This is my first time in Osaka but for Andrew it is his second time in this awesome city. There’s many things to do, see and of course eat. Osaka is the foodie capital of Japan and I don’t think you can get a bad bowl of food. Before coming to Japan I knew there was more to the cuisine than ramen noddles and sushi.
Food
There was okonomiyaki – a type of savoury pancake with toppings of your preference such as seafood or pork belly or vegetables. The choice is really yours and it is cooked fresh in front of you on a big hot plate. My first time eating at a sushi train restaurant and I ate everything I wanted to (the free green tea refill is the best) and it averages around £8 per person, which is inexpensive. Sushi is one of the cheapest foods in Japan! We also tried takoyaki – a flour based doughball filled with octopus and topped with katsuobushi shavings – yum. There’s also countless shops selling ramen in a aromatic flavourless soup base.
Not just Osaka but Japan really does have restaurants that cater for everyone’s pocket. However if you are on a budget it’s worthwhile to check a few places out before committing as prices can vary drastically.
The Osaka 2 day Amazing Pass is a steal if you are planning to visit Osaka’s attractions because it allows you:
- unlimited rides on all the trains and buses within Osaka city . You can obtain the boundary information by asking when you buy the pass
- access to 28 sights, where you will get free entry (boat trips, sightseeing and onsens are included)
- access to some other sights, which you can get discount entry to
- discount on some certain restaurants and shops with your tokens that come in the brochure when you purchase the pass
There is the 1 day pass, which costs 2,300 Yen however it is much more worthwhile to get the 2 day pass, which costs 3,000 Yen and you will have more more to visit the attractions.
Even if you only visit a few attractions the pass pays for itself and in addition you won’t have to pay additional on the subways to get around Osaka. Osaka is a big place and yes cycling around the city is an option because it is flat and very safe to cycle around but this depends on how much time you have and what you want to see. I would first go to the information place at Kansai airport of any of the JR stations to see if it is worth you getting a pass. It certainly did for us.
A breakdown of what we had saved:
Attractions we visited:
Umeda Sky Building Floating Garden Observatory – 800 Yen saved
HEP Five Ferris Wheel – 500 Yen saved
Osaka Museum of History – 600 Yen saved
Shitennoji Temple – 300 Yen saved
Osaka Zoo – 500 Yen saved
Suminoe Spa Onsen – 650 Yen saved
Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel – 800 Yen saved
Total entry to all attractions above with no pass – 4,150 Yen
Cost of the Osaka 2 day Amazing Pass – 3,000 Yen
Money saved – 1,150 Yen and all transportation around the city for free.
Tips on using the pass:
- you can only visit the attractions once and multiply reentries will not be allowed
- use the pass as a normal train ticket and place it through the barriers when using the trains
- check at the information desk what attractions are closed, open, opening hours because a lot close on Mondays, some close on Tuesdays and some were closed for maintenance. It was very confusing so ask or you will waste your time.
To see what attractions the pass entitles you to click here.
To find out more about the pass click here.
]]>This was our first time in Palawan Island. It is a beautiful place and recently I saw it was one the most beautiful islands in the world. In brochures you will see the crystal blue waters, perfect white sandy beaches against the grey karst limestone backdrops.
The island is long and narrow and there are also several smaller islands (hello! Philippines is made up of more than 7000+ islands!) consisting of Coron, Busuanga and several others that make up this province.
We took the Cebu plane from Cebu to Puerto Princesa, where we spent a few days here visiting the Underground River and doing some island hopping.
In Puerto Princesa we stayed at a hostel called the Sheebang Hostel which was a distance away from the airport and there was not much outside of the hostel. The main road was extremely noisy and busy and it was great this hostel was tucked away from the main street.
We both really wanted to go to the Underground River in Sabang (80km or 50 miles away from the city center). The Underground River is located in a National Park that was recently discovered back in 2010. The cave is one of the biggest ones in the world with the river running through it and eventually joining up to the West Philippine Sea. It has no been named of the great wonders of the world and given a UNESCO title and so many people come here to venture into the longest underground river in the world. Due to it being recently discovered, a lot of research is still being carried out hence why only a small proportion is open to the public. They do say that you have to obtain tickets prior to going there because only a certain number of people are allowed in on each day but we booked our through a tour company (thanks to our trike driver or dropped us outside the agent and we bagged a 10% discount) and they will usually have tickets reserved already.
