Ms. Jhessy Wandering Free

What to do in Singapore in 5 hours?

There were no cheaper flights yet direct to Bali when we booked last year. Our option was to transit to Singapore, then Singapore to Manila. So on our way back home, we had the chance to revisit SG. Here's what we did.

After our arrival, we hurriedly went to a baggage storage and left our bags. We paid SGD 5 each. All terminals in Changi has that facility.

Then off we went to visit specific areas. Our first stop, Orchard. Of course! We went to Apple stores since my friend was hunting the Gosh bumper case for her 4S. Then we went window shopping to H&M. Yes, just window shopping. It's a weekend and almost all shopaholics were there. We didn't dare to try out and buy something since were we didn't have enough time. You know how girls shop right? Hours. And we only got minutes. Next time H&M, see you in Hongkong this July!

See the long queue over there?

I think we only burned an hour in Orchard (with the travel time from Changi). Second stop, Marina Bay Sands.

Well, not the hotel and casino, we just passed by to do photo sessions. What I really wanted to see is the Helix Bridge. Lols.

Well, also pass by and do photo sessions. Because our end and ultimate destination is, you know what?! It's Makansutra Gluttons Bay. Food baby! Haha

We just walked from Bayfront MRT, exit at The Shoppes Marina Bay Sands passing Helix Bridge going to Esplanade for Makansutra. And that's how we ended it, filling our tummy. Great itinerary right?

Here's the route we took from Changi Airport

Changi Airport - Somerset Station - Bayfront MRT Circle Line - Esplanade - Changi Airport

I just love how convenient and fast it is to travel in Singapore. How I wish we could have something like that in Manila.

We did some shopping at the airport as well since our flight was moved from 12:45AM to 1:30AM. I kind of enjoyed transiting, it's tiring but you get to hit 2 birds in one stone. Short Singapore stop but I have lots to say about that 9 hours layover.

What does the Air Asia In Flight Meal look like?

We pre-order our in-flight meal to save up and since our flight is at 6AM, we had not eaten breakfast yet. The food is okay. We were just surprised that the free water that comes with it is extra small.

How to get to Malapascua?

When I went to Malapascua last October 2012, the owner of the place we stayed sent me a very comprehensive guide how to get there. I am sharing it with you today. ^_^

How to go to Malapascua

Pickup Airport or Cebu City, Transfer via SPECIAL RIDE

Transfer with VAN (max 6 pers) Airport-Maya = php 3,000.00

Transfer with CAR (max 2 pers) Airport-Maya = php 2,500.00

Transfer with boat Maya-Malapascua php 1500.00

(Rates may vary - just an estimate)

Cheaper but more time consuming and not so comfortable is to use Public Bus and Boats:

Public BUS Transfer

Mactan International Airport is about 15 km from Cebu City, approximately 20 minutes by taxi.

From Mactan Airport a taxi to the North Bus Terminal takes approximately 25minutes, traffic depending. If you would rather take a metered taxi, which are more economical than the private ones waiting at the arrival gate, simply walk up the ramp to the departures area and hail a white street taxi, make sure they put the meter on. On reaching the bus terminal we recommend the bright yellow Ceres Bus Liner, non Aircon,php 163 per person. This company has fairly direct buses that leave for Maya, the jump off point for Malapascua Island, approximately every 30 minutes. Ceres Bus Liner does have air conditioned buses, price is php 170 per persons.

CERES Aircon Bus

CERES Aircon Bus

CEBU – MAYA via KAWIT:				MAYA via KAWIT – CEBU
Departure Arrival				Departure Arrival
5:00 AM 8:30 AM				6:00 AM 9:30 AM
7:00 AM 10:30 AM				7:00 AM 10:30 AM
9:00 AM 12:30 AM				9:20 AM 12:50 AM
11:00 AM 2:30 PM				11:00 AM 2:30 AM
3:00 PM 6:30 PM				1:00 PM 4:30 PM
5:00 PM 8:30 PM				3:00 PM 6:30 PM

all other CERES Busses (Maya via BAGAY) leave about every 30 minutes.

. Last Bus North Bus Terminal CEBU - MAYA: 11: 40 pm (23:40)

2. First Bus North Bus Terminal CEBU - MAYA: 1: 00 am (01:00)

3. Last Bus Pantalan MAYA-CEBU: 5:00 pm (17:00)

4. First Bus Pantalan MAYA-CEBU: 1:00 am (01:00)

The journey itself takes between 3 – 4 hours and costs Php 163 (Aircon 170) per person. The best time to travel is early in the morning as it tends to be cooler and there is less traffic on the roads. Be sure you always take the bus with the signboard “Maya Bagay”. The bus stops once, after about 1hour, outside of the city for a brief toilet and snack break and sometimes a second brief stop at Bogo City the largest town between Cebu and Maya.

Public BOAT Transfer

Once you arrive at Maya the bus will stop at the ‘pier’(Pantalan), where once again there will be some very friendly ‘porters’ awaiting to assist you with your bags. There is a small white ticket booth, where you can buy a ticket for the next Banka (outrigger boat) to Malapascua; the tickets cost Php 80per person. If it is a low tide the larger Banka’s cannot reach the pier so you will have to ride a “tunda” (small paddle boat) to the larger boat, this costs approximately Php 20 per person/bag. Expect for at least your feet to get wet – possibly more.

