Adventure Accounting

This one was an easy choice. I wanted to have a nice comfy room to myself for a night in Ollantaytambo. Hostel Iskay was the top recommended hostel in Tripadvisor. I booked a double room via Booking.com for $47. They replied to my emails promptly. I emailed them quite a lot because I also booked my car & guide and the Machu Picchu ticket.     A pick-up from Cuzco airport costs $80 for the first 4 hours which includes a tour of the Pisac Ruins and PisacMarket . There is an additional charge of $10 per hour in excess (although they don’t implement this strictly). Still pricey, but I decided to go through with it as I wanted a safe and trusted driver and I didn’t want to haggle with drivers when I landed in the cold town of Cuzco. I really liked it that the hostel has a water refilling tank. You can reuse your water bottles, and avoid buying bottled water. The bottles become the trash of this quaint little town. Social responsibility, in a water ...

I am used to sleeping in hostels. I am used to paying for a cheap price for a place to sleep and shower . And wifi of couse. Along with food and shelter, wifi is now one of the basic needs (in Maslow's hierarchy of needs).  But I am not used to paying $50 for that. But I had a difficult time finding hostels at the $25-$30 with some decency (meaning cleanliness, safety and wifi). I chose USA Hostels Hollywood because of the raves I read from the ever-reliable Tripadvisor.  Reaching the hostel is easy. I just rode SuperShuttle from LAX and paid the driver $14. For $50 a night in a 6-bed ensuite dorm, it is just okay. Dorms and bathroom are kept clean. You have your own night light and 2 outlets so you can conveniently charge your own gadgets or read when everyone else is sleeping. 

Communication Language may be difficult at times, the tour guides can speak enough English to get you . Sign language / charades helps. Food in Cemoro Lawang Like I shared in a lot of my previous blog entries, I am not a foodie. I like eating, but I will not exert a lot of effort researching about a place’s unique cuisine. I was lucky I found this really nice eatery-type of restaurant in Cemoro Lawang. This is just a couple of meters away from my homestay. The prices are reasonable. And I love it that their menu is short. I feel that if a menu is long, it is more of a “customer-pleaser” than “sharing a cooking talent”. Also, less options makes me more decisive. I urge you try their drinks! I really really love susu jeruk (milk with orange), susu jahe (milk with ginger) and their teh (tea).   Tea with potato fries :) Their Indonesian hot soup is also amazing. Their mi goreng is really pansit . I like the instant mami version better. Buy ...

This hostel shows what customer service is all about! First of all, they treat you as a buddy-friend, and they are willing to answer all your questions. They answered my questions thoroughly and gave me plenty of suggestions.   I stayed in a 6-bed female dorm for two nights and a double room for my last night. The 6-bed dorm was spacious. Each bed had its own lamp, socket and a place to put random stuff on. The beds are really sturdy too! It does not creak and squeak as much. A super plus especially because I was assigned at the top bunk. The lockers are huge (bring your own lock) and the room has enough space to accommodate the luggage even if we are all in the room. The room looks really spartan but the bunks are very sturdy, and they are kept clean! The common bathrooms were well-maintained, spotless and never runs out of tissue paper. The bathroom had a hook where you can hang your things, although in my opinion, a couple of more hooks/hangers in the sh...

Most hostels in Barcelona are located around the busy and touristy La Rambla. I chose a hostel located a couple of blocks away from Sagrada Familia. I found Primavera Hostel from Booking.com and it offered a sweet deal for  €  22 euros a night (plus  €  0.72 city tax per person per night).  We got our luggage from our late flight in Barcelona and grabbed a taxi, since that was the only option that we had at midnight. I showed the taxi driver the address of the hostel. The taxi had this device and he just placed the coordinates of the hostel, and after a short ride, we arrived at Primavera Hostel. Cab with a GPS-enabled gadget Total taxi bill was  €31.10 for both of us. No additional luggage fee. Midnight, not a sound from the pavement I looked at the map. We were in the right building. BUT, BUT, we cannot find the sign "Primavera Hostel" from the doorbells. I started to doubt the existence of the hostel - uh oh. But I was too tired t...

I knew Prague would be a relatively cheap country. There were hostels that cost for only EUR €15-18/ night! Hostels in the Old Town cost around € 23-25 for a standard dorm bed. I went with the highest-rated review in Tripadvisor: Miss Sophie’s. We availed of the shuttle service recommended by Miss Sophies. The ride cost us CZK 550 for the both of us. Pricier than using an efficient public transportation system. But coming in a foreign country after a 21-hour flight, I can use some convenience. I have a travel buddy anyway.  We left our luggage while we waited for our rooms to be ready. You have to use your own lock. The baggage room They have a bathroom you can use if you wanna freshen up. After 23 hours, yes please! Miss Sophies is not located in the Old Town area, it is located in Melanouva 3. No worries, the efficient transportation system and the 72-hour pass will let you roam around without any hassle. Beerlicious!

