Pagsanjan Falls - Day Trip From Manila

After living in the CBD for almost 12 weeks, I needed a bit of a break and see some trees, greenery, water etc so decided to do a day trip to Pagsanjan Falls which is approx a 2.5 hour drive south east of Manila.

We started our journey at 9am and hit the EDSA (thankfully no traffic) and traveled through the towns of Santa Rosa City, Calamba & Los Banos before reaching our destination. Travelling through these towns was just as interesting as the falls itself, and it reminded me just how lucky I was to live where I live.

When we got to our destination we popped on some life jackets and a hard hat (this will make sense later) and the three of us jumped in a canoe with our 2 'drivers'. These guys work so incredibly hard - they canoe you upstream and through some small rapids to your destination. At times they use their legs to push along rocks to get you through the rapids and up the stream, its really amazing. I was told that the men work together their whole working lives, they do not swap canoe partners. This is because they work so well in sync together and they are completely thrown off when they have to work with someone else.

After about 30 minutes of going up stream you reach a half way point - it is a bit of a tourist trap. The second you are out of your canoe a man came up and offered us some BBQ chicken and soft drinks to buy - we weren't hungry and when you say no they then say 'what about lunch for your drivers'?. These guys work SO incredibly hard so we were more than happy to buy them lunch (It cost about PHP280 which works out to be about AUD7) There is a smaller waterfall here, and the guys at the pit stop were onto us straight away 'we'll take a group photo for you' of course once he takes the photos he asks for a little tip. We gave him PHP50 which is like AUD1.25 - he seemed happy and thankful for that.

After our hard working drivers ate their lunch we jumped back on board for the second half of our journey to the falls. They worked ten times harder on this part - pushing us up rapids and through some tight squeezes with rocks.

After about an hour of going up the rapids we reached our destination: Pagsanjan Falls. It was an awesome cascading falls at the bottom of a valley. It was quite busy here (lots of other canoes arriving as we got there)
We were ushered up some stairs/rocks where you reach the pool the falls meets and jump on the bamboo raft for the fun part.

A brave (or crazy) man pulls you along by rope underneath the powerful falls - where the locals say you get a free back massage. To me it was more a beating than a massage. The pressure from the water as you go underneath the falls is intense - you really do feel the full force of it. Behind the falls is a small cave where you can jump off the bamboo raft and have a swim around if you like.We didnt get too much time here as only me and friend were brave enough to jump off the raft and have a swim around - i don't think everyone on board our raft was confident swimming maybe ??

After our waterfall adventure we jumped back on board the canoe and back down the falls we went. The journey home was alot quicker going in the direction of the falls made it alot easier for our drivers.

When we reached our starting point we gave our drivers PHP300 per person tip (there was 3 of us to we gave them PHP900 in total) Our tour guide said this is the average to give them for their work. Honestly I wanted to give them alot more as they work so hard the whole time.

We had a great day out of  Manila - the locals were all lovely to us and the falls was a beautiful site to see. I would highly recommend the day trip for those in the city - its a great escape to the 'wild'

Jacsxx

Taaaaxxxxxiiiii

Ahhhh my no.1 pet hate over here ... Taxi's!!!

Getting a cab from A to B has been a challenge over the last couple of months for us. First challenge is hailing a cab - some of them won't even stop (especially when it's peak hour and they see you have a suitcase). Second challenge is the meter... A lot of drivers will refuse to put the meter on and try to charge you double or triple your fare (eg. When we went to Greenhills markets the cabbie said 'ohhhh very far distance.. Should cost you 800 pesos but I'll do a discount and charge you 500 pesos'. We got out a cab and found someone who would turn on the meter ... The journey cost us 150 pesos. 

Thankfully we found the GRAB TAXI app for iPhone / iPad. It's free to download and is an absolute god send! 

All you need is internet connection then you enter your pick up & drop off destination (and any additional info the driver may require) and it sends off your booking to possible drivers who bid for your job. You have a confirmed driver in about 30seconds where you are given the cabbies name, rego and phone number incase you can't find your cab. 

Jump in, the meter is on, and relax !! Ahhhh no arguing over cost, or if they'll put the meter on for you! 