The cost of the tour is normally 1500 Pesos but we did get a 10% discount.
To be honest I was a little disappointed because we only got 45 minutes in the cave. The journey takes 2 hours to drive to Sabang along the short and windy roads (with the joys of someone vomiting freeflow on the way). You then get there and have to wait due to the number of people waiting to get on the local boats to the island. You can spend 550 Pesos to do the zipline but we hadn’t brought that much cash with us so we waited and had the buffet lunch, which was nice. After that we headed out on a boat to the island and then queued up for another hour and a half before getting on a boat and heading into the cave. I have seen pictures of the river from a Filipino friend but I just think now with so many tourists flocking here it isn’t as beautiful anymore. The 45 minute tour is nice but not informative (no details about the discovery, research etc). There is some information but then you will be spending the last 30 minutes trying to spot the elephant, Buddha, snake etc!
We also decided to do some island hopping but we were both very excited about because we wanted to see the views that we had seen in the pictures elsewhere. The cost for 1 day was 1000 Pesos and then you had to rent the snorkel and mask. Shoes, which were recommended could also be rented but we decided to risk it and save 300 Pesos. Everything was kind of adding up and we weren’t used to paying for added extras. We were in a group of 8 and because there are multiple islands we had to choice which of the ones we wanted to go to. Island Pandan was apparently the most beautiful island but again we were told we had to pay extra to go there. We refused to pay but ended up going there anyways. We visited 3 islands in total – Starfish Island, Cowrie Island and Pandan Island.
Starfish Island was a total disappointment. I was angry because people were just picking up the starfish and taking selfies and then throwing them back into the water. No one was telling them not to do it and that there actions would have consequences for the sealife. Even the Fillipinos were joining in. The whole place was a tourist trap. It was not nice at all – the coral was dead and I didn’t see many starfish.
The next island was Cowrie island with its white sand and blue waters. We had our buffet lunch here too.
Island Pandan was also great but again, I just felt something lacking with the all of this island hopping. Yes sure it was nice scenery but I think people’s actions had put me off a little bit.
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This is a small, cosy guesthouse located 15 minutes walk from the JR Asahikawa train station.
There details are below:
Website: http://www.guesthouseasahikawa.jp/dish.html
Address:
〒070-0036
北海道旭川市６条通7丁目
３１－１０
日昇ビル２F
Email Address: [email protected]
Telephone: 0166 73 8269
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The JR website has some good information regarding outlets where you can purchase the JR pass. As we were in Manila, we went to a travel agents to get ours (there are a few places to obtain a pass). The link is here and you can also see there are outlets in Cebu too.
I emailed a few and I worked on the basis that I needed the pass past and whoever got back to me first would get my business.
The two companies that got back to me were:
Attic Tours Phils. Inc. (I decided not to go with them because they charged an extra 5% if you pay by credit card)
Unit 203 Coko Bldg. 1
Patio Madrigal Compound
2550 Roxas Blvd. Pasay City,
Manila.
Telephone: 556 6301 to 05 Loc. 201
Mobile: +63 922 8900654
Universal Holidays Inc.
Mezzaine Floor,
Dusit Thani Hotel
Ayala Center,
Makati City,
Manila.
Telephone: 032 859 3828
www. universalholidays.com
With Universal Holidays Inc we could:
- you can purchase the 7, 14, 21 day pass (green car or ordinary car)
- get the JR pass the same day. You have to wait for around 15 minutes (depending on how busy they are) for them to print of the receipt where you will exchange it for the pass in Japan.
- pay by cash or credit card with no extra fees (there fees are already included in the overall purchase of the pass).
- they also print off a useful leaflet detailing how to exchange, use the pass, restrictions which is very helpful.
The location of the office is very easy to get too. You get the LRT to Ayala Station and then ask someone for directions. It’s right outside a big shopping center inside the hotel itself.
