Donned in our face masks, we traveled by bus going to Angeles City in Pampanga for a day trip... errr, night trip rather. We left Manila at 6PM and arrived at Dau Bus Terminal at around 7PM, bought some goodies at Susie's, then headed to the restaurant on a trike. Since it was a Sunday, the restaurant was filled with regular customers and supporters to celebrate the restaurant's anniversary. Our friends MariaChona Delosreyes and Eddie Mistiko Romantiko of Sonata Duo provided entertainment and made it a fun jamming evening until 12 midnight.
Thank you Chey Eve for inviting us and for the yummy food and for the fun evening!
Guys, when you're in Angeles City, do drop by there for a great gastronomic experience!
Been to the Batu Caves for the nth time but it's my first time - in the past 23 years we've been here in Malaysia - to actually climb it, as what they say "DO IT FOR THE VLOG". And since hubby is starting out as a vlogger, I accompanied him way up to the top and inside the temple cave. Was it all worth climbing for? Check out the video.
This video is wayyyy long overdue! I have tons of backlogged videos and I just thought of sharing them to you anyway, no matter how long it has already been. I'm just taking my sweet time editing them as I know it will still be as helpful as it was back then.
We arrived to Siem Reap by bus all the way from Bangkok, so if you want to watch how to cross the Thailand-Cambodia border by bus, you can watch the video HERE.
So anyway, when we arrived to our guesthouse at 6PM that day, there was a tuk-tuk driver outside waiting and we casually asked him how much it would take for him to take us to Angkor Wat. His name was Jim and he told us that he would charge us USD 18 for a whole day tour. Deal done, and we had an early night to prepare for a whole day's adventure the next day.
We woke up at 4AM and prepped up for the day. We made sure that all the batteries of our phones and gadgets are all charged up as Angkor Wat is far from the Siem Reap. The tuk-tuk driver was right outside when we got out, and we felt a little underdressed as our driver was all dressed nicely in a long-sleeved shirt and black slacks. LOL!
The wind was freezing cold as we tread down the highway up to the suburbs and into the Angkor City. We arrived there around 5AM and the jam to the ticketing booth was already bad and the cue for the tickets was already long - mainly because the best time to go there is during sunrise. We didn't have the chance to buy the ticket the day before but it would be a great move to do that if you have ample time.
Now since we've been reading blogs and watching travel videos, we know that the tour to Angkor Wat won't be done in just a day. So instead of taking the 1-day pass at USD 25, we opted for the 3-day pass for USD 40 each. Their ticketing system is great and your ticket could well serve as a personalized souvenir ID, too, because you'll have your photo taken in the booth and put it on your ticket.
After securing for tickets, the tuk-tuk drove us again to where we should be starting - right opposite the Angkor Wat facing the sunrise. It was freezing that morning and soon enough, it started to drizzle a little bit. The sun didn't shine majestically as expected and it was all cloudy. When the drizzle turned into rain, we all ran to the food stalls to wait up. There were different stalls there named after famous movies and Hollywood celebrities. We had our light breakfast in a stall named after a famous Hollywood actress and Tomb Raider herself, Angelina Jolie.
When the rain finally stopped, we got out to the same spot where we left off to take more photos. I was approached by a girl and told me that since I was wearing shorts, I won't be allowed to get in the temple premises as there's a dress code. So I went to a clothes stall and bought a colorful sarong. Forgot how much I haggled for the price but it became the trademark of our Angkor Wat trip!
We actually didn't know how humongous the place was until we got there. We thought it's just an area where temples are right next to each other. It is an entire city, dude! That's why it's wise enough to book a tuk-tuk for the whole day to make your life easier.
You can see how we explored Angkor Wat in our Angkor Wat travel video below, followed by a slideshow of the awesome photos! Please watch, like, comment on our video and SUBSCRIBE TO OUR Youtube channel: Power Couple Travels. Hit the notification bell to get notified of our new uploaded videos. ENJOY!!!
With YOLO (You Only Live Once) slogan becoming common to most nomads nowadays, there are thousands of reasons to go backpacking especially in South East Asia. Crossing borders in South East Asia has been made easy with different modes of transportation. The cheapest and comfortable way for us is by bus. That's why when we were moving on from our backpacking adventure in Thailand, we decided to take the bus to go to Siem Reap, Cambodia. The duration of the trip was about 8-9 hours depending on the traffic of vehicles and traffic of people crossing the border. For those with Philippine passports like us, we didn't need to apply visa when we enter South East Asian countries so I guess ours was faster than those who needed to get and pay for their visa on arrival.
