With nothing else to do after the New Year, we are ready again for the new adventure so we headed up to Ferrol , a 6^th class municipality in Romblon to look around and have a road trip. Ferrol is not that far as we expected it is less than 30 minutes from Odiongan, we stop by their town hall and snap some pictures and bought some candies at the nearby store.

Then we follow where the road will take us, we had a short stopover in a bridge where I found a splendid view, I would like to stay a little longer but our mother is kind of worrying since nobody is around and we are all females. If I remember there is hearsay of a man in Ferrol running after the motorist with a bolo knife in his hand (type of cutting tools), not sure though if it is true. Hehe

Along the way we found a foreigner playing basketball with the kids, a bird in the centre of the road which I went down to catch it and instead of flying the bird just keep jumping but still I only end up just taking photos of it. My sister and mother laughed at me because I can’t catch it as I am bit scared of being bitten by its beak and I have also thought what I am going to do with it if I catches it?

With nothing else to do we decided to head up to Looc but when we reached a point with two roads, we don’t know where to go so we asked a local for the right road to Looc. When we ended up in town of Looc we want to travel some more, guess where the road took us?

Just the day after Christmas we are on the road again for another road trip, since the day was perfect to travel around, it is a bit cloudy and not too sunny. We headed up to Looc and decided to continue to the next town, Alcantara, a 5th class municipality of Romblon and home to only airport of the province.

Alcantara is being promoted as hiking destination for backpackers because of its mountains covered in lush tropical rainforest. The town centre was not that far from Looc town, we stopover to snap some photos and then we travel some more until we reached the intersection going to the airport. We turn right and passed by the closed airport (no plane) where there are some people standing outside which looks like airport employees.

We ended up in sea side and part of the airport runway; we decided to stop so we could take photos. The waves are a bit strong; their shoreline is made of stones or pebbles instead of the normal sea sand, I played with the waves and ended up with a broken slippers. lol

We didn’t take long because it is kind of windy and chilly; we travel a little more and decided to return back to the downtown because we don’t know where will be the road is going to take us. We return to the downtown and turn left to an intersection going to the sea, we stop for more photos and found their old port and public market, after a few minutes we travel back home using the other road that well end us to Brgy. Anahao of Odiongan.

San Agustin was the second town we visited, we have wanted to travel there for a long time but my father is stopping us, saying it was dangerous we might meet bad people along the way and etc., Well, nobody can stop me us isn’t it? So when my father and his workmates are scheduled to go home for Christmas (they are working in San Agustin) we travelled over there very early to avoid too much heat along the way, we planned to wander around at the town and then go home with them in the afternoon. We took our dog with us because there is no place to left her, there’s a celebration nearby and everyone is busy and nobody will feed Jinjoo.

The town of San Agustin was 2 hours from Odiongan, it is 4th class municipality of Romblon which is formerly known as Guintigui-an during Spanish era because of the abundance of the fish called “tigue” but in 1868 the town was renamed Badajoz by a certain Spanish soldier Andres Lebarde after his native city Badajoz, Spain and then on June 1957 it was changed to San Agustin after the town’s patron saint. – Wikipedia

It was not my first time in San Agustin, because way back in college we travelled over there to get the program we need for our thesis, and since the last trip was long gone I went with my friend classmate to their home in the island of Romblon, Romblon. It was the best thing to do than goes with our other two male group mates, I could tagged along with our other female member but she is just staying on her aunt and it was embarrassing to add burden to them. If not of me graduating my mother will never allow me sleep over, honestly it requires a lot of drama just to let me go with my group mates to another town far from where we resides.

Anyway, we dropped our belongings to my father’s workplace and went to the port to eat and use their toilet and then we loiter around the town and their public market to shop for food especially “kakanin” and then return to my father’s workplace, my younger sister helped them to cook the fish we bought. After lunch, we loiter some more, we drive where the road take us. We stumbled to a beautiful spot where we snap and snap some pictures, when suddenly a jeepney with foreigners riding in top passed by, my sister pointed it to me but it was only later I have thought of taking a snap of them. It is seldom to see foreigners in Romblon but lately I am seeing a lot of them especially in our hometown.

