May 29, 2015

Visa - Free Travel for Filipinos

Gone are the days when traveling is only for rich people and retired ones. Thank you for the cheap airfares, seat sale, and long weekends because it gives us a chance to fly and see the world. 

 Traveling out of the country is not cheap because we have to pay a travel tax, terminal fee, and visa. Visa is not cheap, aside from the visa fee you need to spend money on other requirements like a photo, bank certificate, travel medical insurance, and other expenses. 

The sad part is if your visa is denied you cannot refund the expenses that you have spent. But don’t worry according to Wikipedia; here are the countries that are visa-free for Filipinos and some countries that issue visa-on-arrival with a minimal fee.
Photo from freepik.com
Asia 

 ASEAN

Brunei 14 days
Cambodia 21 days
Indonesia 30 days
Laos 30 days

 Malaysia 30 days
Read: 6 Days in Malaysia and Singapore
3 Days in Kota Kinabalu Malaysia

 Singapore 30 days
Read: 2 Days in Singapore
5 Days in Singapore with Kid
6 Days in Malaysia and Singapore

 Thailand 30 days
Read: 6 Days in Bangkok Thailand

 Vietnam 21 days
Read: 5 Days in Da Nang Vietnam


Non-ASEAN

Georgia 90 days visa issued on arrival for US$10 ~ US$200

Hong Kong 14 days
Read: 6 Days in Hongkong and Macau

India 30 days visa issued upon arrival for US$60
Iran 30 days visa issued upon arrival (free of charge)
Israel 90 days

 Macau 30 days
Read: 6 Days in Hongkong and Macau

Maldives 30 days visa issued upon arrival (free of charge)
Mongolia 21 days
Nepal 15/30/90 days visa issued upon arrival for US$25/40/100
Sri Lanka 30 days
Republic of China 30 days if holding a valid visa for Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Schengen countries, United Kingdom, or the United States. Online registration is required.
Timor-Leste 30 days visa issued upon arrival for US$30

Africa

Burundi visa issued upon arrival
Cape Verde visa issued upon arrival
Comoros A free 24 h transit visa is issued upon arrival at the airport. Within 24 hours this must be converted into a full visa at the immigration office in Moroni (fee payable)
Djibouti 10 days visa issued upon arrival for DJF3,000; 30 days visa issued upon arrival for DJF5,000
Gambia At the port of entry passport 24-72 h transit pass is issued. This must be converted into a full visa valid for up to 1 month at the immigration department in Banjul (fee payable)
Kenya 90 days visa issued upon arrival for US$25
Madagascar 90 days visa issued upon arrival for MGA140,000
Morocco 90 days
Mozambique 30 days visa issued upon arrival for US$25
Saint Helena visa issued upon arrival
Seychelles 30 days
Tanzania visa issued upon arrival for US$50
Togo 7 days visa issued upon arrival
Uganda 180 days visa issued upon arrival for US$50
Zambia 90 days visa issued upon arrival for US$50

Europe 

Kosovo 90 days

Oceania 

Cook Islands 31 days
Fiji 120 days Visitor's Permit issued upon arrival (free of charge)
Marshall Islands 30 days visa issued upon arrival (free of charge)
Federated States of Micronesia 30 days
Niue 30 days
Palau 30 days visa issued upon arrival (free of charge)
Samoa 60 days Visitor's Permit issued upon arrival (free of charge)
Tuvalu 30 days visa issued upon arrival (free of charge)
Vanuatu 30 days  

 North America 

Costa Rica 30 days
Dominica 21 days
Haiti 90 days
Nicaragua 90 days
Saint Kitts and Nevis 14 days
Saint Lucia 6 weeks visa issued upon arrival for US$50
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 30 days
Turks and Caicos Islands 30 days

South America 

Bolivia 90 days
Brazil 90 days
Colombia 90 days
Ecuador 90 days
Peru 183 days
Suriname 90 days
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May 26, 2015

DIY Pillowcase

I’ve been too preoccupied these past few months so I stopped practicing sewing. I did not expect that because I planned to do my pinned sewing projects in Pinterest this summer vacation but because of the heat, I feel so lazy to do it. 

Last Sunday, I push myself to sew pillow case because I bought two king size pillows. I bought these pillows after watching “Home”  movie last April 1. We can’t use the pillow because we don’t have king size pillow case 20x36.