First you have to get to Mo Chit Bus Terminal in Bangkok to get a ticket. As for us, we didn't want to take any risk in getting a ticket on the same day so we bought our ticket the day before departure. The ticket costs 750baht and you have to be specific that it's a direct bus because if not, you will be stopping by in different towns it passes by.
While on board, we were given breakfast and lunch and some water bottles. We were also asked to fill-up a manifesto-like form and was each given a lanyard ID to basically identify our buses when we reach the border. There was only 1 toilet break though so you have to hold it up until you reach the town before the border.
After the long toilet break, the bus will bring you right before the border. This is the reason why we were given IDs because the next time we'd see our bus would already be in Cambodia. On the Aranyaprathet border, you just have be alert and follow the signages and you will be led to the immigration office where you can get your exit stamp.
Once you get your exit stamp, just follow the flow of people and signages around to lead you to the Cambodian border until you see this arch that says "The Kingdom of Cambodia"; the left gate is for those entering Cambodia and the right gate is for the ones leaving Cambodia... ON FOOT.
The Arch of the Kingdom of Cambodia
Once you enter the Cambodian soil, you will be greeted by peddlers, beggars, and touts so you just have to beg off nicely as a lot of scams happen here every day. Again, just follow the signages, don't be lured by the big casinos around or else your bus will leave without you. Just go further and you will see the immigration office on the right side of the road. Get your entry visa and go through the market stalls where the buses are waiting. Find your bus and hop in because you'll have a lot more traveling on the road to do.
We noticed that while we were in Thailand, the right-driven bus was on the left side of the road - and it's normal. However, once we left the Cambodian border, the bus stayed on the right side of the road - just like in the Philippines and China. Takes great driving skills to do that.
The journey took around 3-4 hours and when we reached the bus company office, the boys outside opened the luggage compartment and took our bags to bring to the bus office. We didn't like that bit as we don't want anyone touching our bags when we travel and people must also have some decency to do that. We're just trying to avoid hassles and problems.
We were approached by the tuktuk drivers waiting around and said that they could send us to our guesthouse for free but we begged off. We all know that there's nothing free in this world especially when tourists and foreigners are involved, so there's a catch to it for sure. So since our guesthouse was just a 20-minute walk, we just opted for that. It was also a good way to check out the vicinity.
Anyway, check out our video to witness our adventure!
When you're in Thailand especially in Bangkok, it is almost a sin to skip the Floating Market at Damnoen Saduak which is more than an hour away from the shopping capital. Although the tourists are flowing nonstop for the whole day, the best time to go here is early in the morning where the market is really in action. And if you're up to buying some souvenirs or any goodies, you'll have more than choices than others.
Nearby from the Floating Market, there are a few Elephant Camps and Zoos you can check out. We went to Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo, where we watched couple of animal shows. We love animals but the guilty thought of how these animals were trained always kick in whenever we watch animal shows.
Also included in our full-day tour is a tasty Thai lunch in a nice restaurant.
On our second day in Ayutthaya, we didn't waste much time as we started hitting the road on our rented scooter before sunrise to catch the beautiful sunrise at the Angkor-Wat look-alike which is situated outside the old walled-city of Ayutthaya which was Wat Chaiwatthanaram. The view was surely spectacular but some parts of the temple were being reconstructed so there were lots of elements that were unphotographable. Some beautiful images that we saw on Google were taken from the other side of the river, but that would mean another 30-minute scooter ride if we have chosen to do so. There was also an unforgettable incident that happened here, I dropped my iPhone and it had a bad landing so it was left with couple of dents. And yes, THAT was an unforgettable major incident for a techie like me. Obviously. LOL.
Then we went on to a Unesco World Heritage Site called Wat Phra Si Sanphet. This temple was more touristy as a few tour groups were there at that time and though the area was huge, half of it was all ruins.
Then we headed on to the farthest temple from the city center and the less touristy one, which was Wat Maheyong. The place was empty and felt a bit creepy with just the two of us roaming around it.
