I’m trying to think back why we chose to stay in Marina Garden Beach Resort, but all I can think about is how glad I was that we agreed to stay here. The resort has the best stretch of beach for lounging and swimming. Though most of the resorts in town have beach fronts or have access to the beach, Marina’s beachfront is the widest and cleanest, and hardly any boat dock on its shore, which makes it the best for swimming. That’s why guests of other resorts flock to Marina’s beachfront.

View from Marina Garden Resort

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Popularity: 4% [?]

Hostelling International Sukhumvit is one of the hostels in Bangkok getting high ratings from travelers who have stayed there. I’ve stayed there twice in 2009, and it’s getting high rating from me as well.

Watch out for this sign on Soi 38

The Sukhumvit area is called the embassy row — almost all of the embassies are located there (including the Philippine embassy). It’s also said that Sukhumvit is where backpackers go when they tire of Khao San Road. Sukhumvit is a very quiet neighborhood, and you can walk for a kilometer without anybody asking you if you want to go on a tuktuk ride or buy a fake Rolex. Though Sukhumvit is not exactly a central station, the BTS run along the main road, so it’s easy to get around without having to deal with Bangkok’s infamous traffic jams.
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Popularity: 3% [?]

There are several factors that I consider when picking a hostel to stay in: location, price, Hostel World rating, and whether they have wi-fi. That’s how I ended up booking a room at Mandalay Inn when I went to Siem Reap.

Mandalay Inn

Location and price are the two most important factor for me. I like to walk around new places, so I prefer staying at hostels that are close to the town or city center. I liked Mandalay’s location: it’s on a street just off the main road, and very near the old market. Mandalay Inn’s area is also mostly residential, so it’s a pretty quiet neighborhood.
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Popularity: 2% [?]

I’ve no trips until the end of the month, so in order to have something to blog about, I’ll be writing reviews of accommodations, airlines and services that I’ve used in my travels last year. I figured now’s the time to do it, as people are making plans for their trips in the coming months. I hope you find these posts useful

This was my second stay at Shambara. I stayed there before, on my first trip to Thailand in 2006. Not a lot has changed: there are still only 9 rooms, the bathroom is still shared, footwear is still strictly not allowed inside, and it’s still always full.

Room 3

Shambara’s biggest appeal is its location: it’s in an alley off Khao San Road. If you’ve been to Bangkok or have researched about the city, you’d know that KSR is the backpacker’s hub. This is where most of the young and first time backpackers go to stay in Bangkok, because everything a traveler needs is in Khao San Road. Cheap accommodation? Check. Clothes and accessories? Check. Bootleg CDs and DVDs? Check. Foreign exchange and ATMs? Check. Pharmacy and convenience stores? Check. Travel agents offering cheap tour packages to Thailand’s islands and beaches? Check. Restaurants and bars serving Western food and cheap booze? Check. Thai street food? Check. McDonald’s, Starbucks and Apple Store? Check, check, check!
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Popularity: 3% [?]

I was looking forward to going back to Boracay, and staying at Taj Guesthouse, where we stayed last December. However, since Taj only had four rooms, it filled out pretty quickly. So I was left with having to find another place to stay in Boracay. I headed over to the place where I can get good recommendations: the Girltalk forums. True enough, in the many pages of the Boracay thread, I was able to find a place that still have a room for the weekend: Tans Guesthouse.

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Popularity: 53% [?]

When people ask me for hotel recommendations in Boracay, I couldn’t name any hotel because the first time I went there, I stayed at a friend’s house. This time however, I already have one hotel I wholeheartedly recommend: The Taj Guesthouse.

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Popularity: 39% [?]

I’m taking a break from finishing the last installment of my Coron travelogue to show off my awesome underwater photos. Actually, I ran smack into a huge wall of writer’s blogger’s block. Plus, after weeks of not getting any event invites, it started coming in all at once, so I’m left with hardly any time to sleep and do personal stuff. And let’s not even get started on Plurk… evil, evil Plurk!

All this needs is a Java applet…

 
Gratuitous Plurk plugging aside, the one thing that I’ve been itching to blog about Coron are my experience with the Dicapac. Since I’ve been remiss at buying or borrowing ANY underwater camera for my February Butanding (Whale Shark) interaction trip, I made sure that I have at least ONE underwater camera for my Coron trip. Afterall, Coron is one of the best snorkeling and dive sites in the Philippines. I must have an underwater camera with me!