 I tried to check different malls but I can’t find king size pillow cases so I gave up and decided to make my own pillow case. Thank God that I still have enough fabric for that, though the fabric doesn’t matches our bed sheet.



 According to my cheat sheet, you need 1 1/4 yard of fabric and cut it in 41 x 41 inches. Sewing pillow case is one of the easiest sewing projects for beginners. As in super easy because you just need to sew the top edge, one side raw edge and bottom. You can do this in 10 to 15 minutes. 

And because I missed my sewing machine, I made throw pillow cases too. This is an easy project too, you just need to measure your pillow, mine is 15 x 15 inches. Then I cut my fabric 16 x 36 inches. 

I finished 2 king size pillow cases and 4 throw pillow cases and I’m planning to make more pillow cases. I just need to buy fabric that will match our bed sheets. 



 Sorry, no step by step picture and guide at kinacareer ko ang pagtahi.
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May 20, 2015

Enchanted Cave

As promised, I will share with you our cave experience in Bolinao, Pangasinan. There are three caves that you can visit in Bolinao, such as Cindy’s Cave, Wonderful Cave and Enchanted Cave. But because we have very limited time, we can only visit one cave. We chose the latter because it is the popular cave.  

 So far, Enchanted Cave is the third cave that I’ve visited in the Philippines. I’ve been to Cambagat Cave, which is located inside the Panglao Island Nature and Resort Spa and of course, the famous Underground River in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.  

 It was a long weekend, so the place was really crowded, a good thing that we were able to park immediately.

Effective March 2, 2015, the entrance fee is P150 per person. I was thankful that they did not charge my 6-year-old son. 


 Upon entering the resort, you will notice the coral rocks and fossils clams. I’ve read in one sign, this is proof that the place was part of the sea 10 million years ago. 

There are cottages that you can use inside. 


We immediately looked for the cave, and as expected, the place was packed. My son was scared at first, it was his first time to swim in a cave. If you are not a good swimmer, you can rent a life jacket. 

The cave is not that big, I guess it is similar to Cambagat Cave in Bohol. 

After several minutes inside the cave, we went to the kiddie pool so my son could enjoy. 

This is the shower area. You need to get water from the deep well pump. The dressing area is beside that shower area, too. 

As much as we want to stay long, we need to go home early. I think we only stayed for 1 hour. Di namin nasulit ang P150 entrance. Hehehe!
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May 18, 2015

Lunch at Marciano’s

We were in SM Southmall last Saturday, it was past 1PM already and we’re still not having lunch so we look for a restaurant that was not packed. We ended up in Marciano’s, a pizza, pasta, and steak restaurant.

Only one table was occupied so we chose this table where you could see the chefs preparing and cooking your food.

Upon being seated, the staff gave us the menu, and while browsing I realized kaya pala wala gaano guests, the meal was on the pricey side. Hehehe! You need a P600-700 budget per person.

 We ordered Dow Jones P1,288 + P100, it includes Italian potato wedges, roasted vegetables, US T-Bone Steak 300g and a fish fillet. We still ordered two garlic rice at P88 each cup. 

Ang mahal ng garlic rice

After a few minutes, the staff went to our table and informed us that they didn’t have 300g steak, the only available was 400g. Waah! So we have to add P100 for that 100g. 


 The steak was tender and juicy but the taste was bland so you need to dip it in gravy in order to enjoy it. The Italian sausage was good and my son enjoyed the potato wedges + sausages. It stated on the menu that the meal is good for four people, but I think it is only good for 2-3 people. Bitin ang steak. 

 We’re satisfied with the food but when we received the bill, para na kaming nagbuffet sa total bill namin. Well, charged it to experience. 

 Marciano’s 
SM Southmall Food Street
Alabang-Zapote Road, Las Pinas City
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May 14, 2015

UPMSI Bolinao Marine Laboratory

The good thing about DIY Trip is you can visit those places that are not usually included in travel packages. My husband suggested UPMSI Bolinao Marine Laboratory, where you can see giant clams. 
We’ve been to Giant Clam Culture in Camiguin, way back in 2011 and we already saw different clams. Little did I know that the Bolinao Marine Laboratory is the official marine station of the Marine Science Institute (MSI), University of the Philippines, Diliman. The clams that we’ve seen in Camiguin came from BML.

