Philippines – Climbing Taal Volcano

Tagaytay is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the Philippines. We went on a road trip to visit the famous Taal Volcano, which is located in the middle of a huge lake. Our trip was accompanied by my cousin ‘Caesar’, his wife ‘Diala’, my aunt ‘Marina, her husband ‘Tony’ and my brother ‘Mohammad’.

*Below pictures are from our boat ride to the volcano. My aunt’s husbands is not in the picture because he decided to stay back to get some rest. 

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While booking our boat, we had to hide Tim in the car in order for us to bargain a good rate. If my fellow kabayans (country men) saw a foreigner, they’ll assume we have lots of money and they’d increase the price. My aunt even had to remove her jewellery.

Just so you know, we paid approx. PhP 1000 for the whole boat and for a round trip so don’t let them rip you off.

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As we got to Volcanic island, my aunt and Diala decided to wait for us at a coffee shop. We on the other hand continued our journey to the volcano. Little did we all know, it would be so tiring and HOT. I was wearing jeans so that didn’t help (WRONG OUTFIT). I was dying and kept getting bitten by insects. I also had an allergic reaction. FYI, I’m a desert girl but I’m allergic to heat. LOL.

I was at the verge of giving up several times and I kept crying all the way up to the top but honestly, it was all worth it. When we got to the top of the volcano, we drank lots and lots of coconut water. It was really HOT but as soon as we were able to stand on our feet, we walked towards the volcano and were amazed by the view. Before heading back, we shot some golf balls to the volcano pit and the view, oh the view was spectacular.

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When we got back, my aunt had to rush me to nearest pharmacy but the trip overall was worth it. We wouldn’t mind doing it again but probably I might need to wear the right outfit.

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Oman – Swimming in Musandam

When the government announced that we were having a public holiday, we immediately contacted a travel agency to book us a day tour to Oman. Tim invited my dad to join us on this trip.

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So at 5AM, Tim and I drove to my dad’s place since we agreed with the travel agency to pick us up from there. We got there and had breakfast and at around 7AM the driver picked us up and drove straight to a place called Musandam in Oman.

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Awaiting at our destination was a traditional Omani boat ready to cruise us around. It’s the perfect way to enjoy swimming and in addition to watch wild dolphins.

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It was hell of an experience to be able to do such adventurous activity in the GCC so if ever you visit UAE, dedicate a day for Musandam, it is really worth it.

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Wild Dolphins in Musandam

 

 

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USA – A Trip to Universal Studios Los Angeles

Although we’ve been to Universal Studios in Singapore, Tim and I agreed to skip all the theme parks in LA and experience them in other states or countries. Since Universal Studios originated in LA, we decided to compare it with Singapore’s theme park.

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So we took a tour train and Tim sat next to a crazy lady who didn’t know how to fix her phone and asked Tim to do it for her and she was very aggressive and pushy. As soon as we stopped I ran out and left Tim with her, it was hilarious. Tim walked away and we kept trying to avoid her but we just kept bumping into her. Anyway before getting the tickets, we were called by Mario Lopez (the guy from Save by the Bell) to be extras on his show EXTRA.

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As we got in, we studied the map of the park and figured they had similar rides like the ones in Singapore and extra ones too. Anyway I got extremely excited and dragged Tim to the MINIONS RIDE…IT WAS SUPER FUNNN….. We also watched a live show about the history of animation and green screen. The theme park is huge compared to the one in Singapore and the Jurassic Park ride was AWESOME…

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Here’s my comparison:

Universal Studios Singapore: Has less rides than LA and finish the theme park quite quickly. HOWEVER has more live shows which makes it more entertaining.

Universal Studio Los Angeles: Has more rides and outlets outside the studio HOWEVER not as alive as Singapore.

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We really had a great time but next adventure will be in Disneyland

 

 

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Maldives – Paradise Island

Our honeymoon package included 3 nights in the Maldives. The place is heaven on earth and the hotel we stayed at was called Paradise Island, it’s literally PARADISE. They chose the perfect name.

We booked a half board room which included a Jacuzzi on the terrace.

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The water is so clear and the place is just relaxing, it’s exactly what we needed before heading back to work.

