traveling with young children (and senior citizens like my mom). Hihi. 

And so when PAL announced their 75th anniversary promo last March, I immediately grabbed the chance and  booked my family a roundtrip ticket to Tagbilaran (Php575 one way). It was  also our first time in Bohol and so we were so excited to see the  Chocolate Hills and the cute little Tarsiers which Bohol is famous for. We stayed in Alona Northland Resort located in Panglao Island in our 3days and 2nights in Bohol. Our room is very spacious with duplex room, kitchenette and a balcony facing the resort's pool. They also offer family room with kitchen & complete cooking utensils for a lesser price so you have an option to cook in your room but we availed the one with breakfast[ good for 4 pax] for Php5,500.00 per night. 

Family room of Alona Northland Hotel

 Adjacent room (1 king size bed and another 1 queen size bed)

View from our room

In the afternoon, we went to Dumaluan Beach for a swim but it was lowtide when we arrived in the beach so we didn't appreciate it that much. But during the high-tide (judging from its fine white sand), the beach could have been beautiful. 

Sunset of Dumaluan Beach

With my sister, Ate Ycai

Our sumptuous dinner of Grilled pork belly, chicken & corn with ceasar salad. I forgot the name of the restaurant but it is located near the Hennan Resort Alona.

The next day, we woke up early to prepare for our country-side tour. The hotel offers complimentary plated breakfast at their restaurant which has a very cozy ambiance by the pool. 

Plated breakfast of Alona Northland Hotel

We also availed the hotel's car for rent worth Php2,200.00 and just paid the entrance fees and Loboc river lunch buffet separately. The hotel provided us a red Innova Car. We first headed to Centuries-old Baclayon Church which is still under construction after its facade collapsed in a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in 2013. The Baclayon Church is the second oldest church in the Philippines. Adjacent to the church is its museum which showcase some interesting religious relics and artifacts.  No photos are allowed inside the museum. Entrance fee is Php50.00. 

Altar of Baclayon Church

Next, we headed to Bohol Python and Wildlife Park .. a home to the late python superstar named "Prony" which is said to be the country's  biggest snake in captivity. Prony died in 2013 for an unknown reason. She was 17 years old. The wildpark is now home to prony's daughter, grandchildren and other wild animals. Entrance fee is Php20.00

Prony's daughter

Xian with Prony's albino grand daughter python snake.

A short drive away from the wildlife park, we went next to the butterflies sanctuary. For a Php45.00 entrance fee, a guide explained to us the life cycle of butterflies. We were also able to touch a cocoon for the first time and have some picture taking with the lovely butterflies.

Our next stop is our lunch buffet at the Loboc River. I forgot how much is the entrance fee but it is around Php500+ . Since Xian is only 5 yrs old, his entrance fee was free. The food served to us in the boat is just so-so. While having lunch, a group of cute children entertained us with traditional Filipino dances.

 The jade-green water of Loboc River

 Cute Little Children entertained us with a traditional Filipino Dance

Lunch time with the Fam bam

And then we headed to our highly anticipated Chocolate Hills deck viewing at the town of Carmen. It is only then that I learned that there are 1,776 chocolate hills in Bohol. What a shame! hahaha. How come I didn't learn that in Elementary?! Seeing the chocolate hills for the first time somehow fulfilled my childhood dream.

 On the way to the chocolateeyyy. :)

 Exhausting 200+ steps to get to the viewing deck but so worth it!

Ofcourse, we wont miss the chance to see the cute little tarsier. They reminded me so much of my chihuahua dog named, Calix. Hehe. I didn't expect that they were so little. The Tarsier are venerable to extinction due to their extremely shy behavior. They tend to commit suicide when they are stressed so taking pictures of them with flash and loud noise inside the conservatory is strictly prohibited. 

The cute Tarsiers

Along the way, we had a short photoops to the Bilar man-made forest which made me feel like I was in a setting of an American film

Our last and final stop, a monument of Blood Compact or Sandugo. It is said that the exact same spot of the monument is where the first friendship treaty sealed thru blood compact by Bohol Chieftain, Datu Sikatuna and Spanish Explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in 1565. This was also where we bought our ref magnets for souvenir. Kuya Juning said that this is where we can find the cheapest pasalubong in Bohol.

Blood Compact

We ended our day with a night swimming in the resort's pool and ate at a famous restaurant in Bohol called "payag" which offers Bohol's version of Chicken Inato. The difference from Bacolod's Inato? Bohol's Inato is a little sweeter in taste and instead of the usual toyo-mansi, they used fish sauce-mansi as condiments.

Bacolod's version of Chicken Inato

So that's sums up our trip to Bohol. Our third day was only spent for our flight back to Manila. It was indeed a short but relaxing and fun-filled weekend trip with my family. I should plan another trip for us before this year ends .. where will we head next? hmmmm...

Always,

Rica ♡

Indochina Travel Tips for Filipino Travelers

Hello everyone!

Last January, My boyfriend and I went for a 10days DIY Indochina Tour to our neighboring countries in Asia-- Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. An indochina tour can be quite stressful if not planned carefully because I warned you.. you will be so lucky if you wont encounter scams and shady deals along the way most especially when you start to cross-board from one country to another. Nonetheless, the experience is all worth it and will definitely leave you with memories and stories to tell. We spent the whole 10 days wandering, exploring and getting exposed to different people,  culture, beliefs, religions, cuisines, lifestyle etc and its indeed so interesting to discover that while they are so close together, each of these countries have their own distinct charm and beauty. 