 After our visit to St James the Great Parish, we went to Bolinao Marine Laboratory. I was not sure if the office was open but we still tried our luck and I was glad that they accommodated us. We registered and paid P20 per person. The guard informed us, na nagstart na yung tour habol na lang kami.
The tour started in Dry Museum where you can see different clam fossils. 

Then we went to AVR where we watched video about the history of BML and what they are doing. 

Then we moved to Outdoor Hatchery. This is bigger compared to Giant Clam Culture of Camiguin. 

We’ve seen the stages of how they culture clams, sea cucumber and even corals, from eggs up to the adult stage.



In Camiguin, if you want to see the giant clams in the sea, you can rent a boat for a fee. You can choose for glass boat or a regular boat. But I’m not sure if it is available in BML because it was not offered to us. 


It was a learning experience to know and see clams, sea cucumbers and corals up close. My son even enjoyed the trip, maybe he can’t remember his trip in Camiguin because he was only 2 years old at that time.
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May 12, 2015

Dinner at Baek Yuen Korean Restaurant

It was Mother’s Day last Sunday and my husband insisted that we go out to celebrate. I was feeling lazy because I know that restaurants are packed and traffic is everywhere. I’m pretty sure that a lot of people will celebrate Mother’s Day.


 He suggested trying the Korean restaurant in Silang, Cavite. I try to google it but it wasn’t easy because I don’t even know the name of the restaurant. We always passed this on our way to Tagaytay but the name wasn’t visible. Check out this picture. 

We left at 5PM so we could have an early dinner. Upon arrival, I saw the name of the restaurant “Baek Yuen”. My husband checked the menu while we’re waiting in the car. I’m not a fan of Korean food so he makes sure that I can eat something. We’ve tried Bulgogi Brothers before so he knew that I will enjoy the grilling experience. 

We chose this table but there are regular tables and chairs if you don’t want to sit on the floor. You have to remove your shoes or slippers. 

Upon seated, they gave us the menu. Good thing that the staffs are Filipino so we did not have a hard time to order. But browsing the menu wasn’t easy so we just order the Special Menu P1500. The staff said that the special menu is good for 4 persons but we still ordered it para di na kami mahirapan mamili. Hehehe! 
When they served the food, we’re really surprised because we don’t know if we can eat everything. Parang nagbuffet na kami sa dami. The special menu includes different types of side dishes, 3 types of sliced meat, raw vegetables, rice and softdrinks. They also gave us free soup, I just don’t know the name.






In Bulgogi, the staff was the one who prepared and grilled our food. In Baek Yuen, they can grill the food or we grill our own food and we chose the latter. While my husband and I grilled the food, my son was watching YouTube because there was free wifi. 

 I checked the different types of Korean grilled dishes and according to Wikipedia, Samgyeopsal (삼겹살) is an unseasoned pork belly, served in the same fashion as galbi. Sometimes cooked on a grill with kimchi together on either side. Commonly grilled with garlic and onions, dipped in sesame oil and salt mixture, and wrapped with ssamjang in lettuce. 

 Galbi (갈비) is pork or beef ribs, cooked on a metal plate over charcoal in the center of the table. The meat is sliced thicker than bulgogi. It is often called "Korean barbecue" along with bulgogi and can be seasoned or unseasoned.

 Overall, we were satisfied with the food and service and we really enjoyed our new experience. We learned something new about our foodtrip. The only downside of this restaurant is, aircon and electric fans are not enough to cool the place.

It was a good decision that we had an early dinner because when we left, a lot of guests were coming in. If you are fond of eating Korean food, check All 4 U Unlimited Korean Restaurant. 
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May 08, 2015

Sungayan Grill: The Taste of Bolinao

Sungayan Grill is the most recommended restaurant when you search for Bolinao, Pangasinan so I included this in our itinerary. After our Bolinao Marine Laboratory visit, we went to Sungayan Grill for early lunch. 

Sungayan Grill is a floating restaurant in Balingasay River, this river is one of the cleanest rivers in the country. It is really good to know that we still have clean river. 