Seriously if you live in Manila (or you are even visiting) DOWNLOAD THIS APP 

A weekend away in SINGAPORE

One of the best things about living in South East Asia is how close everything is to you - what was a 7.5 hour flight to Singapore from Sydney is now only a 3 hour flight from Manila. I thought we'd be crazy not to take advantage of this and go away for the Chinese New Year long weekend.

The husband was able to get a couple of extra annual leave days approved so we flew out on the 30th Jan for Singapore on Jetstar Asia - we got a last minute return flight for only $250 per person!!!

We arrived in Singapore at 2:30PM and checked into our hotel - Park Royal on Beach Rd. This hotel was a nice 4* hotel located closed to Bugis MRT and Little Arab town. We had a good room, it didn't have much of a view but I expected that as we only booked the room 2 days before we arrived with a last minute deal on Expedia.

Once we dropped our bags off in our room we headed out straight away and checked out where else but Orchard Road. Oh wow ... shoppers heaven!!! Prada, Fendi, Chloe, Louis Vuitton, the list goes on. Unfortunately my bank account didn't quite give me enough funds to shop here so I stuck to H&M, Topshop, & my favourite Sephora. I was a happy girl.
After working up an appetite on Orchard Road we jumped back on the fantastic MRT (Sydney, take note. This is how you do public transport) and ended up at Clarke Quay. This is an awesome restaurant precinct located along the Singapore River. Being 'New Years Eve' we had a delicious Chinese meal, and headed back to our hotel to have an early night. Travelling is hard work you know.

Over the next few days we visited loads of great sites across Singapore: Marina Bay, Singapore Flyer, Chinatown, Orchard Road (again) River Safari, Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, and Sentosa Island. We ate at some yummy restaurants, my favourite was definatley Din Tai Fung... oh so many amazing dumplings!!! A must try when you are in town.

The only real disappointment was the Night Safari - far too crowded. Yes we probably should of done the Night Safari as a separate attraction (we did the River Safari, Zoo & Night Safari all in one day) however the Night Safari was ruined by the overcrowding there. We waited in line 45 minutes to get in the zoo - by the time we got in the line for the tram was 1.5 hours long so we decided to go and see the show instead. We waited in line for the show for half an hour, then sat in the stadium for another half an hour for the show to start. When we got out from the show the tram line was still a 1.5 hour wait so we decided to walk the trails instead. This is fine but you only get to see about 70% of the zoo - some animals such as the Elephants could only be seen by the tram. For a massive animal lover like me, I found the whole experience a let down. To add insult to the injury we then had to wait in line 45 minutes for a taxi home!! Very poor organisation and no care on its visitors - they just let as many people through the door to make more money (Sad face). However the River Safari made up for what the Night Zoo lacked as I got to see their Panda JiaJia - I was so overwhelmed I nearly burst into tears!

I was a little bit sad to say goodbye to Singapore, it was so clean, so quiet and so easy to get around. A very different contrast to Manila. However as nice as the people were and as clean as the city was, I must admit I did feel like I was 'home' as we jumped out the cab and walked up Legaspi Village to our condo.

We are hoping to do another getaway in March for the husbands birthday, but we cant go too far or spend too much money as we plan to make the most of the Easter Holiday in April with a possible trip to China or Japan. I think for our next short getaway we should go somewhere local - I'm thinking Cebu or Palawan??

Oh and Gong Xi Fa Cai - may the year of the horse bring you lots of luck and fortune

Jacs xx

Update: House Hunting In Manila

Well it has been a long 2 weeks, but finally today we put pen to paper and signed the lease. I wish I could say that the process over the last 2 weeks has been great, but they haven't exactly been the easiest.

We found the perfect property for us in Legazpi Village. Less than 5 minutes walk to the husbands work, and 5 minutes to Greenbelt shops as well so both of us are happy. And we have an awesome pub across the road which has a 4 hour happy hour each night. Woo hoo!

We advised our real estate agent that we were happy with the property and to draw up the lease for us. If you are working for a large company that has an in house lawyer it is best to have them look over your contract just to double check there is no tricky wording in there for you. We had a few small changes be made to our lease after having the husbands work lawyer review it for us. Nothing dramatic though.

