Adventure Accounting

Envy is one of the seven deadly sins. Envy is also a great motivator. Batanes, one of my dream destinations... but it was not in the "immediate and urgent" list.    I was wrong. This should be "urgent". A friend posted his Batanes pics in Facebook. Just a month before, he has never travelled alone. He asked about my solo travel experiences. Then after a month, he travelled to Batanes alone!  Pressure. Envy. The next day, I booked by rountrip flight to Batanes at regular rates, seven months in advance. I used my emergency travel fund . Itinerary I had five (5) whole days to explore the Batanes. I could’ve done Batan, Sabtang and Itbayat during the entire trip, just to hit them all. Para sulit yung regular fare ko na pamasahe . However, I felt that I was cramming a lot of spots into one trip. I decided to take it easy and just hit Batan and Sabtang islands. To compensate for not doing Itbayat, I decided to do something not to t...

The hostel is located near two stations, and just walking distance from Insadong and some palaces. It can also be conveniently reached from the airport. But me, the lost me, had difficulty finding this the first time. It was past midnight when I walking around the alleys and no one seems to be around. I luckily bumped into some nice Korean guys who called Banana Backpackers and asked for directions.   Stayed at a dorm room for three nights ( ₩23,000/night) and at a single room ( ₩40,000/night) for one night. Lucky me, I was alone during my whole stay in the dorm. I had the room all to myself! The staff still cleaned the bathroom and the roomThe heater was adequate but the floors were still cold - use slippers. The bathroom is small, but kept clean. Wifi signal is strong.   The spacious dorm Hair dryer, hangers, lockers, night lights and sockets. They've got the basics. You can borrow the plug adapter/converter at the reception.   The sin...

Getting naked in front of strangers is a scary thought. I’ve given the Japanese Onsen a try , so I thought I’d give the Korean Jjimjilbang a try too. I was travelling alone and I want to try a unique experience. Well actually, I wanted to escape the cold. Exploring Seoul inwinter can be tiring. I wanted to be somewhere warm during the afternoon. The nice guy in Banana Backpackers recommended that I visit Dragon Hill Spa, a famous Jjimjibang where the celebrities go.   So here is the shot at the entrance. This is the only shot I have on this place.    The spa was almost an hour away from Banana Backpackers but I found it easily. The standard entrance fee is ₩ 11,000 KRW, that’s roughly Php 450. A very good rate for an afternoon in the spa. I paid the fee up front at the entrance. They handed me a key for the shoes and the lockers. Watch the people . I spent a minute figuring out why my shoebox key is not working when a guy told me that the women’s section ...

Aside from a cheap snow experience, I had no solid plans of what to visit in Korea. I skipped visiting the other planned palaces, although the Changdeokgung Palace is a hop away from Banana Backpackers. Lots of other tourist spots but the cold weather made me want to do less.   I started walking around Bukchon Hanok Village. It started snowing when I was on my way there. The village boasts some of the traditional Korean houses. The residents are generous enough to allow tourists to roam freely, but they signs posted around to limit the noise as it is still a residential area and people live there. I walked around and enjoyed the falling snow.     I really liked this door so I patiently waited for someone to pass so that he can take my photo here. 

Nami Island, I’m back. Two layers of leggings, pants, two layers of socks, three layers of shirts and a cape. Plus boots. I was prepared to withstand winter.  I was able to go to Nami Island using the subway + cab + ferry – like how I did it two years ago . From Banana Backpackers: Ride Jongno 3(sam)-ga (Line 5) and get off at Gunja Station From Gunja (Line 5), transfer to Sang bong (Line 7) From Sang bong (Line 7), ride Gyeongchun Line going to Gapyeong station. The whole train ride cost me ₩ 2,050 and took me over 1 hour (including waiting for the next train and asking directions). From Gapyeong, ride a cab going to the ferry going to Nami Isand.   From a distance the world looks blue and green and the snow-capped mountains white.  The train ride to Gapyeong wharf took around an hour – including waiting for the next train. I was unlucky with my cab driver: He took the roundabout way going to the port. The ride cost me ₩ 5,6...

There are only two seasons in the Philippines: Summer and the monsoon season ( wet and dry season, parang market lang) . I dream to see snow. I think this is a dream common to Filipinos. My childhood inspiration to see winter: Bambi and Thumper Japan has snow but a trip there is relatively expensive. Snow in Beijing is erratic (or so they say). Seoul is the cheapest destination to experience snow. South Korea, here I come... again.    I've been to Seoul in 2012 to experience spring . I'm going back for snow this time.  The Budget and Itinerary The main goal is to experience snow. That’s it. Petty? Yeap. I didn't plan to visit amusement parks and do loads of shopping. I definitely wanted to go to back to Nami Island again . Other than those things, my schedule had an anything-goes format. I bought the roundtrip tickets in Cebupacific’s 50% off sale last May 2013 – for Php 7,388.37. I knew it was a way higher than my previous RT ...

2014. I wanna keep up with my blogging. I'll try. New year, maging masipag hanggang kaya! My 2012 Travelogue belongs to Asia . Two Asian Countries required me to apply for a visa: South Korea and Japan . Click on the links how I got those back then.  So... I attempted to get multiple entry visas for both SK and Japan, and I succeeded. Multiple entry visas with a non-flattering shot