... Two less lonely people in the world

Just go with the FLOW!

2011-09-19T02:25:00.000-07:00

Hello dear blogettes. Long time no… Blog? LOL

Well we have been pretty busy with our 9-5 lives a.k.a Work sothat’s why we have neglected this page for a while. And besides we didn’t doany travelling or wandering around as of late so nothing to post in there. Butwe did recently go to an amazing place especially for those bookworms outthere. It’s called the Flow. I’m sure most HK’ers has heard of it, if not, itis a shop full of books… 2^nd hand books that is. But nonethelessthey are still worth visiting.

Most of the books despite being previously owned are well kept andvery readable. Once you visit this place, Dymocks and PageOne will look like abig scam. I know they aren’t but in Flow you get to buy books for $20(HKD) andup! Actually you can get the Comics at $8 a piece, couldn't get any more awesome than that!

So the price and the books are the upside. The downer is thatbecause of the many many MANY books in the shop it sort of crammed up into onevery little space and having more than 5 people inside is a big stretch. Sosorry for claustrophobic people this may frighten you. But if this doesn’tbother you, like us, then please take time to visit.

Aside from books they also sell DVDs mostly of the TV series. However, we do suggest that you bring a list of book titles or authors you wanted to checkout or buy because like we said the place is pretty crowded, with book, and although majority of them are arranged alphabetically the new ones are somewhat scattered all over the place so be sure to have a little note of what you are looking for because that is what failed to do!

Anyway, to end this post, check out our pictures. It’s not much because webarely talked yet alone take pictures inside the shop.

Whoop! There it is!

BTW, Shop is open every day at 12:00pm and closes at 7pm. :)

Books bought and spent:

Bex

Chicken soup for the Christian Family: $55.00 [Looks Brand New]

Super Hero Comics (for little brother Andrew): $155 [$8 for each]

Total: $210

Jcel

Eat Pray Love: $ 22 (with plastic cover, how awesome!)

The Alchemist: $ 78

Cirque du Freak series, Book 1-3: $ 20 each

The Uglies: $ 38

Sydney Sheldon (2 books): $29 each

Thank you for the memories: $ 38
There's no place like here: $39
Total: $333

Till our next Adventure,
Ann & Jcel

Chi Lin Nunnery

2011-06-16T01:24:00.000-07:00

30 mins experience but a memory of a lifetime...

Connecting to Nan Lian Garden is the Chi Lin Nunnery. But don’t be fooled by the name, this place has seriously blown us away! There is a part of the nunnery, the Lotus Pond, where it’s literally like a movie set! We cannot believe our eyes when we entered, feels surreal that a place like this actually exists. Quite sad to know that we’ve passed by this place a hundred times but have never given it the slightest glance.

We were supposed to visit this place when we went to the Nan Lian Garden but the bad weather forbid us to do so therefore we made plans to drop by the nunnery after work. As soon as you enter you will be greeted by… guess what. Big bright greenery! But if you walk further along you will see a big temple entrance. We were quite intimidated to go in at first because it looks somewhat creepy but still went ahead. And the only thing that came out of our mouths was “WOW!” It’s like one of the back drops you only see in the movies! We were totally gobsmacked by the ginormous temple and the ponds.

Its probably best to visit this when you go to Nan Lian because you don’t need a whole day for this place. In fact it only took us 30 mins. But we did enjoy it. You don’t get see places like these very often or maybe ever. Either way, we were thankful to have visited such a place, it’s forever locked in our memory. J

Details:

Place: Chi Lin Nunnery

Location: Diamond Hill

How to get there: There’s a bridge connecting to the Nan Lian Garden

Admission fee: FREE!

*Click the picture to enlarge*

P.S No Jump Picture for this because this place didn't allow us to. They were pretty strict with guards in every corner. I mean, it is a NUNNERY! But we manage to video it so Yay!

Til next time...

One Picturesque Day! [Nan Liang Garden]

2011-06-14T01:40:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong is known for many things but beautiful scenery is not one of them. Sadly not many people bother to try and explore the other hidden attractions in Hong Kong. But fear not because we will help you. Our first stop, Nan Liang Garden!

Nan Liang Garden is located in Diamond Hill near the Hollywood Plaza. It is extremely accessible which is a bit shocking why there aren’t a lot of people going there. I understand gardens might not be your thing but it is definitely worth to check out. It is perfect for an easy stroll and getting-out-of-the-city-buzz kind of thing.

