7D6N Philippines Itinerary (2012)

Here is the compilation for all the post relating to my trip to Philippines last year for 7 days and 6 nights.

Day 1 (20th March 2012)

From Clark to Manila & Friendly Guesthouse (Accommodation)
7D6N Philippines Day 1 - Friendly Guesthouse
Although this guesthouse cost P400 (approx. to RM28) per night, but we had bad experience where one of my friends was attacked by bed bugs and there is no blanket provided in the dorm.

Day 2 (21st March 2012)

Tagaytay City & Taal Volcano
7D6N Philippines Day 2 - Tagaytay City & Taal Volcano
Taal Volcano, MushroomBurger, Sonya's Cottage Inn Bed & Breakfast, Bags of Bean Coffee Shop

Day 3 (22nd March 2012)

SM Mall of Asia
Day 3 - Philippines Mall of Asia 01

Day 4 (23rd March 2012)

Rizal Park
7D6N Philippines Day 3 - Rizal Park
- Admission fee for adult is P20 
- Between 8:00 pm to 8:30 pm, the admission fee is P50 cause these statues will become part of the light-and-sound presentation

Fort Santiago & Manila Cathedral
7D6N Philippines Day 3 - Fort Santiago & Manila Cathedral
- The admission fee for Fort Santiago is P75 (adult) and P50 (children and students)

Quiapo Market Manila, Jollibee, San Agustin Church and Casa Manila
7D6N Philippines Day 3 - Quiapo Market Manila, Jollibee, San Agustin Church & Casa Manila
- The admission fee for San Agustin Church is P100 whereas for Casa Manila is P75

Manila American Cemetery and Memorial
Day 4 - Philippines American Cemetery and Memorial 01

The Singing Cooks & Waiters Restaurant
7D6N Philippines Day 3 - The Singing Cooks & Waiters Restaurant

Day 5 (24th March 2012)

Manila Ocean Park
7D6N Philippines Day 5 - Manila Ocean Park
- There are many kind of package rates that you can choose from and we opted for the PH900 (approx. to RM63) which includes entrance to Oceanarium, Sea Lion Show, Marine Life Habitat, Fish Spa, Jellies Exhibit, Trails to Antarctica and Musical Fountain Show.

Day 6 (25th March 2012)

7D6N Philippines Day 6 - Shopping Malls in Metro Manila

Day 7 (26th March 2012)

Farewell Philippines - KFC in Manila, Bus from Manila to Clark Airport & Airport Terminal Fee
7D6N Philippines Day 7 - Farewell Philippines
- From Pasay to Clark International Airport, it cost P450 (approx. to RM14)
- Airport tax is not included in the airfare, therefore must pay before depart

Extra Features

NOTE
If you plan to hire a local tour guide/driver around Manila and maybe outskirt of the city, here is the detail and contact: 
Abel Dava - Contact through sending message via email to abeldava@yahoo.com or through mobile phone: +63 908 256 3818
He charged P3,500 for unlimited of time and this fee including petrol and parking fee. His car could fit up to 7 people. 

Finally I done with my Philippines travelogue. Oh boy! I still have so many travelogues in queue - Ho Chi Minh City, Bali, Hong Kong & Macau, Melbourne, Bangkok, Singapore-Malacca-KL, Johor Bahru, Bangkok (second visit), Siem Reap and the latest one, Hatyai! Wondering when will I ever to finish them. #facepalm

For more of my travel updates, follow me on Twitter and Instagram.

    My Travel Haul & Expenses of Philippines (2012)

    Philippines might sounds like nothing to shop for but you will be shocked that there are plenty of shopping malls in Manila city itself. Although we didn't manage to visit of them, at least we did visit few of them such as SM Mall of Asia and even few malls which situated in Ayala Station. I had to admit that it's really hard for me to resist myself from shopping when I travel abroad but in the mean time, I did refrain myself from shopping too much cause I do have my own budget when comes to shopping.

    And now let me reveal what did I bought when throughout my 7 days and 6 nights trip in Philippines:

    Philippines' Haul 01
    #1: As usual, this is all my shopping and foods haul from Philippines.

