Oh My Janey

#BolinaoAndForever: The Bolinao Weekend Roadtrip

Last April, I embarked on one of the longest road trips of my life with my high school classmates. I expected it to be far, but eight hours of road travel will always feel overwhelming.

It was an entire weekend of raucous laughter and nostalgic tales that span 14 years of of our lives. It was ridiculous that I have known them for more than a decade but this is the first time that I actually bonded with them.

I was pretty quiet in high school, and I tended to stick to my barkada the entire time. Though I had been classmates with the same people since the first grade (Canossa loyalist, yo!), I only spoke comfortably with a few. I’m glad that I decided to join them even though I was the only one from my barkada who joined the trip. Still one of the best decisions I made this year! [Read more…]

Taiwan Day 1: Historical Lesson at 228 Memorial Peace Park in Taipei

228 peace park memorial taiwan

Before I went to Taipei, I thought there’s nothing much to do in the city. But during the trip planning and the actual trip itself, we realized that four days are still not enough to see everything. But despite the lack of time to explore the capital, we still decided to go easy on ourselves and start our first day quite late instead of the planned 8:00 A.M. No regrets, though! We had an awesome first day.

After going around the neighborhood looking for a cheap place for lunch, we finally started our tour! 228 Memorial Peace Park in Taipei wasn’t part of our itinerary, but it’s right next to our hostel and it’s also where the nearest subway stations was located. So of course it had to be our first stop.

Too bad we didn’t know then what the park signifies, but it’s apparently the oldest park in Taipei! It’s been through so much history and went through so many name changes, and it still stands. It’s also a beautiful place, and we were lucky we saw it everyday during our stay. [Read more…]

Bataan Day Trip: Mount Samat and Dunsulan Falls

view from mt. samat

This year, I decided that I will climb as many Philippine mountains as my weak and physically inactive body can. When Ate Marco suggested we go to Bataan for a day trip to climb Mount Samat and visit Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valor) in Pilar, Bataan, I immediately said yes.

We originally planned to go last month, but our plan didn’t push through. It almost didn’t materialize again when Ate Marco couldn’t make it, but Kimpee, Ayessa, and I decided that we have to go no matter what! So without our trip organizer, off we went to Bataan.

Last Saturday, we met up early in Pasay to board the bus going to Balanga, Bataan. After misunderstood landmarks and missing each other, we ended up leaving Manila at around 7 in the morning. We were an hour late in the itinerary, but it was okay. [Read more…]

Taiwan 4-Day Itinerary: Exploring Taipei, Tamsui, and Xinbei

taiwan 4 day itinerary

Our trip to Taiwan was short, too short. Even though it almost didn’t push through due to unexpected events weeks prior to the trip (we got our Visas two days before the trip!), good thing we decided that the trip must go on no matter what! And we were so glad we did, because Taipei has only amazing things to offer and we definitely enjoyed the trip down to our last hour.

At the start of the trip, our planned Taiwan itinerary was jam-packed from 8:00 AM till late at night. It was far from what really happened, heh. This is indeed a leisurely trip, and looking back, there’s really no way I’d change any of it. From riding the wrong bus to losing and finding our way in the city, this is how traveling should be like. It’s the little detours and the events outside the itinerary that make it all worthwhile.

I really enjoyed Taiwain, and now that a whole month has passed, I can’t wait to go back. My friends and I are already planning a yearly visit because there are still so many places to go and so many food to eat. I’m not sure if it’s possible, but I want to give it a try.

Here’s our Taiwan 4-day itinerary. It covers not just Taipei but nearby cities, too, like Tamsui, Xinbei and Ruifang. [Read more…]

Taiwan Budget Accommodation: Sunny Hostel in Taipei

taiwan budget hostelSome travel stories start on the first day of exploring the city. But let me begin my Taipei travelogue with a post about our lovely little hostel. Sunny Hostel may look simple from the outside, but from the moment we stepped inside the hostel, we knew that we’d love our stay. Some hostels meet expectations, and then there’s our accommodation that exceeded all of it.

We booked quite late, and we were already panicking a little because looking for an affordable hostel in Taipei wasn’t an easy feat. Rare are those that offer free breakfast, and we had little idea about the locations of the accommodation. So you can say that we chose Sunny Hostel just based on the photos on Airbnb. And I’m so glad that we judged it by its cover. [Read more…]

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