Solo Travel (Thread 3)

[momentum]

^takot nga ako eh pero I need that push para maka alis sa comfort zone. gusto ko rin kasi mag reflect duon, just a few days lang na naka concentrate sa sarili ko..

[heavensent]

May nakapag solo travel na dito sa El Nido or Coron? I'm thinking of going there kahit solo, kaso kinakabahan ako

I'm travelling solo to Coron this coming June, medyo takot cause this will be the first time that I'll be travelling solo pero there's always a first for everything

[kachich]

Went to Coron solo last year (sale ng skyjet). Booked everything last minute kasi undecided pa ako if I will push through with it. Met new friends! Yung mga kasama ko sa boat, sila kasama ko sa dinner, magkaibang set pa of new friends for  two nights. Some of them I'm still in contact with

Super easy lang with coron kasi same lang with el nido, you book tours from tour organizers.

[momentum]

dami rin pala nag sosolo travel sa coron 

[pretty_B]

hi girls! any suggestion ng place pang solo travel near manila lang? as in pang bukas na. not overnight. hehe. biglaan lang. pang soul searching kuno. hahaha.

[Dazzel21]

Yey to all the sissies who are travelling solo for the first time. Masaya sya promise...

I have an IT na for my next solo trip...Sagada hehe pero next year pa around Feb ulit para malamig ang weather. I'm excited na kahit sobrang tagal pa. I also wanted to go to Bacolod pero magiipon muna ko lakas ng loob for solo plane ride hehe.

[chinablue]

^^intramuros sis pretty_B? hehe ano nangyari na sa iyo sis? saan ka na natuloy magsoul searching?

^sis dazzel21, naku tagal ko na pangarap ang sagada kaso hindi matuloy tuloy kasi dinidiscourage ako ng mga friends ko na delikado daw daan pa-sagada, sobrang malayo at kung ano ano pang eklavu. on the other hand, i travelled solo to bacolod and i loved it there! sobrang bait ng mga tao! sobrang sarap ng food. parang more on food trip ang ipinunta ko doon, haha. namimiss ko na tuloy chicken inasal sa bacolod at calea cakes. nagpunta din pala ako sa the ruins. the place is so serene, dun ako nakapagsoul searching, hehe. i wanna go back to see the ancentral houses of silay at more food trip pa!

come to think of it, i've been travelling solo pala since I am 22. (had my first ever plane ride papuntang Saudi and it's so freaky because of the language barrier and because it was my first time). anyway, keribels ang solo plane ride sis! one hour lang naman yun and before you even realize it, andun ka na sa destination mo!

gusto ko ulit magsolo travel pag-uwi ko ng Pinas. I'm choosing between Tagaytay or Quezon.

[ohcmon]

^^ Bacolod was my first solo travel ever. Keribels dun, sis! Dali mag commute and every one was so helpful hehe.

I was 20 naman noong first solo travel ko. No plans of stopping soon.

[najine]

Im yearning to go to Batanes this May. Travelling solo kase walang makasama. expensive fare. yung gastos siguro para na rin nag abroad pero I want to spend my birthday dun. parang ang ganda magmuni muni. away from everything.

[simplepink]

^Sis, nag avail ka ng tour package o DIY lang?

[dulcette]

Traveling solo through central and south america soon!! Kakatakot pero exciting dream location ko talaga since bata pa ko.

[mariz11]

I started to travel solo on my birthday last year. I went to Batanes and it was really fun! I was observing plane fares since September until December 2014. Went there on March and bagyo levels ang hangin! After that I said I would try to do it once a year and hopefully on my birthday. I suddenly hated the idea of celebrating my birthday since feeling ko kaya lang may celebration is para mailibre ko sila hahaha! Anyways so this year I went to Ilocos as inspired by Ms. Chyng Reyes. Though hesitant ako at first kasi I only decided to go 7 days before my birthday so I wasn’t really able to monitor plane fares and to study the tours. And when sis Dazzel21 posted her experience sabi ko ito na talaga yun. So here’s how my trip went:
“Planning”
Texted Kuya Arnel (yes, the super tour guide!) and asked if he’s available on Sunday for a tour. He said yes and asked me the usual question “Ilan kayo, Anong tour gusto niyo.” So I said solo and kaya ba na Vigan, Laoag and Pagudpud. He said yes pero iba na ang mag-tour sa akin sa Vigan and Laoag. I agreed. As long as siya ang kausap. Deal closed.

