My first travel to Thailand was in Surat Thani, which means "City of Good People". This province is located in the southern part of Thailand. This province is usually the drop-off spot of tourists going to the island beaches of Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan.
For me, Surat Thani has a vibe resemblance to that of the provinces in Cebu. I like this place because of its calmness and serenity. Despite the always visible traffic jam, we were able to roam around the area well. Good thing we don't need to take a taxi or bus since our hotel is within the city center. The hotel we stayed at is very cheap. I think we paid around 200baht per person per night which includes free buffet breakfast already. It was the best deal ever. Since there are 4 of us, we got one huge room with toilet and bathtub and a very nice streetview.
buses outside Surat Thani Airport
Our spacious hotel room.
We went there during Oct. 30-Nov. 1 and luckily, during that time there was like a "Moon Festival", I think, so there were always events at night. With only 2 days to spend, walking around and exploring the place was enough for the 4 backpackers wanting to have a weekend getaway. With good friends around, this travel is one of those I could never forget.
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Its been a while since I've cried this much because of a movie. I really didn't thought it would be this good since I am used to flocks of movie goers watching overrated movies. Movies wherein everyone would rave about but when you watch it, the plot is so shallow but full of flowery quotes that catches everyone's attention. And it becomes a blockbuster hit, sigh.
KitaKita is the real thing. This is already one of my favorite Filipino movie aside from John Lloyd-Bea's One More chance and Piolo-Toni's Starting Over Again. I can relate this much since one of my greatest fear is to lose my sense of sight. I am almost considered half-blind, wearing 500+ graded glasses. But I am still hoping for the best and am optimistic enough to think that there might be some miracle and I would regain atleast a 20/50 vision.
I liked everything in this movie. The casting, cinematography, location, theme song, etc. Alessandra De Rossi and Empoy Marquez are superb. The end part is the best. And as what everyone said, you would want to go to Sapporro, Japan after watching this film. I wouldn't spoil you so I would end this post and encourage you to watch it. I've cried almost "One Liter of Tears", hahaha. Don't forget the tissue 😉.
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As mentioned in my previous post, we recently visited Pulau Ketam. As if the photos were not enough here’s a video of what to expect in this floating island. Enjoy!!!
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Pulau Ketam
Feeling bored during weekends? No plans for the long weekend? Pulau Ketam would be a good option for a quick getaway. BF and I went to Pulau Ketam or Crab Island during the Hari Raya Festivities. It is located off the coast of Port Klang, in Selangor, Malaysia.
KTM Train
To go there, you can take the KTM train from KL Sentral to Pelabuhan Klang(Port Klang). Fare is around 5-6RM per way. Once you arrive in Port Klang station, simply take the exit and you can easily spot the port which is just across the road.
Alibaba ferry
There were a lot of ferry options available but since it was a holiday and there were a lot of people going to the island, we were left no choice but to get tickets from Alibaba shipping. Good thing though because Alibaba ferries are new and air-conditioned. Tickets cost 18rm roundtrip. Ferry ride took us about an hour.
The terminal was very crowded when we went there.
So keep in mind, not to go to Crab Island during Hari Raya(hahaha).
We arrived there at noon and immediately looked for a place to eat. We were starving already 😁. We first tried this restaurant(I forgot the name) where we ordered Nasi goreng seafood and Char kuey teow. It has a distinct taste from what we usually have in KL. Probably because of the pork fat which was included in our dishes. I love pork, especially fat so I was very satisfied. After having our lunch, we then roamed around Pulau Ketam. What you usually see here are different temples and uniquely structured houses. I was so amazed as to how they were able to build these type of houses in this island. I will just let the pictures do the talking.
Chinese temples
Stilt houses in Pulau Ketam
Purple house
Lala
Crispy squid
We had Lala and crispy squid for our 2nd lunch. Both are delicious.
Food is great but food prices were not relatively cheap. It was okay. A day trip is enough if your visiting this island. What I love most about coming here is the ferry ride especially if you are seated on top of the ferry where you get a nice view of the coastal waters.
