White Water Rafting at Gopeng

All packed and set.

A few weeks ago, we went to Gopeng for our first white water rafting adventure. Gopeng is a small town located at Ipoh, Malaysia. This was also the first time that I and my two siblings, Mae and July (yes, those are real names! ;p),  went on a trip together, since we worked here in Singapore.

July’s Birthday
This time, for baby sis’ birthday, she wanted something different. So we cancelled our Tioman beach plans for a rainforest experience. Her Singaporean friend told us, we have fantastic beaches back in the Philippines anyway. 🙂 We started our trip at 12midnight taking an overnight coach trip from Beach Road, Singapore to Gopeng Bus Terminal.

My two sissies July and Mae

We booked our ticket for 38SGD through BusOnlineTicket.com.

This trip, I’d say, would be one of the cheapest getaways I have ever had. We booked a 2D/1N white water rafting package at MyGopeng Resort for 288MYR each. It included three meals plus two activities: white water rafting and night jungle trekking. After a night at Gopeng, we spent the whole day at Kuala Lumpur before we headed back to Singapore.

Getting There
From Singapore, it took only about 6 hours to reach Gopeng by coach. A tip for those who take this route: talk to the bus captain and make sure he drops you off exactly at Gopeng Bus Terminal, just as your ticket indicates. For some reason, we were just dropped off at a gas station at around 6am and we had to ask for directions. The terminal was around 1-2Km away and was not located along the highway.

Nevertheless, we just chose to enjoy being lost for a while.

Lost in Gopeng … literally! ;p

My travel buddies taking a pose at Gopeng rotunda while figuring out where to go ;p

Gopeng Bus and Taxi Terminal

Finally finding this terminal was like oasis for us, in the middle of the desert. ;p Cab services start at 8am so we had to wait. Alternatively, you can arrange a pickup by the resort as well. For a group of four, the cab suited us just fine.

While waiting for the cab, we tried this street food, which name I missed to get, but it was really good. It was bit sweet and chewy and it has nuts in the middle. This uncle said it’s a 75-year old original recipe, handed down by his father to him.

Streetfood goodness for 0.70 MYR only!

Here’s a map that I got from MyGopeng website. However, the bus terminal location was quite confusing, so I modified it with a purple mark. Not sure how accurate my version is, but this is according to my experience. We walked from shell station, where the bus dropped us off, passed by the rotunda, then reached the market, where we found the Bus Terminal.

Route to MyGopeng Resort

Fom the terminal, we took a cab to the resort ( 20min, 25MYR).  At around 830, we reached  MyGopeng Resort. It was old, huge, and green. I say old because it’s obvious that the resort has been there for a while and it was, I would say, not very well maintained. It wasn’t bad though, but I later found out that people would usually go there for the water rafting adventure only, and then stay the night at a hotel at Ipoh. I believe it was only us and a Caucasian family who stayed the night. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our entire stay there.

MyGopeng Chalets

The birthday girl

We took the Pond View Chalet for the four of us.

Our chalet – the PondView Chalet

Our room – kampung style

Man, these rambutan were just within our reach from the window!

 

The Rafting Adventure
While the accommodation wasn’t that impressive, the adventure was. They had proper briefing, and the guides were fun! Here’s a video of me getting knocked down by our guide, Andy. Damn, never saw that coming!

The rafting route is classified Level 2, which means there is some rough water and some rocks but only requires basic paddling skills. The entire journey lasted almost 2 hours, with two 15-minute breaks in between, in which we enjoyed bathing in the cold stream. 🙂

MyGopeng rafting map.

Carry your own boat!

Getting ready for the rough waters!

The water and the view were so refreshing!

According to Andy, the best time to visit MyGopeng for white water rafting would be November to December, as it is wet season, thus the water is higher. Feb-August would be the dry season so water would be a little lower. But it was good for us, first timers.