If I remember I was only a little kid when I first saw foreigners wandering around our public market with big bags on their bag, which my cousins and I joked around that they have pans, kettles and pots on them that’s why the bags are taller than them and then never see one again so often.

Anyway, it was a downer because we have no more other place to go my companions are not ready yet for adventure, they are dead tired already because of the heat and plus I didn’t do a research where to go in San Agustin. *sigh

I have been to different countries but I have never been around our own province. I felt so ignorant for not discovering what is just around me, so when my mother asked me if I want to go to the nearby town to wander around I didn’t think twice and says yes. It was my first time to the downtown Looc, their plaza was decorated with Christmas ornaments since it was the season of giving, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ among Christian nations.

Looc is the 4th class municipality in Romblon; it is around 45 minutes from Odiongan or maybe less. It is well known for the fish sanctuary which brings revenues for the municipality.

Anyway we just stop over at the plaza to take some pictures and then wander around their public market, we first stop at the stalls along the street that sells native Filipino snacks “kakanin”. Kakanin are my favourite food, I remember buying them all the time when I am still studying. I can walk home just to have a taste of it.

Fishes are cheaper too in Looc than in Odiongan just too bad that a typhoon just passed by before the day we visited the town so fish are scarce in the wet market. We didn’t really stay longer in Looc, since it was hot and my companions doesn’t want to loiter around, so even I like going to their port I just shook my head “maybe next time”. While traversing the town centre found a lot of old houses so I didn’t waste opportunity, I just snap and snap some pictures and just too bad most of them are not good. Huhu

Going home after travelling for 6 months doesn’t excite me a lot thinking I am not going to be connected to a fast internet, internet is my life. I work online and thinking how complicated and hard to get online every day made me so depressed. On the first few weeks I have to go to town and stay in a park just to use my laptop for few hours with the help of internet stick.

Later on, was so glad when we discover about pocket wifi. It started when we borrowed my cousin’s wife pocket wifi, she’s been doing a sales talk about it for so long but my mother won’t buy one since she doesn’t need it too often but since I need a good connection when I arrived home, we tried the product before getting our own just to make sure we are not going to waste money by buying something we can’t use. We are impressed when it works well during wee hours when everybody is asleep. It was not a problem to me because I am used of being awake until the wee hours. It was like that for few months and then we noticed the declined of speed. We’ve changed sim card, but still the speed is not like the way it was before so when I need to work with a faster connection we went to town to use the internet.

Globe Tattoo Pocket Wifi is reliable, it has strong connection depending on where you are. The bad side is the  limit when you overused the bandwidth, it has a limit of 800mb per day it is not unlimited like the way they advertised it.

Upgrading to Globe Broadband Connection…

Today marked the 6th month of travelling, we visited 22 countries! We would love to travel more but it is time to get back to work.  Well, within six month I changed a  travel bag 4 times because they always end up broken or ripped.  Your guess is right as mine, I carried a lot of stuff from clothes to toiletries and then to souvenirs.  Ha-ha

We started our journey in Eastern Europe (Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina) to Turkey and then to France to Morroco and to Belgium and then to East Africa (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda).  We’ve seen different places, eat different food, learn different culture and meet different people.

[ Tagged In ] Travel. Eastern Europe

We have been travelling for over 4 months already, currently we are in Paris, France.  It was not included in our original itinerary but flying from Instabul to Paris and then Paris to Morroco is hell lot cheaper than flying from Istanbul to Morroco. My husband plan is just to spend one day in Paris as it was very expensive city but I reasoned out that we are already going to Paris why not make the most of it because who knows when we can travel to Paris again, although he can fly anytime he desired, unlike me I need to endure dreadful visa application before I can fly to progressive city like Paris.