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I have been a BPI patron for almost 10 years now. I like their service a lot especially the Cash Deposit Machines wherein I don't need to
go to the teller's section just to deposit money. I find it very convenient. The only thing that pisses me off and got me so frustrated with BPI
is that they are very prone to scams, skimmers and email phishing.
They always have issues with unauthorized withdrawals from ATM skimmers, luckily I haven't been a victim yet of this scam but I know a number of
friends who were victims of this fraud. I though, have always received phishing emails from what seems to be a reliable BPI email account.
BPI Phishing email. The sender's email address looks real.
As what BPI and any other banks always emphasize, never ever put personal information from a website that comes from email links. Go directly to
their website and from there, update your personal info. Don't trust links in emails, most of those are scams. So please beware of these phishing emails. They have been so rampant now.
I have already received like 5 of these kind all from the "so-called BPI".
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Kuala Lumpur is a Muslim country. Being a Roman Catholic, one of the struggles I encountered when I started living here is the abundance of Churches. Honestly, I am not really the type of person that goes to church everyday or every Sunday but I always make it a point to go to Church as often as possible. I love going to church because I feel that this is one of the things that I can offer to God. Enough of the religious part, let's go back to the topic here now.
Here are 3 different Catholic churches around Kuala Lumpur and Selangor which I know so far.
1. St. John's Cathedral in Masjid Jamek - This is the first Catholic Church I have attended mass to here in KL. It is strategiscally located near Masjid Jamek LRT(around 10-minutes walk). I like the location of this church as it is very near Bukit Bintang area which is the center of Kuala Lumpur.
2. Church of St. Francis Xavier - Located at Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya, this is the nearest Church from my place since I now live in Bangsar South area. This church is not accessible by train so the only transportation available is by car (I use Grab and Uber since I don't have a car).
3. Church of Our Lady of Fatima - Heard of this church from a friend. I haven't been here yet but this ones also very accessible. It is located near Brickfields which is just around KL Sentral. You can take the bus or take a car or use the LRT and drop off at KL Sentral and walk from there(around 10-15-minute walk from KL Sentral station).
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Stadthuys - Southeast Asia's oldest building
We went to Melaka on a Chinese New Year. Epic fail!!! Much to our dismay, going to Melaka during the Chinese New Year is not a good idea. Almost all food stalls are closed and we had a hard time looking for a good place to eat. Our planned food tour was replaced by a Melaka Zoo tour. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our trip into this famous "Historic State".
We took the bus from TBS Station and paid 10RM per person per way. We bought are tickets in advanced via http://www.busonlineticket.com/ since it is more convenient and the seats are guaranteed. We were only there for a day arriving in Melaka at around 9am and went home around 6pm.
Melaka
Melaka is home to a number of historical places and buildings. First stop, visit the historical city center which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Red Square is where Stadhuys, Christ Church and a number of Museums are located. I suggest you rent a bike which costs around 3RM per hour and roam around this area.
Inside the Ruins of St. Paul's Church
Ruins of St. Paul Church and the A Famosa Fort is just a few minutes walk from the Red Square area. I don't really find this place appealing, but if your into history so these places are a must.
The Jonker Walk
Then, go to the Jonker Walk. This would have been where all the foods are. :( But sadly, it was so quiet and all of those on my list were closed during the time. We finished touring around the City Center for half a day and since we still have more time left, we decided to go to Melaka Zoo.
Melaka Zoo
Melaka Zoo is worth visiting. Entrance fee is around 18RM for Malaysians and 25RM for foreigners. This is the place we enjoyed most in Melaka. The place is huge(this is my first time to visit a zoo like this big) though there were not much animals but nonetheless it was a great experience.
1 day is enough to tour around Melaka. The city has a different vibe from that of Kuala Lumpur. So if you want to go out of the hustle and bustle of the city, you can visit the place for a change.