Reminds me of APO island rock formation

We ended up into down town.  After the rafting, they took us back to the resort using a lorry.

Later on, we realized that not only was the adventure impressive, but also the people in this resort. The manager Mr. Lee was very considerate. First, although welcome breakfast wasn’t part of our package, he served us breakfast before we went rafting after finding out about our overnight trip. He said he knew we were hungry – damn right! And the fried rice was sooo good! Plus they have two kitchen staff who wouldn’t stop offering us free fruits! Not to mention they cooked really nice food. 🙂

Our sumptuous lunch after the rafting adventure 🙂

Lanzones (or Salah as they call it), Durian, and Rambotan. All freshly-picked and free! ;p

 

The Waterfall
After the much needed lunch, we wanted to do Paintball but it required a minimum of eight people. Wanting for more adventure, we found ourselves talking to Mr. Lee and he suggested going to the waterfalls, around 3km away from the resort. And yes, we did it without a guide! 🙂

“Bah Wah” means Waterfalls

 

Just fun-hungry kids taking crazy shots on their way to Bah Wah:

While the truck is away …

 

Jumpshots, jumpshots, and jumpshots.

 

And after 30 minutes, here we are!

Excited to get our free massage!

Gopeng Falls – April and I

Sissy getting her water massage!

 

At the topmost waterfall would be where MyGopeng Resort’s Waterfall Abseiling activity is held, and we watched a couple of people do it. Looked really exciting!

Gopeng Waterfall Abseiling

In their website, they also had ATV rides but we found out that it had been stopped. However, we know the other resorts still have it coz we saw them on the way to the waterfall. We were still quite hyper after the waterfall adventure, and we thought evening wasn’t coming any soon, so we setup the volleyball court and played – after we had our tea break of course ;p

sweet potato, banana cake, some sweet beans, and milk tea. How’s that for a tea break!

  

Playing volleyball with our new friend, Connor.

 

Dinner was THE BEST meal I had at MyGopeng Resort. Everything was fantastic! And the rambotan juice was to die for!! Simply awesome!

Yet another gluttony committed at MyGopeng resort that night.

 

Night Jungle Trekking
After a full dinner, we went ahead with the night trekking at 930pm, together with our guide, Henry. It wasn’t really “jungle” trekking, although we did find a couple of fireflies ;p but it was fun. The last time I had a flashlight in the middle of nowhere but trees was when I was a child. It’s one of those really simple things that you’d enjoy once in a while. The trekking lasted for an hour. I think it was a good 3-4Km walk.

Ghost hunting?? .. nah. It was a peaceful night 🙂

 

This little kitty wouldn’t stop following us. When we got to the bridge, she wouldn’t dare let go of me.

Crossing the hanging bridge with little kitty

With our guide, Henry

 

Amorseco pants after the night trekking!

After the trekking, we ended up with a couple of booze with Henry and the rest of the guides – one of their friends was Filipino. He was a staff at nearby resort and gave us tips on how to go about Ipoh and KL the next day. After a quick drink, we decided to head back to our chalet. The resort was cold especially at night, we almost did not need an AC.

The next morning, we had our breakfast before we left for KL.

Left a small tip for the two ladies in the kitchen

With Mr. Lee’s help, I was able to contact the cab driver who brought us to the resort. From there, we rode for 30+minutes to Ipoh train station (55MYR). We then headed to KL. It was a 2.5-hour train ride (38MYR).  This was an unplanned route but we were lucky enough to get there in time for the 12noon trip. Otherwise, we would have waited until 5pm for the next train, as the rest of the hours were fully booked. I think advanced booking is enabled in these trains.

 

A Day in Kuala Lumpur
One thing I love about KL is the lockers at KL Central. This is our second time using it and it’s very convenient, especially for those who are on a day trip. Small lockers cost 5MYR per usage and can accommodate 1-2 bags. The big ones can accommodate and cost twice as much.

