To date I have traveled to South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines.
If you were inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir or by the movie starring Julia Roberts then you may be interested in this particular villa 4km outside of Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. For a very affordable price, you can rent the very villa where some of the movie, ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ was filmed.
What do you do when you’re in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language but you’ve decided that you absolutely need to get your hair cut? When this happened to me, it all came down to hand gestures and a driver’s license.
El Nido is a hotspot on what is arguably one of the most beautiful islands in the worlds. Stunning scenery and amazing beaches abound. But what exactly should you do when you get there? I’ve compiled some of the best things to do in El Nido to help you complete your Palawan bucket list.
El Nido, found on the northernmost tip of mainland Palawan in the Philippines is home to gorgeous islands, white-sand beaches, and lagoons. It’s the jewel in the crown of the island once voted most beautiful in the world. Whether you like snorkeling, boating, or beach bumming, this little town will make the perfect homebase during your visit. Traveling to El Nido for the first time? This detailed travel guide will make it easy for you to plan a trip, save money, and maximize your time.
Palawan is one of the most beautiful islands on Planet Earth and the beating tourism heart of the Philippine island is the region of El Nido, and for good reason. Crystal clear jade seas, towering limestone cliffs, and white power sand beaches are just part of the draw. Finding a place to lay your head in El Nido isn’t difficult. The difficult part is actually choosing which of the many El Nido accommodation options to go with. Whether you want to stay in town or on a private island, in a hostel dorm or in a luxury villa, there’s a place for you in El Nido.
When you think of Southeast Asia, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? White sand beaches? Elephants and tigers? Temples? You’re not alone. Most people think only of mainland SEA when thinking about the region but it actually a much larger area, including the Philippines. I spent two weeks in Bohol and Palawan last year and I was expecting those white sand beaches but what I wasn’t expecting were the similarities I kept finding between the Philippines and Nicaragua
I had a 36 hour travel day that on my way to the Philippines that included a 4 hour stopover in Singapore. Airports are usually drab and soul sucking experiences but in this case I actually wished I’d had longer to spend at Changi. So just how should you spend a layover in Singapore?
I would already be gone 21 days, but when I learned that I could make a second stopover on my flight to South Korea for just the cost of taxes I had to jump on it. Tokyo, here I come! I only had 2.5 days to explore the city and knowing that Tokyo is the largest metropolis in the world I wasn’t sure exactly how much I’d get to see. Turns out, a lot!
It’s the main reason why people endure that six hour bumpy, swervy, roller coaster of a shuttle ride to and from Puerto Princesa. Island hopping in El Nido in the Philippines. It’s a pure tropical island experience. So what do you need to know before you go?
The planning stage of a trip is almost half the fun for me. So when my friend and I decided to spend two weeks in the Philippines, I kicked into high gear. If research and spreadsheets aren’t your jam, I’ve shared my recommended two week itinerary for Palawan in the Philippines.
Twelve days in a warm and sunny tropical paradise without breaking the bank? Sign me up! Beyond the beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters of the Philippines, I’ll admit that the price of everything from accommodations to food was definitely an attraction for me. So how much did it cost to travel there?
After visiting places like Costa Rica and Nicaragua, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what I’d need for a two week trip around the tropical island of Palawan in the Philippines. Now that I’m back in Canada, I wanted to share with you what would make it into my backpack for a return trip to the island nation.
With a lot of cities I’ve been to the public transit usually isn’t too hard to figure out. It’s normally run by one company with a handful of lines, with a few exceptions. Not the case at all with Tokyo, Japan. It has one befitting the world’s largest metropolis. It’s massive, complicated and busy. I often say that the Tokyo subway map looks like someone just threw spaghetti at a wall and called it a day. I’m going to give you a quick ‘n dirty rundown of what you need to know to make your way around the city. Well, as quick as I can make it.
Ever since high school I’ve had an affection for turtles. So when I heard that there was a replica of a turtle ship in Yeosu, it didn’t matter that I didn’t know what a turtle ship was, I wanted to see it. What I’ve since learned is that turtle ships, also known as Geobukseon (거북선), were a large type of warship used by the Royal Korean Navy during the Joseon Dynasty from the early 15th century up until the 19th century.
Between 2012 and 2013 I spent a total of about 7 weeks in South Korea. I was introduced to many things like sweet potato lattes, cute cosmetics shops, and K-pop. The latter remains a guilty pleasure and now, thanks to Netflix, I have a new guilty pleasure… the Korean drama.
There’s nothing like a little nostalgia of the year gone by. I’ve always loved looking back at old photos and reliving the memories. It’s almost like you get to experience them all over again. I know I’ve already told you my top travel moments of 2013 but since I’m such a sucker for visuals I want to share some with you some photos that may not have made it to this site or Facebook.
This year felt like it was full of travel but when I got down to details I hadn’t visited a single new country. All the same I had lots of great new experiences. Just proves that it’s not all about ticking off countries on a list. This year seemed to be about basking in nature and also facing some fears.
Noraebang was one of those things that scared me about visiting South Korea. More so than any threats coming out of North Korea. Noraebang isn’t some adventure ride, scary looking food or any other traditional scary activity. It’s similar to karaoke boxes in Japan – you rent a private room, usually by the hour, and sing along with your friends to backing tracks. Sounds pretty tame right? For me it was intimidating because, you see, I don’t sing.
Every time I told Pierre that I wanted to visit a cat cafe when I was in South Korea he would tease me. I freely admit that I’m an unabashed cat lover. I have a big fluffy ginger cat at home that I miss every time I travel. We didn’t have much time in Seoul so it looked like I was going to miss my chance to visit a cafe again. Since Gunsan is a small city it was unlikely they’d have one. But lo and behold… what did a Google search turn up? A cat cafe just recently opened up in our fair city. There was much rejoicing.
I’ve been here in South Korea for a month now. Life is different but culture shock hasn’t been bad. It did, however, take me over a week to realize that there are no stop signs here at all. There are some other things I’ve noticed sooner, especially those that are so common you see them everywhere you go. Just like Canada has more Tim Horton’s than you can shake a stick at, South Korea has its own common sights.
For a fast, light meal in South Korea, gimbap (김밥) is one of my favourites. The word “gimbap” literally means “seaweed rice” – gim (김) being the dried pressed seaweed and bap (밥) being the word for rice. At first glance you might call it sushi but they’re very different aside from containing rice, being rolled in seaweed and sliced. Gimbap rice is usually seasoned with a little sesame oil rather than vinegar. Filler ingredients include veggies like cucumber, carrot, spinach and pickled radish. Imitation crab, tuna, ham, eggs or beef are popular protein options. The best things about gimbap other than being tasty is that there are a ton of varieties, it’s healthy and won’t break the bank. A basic roll from a street vendor will probably only set you back ￦1200-￦1500 ($1.07-$1.34) whereas tuna (chamchi) may cost ￦2500/roll ($2.24).