The honeymoon package included breakfast and dinner buffet only.   Well the island is super expensive so we had a heavy breakfast and skipped lunch. A meal is approx. $50. Yup! Now you know why we skipped lunch lol. After relaxing for 2 days, we decided to try out any water sports activity so we picked the cheapest because EVERYTHING IS EXPENSIVE. The cheapest activity which we purchased was parasailing which costs $100 EACH but the view was WOOOWWW!!!

 

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Tim and I would love to go there again just to relax and not think of the world. Word of advice though, don’t stay more than 3 nights, it gets boring but that time of doing nothing and just relaxing is NEEDED and the Maldives is the perfect place for that.

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Lebanon – TOOT TOOT ALA BEIRUT

Tim, my uncle and I went for a stroll in downtown Beirut. Unfortunately the place was guarded because of the ‘rubbish crises’ and a riot against the government. The Lebanese parliament is located in the middle of downtown so Tim asked a soldier if he can grant us permission to walk around. The soldier agreed and advised me in Arabic to not do anything funny or any unusual movement or else we might get shot. So we said SIR YES SIR and continued walking.

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The area was empty and felt haunted. The most beautiful thing to see in downtown is the church right next to a mosque, it’s where Abrahamic religions collide. Downtown is historical and was rebuilt after the civil war but you will still see bits and pieces that were destroyed during the war.

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Lebanese should consider how blessed they are in so many ways, despite the corruption and internal conflicts. 15 years of war and the Lebanese heritage couldn’t be destroyed, it’s still historical, the culture is alive and the Lebanese people know how to enjoy life.

Personally, out favourite hangout areas so far in Beirut are Hamra St. and Raouche where the Pigeon Rock is located. Tim and I had breakfast, lunch and dinner with my family in Raouche and enjoyed our walk. Fact about Beirut is that it never ever sleeps, even when we arrived at 3AM, the city was AWAKE; loud music playing and people having fun AND SMOKING SHISHA.

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Despite all the issues when we visited, we simply LOVE Beirut and can’t wait to go back. Our stay was extremely short and there are still lots of things to do and discover in Beirut. And on our next visit, we are planning to tour the South of Lebaon.12027511_10153203679353233_6523549099742980311_n

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Lebanon – Tim’s 27th Lebanese Birthday – The 3 J’s

Tim’s 27th birthday happened to be on a public holiday so we decided to fly to Lebanon for 4 days and meet my uncle Robert. My cousin who is based in Dubai, promised us that she will book a hotel apartment for 4 days and when we got there at 3AM, the guy at the reception said that there’s no confirmation or any available rooms so we used their wifi and booked at a 4 star hotel just 3 minutes away for a cheaper rate. The guy was nice to us and booked a last minute tour to the 3 J’s which are Jeita, Jebel and Jounieh.

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The next day at around 8AM a young boy named Ali picked us up and showed us those 3 destinations. Jeita – 1st J is one of the 7 wonders of the world. We were not allowed to take photos but we took some at the entrance of Jeita (cave). Ali later took us to a place where we wore the traditional Lebanese outfits and took pictures. It became part of our travel ritual to wear the traditional outfits of the country we visit.

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Ali then took us to the 2nd J – Jebeil a beautiful place near the sea. We visited an old castle and went for a walk around the old market. Lebanon is stunningly vintage, GOD!!!! it’s a beautiful country.

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Three of us got hungry and I recommended a restaurant called Manuela on the beach that serves unlimited desserts and fruits for free. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE PLACE. The foods delicious and service is amazing. JUST LOOK AT THE PICTURE BELOW. We later continued our journey to the final J – Jounieh, Ali joined us and we three rode on a cable car that took us to the top of the mountain. It’s the best spot to take pictures of Beirut. WE LOVE BEIRUT. At the top of the mountain there’s a church with a huge statue of Mother Mary.

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Although I visited Beirut many times, my trip with Tim is by far the GREATEST

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Singapore – Universal Studios and Sentosa Island

Tim and I were advised not to take the bus or taxi to Sentosa Island because we would have to pay tax. So we took the underground instead which is also known as MRT. When we got there, we explored the island by getting on the Tiger Sky Tower (it’s a ride that rotates 360 so you can enjoy a complete view of the Island) and we went on a Cable Car and managed to take awesome pictures of the island.

