The Backpack Adventures

Introduction It has been almost half a decade since we last visited Japan . This year, we are blessed to be given another chance to revisit this beautiful country and stay there for 22 days . Join me and my family as we recount the daily accounts of our trips and adventures to the Land of the Rising Sun . Day 0 May 16, 2018 Arrival Finally! Our long-awaited day has come. Our four years of planning and saving up finally bore fruit. It is probably safe to say that we missed the culture, food, and most of all our Japanese family.  Team Nicerio heads to Japan for the 2nd time Ready for boarding, 5J828 bound to KIX! Boarding time! Yey! We left Manila aboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J828 bound for Kansai International Airport (KIX) at around 2PM Philippine time. Since our flight was delayed for almost an hour we arrived in KIX at around 7:30PM Japan time. For those who do not know, Japan's time is one hour ahead of Philippine time. Afternoon sky over Japan We were pic

Located in the municipality of Gabaldon in Nueva Ecija, Stone 8 Resort is one of the most popular cold spring resorts in the municipality.  Stone 8 Resort Stone 8 Resort History Stone 8 Resort started out several years ago when its owner Nestor Geronimo decided to come back to his hometown and invest his time, money, and energy to help boost his town's tourism. Since then, the resort has been frequented not only by the people of Gabaldon but also even those that come from Metro Manila. Stone 8 Resort - Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija One of the many slides in the public area The slide in the private area I spy a dinosaur... Witness the final moments of these kids Regarding the name of the resort, Stone 8 Resort got its name from "Kapitan" Nestor who was once a barangay captain of Barangay 88 Zone 8 Caloocan City. As for the "stone" part of its name, it came from... well, the place is very "stony". Meaning, there are plenty of rocks i

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vigan City is one of the most visited places in Ilocos Sur. The city is known for its historical attractions which are visited by thousands of tourists every year.  Top 10 Things to Do in Vigan City If you're planning to visit Vigan City for the first time, here's something that might help you on your adventure:  Top 10 Things to Do in Vigan City 1. Buy souvenirs at  Calle Crisologo . 2. Head to  Pinagburnayan  and watch how a  burnay  is made. 3. Visit the  Jose Burgos Museum 4. Eat at  Hidden Garden 5. Check out the animals and the life-size dinosaur statues at  Baluarte . 6. Eat  empanada  at  Vigan Empanadahan 7. Walk around  Calle Crisologo  at night. 8. Visit during Christmas and watch the city light up at night. 9. Visit and attend a mass at  Vigan Catedral . 10. Walk at the cobblestone street of  Calle Crisologo  during the day. How about you? What are your top 10 things to do in Vigan City?

Although I highly promote backpacking and using public transportation when visiting other countries, I also encourage car or motorcycle rentals on some occasions.  First Timer's Guide to Philippine International Driving Permit Renting a vehicle abroad has its pros and cons alright but this article would focus mainly on how we Filipinos could get the  Philippine   International Driving Permit (PIDP)  so that we could make use of our driving skills abroad.  Got mine for my trip to Japan last 2018 Here are the things that you should know about the Philippine International Driving Permit : What are the requirements needed for the application? Philippine Driver's License (original and photocopy) Two pieces 2"x2" color ID picture white background Foreigners must show their passport and a copy of the approval letter they got from the Embassy (the approval letter presents the date of their last arrival) In case of non-appearance, a letter of authorization and any vali