How I Traveled the World with 300 Baht and One Hour

Italy's The Colosseum

I never thought seeing famous landmarks around the world would only take an hour and would only cost 300 baht. Impossible? It’s possible in Mini Siam. Yes, you can feel like you’ve traveled the world when you visit this famous attraction in Pattaya.

Pattaya Floating Market Shopping Experience

One of the must-visit Pattaya attractions on our list was Pattaya Floating Market (originally known as Four Regions Floating Market). I’ve read a few articles about it and although it was said to be unauthentic, I didn’t mind because it would be our only chance to see a floating market. Damnoen Saduak may be authentic but will require us to travel to another province for the sole purpose of visiting the famed destination.

600 Acres of Fun at Nong Nooch Tropical Garden

The butterfly-themed garden at Nong Nooch Tropical Garden

I was a bit surprised that quite a number of Thai locals I had short conversations with told me that Nong Nooch Tropical Garden should be the first on our list of places to visit in Pattaya. Seriously? What’s in that garden anyway? I am not really a fan of botanical gardens, although I get fascinated with flowers sometimes, especially the rare-looking ones. Nevertheless, visiting Nong Nooch wasn’t on top of our list. Actually, it wasn’t even part of our itinerary! But with a little more persuasion from our song thaew driver, we finally agreed to check out the popular attraction. 

 

Pattaya City Travel Guide

Welcome to Pattaya!

If you’re planning a vacation in Bangkok, do consider saving a day or two for a Pattaya City tour. Approximately 140 kilometers southeast of the country’s capital, Pattaya is a bustling coastal city that’s pretty much like Bangkok, except for the absence of a train system and, you will like this one, heavy traffic. Hehe.

Authentic Thai Gastronomic Experience at Blue Elephant

Blue Elephant at the Thai Chine Building

During my first night (it’s my family’s second since they arrived a day earlier) in Bangkok, Mike treated us to a sumptuous dinner at Blue Elephant along South Sathorn Road. It was also during this night that we celebrated mom’s 57^th birthday.

Touchdown Thailand – 5 Days of Fun and a Lifetime of Memories

Chakri Maha Prasat Hall

I would like to share to you my unforgettable experiences in the Land of the Free, the culturally rich country of Thailand. I went there with my boss and colleagues to attend a conference and also with my family to celebrate mom’s birthday and to spend the remaining days of vacation together. 

Eastern Mindanao-Cebu 6 Days 5 Nights Itinerary and Expenses

I'm done with all my posts for the Eastern Mindanao-Cebu trip. Now here's the actual schedule of our 6 days-5 nights trip in Eastern Mindanao (Davao Oriental, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur) and Cebu:

Spending Two Hours in Talima Beach Villas and Dive Resort

With a little more than 2 hours to spare, my friend and I decided to spend our remaining time on a day trip. Our choices were Shalala Beach, Abalone Resort, and Talima Beach Resort. Shalala Beach is a public beach with no restaurant. And since my friend had already visited the place, we scrapped it out of our options. Abalone Resort, on the other hand, is a resort which looked good outside (we passed by it on the way to Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary). But since it is an inland resort, meaning there is no beach, we also eliminated it. So we were down to Talima Beach Resort. I’ve already seen the resort in the internet and it appealed to me. So Talima it was. From OIWS, a tricycle picked us up and drove us all the way to the resort for 120 pesos. There were some exaggeratedly bumpy parts going to the resort.

Bird Watching at Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary

On the way to the bird watching area.

Cebu has loads and loads of attractions to offer. I have visited the province five times already yet I still haven’t gone to many places, especially the far ones. I usually toured just around Cebu City and Mactan Island. During my 5^th visit to the province, I only had 7 hours to tour the province and at first I couldn’t imagine if I’d be able to visit at least one interesting place off the city.

Fortunately, my friend suggested a place outside the city that we could visit with our time available. It’s Olango Island, a small island 4 kilometers southeast of Mactan Island and is under the jurisdiction of Lapu-lapu City. The island is home to the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary (OIWS), a 1,030-hectare wetland where almost 100 species of migratory and resident birds can be found. This makes OIWS the area in the Philippines with the largest concentration of migratory birds with a total number of 48 species.

Exploring Bucas Grande Islands 4: Hidden Island Resort

Last on our list of places to visit in Bucas Grande was Hidden Island Resort. We did a quick stopover here after our boatman Kuya Kenny offered to drop us off while he fetched some fuel for his boat. 

Hidden Island Resort is a charming resort that is tucked in a cove somewhere in Brgy. Doña Helen. It caters to large middle to high income groups. They offer more rooms than Club Tara and their rates are much cheaper. The resort design is very simple yet stylish. The resort has a restaurant, meters and meters of foot bridges, aquariums, and offers transfers via boat and sea plane. 

Exploring Bucas Grande Islands 3: Club Tara Resort

In case you want to spend a night or two in Bucas Grande, there are actually a lot of accommodations you can choose from, ranging from budget rooms to high-end suites. If you feel like splurging on your trip, then head over to Club Tara Resort.

Exploring Bucas Grande Islands 2: Jellyfish Sanctuary

Jellyfish sans the sting

Our short tour at the jellyfish sanctuary was my favorite part of our Bucas Grande tour. You might ask what’s so special about the jellyfish swimming there. Well, just when everybody believes that every jellyfish stings, what is found here in Bucas Grande are thousands of stingless little organisms. It is a rare opportunity to encounter such creatures that are said to be found only here and in two other places in the world: Indonesia and Palau.