Something about Baguio Trip

At the beginning of this year, when the temperature in the Philippines is cooler than normal (around 20 degrees celsius), I invited a couple of high school friends to join me for a weekend getaway in our very own summer capital - Baguio City. This trip, which we would like to call "a series of fortunate events" is the first out-of-town trip (and hopefully not the last) of the SFs camerographers.



From the onset of our journey, it seemed like our luck is on our side, when strangers provided unsolicited assistance at the most unexpected place and time. There was this guy who gave us a "tip" on the next available bus to Baguio after he overheard us discussing that we had to wait five hours for the next available trip. There was this lady from the bus who graciously transferred to another seat so we are seated within the same row. We also met this nice man from Baguio who ushered us to the correct bus stop, when we are tired from walking all over the city. And of course, our galante friend was with us who is nice enough to carry our baggage and who kept on buying street foods for us.
We left Manila around 1am, and was able to reach our destination few minutes shy of 6am. We stayed in a studio unit at Europa condominium, which cost around Php 2000 pesos per night. The unit is fully furnished, and is good for four people.



While waiting for our room to be ready, we checked the nearby tourist attraction near the condominium - Mines view park, and Good Shepherd. There is also a small mini-museum near the park where we saw several cordillera made products.





Once we are settled in, we then proceeded our Baguio tour.



Flowers are in bloom everywhere we go



The next day, we went to Baguio Cathedral and before going home, dropped by at Trinidad strawberry farm.



Cost per person (pasalubong is excluded) :
Transportation (Manila-Baguio-Manila): Php 1335.00
Accommodation (Php 2000 shared by 3: Php 667.00
Daily expense (food, transpo, & others): Php 800.00
Total: Php 2802

Something about the Floating Market

My first two days in Bangkok consists mostly of meeting and discussions with my SEA counterparts.  On our last day (where most our flight back home will be at the afternoon), it was decided to have some sort of "team building" activity.. at the floating market.

Our bus picked us up at around 7:30 am.  I had to wake up very early to pack my suitcase and for the last day or our breakfast buffet.  It'll take us around 2 hours to reach our destination.

Our first stop is at a coco product seller. Most of their products are similar with what we have in Manila, but what caught my attention is the coconut flower (which I have never seen before).  The fresh coconut juice tasted different with what I am accustomed to.  I find it nutty, whereas the coco juice at home is milder and sweeter.

  

The market caught me by surprise. I thought that it will just be stalls near the river, but it is more than that. It was bustling with tourists, vendors, shoppers. It was amazing!

      

   

I am very fortunate to have been invited to this trip, but I can help but think that next time I visit Bangkok, it will be for leisure

Something about my First Business Trip

A lot of first happened during my Bangkok trip

It was the first time I travelled alone internationally via our country’s flagship airline (and it’s free)
It was the first time a chauffeur is waiting solely for me
It was my first ever business trip (and I’m hoping it won’t be the last)

I am known to have some sort of panic attack when flying.  It all started during my Kota Kinabalu trip, where I felt a sudden drop while still on air, and further magnified to the Iloilo trip, where I spent an hour without any peace of mind due to a bad weather condition. When I found out that it will take me around three hours to reach Thailand, you can just imagine the anxiety I felt.

I was surprised on how comfortable our flight is.  The on-flight movie, the food served, and the newness of the experience deviate my attention to be bothered by the slight turbulence during the flight.  Yes, I still have my “Our Father” moment, and yes, there was a time where I was still scared, but not as much as I thought I would.

I reached Thailand around 1pm, and there was a chauffeur waiting for me. When I reached the hotel, I met a Filipina (from my hometown) who has been working there for around two months. My room, is magnificent.  It is how I imagined my dream room would be.  It’s all white - the bed, the linen, the desk, everything.  I was really happy.

I spent the afternoon taking a stroll at Si Lom, which is the CBD of Thailand.  It is quite similar to Ayala in Philippines and I was surprise how prevalent 7-11 in the city.  I was aiming to buy my pasalubong on my first day, but since I am not thoroughly prepared in this trip and I was kind of scared roaming around a city that I am not familiar with at night time, I decided to go back to the hotel to relax and prepare for my big day the next day.

 

The next few days passed slowly, consists of meetings and discussions with my colleagues.  But of course, despite this trip is made primarily because of work it didn’t inhibit us to have fun a little (photos at floating market will be separately posted)