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We later ran to Universal Studios like little children and took lots of pictures with MINIONS LOTS AND LOTS OF MINIONS and that’s when Tim found out about my obsession lol. We were unlucky because the roller-coaster was under maintenance nevertheless we enjoyed the Mummy ride, we rode it like 3 times or more and also the Transformer ride was pretty awesome. We saw a line of people waiting for a ride and we assumed that the ride would be worth trying. After waiting for a whole hour, it turned out to be a childrens ride. It was so funny. We got on it and just couldn’t stop laughing at ourselves.

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If you ever visit which we think you should, well go for Transformer, Jurassic Park (get a rain coat) and Mummy (ITS THE BEST)

What’s awesome about Universal Studios in Singapore is that, you will experience lots and lots of live entertainment and always check the timings for the live shows. Trust me, it is worth watching. We enjoyed watching Water World, if you sit in the first 5 rows, you will definitely get wet.

Well watcha waiting for book your tickets NOW !!!!

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I would love to go back…. 🙁 🙁

WATER WORLD SHOW

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Singapore – $70 Pokémon Jumbo Crab

I met a girl in Singapore who is originally from Hong Kong and she highly recommended trying Jumbo Crab so I searched it online and the place was awarded by Trip Advisor. So I met up with a friend of a friend named Parijat and Tim was with us too and we three decided to try out the restaurant.

The restaurant displayed the huge massive jumbo crabs in a tank; I really think the crabs do look like Pokémon. It’s enormous. Anyway so we ordered 2 crabs to share and 3 ice teas with out meal and yup!! the bill came up to $300. WHATT???? I KNOW!!!

Highlight of that meal which Tim keeps reminding me off, is when I was trying to eat the crab with chopsticks. OK!! I have a reason behind it. So I’m the only girl on the table and hanging out with 2 male acquaintances who I just met so I didn’t want to look like a messy  eater so I decided to pick up the chopsticks and eat in the most “sophisticated way”. Honestly, I looked dumb and couldn’t eat properly. After lots of laughter, Tim said ‘just use your hands’. But NOOOOOOO ME??? USE HANDS IN FRONT OF TIM (because I had a crush on him) . So I asked for gloves which made it even more awkward because for some reason the crab meat kept slipping from my hand.

Anyway we did enjoy our  $70 Jumbo Crab Pokémon. Would I eat it again? YES!!!! But probably somewhere affordable but the restaurant is apparently #1 in Singapore.

That night Parijat had to get back home early so we said our goodbyes then Tim and I spent the night in Marina Bay before he travelled to the Philippines.

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Sri Lanka – A Fun Trip to the Village

By far the village trip was my favourite; Zudhi (our guide) joined us because we needed a translator.

Below are the highlights of our Village Trip:

  • It started with a carriage ride which was dragged by a bull that took us to a wooden boat which of course led us to the village (those were and still are the actual forms of transportation in Sri Lanka).
  • We had proper Sri Lankan food prepared by the village people (not the band) and they prepared the meal mild spicy for the tourists to be able to eat and the sweet lady who was very hospitable taught us how to prepare coconut chilli paste.
  • After our meal with the villagers, we went on a Tuk Tuk (another form of transportation) and drove through the farmers’ field to get to our car.

The village trip was the highlight of our honeymoon, we had so much fun experiencing the culture, meeting villagers and eating proper Sri Lankan food using our hands.

This trip is a must, if you ever visit the beautiful Sri Lanka.

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Morocco – Climbing the Atlas Mountain

The owner of the Riad ‘Rashid’ was kind enough to take us to the Atlas Mountains. Before heading there, we stopped at an outdoor local market where the natives were getting ready for the Eid festival.

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Rashid explained the culture and the lifestyle of the Moroccans in Marrakesh and outside the red city. We continued our journey to the Atlas Mountain and enjoyed the view. When we arrived at our destination, Rashid advised us what direction to climb so we can reach the Ouzoud Waterfalls. It was quite an adventure and it was worth  seeing the waterfalls.

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We got down the mountain and walked to a restaurant to have lunch/ dinner before heading back to the city. The journey was spectacular, the view, the scenery was very unique. I can’t think of any other place that can be comparable to Morocco. We highly recommend hiking at the Atlas Mountain and the effort to reach the waterfall is totally worth it.

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