On Hiatus!

Hi everyone! 

It's been a while since I last updated this blog (once again). I had this feeling of continuing my travel blog for my future travels that's why I will do my best to take time updating this. I have been away for a month-long school break and it was spent back home in the PH. I had no opportunity to travel around because my passport got renewed. Now I'm back to Cambodia to resume work at the school. It's great knowing that I've been here for three years now. Time flies indeed! I look forward for more travels this year and beyond. 

Keep safe guys!

August-September Update

Hello!

I arrived safely back to Cambodia. I had a great summer in the PH and TW. Now, back to reality. :-) It's been a while since I last updated this blog. I have been very busy at school for preparations before it has opened for the new school year. And now, teaching has kept me occupied again. During the last week of August, a female friend from the Philippines has visited Siem Reap for a few days. I accompanied her to the Angkor Temples and had a great time together. Some photos I have included. This September, nothing significant really happened. In October 3-6, there's a Cambodian National Holiday happening which is called Pchum Ben. It's more likely a feast of the dead for them. It means, a few days off for us. Yay! I initially planned to visit Bangkok for shopping but the weather seems not conducive for traveling these days. And oh, it's flooding in Siem Reap again. Though not all the town areas are affected. Our school and the vicinities have much more water since it is located in a lower area of the town.

Expenses: Taipei Backpacking-3days/2nights

Hello!

I'd like to share my expense list of my recent backpacking experience to Taipei, Taiwan last July 19th to 21st for travels originating in the Philippines.

Here it goes:

1. Air Asia Round-trip Ticket      PHP2,798.00                             USD65.00 
2. Taiwanese Visitor Visa           PHP2,100.00                             USD48.83
3. Philippine Travel Tax             PHP1,620.00                             USD37.67
4. Terminal Fee                        PHP450.00                                USD10.47
5. Bus Ticket                            PHP400.00/round-trip                USD9.30
6. Travel Talk Hostel                 PHP1,680.00/2 nights                USD39.00
7. Daily Expense in Taipei          PHP3,474 (1,737 per day)          USD80.00

                                  Total:       PHP12,522.00                           USD290.27

1 USD is equivalent to 43 Philippine Pesos 
Terminal fee for Clark International Airport
Bus Ticket from Trinoma Airport Lounge direct to Clark Airport
Daily expense includes meals, snacks, water and metro pass for two days.

I hope this will serve as a guide to those who plan to visit Taipei originating from the Philippines. :-) 

Remaining School Summer Days

Hello everyone!

I just arrived from various government offices to accompany my sister get her documents prior to her first employment. She'll be attached to a big travel company in the Philippines. Yeeeey, congrats Jewel (one and only sister)! She graduated with honors from the university just this April. This also means my remaining days in the Philippines are coming to an end soon. I am flying back to Siem Reap, Cambodia on the 30th to resume my teaching obligations. First day of school will be on August 1st for teachers' preparation. I am looking forward to meeting the new teachers who will join the teaching team. Students will be back 15th of August. I am very much excited!

The school year runs from August 1st to June 30th the following year. I have a travel bucket list for 2013 and 2014. It depends on assigned holidays within the school year. I'll keep you updated. 

If you have any suggestions as to what I need to write here or if you have any questions, you may email me at yapiecool at yahoo dot com

I look forward to hearing from you. 

Have a good day ahead everyone! 

Applying for a Taiwanese Visitor Visa in the Philippines

                                                                   Isn't it beautiful?

This is my first post regarding tourist visa applications and my first time of applying personally as well. I have booked a round-trip ticket for Taipei from Clark (Manila) via Air Asia last March and I already knew by then that I needed to prepare the requirements for a Taiwanese visitor visa. Here is the list of requirements found at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), the de-facto embassy of Taiwan in the Philippines. (updated May 07, 2013)

