5 Year Old Girl Goes to Saudi, Then More

I was 5 years old, and my sister was 7.

It was our second trip to Saudi Arabia, but that summer, we were to go there by ourselves. Mom and our younger brother already went ahead to visit dad. All throughout the flight, our knees wobbled, until the time we were to deplane. From the plane to the immigration, a flight attendant was by our side. It was only when I saw a familiar face, that of my parents', did I breathe a sigh of relief.

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Sarawak: Tourist Spotting in Malaysia

Some of the things you can do while at Bako National Park is to spot wildlife (monkeys, birds, exotic plants) and do some trail hikes.

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Sarawak: Pinoy Fame in Malaysia

When the female Malaysians i met learned that I am Filipino, they almost always squealed with delight.

"Oooh, I love Kristine Hermosa. Do you know Jericho Rosales? And, how do you say, 'Deet? Dayet? Diether Ocampo'? "

Imagine my surprise. 

The Filipino soap "Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas" hit the Malaysian TV sets and the ladies are going berserk! I never knew they were that famous in Malaysia--and in all states: Peninsular, Sarawak, specially Sabah!

Aside from the soaps, Freddie Aguilar's "Anak" is topping the charts when it comes to popularity among locals. Apparently, the word anak also means "child" in Bahasa Malaysia ;)

Get this:

I went to Bako National Park, an island away from the city to go jungle trekking, monkey-spotting, bird-watching, and I was astonished that one of the staff there actually has an mp3 of that song stored in his office desktop! Sensing their fondness of it, I offered to teach them the song--get the lyrics and translate it for them.

my thrilled students Lihos and Salmah

@--->--------

original journal entry written in 2007.

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Kuala Lumpur: Snagging my Skybridge Pass

view from the Skybridge

I could never understand the hype about getting a Skybridge Pass. Some of my local hosts said that KLCC only gives out approximately a thousand passes to visitors per day. And for you to get one, you should be there early, like 8am. If not, you might miss the opportunity.

NOT in my case!

Since I got there around 10am already, I wasn't really keeping my hopes up. I told my host not to even bother because they might've given out all their tickets. We reached the booth where they give out the passes, and to my surprise, we were still given one! Our viewing was scheduled 3.15pm.

my Skybridge Pass

They had to set a schedule to limit 15 visitors per trip. That was ok because that gave us enough time to go around Kuala Lumpur.

When our time came, they gave out red ID tags and let us in an AVR where they gave out slightly-tinted aviator shades. Cool, I thought. Then I learned that today was the first day they were showing the Petronas presentation in 3D. Yay!!!

After the 3D show, we were then led to the elevator that brought us to the much coveted Skybridge.

And 15 minutes is all we had to savor the moment.

THE Skybridge empty of visitors

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Backpacking Malaysia - Singapore - Brunei

If you're one of those lazy to do a bit research, utterly clueless about South-East Asian geography, and baffled that I got to visit 3 countries in one go, then stick around. I'll let you in on a little secret.

The Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei route is absolutely attainable and you don't have to be moneyed to be able to do that. But it will definitely be helpful if you brought out a map now (or google it) as I explain the routes.




My original itinerary is as follows:

* Clark - Kuala Lumpur
* Kuala Lumpur - Johor Bahru
* Johor Bahru - Kuching
* Kuching - Kota Kinabalu
* Kota Kinabalu - Clark

While I was clicking away and booking my online flights, I strategically located them in such a way that it will let me explore nearby countries. Now if you take a second look at the map, you'll see that Johor Bahru (JB) is near to Singapore. And if you look at Kota Kinabalu (KK), it is in close proximity to Brunei. I could've also included Indonesia in my itinerary but that's another story, and that'll require another few weeks to explore!

So how did i do it?

JB-SINGAPORE
Coming from Senai Airport, I didn't waste any more time by getting a bus that would bring me to Kota Raya.
cost: RM 8

From Kota Raya, buses would frequent the terminal picking up passengers headed to Singapore. Make sure you know and specify your destination; otherwise, you'd have to pay double.

[As for me, I thought they only go to Kranji MRT. It was only after I got out of Singapore immigration that I found out that they also service Woodlands Bus Interchange, which should be the best route for my destination. Ergo, I had to pay again. So, make sure you know where you're going.]

Also, make sure that you keep the ticket the bus driver issues. That way, you won't pay twice. Remember, you'll be on and off the buses to go through immigration exiting Malaysia and entering Singapore.

cost: RM1.1

* NOTA BENE: On our first drop off, I found it odd to spot a desk positioned by the road. On it, 3 Indian-looking locals were queued while another man sitting behind the desk were filling out immigration cards. Since there were no signs in english, I waited patiently for my turn. But when I saw the men shelling out a couple of ringgits, my instincts tell me something was off. This guy was pulling a scam on them! So I immediately went pass them and straight up the stairs. And right there, i saw the official booth.

travel tip
The best way to get around Singapore is to get yourself an EZLink. It'll be your ticket to all rides--bus, MRT, LRT. That way, you won't have to fumble through your purse looking for loose change.

cost: S$15

travel tip
If you're a Filipina going to Singapore, read this.


KK-BRUNEI
This leg has only one itinerary:

KK-Labuan ferry: 3hrs
Labuan-Muara ferry: 1 hr
Muara-Bandar Seri Begawan bus: 30 mins

The ferry always leaves KK at 8am. If you want to get guaranteed seats, you can purchase your ticket a day before. Their booth (in Jesselton Point) is open until 1.30pm.

travel tip
It's always cheaper if you get a straight-through-ticket from KK to Muara than buying KK-Lbn & Lbn-Mra.

cost: RM 53 + RM 3 (Terminal fee)

Once you reach Labuan, and assuming you got a straight-through-ticket, you still have to go to the Ticketing Counter to pay for another Terminal Fee (for Labuan). you can't get away with it, because they check it before letting you in.

cost: RM 5.

From the Muara ferry terminal, you can catch a bus that brings you to Bander Seri Begawan. Just walk straight out the hall. You won't miss it, there's only one Bas Express parked there.

cost: B$2travel tip
Since Singapore and Brunei have practically the same exchange rate, you can use your leftover Singapore dollars as tender in Brunei. it is widely accepted.

travel tip
If you're a Filipina going to Brunei, read this.

@--->---------

Original journal entry written in 2007

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Becoming a Solo Woman Traveller

The reality of what I've been doing never really dawned on me until I met Zahid.

Zahid is a Bangladeshi linguistic researcher who joined our jungle trek to one of the villages in Sarawak, Malaysia. Eight hours trek, one river crossed, numerous hills traversed, and one rainy night after, we had a small "chat". He discovered that I've been to several countries and was mostly travelling on my own. Amazed was he when I could keep up with their hike, and ate whatever (and with whatever) I was fed.

All this time, he thought solo women travellers are confined to European females only. He never saw any Asian woman do it. He thought all Asian female travellers are finicky and "sheltered".

I definitely broke his mindset.

After we dropped him off, he simply uttered, "You are unbelievable!"

*gasp* it's official:

I am a solo woman traveller.

@--->--------

Original journal entry written in 2007.

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Travel Gear: SCARF

Why does this item deserve an entire entry? One word: versatile. Never leave home without it.

Where to get them: If you’re in Asia, they abound in night markets or in bazaars.

Cost: Between US$ 1 TO 2.

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Traveling Alone: The #1 Person to Trust

Traveling solo most of the time has its own challenges. One of which we commonly face as women is security issues. Through all the years that I’ve traveled by myself, I have learned that if there were only ONE person I’d stay in a foreign country with or travel with, it would be a MOTHER.

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