Annyeonghaseyo!!

So, I haven’t finish my long and winding posts about our trip to Australia which was almost a year ago to be exact and now I have another set of travel stories to blog about which I doubt I’ll be able to finish before this year ends. Ha!

Anyway, a week ago we went for a short trip to the not so near yet so far city of Seoul in South Korea. It was our first and last major trip this year. We almost didn’t push through because of conflicting schedules but because we’ve been really itching to travel again, we’ve managed to squeezed it in. Thank God!

 

Upon arriving Incheon Airport, there were 2 things we had to do: 1) buy train tickets from AREX so we can avoid the traffic and get into the city with a breeze and 2) rent a portable Wifi device. We didn’t need to rent a phone anymore to get in touch with our families. All we needed was an Internet connection, Skype, Facebook and of course Instagram.

This is the WiBro egg counter where we rented our portable internet connection. It only costs us KW40,000 for 5 days of unlimited connection. There only a few dead spots. I was able to watch streaming of Kris TV and Be Careful with My Heart (not that it matters!) with no lag so I guess the speed was okay. 

Beside this counter, is the transport booth. The attendants can help you hire a coach, a taxi and even a limo. They also sell AREX train tickets—on sale at KW 8000 per person (was KW13,000). And that’s not all! If you’re planning to commute while in the city, you can buy T Money in the 7 eleven store arrival area. It is Seoul’s transportation card that can be used in public buses and subways. Don’t you love Incheon Airport already?

 
After the 50 minutes train ride, we arrived in Seoul shocked by the freezzzzing weather. We were obviously not prepared—mind, body and seoul hehehe.

Last Day in Tasmania Part1

Our last day in Tasmania was spent in Hobart. It didn’t matter that we were still very tired from the long drive from Launceston. It didn’t matter that what we really liked to do was just sleep all day, watch TV and order room service. It was after all our last day in a beautiful place  and we don’t know when we are going to be back. So we drag our butts out of bed very early in the morning, got our take away coffee from the restaurant in the lobby of our hotel and drove to Sorell Fruit Farm.

Before finally heading to the farm, we (really meant I) decided to have a decent breakfast in the nearby town. A few days of not having rice, made me feel very weak and grumpy. I told my husband that couldn’t take it anymore. I WANT RICE! NOW! So we circled around the town and found ourselves on a small Chinese restaurant. I didn’t have to look at the menu. I ordered fried rice right away which every Chinese restaurant have.

 
My first spoonful of it was heaven sent. I felt relieved and happy even though the taste wasn’t really that great (READ: MSG). IT WAS STILL RICE! My husband on the other hand, went to McDonalds and ordered his burger. Sometimes it makes me think, is he really a Filipino? He must have been born in the wrong country.

 
After the hefty breakfast, off we went to Sorrel Fruit Farm. Entrance fee is at AUD $12 and that already includes the picking containers.

 
Cherries and wide variety of berries were in season!   

 
Me, delighted to see an actual cherry tree. I got the pick the fruits too!

 
Believe it or not, it was my first time picking strawberries. I know we have this in La Trinidad, Benguet but I’ve never been there (sad, I know).

 
Our loot. You couldn’t get any fresher than this! Parang fruit juice commercial lang :p


After spending a few hours in the fruit farm, we drove back to the city and dropped by the Hobart Royal Botanical Gardens. There we saw locals (half naked men!) sunbathing . The weather was really great that day. Who can blame them?

The Conservatory. I felt like I was in Splendido and brought back memories of our wedding. I found out that this place is indeed a popular venue for weddings in Hobart.

 
The park has beautiful collections of different types of flowers, herbs and trees. I think that this is a perfect place to to think, unwind and read a good book.

Tamar Valley

 

 

 

All Things Lavender

Of the many tourist destination in Tasmania, Bridestowe Lavender Estate has got to be our favorite! As we stepped out of the car, we heard the buzzing bees and it they seemed like going crazing over something. And as we turn our heads towards the farm we understood why.