    Philippines' Haul 02
    #2: Food hauls - The dried mangoes were so delicious and yummy! Regret for bought so little.
    Bought most of my food and snack from supermarket of SM Mall of Asia

    Philippines' Haul 03
    #3: My travel collections: Keychains and fridge magnets 
    Fridge magnets bought from different places - With the brand Kultura, its from SM Mall of Asia whereas those in pack bought from Quiapo Market Manila.

    Philippines' Haul 04
    #3: My very first luggage tags collection - Bought from SM Mall of Asia as well

    Philippines' Haul 05
    #4: Accessories - Earrings from Kultura, SM Mall of Asia and hair clips from The Landmark

    Philippines' Haul 06
    #5: Philippines tote bag and toiletries bag from Kultura, SM Mall of Asia - The quality is worth every dollar we paid.

    Philippines' Haul 07
    #6: I'm kinda fancy sling bags and bought both of these from The Landmark where both cost RM57

    Philippines' Haul 08
    #7: Canvas flat shoe from night market. Just cost P100, approx to RM7. Freaking dirt cheap.
    I even wore the white one throughout my trip to Hatyai, Thailand last month. 

    Philippines' Haul 09
    #8: T-shirts and tops for my family including my uncle and Boyfie.

    And the following is my sharing of the full details of my travel expenses that I spend throughout the 7 days and 6 nights trip around Philippines:
    Philippines Travel Expenses
    (The rate as at the time I changed; RM7.24 : P100)

    NOTE:
    1. The airfare didn't included the airport tax and it's compulsory to pay before depart. 
    2. Initially, we travelled by hand-carry but unfortunately our umbrellas were strictly prohibited to be on board. Therefore, got no choice but being forced to check-in just for the sake of our umbrellas.
    3. Stayed for 6 nights throughout our trip. For more information about this budget guesthouse, click HERE
    4. Rate for a day is P3,500 - unlimited time per day and it's including the fuel and driver fee as well but excluded the parking and entrance fees.
    5. This includes the admission fees, boat and horse ride. 
    6. Most of my souvenirs and shopping haul are as above photos. Also including postcards and stamps which I bought and send to recipients in Philippines.
    7. Tips for the bus driver, horse guide.

    Philippines Day 7: Farewell Philippines

    Date of Visit: 26th March 2012

    After spending a week in Philippines (mostly around Manila), it's time for us to pack our bag and leave this fun-going and adventurous country. And because our flight back to Kota Kinabalu was in the evening, therefore we still had more time to loiter around before going to the airport. Check-out from Friendly GuestHouse and brought along our heavy luggage to Robinsons Place Mall. Decided to have our brunch here as well as, another last minute shopping here. Really couldn't get enough of shopping!

    Day 7 - Philippines KFC 01
    #1: Decided to try their KFC cause it's totally different from our Malaysia KFC

    Day 7 - Philippines KFC 02
    #2: My brunch - Pasta Bowl Fully Loaded. Comes with a pasta bowl mixed with fried chicken, one piece of chicken, rice, brownies and a drink. Cost P165 (approx. to RM12)

    Day 7 - Philippines KFC 03
    #3: My friend decided to add another side meal - Cheezy Bacon with Fries

    Take note that KFC outlets in Philippines were non-halal. In Manila itself, halal choices were kinda limited. Even other fast food chains such as McDonalds and Pizza Hut were not halal as well. 

    Day 7 - Philippines Clothes in Robinson Place Mall
    #4: A top for just P100, which means RM7 per piece. It's freaking dirt cheap and now you know why we can't stop shopping around?

    We took taxi from Robinsons Place Mall to Pasay Bus Station for a 3 hours bus ride to Clark International Airport. We requested the taxi driver to turn on his meter but he refused cause according to him, it was traffic jam at that hour. Because we afraid that we might miss the bus, hence we agreed to pay the amount he requested for. Taxi drivers in Philippines were another insane and mad driver I ever came across. You can't imagine how close their car to the car next to them - seems like less than one inch apart only.

