Vinyl Street Bar, Hongdae, Seoul

As you might've read from previous posts on this blog, I have a love affair with Hongdae in Seoul, South Korea. I immediately fell for its youthful vibe and artsy feel the first time I visited the place a few years back, and have been back in Hongdae a couple of times since. Last year I went on a solo trip to Seoul and spent a couple of days walking around the city, and I of course made Hongdae my home base.

It was in one of my walks around Hongdae that I finally chanced upon Vinyl, a tiny, quirky street bar near Hongik University that sold cheap cocktails in ziplock bags. I had heard about it a couple of times before and had seen blogs rave about the place, but had never gotten the chance to look for it until my solo trip last year. It took a while for me to find Vinyl, but all the walking around in the cold while looking at Google Maps was worth it!   

48 Hours in Hong Kong: A Photo Journal

My first trip of the year was to Hong Kong for a weekend to catch Phoenix in concert (which I flailed about here. Best concert everrrr!). It was a short trip but a memorable one. There's something to be said about chill weekend solo trips - there's very little preparation to be made (for this one, it consisted of me cramming my booking for accommodations) and very little luggage to be packed (especially as I didn't pay for check-in luggage).

There's also something very liberating about a no-itinerary trip. There were only three things on my to-do list for this Hong Kong weekender: (1) find the mythical Prada outlet of urban legend; (2) attend the concert; and (3) eat, eat, eat.

Pictures from the trip under the cut. I actually went to Hong Kong again two weeks ago, for another weekender, and maybe I'll post about it soon.

Where is your favorite weekend getaway?

Start the New Year Right (and Healthy) with Juju Eats!

The start of a new year often means new resolutions, and a lot of holiday weight gained over the last month of the previous year. Nothing quite disproves the saying "past is past" like the holiday weight that spills over your jeans and threatens to tear apart your shirt sleeves after Christmas. Clearly, you did not leave your family's noche buena in the past.

Fortunately, many helpful souls (and enterprising individuals) have made it easier for people to start the year right. Detoxing is all the rage in Manila now, because it's a quick way to kick start a healthy new year and to lose a bit of weight.

Located along Pasong Tamo extension in Makati is a dieter's heaven - Juju Eats. They serve fresh, healthy food and juices that taste pretty good, making it a lot easier (and enjoyable) to eat healthy. 

Silantro, Cilantro + Concepcion, Iloilo Typhoon Yolanda Relief Efforts

Two restaurants with the same name, one serving Filipino-Mexican fusion food, the other Vietnamese delicacies. Check out Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina in Kapitolyo, Pasig, and Cilantro in Iloilo!

Also, certain towns in Iloilo have been badly damaged

Spending Saturday Night in Makati, Philippines: El Chupacabra, Tonkatsuya, The Exit, The Curator, Blind Pig

I live in Ortigas and work in The Fort, so coming to Makati isn't a very common occurence. I hadn't spent a Saturday night in Makati in ages, but a few weekends back and just this weekend, my friends and I decided to change things up a bit and check out a few places that you couldn't find anywhere else but in Makati. From street tacos to bespoke cocktails to some awesome katsu, check out these only-in-Makati joints!

4 Korean-Inspired Cafes in Manila and Ortigas, Philippines

My idea of the perfect lazy day is to spend it in a cute cafe. The coffee and the food don't have to be particularly spectacular - for a lazy day at a cafe, I find the ambiance to be of utmost importance instead: somewhere relaxing, with pretty interiors and good music (a cute barista wouldn't hurt either).

In spite of our hectic Seoul-all-you-can itinerary the last time we went to South Korea, we managed to find time to visit Jukjeon Cafe Street and Hongdae and explore a few quaint cafes, which I loved. I love Korean cafes. They're like Kpop idols - cute, sometimes quirky, and usually pretty. If it weren't impractical I would be happy to fly to Seoul for a long weekend and do nothing else but go cafe-hopping.

Seems I'm not the only one who's grown fond of Korean cafes, because currently there are four cafes in Manila that all have the cool Korean cafe vibe. Two are conveniently near my place which is perfect, and the other two are a bit of a drive but definitely worth it! Check them out under the cut, and maybe with some background music care of f(x) and EXO's D.O.? Enjoy!

Current favorite Kpop song. Squishy Do Kyungsoo FTW!

Where to Eat in San Juan, La Union, Philippines

Planning a surf trip to San Juan, La Union? Getting stoked requires a lot of energy, and thankfully there are plenty of food places to check out in and around San Juan. The awesome guys at The Circle Hostel La Union invited a group of travel bloggers including myself to stay in their eco-friendly accommodations for a weekend and kindly took us to three great places to eat around the area. Check out Urbiztondo Grill House, Kahuna Resort, and Thunderbird Resort below!

The Luang Prabang Local Market In Fine Detail

Whenever I travel, I always get amazed at how some places lend themselves so easily to great photographs. Hoi An, Seoul and virtually any beach in the Philippines are the photogenic places that instantly come to mind from my travels. Though I am by no means a professional,I love taking pretty pictures, the kind that can hold a memory of a moment intact long after that moment and that adventure has passed. I love looking at pictures I took from my travels and being reminded of how it felt to be there, what the weather was like, what I was listening to, who I was with.

Jen and I finding the Luang Prabang local market was by all means a moment of serendipity. Every traveler has one of those - you take a wrong turn in a little alley and find yourself not in the place you were headed for, but in a place you prefer much more anyway. We had just witnessed the alms giving ritual very early in the morning, and were looking for some breakfast and coffee to wake us up. Eventually we found ourselves in a little alley with stalls and stores that sold the most interesting things. Local markets are always vibrant and full of life, which is probably why they make such ideal settings for interesting photographs.

