We didn't plan an itinerary for the day since we booked a tour via KKDAY. It's a hit and miss tour. We love that you'll have a bus going to places like Yehliu Geopark, Shifen and Jiufen. But this tour has a very tight itinerary, you can't really explore those places. When we initially booked it, it says Shifen Waterfall is included. But on the day of the tour, the guide says we cannot go because of traffic. That's not what we really expected. Of all my days vacationing in Taiwan - I can say that this day is my least favorite one. It's a time wasted day. I think we would have enjoyed, if we explored more of Jiufen - and just missed the other two. We didn't enjoy our time there anyways - one because of too many crowd, two - very tight itinerary. Bummer!

8:45AM - Call time at Taipei Main Station
We left the station around 9:10AM

10:00AM - Arrival at Yehliu Geopark

 11:00AM - We're back in the bus, and enroute Shifen Old Street

12:05NN - Arrival at Shifen Old Street
We were given 1 hr and 30 minutes to explore the area. I have done sky lantern activity 2 years ago and did it again for my friend who's a first timer in Taiwan. It's one activity I am most guilty about, knowing those pretty lanterns are one of those trash in the nearby mountains. ;(

 2:00PM - Arrival at Jiufen Old Street
After arriving at the bus parking area, we road the town's shuttle bus up Jiufen Old Street, we paid NT$30 for the roundtrip fare. We arrived at the old street around 2:15PM and was given 2 hours to explore.

 

Around 5:30PM, we were already back at Taipei Main Station

Read More »

Day 1:
10:00AM: Arrival at Terminal 1 Taoyuan International Airport
11:00AM: Out of immigration
11:30AM: Money Exchange / Pocket Wifi rental / Airport Metro Ticket
01:30PM: Hostel Check in / Rest / Late lunch

2:25PM
First Stop: 7-Eleven for Easy Card. The card just cost NT$100, and we asked the lady to put NT$200 in it.

3:15PM
Second stop: Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall
We walked a few blocks from our hostel and took a bus to Chiang Kai Shek. It took probably less than 15 minutes travel time.

4:45PM

Third stop: Taipei 101
We meant to hike up Elephant Mountain but due to the heavy rains, we took a detour and made a stop at Taipei 101 instead. It's a 20 minute travel time from Dongmen Station to Taipei 101 Station. It was already pouring hard when we got off the station. We decided to just explore the mall and the nearby shopping areas to kill time, waiting for the rain to stop. We have no plans to get up the observatory anyways.

8:15PM

Last stop: Ximending
Glad the rain stopped. Finally! And we enjoyed our night out at Ximending. Tired as we were, we walked blocked by blocked and enjoyed the vibrant night life of the area. Also eating and drinking milk tea's as expected.

Read More »

Flying from Clark Airport is now easier, thanks to Genesis Transport's Point-to-Point Bus service
Check their schedule below

Read More »

It has been more than 8 months since my last useful travel blog post. And I surely like to make your time worthwhile with this "after hiatus" entry.

Last June, I got an awesome opportunity to visit Israel, The Holy Land. As for any travel agent, internet connection is a must in our every out of the country trips. I swore to myself I would never use Globe's postpaid roaming services again (after a series of ridiculous charges last 2015). So whenever I'm out of the country, I would either rent a pocket wifi at my country destination, or buy a local sim.

I was on a familiarization trip in Israel, and our itinerary is super packed. So to not be a cause of delay, I opted to rent a pocket wifi from here. That's where Smart World Travel Wifi enters.

Booking the smart travel wifi is easy peasy. You just have to fill in info on their website, pay for it via credit card at checkout, verify your order via email and you're all set. What's good about it, is a courier will deliver/pick up the item for free if you reside in Metro Manila. The device will be delivered 1-2 days before your indicated trip departure. You must present a valid id and present it to the courier upon delivery. That's it, you're ready to go.