We spent the rest of the day eating, shopping, and … well, eating. ;p

Reject Shop near Bandaraya Station

Reject Shop
When we first came to this shop last year, they had a really awesome sale deal. This time though, it wasn’t as cheap as back then. Reject Shop is located near Bandaraya Station, right across Sogo Mall, and a few stalls from KFC.

Petronas Towers
It was both Mae’s and July’s first time in KL, so we couldn’t miss taking pictures at this famous landmark.

Prew and the three little pigs at Petronas towers.

Sissy Mae with the fountain dance

My sissies!

After wandering around, we headed back to KL Central. From there was a cab ride to Terminal Bersepadu, where we would take a coach to Singapore. By around 7am, we were back to our workland. ;p

 

Conclusion

MyGopeng Resort Map

I would definitely recommend MyGopeng Resort for a Level 2 white water rafting adventure. If you want a taste of kampung life with nice people, nice food, and lots of free fruits :), you can opt to stay one night.  But some, if not most, of their activities are no longer available. So a few more nights might bore you, unless you are with a large group and you have a full itinerary on hand. And if you are more keen to proper and more modern accommodation, you might want to stay at a nearby hotel in Ipoh.

Here’s the itinerary of our short trip.

3D/2N Gopeng-KL Itinerary

MyGopeng Resort Website: http://www.mygopengresort.com/
Bus Online Booking: http://www.busonlineticket.com/

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o+o+

A Futuristic Keyboard!

 

This sure isn’t something new in this era – the first of this came out a few years ago – but I have to admit, I and my colleague  got the the-future-is-here feeling when we first tested this Epic Laser keyboard. If we didn’t get the flying cars to mainstream in 2014, at least we kinda got this? hek.hek. ;p

In this video, we connected it to an iPad via Bluetooth. Both gadgets recognized each other pretty quickly. It has its limitations, though, when it comes to distance and the kind of surface that you place it into, but the responsiveness is not bad. Also, this type of keyboard obviously doesn’t fit a lot of usages, but add a few years (or decades!), imagine what it can be.  Maybe new usages will spring up prompting the need for such. 🙂

I think I’m just being childish but heck, I just think it’s cool! ;p

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Phuket Thailand Tour – Day 3

OUT with our Moms – Day 3
9 November, 2013

We spent our 3rd day in Phuket, shopping, visiting a few tourist spots and elephant trekking. This tour cost us $36 SGD per person.

Panorama shot while elephant trekking

We road a van, along with a few tourists into the mountain top.

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While we enjoyed the entire tour, the elephant trekking experience was rather … saddening. At first, I was really excited because it would be my first time to ride on an elephant. But upon seeing the huge, metal benches placed on top of them, I felt a pinch in my heart. This wasn’t how I pictured it to be. My friend went to Sri Lanka and rode on an elephant bareback, without any harness or benches. That was how I imagined it to be. I asked the mahout or the elephant “driver” if it was  okay because the bench itself seemed to be quite heavy. He just casually said, “No, it’s okay. They’re used to it”. I wished it reassured me but it didn’t. Despite seeing the thick sheet which protected the elephant’s skin from the harsh metal, I still find the whole thing a bit … heartbreaking. The trekking went on for 15min up on a steep route and 15min back down. Later on, a friend showed me a Youtube video on how some of these elephants were cruelly trained – particularly in Thailand.  It’s really sad. So if you happen to be someone who is planning on elephant trekking, please ask for bareback riding arrangements. I tried to research further and there are actually agencies who offer a more elephant-friendly interaction like bathing them and riding on them bareback.

Not wanting to spoil the tour, we went ahead with the trekking. I did with a heavy heart. Minutes after, I just wanted to get off and let my mom ride. Good thing the “driver” allowed me to take over.

This is 10-year old Mali. I decided to get off the bench and replace the “driver”. I was hoping to ease Mali’s burden, but I’m not sure if I did.