Visiting the famous Eiffel tower is in everyone’s top list in Paris so that’s the first place we visited when we arrived in the city, we just check-in our bags and left.  Seeing the tower for the first time is magical and seems unreal, you know you just see it in pictures, books and magazines. But seeing it in front of you is really a dream come true.  My husband wanted to climb the Eiffel tower first but I insisted to go to the nearby Park first before it is too late, as it was sun down already. I want a clear photo of the Eiffel tower during day light and not during the dark (haha choosy).

We choose to use the elevator for higher fee than climb the stairs to the summit of Eiffel tower because we are both tired and there’s no energy left to be spend. As expected the Eiffel tower is jump packed of people, from young to old.  Visiting Eiffel tower will not be completed without buying souvenirs so I went to the souvenir shop at top and when I am paying my purchased, the  asked me if I am a Filipina I replied yes and guess what she was a Filipina too, I was happy seeing a  fellow countrymen.

Our first day didn’t end in Eiffel tower, we hit the road to see Arch of Triumph and then walk to the famous street of Paris – Champs-Élysées. See the Obelisk of Luxor. It was already early in the morning when we return to our hotel room, we almost didn’t make it to the last train.

Ice cream is a popular frozen dessert which is usually made from dairy products, milk and cream and often combined with different flavors like fruits. The weather in Bulgaria is warm and eating ice cream is very popular, as you can find ice cream booth every where.

Ice cream in the street of  Bulgaria is sold per weigh and not sold per scoop this is what I noticed.  The flavors I have tried already are Kit-Kat, Choco Mania, Eclair and Forest Fruits.

I am not been active on blogging these past few weeks, most of my blogs was not updated in a month.  It is not because I am not interested in blogging anymore but because I am quite busy, it was been a month since we left Korea and it was been a month since we are travelling.  In one month, we have been to more than 5 countries already,  Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and now we are in Romania and I am looking forward to see Dracula. Haha!

I wake up this morning reading a message that my photo in this blog was stolen and used by someone in Facebook.  I felt a rushing feeling to my veins (thinking what photo) so I immediately went to my blog but I was welcomed by a note that my blog is suspended. Oh, I forgot the transfer process, I didn’t renew my hosting few days ago and I forgot to transfer my blogs to my other hosting.  I immediately started the transfer (from an old back-up) but because I am running out of time as we are living to do sightseeing I just log-out and continue the process when we returned to our hotel.

When I checked my FB page I have found out what photo was copied, I am thankful to the sender for letting me know and alerting me that I have to tighten the security (I mean to add more secure watermarked). I also found another message dated almost 2 months ago about the card recharge thingy (sorry was not around my FB pages that’s why late reply).

With this, the procrastinated me thought of updating this blog today! Thank you again for the helpful note (you know who you are)! 🙂

We left Korea on March 2nd, like expected we have to surrender our Alien Registration Card if we have no plans of coming back.  I felt sad thinking it is going to be my last time to come in and out of the airport, and seeing Korea.  With my almost 5 years of living in Korea I didn’t gained a lot of friends, if Cathlaine didn’t email me or show an interest to meet me after my blog help her on the visa requirements I probably didn’t have a friend at all in Korea,  she left ahead of me to US after her spousal visa was granted so I am left alone by myself although nothing has changed because we seldom met, we probably met 4 times in four years. Lol

Anyway, our flight to Moscow leaves at 12 something in the afternoon, we arrived at the airport around 10:45 in the morning but still we didn’t have a chance to roam around because there’s a long line in the check-in counter which took most of our time, so after we check-in we went directly went to the immigration, took the train to our gate and in few minutes boarding time.

From Moscow, we have connecting flight to Budapest, Hungary as expected we have to sit in the airport to wait for boarding time.  It was a tiring day, 2 long flights in one day!

We arrived in the evening in Budapest, we just slept for few hours and we started our first day of sight seeing early in the morning.