I stayed in Fox Glacier for total of 33 days doing help exchange at the Lake Matheson Motel. I apparently liked this place a lot since this is the first time I stayed at one place for more than two weeks during my travels. This small town boasts a beautiful view of Mt. Cook and…
I started my South Island trip in Nelson on August 15th. I stayed here for two weeks doing help exchange. I previously posted World of Wearable Art and Classic Museum and my Abel Tasman Full-day Trip. I’d say that they are my top two favorites here. But aside from that, I also loved The Centre…
Located between Golden Bay and Tasman Bay at the north end of the South Island, this national park in New Zealand is definitely a must do specially when you are in Nelson. I availed the full day trip package from Nelson for NZD 67 which was absolutely worth it. Details below; When we arrived in…
I’ve never been this amazed to a museum. Located in Nelson, New Zealand, this museum is devoted to wearable art and classic cars. I paid NZD 24 to enter and I must say it was super worth it. Before I went in, I stopped at their cafe and had a cup of cappuccino for NZD…
Hawke’s Bay is the renowned wine-producing region in New Zealand but I went there on the first weekend of August which is still winter and unfortunately, it was raining most of the days I was there. Napier is a coastal city known for art deco. I stayed here for 3 nights with the hope of…
Matiu/Somes Island is only 20 minutes ferry ride from Wellington Queens Wharf. A roudtrip ticket cost NZD 23 per person. The first ferry on the weekend starts at 10am which we took. We rented the Education House for NZD 200 which can occupy up to 10 people. It’s a beautiful 3-bedroom house, a fully equipped…
When I arrived New Zealand on June 15th, I got to go on a really nice roadtrip in Wairarapa Region on my first weekend; https://iamryshel.com/2016/06/20/my-first-roadtrip-in-new-zealand/ And after completing a month, I got to go back to Wairarapa Region on July 16-17. This time, I visited Castlepoint. Castlepoint is a small beachside town on the Wairarapa…
Rotorua is famous for hot springs, mud pools, geysers and interesting Maori culture. As I am a budget traveler, I didn’t get to see a lot of what this geothermal city has to offer but I sure had a great time here. I first visited Redwoods where I spent at least couple of hours in…
I hitchhiked for the first time from Matamata to Mount Maunganui (Tauranga). Within 3 minutes standing on the side of the road, a car stopped. A lady named Linda who happened to have visited my country, The Philippines before. She was very kind. She even gave me her number to call her in case I…
I luckily found a couchsurfing host in Matamata (well in the suburb actually). I didn’t expect it would be in the so this is like a dream come true to me since I’ve been wanting to stay in the farm. This is the house! Simon gave me this room for 3 nights with an awesome…
I’ve never read the book nor watched the movie but I did this tour anyway. I booked my ticket through Naked Bus company when I booked my bus online from New Plymouth to Matamata where it is $9 cheaper compare to booking it through Hobbiton Tours website. I got the 2pm tour which seemed to…
So what’s in the major city of the Taranaki Region? I guess the Coastal Walkway is one of the biggest attractions here which I visited first. It’s a 13km path which is good for bicycling or walking or just simply enjoying the breathtaking view of the west coast. The pathway includes the iconic Te Rewa…
After my Machu Picchu Adventure https://iamryshel.com/2015/10/29/the-best-birthday-ive-had-so-far/, I headed back to Lima with extra few days before I fly out to explore the city and to relax but my plan changed when I saw Peru Hop’s advetisement in my hostel offering to discover the southern coast of Peru which sounds pretty interesting. Peru Hop offers safe,…
I spent my 29th birthday on top of Machu Picchu which was exactly what I wanted. The entrance fee was PEN 142 (around US $42) which includes the entrance to Machu Picchu and the Machu Picchu Mountain. I decided to take a bus from Aguas Calientes which costs PEN 78 (US $24) roundtrip. The…
https://iamryshel.com/2015/10/26/my-dream-peru/ I was going to buy my ticket in Lima airport but they only accept credit card there. As soon as I arrived in my hostel in Cusco, I went to Peru Rail office to purchase my ticket and the representatve Isabel was very nice when assisting me. I got the Vistadome class which cost…
The main reason I came to South America is because I wanted to go to the site of an ancient Inca city, high in the Andes of Peru—Machu Picchu. I originally applied for my company’s branch in Peru but they sent me to Colombia instead. At least, I was closer to my dream! I have…
Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá is a catholic church built within the tunnels of salt mine 200 meters underground. This is one of the most popular tourist destination in Colombia. My dear friend Nelson and I decided to visit this place one weekend. We took a bus to Zipa from portal norte trasmilenio station. The…
Today, I decided to go to Centro Comercial Santafé which is said to be the fourth largest mall in Colombia. I went there for “window shopping”. The first store that caught my attention is Jugar (specializes in sports and hobbies). I was hoping that they sell pepper spray which I’ve been looking to buy…
According to Wikipedia, Monserrate rises to 3,152 metres (10,341 ft) above the sea level. My friend Aletta agreed to join me to hike Mount Monserrate last Friday. We started walking from Las Aguas transmilenio station at exactly 9:50AM. Well what can I say? Bogotá is already lying 2,640 meters (8,660 ft) above sea level.…
I wanted to see more of downtown Bogotá. I think there’s a lot to see there. I met someone who lives there so he accompanied me to walk around and of course he took all my photos. For some reason, this graffiti below is my favorite. The Museo Botero…
I took this photo yesterday, Friday at exactly 5:50PM. That was during the rush hour! Look at that lane on the side dedicated for TransMilenio buses for faster travel and ensure that buses are not delayed by mixed traffic congestion. I’ve been in Bogota, Colombia for exactly a month now. For the last two…
My Colombian friend was kind enough to show me downtown Bogota on my second weekend in Colombia. We first had a very good and huge meal at Mama Lupe’s. My favorite was the tamal! Then we just walked around and I got to see these beautiful architecture. There’s more to…
Julian is a Colombian guy I met in Kuala Lumpur when I was backpacking in Malaysia. I contacted him prior to coming here. He is nice enough to set up a weekend with his family to go out of town. We took a road trip to Villa De Leyva with his mom, brother, sister in…
On my second day in Bogota, my company asked me to get my work visa. They provided me with all the documents I will need. I left my hotel to go to Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores around 6:30AM to be there when they first opened. I arrived before 7AM and they did not let us…
After I backpacked in Asia for a total of 10 months, I wanted to travel South America next. I was volunteering to teach English in Thailand when I finished my online TEFL course. I immediately searched for job postings and I found one located in Peru. On April 17th, I hit the submit button to…
The tour includes visiting Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Keo, Ta Phrom, and Banteay Kdei. I shared a tuktuk with 2 other guests in the hostel. We all decided to do the sunset. We paid $6 each for the transportation plus $20 for a one day temple pass per person which I find expensive. I’ve…
I was in Pakham District in Buriram Province so the bus to Aranyaprathet will be coming from Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat). The first bus left Korat at 5:30AM. The bus passed by in Pakham at 7:40AM. I paid 95 baht to the border. The bus arrived in Aranyaprathet at 9:45AM. We got dropped off in the intersection…
Songkran Festival is Thailand’s traditional New Year celebrated for 3 days. It’s like a water festival since people play water along the road. They said the traditional pouring is meant to wash all the bad stuff. My friend, Nitty decided to take me to Non Din Daeng to play Songkran. Of course, we wouldn’t leave…
My Thai friend, Nitty invited me to come back to Thailand to help her with the English summer class for kids which we started on the 1st of April. We did not have any class today so I joined her relatives in their longan farm. The work was just to sit and check the quality…
After 30 days in India, I went to Sri Lanka to rest. Yes, to rest! I took SriLankan Airlines for the first time. Great service and great food which I did not expect to be served for this short flight. There were plenty of movies/tv shows/music to select from so I sure got entertained well…
I finally set my foot in India on February 16, 2015. It felt more like an achievement to me since I’ve been wanting to visit this country since 2012. Below are the places I was able to visit during my 30 days visa. CHENNAI – 2 days YELAGIRI HILLS – 2 days PONDICHERRY – 2…
Who doesn’t know the famous Taj Mahal in India? Who doesn’t want to see the most recognizable structures in the world? I think one person can’t say he or she has been to India if he/she did not see this one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. It stands as a symbol of…
I went to the ticket resevation office in Jaipur where window 1 is dedicated to serve foreigners and senior citizens. I filled out a form and luckily there was available seat to Agra the next day when I intend to leave but it departs at 7:05AM. The guy said the next train is not until…
