Hongkong-Macau-Shenzhen Itinerary

Hi. Just sharing the detailed itinerary of our 5-day HK-Macau-Shenzhen trip last year. I hope this would help you in your future trip.

Hongkong is very easy to DIY. You don't have to join group tours. :)

For Macau, we initially planned for a DIY trip. However, just right outside the pier, a fellow Filipina approached us and offered us to be our tour guide. The best thing is she only charged us a small fee. So we grabbed her offer without thinking twice. Haha. 

For Shenzhen, we have no choice but to join a group tour. The tour is quite expensive for a budget traveler like me. .

I will discuss the details of this trip in my next blog.

Thanks. ;)

For more info, you can visit this thread: http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=712719

SG-Malaysia Itinerary for 5 1/2 days

Hi. Just sharing my detailed itinerary for our Singapore-Malaysia (Johor Bahru-Malacca-Kuala Lumpur) trip last year. I hope this would help you in your future trip. :)

Cosmic Guesthouse, Hong Kong Review

We arrived in Hong Kong at around 1230am. We were done with the immigration at around 0100 am. (It was a lot easier in HK as compared to Cebu! :))

(Note: To passengers arriving late at night, there are actually benches in the airport where you can sleep decently- as far as I can remember it is near the customer service counter).

COSMIC GUESTHOUSE 

We decided to have a late check in at Cosmic Guesthouse located at Mirador Mansion, Nathan Road.
(You can check their website to learn more about Cosmic Guesthouse, http://www.cosmicguesthouse.com/)

Cosmic Guesthouse's Address: 12/F, Mirador Mansion, 54-64 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, HK

HOW TO GET THERE? 

For those arriving past 12 mn:

Take the airport bus N21. It’s HKD$23/person (please prepare the exact change.)The bus station is just outside the airport. Once you exit the gates, follow the sign to the bus stations. It isn't hard to find actually.

You will exit at the 35th stop. 82- 84 Nathan Road near Tsim Sha Tsui Station (Exit B1). The bus is equipped with an electronic signage which tells you what bus stop you are now so there's no way you will get lost. Then keep walking in the direction where the bus is going (i.e. stay on Nathan Road, do not make turns).  After you’ve passed Carnarvon Road, Mirador Mansion will be on your left.  Keep walking and you should see Mirardor Mansion entrance.




Take that entrance (there should be a shop selling cameras on the right side inside the entrance), you should see a set of elevators after turning left, then right. Directly opposite to the elevators is the security room. Take the elevator that goes to 12/F (there are four elevators, take the one that goes to 12/F).  When you exit at the 12/F, turn left, walk along the corridor and turn left again. You should see the reception at the end.

For passengers arriving before 12mn, you can actually take the A21 bus. :)

REVIEW

Note: Do not be deceived by the pictures of the rooms posted in the site. The rooms are actually smaller and cramped up. We booked a room for 3, but it's really small for 3 people. There are only two of us in this trip so we just used the extra bed for our things. As for the CR, we have a shower-over-the-toilet type of CR which isn't suitable for large people. Also, the rooms are only cleaned after the third day of stay.

our messy room. :) really small! :)

Anyway, we were still satisfied with our room. The key here is not to expect too much. Anyway, all we need is a room for us to sleep as most of the time we are outside busy exploring the city.

If you are on a tight budget (budget is less than a thousand per person per night - our triple room is at 390HKD/night)), Cosmic Guesthouse is highly recommended! It has a strategic location. The MTR, bus stations and ferry terminals (to Central/Macau) are all within walking distance.A lot of shops, bars and restaurants can be found in the area also.

ISquare Mall - just a stone's throw away from the Mirador Mansion.

Tourist Attractions such as the Avenue of Stars, Clock Tower and Hong Kong Musuem (TST Promenade) are just 2-minutes walk away from the Mansion!

of airports and immigration

march 14, 2013 - the day i have been waiting for.

I have researched a lot before this travel. And one thing that made me a little anxious after all the researching was the immigration part.

First. i am a DOST scholar graduate and I still haven't completed my return service. So in short, I am not allowed to travel outside the country without securing a clearance from DOST. But there was a memo from the Bureau of Immigration released last year which states that our travel ban has already been lifted. But just to be sure, I still went to DOST to secure a clearance.

I have read online that immigration can be tough with the first-timers abroad. And I guess this is true in some cases. haha In Mactan international Airport, the first-timers were separated from the ones who have already traveled abroad. When it is already my turn, I just presented all my documents (Certificate of Employment) of Employment, roundtrip tickets, hotel accommodation  company ID), filled up a form and then I'M DONE. It was fast actually. The IO just wrote a note that I will be traveling with my workmate(who isn't a first timer).

Hello IO! :)

But a girl who is on the same flight as me has undergone a long interrogation. She was just released just as we are about to board. She was a first-time SOLO BACKPACKER. The immigration officer asked her to prove that she will indeed return to the country and will not work in HK. The girl was a fresh graduate and hasn't worked yet so she has no COEs or IDs to present which made the officer a little bit suspicious  Her trip was a gift to her by her siblings working abroad. To cut the story short, she was only released after she had written all her siblings names and where they work abroad. After these were verified, that was when they released her. So for those who are planning to travel abroad, be PREPARED. :)

As for the DOST, the immigration didn't even bother to ask for a DOST clearance. :) I also have a friend, a DOST scholar, who went abroad for a seminar without even securing a clearance. :) so for DOST scholars, it is fine not to secure a clearance. :)

Off we go to my first trip abroad. :)

wanderlusttttttt....

Let me welcome myself to the blog world.... :)

First things first. I'm not good at writing so why still bother writing a blog? I started this blog simply because I want to share all my travel experiences here and abroad. So if you see any grammatical errors in my post guys, my apologies. :D

So what would be my blog like? Well the blog title says it all...

--Pobreng lakwatsera (poor traveler)---

Basically this blog will be about my tipid-budget travel here and abroad. I will be posting my itineraries and the money I spent for each travel. So I hope this blog inspires you to travel and enjoy other places like I do. :)

I don't know where my wanderlust would take me. But I know wherever I will go, I will encounter fascinating experiences  which will be worth sharing in this blog.