The boats leave about every 30 minutes although you can sometimes have a long wait while they wait to fill up with passengers. If there are not at least 10 passengers, no boat will go to Malapascua, so you have to order a SPECIAL RIDE for a price of 1200 php (night time 1500 php). The first boat is at 8:30AM and the last is at 5:00PM, although the schedule is set till 4:00PM. The boat trip takes around 45 minutes and drops you off at Logon, the barrio proper or ‘town’.

ARRIVAL
Because Malapascua has no really PORT or HARBOUR, the landing of Passenger boats are always on some beach. The Point of landing depends on the weather situation. Usually Arrival Malapascua is Bario LOGON, but if it is bad weather and strong waves and winds coming from westside, the Arrival will be changed to the South of Malapascua near COCOBANA Resort or even EASTSIDE PASIL village.

When you arrive in Malapascua then possible some CANVASSER will talk to you and want you to change your accommodation/reservation and bring you to other places than our place, cause they want to earn some COMMISSION from those canvassing Resorts. Don't let them bother you and just tell them you already have a place.

We stayed at Mike & Diose Beachcottage, AABANA Beach- and Watersport Resort" . Watch out for my blog entry about it. Thanks a lot for reading and stumbling on to my page. Happy travels!

Malapascua Island, Northern Cebu - October 2012

First Day in Bali

It was August 2012 when I got invited to a table top meeting with direct tour operators handling international tour packages. My business is barely a year old. I saw the Bali table and gave my business card. Had a little chat and told the owner, “Bali is on my bucket list, I want to go there”. He told me casually, “I can tour you around and you should do hotel inspection at the same time”.

That's us with our Bali partner tour operator

Air Asia BIG SALE came, booked a CRK-SIN-DPS-SIN ticket. Then SIN-MNL via Pal Express. My roundtrip airfare was around PhP 7,000.

April 17-21, Bali was crossed out from the bucket list. One down, many more to go. Lols. Two of my best girlfriends accompanied me. After a no sleep-road trip to catch our 6AM flight from Clark to Singapore, then a connecting flight to Ngurah Rai International Airport, we finally reached Bali with glee! That was a 15 hour ride-flight-wait before we got to our end destination.

We were greeted by Sutarja, our very nice and informative assigned tour guide in our 4 days stay in Bali. We were welcomed with frangipani welcome leis and a cold hand/face towel. We were ushered to our designated Suzuki APV ride and met with our kind driver, Wayan.

It was almost 4PM when we arrived and traffic jam almost everywhere. We were supposed to go to Uluwatu temple but there was an ongoing ceremony. A lot of the locals are headed to the temple to worship so we just turned around and went to do an ocular in Nusa Dua instead. Whew! One reason to go back to Bali.

Amaroosa Hotel - Site Inspection

We were already hungry when the clock struck 6PM. We are set to have dinner in jimbaran and watch the sunset. We got to Jimbaran Bay with my tall wedge on and Mary Ann’s heels. We had to go back to our van and change to comfy slippers. I think that’s when we missed the sunset. Or sunset was no longer there when we came. Oh well!

We didn't stay long enough at Jimbaran. We were all tired and just want to take a nice shower and sleep our head off. We got to our hotel, Grand Mega Resort around 8PM. The front desk welcomed us with a sweet tamarind drink which I really like. It was soothing.

I personally love this hotel. I love the color, the modern decor and it's nice bathroom. Wifi is complimentary and you got free bottled water too.

We all immediately fell asleep after taking our much needed shower. I tell you, we completed an 8 hour sleep. So that's how comfy the beds are in this hotel. Good job!

End of Day 1.

My BDJ February Box

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What can i say besides "Bongga"! I just came home from a 1 week rendezvous trip to Seoul-Busan-Osaka-Puerto Princesa when this sophisticated box was waiting for my return.

Gosh, even tired from all that travel, I was really in a hurry to open the box. Well, my recurring monthly subscription to BDJ Box is definitely worth it.

I got this list and descriptions from Ms. Tricia Gosingtian's blog

1) Shiseido White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum (Php 5650) - Diminish stubborn dark spots in 10 days. Advanced Shiseido Multi-Action Brightening System+ targets all types of hyper-pigmentation and their causes. Dark spots, age spots, acne scars and uneven skin tone begone! Best used with Shiseido White Lucent intensive brightening mask.

2) Shiseido White Lucent Intensive Brightening Mask, 6 sheets (Php 3200) - 10 minutes to brighten skin! This contoured facial mask slips on luxuriously to bring concentrated brightening and hydrating benefits to skin in ten minutes, tops! Reduces the appearance of dark spots for a flawless, even complexion. Best used with Shiseido White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum.

3) Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Resist24 Night Emulsion (Php 3250) - Achieve younger-looking skin overnight! Japanese women are known for taking extra care of their skin. Visibly reduce wrinkles and promote silky smooth skin with breakthrough wrinkle-triggering enzymes.

4) Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Resist24 Balancing Softener (Php 2400) - Soften and rehydrate! Shiseido’s Beauty Regimen’s best kept secret softens quickly and effectively replenishes moisture. As a comprehensive age-defying softener, it helps protect skin from UVA and UVB damage.

5) Gift cards - Free Shiseido Makeover (minimum of P2000 purchase), free Shiseido quick facial (minimum of P2000 purchase), 15% discount for purchases (at least P5000)

Along with this box is a bonus 5-Minute Touch-Up Kit from Nippon that includes lip brushes, lip gloss applicators, eyeliner brushes, mascara wand brushes, dual cotton tips and wedge sponges. Super convenient for girls on the go .

My November BDJ Box

My BDJ box arrived just after my Bohol trip. Just when I needed a beauty loot the most. My skin needs to be refreshed and renewed. I wonder what's inside.

I cannot wait to open it.

My eyes were all glowing when I opened it. Wah, BDJ Box just keeps getting better and better. Shiseido and Loccitane = LOVE!

I love every single one of them.

The arrival of these goodies came very timely. I need intensive care for my sunburned skin. And glad to say that after a few days, skin got lighter and lighter.

I also got another set of inspirational stickers. Yup, we make things beautiful. So let go of all the worries, feel and make life as beautiful as it should be! ^_^

Bohol Tarsier Encounter

When I first visited Bohol, my tarsier encounter was one of my trip highlights. It was a close encounter, so close that I even touched it amidst the big sign telling tourist not to. I was so ecstatic to see the cute nocturnal furry little creature with a big spaced out eyes. They also look like little gremlins to me.

But because of the threat of stress to these creatures (touching and camera flashing), the government moved them to what is called a Tarsier Conservation Area. It's a 6 hectare woodland area where all private tarsier display owners share this space to showcase tarsiers in a more protective and adaptive environment to tourists.

Aren't they cute?

Kazie enjoyed the whole tarsier tour even she can't really see them upclose. I think there were 15 or more tarsiers in the new sanctuary. Most of them are all asleep though, since they are nocturnal. So no big spaced out eyes the second time.

Bohol Countryside Tour: Loboc River Cruise

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I think it was a 20 minute ride from the Python sanctuary going to Loay Bridge, where the river cruise will start.

We were ushered by our driver to Riverwatch. They said Riverwatch Floating Resto has the best food, though only serves 1 round drink.

For Php400, you have a buffet of local delicacies from grilled fish, meat, seafood, fruits and desserts with a singer serenading guests throughout the cruise.

The "cruise" is up the river, then down again after it reaches the Busay Falls, with a stop on a local choir group which does a song & dance number.

I must say it was a pleasant experience. Though, I would appreciate more smiles from the rondalla group. They seemed so tired and bored already entertaining the tourists when we were there.

Good thing, there was tatay who danced so gracefully that my disappointment went away. He really entertained us all. Good job tatay!

Bohol Countryside Tour II: Prony, the python

After much appreciating architectural history, we proceeded to our next destination. I wasn't really planning on meeting Prony the Python face to face but can't help to scare my lil niece so off we went.

Just a little background, according to what I read in the internet, Prony is a female python caught in 1996. She was approximately 5 meters and 5 kilograms then but has grown to about 23 feet (7 meters) long and 300 kilograms with 30 inches body circumference and still growing.

Prony captured the media's attention when it was known that the owner fed her stray cats and dogs and only done during full moon. GMA 7 was able to document and film the feeding. It was a clear violation of the Animal Welfare Act. After such media hiatus, the caretakers stopped feeding cats and dogs. Prony is now being fed with pigs and goats once every month.

We missed Marimar's (Tour Guide at Prony's) introduction about Prony but we did catch her doing a little extravagant performance.

Fake smiles. Lols.

We're a little surprised that my niece was more scared of the eagle than the giant snake. Good thing, she enjoyed seeing other creatures like monkeys and owls in the area.

Bohol Countryside Tour 1: Blood Compact & Baclayon Church

Last Nov 29-Dec 1, 2012, I set my foot again in Bohol. It was a business mixed with leisure trip (or the other way around). My goal is to check the service of my tour operator and find budget hotel & resorts in the area.

Kudos to Zest Air for an on time flight. It didn't ruin our first day itinerary.

After arrival, we head out to start our 8 hour - 7 stops - bohol countryside tour. Our first stop was the Blood Compact Shrine. It is a main landmark of Bohol, aside from the Chocolate Hills. This is where the first treaty of friendship between Spaniards and Filipinos took place. It was a political event.

We didn't stay long. After 4-5 pictures, we head out to our next destination. The Baclayon Church.

I am not a catholic but I do appreciate old churches. So we went inside to take a peek. Good thing, there was no ongoing mass. So we had the church to ourselves that day. My niece carried a puzzled look when we came inside. Catholicism is unknown to her.

Proper dress code is expected when going inside the church. My sister and I had to wear sarongs to cover our arms and legs. No worries, cover ups are being provided at the church.