    Day 7 - Philippines Bus Ticket to Clark Airport
    #5: From Pasay to Clark Airport, it cost P450 (approx. to RM14)

    Upon arriving Pasay Bus Station, we were being told that the bus is almost leaving and we rushed as fast as we can into the bus. Lucky us! We managed to be in the bus, or else, not just the bus we missed, even the flight we might be missed out too. By the way, good news to those who will be flying with AirAsia to Clark International Airport (formerly named as Diosdado Macapagal International Airport) cause there will be free shuttle services exclusively to AirAsia and AirAsia Philippines passengers on certain period, whether it is inbound and outbound flights. [Source]
    Day 7 - Philippines Airport Terminal Fee
    #6: Terminal fee for P500 (approx. to RM35) for international flight

    The main reason behind why we managed to secure such a freaking dirt cheap airfare which the cost of return for just RM45 only was because the airport tax wasn't included. So bear in mind to leave P500 on your last day in order to pay for your terminal fee and not spending  them all. Not just for flight from Philippines, even flight from Indonesia, most of their airfare weren't included the airport tax. So do take note for those who haven't been to any of these two countries.

    Latest News:
    Revised on Clark International Airport's passenger service charge/terminal fee currently as the following: 
    • International Passenger Terminal - P450.00 / departing passenger
    • Domestic Passenger Terminal - P150.00 / departing passenger
    Day 7 - Philippines Clark Airport
    #7: Clark International Airport is kinda small - almost the same size of our Kota Kinabalu International Airport Terminal 2. 

    And that's concluded my third outbound trip for the year 2012. One thing that I learned from this Philippines trip is "To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries" and I'm totally agree with this quote. Before this, I thought that Philippines might be one of the dangerous country but looks like I was wrong all this while. The local were so friendly and helpful to us. Well, in some places I might saw few signs like "Please deposit your firearms upon entry" and it indeed gave us a huge shocked but then it shows that they are also trying to secure everyone safety indeed.

    Day 7 - Philippines Peso Leftover
    #8: My Peso leftover

    Whether will I going back Philippines again? Perhaps yes but not so soon cause there are so many places and countries for me to discover at this moment. To be frank, there are plenty of places in Philippines that you could visit and explore, not just in Manila itself. From pristine beaches and marvelous natural wonders to interesting historic sites and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, Philippines pack many exciting things to see and do. And million thanks to Lilyriani from Globetrotter for sharing this - 10 Top Tourist Attractions in the Philippines.

    Philippines Day 6 - Shopping & Shoppping Around Manila

    Date of Visit: 25th March 2012

    On the 6th day of our Philippines trip, my friends and I decided to have a last minute shopping before going back home on the next day. You know it's hard for ladies to resist themselves from shopping, right? Oh well, not only that we bought for ourselves but also for our dearest family and friends.

    We went to SM Mall of Asia for the second time just for Kultura Filipino - their local famous brand for its culture and crafts (which I did blogged before - HERE). Plus, I noticed there is a post office nearby for me to send out the postcards I wrote. Hence, we decided to go there again by taxi, just like what we did during our maiden visit there.
    Day 6 - Philippines Lunch @ SM Mall Asia 01

    #1: Had our lunch in the food court - Plenty of choices to choose from and it's reasonable. [Note: It's served non-halal foods]

    Regarding the post office, I approached the security guard and asked where's the post office located and he showed me the direction. Came out from the mall but I couldn't see any sign of post office and I decided to give up and move on to the next destination instead. One of my friend suggested that we should try to have a ride on jeepney and while we were on our way to the jeepney station, my friend stopped and told me that she saw the post office.

    Day 6 - Philippines Post Office @ SM Mall Asia 02
    #2: This is how the post office looks like. Thank goodness I found it and thanks to my friend in black jacket.

