The number 9 has always been my lucky/unlucky number. Maybe I’m just thinking too much into it, but I’ve noticed that through the years, things happen on the 9th. Doesn’t help that I’m the 9th kid in the family either. Travel-wise things have been really great for me this year. I’ve been to a lot of places and traveled more than I ever had in the past years. When this year started, I said I do not have major plans for travel, except for a couple of trips. Much to my surprise, I ended up taking trips I never really planned for (a month’s headstart is considered not planned for!).

My doll Tina getting really friendly with the locals in Singapore

While going through some past entries, I came upon a list I made back in 2007: 10 Places I want to visit in the next two years. I have totally forgotten writing this year and reading it again, I was so proud of myself for taking out 7 out of 10 places. Six of those places were also visited just this year. My year-end post for 2009 will be a recap of that list from two years ago.
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Christmas has passed and I’m still digesting food from Noche Buena and Christmas dinner. I hope you guys had a great Christmas as well!

As promised, the winners of the Schützen notebook contest are:

Bella, who loved Quiapo at first sight wins the slim purple and yellow notebook; dementedchris, who was awed by centuries-old palaces and temples of Beijing wins the medium pink and beige notebook; and Ellen Joy Castel, who holidayed in Batangas with her family wins the big yellow and purple notebook.

Thanks for all who joined and congratulations to all the winners! Watch out for more contests coming up in 2010!

Monette of Flip’n Travel gave me an idea. I’ve been looking for ways to dispose of some of my books to make some space for my growing Japanese manga collection in my book case, but haven’t really figured out how. I can always go to Book Mooch, but it would take too long for some of my books. So, I decided to give them away to you, my dear JustWandering readers

Bill Bryson is staying with me, but you’re free to take Frances Mayes home

Before we get to the goodies, you have to understand a couple of things: these books are pre-loved. All but two of them are second hand books, most of them bought in Melbourne. Some of these books have even traveled with me. I’m giving them away because as much as I enjoyed them, I decided to just keep a handful of authors and series in my collection (Peter Moore, Bill Bryson, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman).
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After months of closure, Enchanted Kingdom’s iconic ride, the Space Shuttle has been re-opened last Saturday to a huge crowd. There wasn’t any major changes in the track, except for a new paint job. The big change was the new cars that “give riders a greater feeling of space, as the body is more open, affording a more exciting experience.” The whole train was replaced with the latest available model, the Vekoma Mark 1212 train and coaches from Holland. It has a more comfortable ergonomic seating position and a state-of-the-art automated harness system.

Space Shuttle Max

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Vic Lactaoen is one of the most well traveled person I know. He was my sister’s friend, and I met him during my first visit to Jakarta back in 1995. He has just spent the last several years in New York, and I vaguely remember him saying he’ll never go back to the Philippines. By the late 90’s or early 2000, he ended up moving to Manila and to this date have traveled extensively around the country. In 2003, I submitted my first ever magazine article to him — he was currently the Editor in Chief of the now defunct Pilmap Travel and Leisure. The article was published in the magazine’s second issue, and around that time, I was already working for as his editorial assistant (and a marketing assistant and event coordinator at the same time). He already left the magazine a couple of years ago, but he actively contribute articles for local and international magazines.

Vic at the Lanzones festival in Camiguin, with some of the native Tausogs in their cultural costume splendor.

I’ve convinced him to join the dark side get into blogging, and after much procrastinating (all in my part), Travels with Vic is born. His blog currently features some of his previous works. In the future, he’ll be sharing some original pieces. But one thing’s for sure, his blog features destinations in the Philippines you probably overlook or never knew existed!

I asked him to share his favorite destinations and activities in the Philippines, and here’s his list:
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I honestly wasn’t looking forward to tallying up my expenses for my last trip, yet at the same time, I was eager to see just how much damage I did. And if I really spent enough to buy the 50mm f1.4 lens I wanted. I didn’t, but a couple more thousands and I could’ve bought the 35mm f1.8. I’m just consoling myself that at least I’ve finished my Christmas shopping in one go and bought some things I really wanted for myself.

Also, I realized how relatively cheap Malacca is for a daytrip from Singapore. The drive from the island to the heritage town is more than double the time it takes to drive down from Kuala Lumpur to Malacca, but it’s a better alternative to Johor Bahru, where most Filipinos go for a visa run. For about Php 2,000, you can do this day trip from Singapore. That already include the bus (public bus from Singapore to Johor Bahru, domestic bus from Larkin Terminal to Malacca), admission fees, meals and transport within Malacca. Melaka is compact enough that you can just walk to see the main attractions. I’m definitely heading back there when I go to Singapore.

Oh, I’ve omitted my personal shopping expenses from this travel budget. It’s certainly not for public consumption.
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Christmas is just around the corner, and the kind folks of Hildebrand is giving JustWandering readers a colorful Schützen notebook!

The notebooks features 80 leaves of good quality paper and and sturdy double loop wire to bind. Its synthetic leather cover are made from premium material, designed to hold cards, photos and notes. Perfect for jotting down your travel plans or writing down your thoughts while on the road
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Batanes easily tops my list of favorite places in the Philippines. It’s remote, there’s no crowds and the landscape is just stunning. Not a lot of people get to travel to Batanes, mainly due to the expensive airfare going there. Actually, I love the fact that Batanes is quite inaccessible, because mass tourism will ruin the province and its culture.

View from the Tukon Radar

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