Sydney Sunday Treat

It was Sunday, our second day in Sydney. My colleague and myself decided we would first drop by our office in North Sydney so she could get used to the directions since it's her first time.

Travelling from Chatswood we took a morning train. It was a chilly morning and wasn't used to it so I had made sure I'm kept warm by my sweater.

We met another Filipina waiting on the train. It was nice to have some quick chat with your kababayan and we had a few photo ops with her.

When I was in Sydney the first time, I was in awe to find out about their train system. It quite looked complicated if you check out the train map. But I have familiarised myself well enough so on my 4th time in Sydney I still knew the way around. :)

Our office in North Sydney is a few minutes walk from the train station.

Here is a photo just in front of the building.

After that we head to the city to drop by Paddy's market and buy pasalubong. I know! It's just our second day and we are now buying stuff. Yeah, we realised since we will be spending the whole weekdays at work, there wouldn't be enough time to get pasalubong. The weekend is just about right to give us time to get those Koalas and keychains!

We spent until lunch time getting the stuff. And since we were hungry took lunch at the Market City, which is just above the Paddy's Market.

Here's a good meal from Paddy's. Believe me, I wasn't hungry that I finished this plate!

We went to have some sight-seeing again in Circular Quay. I was also meeting a college classmate.

One of my favourite spots in Sydney. You can see the buildings, the ferries, water taxis, Opera House on this side and the Harbor Bridge on the other side. I enjoy the sights in Circular Quay and just walking around.

And here is a photo of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background. It is a well-known structure. During new year, the bridge is the highlight and center stage of the fireworks. I have yet to see that!

It was such a lovely day at the Opera House. Although, there were some constructions during the time we were there. It was also packed with tourists and people hanging out on a weekend.

I was quite tired and thought I'd take a rest at the Royal Botanical Garden. Really nice to have a picnic here!

The Royal Botanical Garden is a nice place to relax and unwind. A lot of families with their kids are there playing and just enjoying the weather and scenery.

Such a lovely day isn't it. After meeting my friend, we head next to Darling Harbour to meet another colleague. Oh yeah, this day has a lot of meet-ups and catching-ups... :D

Sydney Sidetrips 2012

I'm on a roll. I have just finished three blog posts about Ilocos and now I'm excited to start another new post. I'm again writing about my trip to Australia. This is my fourth time to be in the land down under.

My trips last May to Sydney was mostly for work but on the weekend I was able to visit again the Opera House, see the Harbour Bridge, walk along Circular Quay, shopping at Paddy's Market and lots more. Weather is a bit cold as winter is about to start. Everything still seems the same and it was great to be back and see my other friends and colleagues.

After the work week, I was also glad to have been able to drop by and spend some time Brisbane to visit my ninang and her family.

I arrived in Sydney on a Saturday night via Philippine Airlines. Hmm, PAL didn't have a personal video on board so I mostly spent the flight sleeping. Boo! Anyhow, the fight was okay and I didn't feel dizzy at all, maybe because I made sure have taken Bonamine. :-)

The flight took 8 hours.

Happy eating. Airline food c/o PAL.This is steamed fish with rice. Some salad, bread and gelatin for dessert.

I flew with my colleague. The person beside me who is a Filipino living in Australia offered to take our photo.

We arrived in Chatswood and haven't had dinner so here's a nice place near the mall.

Our first meal in Sydney. Ham and mushroom in white sause penne and chips. The chips where nicely cooked and crispy. I also liked the penne, very tasty! Yum!

It was lovely late dinner. It was such a chilly night and since most shops have already closed, we already decided to head back to our apartment and rest. The following day we plan to go around the city.

Ilocandia Series: Marcos Museum and Vigan

On our third day in Ilocos we went to have lunch in Fort Ilocandia again and off to Marcos Museum. It is my second time to be in the museum.

As usual, memorabilia of the late President are on display. One of the attractions is the museleum where the preserved body of the president lies.