1. An online Visa Application Form (please access https://visawebapp.boca.gov.tw to fill up the Form and print them out)
2. Two (2) passport size photos 1.5”x2” with white background (taken w/in the last three (3) months)
3. Passport valid for at least six months and old passport showing previous travels
4. Birth Certificate issued by NSO
5. Marriage Contract (if applicable) issued by NSO
6. Certificate of Employment
7. Financial statements of the applicant (Bank Book or Bank Statements)
8. Traveling on BUSINESS, you must also submit:
A. Certificate of Business Name Registration and SEC Registration（If owner of the company）
B. Invitation Letter from Taiwan company / organization in Chinese letterhead that outlines clearly purpose of your visit and duration of your stay
C. Request letter from applicant’s company
D. Certificate of Employment
9. Other Supporting Documents if required.
10. All documents submitted to this office should be Original and with 1 photocopy
11. The applicant will be scheduled for an interview （if required）
 Visa Fee: P2,100.00 (Single entry)/ P4,200.00 (Multiple entry)
(NON-REFUNDABLE) payable upon filing of application
Processing Time : 3 Working days
Expedite Fee for single entry : P1,050.00 / Processing Time: 1 Working Day
Expedite Fee for Multiple entry : P2,100.00 / Processing Time: 1 Working Day
Filing Time : Monday to Friday 8:45AM to 11:45 AM
Releasing Time : Monday to Friday 1: 45PM to 4:45PM 

Since I am not traveling on business, I only have to submit the requirements listed from one (1) to seven (7). These are the exact requirements I submitted:

1. Visa Application Form (Filled out on-line, printed out and signed)
2. Passport
3. National Statistics Office (NSO) Birth Certificate
4. Two (2) Passport Size Photos (taken within the last three (3) months)
5. Bank Statements
6. Certificate of Employment
7. Flight Itinerary
8. Hotel Booking 
 (prepare photocopies of your documents)

Applying for the Visa

I arrived in the Philippines from Siem Reap, Cambodia (workplace) on June 30th, Sunday and on Monday, July 1st, I headed to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) office located at the 41st Floor, Tower 1, RCBC Plaza 6819 Ayala Avenue, Makati City to apply for my visa. I arrived at at the building around 8:30am. The office opens at 8:45am so I asked the reception as to where to go first. She told me to proceed to the smoking area since the priority numbers are given there by the office representative. After I received my priority number, I went back to the reception to get my visitor pass.  They asked me for a valid ID (in my case my PRC teaching license). I noticed that they only accept SSS ID, PRC ID, Driver's License among others. ID's such as Postal ID and Voters ID are not acceptable. Instead, you have to leave PHP1,000 with one of those secondary ID's before you are given the visitor pass. Application time is from 8:45am to 11:45am only.

I proceeded to the 41st floor of the building where the office is located. I noticed there were only few people there maybe because it was the first hour of the day. After sometime, people came in groups and were carrying a number of envelopes. Probably those were the agency officers who process different categories of visas for their clients. My priority number was displayed on the screen and I immediately stood up and approached the window indicated. I have given all the requirements (both original and photocopies) to the officer. He double-checked my application form, counted my passport pages, read my employment letter and birth certificate and that's it. He returned all the photocopies and took all the originals. He separated my birth certificate and employment letter, folder and attached to my passport. He asked if I wanted the process to be regular or expedited and I answered regular processing. So he asked me to go back sit and wait for my name to be called from the cashier window. When my name was called, I proceeded to the counter to pay PHP2,100 regular visa processing fee. It will take 3 working days. It only took within 30 minutes to complete the visa application submission. Since I applied on a Monday, they indicated in the receipt that the claiming of passport is on Thursday. Releasing of visa is from 1:45pm to 4:45pm only.

I went back on Thursday afternoon, followed the same procedure of getting a priority number and visitor pass, waited for my number to be called from the window, and claimed my passport. This is the time when you'll know if your visa is approved or not. I flipped my passport pages and I have seen my visa sticker. :-) The visa is valid for three (3) months from the time it was approved (validity means the period when you can enter Taiwan) and the allowable stay will be fourteen (14) days starting the next day of arrival. Also, they returned my original employment letter and birth certificate since those were still attached to the passport.

I hope I will be of help to those Philippine passport holders who intend to visit Taiwan. For other nationalities, it is better to visit the office website responsible for your country for more detailed and accurate information since I am not in any way, connected to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office).

Foodies in Taipei

Taipei, Taiwan City View