 
So pretty! The fields of Lavender was truly a sight to behold—as in WOW!



Tourists are allowed to stroll through the fields but must avoid walking between rows because bees do not like being disturbed.

 
keeping a relax face while praying that the bees won’t bite me hahahahaha

 

We visited Tasmania around the 2nd week of December and we realized that it was a perfect timing. According to the Bridestow website:

Flowering starts around the middle of November and reaches  full splendor during December and January.  Harvesting for dried flower begins around mid December. Harvesting for oil production and distillation begin in January and continue into February, depending on weather conditions.

 

 
Sausage Roll with Tomato and Lavender Relish: We had two orders of this because it was that good! We even bought a jar of the relish from the Visitor Centre as takeaway. And yes, the tomato and lavender combo was surprisingly good!

Houses of Launceston

Launceston is one of Australia’s oldest cities. This was very apparent  with the well-preserved Victorian houses that we saw while roaming around the city. It was my first time to see these type of houses and felt like I was in a different era.

The sign says it’s a dental clinic. I wonder what it feels like inside while your tooth is being taken out hehehehe…

 
Check out the terrace!

 

Very elaborate wood carvings. It kind of look like the old houses in the Philippines.

I don’t know what this building is but it’s arch-shape reminded me of my old school way back in elementary.

 
and this looks like a mini “castle”

Happy Tummy

I think I have fallen in L O V E……..with Korean food!

Korean food was first introduced to me by my dear friend Lenie.  One day, she brought me and our girlfriends in a Korean restaurant that serves food buffet style. We ordered barbecue and kimchi soup and tofu as sides. The red-colored soup intimidated me at first. I mean when you see red it could be very spicy right? I was afraid that my tongue would burn. But Lenie took the first sip then assured me that it was not that spicy. ‘You can take this, it’s really good’ she said. I didn’t hear her scream or didn’t see any change in her facial expression when she said that so I took it as a sign. I collected all my courage and took the first sip. And as they say…the rest is history.

Kimchi soup with beef and beef bulgogi from Seoul Garden Hotpot. I’ve been to 3 of their branches but I think  I’ll keep on coming back to their Cathay Cineleisure Orchard branch because their service was great, the waiters were ‘neat and courteous’ and the food tastes better.

                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The aftermath!

Jap Chae (Korean Glass Noodles) and Bulgogi from Arirang Korean restaurant in Planet Holiday, Batam Indonesia. I know right!? We were in Indonesia and we had Korean! Anyway, their food was great. It was a bit expensive but I think it was all worth it because it felt like they went all out with the ingredients. The Bulgogi and Jap Chae was so good and flavorful. 

The whole shebang! Take note, there were only 3 of us ladies and we finished all of these!

For more info about the restaurants featured in this post, please visit these links:

http://www.seoulgarden.com.sg/sghotpot 
http://www.planetholidayhotel.com/arirang_korean.html

Cradle Mountain: Dove Lake Circuit Walk

There are different self guided walking tracks around Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake. Since we only had a day to spend, we took the easy route. We hiked for 4 hours around Dove Lake and enjoyed every scenery IMMENSELY. The air was so fresh it sort of healed our polluted body.

It was cold and it rained a couple of times. But we already expected that so we were prepared. We brought raincoats and wore proper clothing.

Wild flowers and button grass everywhere!

Thankful that we were able to take decent pictures before it started raining.

End of hike. It was supposed to be just 2 hours but we took time taking pictures and had a couple of rest stops. I had to remove a couple layers of my clothing because Mr. Sun suddenly decided to come out.

We had dinner at Highland Restaurant which is a 10 minute drive from our cottage. The food was great and in big servings! I just wish they serve rice or mash potato (I’m so Filipino hahaha).

Tip: Once you get to Cradle Mountain, please visit the Visitor Centre as soon as you arrive. They all have the information you need about the different activities that you can do in the park. It’s also the departure point of the shuttle bus. They also have a small café that sells pizzas and pies and they do take aways! The centre is open daily from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm.