Technically, the agency does not allow “passengers” to replace the “driver”. But when we were out of sight, the driver allowed me to take over. I was hoping I lightened up Mali’s load somehow.

ATV is also an option in the tour

ATV was something I wanted to try but our moms wouldn’t enjoy, for sure. After spending half-an-hour with Mali, we went ahead to Big Buddha, on to the top of the mountain.

Yep. These two need to have their pictures wherever they go. ;p

April taking a pose

Madear and I with Big Buddha

Then to the temple …

jars of clay ;p

The Great Buddha

Buddhist bells

Great Buddha

The temple is not only a famous tourist spot but also a common place for devout Buddhists who offer prayers and ask for favors from the great Buddha.

Monks saying their prayers at the great Buddha temple

Our last stop was shopping at Phuket Town! But I must say, Jungceylon Mall and Silang Boulevard were definitely much cheaper.

Shopping at Phuket Town

So there goes our 3-day Phuket trip … a very short, yet fulfilling trip. 🙂

o+o+

James Bond Island – Phuket Thailand Day 2

OUT with our Moms – Day2
8 November, 2013

The Travel Agency was One Hour Late! … or Not.
So after a good rest and an early breakfast at the Album Loft, we waited for our tour guide to James Bond Island … and later realized that Thailand time was one hour behind Singapore time. You see, this is one of the little things that, in my opinion, must be part of a hotel’s SOP. When we stayed at Panorama Regency Hotel in Indonesia, one of the first things they informed us about was the time difference. That made us plan a timely trip back to Singapore.

The Tour

A panorama of some of Phuket’s islets

With the help of the cab driver, we purchased this tour soon after we arrived at Phuket, on our way to Album Loft. It’s a one-day tour which costs $63 per person, inclusive of lunch buffet. I must say the tour was good. The boat was very spacious and the food was good. The activities involved canoeing and sailing across islands to James Bond island.

Sailing on a big boat with 3 of my favorite ladies

Twins – two decades apart

Canoeing along green waters

“must get in…” lol. this was fun.

Feeding the monkeys was allowed and the crew gave us some banana for it.

Mom enjoyed feeding the monkeys while canoeing into the caves.

Facing a scenery like this makes a fantastic lunch.

The view made it perfect

Aaand we’re here!

@James Bond Island

She wouldn’t let herself miss a single shot. ;p

We also got to soak ourselves in the middle of 3 islets which was really cool too. But if you want some beach, I suggest you take the Phi Phi island tour. This trip is mainly site seeing.

I’d do this again anytime ;p

Soaking into the warm waters of Phuket

Overall, this trip was great, but like I said, If you want more adventure, swimming, or snorkeling, you might want to choose Phi Phi island or other tours. Phuket has a lot to offer. The travel agent we spoke to specifically recommended this tour knowing we have both our parents on board. We’re definitely planning to visit again and explore other places.

Our boat

We threw the captain into the water and took over ;p

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OUT with our Moms – Phuket Thailand Day 1

7-9 November 2013.

The Bucket List
This was a definite top item on our bucket list, which we were both anticipating to crash out.
No, it’s not just about visiting Thailand. More than that, we have been wanting to take our awesome moms out of the country (besides Singapore) for a short getaway. Being the wonderful moms and housewives they are to our hardworking dads, we decided to really push for this trip despite the budget constraints. For a moment, we had decided to postpone it. But we knew how thrilled these two were when they heard about a possible Thailand trip on their next visit here in Singapore. Moms are just too hard to resist. ;p

The plan was realized when I spotted a $40 Jetstar airfare – a deal too good, I couldn’t ignore!

Our moms at Changi Airport. We could hear the screams of excitement inside their heads.

We too, were excited. It would be our first time in Thailand and our first time to travel with our moms.