The garden is not your typical trees and grass, as soon as you enter you’d feel like you’ve gone back to the ancient times. They even have mini museums inside! But the first thing we noticed is how clean the place is. So clean you can actually rest on the floor!

We really can’t stress enough how nice and wonderful it is to have discovered a place like this in Hong Kong. We had a great time walking and taking pictures of all the bright greens and clear water around us the only down side was that it rained a few times during our trip. Guess the best way to end this post is to present you the visuals.

Please do check the place out and guaranteed you’ll enjoy, especially for the photogs out there.

Details

Location: Nan Liang Garden

How to get there: Take MTR, Diamond Hill Exit A

Admission fee: FREE! (Some Museums inside requires an entrance free $10 for child and $20 for adult)

A Rock Museum apparently.

Ahhhh our Successful jump!

We'll try to have a "Jump Picture" in all our outings from now on. But my god! you have no idea how many takes it took us to finally get it right. As evidence, here are some of the pictures in the Epic Fail Category.

'Til our next adventure... Bye! :)

Macau ~ Impulsive Getaway ~ 15-16 April 2011

2011-05-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there were two friends who thoughtlessly jumped in a ferry to Macau… the end. (Kidding!)

We have always talked about going to Macau but sadly there was always something that hinders us from pushing through. However last April we just went for it. It was so impromptu that we didn’t have any extra clothes or a place to stay in – Bex is to blame! We were working late that night and realized we didn’t have to work the next day…

Jcel: “Let’s go to Macau!”

Bex: (without thinking) “Okay, let’s! Tonight!”

… and so we went. We were both so giddy with excitement and adrenaline rush that we didn’t really care what was going to happen or whether we have any place to stay in. It was only half way to Macau where Jcel started panicking. She had this inkling feeling that the hotels won’t take us in this late. But Bex kept saying it all part of this “impulsive adventure” we were about to embark so she went along with it.

Day 1 (or Night because we got there around 9pm)

First stop – Lisboa. Checked to see if they have rooms but said that they are fully booked. Boo! – BTW, Jcel was creeped out on how their reception area was filled with Dragon statues… actually; they were more like gargoyles ready to attack you. There were ancient vases and other antiques plus the ceiling was painted in GOLD! It was not a good sight.
Then we tried Metropolitan, Sands and Holiday Inn – all rejected us. –
As we were walking, thinking what to do, we came across a travel agency, so we decided to go in to ask for help but as we enter, we noticed that there was nobody there and so we started taking hotel pamphlets. Then an old man suddenly arrived and we asked him if he could help us get a hotel for the night but he just ignored us. For the second time, we approached him again and asked him for a hotel. He then looked at us (In a creepy way BTW) and ignored us again. FREAK! Lol and so we decided to leave.
After what seems like eternity of walking around, we had an idea to call every hotel on the pamphlets we took from the agency, after 2 rejections, we called up The Landmark Hotel and what a blessing it was, finally they took us in. Thank God, it was already 11pm and we were almost considering sleeping in the park that night, honest!
As soon as we got to our room, first thing we did was order room service. We were starving! It tasted good at first but as we were getting full we started dissing the food one by one. Probably rank it at 5/10.
At around 1am we went out and played a few slot machines and so we did. We went to the elevator, pressed the floor to the casino and it opened up to this gianormous Pharaoh! Jcel had to be literally pulled out of the elevator! In the end, she got out and managed to take pictures with the huge Pharaoh. Bex got lucky with the slot machines and left with a bucket of coins! Jcel lost, pfft!
After the casino, we went to The Cave bar and had a few drinks and THEN we called it a day.

Day 2

We forced ourselves to wake up at 9am because we have complimentary breakfast and didn’t want to miss it. We were the only person in the restaurant actually. Guess people in Macau sleep for breakfast, LOL. The food was great and we had an amazing view (a completely dead quiet Macau). After eating we went back to our room and continued our sleep.
As soon as the sun was shining we started to get ready for our long day. But first thing’s first, LUNCH!
We went to Hard Rock Hotel and had buffet lunch at The Wave. (Too many stories at this part of our trip which we agreed not to get into it. LOL)

Then, we went to get tickets for The House of Dancing Water and Zaia. 2 words: BOTH AMAZING! We didn’t want to spoil any surprises so we won’t tell the details. It’s the kind of shows you’ll need to see for yourselves. But we can promise that you’ll enjoy.
After the shows, we had dinner in Café Deco and off we went to go back to HK. We were extremely exhausted and slept off the whole trip back.
Got home at 2am.