Fish in the Kayangan Lake and their pointy things

 
The DiCaPac (Digital Camera Pack) is a great and cheaper alternative to the expensive point and shoot camera cases. I was aghast when I first learned that a Canon underwater case for the A70 (my first digital camera) cost almost as much as the camera itself. When I found out that there’s a more affordable option in the form of the Dicapac, I was elated. Underwater photography, here I come!

Like most first time Dicapac user, I was skeptical about the performance of this product. Yet, I still bought it. When I opened the Dicapac package when I got home, I quickly tested the product to see if it really worked. I submerged the pack in a basin full of water, shook it vigorously, and put it under running water. After all that, I gingerly opened the pack, pointing the opening downwards, as instructed. Surprise, surprise! The paper inside the Dicapac was still dry! I was convinced, and set off for Coron with my Dicapac and Ixus 75, certain that I will get the underwater photos I wanted.

Coral reef at Siete Pecados. Photo taken by Ferdz

 
Okay, I may not have jaw dropping photos of corals, fishes and wrecks, but I have to say I’m very happy with the underwater photos that I was able to take in Coron. Then again, I have a model who was all too happy to pose.

(I just realized that I could’ve gone out and took photos of my neighborhood as Typhoon Frank ravages Metro Manila, with my camera inside my Dicapac, but rain almost always guarantee me staying indoors. So boo.)

More underwater shots taken with the Canon Ixus 75 and Dicapac WP-410:

Ferdz taking underwater photos with his Canon (gasp!) underwater camera.

Marc diving deeper at Kayangan Lake

Going after the prey

Don’t forget to pose!

Wildlife photography, yes?

The weird thing about this picture is that the horizon is diagonal, yet Eric is shooting straight up…

I have no words.

DiCaPac is locally available through JT Photoworld. The underwater case I used with my Canon Ixus 75, the WP-410 model, costs Php 1,950.

JT Photoworld
Address: 1082 Chino Roces St. (formerly Pasong Tamo), Makati City, Philippines
Phone: 897-2561, 899-5018
Email: dp.onlineseller@gmail.com
Website: www.dponline.com.ph, digitalprinting.multiply.com

Popularity: 41% [?]

My common sense may have deserted me when I was onboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J527 and 5J528, but my friend’s dad didn’t and he bought Cebu Pacific’s mini flexi-tripod. I managed to succesfully pester Anna to meet up so we can compare the two tripods.

All I can say is that I am glad that I bought the original Joby Gorillapod. After seeing, feeling and trying the cheap imitation, I was relieved that I invested on my tripod.

The Original Gorillapod in grey, the Cebu Pacific Mini flexi-tripod in orange

 
At first glance they really look similar. Same size, same design. The flexi-tripod (a.k.a. Goofypod in some countries. What the heck?), can copy any position the Gorillapod can. It also comes with that clip thing to attach the camera to the tripod. And it comes in colors! (I bought my Gorillapod before they came out with the colored version. Boo!)

Bent over

 
That’s where the similarity ends, though. When handling the Gorillapod, one of the first things you’ll notice is that it’s pretty hard to position the legs. Not because it’s not flexible, but because it’s (for lack of better word), tight. In contrast, the flexi-tripod is very very loose. Think of it this way: the flexi tripod moves like a graceful dancer, while the Gorillapod is dacing the robot.

With my antique A70 loaded with 4 AA-size battery

 
This, however, plays a factor on how stable the tripods are. The Gorillapod with its strong joints, as well as its grips makes it a really stable tripod. The rubber grips of the flexi-tripod, on the other hand, is very smooth, which makes it prone to slipping. Don’t get me wrong, you *can* still use the tripod; it’s not totally useless. I was able to put my rather heavy Canon Powershot A70 on it and it managed to stay upright. I doubt that I would use it if I’m to attach the tripod to a chair back or a winebottle.

In the end, I am not regretting my decision to shell out Php1,400 for my Joby Gorillapod. Afterall, I am getting quality for that price. The flexi-tripod can be used as a regular tripod, but you don’t buy a Gorillapod-like tripod just to use it in the conventional way, right?

Anything you can do, I can do as well. Though not necessarily better.

 
You don’t have to get onboard a Cebu Pacific flight to buy this flexi-tripod. I was at Quiapo last Saturday and saw similar tripods being sold at the photography shops around Hidalgo. The point and shoot version sells for Php 450, while the SLR version costs Php 1,800 at Henry’s Cam (fronting SM Carriedo). Remember, you get what you pay for.

Popularity: 29% [?]