Tag Archives: itineraries

Accommodation, Activities and Itineraries, Backpacking, Budget, CouchSurfing, Food, Leisure Trip, Provinces, Transportation, Viahe Vlogs

Instagram Travel: Islands of Busuanga and Coron, Palawan

September 4, 2014 geralynrigor Leave a comment

It’s been a while since I last had a long vacation (last ones were in Hong Kong and Macau in January and Baler in April) so when the chance to go to Coron came up, I just couldn’t let it pass. Palawan is known as one of or probably the last frontier here in the Philippines in terms of it’s natural beauty, picturesque landscape and rich marine biodiversity. And, Coron and Busuanga, due to its relatively more difficult (read: tends to be more expensive) accessibility by flights and ferries, remains to be as such.

Unfortunately, typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) already ravaged a lot of its magnificent corals and fell trees. There were reportedly 6 casualties and some islands’ structures succumbed and totally collapsed. Nevertheless, Busuanga and Coron remain to be a beauty that everyone needs to see. And like what E and I probably said all the time during the trip, we are in our happy place!

So, through this quick Instagram Travel post of our vacay (Aug 22-27, 2014) let us (the self-proclaimed Cool Kids Club, aka CS Weekend Escapists, aka CouchSurfers and friends) take you to our happy place!

Instagram Travel Coron 1 — IG post: The Cool Kids Club on vacation! Lezgo! #Coron #Palawan #itsmorefuninthephilippines #worklifebalance #yolo ——— L-R from Top: aisle to aisle selfie; inside the 80-seater ATR, seatmates E and G; baldy brothers Niklas and Gustaf; Elizabeth looking out the window amazed with Busuanga’s rich green landscape; E, V and Isa upon arrival; the baldies and the crazy K on vacay; and Kapil of the Cool Kids Club.

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Activities and Itineraries, Backpacking, Food, Leisure Trip, Provinces, Reblogged, Religion

Reblogged: Bodh Gaya: the land of Buddha’s enlightenment

September 3, 2014 geralynrigor 2 Comments

Reblogged is a series of blog posts on my life in India coming from the weblogs I set-up. It’s an attempt to put the stories all in one place! The post Bodh Gaya: the land of Buddha’s enlightenment was originally posted on September 30, 2012, written on the day things happened. Another post will follow after, which has more photos and videos as the way to tell the partial story about a full-week’s trip to North India with VSO co-volunteers Julie and Amanda, with their friend Laura. This was part of the vacation I called “The Pilgrimage” as we visited the holy cities of Bodh Gaya and Varanasi.

Oh yes! The stuff I used to hear from my history teachers is now coming into life! I am, at present, in Bodh Gaya, where prince Siddharta Gautama, later popularly known as Lord Buddha, was said to have achieved full enlightenment.

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Activities and Itineraries, Backpacking, Cities, CouchSurfing, Countries, Leisure Trip, Transportation

Backpacking South East Asia: Vietnam – Cu Chi Tunnels Tour

March 15, 2013 geralynrigor 1 Comment

Last night, at the Thirstday Thursday CouchSurfing Manila meet-up, there were two CouchSurfers from Vietnam and with other Filipino CS members, we talked about Cu Chi Tunnels, perhaps one of the most visited and most popular tours in Ho Chi Minh city.

Backpacking SEA Vietnam Cu Chi Tunnels - Entry Door 4 — Raising the roof, literally! This is how the Vietnamese get inside the small rectangular “door” at Cu Chi tunnels (photo taken by Sid or Sulabh)

Together with Indians-but-Singapore-based Sid and Sulabh, whom I met in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, I went to Cu Chi Tunnels in the morning (it’s a half-day activity) to see for myself how the Vietnamese lived underground for years during the Vietnam War. Continue reading Backpacking South East Asia: Vietnam – Cu Chi Tunnels Tour →

Activities and Itineraries, Backpacking, Cities, Countries, FotoFolio

FotoFolio: Killing Fields, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

January 22, 2013 geralynrigor Leave a comment

When people say Cambodia, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the famed Angkor Wat Temple Complex in Siem Reap. What most people don’t know though, or not even bother to know, is that more than the magnificent temples and ruins that leave you awestricken, Cambodia holds a darker, sadder and, albeit the different context, an equally jaw-dropping history—the Khmer Rouge regime and the horror of the Killing Fields.

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Activities and Itineraries, Backpacking, Cities, Countries, Leisure Trip

Backpacking South East Asia: Brunei – The Sultan’s Treasures at the Royal Regalia Museum

January 14, 2013 geralynrigor Leave a comment

After visiting the Kampong Ayer (water villages) and having lunch at CBTL where Zaza met me, we then went to the Royal Regalia Museum, one of the must see places in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB).

The Royal Regalia Museum houses the “treasures” of the Sultan and the Sultanate of Brunei, ranging from personal collections of photos and memorabilias to gifts from various State leaders and governments. I guess you can say that just like in old times where the visiting envoys or monarchs or sultans/datus/rahas present exquisite gifts to the host, visiting State leaders or Ambassadors also present tokens from their countries as a gesture of “friendship” between countries. The collection included birthday gifts as well as anniversary gifts for the commemoration of the Sultan’s coronation.

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