We took off from Changi Airport at around 8.30am and arrived in Phuket at around 10am.
It was our very first time in Phuket and we were only relying on my online researches on things like how-to-get-where and how-much-is-reasonable. I love the thrill that this kind of trip gives me … and the spontaneity is subtly wooing my planner girlfriend. 🙂

$800Baht cab ride from airport to Patong. ~30SGD.

Airport Transfers
For people like us who did not have prearranged airport transfers, there were two options on how to get to Patong. One was to take the mini bus (which was more like an L300 van) for 180Baht/person. Another option was a cab ride for 800Baht (max of 4 pax). Both transpo options will drop you off at your hotel, anywhere in Patong. All you need to do is give the address of the hotel – pretty convenient. Since there were four of us, taking the cab made more sense. The ride to Patong was rather short – at most 30min (the time we spent on the travel agency where we arranged our tours, excluded).

Arrange a Package Tour – Before or After Arriving at Phuket?
These cab and mini bus drivers would stop over one or more agencies to lure you into buying these package tours. While some people might find it annoying and unnecessary, it could actually be helpful for first-timers, like us. We arranged a James Bond Island Tour – something that’s more mom-friendly (as the travel agent described it), compared to the Phi Phi Island tour (yes, where Leonardo DiCaprio’s famous “The Beach” movie was shot). So, yeah, it’s totally okay not to buy your package tours ahead. You’ll find travel agencies anywhere in Phuket Town and Patong area, especially around hotels. If your hotel offers such package tours, you might get cheaper deals. And while we found online and on-the-spot prices to be roughly the same, timing is also important. November is a hot and peak season for Phuket, so prices were expected to be higher.

At nearly 1pm, we arrived at our humble accommodation.

Our moms taking a pose at Album Loft lobby

Album Loft @ Nanai Road
129/6-11 Nanai Road, Kathu
http://thealbumloft.com/

Through Agoda.com, we got a $37/night Superior Double Room With Breakfast. Pretty cheap. Cheap accommodations are easy to find at Patong. Budget hotels can be found at almost every block.

Album Loft amenities

At around 2pm, we found ourselves roaming around Jungceylon Mall, a 15-minute walk from our hotel. We grabbed our much awaited lunch at Jeffer’s Pasta & Steak Restaurant … and we weren’t disappointed. This affordable fast food serves quality food!

Beef Stroganoff at Jeffer Steak for $$99Baht. That’s less than $5SGD!

Jungceylon Mall and Silang Boulevard
Jungceylon Mall is considered as one of the best places to shop in Patong. However, I did not really agree with it until we crossed over to Silang Boulevard – an extension of the mall, or some sort. At the basement of Silang was where I wandered and enjoyed the most. There, you will find an array of massage centers and pretty souvenirs. Man, I could hardly take my eyes off of those wooden artifacts … and yes, the massage was superb!

Recharged after the muscle piercing, joint twisting Thai massage!

An addition to my collection – I got my first wooden lire!

200Baht (~8SGD) Sandals.
These 3 stayed here for a good hour!

We were told that Phuket Town had much cheaper items compared to Patong. I couldn’t imagine how much cheaper it could get!

Busy streets of Patong

Banzaan Market
Just around Jungceylon mall is an apparent market with a series of stalls that you typically see in tents. Here you will find super cheap items as well – from bikinis to different types of clothing, accessories and souvenirs.

After the massage and shopping, we hopped by a nice, homely Thai restaurant just a few hundred meters from our hotel. Once again, our taste buds were pleased, to say the least! Our wallets were even happier – a 460Baht dinner for 4 people (around $19SGD) plus excellent customer service. I could get used to this!

A seating option at Kung and Nick’s Restaurant

Thai Seafood Fried Rice at Kung and Nick’s Restaurant

The first day was a full day and we were all excited for day 2. 🙂

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A Not So Ordinary Apology

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As soon as I realized I was gay, I wanted to be straight.

My first defense? Having a boyfriend.
Did it last? No. But did it help? Yes. It became a part of my journey to self-acceptance.

