Visitando La Faro de Punta Capones

Nope! the title doesn't mean I am into Spanish Language now (maybe in the future), its just that this blog post is about one of the few still standing Spanish Lighthouses in the Philippines, the Capones Island Lighthouse or should I say Faro de Punta Capones. The lighthouse was built in the late 1800's and became operational in 1890. The Lighthouse is still operational despite its old condition.

This trip was after we camp in Anawangin Cove and is part of the tour offered by our boatman.

Capones Island Lighthouse

CAMPING IN ANAWANGIN COVE, ZAMBALES

I had been waiting for this trip ever since I have seen beautiful photographs and read blog post of various travel bloggers.

GETTING THERE

Unlike my trip to Pundaquit Beach which is the jump off point to Anawangin Cove last October 2011, this trip was never a disaster. Getting there is as easy as 1,2,3 for me. ( at least I've learn my lesson, haha..) Anyways, to get there, we took the Victory Liner Bus going to Iba, Zambales from their Caloocan Station. It took us around three hours to reach the town of San Antonio, where we can get a tricycle to Brgy. Pundaquit,  where we get a boat ride to the cove.

Setting up our tent is a little harder than we thought.:-)

Feeling cozy in my tent

Bonfire - a must when camping

Shenzhen, China

We leave Hongkong Disneyland at 7:15 pm (too bad we were not able to see the fireworks) for our tour in Shenzhen, China.

TRANSPORT FROM HONGKONG TO SHENZHEN CHINA

Our tour guide in Hongkong take us to the East Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station on the Kowloon side where we take the East Rail Line to Lo Wu, which is the Hongkong - China Border. The train ride to Lo Wu only takes us less than an hour.

SHENZHEN CHINA VISA

At Shenzhen Immigration, we were met by our new tour guide who arranges our Shenzhen China Group Visa. The visa (Group Visa) is a piece of paper where the names of the group travelling is listed, that would mean we have to enter and exit the immigration together - we even have to fall in line according to the list in our group visa.

 THE TOUR

We only had less than a day to tour Shenzhen and this includes visiting Jade Factory, Silk and Pearl Factory and picture taking outside windows of the world. We were like elementary kids in Educational Tour...hahaha... but it was fun. The tour would have been better I guess, if we get inside windows of the world but we are afraid we might get late for our flight to back to Manila.

                                                                                                                        

Hongkong Tour - Disney Land

Our tour in Hongkong ended in Disneyland which surely brings back the kid in me and I would say it is the most exciting part of our Hongkong tour. Its sad though, that we only had a half day to tour around this magical world and has to leave early because we need to be at the Shenzhen border before 11:00 pm ( the immigration closes at 11:00 pm) for our Shenzhen tour the following morning.

we are the kids @ heart

We are the Kids @ heart 2

Hongkong Tour - Aberdeen

After we tour The Avenue of Stars, we then visited Aberdeen which is located in the southern part of Hongkong Island.A little trivia from our tour guide - Aberdeen was originally a fishing village and is a home to the Tanka and Hoklo people who live in boats. Today, Aberdeen is one of the tourist attractions in Hongkong. Aberdeen is a place where tradition and modernity meets - skyscrapers overlooking traditional floating villages, luxury yachts cruising with traditional boat called Sampan.

Happy Travel,

Wamboy

Hongkong Tour - Avenue of Stars

The Avenue of Stars is modeled after the Hollywood's Walk of Fame which is made to celebrate Hongkong's film industry.


You will find commemorative plaques, celebrity hand prints, movie memorabilia and a life size statue of kung fu action star Bruce Lee.You will also see most of the tallest building in Hongkong Island. The avenue is also a great place to see A Symphony of Lights - the worlds largest permanent light and sound show as recognized by the Guinness Book of World Record. The avenue is located at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade.

Hongkong Island

Hongkong Island

Hongkong Island

Hongkong Tour - The Peak

We don't have any activities set for our first day in Hongkong, so we utilized the day for our own leisure instead.We visit The Peak, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Hongkong.The peak tower is one of the most stylish architectural icons in Hongkong, inside the peak tower are restaurants, shops and entertainment venues. The peak tower also boast the Sky Terrace 428, which will give you a 360-degree panoramic view of Hongkong.

View of the city

View of the outlying islands ( Cheung Chau Island, Lamma Island and Lantau Island )

The best way of getting to the peak is by riding The Peak Tram, not only its the quickest it is also the most scenic and exciting way of getting to there.

Waiting in line for The Peak Tram Ticket

Finally got my ticket

There is also a gallery at The Peak Tram station which will give you a little bit of Hongkong from the past.

 Happy travel,

Wamboy

Why you need a travel agent.

Despite the fact that there are so many travel tools available online, there are still a lot of traveler who use the service of a travel agent for their travel needs. Is it really necessary?

I would say, it really is not necessary but I can give you some good reasons why you should book your travel trough a travel agent. For our tour in Hongkong, we first plan on going there by ourselves- buy our own airline ticket, make reservation for our hotel, buy tickets to theme and amusement parks, etc., that is why we bought our airline tickets. While searching for hotels and researching for a trip, which I tell you is a little harder that we thought, we came across different travel agencies offering a range of itineraries and of course prices. 

Luckily for us we came across Metro World Travel Services, who gave us a hassle free Hongkong and Shenzhen, China tour, not to mention the package, which includes the tour, hotels, tickets to theme parks and everything we need for the tour, is very cheap.

So, here is the list why you should avail of the service of the travel agent like ours:

1.Cheap - again, booking your travel trough a travel agency can be cheap, mainly because they have access to discounts which normally you can not get and they can even beat discounts offered online.

2.Convenience - I tell you, planning for itinerary is a little harder than I thought, so if you are a little lazy and would prefer just printing the itinerary which was sent to you by email, book through a travel agency.

3.Travel Documents - They will help with you with the necessary document in order to get visa, our travel agent get our visa to Shenzhen, China.

4.Customer Service - I can not guarantee every travel agency has a good customer services, but ours is good- we can always reach them by phone, give us discounts and give us tips and advice.

5.Choice - travel agency will always give different options, like choice of hotels, tours, etc.

These are only some points why its good to book your travel trough a travel agency but the bottom line is they are in the business because they surely understand the world of travelling more than you do.But of course there are also advantages of travelling independently, so its still your choice. Happy Travel : -)

Happy Travel,

Wamboy

Laguna Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

Our office had a team-building/company outing in La Vista Pansol Laguna, the home to Laguna Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center ( LWRC).

Laguna Wildlife Rescue  and Rehabilitation Center (LWRC) is a rescue center for Endemic (Local) and exotic (Imported) animals. They are kept here for rehabilitation, treatment and possible release for the Endemic species. Other animals that cannot be released will be taken cared of to be ambassador of their own kind, some of them are bred for conservation.

The park is privately run by the Feathered Friends Foundation and wildlife veterinarian Dr. Nielsen Donato.

For only 25 pesos entrance fee you will help support the center's activities.

These are some of the pictures of the animals found in the center: