GUANGDONG: Budget and Itinerary

MONDAY: 13 May 2013

Shenzhen Metro (Shekou Port - Grand Theater) - 7.00

Convenience Store (Ganten + Lays) - 7.00

Grand Theater Hostel (1 Bunk in 4 Bed Dorm/2 Nights) - 150.00
CNY164.00

GUANGZHOU: Hotel IBIS Guangzhou Huangshi

I wanted some alone time in order to rest in Guangzhou, and my recent addiction to Agoda and their promo prices further stimulated this search for a cheap hotel. I was looking for something within the PhP750 range, but figured that it would not be so bad if I raise the stakes a bit to around PhP1250. When I saw the word IBIS, I immediately knew that I was in for a bargain, and the room photos confirmed that. Just like that boutique hotel in Shenzhen that came before it, I have no other complaints regarding this hotel aside from its location. While the Agoda profile claims that it is near a certain station of the Guangzhou Metro, the truth is it is a bit far and took half an hour by taxi because of the bad traffic during that time. When I checked out, a taxi ride to the nearest Guangzhou Metro station cost RMB12 and took just five minutes. Still, it would have been nice to just walk to and from the stations, but I love trains. Maybe it is not the same case for you.

SHENZHEN: Colour Inn Shenzhen

What caught my attention while browsing its profile on Agoda are the cute designs of the rooms in promo, with personalized art of different themes. The negative feedback has mostly been about this boutique hotel’s location, which I now echo after having to find it myself. Most instructions say that you have to get off at Laojie station, but I thought Shaibu station would be a lot closer despite having to transfer one more Shenzhen Metro Line just to reach it. It took me around an hour to find this place, and that is not so okay when you have a lot of luggage with you. By the time I reached the premises, I was cursing heavily under my breath, my shirt was drenched with sweat, and I wanted to punch somebody. It is a good thing that this place has no more negative aspects aside from this.

SHENZHEN: Grand Theater Hostel

I believe this one had a good rating at Hostelworld, and so I booked it. My decision was based on the picture of the double bunk beds that they had. Later on I will find out that the best aspect of this hostel is its location, right at the center of the central business district! That chic mall called Mix C is just on the other side of the street. Book City is just a few steps away. The price, if based on the location alone, is well worth it just RMB75 a night. That is not even 500 pesos! Looking out my window now, I also have a good view of the city’s skyscrapers. The hostel is located on the 28th floor of a high rise building at the back of a bank, walking distance from the Grand Theater station of the Shenzhen Metro.

MACAU: Budget and Itinerary (2)

MONDAY: 13 May 2013

Turbojet (Hong Kong - Macau) - 159.00

Slot Machine Bet (Grand Lisboa) - 620.00

Slot Machine Win (Grand Lisboa) - -1,972.80
Noodle & Dimsum Kitchen (Fried Rice + Pepsi + Ovaltine) - 105.00
-HKD1,088.80

Books (Livraria Portuguesa) - 509.00

Shenzhen Xunlong (Macau - Shenzhen) - 210.00

MOP719.00

MACAU: The Slot Machine Victory

The original plan was to pick up some Portuguese review books at the Livraria Portuguesa, register for the DAPLE, and release a sequel to my 2011 Macau Tower Bungy Jump. Instead, I ended up at the Grand Lisboa and getting out of there with a 200% return for my HKD620 investment. Not bad for my first time at the slot machines, eh? Beginner's luck, maybe. Why should I even care. All I know is that I am all smiles right now as I try hard to avoid hurling projectile vomit at everyone here on board a Turbojet ferry to Shenzen. Perhaps, taking the chopper was a better option? Hey, that was just HKD1,900+ that I won. It is not as if I won the jackpot.

HONG KONG: Budget and Itinerary (2)

FRIDAY: 10 May 2013

Taxi (Makati - NAIA 3) - 207.50

Rebook (Cebu Pacific) - 6,515.50

Travel Tax (NAIA 3) - 1,620.00
Le Bistro (Vanilla Milk Shake) - 165.00

Travel Tax (NAIA 3) - 550.00

Cebu Pacific (Manila - Hong Kong) - 2,150.00

PHP11,208.00

Dirty Dancing (Lunchbox Theatrical)

♣♣♣♣♣/♣♣♣♣♣

Summer of 1963. A peek into Baby's socialite life means either long nights full of social dancing or a repetitive game of Simon Says. Just like every teenager during that time, her life has been planned well ahead for her as she anticipates her next few years to be spent as part of the Peace Corps. Never has she thought that a little bit of Mambo and some big band could change her life. When the long-time dance partner of star dancer Johnny Castle gets knocked up by a waiter, Baby suggests that they find someone to fill in for her until an abortion is successfully done, lest the dance group lose a significant amount of their meager wages. That someone ends up being her. She then spends the next few days in serious training with him, transitioning from naive girl to competitive dancer and finding her way to womanhood in the process.

HONG KONG: Yesinn Causeway Bay

One thing immediately came to mind when I entered the dorm room and saw the layout: those overnight sleeper trains in China, except that we are in a building now and there is enough space to move around. Even the blue and white combination of mattress and bed frame is reminiscent of those two overnight train rides. Each bed is equipped with a small lamp and three sockets for your gadgets. The room is a 20-bed dorm, which means there is little privacy to enjoy here. There is a bathroom each on both ends of the room, which were actually clean and not that cramped. In fact, I found it rather spacious for a dorm bathroom. The room also has a sink and counter but no cooking equipment whatsoever.

Have You Ever Been to You?

So I just took the TOPIK. Again. After a year. To tell you the truth, napag-iwanan na ng Japanese at Mandarin ang Korean ko. In the beginning I was very enthusiastic about learning Korean. It is one of those languages that make me smile whenever I speak it or listen to it. Parang Italian. And then I continued my Mandarin studies at Confucius Institute on weekends, tapos Japanese sa Nihongo Center pag weekdays. Needless to say, naubusan na ako ng time for self-study ng Korean, at kahit isang taon na ang nakalipas, I think wala pa ring progress. What I did was stay up until the wee hours early today. Cramming, which is what I love to do and have proven to be an effective method for me. Nakakaaliw, kasi lahat ng inaral ko before na feeling ko nakalimutan ko na, bumalik just like that. After snoozing for two hours, go na ako sa Korean Cultural Center after a quick shower.