Voila….15 minutes later and here is the pass (we had already exchanged the ticket in Japan!)
I would definitely recommend Universal Holidays as I was emailing them back and forth with a bunch of questions and they were always quick to email me back.
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After travelling around the Philippines for a bit you soon realise that all the backpackers congregate at one hostel because there are only a limited handful in each city. Cheap accommodation is scarce and it makes me think that setting up a business in the Philippines is difficult? I am not sure but the availability compared to other Southeast asian countries is non existent. So as I was sitting around other backpackers you hear a lot of stories and one of them was this snorkelling trip, arranged through a hostel around an island called Apo Island. Everyone was raving about the number of turtles they saw and it had never occurred to me how abundant the wildlife was around the Philippines because everyone talked about Malaysia and Thailand and the diving around those countries.
So off we went to Dumaguete – a town famous with many colleges and universities. We took the bus from Boljoon to Lilo-An port, located in Santander. From there we got on a boat bound for Sibulan. There were boats every hour and the journey time was 45 minutes. When we arrived at the Sibulan port we got a jeepney and tricycle (total cost was 38 Pesos) to get us to Harold’s Mansion.
Harold’s Mansion is again the only hostel in Dumaguete and they have cheap dorms for once (250 Pesos). Men and women are separated. The aircon is cold and they serve good food for reasonable prices. The breakfast is okay and consists of bread, coffee and tea. The damp in the rooms is a problem but you can overlook that when they only charge 250 Pesos per night, almost half other hostels.
Attached to Harold’s Mansion is a dive shop but all we were interested in was the snorkelling trip they offered around Apo Island for 1000 Pesos, which was really cheap. It includes everything from transport, snorkelling gear and lunch – a full day out.
You can stay on Apo Island but prices were more than our budget but it is not a crowded place at all.
We saw 10 turtles in total (even at the start of the boat trip people were saying they could see turtles!) Some were so big and some were smaller. They were happy feeding on the seaweed whilst we floated on the surface watching them. From time to time they would come up to the surface for their next breath so it was amazing there is one swimming next to you. Most of the time we were quite close to the beach so there are lots of beautiful corals and fishes to look at.
I would definitely recommend people to come to the Phillipines – the sea life, beaches will not disappoint you. Most of the areas are becoming quite touristy so if you want to see 10 turtles instead of one, Apo Island is the place to go. I don’t know when I can see so many turtles in one place again.
After Manila we took a flight to Cebu city, which is an island south of Manila (£32 per person one way including 20kg of luggage). The airport is Mactan Cebu International Airport. The best way to get around the Philippines is either by boat if the weather and schedule permits. The other option is flying, which is a bit more expensive but incredibly quick so it all depends on your budget and time constraints. We took a mixture of boats and flights throughout our trip around Philippines.
The low cost carriers around the Philippines include:
They always have promotions now and again and sometimes the fare can be dirt cheap so it’s worth looking back at their websites from time to time. The Philippines Airlines isn’t specifically a low cost carrier but prices are sometimes the same as Cebu Air.
Another thing to note is everytime you leave an airport you need to pay a ‘departure tax’. This could be anywhere from 400 Pesos to 1300 Pesos. However if you book your flights online you will likely have already paid the fees as part of your overall airfare.
Cebu city was a stopover for us so we could explore the southern tip around Boljoon and Oslob (whale sharks!). You can sightsee around Cebu city but it was very crowded and busy. There are a few churches nearby.
We stayed at Le Village Guesthouse and from there we took a taxi (70 pesos + 10 pesos entrance fee into the bus terminal?! – yes very bizarre). There are lots of buses departing and different types of buses. Some have no aircon whilst others have aircon. As it is not a lot more expensive we opted for the aircon bus as the journey was at least 3 and a half hours dependant on traffic. It does make stops on the way to drop off and pick up passengers. The fare was 120 Pesos.