Wow that felt short when we break it down like that. We actually thought we’d have a novella-like post about this trip. Oh well… albeit the super quick and kind of rushed trip it was extremely fun and memorable to both of us.

P.S

We try to make this blog as informative as possible for your future travel references, please see below. (Prices in HKD)

Location: Macau

Ferry: $360 each (roundtrip)

Accomodation: The Landmark Hotel (Approx. $2000)

Zaia: $580 each (varies depending on seats)

The House of Dancing Water: $380 each (varies depending on seats)

The Wave (Hardrock lunch buffet): $300 each

Café Deco: $ 200 each (approx.)

Tagaytay, Philippines March 2011

2011-05-19T03:42:00.000-07:00

March 25th, 2011

My visit to Tagay-tay was short lived as I was just there over night. My friend Edsel was kind enough to accompany me there. It took us around 2 hours (less the hours we spent in Cavite - I need not to mention). We stayed in a budget hotel [ 5R Hotel ]. It was Php1200 per room, but Edsel used his charm and made a deal for 2 rooms for just Php2000. Coolio! :)

On our way to tagaytay...Listening to "It Must have been love, but it's over now!" lol

We had dinner at one of the restaurants there... I can't exactly remember the name of the restaurant... so, I'll get back on that one. The night was cold, and was way too windy. Compare to Baguio, Tagaytay was colder that day.

March 26, 2011

Ooppss! the date in my camera is wrong it should be 26th March, 2011 :)

In the morning, it was still windy. I could hear the morning breeze, the trees swaying from left to right. lol Anyhow, we had our breakfast at Leslie's Seafood restaurant.

Sinigang na tanigue for breakfast @ leslie's

The view was tres amazing! I would advice you guys if ever you decide to go there, do not forget to bring your camera. The view from there is a must see ...it was Amaze-balls! See pictures below! :)

After breakfast I met up with my friends. Had lunch, went to People's Park. Took pictures!

Lunch, was fantastico! We ate at a budget restaurant near the circle, you can actually bring your own food but there's a corkage fee of Php50 per dish. Look at those food. Yuummmy! Just by looking at them right now, makes me hungry. -- aww! my tummy's growling! :)

Frankly speaking, I was a little disappointed, as there aren't anything much to do there unlike Baguio.If you plan to actually visit Taal Volcano, some hotel offers tour packages which basically includes almost everything, the boat ride, horse ride , guide etc for more less Php2000. Too bad, my time there was limited as I was scheduled to return back to HK the next day. :(

So,there we go...the summary of my trip in Tagaytay. If I were to choose Baguio or Tagaytay ... I'd say Baguio.

Till Next time! :)
Bex

BAGUIO 2011

2011-05-19T01:06:00.000-07:00

My visit to Baguio was a start for me to pursue what I love doing most which is to TRAVEL. I was excited but at the same time I was also nervous, as it was my first time to travel by my self and the thought of the long ride to Baguio which took around 6 to 7 hours was scary for me. It sure made my tush numb! I Left Manila at around 10:00am and arrived in Baguio at around 5:30pm. Here are some pictures I took while I was on the bus on my way to the "City of Pines" using my Mobile Phone, so forgive me for the so-so quality.

The view was magnificent. I was amazed how wonderful the view was.

I stayed in "Philippine Baptist Theological School", also known as PBTS. . I stayed in one of their Guest houses in Unit 2 with 4 beds, a toilet and a fridge. The room was clean but I was kind of creeped out as I was the only one in the room WITH 4 beds!! But for ₱300 a night? Not too shabby! I originally wanted to book their “Vacation Cottages” but as it was a peak season at that time; their best rooms were fully booked. So I would suggest booking ahead of time, a month or so, if ever you decide to stay there.

Day 1 [March 21, 2011]

Itinerary for Day 1

- SM Baguio

- Café by the Ruins

I made sure I was going to enjoy my stay in Baguio, even if it meant going to places alone. I took a taxi going to SM, there was a little traffic near Burnham Park but aside from that all went well. Taxi was cheap, cost me a little less than ₱100. In the afternoon, Genesis, our pastor’s brother In Hong Kong, was kind enough to meet with me. Here are the summary pictures of my day 1.

My First day was basically shopping at SM. These pictures was taken from the balcony on the 2/F.

