A Short Weekend in Subic, Philippines - Part I

     I had a sudden official leave Friday last week.  My superior asked me to attend a seminar in Subic in his stead late Thursday.  The seminar was to start at *gasp* 8:00 a.m. that coming Friday.  From Manila, Subic is about 3.5 hours to 4 hours away by public transportation (bus) on the regular route, or 2 hours by car or by bus via SCTEX.  That would mean I have to wake up really early to be on time, and to make sure that I would not be late, I was chauffeured to Subic.  I still had to wake up by 3:00 a.m. to prepare for an overnight stay in Subic.  So, yay.

     I have been to Subic for like 5 times already but it was my first time to go there via SCTEX.  I was so amazed.  The view is just lovely.  There was a mountain range that I did not know existed, the sky was clear and the view was just picturesque.  The most fun parts of SCTEX were the mountainous/hilly areas which were cut through the middle to pave for the highway. 

     Here are some of my SCTEX pictures:

This path carved in the center of a mountain reminds me of the parting of the red sea.

Taiwan Adventure: Day 1 - Taipei 101

MRT CITY HALL STATION and TAIPEI 101

  

     The Longshan Temple and the Taipei 101 are accessible via the MRT on the blue line, hence, I did not change trains going to Taipei 101 from Longshan Temple.  After alighting from the train, I asked the Information where the shuttle buses for Taipei 101 pick-up passengers.  I saw the place all right, but it was only 10:00 in the morning and there were no shuttle buses yet so I just walked to Taipei 101.

     Along the way, my eyes feasted on the beautiful commercial buildings, the wide, empty streets (it was a Saturday), and the peaceful and extremely sunny skies.  On the downside, it was very hot and humid and even my umbrella couldn't offer me enough shade.  Nonetheless, I had a great time walking around the area.

     I passed by the Discovery Center of Taipei and there were a lot  of preschool-aged kids on a field trip and who seemed to be waiting to get inside.  The kids were so adorable in their white and blue shirt and shorts with their baseball caps.  Too bad I didn't take their pictures.  

   

     After a long walk, I finally reached Taipei 101 but the mall was still closed and I had to wait for it to open.  When it finally did, I proceeded to the food court to eat and to savor the airconditioning.  The food court was small but the varieties offered were great.  I rounded up the area twice before deciding where to dine.  IMy lunch was tasty and the meal I chose could have fed two persons, so unfortunately, I wasn't able to consume it all.  And oh, I was so amused by the colorful receipts issued to me with the Taipei 101 logo at the end.

     I then proceeded to the ticketing counter for the observatory but I realized that I only have around NTD 600.00 with me as I haven't exchanged my dollars yet.  I searched for a money changer but decided not to exchange my money.  There was a transaction charge of NTD 200.00, and that was way too high.  So, I skipped the observatory; I was afraid of heights anyway and I didn't want to go there by myself.

     With nothing much to do, I made an exit towards New York, New York.  But it was already in the middle of the day and the sun was scorching hot. I was tired and I wanted to take a bath, so I went back to Taipei 101 to catch a shuttle bus going back to the MRT station.  I promised myself that I'd go back  there before I leave for Manila.  I wasn't able to go back, though.  It was raining hard the last day I was in Taiwan.

       

     My lunch: pork cutlet with vegetable side dish, meat and fish ball soup and a refreshing lemon drink.  Good thing I asked the hotel concierge to translate "I'm allergic to shellfish/seafood," for me in my notebook.  The server changed my soup when she read it.  Apparently, there were squid balls in my soup.

 

Bicycles and taxi cabs neatly lined

Wide, almost empty streets

Taipei 101 and the blue sky

Taiwan Adventure: Day 1 - Longshan Temple

DAY 1 
FINDING MY HOTEL

     The Evergreen airport bus has a stop very near my hotel in the Nanjing East Road MRT Station and Chungsan Road area.  I told the bus driver where I would like to alight but since I have extensively researched the area via Google maps, I was already familiar with the place. Before the driver could tell me we've reached my stop, I was already at the door ready to board down.  Thanks to Google maps street view, finding my hotel was hassle-free.

LONGSHAN TEMPLE

     After leaving my bags at the hotel, I had a quick breakfast (bagel and coffee) at a nearby Dante Coffee, a local coffee shop chain.  Afterwards, I bought an MRT Easy Card pre-loaded with NTD 200.00, and it turned out to be a bad mistake.  I should have bought a Taipei Pass instead since I used the MRT quite extensively during my three-day trip.  I could have saved a couple of bucks. 

   Anyway, I headed to the Nanjing East Road MRT Station and after asking directions from the Information booth, I successfully found my way to Longshan Temple.  It was already past 9:00 in the morning, as revealed by the LCD clock at the entrance of the temple, and the sun was starting to sting.  But it did not deter me from roaming around the temple.  Besides, I came prepared: I had a three-fold umbrella and a fan with me.  I noticed that I was not the only tourist; there were quite a number but they were all Asians.  I asked some college-aged Asian boys to take my picture, only because one of them had a dslr camera like mine.  Besides, they were all cute, very accommodating and polite.  They spoke very good English, too.  So, it was a win-win for me.   

     Boys were not the reason why I went to Longshan, so with a heavy heart, I thanked the boys and made my way inside the incense-laden temple where a multitude of faithfuls were praying and paying their respects. I uttered a short thank-you and keep-me-safe prayers, something that I always do whenever I visit a place of worship abroad, irrespective of religion.  Anyway, the solemn atmosphere in the temple deterred me from taking more pictures.

