I started packing for my Taiwan Trip with all my toiletries, first aid kit, shoes, and clothes my suitcase was pretty much packed and ready, except for some of the last minute additionals. It was really, really hot when I was packing the suitcase. Sweaty and hot, I survived the heat and was able to write this blog entry. 

Here is the list of things I put in my luggage.

shampoo

conditioner

feminine wash

sunscreen

lotion

perfum/cologne

body wash

toner

cotton balls

cotton buds

facial routine kit

band aids

burn cream

antibiotic ointment
Tylenol 

Eye moisturizer 

Tennis shoes

leather shoes

dresses

underwears

leggings

shorts

socks

sleepwear

That's quite a list, but I always try to be prepared and ready for any trip. It is better to be ready than sorry. I know this is not a comprehensive list, but you can modify, add, or remove somethings that you might need or not need. It is all depends on your comfort, tolerance, and what you need. 

Join me as I travel the world. Tara!

Love,

When I had an 11-hour layover during my trip from US to Philippines, I was able to step on the ground of Taiwan, but I did not attempt to get out of the airport despite the long hours of staying there. I just thought to myself that I would return there as a tourist, not as a passerby. And I did. 

Travelling the world is also one of my many dreams in life. I guess dreams keep us going too in life, like hope. This is my first time doing solo travelling. I am bit nervous, which is normal I think. I tried to prepare rightfully for this trip. 

The Trip.com app has been my go to online software for my travel ever since I booked that ticket with my friends for Cebu trip which is seven years ago.

Everytime I travel my goal is to find the cheapest but safest flight, hotel, and tour. I am always travelling on a budget. 

This time for the booking I used US dollar currency, since it felt more affordable and not painful on my pocket when I look at it. Well, yes, it is more of a psychological thing and hopefully, it is helping rather that damaging me.

Flights. For the plane tickets, I spent $110.50. It is a round trip ticket already for 4 days and 3 nights trip or more like 3 days and 3 nights because of the flight schedule.

Hotel. For the accommodation, I tried booking in a hostel. I booked for 2 nights, since I would be spending the 1st night at the airport. I spent $24.10 for the hostel. I made sure that hostel is a walking distance to the training station.

Tour. I decided to avail a package tour since I would be travelling in a unfamiliar land. I thought it would be safer and cheaper because the tour includes the transportation. As it was advertised, the tour is composed of 7 tourist attractions to visit. It is a one-day tour. I paid $49.75 for the packaged tour.

In total for the plane tickets, accommodation, and guided tour, I spent $184.35 which roughly converted to 10,139.25 Philippine peso.

I am excited and nervous at the same time for this trip, but I am definitely looking forward to it. 

Join me as I travel the world. Tara!

Love,

Whenever I hear Tyler, TX the first thing that comes into mind is Rose Garden. A friend’s post on Facebook left this impression on me, since it is always fun to visit places with flowers I got interested in that part of Texas. So when I got the chance to go to an area near Tyler with my boyfriend, I didn’t want to miss the chance to be able to visit the flower garden. 

It was always a long drive getting to Tyler and aware that driving was not easy, I always tried my best to be of use to the driver. I tried my best to be the navigator which I did okay and food commander which I did good feeding him while he drove us safely to our destination, and he always did a good job behind the wheels. 

I got to be in Tyler more than once and visited a few places, thanks to my generous and kind tour guide. Here’s the list of places we got to drop by from all our visits to Tyler:

Broadway Square Mall. It is an old mall in Tyler. You could see pictures of the old mall on the wall of the hallway going to the restroom which felt nostalgic. 

Boba Loompia. So good! Filipino food in Tyler, represent! It was so good and nostalgic. 

Rose Garden. I was so in love with all the flowers. They were gorgeous  and some of them were in full bloom.

Painted Tree. It was a boutique where you might find some of the curios things you would ever see. 

Crumble Cookie. Yum! Yum! Yum! I got no other words but delicioso! Bon appetit!

UT Tyler. His graduate university and my heart was full when he took me there. I love him for sharing that part of him to me.  

Bass Pro Shop. It is an outfitter store. It is still amazed me by their wide selection of outdoor clothes, equipments, vehicles, and a lot more. They got everything you need for a wild adventure.

We also got to try some restaurants and this list is not comprehensive since I forgot some of the places we ate at. I am going to update this list as I remember those places. Hopefully, fingercross.

Rotolo's Pizzeria. The Angry Pig was so good. Non-traditional pizza with spicy BBQ sauce, Italian sausage, bacon, jalapeños, and cheddar cheese.

Another Broken Egg. We had our Valentine's date here. The food was good and serving was big. I was so full and so happy to spend the day with him. 

The homemade food was the best part. I got to experience real and authentic American food. So good!

I miss Tyler, I miss Flint. I miss him so much. 

Willkomen is a german word for welcome and it fascinates to learn the word when we visited Fredericksburg. So once again, willkomen guys!

