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Living in the Moment


On my 6th day in Japan, I really don’t have anything planned because I do have work. But what’s a good day to waste? I haven’t really explored Osaka that much during my first visit and as you know I am always pressed for time. So to me, this seems like a good day to see the tourist-famous Glico man which until now is not clear to me why the said spot is so famous. It’s also Christmas season so I can use the day to buy Christmas gifts for my loved ones. hehe.

June 06, 2020 No comments



Finally!!! The last day on our Myanmar tour! Haha. It took me almost 2 years to finish this blog post but hey.. At least I was able to finish it. The silver lining in this quarantine is that I was able to write this blog post. Planning to write more but it really depends on my mood. Still have work during daytime plus I am also catching on my Netflix backlogs and I'm kinda hooked up with two-point hospital so if I am not watching Netflix, it's either I am playing switch or busy scrolling through my social media accounts to see the latest news about COVID-19.
March 31, 2020 No comments


Prior to this trip, I didn’t really know anything about Mandalay as well as Inle Lake. I just know that I need to visit this country just to see the Bagan hot air balloons. And when I booked our tickets via Air Asia, this is when I only knew there is really a lot of good stuff Myanmar has to offer too. I mean why is this country not as popular as Thailand and Vietnam when there are also a lot of temples, palace, and an amazing view?
February 14, 2020 No comments


The last entry on my Japan diaries, for now. :) I can’t believe I’m down to the last one. I am missing every bit of my vacation to Japan. Almost all the stuff on my Facebook timeline reminds me of Japan. It’s really calling me back. LOL. Imagine the self-control I had to do when Cebu Pacific had their Piso sale just this week! I was really thinking of booking a plane ticket to Osaka again but figured that I don’t have the slightest clue yet of my schedule for this year so I set the thought aside for now. But you get the point right?!!! If not this year, I’ll definitely come and see their Spring season for the Cherry Blossoms.
January 19, 2020 No comments

First of all, my 14 years old self is so so so so happy about this. I am a big fan of amusement parks ever since I was a kid. Most, if not all Filipino 90s kid would agree that EK was their first happy place. I mean I don’t remember much from my childhood but I sure did remember going to EK with my family. Good times. Still warms my heart just by thinking about it. 
January 11, 2020 No comments


I haven’t seen real snow in entire life. I mean the Philippines is a tropical country and there are just 2 seasons here plus all the countries I’ve been too are also tropical countries. LOL. It’s either hot or super hot. Yup, that’s a joke but you get the point. It’s currently January and it should be the coldest month in the Philippines but it feels like summer. Ugh. I can only imagine how hot it will be in the upcoming summer season. Tank tops all way.
January 03, 2020 No comments

On my third day in Japan, I didn’t have to wake up early as I will only roam around Nara Park and see the different temples together with my tita. And as you might know from my previous blog post, my tita lives in Nara so going to Nara Park will only take about 10-15 minutes from their house. 
December 27, 2019 No comments


I call it Osaka at a glance because well, for one, Osaka cannot be roamed around on a single day (just like the other places I went to on this trip), and secondly, I barely scratched the surface. There are many places I wanted to visit but time didn't allow me to.
December 23, 2019 No comments

For our second day in Taipei, what I planned was to go to Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen, and Shifen. I mean what's a trip to Taiwan without these 3 right? Whenever I see people posting about their Taipei trips, these 3 destinations are always in their itinerary.
December 18, 2019 No comments
Siem Reap: Real Life Temple Run

If you read my Singapore travel, you would know that I am on my 6/10 of my Southeast Asian bucket list. And visiting Siem Reap Cambodia means I'm on my 7th country! Sooo sooo close in completing all of it. <3
February 20, 2019 1 comments

Guest Post by Himanshu of Pearls India Tour

With the rapid urbanization and industrialization taking its toll on the planet’s forest cover, it is not surprising that only a few countries can flaunt their natural beauty and claim to be rich with flora and fauna. One such country is India. Through its various projects, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, it has successfully created a safe haven for many of its plant and animal species. Many of these are World Heritage Sites. 

So, if you visit India, here are the top 5 national parks you need to drop at to have a tryst with nature.

1. Jim Corbett National Park (Nainital, Uttrakhand)

Top 5 National Parks in India
Photo by Prashant Ram, CC BY-ND 2.0

May 16, 2017 No comments
Dear Travelers, Do not Travel for the sake of Passport Stamps - Explore the Country

We've all been there. Being such in a hurry to visit as many places as we can. To get as much passport stamps as we can. It's not bad to visit all as many countries as you can in one go. But you know what's bad and is not doing any good in the long run?? It's when you visit as many countries as you can in a few days!
May 12, 2017 11 comments
From Getting Ripped off in Hanoi to Struggling to Change Money and Almost Losing my Passport in Luang Prabang

I'm writing this on my iPad's note app. We're currently here in Luang Prabang and it's 11:14 PM local time as I write this. (If you're reading this, I am probably already home) Well.. This is our second day touring. We're supposed to tour Hanoi, Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Bangkok. 