After a very bumpy yet adventurous 12-hour night train ride from Chiang Mai, we finally arrived Ayutthaya at around 5AM. But since our guesthouse only opens at 7AM, we waited up at the Ayutthaya Railway Station while people-watching. It's good that they have a quite an orderly station and it wasn't as chaotic as I thought it would be.
So when we finally got into our guesthouse, we immediately took a proper sleep on the mattress and was woken up by our growling tummies. So we rented a scooter from our guesthouse for 300 Baht for the next 24 hours which was acceptable. Though it was quite a challenge for a Filipino driver who's used to driving on the right side of the road at first, Marlou finally got a hang of it as few minutes after riding the scooter. The tricky part is passing by the countless roundabouts in the city that I had to remind him over and over again to stay on the left after making a turn or after each roundabout.
After a simple lunch, we crossed the street to Wat Ratchaburana and went to buy the 6-in-1 ticket that would let you go to 6 temples in Ayutthaya for just 220 Baht per person, which was a big saver because 1 temple costs 50 baht per person so buying this bundle ticket has saved us 80 baht per person for the 6 temples. We just had to show the ticket to the ticket counters of each temple and they punch out a hole on our ticket.
So we explored Wat Rathaburana first, then headed off to Wat Mahathat which was just next to the first temple, and finished off by visiting Wat Phra Ram. Out of the three temples we visited on our first day, Wat Mahathat was surely the busiest. Maybe because it's bigger in area and they have the iconic Buddha head naturally and miraculously entwined in the roots of the Tree of Life.
The start of temple hopping at Wat Ratchaburana
Exploring the Ayutthaya temples
The iconic Buddha Head at Wat Mahathat
The sun is in my hand
Power Couple at Wat Phra Ram
Watch the first day of our Ayutthaya adventure below!
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As a backpacker traveling in Thailand, it is a known fact that the cheapest way to travel from North to South of the country is by train. Taking a 12-hour sleeper night train is convenient to most budget travelers like us in most ways, but was it all worth it?
Watch the video as we hopped on the sleeper train from Chiang Mai to Ayutthaya. And don't forget to subscribe to our Youtube channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIaSPlfhI978IaGZs-q2eUA?sub_confirmation=1
Pai is one of the must-see places in Northern Thailand. It has a lot of beautiful sceneries and tourist spots. In this episode, we checked out Pai Canyon, strolled along Pai Walking Street, and literally got lost in Pai.
Power Couple Travels is giving away 1 souvenir keychain to our subscribers, just comment on our Youtube video and share this video with hashtag #PowerCoupleTravels and you'll get a chance to win this week's Kuala Lumpur Keychain giveaway!
Before we reached the town proper of Pai, we went to one of the amazing caves in the whole of Thailand called THAM LOD CAVE. Since it was very accessible for a cave, a lot of of tourists have been drawn into it, except when the waters are high during heavy rain. Exploring inside it was easy as the bamboo raft takes us to one cave after another and there were steps installed. But we encountered a snake along the way, and I was really shaken because it was my first encounter of a snake in real life!
Watch this informative video.
Our Thailand adventure continues on as we hit the road from Chiang Mai to go to the small town up to the northwest of Thailand called PAI. The journey took 3 hours from Chiang Mai and along the way, we stopped by some great spots.
Getting on the wooden ferris wheel
Wooden Ferris Wheel at Doi Kiew Lom Viewpoint
First, we stopped by a local restaurant to try a local Thai noodle soup called 'Khao Soi' which was amazingly filling and yummy. Since we are light eaters, it was enough for lunch. Apparently, it's a dish that's only widely available in Northern Thailand.
Our fave Thai noodle Khao Soi
Then along the way, we stopped by at the Doi Kiew Lom Viewpoint where you can see an amazing view of Pai. There were lots of backpackers and tourists in that little park up there, taking photos and taking turns in riding the wooden ferris wheel. It was quite a challenge getting on it and making it turn manually with the help of other friends. We also met a French guy named Michel Saint Martin who was currently traveling around the world with his wife in their mobile home.
Michel Saint Martin traveling the world in his mobile home
And finally, we dropped by the historical Pai Memorial Bridge which was built by the Japanese during the World War II. It has its own history and it was such a delight to see a Thai guy dressed in soldier uniform, greeting all the tourists, and posing for photos. His name is Kaptan Koboli (Captain Koboli) and he even has his own Facebook page.