Cafe by the Ruins - is a place to be if you want to get out of the hassle bustle of the City. Forget Starbucks, there's just too many people there. Cafe by the ruins is where you can really chill out and read a book. :)

Day 2: [March 22, 2011]

Itinerary:

- Carnival [Near Burnham Park]

- Lunch [at Gerry's Grill (SM MALL)]

- Shopping

- Movie [Red Riding Hood (SM mall)]

My 2nd day in Baguio was a a little interesting than my first day. As Genesis and I went to the Carnival where we played Table Tennis. It was ₱100 an hour plus ₱50 deposit. I was exhausted after the game - I was literally gasping for air and I was seeing stars too! lol After the game, we decided to have lunch at Gerry's Grill which is located inside SM. I must have been so tired I didn't think of taking a single picture of that place. Later that day, we went to see a movie.

Carnival - SM View - Movie Theater

Day 3: [March 23, 2011]

Itinerary:

- The Mansion

- Wright Park

- Mines View Park

- Tam-awan Village

- Strawberry Field

- Movie again :)

My 3rd day was the most amazing day of my stay in Baguio. As you can see below, I visited so many places in just 1 day - I was on fire with my Tour Guide by my side [Genesis] :)

First stop ... The Mansion House. It was built in 1907 as the official summer residence at the instance of William Cameron Forbes to serve as the residence of U.S. Governors-General. Since then, it has served as the holiday home and working office for each President of the Philippines during his or her visits to Baguio. The main gate of The Mansion is said to be a replica of one of the main gates at Buckingham Palace, London. Coolio! :) [Info from Wiki]

Second Stop ... Horse Back Riding. At Wright Park, you have plenty of horses to choose from. There are white horses, black horses, brown horses, ponies and big horses and of course... pink horses as well. If you love horseback riding, wright park is a place to be for only ₱300. [Some places like Tagaytay also offers horseback riding]

Third Stop ... Mines View. Truly amazing… simply unforgettable. Baguio is well known for it's magnificent view and if it's view you're looking for, it is the place to be. I will not have to say more of it. Just take a look at the pictures below and you'll see what I mean. :) I get to wear an Igurot costume for just ₱10. And you can take as many pictures as you want ... with your own camera of course. ₱20 if you want to take pictures with the infamous dog named Yodi. We had lunch at one of the restaurants there at mines view ... see pictures of foods below. The Bulalo was HUGE and it cost around ₱300... However, I wouldn't say it was the best Bulalo I've tasted so far but it was good enough cause I don't get to eat Bulalo in Hong Kong. So thumbs up for that one. :)

Fourth Stop ... Tam-Awan Village is a model Cordillera village. The village consists of authentic Ifugao and Kalinga huts on hilly terrain. Located in Pinsao Proper and it's just a few minutes away from PBTS from where I stayed. Genesis and I went up the Hillyterrain,

I was sweating a bucket of sweat! lol but it was exciting. I loved it! But wear comfortable shoes when you go there. The entrance fee is cheap so you don't have to worry.

Fifth Stop ...Strawberry Fields in La Trinidad Benguet which is a few minutes away from Baguio City. It was tremendously awesome! Mr sunshine was up and shining...but all in all... I had so much fun with Kuya Gene picking strawberries. A wonderful experience to pick them right from the field they're planted. It was like farmville. (lol) We paid Php150 for 1 kilo of strawberries. Though the price was more expensive than buying them from the stalls just outside the fields, the experience was worth my Php150. :)

All that for 1 day. Phew! But it was great! I had a blast going around Baguio. Of course, It wasn't over yet, we went back to SM had dinner and watched a movie. :) How's that for my 3rd day in Baguio. :)

Day 4: [March 24, 2011]
Itinerary:
- Asin, Baguio [ Hot Spring ]

On my 4th day in Baguio, We went to a place called "Asin" Hot Spring Resort"... It's located in a barangay in Tuba Benguet, around 30mins from Baguio. The waters in the pool is said to have therapeutic effects.

Just one thing though, the transportations going in and out of that place are very limited, so I would suggest staying there overnight to really enjoy the scenery and the pool, otherwise you just have to leave that place as early as 4:30pm to get a ride back to town.

And so, my time in Baguio has come to an end. It was a wonderful experience and an unforgettable one. I would like to thank personally Kuya Genesis for showing me around. Baguio is simply beautiful!! I would definitely encourage you guys to visit Baguio if you have not been there. Make sure you visit every bit of the place, it's worth it!

Cheers!

Bex