One thing to be aware of is the deposit (aka bond) that a lessor requires. The common deposit over here is 2 months rent - regardless of the amount of time your lease is for. We wanted our deposit to be reduced from 2 months to 1 as we are only signing a 3 month lease. However after many discussions back and forth we ended up agreeing on keeping it as 2 months. That just seems to be the way it is. If we decide we are going to stay for 12 months that 2 months will roll over we wont have to pay any extra.

Also make sure if you have a fully furnished unit that you sign off on an inventory list as well. Our list makes mention of curtains (which haven't been installed yet) so we have held off signing this until Wednesday when we move in and confirm all of this has been installed properly.

Filipino people are very polite, however they are not very time efficient. Getting the rent cheque from my husbands work was like getting blood out of a stone. That probably would of been easier to be honest. You just need to keep on their case and stress the importance of getting something sorted on time as if you leave it up to them they will not deliver on a promised time. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to paint the Filipino people as dishonest or untrustworthy but the way business is done over here is different to back home, and to a Westerner if you do not understand this, you can see them as dishonest people.

So today the dotted line has been signed, the cheque has been handed over to be banked and in 2 days time we move into our condo in Legazpi Village. I am very excited and cannot wait to get out of the hotel and start living life together, as locals in this city.

Until next time,
Jacs xx

Where to eat: Chops Chicago Steakhouse

Trip Advisor Rating: 171/879 in Makati

Chops Chicago Steakhouse is an American style restaurant located on the 4th level of Greenbelt 5.
We stumbled across this place trying to find something for dinner, as we felt like a 'western' style meal from back home. Unfortunately it ended up being quite a disappointing meal.

The restaurant has a nice modern clean set up to it, and the wait staff were fantastic. Very helpful and as soon as something was finished they were there taking the empty place/glass away for you. I just found the food a very big downer.
We both ordered the CreekStone Black Angus 10oz steak cooked medium with fries & a sauce. Mine was cooked medium however Kevin's was unevenly cooked - some parts looked well done and others looked more medium rare.
The steak was seasoned with salt & pepper which gave it a really nice taste, but about 50% of my steak was pure fat.

From a 10oz steak, this was all fat :-( Disappointing

In the end we ordered the 2 steaks, 2 coke zeros and 1 mineral water and the bill came to a grand total of PHP4444/AUD111.10. Although I have spent much more than this at a steak restaurant back home, I really feel for the type of meat we were served the price really did not justify it.

Such a shame as I was hoping to find a really great steakhouse when I need my Aussie BBQ fix, but I don't think Chops will be the one. Will have to keep searching.

Until next time,
Jacs xx

The only blonde in Manila

Here's a joke for you:
So a blonde walks into a bar ....
and EVERYONE turns to stare at her.

Over the last 7 days I really have noticed a lot of people staring at me because of my blonde hair and pale complexion. It doesn't really bother me as I've never been in a situation where I have been made to feel uncomfortable because of it. If I see people looking at me I'll usually just smile and get a nice warm smile in response from them.
Apart from the 10 construction workers I passed the other day, they weren't getting shite from me haha

In all the department stores they have on the shelves Whitening Creams, whereas back home our shelves are covered in Fake Tan.
I find it quite funny how I am looking at them thinking 'gosh they have the most beautiful skin tone, I wish I was that colour and they are looking at me thinking the exact same about my white skin.

Hey Blondie ... come here often??

House Hunting in Manila

Today the boy & I went and looked at some Units (aka Condo's) for lease in Makati.
We have a budget of PHP50000 a month to spend on a rental, which works out to be about $1250 per month. In Australia this wouldn't get you very far, but thankfully over here we are able to have the choice of some nice & new fully furnished apartments within a 10 minute walk of his work, and the Greenbelt shopping area.

There doesn't seem to be too many Real Estate agents over here, mostly agents work as individuals rather than part of a company.
The last couple of days we have been going into unit blocks and asking the reception if they have any rentals available. This has seem to given us a better response.

Money talks in the Phils, which can be an advantage and also a disadvantage. Be a little bit vague with how much per month you are willing to spend, because we found with one person when we told them we want to spend up to PHP50000 all the properties were priced at PHP50000.

