The Best Thai Massage at NUAT THAI Pioneer and the worst massage ever at NUAT THAI California Garden Square Branch!

Disclaimer : I don't like the idea of discrediting one establishment so as to perk up another. I am not into that. What I do though is that I try to talk about my experiences. And if a place or service sucks, sorry but I have to say it. This is one classic example of that.

Having a two-hour massage is usual, but having it in two separate massage shops is another thing. That I tried last week. As usual, I was suffering from severe back pains so I had a massage for temporary relief. I was around the area of California Garden Square in Mandaluyong and saw a Nuat Thai branch there so I gave it a go. I am familiar with Nuat Thai having tried and reviewed three branches --Eastwood, Banawe and Pioneer-- so I thought the brand offers the same quality of service. I was wrong, sooooo wrong.

The Best Thai Massage at NUAT THAI PIONEER

Availed of Thai massage. I was there prior to opening and waited patiently. The masseur came and I was the first customer. His name is JR, a high-schoolish looking guy in his early 20s. He is short so he looks a little bulky rather than lean. I thought i was lucky because I was the first customer. That means no reason for the masseur to be complaining tired after servicing many customers. I was lead to the massage. Changed and waited. He made me wait for 10 minutes without notice. When he came back, he said he had a quick lunch because he might faint if he doesn't as I wanted to have 2-hour Thai massage. He said it in a confident voice as if close kami. I didn't mind.

And then he started with the Thai massage. I was ok with the pressure level but I noticed after a few pinches that this is not the standard Thai massage. I can tell after having tried it several times. He has no system, he was just pressing randomly as if not counting.

A few minutes after my legs. He started with my back. And he used his elbow. So it was all elbowing for a few minutes. And then he asked if I want him to step on me. I said go. He did.

TedX Xavier School 2014: #defineX

I have already watched a couple of TED videos prior to even knowing that local organizers have already brought it to the Philippines. That was two years ago when I was made aware of as one friend who is an x-blogger was one of the speakers. I was dying to watch live at that time but I didn't get any slot or invites. Then came the unexpected surprise this year when a fellow travel blogger who I haven't met in person sent a message inviting me as his personal guest at TedX Xavier School where he was one of the speakers. Cool!

What is TEDx?

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.

Megan Young at TedX Xavier School 2015

The event is called TEDxXavierSchool, where x = independently organized TED event. Xavier School is actually the 1st high school in the Philippines to organize a TedX event.They have been doing so since 2012 so this year marks its 4th year and I was really surprised at how active student organizers were. This is indeed a student-lead event.

2015 | Define x
2014 | Inspiring Happiness.
2013 | Fully alive!
2012 | Innovation built on tradition

Anawangin-Nagsasa-Capones: 2D/1N Itinerary

Due to the onset of summer and due to popular demand, I am again publishing an article on Anawangin/Nagsasa/Capones this time with a detailed itinerary that one can easily do on a weekend trip. 2 days, 1 night is all you need and you can be in for a memorable summer.

First, feel free to read my previous post 

5 Tips on Planning A Weekend Camp in Anawangin Cove.

To make it shorter and more simple, there are three (3) important things that you need to remember.

Travel Time: 3 hours to San Antonio Zambales from MNL

Budget Estimate: 1,500-2,000 pesos for a group  of 5.

Contact Person (boatman): Mang Johny --  (0920.222.4687).

This is for a Do-it-yourself trip so feel free to make little revisions in your itinerary. 

Enjoy!

Anawangin Cove Zambales

GREAT WALL OF CHINA: All for Ourselves and for Free!!! Zhuangdaokou-Huanghuacheng Hike

"Just get your butt in Beijing and avail of cheapest, easiest package tour to the Great Wall" was the original plan. Never in my wildest dream that I will see this wonder in a different way that in those guided tours where you have to bare with the crowd. But we got more that we asked for, we went into a section of the wall which is not yet open to tourists. Yes, we had a part of the Great Wall all for ourselves and for free!

How did we do it?
We wentt to a section in
Zhuangdaokou and hiked to the nearby village of #Huanghuacheng

The GREAT WALL OF CHINA All for Ourselves and for Free

BEIJING OLYMPIC GREEN: #Bird'sNest #WaterCube

Beijing's hosting of the summer Olympics of 2008 was an affirmation of two things, China being a sports dynamo and at the same time an economic powerhouse.

