Thailand 2018: Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa

It was our last day in Thailand and we spent it at Anantara Resort and Spa in Hua Hin. The resort was nice and relaxing, the rooms were great, and the food was excellent! The only thing I didn't like was the beach. It didn't look inviting at all. The sand wasn't visible because it was high tide, and it wasn't very white. I didn't see a single person swim in the beach on the day we arrived. 

That night, our business club organized a talk with Douglas Yeo, a Singaporean diver who took part in the Thailand cave rescue last year. Mr. Yeo showed a documentary detailing what happened in the weeks-long rescue. Seeing people from all over the world coming together to help the group of boys stuck in the cave was extremely heartwarming and everybody couldn't help but get teary-eyed. 

After the talk, we played some board games and called it a night (at 3 am lol). 

The next day, my flight was several hours later than the rest of the group so I had time to go around Chatuchak Market. There were so many things to buy! And a different set of shops opens only at night! I definitely recommend spending at least one whole day here. 

Thailand 2018: Other Touristy Stuff

It's our last day in Bangkok before we go to Hua Hin so we packed the day with a lot of activities. In the morning, we headed to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, which is 100km away from Bangkok. We arrived almost noon when the sun was at its highest so it was incredibly hot. Since the place was frequented by tourists, good were extremely overpriced. There were snacks, fruits, drinks, ice cream, and souvenirs.

Next, we went to the Elephant and Crocodile Farm. We watched the crocodile show first and I was so scared for the performers! These two guys seemed to be provoking the crocodiles, and to impress the audience even further, they put their heads in the crocodiles' open mouths! After that, we watched an elephant show where the elephants did some tricks. I didn't particularly enjoy it because it seemed like the elephants were being hurt by the caretakers for them to perform tricks for the audience.

We drove back to Bangkok and had dinner at the Chao Phraya River Cruise. I very much enjoyed the spectacular view of Bangkok's landmarks in the two-hour ride. The photo above is the Wat Arun taken during the cruise. 

Before calling it a night, we took a cab to Asiatique for some shopping!

Thailand 2018: Siam Niramit

Ryan and I are part of a Filipino-Chinese business group called Anvil Business Club. Last September, the group organized a six-day trip to Bangkok. We attended the Food & Hotel Thailand Expo at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Center, and after that, we had some free time to go around the city before we all meet again for dinner to watch the Siam Niramit show.

Ryan and I chose to check out EmQuartier, where we had our lunch, and MBK center, a place known for good shopping deals. I was extremely disappointed with MBK—the stalls mostly sell counterfeit goods, a stark contrast to Platinum Mall, which offers affordable but uniquely designed goods under local brands. I didn't buy anything from MBK and felt that going there was a complete waste of time. We just decided to have a foot massage to enjoy the remaining time.

We rode the train and a shuttle to get to Siam Niramit. There was a huge buffet dinner spread with so many options so I really enjoyed the food. They set up a traditional Thai village where you can go around, trying rice crackers and taking photos, while catching a glimpse of Thai culture. By the time the show started, I was so tired from all the activities that in the middle of the show, I fell asleep! I only woke up when the show was finished. Lol.

Thailand 2018: Grand Palace & Reclining Buddha

It was my first time in Bangkok last September (woot!), so being the planning-obsessed person that I am, I did a ton of research. Based on travel reviews I read online, among all the tourist destinations in the city, The Grand Palace is the one you shouldn't miss—and they were right! I was completely in awe of the place! The place is huge and almost every corner is photo-worthy. Seriously, you wouldn't have a hard time looking for places to take your Instagram photos lol. 

Even if everything looked great, I couldn't ignore the fact that it was also excruciatingly hot! I don't know what I was thinking wearing this top that covered most of my arms! :P

Since the Temple of the Reclining Buddha was just ten minutes away, we made sure that we visited that as well. The buddha is 46 meters long and is made of gold. I tried to take a photo of the entire thing but since it's huge and it's surrounded by pillars, I just managed to take a photo of its face *insert laughing emoji here* lol. 

Christmas 2018 Wish List

It's my favorite time of the year again! There's just something about Christmas that makes me so happy and full of joy. Hearing Christmas songs at random times of the day makes me all giddy and excited. Lol.

Anyway, (almost) every year, I post a list of random things I like. One of the reasons I want to keep this tradition going is because it's interesting to see how my preferences change as I get older. I'm so surprised that most of the things on my list now are wellness-, or home-related. I never thought this would happen-- shopping for home stuff used to be my worst nightmare. Oh well, I guess I really am getting older! Lol.

Mt. Pinatubo Trekking Adventure

A couple of months ago, I had invited my family to go on a hiking trip with me, and early this year, the plan finally came through! I've climbed Mt Pulag with friends several years back but my family doesn't have any hiking experience at all. Mt. Pinatubo was our first choice-- it's close to Manila and it's highly recommended for first-timers. I started my research online and based on the reviews, the best strategy was to stay in Tarlac for the night and start the hike early in the morning. There were limited options on where to stay and among the accommodations, Allan Bognot's guesthouse has the best reviews. It doesn't have a lot of amenities but the cozy, relaxing vibe of the place pretty much made up for it.

For the trekking, we asked our host Allan to arrange it for us. If I remember correctly, we paid Php1200 per person for the trekking, including a sumptuous lunch! Seriously, I would never forget our meal of sinigang and chicken adobo.

The view of the lake crater was amazing! Too bad the lake isn't safe for swimming-- it would've been awesome to take a dip there after a long trek under the sun. After taking a few photos by the lake, we headed back, rode the 4x4, and made it back to the house at around 1pm. The trekking in general was quite easy, great for families!

Coron: Island Hopping Experience

This was my second time in Coron but Ryan's first so I arranged some island hopping but only chose the best ones. 

First stop was Siete Picados, the best place for snorkeling according to the guides. However, it was raining the past few days which resulted in the water being very murky. We didn't see anything and quickly just moved on to Kayangan Lake. Here, the water was much much clearer but I was surprised to see that it looked very different compared to the last time I was here. The wooden platform was totally submerged. Plus side was there weren't a lot of people. Since we hired a private boat, we took our time here. Eventually, everybody else left and it was just us in the entire lake. It was an amazing experience!

For our last stop, we headed to Twin Lagoons. I'm a horrible swimmer but an adventurous one so I suggested we swim all the way to the other end to see the hidden second lagoon (with a life jacket, of course!). It was quite scary because again, we were the only ones there! The boat was probably a hundred meters away and was no longer visible because it docked behind the limestone cliffs. It was loads of fun though! 

The next day, my friends went diving. I don't have any diving certification so I didn't get to dive with them. They had such good stories of what they saw underwater that I got inspired to finally get my certification!

Coron: Huma Island

My body was craving to go somewhere to relax and de-stress, and Huma Island was just the place! We were picked up from the airport, rode a small boat, and before we knew it, we had arrived at Huma Island. It was raining cats and dogs when we arrived so we didn't really get to appreciate the view. Thankfully, the rain trickled down and eventually stopped the next day.

We walked around and explored the island and later concluded that this place is amazing! There weren't a lot of people so it felt like we had the place to ourselves. Highlight of our stay-- a jacuzzi outside our villa!