Soon after I ended my relationship with my ex-boyfriend for good, I wanted to see him again to apologize for using him.

I just knew at that time, I wasn’t ready to admit to him (or to anyone) that I was gay … clearly because I couldn’t even admit it to myself. But really, it was because I had a hard time looking for a good outfit in the closet and wanted to come out as fabulously as I can. ;p

And when I was finally ready, all I needed was tequila… no, not that … well, okay that too … and timing.

It started in high school …
I was in a relationship with this guy, twice – once during high school, and once during college. The high school part was rather short-lived. We were a hot “love team” back then. Everyone liked it. My friends liked it. And it felt good – not because I liked him romantically, but because it made me feel normal. It made me fit in. Aside from that, I wanted to get rid of these girl crushes I had back then. Seriously, it felt awful to feel something you know you’re not supposed to. Entertaining those feelings is like adding ice cream to your cake … or getting more shots when you’re already tipsy. In short – a guilty pleasure. The only good thing about it was none of those girls were my barkada or close friends at that time. Thank God they were all like sisters to me, else it would’ve been damn awkward.

The struggle continues in college …
Then came college. After a 3-year secret relationship with a girl, I started to entertain suitors – 3 guys including him. Not to brag but I never really seemed to run out of suitors back then … most of them I kept secret. For some reason, I seemed to attract the wrong people – it’s like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife … isn’t it ironic? – okay you can stop singing now. ;p I decided to give it a shot again, with him. We tried to make it work. I did, and so did he. But the more the relationship went on, the guiltier I felt. I couldn’t get myself to be intimate with him, or any guy for that matter. And those guys were not bad at all. I liked them, in fact. But long story short – I ended it.

And my struggle went on … I prayed every day to not “feel this way”. Almost every day, I would go to my favorite church and ask for “normal” feelings. I even had a friend help me become straight. For years, I felt like a prisoner. I hated myself for being gay. But eventually, I hated myself for not loving me. I got tired and just said to myself – fuck it, this is me. Then, I came out to my parents – ah, that day was a good day. 🙂

So after 10 years, came our high school alumni homecoming and I challenged myself to finally do it, else, there’d be no other time – even though we do have yearly get-togethers.

Why Apologize?
Apologizing to him was a big deal for me – I’ve been wanting to tick it off my bucket list. I was doing it not only for him, but also for myself. I’ve always had this guilt for using his feelings – not just once, but twice – to straighten me up. I felt horrible. He deserved at least an apology and to hear it from me … “Yes, I am gay”. There was this moment when I knew he felt somehow settled to just finally hear it straight from me.

Getting his forgiveness was divine. He uttered a few words that took away the baggage that I’ve been carrying for years … and those words were “More tequila?” … no that wasn’t it. ;p He looked me in the eye and said “It’s okay”. And that, my friend, was a moment for me. 🙂

I knew it didn’t come as a surprise to him. Maybe my apology did, but not the reason for my apology. Ever since I came out to my parents, I have been less discreet. I mean, I don’t post TMI (too much info) or shout “Hey, I’m gay” on Facebook, but I don’t hide anymore. I just decided to care less about what people think – except if it was about our noisy neighbor. Don’t you just hate it when you get a human alarm clock at 6am during the weekend? Anyway, bless you my former neighbor. I wish you’ve lost your voice … just kidding. ;p Now, where was I? ;p

I didn’t even expect him to forgive me. I never thought of it. All I ever wanted was to apologize. In fact, I made myself ready if the conversation didn’t go well. But he impressed me by being respectful and gracious enough … besides the fact that at some point, I have hurt and offended him. Soon enough, we were already making jokes about the past.