It was a birthday trip for me. It was one of unmarked item in our checklist, and finally my boyfriend and I got to cross it out of our list. He asked me what I want for my birthday, at first, I playfully said "him" but it was going to Fredericksburg that got stuck on my mind. So we ended gracing the city with our presence. 

The way to our destination was long and awesome, since it was never boring. We got to see a lot of interesting places on the way: winery, orchards, burger stores, donut shops, Texan BBQ restaurants, fancy houses, ranches, and the green scenery of the country side. It was an amazing ride. Dripping Springs are Johnson City were the town and city we got to passed through to reach Fredericksburg, and yes, just like what I told you those placing are also interesting, worthy places to visit and explore.

We had to take an hour and half travel time to get to the city. It was a long, long ride. But it was definitely worth it. 

Information Visitor Center. From this place, we got a map of the whole downtown. The guy in the office gave us significant information on how to make the most out of our one-day trip. He gave us a map with some notes that might come in handy throughout our exploration. For my journal, I decided to get a copy of my own map and trail passport, cute. 

Old German Bakery & Restaurant. We didn't have breakfast, so our next  stop was this famous bakery and restaurant. When we got to the place, I could not believe that there was actually a line of people waiting to be called because all of the seats were occupied. Oh boy, my boyfriend was right, it is actually pretty famous. I discovered the reason once I got to taste one of their breakfast meal and baked goodies. Oooh...! They were really good. We ordered Holstein Schnitzel with toast and  scrambled eggs on the side, and hot coffee and tea as our drinks.

Fredericksburg Winery. From the name itself, it had everything related to wine. We didn't get a free taste, but the old man in the store was generous enough to have conversation with my boyfriend about wine and other stuff, and I just listened, hehe, I am a good listener. There was an old lady in the store, but I guess she was busy with the other customers that was why she didn't say anything to us, however she was kind and friendly to greet us on the sidewalk when my boyfriend and I was crossing the pedestrian lane. 

Hill Country Amish. This place got an amazing selection of furnitures and they were made of authentic wood, leather, and metal. They also had organic food like jam, jelly, marmalade, seasonings, snacks, and more. The guy at the store gave us a trivia about yeast, like once you made that kind of yeast you have to take care of it because it is a living microorganism. I thought he was joking about it, but turned out he was dead serious about it, and we really appreciate the new information we learned from him. 

Pioneer Museum. If you want to explore all the parts of the museum, there was an entrance fee of 12 per adult. We were pretty satistified in the museum shop and reception area that we decided not to exlpore that whole area. They got an interesting collection of old photos and quilted products, all from the time of German settlement in the city. 

Pioneer Memorial Library. We like going to the libraries, so we didn't miss this chance to check out the library at the downtown. They also had a store of used books. I got a copy of a book Murakami just by donating a dollar. That's such a steal! I am glad to finally try a book of his. But unfortunately, I forgot the map with all the notes on the table of the room with all the books for sale. My bad. We tried getting it back but it was already closed when we remember about the map.

St. Mary’s Catholic Church. After checking if we could get the maps with notes, which was a failed attempt, we came across a magnificent structure, it was an old church. My boyfriend was fascinated and we were able to see outside only although we tried or I tried opening the doors, unfortunately they were all closed. According to my research, it was one of the oldest churches in Fredericksburg. 

Marktplatz von Fredericksburg. This was a park where we sat down and ate the baked goodies I got from the Old German Bakery & Restaurant. The German Sausage Jalapeno bread had this German sausage and it was thick and hard but in a good way, and we really liked it. The Blueberry Cheese Danish was not too sweet which was a good thing and the blueberry jam and cheesee went perfectly tasty.  There was also an Art Sale at the park and I assumed they were all independent artist. 

Rustlin' Rob's Texas Gourmet Food. Oooh...! This food shop was just amazing. They were so generous with the free tasting of their products. They had jam, jelly, marmalade, butte, pickled fruits and veggies, meat, sauces, and seasonings. The experience was the best. We were already full that we didn’t have to eat lunch. Good marketing strategy Rustlin' Rob!

National Museum of the Pacific War. This building got my attention because it had words like Philippine Sea, Luzon, and Mindanao on its walls. It was not a surprise since my home country became part of the Pacific War, which was a sad part of our history. For us to fully explore all the parts of the museum, a 20 fee was required. We needed to decide whether if it was worth to pay that amount given that we only had thirty (30) minutes left. We got there late and we decided to forego the idea and maybe try it another time. According to the staff, it would require at least two (2) hours to enjoy and explore the place. The shop an reception area were the only part we got to explore and it was still fun. We discovered books at the shop about accounts of how the Philippines became part of the Pacific War. It was mind blowing that there were writers who dedicated their time to tell stories about the Philippines, and I am glad. There was also a coin machine at the museum and I didn’t want to miss this chance to get a engraved coin souvenir. It was always fun to get to try one of those in every place that I visit.

It was a fun and purposeful experience. Thank you for planning this for my birthday! There are still a lot to explore, a second trip to Fredericksburg may not be a bad idea.