What's not so good about it is that, you are required to pay a PHP 4,000 refundable deposit too. So in my case, since I rented it for 7 days, my credit card was charged 7,567.46 (including a Debit Card /Credit Card Transaction Fee: Php 137.46). That's 490 x 7, + 4,000.

Unlike with my previous experience in renting pocket wifi abroad. (I've used pocket wifi rental in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan). A refundable deposit is not directly charge to your credit card. It's only a floating amount. You will only be charged for it if you do not return the device. So your card will only get charged for the days you will rent the pocket wifi.

And that's where Smart not being transparent in their FAQ's section. You'll have the assumption that the credit is somehow quick.

They say that they will credit back the deposit once receipt of the device in good condition. 5-7 working days to credit should be sufficient. From my experience, they credited back the amount after 3 weeks.

Overall, I can say that it is still reliable. The signal though is still dependent on each countries partner telecom company. But in Israel, the Smart Travel Wifi got better signal and connection compared to our bus' wifi and even with the hotel's. I just hope that they include partnership with Jordan and Egypt soon, since most Holy Land Pilgrimage tours include these countries.

Smart Travel Wifi is in partnership with Sky Roam. The only difference is that Smart Travel Wifi provides free pick up and delivery, while with Sky Roam you'll pay Php 150 for courier service.

Overall, I am satisfied with Smart Travel Wifi. I just think that the refundable deposit should not be charged to the card right away, it should just be a floating amount.

But nonetheless, it made my trip to Israel a memorable and productive one. I was able to be instantly connected to my loved ones, clients, colleagues and my staff in the Philippines.

Read More »

View this email in your browser

PANDA HOTEL promotion Booking Period: until August 31, 2017 only Travel Date: December 16-18, 2017 Minimum 3 persons to avail (Triple Sharing only) HURRY!!! While rooms and airline seats last. Avail of our ALL IN HONG KONG TOUR PACKAGE. We require only 50% Deposit to secure the rooms. 50% balance payable on or before November 15, 2017.

INCLUSIONS: o Roundtrip Airfare via Cebu Pacific MNL-HKG-MNL with 7kg.hand carry allowance only Flight details: MNL-HKG 5J 110 07:10-09:25 HKG-MNL 5J 115 21:00-23:00 o Two (2) nights hotel accommodation at PANDA HOTEL 1 Room (Triple Sharing) o Roundtrip airport and hotel transfers VIA seat-in-coach basis o Daily outside breakfast o Compulsory Hong Kong Halfday city Tour o Choice of Shenzhen / Ocean Park Tour / Disneyland or Macau Day Tour Exclusions: o Travel Tax of PHP 1,620 collect in Manila o 15 kg. checked in baggage PHP 1,100 o Compulsory tipping USD7/pax for guide/driver NOTE: Seat in coach service Airport to Hotel: 9:30AM-11PM Seat in coach service Hotel to Airport: 6:30AM-9:30PM Itinerary: DAY 1 -Arrival Hong Kong, meet and transfer to hotel. Free time. DAY 2 -Breakfast outside hotel Hong Kong city tour - Visit Harbourfront promenade , Jewelry factory and souvenir outlet, Aberdeen Fishing Village pass by mid-levels of Victoria Peak (Sampan ride is Optional). Proceed to - Choice of Shenzhen / Ocean Park Tour / Disneyland or Macau Day Tour DAY 3 -Breakfast outside hotel, Free time until transfer to airport. For Inquiry: Wanderstruck Travel & Tours Office Address: Unit 2 #18 21st. Ave. Cubao Quezon City Philippines 1109 Telefax (63.2) 4220785 / 9752331 / 9111735 Mobile 0917 854 3779 / 0917 820 8549 / 0923 533 2899 Email: reservations@wander-struck.com /wanderstrucktraveltours@gmail.com Explore Your Trip List Copyright © 2017 Wanderstruck Travel & Tours, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Read More »