Day 0
Took a Partas Bus, Sampaloc Terminal, going to Pagudpud. Ito lang ang Partas station with a fixed trip going to Pagudpud. Sa Pasay daw kasi parang chance lang ang biyahe ng Pagudpud so it’s safer to go to Sampaloc Terminal for their 8:30 P.M. trip. Mabait yung cashier dun. I asked what time alis ng bus and if may iba na bang pasahero. 8:30 nga daw and may darating pa naman daw na pasehero. Dumating ang 8:30 and ako pa rin ang pasahero. TInanong ko ulit si kuyang cashier if pwede naman na sumakay. He said pwede na and he asked for my ticket. He told me my seat number (which is a very good seat kasi sa 2nd row) so sumakay na ako sa bus. After settling down Kuya saw me and asked me if ok na ba ako. I said yes. Random act of kindness from stranger no. 1.  And then a family of 3 boarded the bus. Yehey hindi na ako nag-iisa. Hahaha!

Day 1
After 14 hrs finally nasa Pagudpud na ako. Kuya Arnel fetched me and we went to Saud. Ganda ng Saud in broad daylight. After that I asked him to bring me somewhere to eat and sana somewhere to change. After that we went to Bangui windmills na. Then sa Kapurpurawan Rock formation I have to change tour guide, si kuya Nelson. He also took me to cape Bojeador. Next spot Kabigan Falls. Ibang guide naman. Si reymark. Umiral kakuriputan ko and nilibre ko siya ng merienda. Toinks. Unfortunately yung trike ni Kuya Arnel ay naatrasan ng isang naka-park na van ng ibang tourist. Sad. Nobody’s harmed naman pero nagasgas motor niya. Na-settle rin naman after. Next is Patapat via duct and the Agua Seda where I did not see the estuary. Nasa baba pa kasi pala! River meets see. Sayang. E ayoko magbayad ng entrance. Kuripot nga. Hahaha! Then we went to Timmangtang Rock (shaped like a bell) and Abot Cave (as in yung start and end niya nag-abot lang, mini-cave). Next stop is blue lagoon. Maganda pero di siya ganun ka-appealing for me. Pagod na kasi yata ako. Then I asked kuya to go home na kasi pagoda na ako. Stayed in C&E Villoria Homestay. Hindi na ako nagging choosy. As long as may higaan at may sariling cr Ok na yun. Maulap so hindi ko nakita ang sunset.
Day 2
Woke up early to catch the sunrise… na nasa kabilang side pala. Toinks. After brekky check out na then nagpahatid na ako sa highway para mag-abang ng bus.  Took a GMW bus (from Cagayan) going to Vigan. 4hrs beybeh. Si Kuya Jhong naman ang guide ko dito. Nag-check in muna ako sa Coffee Swing, aircon room with cr again. Noice! Then we went to tour the city na. Pottery, Crisologo, Burgos, Quirino museums and Bantay Belfry, Baluarte (medyo nagsisi ako dito after seeing all the taxidermy, ugh politicians!) and then Calle Crisologo. Sad to say Kuya Jhong have to go early kasi may emergency sa kanila. On the brighter side I was able to see the town center by myself. McDo, Jollibee, Max’s, Chowking, Greenwich, National Bookstore lahat sila old house ang design ng store. Around 7:30 PM nag-start naman ang Dancing Fountain. Di ko feel ang vibe sa Vigan that time. Dami ko kasing kasabay na mga Barangay Officials from Manila.

Day 3
Woke up at 5:30 the next day to see Calle Crisologo na walang tao pero natagalan ako maligo kasi ang lamig hahaha so late na ako nakalabas! Pero 6:30 na wala pa ring tao. Haha! After that I went to St. Paul Cathedral to give thanks. May misa in Ilokano! Then pumunta na ako sa Partas terminal to go to Laoag naman. After 2hrs tour ulit! Si Kuya Wilson naman ang guide ko dito. Went to Museo Ilocos Norte, Sinking Bell tower, Marcos Musuem, Malacanang of the North, Paoay Church then Sand Dunes woohoo! Tried Sand surfing and buti na lang I was able to do it the first time. Ang init ng buhangin per it’s one adventure na sobrang saya! Hahaha! Then after the tour we went to the public market para sa pasalubong then punta na sa Airport. Delayed ng 1.5hrs ang flight. What’s new.

Pero all in all ang saya niya! My friends said parang may mga lugar akong napuntahan na hindi nila napuntahan sa tour. Pero ayun. Hahaha! Next tour sana sa Batanes ulit hoping for Itbayat and hiking Mt. Iraya naman. Sana may sale hahaha!

[momentum]

^ galing sis!! thanks for sharing your iti

how much did you pay for the bus from manila to pagudpud ?
pa pm naman sis ng contact infos ng tour guides mo 
ito next ko hehe balak ko kapag mag sale uli si cebupac (meron kasi ako nakita flights to Laoag )

[pretty_B]

^^intramuros sis pretty_B? hehe ano nangyari na sa iyo sis? saan ka na natuloy magsoul searching?