Into The Wilderness (Cradle Mountain continuation…)

Better late than never eh?

After travelling for hours, we finally arrived at Wilderness Village. We stayed here for a one night. We were really impressed by the coziness of the cottages. The only issue we had here was they don’t have a restaurant so you will either bring your own food or travel to the nearest restaurant, which I think is a good 10 minutes drive. They have the usual complementary coffee and tea though, not sure if that even matters.

 

  Living room and main bedroom. The bed has an electric blanket! Thank God because it was really really cold the night we stayed there.

 

Kitchen and dinning area. The kitchen has everything you need to prepare a 3 course dinner (okay fine! maybe just a salad and a simple stew). They have plates, spoon and fork, knives, glasses, stove, pots and pans, fridge and microwave oven. So if you’re in the mood to cook, stock up on your ingredients before going up the mountain.

second bedroom.

Bathroom. It’s not that big but it has everything you need. It even has an extra light heater? Not really sure what it’s called but it really adds warmth to the room. The brown-ish color of the water that you can see there is the actual tap water from the faucet which according to them comes straight from the mountain. They say it’s clean and safe to drink but we didn’t dare.

Website: http://www.cradlevillage.com.au/
Address:  Cradle Mountain Rd, Cradle Mountain
                  Tasmania 7310
                  Phone: +61 3 6492 1500
                  Fax: +61 3 6492 1076

How time flies!

The month of June is fast approaching. AND I STILL HAVEN’T UPDATED THIS BLOG. I am deeply sorry (mostly to myself because I don’t even know if someone actually reads this blog other than my sister hahaha) for being an irresponsible blogger.

I have a lot of stories to tell. A lot of food reviews and recipes to share. I can’t wait to be back again!

Old Habits

No. I haven’t forgotten this blog yet. I know it’s been weeks since my last update but I’ve been busy lately with a new (well not really new) hobby that’s been taking up most of my non-working hours and even my weekends. You see, I started gaining weight immediately after the wedding. I still don’t know how I got here. Pre-wedding day, I was so motivated to lose weight. I changed my diet and exercise a LOT.  Our favorite Adobo and Pork Binagoongan were no longer a part of our weekly meal. Instead we had broccoli, cauliflower or spinach sautéed with either tuna or skinless chicken. We also started eating brown rice, brown bread and even substituted white sugar with raw sugar. It was a lifestyle change basically. But after the wedding, I unknowingly took the wrong turn. I stopped exercising and started eating pork again. It was all good for a few months. But not until I hit the scale and saw how much weight I gained. I felt really bad. I know my body isn’t happy either because my pimple started popping out and felt my back and neck aching. I get so tired easily and felt like a limp vegetable. BAD! BAD! BAD!

And so a few weeks ago, I slowly started exercising again. No change of diet yet but I’ll get there soon. For now, I’m enjoying Gilad’s Body sculpt routine every weekdays and on weekends I do badminton, belly dancing and zumba with friends. It’s a lot more fun if you do activities like this with friends. You can motivate and inspire each other to reach your goal.

Gilad’s routine exercise is no joke. I had serious body ache for 3 days but mind you, that didn’t stop me. I continue to do this every other day and I can already feel my fats melting away and my body toning. If you’re going to do a similar exercise, please please warm up or do some stretching beforehand. Otherwise, you will really injure yourself.

 

our first ever belly dancing session with matching costume pa! We really enjoyed this, laugh at ourselves the whole time! Look how awkward our hips sway hahahaha. Balang araw magiging sexy din kami hmpf! hahahaha…Love you girls!

