Adventure Accounting

South America is a huge continent, with countries differing in their terrain. With all the variety that the continent offers, choosing which countries to visit can be daunting. Matt Harding dancing in the Salt Flats convinced me to choose Bolivia.  Matt Harding of Wheretheheallismatt Salar de Uyuni  is the world’s largest salt flat. The Salt Flats. Uyuni, Bolivia. That is not best photo to capture the magnificence of the Salt Flats. Magnificent is an understatement to begin with. I wasted a couple of minutes trying to select what photo to put in here.  Getting to Uyuni is not easy. Getting to Bolivia is already a challenge , from where I live. While there is an overnight bus from La Paz to Uyuni (which is is only around $30), I was scared of bus robbery, and I was a female travelling alone. I bought expensive tickets from La Paz to Uyuni airport via Amaszonas for BOB 2,272 (approximately $330). As far as I know, this is the only airline that ...

It was a great idea to travel from the US going to South America. But it slipped my mind that US lies on top of the equator, and South America is at the bottom. Summer in the north, and winter in the South. That’s why I had difficulty packing for this trip. The sunny streets of LA. Wind is cool. The parked cars are cooler. I decided to go travel with a wheeled luggage instead of a backpack. If that strips me of the “backpacker” label, so be it. I chose my back's health over labels. I knew for sure that there will be shopping done in Los Angeles. I packed the smaller suitcase inside the bigger suitcase. Your layering skills will be tested in these terrain. In Peru and Bolivia, the day starts out extremely cold (close to 0 deg C). As the day progresses, it becomes hotter. In MP, I removed the outer layer (a windbreaker) during mid-morning.     In the Salt Flats tour, the vehicle gets stuffy inside during the day. Once you step out,...

Indonesia: Planning, Preparation, Budget and Itinerary At the close of 2013, I had four definite trips for 2014: South Korea (winter edition) , Batanes , Romblon and China. My major target for 2014 is Egypt. However, I realized I wasn't too brave to conquer Egypt given the unstable political situation there. Plus, I'm a female solo traveler. I can be brave but I have limits. So there's no Egypt 2014. :( To compensate for this, I booked a Manila-Jakarta flight during the January Piso-fare sale of Cebupacific. I booked the return flight from Jakarta to Manila on another Piso-fare sale which was also in January. Jakarta is not my main destination: It is Borobudur in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. I was led to Borobudur by the Discovery documentary Ancient Aliens - I borrowed a copy from my wushu classmate and I was intrigued by these theories about Aliens. I cannot explore the Pyramids of Egypt yet, so it is gonna be Borobudur. I added Mount Bromo to my itinerary alt...

Packing: Backpack vs. Wheeled Luggage I did Europe in a backpack , then switched to a wheeled luggage during the trip. I did Indochina in a backpack , I survived. This time, I decided I would use a wheeled luggage. Most travellers didn’t seem to have any issues dragging these things around Japan. True enough, there were lifts and escalators when I needed them. Plus, a luggage has a more “glam” effect than a backpack. Mas bagay din sa boots . :P I used a separate small backpack for my laptop Exchanging PHP to JPY (Philippine Peso to Japanese Yen) After securing my Japan Visa , I started to accumulate all the Japanese Yen. You can also withdraw the JPY overseas but that would just hassle me when I arrive in Japan, so I decided to be hassled here.

Budget The total financial damage of this adventure: EXPENSES   USD   VND   BHT   PHP MNL-SGN/HCMC via Cebu Pacific (15kg baggage)      1,313.00 BKK-MNL via Cebu Pacific (20 kg baggage)      2,396.69 Philippine Travel Tax      1,620.00 Terminal Fee         550.00 Vietnam - HCMC and Mui Ne           95.50    1,024,300.00 Cambodia - PP and SR         205.25 Thailand - Bangkok    4,181.00 Subtotal 1 ...

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...

So...Europe is really gonna happen! MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! After the approval of my Schengen visa , I floated back to the office grinning ear to ear. Once I sat down back in my desk, I knew that I had to move fast to do all the work delegations that I postponed. I had to book rail tickets. I had to book the tours. I had to buy Euros. And most of all, I had to pack! Since I only had three days left before I fly out, this was a nerve wracking experience for me. I already researched about the recommended packing list for backpackers and customized it accordingly for me: Backpack vs. Wheeled Luggage. Since I was doing Europe on a budget, I thought a backpack would make me a more “authentic” backpacker. I bought a new Sandugo Ascent 40 backpack for Php 2,100 (it was on 20% off sale) for this trip. Wrong choice. I packed the backpack to its full potential without any thought that I would be shopping alond the way. Good thing I had access to a medium sized luggage in my next city. F...