What happened made me appreciate him more. I have this former suitor & friend who keeps on shoving off his romantic intentions into my face – saying subtle things that would hopefully change my mind. I mean come on, dude! Yes, I’m a girl and I understand that a girl’s “No” could mean “Yes” … but if 10 years later, she still says no, that probably really means no. ;p So again, No. Seriously. And in case you were wondering, I wasn’t abused. My childhood was awesome. Except for the part when I ate paste … or when I nearly swallowed a coin … or every time my elder sister would put makeup on my face because I was her doll. ;p Aside from those, everything else was fine.

So there, after 10 years, a gay girl finally got to apologize to her ex-boyfriend – and what can be better than getting forgiveness in return? This guy will always be special to me – not in a romantic way, but in some special way – and that, i think, makes it one of a kind.

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o+

 

 

 

Pulau Ubin Island, Singapore

25 October 2013.

Beach view at Celestial Ubin Resort, Pulau Ubin

Pulau Ubin is a tiny island located northeast of Singapore. This is a part of Singapore that’s less developed with a more provincial, hippy feel. I love the island’s homey atmosphere. It has become a common destination for biking, nature walks, camping, and bird watching.

baby sis and mom

With my mom in town, I was looking for new places to visit and thought Pulau Ubin would be a perfect destination for a day’s getaway and a pre-birthday celebration for me.

Our journey started from Tanah Merah MRT. We reached there at 2pm, where we then took a cab to Changi Ferry Terminal. A 10-minute cab ride for $10. You can also take bus #2 which takes you to the ferry terminal itself, located at Changi Village Road.

bumboat to Pulau Ubin

Bumboat fare to the island costs $2.50 per head. The boat needs 12 passengers; if you don’t want to wait, you can pay for the empty seats.

First steps on the island

After 10 minutes on the boat, we finally arrived at Pulau Ubin.

good deal from deal.com.sg

We got a  deal for the four of us -my baby sis, girlfriend and mom. Celestial Ubin Resort offered it for $8.90 at Deal.com.sg. I must say, it’s a pretty good deal. When we got there, the package was offered at $10 so I was glad to know we’ve saved. If we had started earlier, we would’ve had more time for biking.

Kayaking with April, who considers it conquering her fears. LOL.

We first started kayaking at around 2.30pm. The sun was still striking hot but we didn’t delay any further because the tide was getting low soon, according to the assistant. It was good but we chose to stop in less than an hour for the fear of tanning too much. Haha.

Celestial Ubin Fish Spa

After that, we went to the fish spa. The best thing was we had the entire place for the four of us. Going there on weekdays is a good idea.

Mom’s enjoying it so much. (I managed to keep my feet down for a second just for the pic! ;p)

This was my first time and i didn’t like the feeling! I wanted to soak my feet for a longer time but for someone who wears her socks almost 24 hours a day, i couldn’t resist the tingling feeling – especially when a bigger fish takes a bite, it hurt! Okay, not that  much but it’s quite creepy. LOL.

We enjoyed a good 2 hours in the fish spa – and i think the staff wouldn’t have stopped us if we went beyond 2 hours. 🙂

Loving the rough roads of Pulau Ubin. Reminds me of my childhood.

It was 5pm and we wanted to bike and explore the island more but it was getting a little late and boats go back to the city until 7pm. Not to mention the time we needed to spend to fill the boat. Bike rental shops also close pretty early! Pretty dissapointing but it only made me want to go back some other day and start early! Definitely will.

baby sis trying a “candid” moment ;p

We had nothing left to do so we just lazed around the beach of Celestial Ubin with some snacks. An overnight stay would be perfect next time.

baby sis taking a pose

Overall, the experience was great and the staff was friendly. This island is a great place for a quick break from the busy city life of Singapore. What i loved the most was that the island gave me a very homey feeling – felt like i was in my hometown in Cebu a few years back. I’m definitely coming back to bike and explore the island more.

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The Wrong Train

Today, I passed by a lady forcing her dog to walk with shoes on. Yes, I know it sounds amusing but that wasn’t how I felt when I saw the unsettled look on the dog’s face.  As fancy as those shoes were, it looked unnatural and probably even more uncomfortable for him to walk on. He looked confused, as if resisting and begging his owner to stop.