The 12 hours train ride from Jaisalmer to Jaipur on a sleeper train was not bad at all. It departed Jaisalmer at 5PM and arrived Jaipur at 5AM. I slept most of the time. I made a reservation at Vinayak Guesthouse which is about 600 meters from the train station. It should be 40 rupees…
A Camel Safari in the sand dunes is one of the main attraction in Jaisalmer. I decided to do it the day after holi festival. I availed the Mystic Camel Safari Tour for 1500 INR through Mystic Jaisalmer where I am staying. There was a total of 11 people in the group including myself. Each…
Holi is a festival of colours or love which happen to be celebrated on my second day in Jaisalmer. I was not going to play outside until a group of expats arrived from Jaipur. They were in the dorm I’m in and they invited me to go out with them which I’m glad I did.…
For the first time, I am taking a train in India. A sleeper train for 18 hours only cost 440 INR! I expected it to be crazy. The train did not leave the Old Delhi station until 6PM. The next thing I know, the train is packed with locals travelling to home from work. It…
Since I am not a city person, I was not too excited about Delhi. I landed from Mumbai and took the prepaid airport taxi which was very disorganized. It cost 300 INR to Arakashan road where Zostel is. It was a beautiful ride from the airport until I got to Arakashan area which was too…
I flew from Cochin to Mumbai using IndiGo airlines. I chose to take the taxi with a lady driver in Mumbai which cost me 650 INR to my hotel. My dear friend Juhi hooked me up to her friend in Mumbai to show me around so she met me an hour after I arrived. She…
I took a bus from Cochin to Munnar which took about 3 hours and the fare was about 200 INR. It was a non AC bus for 3 hours! The bus dropped me off in the bus stop near my guesthouse, Nakshathra Inn. I just had to walk a little bit and there was my…
I availed the backwater group tour for 850 INR. I went with my dormmates. We were picked up a little after 8am. It took us about an hour to get to our destination. We first went on this little boat for the first couple hours. The water was dirty but it became clearer as…
I bought a bus ticket from Pondicherry to Cochin from a travel agency. It was a sleeper night bus. It left at 10pm and I slept almost all the way since I was very tired from all the traveling. I woke up around 6AM and saw churches every few minutes. Well, I must admit that…
Before I left my friend’s house, his mom and dad packed lunch for me which was so sweet. I took a 3-hour bus ride from Chennai to Pondicherry. From Pondicherry bus station, I walked approximately 1.5km to get to my hotel Pleasant Inn where I had a not so pleasant stay. The next…
My friend Krishna is part of the Book Lovers Program for Schools. It just happened that he had some work to do in Ebenezer School on Yelagiri Hills so I went with him along with his colleague, Sudarsan. It took us about 5 hours to get to Yelagiri Hills. The road going up the…
I’ve been wanting to visit India since 2012. I made a list of top 3 countries to visit this 2015 and India is on the top. Why? Because I love Indian food, I have few Indian friends and I think India is one of the most diverse country in this world which I’ve been wanting…
Since I started backpacking Southeast Asia, I always skip beaches or where the main attraction is water. My reason was always the fact that I’ve seen enough beautiful beaches where I came from; The Philippines. My Thai friend, Nitty wanted me to see Ko Samet in Rayong so I came here after I visited Khao…
I called Khao Yai Garden Lodge in the last minute. Literally before me and my friend got on the bus from Korat. Fortunately, they have available room. They offer free pick up from Pak Chong. I called them again when we arrived Pak Chong and just after 20 minutes wait, their truck arrived. I did…
I availed the half day bat cave tour and the full day jungle tour for 1600 baht through Khao Yai Garden Lodge. I did the bat cave tour on my first day in Khao Yai. The lodge’s truck was full. We had Tuk as our tour guide. We left at 3PM and just after 10mins…
I have been wanting to volunteer as an English teacher since I started backpacking in Southeast Asia. I taught some university students when I was in Vietnam but not in an actual school. Here you can read my experience about that: https://iamryshel.com/2014/07/28/talking-with-the-tourists-group/ Almost all the ads I found online about volunteering requires you to pay…
I initially went to Pak Chong from Bangkok but there was almost nothing there. Although, I liked the surrounding because I only saw 4 tourists there. I went passed a market to check the schedule of the van to Korat the next day. The locals in the market were very willing to help me to…
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