Oh My Janey

Travel Notes: Conversations Over Coffee at Shilin Night Market

coffee shop at shilin night market in taipei
Shilin Night Market is known as the biggest of its kind in Taipei. With hundreds of stalls and booths to explore, we only saw a portion of it when we visited the market that one winter night in January. We might have seen very little of Shilin Night Market, but it was pretty much my favorite night in Taiwan.

Before ending our day at the Shilin Night Market, we had a long day exploring cultural attractions in the city and spent even longer hours prowling the grounds of the National Museum. Dexter separated from us to meet an old friend, and Cherith, Marianne, and I spent the night shopping and trying various Taiwanese street food. It was my first time to eat xiao long bao and candied strawberries!

Running low in Taiwanese dollars and with no money exchange store in sight, we only bought a couple of souvenirs and spent the remaining time looking for a place to rest. The market was devoid of benches for tired tourists, so we were glad to see a line of small coffee shops providing warmth to passersby. We randomly picked one coffee shop, and we were pleasantly surprised when we realized that it’s not just good coffee the barista was offering. [Read more…]

Where to Eat in Baler, Aurora: Baler Surfer Grill

When searching for where to eat in Baler, this restaurant often cropped on the lists I found online. But it turned out I didn’t do any research at all because just seeing Baler Surfer Grill while we were walking along the baywalk at Sabang Beach convinced us that we should dine there. We saw a lot of other restaurants with pretty interiors, packed with visitors, but it’s this one that caught our attention.

The moment we all took out our phones to take a photos of the Volkswagen, we instantly knew where to have dinner. There were many restaurants near Sabang Beach, and we could have easily enjoyed eating elsewhere. But looking back, I think we made the perfect choice. These photos will not do the place and the food justice, but it’s worth a try.

Baler Surfer Grill started in 2013 and because of its novelty, it has been featured everywhere–from Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho to everyone’s blog.

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Baler Travel Guide: Itinerary and Expenses Summary for 2D1N

It took us five hours to cross miles of flooded and jampacked Manila streets and travel through kilometers of zigzag, uphill roads just to reach the beach town of Baler, Aurora.

Day before the trip, I was starting to think that it wouldn’t push through because of the terrible Manila weather. We had a hard time finding a taxi that we thought we wouldn’t make it to our meetup time in Quezon City. Alas, our Baler roadtrip commenced, and it was a pretty exciting weekend.

You can skip to the end of this post and see my Baler travel guide, complete with itinerary and summary of expenses. But you can also read on to know more about our high jinks in detail. [Read more…]

Indespensable Life Lessons Surfing in Baler Taught Me

baler surfing

Surfing was never in my bucket list. Not once did I imagine myself learning how to surf nor did I ever wish to be good at it. I couldn’t even balance on a bicycle. How could I balance on a surfboard? But surfing in Baler last weekend taught me that we surprise ourselves sometimes.

When my friends started planning a trip to Baler, of course I wanted to go! But did I want to surf? Not so much. I couldn’t even swim—why would I dream of actually surfing?

Upon arriving at our accommodation in Baler, I could easily see from our balcony the dozens of surfers riding the waves. I was surprised to see that the water wasn’t too deep, and waves suitable for surfing were actually near the shore. That’s when I started thinking that maybe I can do it.

The morning that we were supposed to surf, I was still unsure whether I’d give it a shot. But I realized that it was now or never. If I couldn’t conquer my fears then, I’d never learn to do it nor have the courage to actually try. So I dragged my heavy and nonathletic body to the shore where the tall surfboards were waiting for me.

It was the most terrifying and exhilarating activity I have ever tried. Despite falling off my board a million times, I cannot wait to do it again. In the midst of the waves crushing me, I ended up fishing for a lesson or two or ten. [Read more…]

Unlimited Korean BBQ at Samgyupsalamat in Malate, Manila

After more than a year of not seeing each other, my college roommate and I finally got to go ona date again. Aika is one of the few people in college I regularly see. Well, she’s also a high school friend but it’s really in college that we bonded.

We agreed to meet in Taft one Saturday in July, and she said she wanted Korean. It more than surprised that she suggested it, but I was more than glad to say yes. After all, when do I say no to Korean food? There are many affordable Korean restaurants in Manila, but I picked Samgyupsalamat because I wanted to try it for the longest time. Partly because I am like the witty name, and you know how corny I am.

Samgyupsalamat is located at Leon Guinto Street so Aika and I walked to the restaurant from the LRT Taft station. We almost missed it but good thing they have a sign out front. We were lucky to arrive early. The place was quiteempty when we got there, but at past 12, the restaurant started filling up and there was even a line outside. It was definitely a good sign!

We only looked at the Samgyupsalamant menu for like a second when we decided to go for the eat-all-you-can Korean BBQ because we were famished anyway. And it was worth it.

[Read more…]

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