Our colorful costumes Instagramed

Road Trip to Cradle Mountain

On our second day in Tasmania, we went on a road trip to Cradle Mountain. We left Hobart very early in morning and only had coffee and beef pie for breakfast. According to different travel websites, travel time from Hobart to the mountain is approximately 3 to 4 hours. Ours lasted for 5 hours! We had a total of 3 rest stops. The first one was spent on lunch, the second was for Rudel to rest and the third was unfortunately an unscheduled, unplanned stop. WE GOT LOST. Our GPS (a.k.a. TOM TOM) suddenly went crazy and kept on bringing us to private properties and suggested that we should go inside those properties to reach Cradle Mountain road. That thing almost had us arrested for trespassing!  We decided to go back to the main road after 30 minutes of trying to figure out where inthe world we are!

Meet the ever reliable (NOT!) TOM TOM loaded in iPad.

Tip: Have a back up, use GOOGLE MAP or a real map for that matter. GPS are not always 100% reliable. I’m glad Rudel was aware of this and thus loaded Google map in his mobile phone a few minutes before we started the trip. We had to stop so he could show me how to use the thing. I was (unfortunately for him) his navigator  hahahaha…..

 

Farms everywhere

 

We saw a lot of this along the way and dead animals too! Didn’t have a chance to take a photo of those though (too gross I tell you!).

 

Sheep and sheep and more sheep!

 

I told you, really really great weather!

 

Beds of flowers. Wish I knew what these are.

 

(click to enlarge)

After 4 hours of driving, seeing this mountain was really a big relief for us.  We knew right then that we’re getting nearer and most importantly that we were on the right track HAH!

All pictures above were taken while the car was moving. I was really tempted to ask Rudel to stop in the middle of the road so I can properly take pictures but alas it will just prolong our travel time so I had to ‘improvise’ and tweak the camera a little bit. Looking at the pictures above, I just have to say not too bad, not too bad at all :)
Road trip to Cradle Mountain is really easy breezy. Just make sure you’re well prepared and have enough rest stops. Here are some safety tips from http://www.tq.com.au

• read and obey road signs, for example at waterways or on roads
• drive on the left hand side of the road and obey the speed limit
• always wear your seatbelt
• don't drink alcohol and drive
• be aware of driving long distances and fatigue - plan journeys and share driving
• check weather conditions
  the sun is strong in Australia - drink plenty of water regularly and protect your skin from burning. Cover up with clothing and wear a sun protective hat, sunglasses and SPF 30+ sunscreen.
• tell people of your plans if travelling alone (friends, accommodation provider, police)
• use accredited visitor information centres (yellow and blue i signs) for local and regional information.

 

Also check  Tasmanian Road Rules.

- M

On a High

It’s true what they say “Music heals, inspires and intensifies”.

Last night, I came across Mo Twister’s season finale episode which aired last December. His guest was no other than Rivermaya’s former vocalist, Bamboo Mañalac! I truly enjoyed this episode because it was mostly about Bamboo and his upcoming album. He sang live in the show and my gosh he’s still got it! I’ve been feeling low this past few weeks (PMS!)  and this this just was just all I needed pala!

 

and then this came up on my news feed in Facebook…

ahhh…90s and high school days, i miss it!

Hobart, Tasmania

My initial reaction as soon as we arrived in Hobart was ‘Where are all the people?”

This photo was taken around 11am. Doesn’t it look like a deserted  place? Here in Singapore, downtime only starts at 12midnight and the rest of the day is just pure hustle and bustle! So seeing this really surprised me. Or maybe because I’ve been living here long enough that I’m not used to being in a relaxed place anymore? 

Hobart’s CBD. Notice how the modern are the buildings here? Completely different from the buildings on the above photo.

Elizabeth Street. One of Hobart’s shopping district.

Most, if not all, shops in Hobart closes at 5pm or 6pm (while malls here malls here in SG closes at 9pm, ugh!). We obviously came too late. Look no people! Good thing there’s Woolworths Supermarket at Campbell St. which is open till 10pm, we were able to buy food the next day’s long drive.

 
Taken around 9pm, on our way to Salamanca Place for dinner. I think Hobart has done a good job in preserving that modern Town look.

I took this while crossing the street. The weather was just so good to us on first day in Tassie. Clear sky, no rain. We took it as a good sign for the rest of the trip and it was indeed :)