We left Hanoi this afternoon and well... This day was all sorts of misadventure. Our first day in Hanoi was fun. Really fun. We saw Hoan Kiem Lake, watched Water Puppet Show (my second time to watch, the first one was when we visited Ho Chi Minh city last 2015), watched the locals, and eat Vietnamese food.
April 14, 2017 11 comments
Living in the Moment - Hanoi, Vietnam

11:58AM local time of Hanoi, plane going back to Manila. 

This trip was superb! In a sense that I experienced a lot of mishaps but at the same time had a lot of fun. I got to learn a lot. Like, really a L O T. And as much as it bores me to death going to museums and different history specific establishments, it pays to know where the nation has come from as it says a lot about where the country is today. I personally believe Vietnam is a great country and with great food too! (no brainer) And I don't mind eating lots of Pho for the rest my life if it means getting also to eat other Vietnamese food and a good Ca Phe Sua Da (Vietnamese coffee: black roasted coffee with condensed milk)
April 01, 2017 23 comments
Things to do in Roxas City

If you have read this post, then I'm pretty sure you know how this trip almost didn't push through. But just like what others said, it might be that the universe conspired and helped me experienced my first solo travel ever! Everything is just scary because I was alone in a foreign city, not mentioning that I'm not really well because I have mumps to take care of. I got long stares because my face is not proportional. Lol!
March 12, 2017 14 comments
The Solo Travel That Almost Didn't Push Through

Me: Malayo ba dito yung Sta. Monica church? Yung may malaking bell? (Is Sta. Monica church far from here? The one with the big bell?)

Tricycle driver: Malayo din ma'am, sa Panay na po yun. (It's far, it's already in Panay.)
-----
March 09, 2017 12 comments
Kayangan Lake, Coron Palawan Philippines

First off, I want to say Happy New Year!!! I hope you had a wonderful NYE and new year's day. Let's welcome 2017 with positivity. <3

To start off my blogging journey this year, I will continue our Coron adventure last November. I am trying to complete my back logs so please bear with me. :) 
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Our second day in Coron was so much fun and so much #beachgoals. Yes, it rained but it didn't stop us to have fun and be in the moment! As I was saying on my previous blog post, the storm was also in Coron the moment we landed there. And there's no other way but to pray for a better weather the next day. 

Waking up on our 1st island hopping day, I was already checking my phone from time to time to see if there's a notice from the tour agency regarding our island hopping.. if it will be pushed through or not. And it seems like God really loves me so much, our island hopping was pushed through! 

The weather was bipolar and it's raining from time to time but fortunately, every time we arrive in a tourist destination, it will stop for awhile so we can enjoy the view. This went on until the afternoon, though before our island hopping finishes, we can already see the sun peeking through clouds! And since it is raining, the water on some of the tourist spots are not clear enough to go snorkeling. But needless to say, it was still a pleasant day. 
January 07, 2017 10 comments
Mekong Delta

This is actually my second out of the country travel in my whole life, Hong Kong being the first one. Well, for most of us, usually HK is the first country we visit as this is the most accessible country for us Pinoys. Also, if you follow my blog or read my blog since 2012, you would know that the pictures I had for that travel was lost, and gone with the wind forever. :( For the mean time, let's talk about our Ho Chi Minh City travel last May 7. :)
October 14, 2016 19 comments
Sky Terraces 428

Our last day in Hong Kong was luckily, also my mother's birthday. So in the back of my head, yey.. birthday treat! haha! We don't have any scheduled activity for the day but we're thinking of going to Sky Terraces 428 as well as visit Madame Tussauds. We didn't book our tickets in the Klook app for this one because we're still not sure if we will visit these prior to the planning of this trip. Luckily, the caretaker of the inn we're staying at is selling discounted tickets of different Hong Kong tourist spots. I forgot how much we saved when we bought our tickets from her but what I can remember is it is still cheaper if we buy our tickets from the Klook app. 
August 28, 2016 13 comments
St. Paul Ruins, Macau

Our afternoon activities in Macau consists of going to Senado Square and to see the famous St. Paul Ruins up close. And as I've mentioned on my previous blog post about the Venetian, transportation around is Macau is just a breeze. City of Dreams Macau has got it all covered because they have shuttles that go to and fro different tourist destination around Macau. So right after Venetian, we went to City of Dreams to ride the shuttle and alight at Taipa. From there, we walked our way through Senado Square. It was hard to ask directions from the locals but it's really nice that they try their best to help us. One local even has a translator app in his phone so he can understand where we want to go. 
August 09, 2016 11 comments
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About me

About Me

Hello there! I am Maaya from the Philippines.

Welcome to my personal space where I document my life, mostly travels and just normal 20-ish stuff written down for documentation. I hope you find something interesting in this blog while reading it. Cheers! xx

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