    We took jeepney to the nearest train station. It's kinda cool experience to have a ride in a jeepney and it's our first time experience of doing so. After staying in Philippines for 6 days, finally we did the "One of the Things You Should Do When In Philippines". Squeezing with the local inside this fancy decorated small bus, we were puzzled on how should we pass the money to the driver like the local did. We were unsure how much it cost for a ride from the mall to the station, hence we waited when reach the desired destination, we walked to the front and passed the money to the driver.

    Day 6 - Philippines Metrostar Ticket
    #3: Experienced train ride in Manila. 

    Day 6 - Philippines Ayala Center Station & Shopping Malls
    #4: Shopping malls in Makati city

    Upon reaching the Ayala Center Station, it's seems like we reach another part of the world from where we were staying in Manila. Here, which being known as Makati city, is the largest business district and has a highest concentration of multinational and local corporations in the country. Major banks, corporations, department stores as well as foreign embassies are based in here. Therefore, no surprised we saw many corporate workers once we came out from the station. Plus, we also didn't spotted any beggars here, unlike in Malate (where we stayed).

    Makati is well-known for being one of the most popular shopping destinations. From average shopping mall to high-end shopping mall, this city is a home to a cluster of shopping malls which include Glorietta, Greenbelt, The Landmark, Rustan's, The Link and SM Makati that offer both international and local retail shops, high-end boutiques, dining outlets and entertainment facilities. Almost all of these malls are attached together. So, if you are a shopaholic, then this place is highly recommended for you and probably you might spend whole day there. Never thought that Filipinos can be so obsessed with shopping as well. 

    Day 6 - Philippines Bubba Gump
    #5: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co - A seafood restaurant chain inspired by famous film called "Forest Gump".

    Day 6 - Philippines Glorietta Signboard
    #6: The wall decoration inside one of Glorietta building.

    Day 6 - Philippines Shopping Mall Signboard
    #7: Love this attractive and creative wall decoration

    We did spend few hours in one of the department stores which I found it was kinda reasonable and not harm so much to our wallet. Wondering what did I bought? Stay tune for my few upcoming post on my travel haul. 

    Day 6 - Philippines Goldilock Cake House
    #8: Beautiful and impressive cakes in one of the bakery shop nearby train station

    Once we done with the shopping, we went back to Malate by taking train and again, we stopped by another shopping mall before seriously going back to our guesthouse.

    Day 6 - Philippines Robinson Mall
    #9: Robinsons Place Mall

    Robinsons Place Mall, one of the biggest shopping mall which located 5 minutes walking distance away from where we stayed. We went here before on the first day we arrived to hunt for our dinner, and now we decided to do the same thing again cause we spotted this 7 floors shopping mall offers wide range of  dining outlets and restaurants such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Krispy Kreme, Kenny Rogers Roaster, Burger King, McDonalds and never ending list. Talking abount hungry - we won't found this word in our dictionary when in Manila. 

    Day 6 - Philippines Yellow Car Pizza Co
    #10: Yellow Cab Pizza Co - Ordered a Hawaiian pizza and oven-baked potato halves loaded with mozzarella and romano cheese topped with bacon bits

    We settled down our dinner in this yellow signboard restaurant which mainly serve on pizza. The pizza was totally taste differently from our local Pizza Hut and I found their cheese were imported either from Australia or New Zealand. The size of the pizza was kinda huge for three of us but what's most importantly was it satisfied our taste buds. Awesomely delicious! The total damages for a pizza, sidemeal and three drinks cost P635 (approx. RM46) - kinda reasonable and cheap.

    Ended our last night in Philippines by checking out Robinsons department store. Okay, we ladies never had enough of our shopping spree. Before I concluded this post, look what I found in one of the printed T-shirt that catch my attention. 

    Day 6 - Philippines Robinson Department Store
    #11: Who do you support? Taylor Swift or Bruno Mars? 

    Curious on how many shopping malls did we visited on that day? It's totally uncountable cause shopping malls in Philippines are seriously insane and mad. There are too many of them.