Heading back to Manila on our last day we also went to Vigan. It was a beautiful site. Loved the feel of the old Spanish houses.

That was it for the Ilocandia series. I don't think I'll be able to make a write up of the costs as this is a family trip and I haven't taken down the expenses at all. :) Anyway, I hope to go back if given the chance so hopefully by that time I'll be able to jot down the details.

Ilocos is such a lovely historical place. It can even look romantic too, especially Vigan. So if you haven't gone there, make sure you find your way soon!

Ilocandia Series: Sand Dunes, Paoay Church and others sights

After our lunch at Fort Ilocandia, we decided to take the trip further to the Sand Dunes. There is a beach when you drive a bit further. We should have brought our swimming gears!

I actually wanted to experience sand boarding in the sand dunes, but it was such a hot day so we only took some photos and went on to our next stop.

I never imagined the Paoay Church to be that huge! It's very lovely in the pictures.

Taking the famous jump shot!

On my background are the massive buttresses of the church.

Picture perfect. I really liked the facade of this church.

We had more time to kill and decided to check out Pangil beach in Currimao with lots of coral formations.

We didn't stop there, on our way back, we also dropped by the Mariano Marcos University. Lovely sunflowers lined infront of us.

As the day ended, we took some time to have merienda at Robinsons. It is located in Valdez Center.

It was a fruitful day we went to so many places. Yay!

Ilocandia Series: Marcos' Birthplace and Fort Ilocandia

On our second day of the Ilocandia family trip, we head to Marcos' Birthplace and Fort Ilocandia.

It was a quick stop that we made at Marcos' Birthplace. It's a 2-floor house filled with memorabilia of the late President Marcos and family.

We also passed by the Ilocos Norte Capitol building on our way to Fort Ilocandia.

Fort Ilocandia's lobby, here shown with a lovely chandelier. A number of prominent politicians and visitors have been to Fort Ilocandia.

Since it's lunch time, we went to have our lunch at the Chinese Restaurant on second floor. We were supposed to go for a swim, but we are no longer allowed since they have many guests that day. Boo!

We were not allowed to go inside anymore. Anyway, we can come back next time!

We also passed by the Malacanang of the North. I didn't have the chance to get a better picture.

Looking Back and How This All Started

Sometimes, I'd ask myself where did all start. This thing that got me into blogging about my travels.

Way before the blog 'Tips 'n Travels' came about, not many probably knew, that I already have a personal site/blog from Friendster and Multiply. It started as a personal site for my everyday rants and raves about life and everything under the sun.

Until one day, I've been given one of the most wonderful opportunities of my life.

19th of September of 2005. My first time to travel overseas. Went more than 6,000 KM from home and arrived in a chilly weather of Sydney, Australia. During that time, I have started some sort of photo blogging thru Friendster as a way to update my family and friends. 

Sydney Harbour Bridge on the background - Sydney, 2012

On my second trip to Sydney in 2007, I gained more passion to divert the photo blogging skills to a more user friendly platform on Multiply. When I upload photos and give story to describe my experience, it was such a great feeling to get comments from my family and friends. I didn't even have such a decent camera then but I still pursue to give them my regular updates.

That unexplained feeling made me realise that I really love to travel and get lost (HAHA!). In my quest for knowing more about places, researching for certain tips and stuff, I bumped into two of the most influential blogs in the Philippines. I got into reading Pinay Travel Junkie of Gay and JustWandering of Nina. As time goes by, as I read more of their blogs and experiences, I developed this love for improving on my writing and blogging and sharing my travel experiences at the same time. And since a lot of people I know already asks me for tips and stuff, it dawned on me to finally get into travel blogging.

And then there was 'Tips 'n Travels'. The name is no-brainer. I'd be honest. I just wanted a quick and memorable name. That's all. And I'm not even sure if it's memorable. Haha!