We arrived at Cebu Airport and then took a metered taxi from the entrance of the building. The total fare does vary because there are lots of traffic jams in Manila. We hadn’t really experience any in Manila but we were thinking how great it was to get a metered taxi and not having to barter with the fare and getting ripped off. However we were so wrong. The sat in a traffic jam all the way from the airport into the city. At one point it was 45 minute and all you can do is hope that the cars start moving. There was a lot of road works at the time but mainly because there were too many cars. The total fare amounted to 350 Pesos when actually it would have been a lot less as it was only 20 minutes away.
The hostel is nice with tables at the front to socialise and relax with. There is also a pool table and a free beer or soft drink for staying the night. There are a lot of dorm rooms here and we stayed in a what seemed to be a recently refurbished room. However the second time we stayed in the room next to the reception and it was terrible – noisy and smelly as it was attached next to the bathroom and you could smell the sewage. We did get use to the smell and it was only for one night so try to get the dorms away from the reception.
The dorm beds are nice, basic and clean. Not all of them have power sockets that were working. There was a big cabinet to store our belongings and also lockers near the bathroom to lock away valuables. Note that the lockers are very small. The aircon worked really well too. The bathroom was basically 3 showers and 3 toilets all lined up next to each other in a big room. Sinks are available on the other side. The one problem was the flushing situation as Cebu was experiencing a draught you could only flush the toilet using a bucket and pail, which was really annoying because a trickle of water would come out to refill the bucket and many people did not flush the toilet properly. I don’t think the staff cleaning the toilets would have been happy.
Other things to note:
- The wifi is okay (although to be fair it is slow anywhere in the Philippines!). You can only access it in the reception or outside seating area.
- There is 2 ATMs nearby – BDO, which charges a 200 Peso fee for a withdrawal and the Metrobank further down the road, which doesn’t charge.
- Sometimes the electricity goes out (again, common throughout Philippines).
- The lockers are small and they have a key provided already.
- They do cooked food and cold drinks and a free water dispenser. You can use the kitchen area but it is self service only.
- There are also food shops nearby and a fruit shop right outside.
- Taxis cost roughly 70 Pesos to the bus terminal if you are catching a bus to Boljoon.
Overall for the price of 450 Pesos it was a good nights sleep and we learnt a lot of places and things to visit by talking to other people, who also stayed there.
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Noordzee Hostel is situated in Boljoon, which is in the south of Cebu city. This hostel is a very popular stopover for backpackers who have come to visit the whale sharks in Oslob. Another reason is because there are no other hostels in the area like many other places in the Philippines!
Manila – the capital of Phillipines is an intriguing city in Southeast Asia. It’s the first time where we could have a decent conservation to any stranger on the train or on the streets because they are so friendly, helpful and most of all they speak perfect English. Most Fillipinos learn English at a very young age at school along with Tagalog, which are their official languages. There are also lots of dialects, which we came across as we travelled to the south island for a spot of whale sharks, Palawan (voted one of the most beautiful islands in the whole world) and Coron, where there are many Japanese ship wrecks.
Another interesting thing is that the Phillipines were colonized by the Spanish for 300 years and there are many Catholic churches, which is great for a change after looking at so many Asian temples. Everywhere you will see Spanish themed buildings such as:
Fort Santiago was built by the Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi and was used to protect the new Manila that had been formed. There is also a nice park to walk around.
The Museum of the Filipino People is a good starting point if you want to learn more about the history of Phillipines and there is also an Art Museum but there are separate to each other, although only a 5 minute walk between them.
We spent 2 days in Manila when we landed in the Phillipines and then another 7 days at the end before flying to Japan. However the last days were not very good for travelling and seeing what is around Manila as a typhoon had welcomed itself onto the city and it rained heavily every single day. This made it difficult for us to travel up north to see Taal Volcano Batangas and also Mount Mayan, which you can climb. The Banaue Rice Terraces are also spectacular during the rainy season. There are places we have penciled in for a future visit to the Philippines.
The rain was so bad that it is not uncommon for certain parts of Manila to become flooded as the drainage system is blocked really easily. Luckily there are many shopping malls in Manila and also some indoor attractions, such as the Manila Ocean Park. Normally I don’t like Ocean Parks as I would rather see the animals and sea life in their natural habitat and free from barriers but we had 7 days to fill with activities.
We are going to swim with the whale sharks in our next post!
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