My passion for traveling was inspired by my very first family trip to Singapore in 2011. It was my treat to my mom for all the sacrifices she had made to put us through life. We arrived there early afternoon so we went first our hotel to check in our hotel which is the Holiday Inn Orchard. Then we visited the Singapore Flyer and we almost saw 1\4 of Singapore. We also went and saw the Merlion, Suntec and Esplanade. Then on the next day we visited the Singapore Zoo and saw all the animals we can see. We even took a boat ride\ short cruise which was fun and actually met the tour guide who we thought was a Filipina. It was indeed fun. And on the same day we visited Sentosa. And saw the Underworld Singapore and watched Songs of the Sea. My mom’s favourite! Then came the third day, we went to visit Universal Studios and we enjoyed every minute of it and we had dinner at the famous Jumbo Restaurant since it was my mom’s birthday that day and we ordered their chilli crab. And we went to Clark Quay afterwards it’s just near. We checked in on our last day at InterContinental at Bugis street. We went to Bugis street for some shopping and dined Makansutra Singapore and the food was superb. Finally it’s time to head back to the Philippines. It was truly a memorable experience.
Two years ago was a busy year for me. It was full of travels. Before I became sick I then got the opportunity to see part of the world with with my closest friends and my mom. Such a memorable experience that I will forever treasure in my heart.
Last March of last year were we travelled to Macau. And it was exciting. It was already night time when we arrived I remembered we took a bus going to our destination. Once we reached, we were exhausted and have to walk a few blocks more going to our hotel. Then we started the next day early, we visited the Senado Square, it was not that far so we decided to walk going there. And we are working on a budget, so walking is not a bad idea. It was unbelievable when we got there. When we saw the Ruins of Saint Paul we were stoked because we can’t imagine, it has so much history especially when we saw the museum, under the church. We also got to try the beef jerkys near the church, it was actually good. After a couple of hours here we prepared ourselves to go to Macau Tower. Before that we had our breakfast first and a shopping detour. When we got there I thought I’m able to do a bungee jump, but I chicken out. (Darn it! Maybe next time I will for sure do it!)
After we decided to go back to our hotel to prepare for our Hong Kong trip. We took a ferry going to Hong Kong via the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal. Be aware of people who approach you and offer tours. We are almost-victimized by this people.
Our first stop in the beautiful island of Hong Kong we saw Sky Terrace then Madam Tussaud. But few pointers to remember to take note of where you will go to avoid being misled. Plus it saves time. We never expected that Hong Kong will have a cold weather during this time. We were literally freezing at the Peak. But all in all it was a beauty. Here’s a tip it’s better to book it online because you get to save 40% on the regular admission price.
Next we went to Hong Kong Disneyland (this is quite an adventure for us). We toured around the park and rode almost all the rides. We were kids again, hmmm, like we were everywhere the park. Then they ended it with fireworks. It was a long day for us. Then we tried to visit the Lady’s Market, and then called it a day.
Then we travelled back home and we got ready for our next adventure. And June came, and we were read for our next adventure. And we started our trip first to Cambodia then to Vietnam. We visited first Siem Reap; we arrive at around 10pm. We checked in at Ta Som Guesthouse and the place was comfy despite the fact that it was hot. We visited the Angkor Wat first, we were actually eager to visit this historical place. I’ve been dreaming about this place so it was surreal for me, I mean for all us. The place has so much history which is the largest temple complex in Cambodia. We went to the 4 temples only; Angkor tom, Bayon, Ta Prohm and Bantaey Srei. It almost took us the whole day just to see all the temples but my most favourite was the Angkor Wat itself. Then we had lunch at Rumuduol Angkor Restaurant and the food was great as I remembered. And it was so hot day. We had skipped our other itinerary for that day and went to rest back at the guesthouse and noon came an our guesthouse tour guide suggested Koulen Restaurant they offered a in the evening we have one of the largest buffets in Siem Reap, Cambodia and we also have they have daily Traditional Khmer Dancing shows. The next day, we visited the Siem Reap War Museum and met Moun Sinath, our tour guide. He was a war veteran and served the Cambodian army before he got injured by a landmine whereby he lost his right leg. And he even lost his family during the war. His story was disheartening but he has a positive outlook in life which help him go through the challenges of life (I never thought my future challenge was just waiting to strike me).Then we went shopping at the centre market to buy some souvenirs. Then the following day we travelled to Phnom Pehn, it was a long bus drive. We travelled at 12:30pm via Mekong Express. The bus was air-conditioned, had complimentary light snack and a bottle of chilled water and we had stopovers during the trip. We arrive Phnom Pehn after 7 hours and checked in at InterContinental Phnom Penh. The following day we went to see the Killing Fields and the experience was very humbling because collectively more than a million people were killed and buried by the Communist Khmer Rouge regime, during its rule of the country from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the Cambodian Civil War (1970–1975). Then the mass killings were widely regarded as part of a broad state-sponsored genocide (the Cambodian genocide) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_Fields). And it made us appreciate how lucky and grateful we are now a days because we did not went through it. Then we went sightseeing to the Reunification Hall, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Saigon Post Office. We spent a whole day in Phnom Pehn. The last day of the tour we travelled to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam at 7:30am. And checked in at Intercontinental and we prepared for tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels. The Cu Chi Tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong‘s base of operations for the Tết Offensive in 1968 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%E1%BB%A7_Chi_tunnels
). We tried to fire a variety of Vietnam War era weapons at the shooting range. It was my first time. And we entered the tunnels it was dark and narrow. My bag pack by the way got lost along the way while on transit from Vietnam back to Cambodia but no worries it was brought back to me after. Then we did not visit the Happy Herb Pizza is Cambodia which I regret but all in all it was a happy trip.
I got lucky plus with hard work that made me travel even for just a short time. And I got to travel these 5 amazing countries before I had my attack but life has to move on. That’s why travel now while you can. So there is no stopping me, I still have a lot to see.
“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
― Ernest Hemingway
Audrey's Journey with the Lord 