Darling Harbour - Sydney, 2012

So from Multiply, I began to move some travel related stuff into Blogger thru the import facility. My next destination that time is Thailand. So I gave a shot on that trip to take note of my expenses, how I managed and planned my budget, how I chose the accommodations and stuff. They were all written down on my early posts. 

The boom of Facebook also got me into creating an FB page for my blog. It's a great way to expand my network of readers. And eventually also decided to join the PTB group. 

But ultimately, the fun part of having a travel blog is being able to read my old post and re-live the memories in no time. 

Every trip I had in mind are noted in my blog. It was challenging at first, well it's still challenging though, having to find time to write as I had to perform my full time work as well. But it didn't stop me. Every time I get the free time given I'm not too lazy or not experiencing the writer's block, I try to get into posting for my blog. And you know what, having seen my stats go up and comments from readers inspired me to go on even if, yeah, I have nothing left to write. :-)

Today, I still carry the writer's block, sometimes. I usually write only weekends so maybe I won't be able to cope up with other well written blogs.

But I've promised myself I will keep this blog even if nobody reads it. For me, my travels and the memories that came with it will stay here in my heart, in my mind and in my humble blog!

This is my entry to this month's PTB Blog Carnival. July's theme 'The Journey that made us a travel blogger' is run by fellow PTB Edmar of Edmaration. Catch the rest of the entries Here! . 

Previous PTB Themes are also available when you click the PTB Logo on the left. Enjoy and happy reading! 

Five Personal Tips for Managing your Travel Fund

Putting up a blog like this and having people appreciate my love for travel, I have had my share of people asking how I'm able to fund and save up for these trips. I'm a full-time employee but I don't earn millions (yet!) :) Most of my travel money come straight from my earnings.

Although most people think travel is not a cheap passion, I still believe, there are things one can do if they really are keen to make it to their dream destination. Like anyone else, I also dream of exploring not only our very own  sites here in the Philippines, but also discover the rest of the world. You heard it right. I'm definitely planning on conquering the world.

It's not easy, but with a bit of help here and there and the massive discipline and motivation, I'm sure many if not most, can also do it. 

So here are some personal tips I would like to share and which I also do. Hope this helps!

1. Save a part of your monthly income - It depends on your capacity but it doesn't matter how big or small as long as you could start and get the discipline to keep it going. You can set a small target for starters, and as you go along and pick up your pace, try and add more. You wouldn't notice how much you have saved in a few months time.

2. Get a separate account for your travel fund - As for me, since I'm planning for some bigger trips in a year or two, it does help to get a separate bank account. I don't mix it with my other accounts. It's also easier for me to manage. And basically, it does help for when you apply for visa to other countries as you have track record of a bank account you can show.

3. Invest - It's not just putting your money in the bank. Nowadays, there are insurance plans that also gives you the benefit of earning dividends. Maximize those. It's best to start when you are young. I personally have two of those at the moment.

4. Minimize use of your credit cards - I used to be a sucker for promo fares, that I abuse the power of my credit card. Luckily, there aren't much promo fares nowadays and I had a breather for my credit card bills. But it's equally important that you pay your credit card bills so you clear them as soon as possible. 

Imagine - instead of paying your credit card bills and interests, you would have spent that for a one way trip to Boracay!

When I travel especially overseas, credit cards would be very useful for emergency cases, when you do run out of cash. But as in spending, use it wisely!

5. Budget, budget - Personally, it is quite hard to keep within a budget for a trip. You sometimes go over your budget due to certain circumstances but it is a good practice to plan ahead and think about how much you really need to prepare for your upcoming trip. 

In the end, you will also be surprised to find out that you can make arrangements to save further and cut your costs.

I'm very much sure there are many other tried and tested tips. Do you have anything to add? Do share it! :)

This entry is written as part of the monthly Pinoy Travel Bloggers Blog Carnival currently being run by Journeying James. This month's theme revolves around the topic  "HOW TO FUND YOUR WANDERLUST". Go catch other helpful tips from the rest of PTB Members!