    Philippines Day 5: Manila Ocean Park

    Date of Visit: 24th March 2012

    Frankly speaking, we were indeed overspend too much days in Manila itself. We had done with visiting most of the tourist top spots such as Tagaytag City, shopping at the second largest mall in the Philippines, SM Mall of Asia, and even done with city tour around Manila. 

    Thank goodness Manila has more to offers for the foreign tourists like us - such as having fun and exciting experience in their theme park, Enchanted Kingdom or even getting wet in their biggest waterpark, Splash Island. There is another option which is an oceanarium in Manila, Ocean Manila and we opted for this one since it was kinda near to our lodging.

    Day 5 - Philippines Manila Ocean Park 01
    #1: Here I am at Manila Ocean Park

    Manila Ocean Park is the first world-class marine theme park in Philippines. It's not just an oceanarium, but also serves as a premiere educational facility. It is very close to Rizal Park, which located just opposite to it. 

    Day 5 - Philippines Manila Ocean Park 02
    #2: There are many kind of package rates that you can choose from and we opted for the PH900 (roughly around RM63).

    The package we took which includes entrance to Oceanarium, Sea Lion Show, Marine Life Habitat, Fish Spa, Jellies Exhibit, Trails to Antarctica and Musical Fountain Show. It's really worth cause we spend whole of our day in here. 

    Day 5 - Philippines Manila Ocean Park 03
    #3: Sea Lion Show started at 2pm

    We started our tour with Sea Lion Show, located just next to the ticket counters. I watched this kind of show before during my maiden trip to Ocean Park, Hong Kong but I always get exciting with this kind of entertaining show. Both of the sea lion were so adorable and makes all the audience laughed non-stop throughout the show. No worry, their trainers spoke in English language. By the way, if you got the chance to visit here, don't be shy and become volunteer if they request cause you could get close to these two sea lions.

    Day 5 - Philippines Manila Ocean Park 04
    #4: One of Oceanarium's area - Looks alike rainforest

    Day 5 - Philippines Manila Ocean Park 05
    #5: The main attraction: the walkway underwater acrylic tunnel - which similarly seen in Ocean Park (Hong Kong), Underwater World (Singapore), Aquaria KLCC (Malaysia) and Siam Ocean World (Thailand).

    Day 5 - Philippines Manila Ocean Park 06
    #6: All About Penguins - Remind me of the Happy Feet animated movie

    If you have extra money and don't know where to spend, try to feed the penguins! I forgot how much they charged for that but you got the chance to get close with the penguins and they even provides photos of you and your family with the penguins. Those photos are save in a CD for you to bring back home. We didn't do so cause it seems a bit pricey for us but if I really got the chance, I really wish I could do so. Not like we got the chance to see penguin everyday especially in a hot and tropical country like us.

    Day 5 - Philippines Manila Ocean Park 07
    #7: Jellies Dancing Sea Fairies - My favourite section compare to the others.

    The arrangement and ambiance of the jelly fish section was so beautiful and well designed. Upon entering into this, all those jellies were just like grow in the dark and they were so colourful eventhough they were behind those transparent glasses. Instead of swimming, I felt like those jellies were indeed doing their dance and at that moment, I think my eyes were barely blink and non-stop watching they dance. It's really pretty amazing cause I will never thought jelly fish cause be so interesting to me.

    Day 5 - Philippines Manila Ocean Park 08
    #8: Ended our night with Musical Fountain Show

    We ended our tour with Musical Fountain Show which performed at the same location as the Sea Lion Show. And again, this night show which started at 7pm, never fail to amaze us with different kind of water nozzles, music, light, sound and special effects. As you can see the photo above, there even a laser show behind the Philippines's first and tallest musical fountain. And finally, it ended with loud bang of colourful fireworks.

    It's not just entertaining but also serve as the purpose for education. However, if you had been most of the aquarium world and park before such as Ocean Park (Hong Kong), Underwater World (Singapore), Aquaria KLCC (Malaysia) and Siam Ocean World (Thailand), maybe this place is not highly recommended unless like us, if you got plenty of time then you could go ahead with this.

    [Credit To: Wikipedia, Manila Ocean Park homepage]