Not far away was a lady who stopped by to talk to an alley cat. She was still petting him and talking to him as I walked past them. Well, nothing wrong with that. I mean, who doesn’t talk to their pets, right?

I couldn’t decide if that was all kind or crazy.

Finally, when I got to the train, I saw these people who were too disgusted to give a seat to a coughing, old man. A frail old man who’s probably in his 70’s.  People were either looking at him with disgust, or looking down at their phones. Not a single seat was given up.

Crazy, don’t you think?

It’s heartbreaking sometimes, how people can be so unthoughtful and unkind. Isn’t kindness and compassion supposed to be innate in us?

For a moment, I felt like I was riding on the wrong train. I felt so isolated in a very weird manner … or maybe I felt that for the old man. My regret was not having the guts to ask someone to give up his seat for him.

Did I just  hop on the wrong train today? I sure hope so.

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Happy Birthday my Mai ♥

Happy Birthday my Mai ♥♥

You don’t know you’re beautiful… and that’s what makes you beautiful. :-*

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Tingko Beach – Alcoy

Last week, we celebrated April’s birthday at Tingko beach with her friends. Unlike our Moalboal celebration, this time, we kept the celebration with friends separate from the  family because this is also going to be some sort of a ‘farewell’ party before we go to Singapore.

Alcoy Map

This beach is located in Alcoy, the town next to my own, Dalaguete. Alcoy is at the southern part of Cebu, around 95km (2-hr drive) from the city. The beach is just a couple of kilometers from Bodo’s Bamboo Bar.

our van to tinco

We had to rent a Nissan Urvan for Php 2800 inclusive of driver and exclusive of gas. We had to spend 1500 for the gasoline. You can contact the driver, Jucno @09225488165 if you need transportation services for your trips anywhere in Cebu.

I’ve been to this place a thousand times and I won’t mind going back many more times! This place has awed me since I was a child. The beach is just so good – white and clean. Sometimes it just gets a little crowded when there are occasions like fiestas, Easter Sundays, and generally during summer. Tingko beach is always on my list whenever friends ask me for suggestions on the nicest beach in Cebu. It is indeed one of the best in Cebu; even better than some beaches in the north. However, I should say that this beach just lacks the amenities that most beaches in the north have. There are a couple of resorts though, that offer pretty decent rooms for overnight stay.

Tingko Barangay Beach House

There were 16 of us and as always, we opted for the cheaper accommodation – the Barangay Beach House. The beach house had two rooms with separate toilet and bath that are good for 800 Php each. Each room can accommodate at most 4 people, but they only allow at most 8 people to use the T&B for free. If there are more than 8 of you, 10 pesos will be charged for each person who uses the T&B. It also had a spacious terrace for each room, with a couple of long chairs and tables for you to dine in.

Tingko Barangay Beach Contact: Methos (Barangay secretary) 09223206552 or Lorena (caretaker) 09225301069

our tents

We had a handful of tents, which was really convenient for all of us.

the grill house

Grilling on the beaches of Tingko is strictly prohibited, that’s why this grill house was provided for guests.

look at that! o.o

Our menu included grilled goodness: pork, tulingan and molmol fish, hotdogs, longaniza, and marsh mallows.

"payao" or hut in tingko

This hut is for rent at P30/head. Not a bad deal, as you can use it for the entire 24 hours. But if you’re the one paying for the whole gang, it’s going to be a grander cost. At night, they have a spotlight directed to this hut so you don’t have to worry about the dark. Night swimming here is really fun! A raft is tied to this hut so you can travel back and forth without having to swim.

The rest of the night was games and drinking. It was fun, except for the part where I slept a little early! LOL.

Happy Birthday my dear ♥.

Looking forward for  our Imelda Aroma trip next week 🙂

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