I took so many photos of the Luang Prabang local market but these are perhaps my favorites. They don't capture the entirety of the market, but instead its little details - from writhing live insects, spices with colors as rich as their flavors, to the most delicious deep-fried sausages. 

A Beginner's Guide to Korean Street Food: 5 Delicious Snacks To Try in Seoul

I've only been to Seoul, South Korea twice, and I'm sure their street food scene has a whole lot more to offer on top of the five treats I will feature here. But if it's your first time in Seoul, trying out these five street food snacks would be a good way to start your Korean food trip. And remember my piece of advice about ordering food in a foreign country: smile, keep an open mind, trust the friendly ajumma, hope for the best, prepare to laugh at the worst, and you might just be rewarded with a surprisingly good meal.

Churro 101: Better Than A Boyfriend in Hongdae, Seoul, South Korea

 

 

Nope, the title isn't an attempt by me to make fun of my own bitterness, but it is in fact the tagline that Churro 101 has made for itself, and one you'd be hard pressed to forget.

Gustare Kitchen: Our Secret In The City

I love coming to Gustare Kitchen for lunch, especially if it's been a particularly stressful day / week at work and I need some comfort food. Hidden behind The Goose Station in the relative outskirts of Bonifacio Global City, There are no signs outside W Tower (the building where it is located) to let people know it exists. Which is why I like to think of Gustare Kitchen as our little secret in the city. 

The 2013 To Go List: 5 Asian Destinations To Visit This Year

In my line of work, I am plagued with to-do lists, and they are both extremely helpful (they keep me organized) but also frustrating (they never seem to end sometimes!). And with this post I come to you with yet another list, but a fun one: not a To Do List, but a To Go List, with five of my top destination suggestions for 2013.

I have fond memories of all the five destinations I've included here - from swimming through a hole under limestone cliffs into secret lakes, enjoying a candlelit dinner on a balcony overlooking a riverside view, to tasting a sumptuous pork dish that could rival the Filipino lechon, these destinations are not exactly off the beaten path, but are maybe just a little ways away from the regular tourist hotspots.

3 Korean Meals Worth Waiting In Line For In Seoul, South Korea

There was shopping, KPop MV making, and a lot of fangirling, but our Seoul trip also had a lot of eating! I don't even know how Ris and Ica were able to find these food places (with diligent online research, no doubt - I love having star student friends) because when I travel, my take on food trips is to (1) skip the Western franchise (until at the airport a few hours before flying back home and I'd be craving for KFC or McDonald's - don't judge me!) and (2) drop by the nearest local food place upon the strike of hunger, without fear or worry of non-English menus and other forms of language barriers. But because Ica and Ris were more diligent in organizing our sources of sustenance for all the fangirling we were going to do in Seoul, we were able to try out these three amazing meals that were definitely worth waiting in line (in the cold!) for.

Trust me - you'll be happy you waited in line for these meals.

To Travel Like It's The End Of The World: YOLO 2012!

I once said that my 2011 felt like one long, extended beach trip, but that I hoped 2012 would be a little bit crazier, more adventurous. After all, the world was supposedly going to end in 2012. Now that we've survived December 21, 2012 (and celebrated it with an End of the World Party and Mayan-inspired accessories), it seems mankind has been given a new lease on life. But the fact still remains - You Only Live Once. And 2012 was the year of the YOLO state of mind - all the surf trips, the road trips, the concerts and parties, even the staycations and my chillax Laos trip, and of course, our epic Seoul adventure were all witness to that. We only have one life to live, and I want to spend mine on the move, exploring strange places, meeting strange people, eating the strangest food, then coming home, only to do it all over again. So here are my favorite photos of 2012 - have a happy new year everyone! And as always, to my epic travel buddies of the year - the Samsung YOLOs, Carms, Eds, Jen and the Korea Girl Group members, what a year it's been! Here's to more legendary trips in 2013! 

The Korean Mystery Lunch: Gamjatang at Onedang (a.k.a. how to order in a Korean restaurant without an English menu)

Smile, keep an open mind, trust the friendly ajumma, hope for the best, prepare to laugh at the worst, and you might just be rewarded with a surprisingly good meal.

Disclaimer: results may vary per situation, but that's just part of the fun.

Snapshots: Squeeze the Day, Jamba Juice

 It's Finally Friday, make it count!

Snapshots: Wasabi Kit Kit

It's so elusive, I was starting to believe it was an urban myth. 

Snapshots: Skew U! Kapitolyo, Philippines

Angus Beef Tapa meal for PhP 98 at Skew U! Check them out in Kapitolyo. 

Snapshots: It's Always Happy Hour Somewhere In The World

It's already past 1 am in Manila on 6th June, and I'm putting up my post for 5th June. Late I know, I couldn't catch a break at work and had a great dinner with some friends I haven't seen in a while, so I went home later than I expected. But I'm still posting this because I figured, somewhere elsewhere in the world, it's still Tuesday, just like at any given time, somewhere around the world, it's happy hour. Hence the Beerlao photo. 

Does that make sense? 

Also, local beer and shirts with local beer brands for designs - I'm definitely not the first traveler who's been caught up in their strange allure, but I'd still like to explore why they're so fun to buy. Remind me to write about that another time.

Snapshots: Beef Maki Mi

Another tasty treat to help you keep warm and fuzzy on a cold rainy day. :)