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…
I am back in Thailand again. Bryna and I first met in Penang, Malaysia. We are both in Thailand so we decided to share a room together near Khao San Road. We availed Ayutthaya Tour by Olavi Travel Tour Agency for 500 Baht each. It is shared with a whole bunch of people, more or…
The shared taxi to Mount Popa gave me the opportunity to meet 3 Koreans. Our hostels were right next door. As we cycled on the way to see the temples, they passed us by and invited us to join their donation day. I had no idea where we were going but they had a bunch…
We left Yangon about 8PM and arrived Bagan about 5AM. The taxi from bus station to Old Bagan costs 8,000 Ks even though it was less than 10 minutes drive. There was an entrance fee of $20 per person which surprised us. Although, this will entitle you to get to all the temples. On the…
Myanmar is on my top list of countries to visit this 2015. I got a one way flight from Kuala Lumpur to Yangon via AirAsia for $76. I landed in Yangon on January 20, 2015. Finally! It was like a dream came true to me. 🙂 Yangon’s airport is tiny. The immigration was fast. I…
I did not have any idea about this place until one of the receptionists in Reggae Mansion suggested it to me. On my way out, I saw a guy from Colombia and a girl from UK in the lobby so I asked them if they want to join me and they did. We took a…
I am not a party person but I really enjoyed the Reggae Mansion’s Rooftop Bar. I was literally on the rooftop every night. Reggae music is being played early in the evening then it will be switched to a party music around 10PM. More party and crazy music starts at 12 midnight where people can’t…
I took KTM to Batu Caves from KL Sentral. One way ticket only cost RM 2.00 and the travel time was about 25 minutes. Once you exit the station, just turn right to Batu Caves. You will pass by this big statue and a temple. Then there is this beautiful tall statue of Murugan and…
I checked in and Lovely, a Filipina receptionist greeted me with a smile. Reggae Mansion Hostel is a bomb. I really like it here. I am in a 24-bed dorm. It sounds crazy and this is the biggest dorm I have ever been. The room is very spacious though and since the bed has curtain,…
I took a train from Bangkok to Butterworth because I have to be in Kuala Lumpur to meet a friend. I was in Penang couple weeks ago just for a day so I decided to come back for 3 nights to relax after the exhausting two weeks in Bangkok. Since I’ve seen Georgetown the first…
I left Manila, Philippines to backpack (for the first time, alone) some parts of Southeast Asia in July of 2014. I started in Singapore then I flew to Cambodia. From Cambodia, I traveled by land to Vietnam, Laos and ended in Thailand in October. I was 27 years old then. Most of the backpackers I…
I had to stay in a hostel for couple nights because my friend’s dad would be home. I spent a day with my roommate from Germany. On our way to Wat Pho, we saw this in the park. There must be some kind of event later on. We paid 100 baht to enter Wat Pho…
Not only it was my first time to spend New Year in Bangkok but also my first time to do the countdown somewhere. My friend Jenny and her sister Cyn decided that we will do the countdown at Asiatique. As I expected, it was crowded. I opted to buy this thing we put on our…
Before I left Penang, I had breakfast with the two Chinese girls at the Dimsum place. I took a bus from Komtar bus station to the ferry terminal and again the fare was MYR 1.40. I didn’t have to pay anything to board the ferry back to the train station. I arrived around 1pm and…
I met two Chinese girls in Kimberely House. As we wait for check in at 2PM, we decided to check out the Street Art in George Town. I’m glad to be with them because they speak Malay. 😉 There were all kinds of fun painting on the wall. Then we found this bakery! Man, they…
I finally got to travel by train! LoL! So here’s what the train looks like. We left at 10:05PM. I didn’t sleep well. The bed was perfect size for me. It was comfy but despite the antibacterial I sprayed all over the bed and pillow, I was still itching a little while on that bed…
I decided I’d go to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia today. I arrived in Suntec City Bus Station at 8:25AM. Luckily, there was one available seat to Kuala, Lumpur to leave at 8:30AM so I got my ticket for S$25. We left on time and after an hour we arrived in departure area for our exit stamp.…
I just wanted to go back to Thailand to continue my unfinished volunteering and backpacking there last October. It was cheaper to fly from Manila to Singapore so I decided to take it and travel by land to Thailand later. I spent my Christmas with my friend and a whole bunch of her friends from…
I must admit that I am a frustrated model. My sister recently got a job at a studio as marketing assistant. I met her co-worker/friend Fredie Resurreccion Garcia and we suddenly decided to have a photo shoot. He was our make-up artist as well. He did a great job and so did I. 🙂 Here…
Not too long ago, I posted about how cool backpacking is– https://iamryshel.com/2014/09/26/i-am-a-backpacker-i-am-a-filipina/. I wanted to know all the countries where a Philippine passport holder like me can access without applying for a visa so I decided to collate and post the information here which I got from wikipedia.com. Let’s start with the members of The…
So, I turned 28 on October 28th. I celebrated it with different people on different days. 😊 First was a barbecue party with my former teammates from my last job. Second was with my former co-workers from my first ever job in 2007 who are still my good friends until now. Third was with my…
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