My breakfast: Bagel and Coffee from Dante Coffee

Longshan Temple

     To get to the temple, take the MRT on the blue line and alight at the Longshan Temple station.  There are two exits you could use to reach the Temple.  First, via the main street, as pictured below.  You'll have to pass by a small park beside the exit.  Just turn to your right and the Temple is straight ahead, around 180m away.  The second is through the underground mall.  You could also window shop if you decide to go through here.  The exit is very near the Temple; just turn left and you'll see the Temple across the street.

     And this is the other exit [the one with the yellow roof].  In case you get hungry, there are restaurants scattered in the area.

N.B.

Updated with additional info and better pictures. :-)

Taiwan Adventure: Day 1 - At the Airport

FIRST DAY, Saturday 
TAOYUAN AIRPORT, TERMINAL 1

    The plane landed at the Taoyuan Airport Terminal 1 a few minutes early, around 12:30 a.m.  People were on a rush to get their luggage and pass through the immigration to catch the last airport bus (Freego bus) to Taipei City which departs at 1:00 a.m.  I was in no such hurry as I had already set my mind to spend a couple of hours at the arrival hall of the airport and wait for the first Evergreen bus in the morning.  I did not book a hotel room for Saturday midnight considering that it would cost me a whole-day charge.  To reiterate, I was travelling alone and I needed to be more frugal.  Moreover, I’d rather spend the money for the organized tours I booked.  So, I waited and sat on the hard-cushioned seats, browsed the internet, thanks for the free wi-fi, until I fell asleep around 3:00 a.m.  Don’t worry, there was a lady guard on duty in front me so I was pretty much secure.

    When I finally woke up, it was already 5:00 a.m.  I freshened up quite a bit, and waited for the Evergreen bus counter, which I believe was operated by EVA Air, to open.  Its first departure to Taipei City was scheduled for 6:00 a.m.  The other counters opened earlier, but Evergreen has a stop very near from my hotel.  When my bus arrived, I was the sole passenger from Terminal 1; I noticed, though, that there were already some people inside who boarded the bus in Terminal 2.

    Here are a couple of pictures inside, and outside Terminal 1:

Arrival Hall

Express Buses

Express Bus Counters

I've taken the liberty to label the counters according to the service providers.

There is another counter at the far right (not in photo).

Evergreen Bus Pick-up Point

From the Philippines to Taiwan

           My friends and I booked plane tickets to Taiwan for travel this June.  However, they weren’t able to join me to Taiwan due to unforeseen circumstances.  And it was only confirmed less than two (2) weeks before our intended departure.  So, yay.

          Seriously, instead of wallowing in depression, I was very enthusiastic to be travelling alone.  I know, I specifically scheduled our Taiwan trip to coincide my birthday, but still, travelling on my own, for the first time, seemed exciting.  And exciting it was!

AIRPORT TERMINAL 3: MANILA TO TAIPEI via CEBU PACIFIC

          I was more than three (3) hours early for my late evening flight.  In fact, I was the first one to check-in.  There was no open counter for Taiwan yet, but the friendly assistants not only allowed me to check-in, they gave me seat 1C, an aisle seat closest the exit door.  I requested for a good seat, after charming the staff, but instead, they gave me the best one; my prize for checking-in early.  See, joking with assistants and ground staff really do make the difference. 

          For the benefit of the interested, I’ve uploaded some pictures of the departure area.  I’ve often used Terminal 3 where the boarding gates for Cebu Pacific are located.  In fact, I use Cebu Pacific quite extensively.  Tickets are cheap when they're on sale, and I always buy my tickets on sale.

       Terminal 3, Ninoy Aquino International Airport

      Cebu Pacific Airlines international flights check-in counter.

     The seats at the boarding gates are cushioned, and one can catch a nap in here.  Quite comfortable, I should say.

     This is what my boarding pass looked like; a printed tape receipt like what you get at the stores.  I was so scared that I might tear it, worse, lose it.  Guess, this is part of the budget mantra of Cebu Pacific.

Living in an Archipelago and Travelling Beyond

     When I was younger, I hardly knew any place other than my home and my school.  It did not change for the better even after college considering that I started studying again, this time while working.  Simply put, I had no time for travelling.  However, after I obtained my post graduate degree, things got a little easier and I ventured into travelling.  I guess, that is what happens when you're living a simple boxed life.  Once gaining freedom, I simply threw myself out in the world.  So far, I'm loving every moment of it.

     The bigger box where I live in is the Philippines, an archipelagic country with around 7,100 islands to explore.  However, the fact that it's an archipelago makes travelling within  the country a little complicated.  Only a handful of places can be reached by plane; most are either by land or by sea, or, a combination of one or the other, or all three.  And, since the islands are scattered, time is the main concern, and of course, the money to burn.  But really, the Philippines has a lot to offer, if one gets enough energy to island-hop.  In my case, though, I know it was rather unpatriotic of me to spend time travelling to places other than in my own country, but well, it's something that I would like to fix in the nearest future, perhaps, next year.  But for now, I'll be focusing on travelling in Asia.

     Two years ago, my first Asian adventure was not in one of the beautiful islands of the Philippines, as you may have already gathered. Rather, it was in Bangkok, Thailand.  The next was in Singapore and Malaysia.  Last year, I went to Hong Kong and Macau during the first quarter, and again in Singapore in the last quarter.  This year, I visited Bangkok again in March, and I just came back from my trip to Taiwan.  In September, I will be going to Hong Kong again, and in November, to Beijing, China.  Looking at my itinerary for this year, I would have visited four countries by the end of the year.  And that's a lot.  So, I thought of chronicling my past travel adventures and misadventures, as well as my travel plans and preparations for the places I intend to visit, whether in or out of the Philippines.

     And, so I'll start with my most recent trip, my Taiwan adventure, in another post.  Till then!