6 years later, the Olympic Village is still in tact and well kept. They call it Olympic Green and it is a favorite open park for locals. Visiting Beijing without seeing the Bird's Nest and the Cube ( Aquatics Center) feels like the trip is not complete.

Beijing Olympic Stadium #Bird's Nest

SILK MARKET BEIJING: counterfeit designer brand apparel at its best

China is the factory of the world. We all know that. They manufacture everything from smartphones to ballpens. And they are good at counterfeiting too. I heard they even have a counterfiet version of Toyota cars there? How true?

If you want to get a sample at how good they are in China at copying goods, heed to the famous Silk Market.

Silk Street also known as Silk Market or Silk Street Market, is a shopping center in Chaoyang District Bejing notorious among international tourists for their wide selection of counterfeit designer brand apparel.

inside SILK MARKET BEIJING

If Taiwan is to Milk Tea, Beijing is to Yogurt #BeijingYogurt 北京酸奶

Let's give it to Taiwan when it comes to milk tea dominance.That industry is not just huge in Taiwan it extends beyond even as far as China. When I google "best milk tea in China" while in Shanghai, the search generated "COCO" as the favorite.
Read: COCO FRESH TEA AND JUICE: the Best Milk Tea in Shanghai and beyond.

Not in Beijing though. In the streets of the capital, there is one refreshment that is undoubtedly unrivaled -- Nai Lao or popularly known as Beijing Yogurt.

 #BeijingYugort 北京酸奶 

HAPPY DRAGON HOSTEL Beijing : Budget Accommodation in a Hutong District

If you want to experience how it is like in Beijing on an ordinary day, the trick is to stay in a hostel in a hutong district. HAPPY DRAGON HOSTEL in Beijing is a classic example.

Hutongs are a type of narrow streets or alleys commonly associated with northern Chinese cities, most prominently Beijing. In Beijing, hutongs are alleys formed by lines of siheyuan , traditional courtyard residences. Many neighborhoods were formed by joining one siheyuan to another to form a hutong, and then joining one hutong to another. The word hutong is also used to refer to such neighborhoods.

Since the mid-20th century, the number of Beijing hutongs has dropped dramatically as they are demolished to make way for new roads and buildings. More recently, some hutongs have been designated as protected areas in an attempt to preserve this aspect of Chinese cultural history. source

HOW WE GOT HERE

From Beijing South Railway Station
We took subway line 4 for seven stops to Pinganli station and then transferred to Line 6 get off at Dongsi station Exit E (tickets are 2rmb).

Happy Dragon Hostel Map >>>here
Beijing Subway Map >>>here
Photo Direction to the Hostel >>>here

HAPPY DRAGON HOSTEL Beijing 

NANJING to BEIJING via Sleeper Train #CRH

Another long overdue post but here it is finally ---the start of my Beijing Series, which is the third an final leg of our China 2014 9-day trip which took us to Shanghai, Nanjing and finally Beijing.

Before I continue, please read all my blog posts here on
Shanghai >>>http://www.pusangkalye.net/search/label/Shanghai
Nanjing >>http://www.pusangkalye.net/search/label/Nanjing%20China

China's vast railway network

Pusangkalye in 2014: Travels

It has been a tradition for me to come up with a travel summary each year since

2011: http://www.pusangkalye.net/2012/01/travel-memorable-year-2011-for.html

2012: http://www.pusangkalye.net/2013/01/pusangkalye-in-2012-travel.html

2013:http://www.pusangkalye.net/2014/01/pusangkalye-in-2013-travels.html

2014 though saw a moderation of my travels due to personal and domestic troubles which had an impact on my time and finances thereby limiting my ability to go mobile---with on two domestic destinations and two international. Thinking about it though, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Shanghai, Nanjing, Beijing, Bohol and twice in Puerto Princesa, it was not a bad year for my personal travel after all. I still had a lot to be thankful for in 2014.

JAKARTA and YOGYAKARTA

January

We started the year right. International ang unang byahe. And it was Indonesia's turn this time, one of the few countries in Southeast Asia we haven't visited. Actually, we were not so excited about Jakarta but the idea of flying to Yogyakarta from there tickled m,y imagine. To see one of the greatest temples in the region (Borobudur) has always been in my wish list.

We flew from Manila to Jakarte first, then immediately to Yogyakarta then back to Jakarta for a night.