Kota Kinabalu in 50mm

Pulau Mamutik, Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park

When I went to Kota Kinabalu three years ago, I immediately fell in love with the place. The city's not that crowded, quaint, and affordable. Not to mention that their food tastes great! Last month, I went back to Kota Kinabalu to strike one item in my bucket list - parasailing abroad. The plan didn't push through when I first went there three years ago due to inclement weather.

I couldn't enjoy my Kota Kinabalu trip without these crazy and kaladkarin people - Ria, Kisha, Pau, and Fra. We truly had a blast despite the limited time.

900 Reasons to Smile: Jollibee Opens 900th Branch in Palo, Leyte

My ultimate source of comfort food (see also: Chicken Joy and Jolly Spaghetti) has just recently opened their 900th branch here in the Philippines, and it's only a stone's throw away from where I live! This momentous milestone of Jollibee is dedicated to the people of Palo, Leyte as it aims to provide renewed joy and hope and serve as a symbol of better things to come.

How I Plan My Trips Abroad

Good to go!

I do receive a lot of questions on how and why I get to travel abroad at least twice a year. They still think that traveling abroad is only for the alta (a colloquial term for rich people), which brings me to two things: (i) am I that dukha-looking?; and (ii) are they aware of piso or promo fares?

Kidding aside, I think it's about time to share on how I plan and execute my trips abroad.

Hong Kong's Symphony of Lights

View from the Avenue of the Stars

At dusk, the sun settles over the western horizon. Buildings start to flicker and Hong Kong becomes more alive and more vibrant. Over the years of rapid developments, Hong Kong's population skyrocketed. Because land development is limited and expensive, there's no way but to go up, literally. This former British colony is tagged as one of the world's most vertical cities with numerous skyscrapers towering the islands of Hong Kong, New Territories, and Kowloon.

Photo Diary: Hong Kong in 50mm

Downtown Hong Kong

Every time I ask my friends on what was the first country they've visited, majority answered Hong Kong. Well, it's primarily because of two things: Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park, and its close proximity from Manila, Philippines (it only takes an hour and forty-five minutes to reach Hong Kong, the same travel time when you fly from Manila to Davao).

Hong Kong was a former British colony until in 1997, it became a special administrative region of China granted with a full autonomy. Rapid economic developments were seen in the early 70s and even after it was formally handed over to China, Hong Kong still remains as one of the most important cities not only in Asia but also to the world. No wonder why it was dubbed as the Asia's World City. This special administrative region of China also serves as an important hub or transit in air travel, making their one and only international airport as one of the busiest and  highly revered airports in the world in terms of connectivity, and passenger comfort.

The Path to Enlightenment: Borobudur Temple

Enlightenment.

One shouldn't miss this UNESCO World Heritage Site when visiting Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Candi Borobudur (pronounced as 'Chandee', which literally means temple), is the world's largest Buddhist temple, and as well as one of the greatest Buddhist monuments built in the whole world. I have been dying to visit this temple since high school, blame it to my obsession in Asian history and culture. Since the day I've first read about this place, I knew right from the start that I have to see this place before I die.

Nothing's really unusual with this candi except that it was decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. The temple comprises of six square platforms, topped with three circular platforms. People all over the world travel to this renowned world heritage site simply because of its allegory to enlightenment.

Yogyakarta: Indonesia's Cultural City

The cultural center of Indonesia.

Indonesia is very accessible if you are flying in to Jakarta however, it doesn't wholly represent the entire Indonesian culture. That's why, we opted to visit places outside the capital city: Bandung, Taman Safari in Bogor, and Yogyakarta (aka Jogja). Thus, if you want to experience the 'real' Indonesia, get the hell out of Jakarta because the gridlock traffic won't take you to anywhere.

To escape the carmageddon traffic of the capital, we took a flight from Jakarta to Yogyakarta, a thriving metropolitan city of Central Java. Booking a flight to Jogja from the capital was probably the best decision we've made in this entire trip. Aside from saving us from eternal damnation, it had allowed us to discover more about the Indonesian culture and heritage.

The Taman Safari Experience

All creatures big and small.

Prior my trip to Taman Safari, the closest encounter I've had with wild animals was in Davao's Crocodile Park, and in the Philippine Eagle Center. But those weren't considered close since all of them were either locked inside a cage or confined in a protected area in which visitors aren't allowed to pet them. Weeks prior our Indonesian adventure, my aunt told me and my mom that we're going to visit Indonesia's Taman Safari. I did a few research about it but their official website wasn't really that detailed, not to mention that it was written in Bahasa. So basically, we were clueless.

The first thing that came to my mind was the African safari type of trip - you know, people inside an armored vehicle with large plexiglass windows on it, with a few lions climbing on top of the car, and zebras licking the window, begging for food. And after that, the lions saw the zebras, and goes the wild chase. Eventually, the lions ate the zebras. It's like watching NatGeo Wild. #CircleOfLife

Well, that was morbid.