Thailand

Ayutthaya, Thailand

As mentioned in my previous blog, we decided to have Thailand as our starting point for our Indochina tour  because my boyfriend has an aunt who lives with her little family in Bangkok. Our trip to Thailand was the most relaxing trip of all the 3 countries we visited because of their warm company. We dedicated one day to visit the Ruins of Ayutthaya and visited quite a few temples, ate a lot of cheap but very delicious Thai food (we went to the nearby market one day to  try local street foods such as Thai BBQ, Bami Nam, Soy Milk and other coconut milk-based dessert). We also went to the malls for souvenir shopping and experienced their very own Thai massage before we leave. Since we stayed in my bf's aunt in our 4 days stay in Thailand, I could not advise any hotels to stay there but we always relay to reviews from Trip Advisor and agoda.

Cost of our 4 days trip in Thailand: Php15,000.00 (because we splurged for shopping!)

Cambodia

At the border of Cambodia

The temples of Angkor Wat is undoubtedly amazing but sad to say, we had a first bad impression of this country after all the series of scam attempts, overpricing tour we availed from a tuktuk driver [who we thought was a nice a guy], aggressive vendors and violent locals we encountered while we were there. It could may be because we trusted people right away. To avoid this,  I highly suggest that you book your direct bus trip to Siem Reap from Bangkok located at Mo Chit Terminal ahead of time so you wont have to deal with a number of  scammers who would try to convince you with their dirty tricks right from the border. You may book your ticket in advance at this website.   Also, I would like to stress that you should book your Angkor Wat Tour with your hotel. Many of the tuktuk drivers overcharged tourist double and even triple the price of what an Angkor Wat Tour should be. Plus, booking your tour w/ your hotel is a lot easier, safer and cheaper.

Where we stayed?

We stayed in King Rock Boutique Hotel in our 3 days in Siem Reap. I love this hotel. We get to experienced a 5 star service and amenities by only paying a mid-range hotel costs. For only Php2,100 per night (taxes not included and booked via agoda), we enjoyed a very comfortable king size bed with big comfort room that has a fab bath tub, living area and a veranda. And the best part? They served big and delicious breakfast. Despite our disappointment w/ what we experienced.. we enjoyed Cambodia because of this hotel. 

King Deluxe Room of King Rock Boutique Hotel

Cost of our 3 days trip in Cambodia: Php20,000.00 (because we were scammed by our tuktuk driver)

Vietnam

Notre Dam Cathedral, Ho Chi Mihn, Vietnam

I fell in love with this country immediately because of its people. The Vietnamese are nice, approachable and helpful. Not to mention that they are good-looking people, too! We only stayed here for 2 days since we need to check out early for our 1am flight back to Manila on our 3rd day. We spent our short stay in Vietnam by visiting the War Remnants Museum (the best museum I have ever been to). Dont miss this when you're in Vietnam. We also checked the Notre Dam Cathedral, nearby Post office and ate pho, tried out Vietnamese coffee and went shopping at Ben Than Market and Saigon Square.

From Cambodia, we booked our bus transfer to Ho Chi Min thru a travel agency called Virak-Buntham Express Travel & Tour. The bus transfer costs Php1800.00. I highly recommend booking your bus transfer to a travel agency if you're in Cambodia to avoid scam.

Also, commuting around Vietnam thru taxi is cheap. Bloggers suggest that you only ride the two reputable taxi companies in Vietnam -- Mai Lin and Venasun -- We followed this advised and never had any issue with our taxi experience in Vietnam. They also give back change in exact amount, too.

Where we stayed in Vietnam?

Suite Room of Dragon Palace Hotel

We stayed in Dragon Palace Hotel in our 3 days in Vietnam. The hotel is so-so and located at the busy street of District 1 which gives you easy access to the point of interest around the City. A Plus factor is the complimentary buffet breakfast but the menu doesn't change in our 3 days stay so we ate the same breakfast every single day. 

Cost of our 3 days trip in Vietnam: Php15,000.00 (because we shopped a lot, too)

Total Cost of our 10 days Indochina Tour

Php 30,000.00 Airfare
      15,000.00 4D3N in Thailand
      20,000.00 3D2N in Cambodia
      15,000.00 3D2N in Vietnam
-----------------------
Php 80,000.00 or (Php40,000.00 per person)

Note: We had a last minute plane ticket booking w/ Cebu Pacific. You could save cost if you book your tickets in advance. In our case, we only booked our tickets days before our trip. I also think that our budget is pretty descent for a 10days Indochina itinerary.. we  splurged in  shopping, food and also stayed in mid-range hotels during our trip. Mind you, the "few thousand bucks that was scammed to us by our tuktuk driver" was also included in the total budget expense. You could add up or lower your expense depending on your travel needs and budget. 

Money Exchange:

We exchanged our peso to dollar and also exchanged some of our peso to baht by buying in PNB Bank because its way cheaper to buy dollar in local banks. Dollar is highly accepted in Cambodia than their own currency, Cambodia Riel. While in Vietnam, we exchanged our dollar in a reputable Money exchange in Ho Chi Mihn

What to bring in your Indochina Tour

-Camera

-Comfortable shoes

-Sunblock

-Umbrella/hat

-Mosquito repellent

-Alcohol

-Wet wipes

-Medicine ( paracetamol and loperomide coz you never know :) )

For detailed posts of our Indochina Trip for each countries, please click links below:

Part 1: Indochina Tour to Bangkok & Ayutthaya Thailand

Part 2: Indochina Tour to Siem Reap, Cambodia

Part 3: Indochina Tour to Ho Chi Mihn, Vietnam

if you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to ask me at the comment box below. Hope this helps!

Always,

Rica ♡