Japanese culture is shown again and again in anime. Eggs in soups, sitting on the floor barefoot/with socks, the chime of the school bell, and the tatami rooms. I wanted to try staying in a tatami. I was willing to pay the price of JPY 8,000 to 10,000 even for just one night just to try it.  Luckily, I didn’t have to because I found a tatami-style dorm in Kyoto: Gojo Guesthouse . I was quite apprehensive about the place because the website was very basic, but functional - not a lot of frills and whatnots that I usually see in dorm websites. The review in Tripadvisor was overall positive so I decided give it a try. I emailed my request, and I just had no confirm my arrival weeks before my arrival date. Didn’t have to pay any downpayment. If you cancel/change your reservation on the day before arrival, they require 50% of total charge. If you cancel/change your reservation on the arrival day, they charge 100% of the room rate. Pretty reasonable. Don't miss the ...

Japan is so expensive! A common reaction when I tell people I've done Japan for 10 days - without going broke . Oh yeah. Japan is pricey alright. But there are ways to trim down costs. Wanna save on accommodation? Stay in hostels!!! Some would cringe at the thought of sharing a room with a bunch of strangers. I've done it before and I had a blast! The price of hostels in Japan is almost the same as the hostels in Europe. The difference in price will depend on the location and the type of hostel you want (boutique hostel or basic hostel?). But both will fall around the $30 range. If you find something cheaper, great! Khaosan Tokyo Kabuki I wanted to stay in a capsule hotel but most of the staff there do not speak English and most cater to men business travellers. So, no capsule hotel for now.  I read that the best place to stay in Tokyo is around Shinjuku or Tokyo area. These are near the popular tourist attractions, and a great place to just feel the...

Choosing our accommodation for the Bangkok leg of our Indochina adventure was confusing. There are a lot of budget options, and a lot of possible locations to choose from. The cheapest ones were in Khao San Road, the backpacker’s area, but it was not accessible via BTS/MRT. For our itinerary, it would be best to stay near a metro station. In the end, I just went ahead with a suggestion from an online forum. Yun na! Good reviews in Tripadvisor. Booked!         BTS Station: Sala Daeng MRT Station: Silom We had a bit of trouble locating the place. But well, we weren’t completely ourselves after that long journey from Siem Reap . Half of my wits were already being digested by my hungry intestines. The direction of the hostel is actually quite simple, if only I was patient and alert. Eventually, we found our “diamond in the rough” place for four nights. It is the only bright place in the vicinity I got the twin room for BHT 890 per nigh...

Staying in hostels is a really good option if you are traveling alone. I loved the freedom of solo travel at day. After everything, it is good to have a chat with a fellow travel enthusiast at night. Hostels are also reasonably priced and they have the basic facilities necessary for travel survival. It was quite an adjustment for me at first. I have my own room so I am used to having my own territory. From that, to sharing a room with a bunch of strangers for three weeks. I know it is a crazy idea for some people - sharing a room with strangers - but since I decided to do Europe alone on a budget , this is a practical option for me. Bunk beds Manners were taught since kindergarten but sometimes, some people forget the basic manners when they travel. There is an unspoken and unwritten (or sometimes written) rule about hosteling etiquette but don't expect that your roommates with adhere to them. The Problem The Fix Snoring roommates Mp3 pl...

Papaya Female Hostel is located a couple of blocks away from Termini Station. Is near Termini Station but it is not THAT near. You’ll have to spend 15 minutes walking. I almost got lost trying to find the hostel but having Pinoys all over the place, I wasn’t shy to ask for directions.  I was quite hesitant at first to book the hostel because they do not have their own website to book the hostels. You have to book via hostelbookers and pay a 10% deposit fee upon booking. I wanted to book with the hostel directly. However, not a lot of hostels can meet my criteria , so I just trusted to book using hostelbookers. Good thing everything worked out pretty well.  When I arrived in Rome past 3pm, there was no one in the reception when I arrived.  I had to go to the hotel across the street to look for a receptionist to show me around.  At €27 a night, I got a pretty good deal. Similar to Florence, Rome also had this tourist ta, which is paid in cash upon arri...

Florence is a great base if you want to explore the other cities of Italy. It served as my base for my Cinque Terre , San Gimignano and Siena daytrips. You can also visit Pisa and Lucca. I had a roommate who stayed in Florence for 6 days and she just town hopped everyday. I immediately liked Hostel Archi Rossi's website. The hostel is also near the train station of Florence - Santa Maria Novella. I didn't get lost trying to find the hostel. I liked how prompt the hostel was in answering my emails. I was this skeptical first time booker of a hostel so I wanted to make sure I understood everything. They patiently answered all my questions. I reserved directly using their website. Hostel's lobby

I used Hostelbookers to search for hostels in Amsterdam but booked through Stayokay’s website directly. The ratings are pretty high and there were plenty of good things mentioned in the comments. Stayokay has two other hostels in Amsterdam but I chose this one because of its “calm atmosphere”. There are plenty of other hostels but they are mostly party hostels  - which I didn’t want. I wasn’t really looking for a place to party and drink. The downside: you have to immediately pay for the full amount. I paid €49 for my two-night stay, that includes breakfast already. I think you should cancel a full month before your arrival date so you can get the whole amount refunded. I took the risk of booking without a visa yet since I didn’t want to search for other hostels anymore.