When I first saw the restaurant, I remember our Loboc-Loay River Cruise experience in Bohol. The only difference is the food is not buffet style but I think they also offer packages so you can experience river cruise while eating.

But since we are only three persons it would be practical to just eat at the floating restaurant. Good thing that there is available table for us but unfortunately we are not on the side of the river. But I’m still thankful because some guests were no longer accommodated. 

We browsed the menu and the staff immediately informed us that sungayan fish is not available. Too bad we cannot taste the sungayan fish so my husband ordered Sinigang na Malaga P150 and Grilled Liempo P130.

After several minutes, we’re still waiting for our order and some guests were already complaining na kanina pa sila don and tagal ng order. The staff went to our table and asked us if we are still willing to wait, mga 30 minutes pa daw kasi bago maserve food. We said yes, since nandun na rin naman kami, we ordered Halo-Halo P40 para may makain na kami. 

The restaurant was really packed at that time, I’m not sure if this is always the scenario. It was long weekend + summer vacation and at the same time GMA staffs were there. I’m not sure from what show but I saw them from St James Parish hanggang Enchanted Cave. (Same kami itinerary) hehehe! 

Finally, our order was served. The serving was big enough for three persons. Price is very affordable too, our bill is less than P500. We enjoyed our food and I do recommend that you visit this restaurant if you are in Bolinao, Pangasinan. But make sure you are not really hungry because it took them almost 1 hour to serve our food.
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May 07, 2015

Day Trip in Bolinao, Pangasinan

My husband was born and raised in Pangasinan, so we always have reasons to visit this province. Most of our visits to Pangasinan involved staying in their house or visiting Lingayen Beach. You can check it here. 

 It’s been three years since our last visit to their province, so we took advantage of the long weekend (May 1 - 3) to visit my grandmother-in-law in Bugallon, Pangasinan, and at the same time visit Bolinao, Pangasinan. 


 We’ve never been to Bolinao, Pangasinan, so a few days before our trip, I checked possible places that we could visit for a day. After breakfast (May 2), off we went to Bolinao, Pangasinan. We used Google Maps and Waze for directions. 

1. Our first stop was St James the Great Parish located in Don Alonzo Ponce Street, Poblacion, Bolinao, Pangasinan. The church was made out of black coral stones. Its church tower is seventy-five feet, which is the tallest in the whole of  Pangasinan, but the earthquake toppled about half of it in 1788. After that, the church was accidentally burned in 1819 and suffered in Typhoon Emong in 2009. 

 2. UP Marine Science Institute - my husband suggested this, so I searched if this is open to the public. We’ve been in Giant Clam Culture in Camiguin, but I had no idea that the Bolinao Marine Laboratory (BML) is the main office. 

 According to their website, BML is the official marine station of the Marine Science Institute (MSI), University of the Philippines, Diliman. BML serves as a research base for the scientific activities of MSI’s senior staff, visiting scientists, graduate students, and other collaborating institutions.

The clams that I’ve seen in Camiguin came from Bolinao, Pangasinan. There is no doubt that this is the main office because their outdoor hatchery is bigger compared to Giant Clam Culture. The entrance fee is P20. 

 3. Sungayan Grill at Balingasay River 

We had lunch in Sungayan Grill, it is a floating restaurant in Balingasay river. This river is one of the cleanest rivers in the country. I will share more of our experience in my next post. 

 4. Cape Bolinao Lighthouse

 I’ve first seen this lighthouse in the “The Promise” movie starring Angel Locsin and Richard Gutierrez. 

I’ve been to Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Pagudpud and Guisi Lighthouse in Guimaras so this is the third lighthouse I’ve seen in the Philippines but unlike the two lighthouses, we can’t go up to the top. 

 5. Enchanted Cave 

 There are three caves that you can visit in Bolinao, Pangasinan such as Cindy’s Cave, Wonderful Cave and Enchanted Cave. We chose the latter because it is more popular. I will create another post for this cave. Entrance fee P150. 

The cave was our last stop because we have to drop by at the Bani market to buy seafood for our dinner. 

 Places that you can visit in Bolinao, Pangasinan. 