Just walking distance from where we stayed in Chiang Mai, there were lots of tourist spots to check out. So after lunch, we walked towards Wat Chedi Luang and then later that night, we went to watch Muay Thai Boxing live. These are the places you should check out and and should include in things to do in Chiang Mai.
THE FUN RUNNERSJoshua, Brandon, James, Jasmine, Edlyn, Imelda, Marl, and Myself
After a busy night at work entertaining a Saturday night crowd at the Lobby Lounge, we were fetched by our friends Imelda and Terry together with our friend Edlyn, to bring us to their place so we could easily all go together to the venue of the fun run. But upon reaching their place, instead of sleeping, we ate supper and talked until we felt tired. Luckily, we had a very quick nap just before our alarm set off at 5AM.
At around 5:30AM, we were picked up by Brandon, a staff at Terry's company Pembinaan Tetap Teguh (PTT), and brought us to the venue in Klang where the fun run would take place. When we arrived there, there were already lots of people in red shirts, some in blue. However, since the three of us (Marl, Edlyn, and myself) are just joiners or what we call "saling pusa", we didn't have spare t-shirts from the fun run. But we didn't come empty handed because we also wore red shirts so we won't feel "different" at all. LOL!
The 8KM runners started 15 minutes ahead of us 4KM runners. But the funny thing that happened during the 4KM kick off was people started running as the host just started the countdown. I was confused to run as well, but I remember what they said, "if you can't beat them, just join them", so I ran but quickly realized that I have lost my friends among the red shirt runners. But glad to have caught up with them right away.
Before the fun run, I have already visualized what would happen and knowing myself with a crazy bunch of friends, I was right. What I'm talking about is all the bloopers and crazy antics that would come up eventually. Watch the video below to know what happened... and enjoy! 😊
We would like to thank Teo Swee Phin and Kuya Terry Teo for inviting us to be a part of the fun event. Also, I would like to congratulate Dato Paul Lim of Premiumlogy for a successful fun run event!
After a long time of indecision, Power Couple Travels is now on Youtube - FINALLY! You all know that I've been sharing our travel videos from my main social media accounts. Sometimes on our Power Couple Travels accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And on Youtube, I just use my main SARITAC account to share our travel videos which gets mixed with my other contents. Then one day, I have read that it's definitely better to have a separate account to each interest that you might have so they don't get mixed up like what happened on my Youtube account. So we tested creating a separate Youtube account for our travels and I guess it's better to stay this way.
So now, I'm happy to finally announce that we are keeping our Youtube account. YES! And lately, I have updated it with an old travel video we have shared before. So, I'm planning to merge old travel video clips into a more straight-to-the-point version, so that instead of seeing some bullshits and stuff that are uninteresting, people can see a more informative version this time.
But for now, I need a little help from my friends as we need more subscribers for our new channel before I can change into a custom URL. So for now, kindly click on the photo above or click on this link to subscribe and to check out our channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIaSPlfhI978IaGZs-q2eUA?sub_confirmation=1
Thank you and can't wait to share more travel videos to all of you!
Gangaramaya Temple is one of the most visited places in Colombo and the most visited temple in town. Lots of devotees and tourist would flock in the temple, most especially on their religious days like Poya or Vesak. It is walking distance from Shangri-La Colombo where we stay and it is right in the middle of a busy business district in the city.
The temple compound is quite big to explore and you will surely find some interesting stuff around. The interior is amazing and the whole temple is instagrammable! Check out the new video below!
If you look up on the things to do when you're in Sri Lanka, one of the items listed is to ride the train - if you're adventurous enough. Why? Well, first and foremost, trains get really congested especially during rush hours because it's one of the cheapest transportation, aside from buses.
And in my very own experience, it's really one for the books but would only recommend it if you don't mind getting shoved, pushed, and ogled at. I have seen a lot of travelers and backpackers doing one of their bucket list stuff to do once you're onboard the train - which is to hang outside of the train which is a very dangerous move and I would never recommend unless you're a daredevil - or should I say, stubborn - like me.
Anyway, it was definitely fun to do this train trip with our friends Ian, Nico, Nicole, Penny, and Morgan. Check out this video below:
