PinoyTravelr Blog

The First Philippine Pyro Musical competition will kick off in February 14, 2010 (Valentine’s Day). It will run until March 14, 2010 (held every Sunday) at the seafront of SM Mall of Asia. This event is organized by Platinum Fireworks, Inc., the first Philippine Fireworks Company that won international recognition. They are also the ones who are displaying fireworks shows in SM Mall of Asia. Read more…

For my second weekend city tour in Melbourne, I decided to start my itinerary by going to the Melbourne Zoo. My day didn’t really start out nice because I had to go back to my hotel twice because of the things I’ve forgotten (Oh, forgetful me). I got my tram ticket (I already bought a Sunday Saver ticket for unlimited rides all through out the day and it only costs AUD 3.10).  To go to the Melbourne Zoo, I had to ride Tram 55 at the Domain Interchange and the travel time was around 30 minutes.

I arrived in Melbourne Zoo at around 10:30 am. The sun was up and it was scorching hot that day. Good thing that I only wore shorts so that I’ll be comfortable. Entrance to the Melbourne Zoo costs AUD 24.90 for adults (around Php 1070 +). Children 4-15 years old costs AUD 12.10 (around Php 520+). Read more…

The black sand beaches located in Tiwi, Sto. Domingo and Bacacay are actually made up of volcanic sand. Since such black sand beaches (that are made up of volcanic sand) are rare, we decided to drop by in Panarayon Beach in Bacacay. Read more…

San Guillermo Parish Church is just one of the old churches in Pampanga that you should go to either you’re going there to have a Bisita Iglesia on Holy Week, attending a Misa de Gallo or if you’re just touring around Pampanga. Read more…

Lignon Hill (pronounced as Liñon or /li-NYON/) is located near Legazpi Airport. The hill stands at 156 meters (511 feet) tall and has best view of Mayon Volcano and the whole Albay. It is best to go there in the morning if you want to see Mayon Volcano without the clouds. When it’s in the afternoon, the clouds tend to cover the volcano. It is also good to go there during the late afternoons up to evenings so that you can see the sunset and the lights of Albay. Read more…

Busay Falls, situated deep inside Malilipot, Albay, is the favorite destination of local tourists during summer. Entrance fee is 10 pesos per head for adults and 5 pesos per head for kids. If you are bringing your vehicle with you, there’s a 50-peso parking fee. The driver of the van that we hired shouldered the parking fee. Read more…

Entrance to Hoyop-Hoyopan Cave

Hoyop-hoyopan cave is amongst the destinations that we’ve been to when we had a trip to Albay. You can either hire a tricycle from Legazpi City to take you there or you can hire a van with a driver for a day tour and just include Hoyop-Hoyopan cave in your itinerary. It is located in the town of Camalig, Albay. Read more…

Last week, we were able to witness a light and sound show at the Ayala Triangle Gardens which is located at the back of Makati Stock Exchange. The Ayala Triangle Gardens is a beautiful sight at night especially with the Christmas lights around the trees. It makes it a great place for taking a small break after a long day. Read more…

I had a weekend in Melbourne which became my time to go around the city. I planned my Melbourne itinerary the night before and carefully thought of my route. Going around Melbourne is not that hard because there are tourist information centres around and streets are mostly parallel.

I was lucky to have stayed in a hotel that is very easy to find. As mentioned in my previous blog post, I stayed at the Seasons Botanical Gardens in St. Kilda Road. The hotel was opposite the tram station so it was very easy for me to go to anywhere I want to.

Tree at the Royal Botanic Gardens Read more…

Second day in Melbourne and I am beginning to love this place. I’m in the southern part of Melbourne and the place is very quiet. Not too many people and cars. There are mostly cafes here in my area and they close at around 4 – 5 pm. I just walk going to work wearing my comfortable rubber shoes. It’s nice to walk in a breezy sunny day.

Aside from my colleagues in the office, all the people here are generally very kind and friendly. I also see a lot of Asians and Indians here. It feels so good and makes me feel comfortable being alone with so many friendly people I deal with here.

At night, with the view of the Royal Botanical Garden and the city on my window, I don’t really see a lot cars and people either. It’s not like in Manila wherein you can go to a cafe during the wee hours of the morning.

After work, I walked passed at my hotel and decided to stroll for a while before coming home. I turned left to Walk St. and then ended up in Dorcas St. I’m actually looking for something to take away for dinner. I saw a small grocer and bought a frozen roasted lamb which I can heat in my oven at my hotel room. I thought of strolling some more and saw some more grocers and small restaurants. I decided to buy a zaru soba (cold buckwheat noodles) from a Japanese restaurant in Bank St. called DonDon.

I could live here for a long time. Probably I’ll decide to migrate here in the future.