10 things you should know about The Philippines

1. No matter how online bloggers will tell you that it is PERFECTLY FINE for a female traveller to travel alone. Pls try not to! Something unhappy happened to me during a part of my travel. I would highly discourage female travellers to travel alone in The Philippines, especially for foreigners who are not familiar with the local language.

2. Chow King: Chow King is one of the most popular fast food restaurant in The Philippines, famous for serving affordable and tasty Chinese food such as Chao Fan (Fried Rice). Meals start from as low as 39Peso. I have to say that the food is pretty decent for Fast Food.

3. Goldilocks: Goldilocks is the major bakery in The Philippines. They are famous for the quality of their Polvoron, one of my favorite snack from The Philippines. It is a Spanish shortbread biscuit with a strong milk taste & crumbly texture!



Goldilocks Polvoron

4. Jeepney: Jeepneys are the most common form of transportation in The Philippines. They are usually used for longer distance travelling within a city. Before boarding a  jeepney, you need to take note of the route of the jeepney (i.e. Bontoc - Sagada). Be nice and move in to the very inner part of the jeepney. Usually the locals know how much to pay for their fare. But if you are unsure, ask the driver. Passengers at the end of the jeepney will usually ask you to help by passing on the fare to the driving and telling him the destination. Unlike buses with fixed stops, you can stop at anywhere along the route with a jeepney!!! Fares depend on distance travelled.

5. Tricycle: The tricycle or a motorbike with a small cabin-like space is the most popular form of transportation for short distances. I've seen up to 10 people on a single tricycle! They usually charge per pax, depending on the number of passengers & distance traveled. Try to bargain before you take a tricycle.

Tricycles at Banaue

6. ETC Television Channel: If you need a sense of sanity in a world of tagalog language, tune in to ETC  public television channel. They have a really good range of foreign series including Nikita, America's Next Top Model, Keeping up with the Kardashians etc.

7. Jolibee: Jolibee is one of the most popular local fast food restaurant company. They are pretty much like a combination between McDonald's & KFC. Set meals start from 89Pesos. However, international brands such as KFC & McDonald's are starting to invade The Philippines, giving Jolibee a run for the money.

8. Peso (Ps): meaning 'weight' in Spanish, is the official currency unit throughout The Philiipines. This is adapted from days of Spanish colonialism in The Philippines. However, do note that other countries such as Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Uruguay are also currently using this monetary unit.

9. Telecommunication providers: The 3 main telecommunication providers in The Philippines are SMART, GLOBE & SUN. I used SUN pre-paid card (starting from 29Peso) when I was there. All providers have fairly competitive prices.

10. Last but not least, The Philippines is a very beautiful country yet to be discovered by the rustic traveler.

I'm in love with you!

Mercedes Benz G-Class, I'm in love with you! Period.... ;)

Sleepless with ipad

Either my ipad is keeping me sleepless or I'm keeping my ipad awake. I think its the earlier 'cos my eyes are dry, nose is runny, head is spinning and yet I cant stop tapping on the Safari button!

Was checking out Reebonz app and saw this darling that is still available at SG$1,595.

Bottega Veneta Black Intrecciato Ayers Stretch Knot Clutch

Dear fairy godmother/sugar daddy/santa claus, can I get one of these for my birthday???

Xxx

Von

Last Day :(

It’s my last day today in The Philippines with Merla and the family. I feel a tinge of sadness leaving. Merla has always been able to crack me up with crazy actions and random comments, as it was 15 years ago. 

Outing to SM Mall

Some picture time with Jumong before we head out to SM Mall to get some Goldilocks and groceries.

Mong & I

Rain, Rain Go Away

Was walking back home from the internet shop but it was raining! As usual, the street gets flooded. My havaianas wading in the water!

Pandesal!!!

This is officially my favourite bread in the whole world! Pandesal is a local bread, its heavenly when eaten hot! It has a slight tense of saltiness from the butter, but at the same time, it tastes sweet with some crunch from the top crust! I’m literally salivating as I’m writing this post. I could easily pop 10 pieces of these little adorable buns in 10 minutes... No kidding. 

Adapted from Wikipedia: 

pan de sal is the most popular yeast-raised bread in the Philippines. Individual loaves are shaped like garrison caps due to its unique method of forming. The dough is rolled into long logs (baston) that are rolled in fine bread crumbs before being cut into individual portions with a dull dough cutter and then allowed to rise and baked on sheet pans. Its taste and texture closely resemble those of the very popular rolls of Puerto Rico called Pan de Agua and Mexico’s most popular type of bread Bolillos. These breads all use a lean type of dough and follow similar techniques that were learned from Spanish or Spanish-trained bakers early in their history. As in most commercially produced food items, they vary in quality to meet taste requirements and economic standards of various communities.

Pandesal



Half eaten Pandesal by me!