Hi sis! I was not able to do it. nag-surprise visit kasi si bf sa bhouse kaya di ako nakalabas. OT: yesterday is my birthday kasi. hehe. eh, nung una akala ko hindi kami makakapagmeet kasi may urgent sa work niya. he told me sa saturday sya babawi sakin. but then he still visit me nung lunch break nya and after work. after ng break nya, i prepared to go to church. It was not a solo trip talaga. but I experienced peace of mind and soul. I attended a novena and mass. And I am happy naman na.

Next time nalang siguro ang solo trip ko. paghahandaan muna. hehe.

enjoy and be safe mga sisters! 

[chinablue]

^belated happy birthday sis!

to all sisses here, keep on posting about your solo travel experiences. let's keep inspiring and empowering each other! 

[heavensent]

hi sis mariz11, thanks so much for sharing your iti, mukhang gagawin ko yan sa birthday ko. can you please share yung number ng tour guide. Thanks a lot!

[mariz11]

Hello! Here are the details of my tour:

Kuya Arnel (Pagudpud) - 0926-5880666
                                    0918-6890723
Kuya Wilson (Laoag)     - 09053636635
                                     09295067834
Kuya Jhong                  - 0906-3238326

Pero you can ask Kuya Arnel to arrange your tour para di na kayo mahirapan Pero friends niya sina Kuya Wilson at Kuya Jhong.

Expenses:

Partas Bus (Sampaloc Terminal) going to Pagudpud     - P 732.00
Pagudpud tour (trike, 2-3 pax)(if w/ disc. 1k lang)           1200.00
Kapurpurawan - Cape Bojeador (Ibang guide pa kasi ito)    300.00
Kabigan Falls (not sure if 10 or 20 so stick ako w/ 20)          20.00
Homestay(aircon w/ own cr, good for 2)                             700.00
Pagudpud Tour                                                                                 P 2952.00

Bus to Vigan                                                                P  226.00
Vigan Tour (trike, 2-3 pax)                                                700.00
Homestay (Early check-out so 50% off)                               600.00
Vigan Tour                                                                                       P1,525.00

Bus to Laoag                                                                P  129.00
Laoag Tour (trike, 2-3 pax)                                                700.00
Museo Ilocos                                                                      50.00
Marcos Museum                                                                  50.00
Malacanang of the North                                                      30.00
Sand Dunes (1h, 4x4 & sand surfing, 4-6pax/30m is 1.5k)  2,500.00
Laoag/Paoay/Batac Tour                                                              P  3,459.00

Ceb Pac Ticket                                                                P3,000.00

Total expense                                                               P10,937.00

I did not include Food and pasalubong kasi kahit nasaan ka naman kakain at kakain ka haha! And pasalubong is optional. Pwede ka hindi magpasalubong lalo na at solo ka kasi mahirap magbuhat, lalo na if you chose to bring home 1kilo of bagnet and 2dozens longganisa like i did hahaha!

Partas bus going straight to Pagudpud leaves Sampaloc Terminal at 8:30 P.M. Not sure nga lang if this is daily. I just found out na may bus going to Pagudpud on Thursday. I left Manila Saturday night. Their contact number is 743-3242. Prepare yourself to lengthy rides:
Manila-Pagudpud is 14hrs.
Pagudpud-Vigan is 4hrs
Vigan to Laoag is 2hrs
Laoag to Pagudpud is 2hrs.

Mga Sis wag ako tularan. You can do better than that hahaha! You can skip some spots. Research! Remember I did this in a whim hahaha! Pero I hope you'll enjoy as much as I did there. Explore. Ilokanos know how to speak in tagalog so pag naliligaw na or you're curious to know something you can simply ask them. And also bring and drink lots of water as touring may be so tiring. Sun block, too! Saka Aloe vera gel to soothe yourself. Basta enjoy the tour lang. Bumps and bruises are part of it. I took home a loooot hahaha! Enjoy!

I hope this helps you on your planning. And sana di ma-OT hihi! <3

[heavensent]

^seems like you had so much fun sis. thanks for sharing the number. hopefully magawa ko din yan

[mariz11]

^You're welcome sis!

YES! Haha! Lalo na sa Sand Dunes. Pricey pero super enjoy!
Siguro it's a matter of perspective na rin kasi. Solo ako so no one will share the experience with me. But I'm with a tour guide and was able to mingle to the locals kahit papaano kaya parang hindi ako nag-iisa talaga

[ohcmon]

^ That's the best thing about solo travel. You're forced to talk to locals and fellow travelers, so in a lot of ways, you're not really "alone".