Here is some pics of a property we viewed today, which we are very keen on. This is located in the Legazpi Village area, just behind Greenbelt and Ayala Ave. This property in a new 1 bedroom condo, with gym & pool facilities onsite too. We have a couple more viewings set up for tomorrow and Thursday. Really hope we find somewhere to live this week, so we can move out of the hotel next week and start living life like a local.

The entry - into the lounge area

Little kitchen area

28th Floor Apartment ... VERY high up

I'll keep you updated with how we go house hunting.
Unit next time,
Jacs xx

Where to eat: Peoples Palace

Trip Advisor Rating: 3/877 in Makati

Peoples Palace is a Thai restaurant located at Greenbelt 3 in Makati.
I was very keen to try this restaurant having read its great reviews from Trip Advisor back home before we left, so I was very happy when we were strolling around Greenbelt and found this place.

The restaurant has a modern set up to it, but a nice relaxed feeling too. The waiters were all very friendly and helpful and spoke / understood English easily. As soon as a plate or drink was finished, a waiter was there refilling my drink or clearing the table.

Peoples Palace

We came here at lunch time so it wasn't very busy, have been past here at night and it is packed. There is also outdoor seating which I believe allows smoking so if you would prefer to sit indoors (in the aircon) call ahead and reserve a table.

For our lunch we ordered Chicken Cashew nuts with steamed rice, and a Pad Thai. Both meals were absolutely delicious and servings were filling enough for two.
The Chicken Cashew nut was quite spicy (for an aussie) and the Pad Thai came with chilli flakes but chilli is something this aussie is going to have to get used to living in South East Asia. The menu wasn't as big as most Thai restaurants typically can be, however they have all the usual Thai food options so the smaller menu still had all the favorites on there.

Pad Thai & Chicken & Cashew ... nom nom

In the end we had Chicken Cashew, Pad Thai, steamed rice, 2 lemon lime & bitters & 2 bottles of 500ml water and our bill came to a total of AUD35.15/PHP1405.00

Looking forward to returning to this restaurant ASAP for dinner as Greenbelt has an awesome buzz to it at night time.

Until next time,
Jacs xx

Where to eat: Mr Rockefeller

Trip Advisor rating: 385/876 in Makati

Our first meal in Manila was a burger & beers from Mr Rockefeller, Greenbelt 3, Makati.

Not the most cultural dish to have as your first meal in a new country I know, but after sitting on a plane for 8 hours, that burger & beer really hit the spot.

The menu had a good selection of American style dishes from seafood, pasta, steaks, burgers & oysters (their claim to fame is their spanking good oysters) and majority of the menu was pretty well priced. Steaks seemed to be quite high as they were all imported from Aus or USA. 

Beers were cold & cheap ... San Miguel Pale was AUD1.75/PHP70 each so there was no complaints from me there. 

We had 2 beers & 1 burger with fries each and the bill came to a total of AUD22.85/PHP913.00 

Wouldn't rush back here for dinner, but a good option for lunch with a cold beer on a hot Manila day. 

Until next time, 

Jacs xx 

What to pack??

What on earth do you pack when you are moving for 3 months, with the high possibility of that becoming 12 months??
Everything, you pack everything. Well that is what I did.
Thank goodness for Qantas and their new 30KG baggage allowance, because if we had only 23KG each we'd be paying a small fortune on excess baggage.
To me, 3 months can be a holiday. I spent 2 months travelling around Europe a few years ago and that was easy enough to pack for, because I knew I was coming home. But in the back on my mind, I know this isn't a holiday, this is our new life. We might not be coming home after 3 months.
A lot of people said to me 'take minimal things as you can buy everything while you are there' but what about all my comforts from home I don't want to leave behind.

29.3KG of pure craziness

Trying to separate my belongings from items I would take on holiday and items I need to live was quite hard for me. In the end I settled for the majority of my clothes, a small amount of my shoes (I bought about 7 pairs and for me that is good) only 4 handbags, and then the mother of all make up cases and toiletries.
I hate to admit it, but my make up alone weighed 3.7KG!

After being here less than 24 hours though, being close to the Greeenbelt area there really are a million different types of shops so if you do forget to pack something, you will easily be able to find a store that sells it. Including the kitchen sink.
Don't bother paying for excess luggage charges to come out here, save it for when you return back home. I know I am going to need it.

Until next time,
Jacs xx