 Falls - Bolinao Falls 1 & 2 and Tara Falls 
Resort - Puerto Del Sol Resort, Punta Riviera Resort and Treasures of Bolinao Resort. 
Beach - Patar White Beach and Rock View Beach Resort
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May 05, 2015

Energy Savings Tips

It is no longer surprising if our electricity bill increases every summer and I am sure that all of us want to lower our electricity bill. We have read and tried so many energy savings tips but sometimes it is not enough especially if we often use an electric fan, air cooler, or aircon to minimize the heat.


Here are my energy saving tips that I really practice. 

 1. No standby mode on our appliances. 
2. Appliances are unplugged if unused. 
3. Turn off all unused lights. Used LED lights. 
4. Defrost the fridge every weekend. (I don't do this anymore since we replaced the old refrigerator. We are using no frost and smart inverter now)
5. Wash in full load and minimize the use of spin dryer, air dry if possible. 
6. We used to have a power saver and it really helps us to minimize our electricity consumption. But now we invested in solar panels. 
7. Replace old appliances with more energy-efficient ones. 

 Even we are doing our best to save on electricity but if there are always price increase per kwh, our electric bill is still high. Our electric bill goes up to 200 - 300% increase every summer so it really hurts the budget. 

 My husband installed solar panels in our house last March, it was a big decision because it is not cheap to install one. But I’m blessed to have a husband who can do it so labor is free. We have a solar lamp outside so even we’re not at home, our house is well lighted. We also have a small solar battery charger that we can use in case of emergencies so we can charge our phone, use a small fan, and connect to the internet. 

We’ve been contemplating about it since last year but so far we have no regrets in investing in solar panels because we received our bill last March and April and there was really a decrease in our electric bill. 

Care to share your energy-saving tips.
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May 04, 2015

McDonald’s Kiddie Crew

For the last two years, I’ve been meaning to register my son in McDonald’s Kiddie Crew but I have to wait till he hits 6 years old. They were very strict with age so I had no choice but to wait. But now, I noticed that there were kiddie crew as young as 4 years old. 

 McDonald is the only fastfood near my son’s school and most of the time I stayed there while waiting for my son’s dismissal. Since March 12, I accompanied my son to school until he finishes his graduation practice. At that time, I learned that McDonald’s Kiddie Crew was already open for registration.  

 I immediately got the registration form, filled up the form and I was so excited to tell my son that I would enroll him in McDonald’s Kiddie Crew. But my son did not like the idea. My husband and I kept on persuading him to join the workshop but he had so many excuses. 

 Ethan: I can’t do that. 
 Ethan: I don’t want to work in McDonald.

 Finally, after four weeks, he said yes. Unfortunately, the next available date is April 27 to May 1, 2015. I chose the 8-10AM schedule. 

 Registration Fee: P595 
Inclusive of T-shirt, ID with Lace, Cap, Bag, Chef’s Hat, Apron, Meals and Workshop Materials. 

 After two weeks of waiting, we attended the orientation and got the uniform. The staff toured the kids in the kitchen and my son became interested. 

 Day 1 
Kids introduced themselves (name, age and talent). The kids were divided into two groups. So if group 1 is in the counter the other group will practice their song and dance number. 

 My son doesn’t like burgers but I was surprised that he ate his burger McDo meal. 

 Day 2 
My son started to enjoy his counter experience. He experienced preparing drinks and putting tissues, spoon and fork and ketchup on the tray. 

 Day 3 
Cheeseburger Making. Kids made their own cheeseburger for their snacks. 
I ordered a meal while my son was at the counter. He was happy to serve his mom. 

 Day 4 
The kids painted their McDonalds Happy Meal boxes and presented their talents. My son said his talent is drawing so we just brought his sketch pad. 

 Day 5 
Graduation day. Kids sang “Make it Happen” and danced “Shake it Off”. 

 I always tell this to my son, stop saying “I can’t do that” or I can’t do this” always say I can do it! So I was really happy when I checked the lyrics of McDonald’s Kiddie Crew theme song. I liked the message. 

  “As we gather here today, we make our pledge to serve others and be the best. Let nothing bring us down, always say we can. Let the whole world know, we’re gonna make things happen.” 

My son enjoyed his first Kiddie Crew Workshop.

We bought the McRib meal (fries + drinks + free umbrella) for P200 because there was a raffle but we did not win. But at least we have McDonald umbrella. hehehe! Hubby said, McRib was just okay. 
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