Happy Tripper

Flip Video

Posted by Carambs

I gave my hubby a Flip Video (Ultra Series) for Christmas. I found it on Amazon.com during Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. This is the day when almost all retailers in the US go on sale. It was featured in the Electronics category, and I got interested because of the good reviews. I love the gift because he loved it, but also because I can use it. Haha!

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Recreational Outdoor Exchange

Posted by Carambs

My hubby and I went to Serendra/Bonifacio High Street last week and we were surprised to see so many new stores! And for me, the most exciting discovery is the Recreational Outdoor Exchange, which is a store that sells items for outdoor activities and adventure travel. AWESOME! To the adventure and outdoor trippers out there, this is the store for you!

The store is HUGE, with 2 floors full of items. They sell camping gear, beach gear, some cycling gear… They carry many brands, such as The North Face, Sanuk, and my favorite - LIFE IS GOOD!

I was introduced to the Life is Good brand because a good friend uses the line as his mantra. I googled it one day and came across the website, and found out that they have cute designs for shirts, bags, and the like. Thanks to online shopping, I was able to get hold of these items. I already have more than a dozen shirts, 3 different kinds of bags, shorts and lounge pants! They’re really comfortable, and I love the designs. It’s a bit pricey, I must admit, but I’m really after the brand, so that’s okay.

So there - Recreational Outdoor Exchange is highly recommended to adventurous happy trippers! Check them out at Building 1, Bonifacio High Street, Fort Bonifacio. You may call them at 8564638 and 8564639.

Betula Energy Flipflops

Posted by Carambs

I love flipflops! Most of them are comfortable and easy to bring during trips. For me, Reef is one of the best brands, because of the comfort. I just with they can come up with nicer designs and shapes. Anyway, I usually buy my flipflops from Shoe Salon. Yesterday, Jovan and I dropped by the Eastwood branch as we always do. And I came across a new brand (well, at least to me). It’s Betula, which is a Birkenstock brand. The design of the Betula Energy is simple, and it’s amazingly light! Perfect to bring on trips! It felt so good on my feet, I just had to get a black pair. A pair costs P760.

Here’s the Betula Energy:

(Image from http://www.betula.com.au)

Asus Eee PC

Posted by Carambs

The first time I heard about the Asus Eee PC, I thought that it was an amazing idea, and I couldn’t wait for it to come out. Imagine, a basic laptop for $200 (Php9,000)! What an awesome idea! Well, the Asus Eee PC is now out, and even if it ended up being $400 (P18,000), it’s still an awesome little thing! I know I don’t need it, but I just had to have one. And lucky me, hubby gave it to me as a Christmas gift. A little early yes, but he was worried that I was going to go buy myself one so he made sure he gave it to me right away.

This device is so amazing, you won’t know what to focus on the first time you hold one. It’s so small! Oh and how light! And it’s cute! It’s just 7 inches in length. You read that right. 7 inches. And it’s only 2 pounds. You read that right again. 2 pounds! You don’t need a laptop bag for it - you can just place it in your handbag! Plus, the Asus Eee PC uses Linux, and therefore, it is FAST! You hardly wait while booting up. There’s Wifi, a built-in webcam, microphone and speakers, so you can communicate with your friends as long as there’s Wifi connection in the area.

Why am I writing about this in my travel blog, you ask. Because it’s the perfect travel companion! You can go online and check out your favorite websites, and you can stay connected with friends.

Don’t expect this to replace your PC or your laptop. I think it’s intended to be a second laptop/PC which you can bring around anywhere you go. It’s the perfect travel companion!

I am absolutely loving this gadget!

(Photo from the Asus Eee PC website.)

Photography and Travel

Posted by Carambs

These 2 go well together. Beautiful places and interesting cultures are definitely good photography subjects. It is awesome to be able to capture and document your new experiences in other places. However, I just recently learned that it’s not as easy as I thought.

I started to take photos of the places I traveled to 3 years ago. I used my trustworthy Sony DSC-P92 camera back then. And I was able to take some good pictures then! Though it was just a point and shoot, the colors came out well. It was pretty easy because the camera was relatively small and light. Early this year I bought my Canon EOS 400D, so I started to bring it with me during trips. I could handle it, but I already felt the difference - the camera was heavier. And then I went to Europe.

Naturally, I brought my Canon SLR. Europe! Photos! Man, it was tough. In Barcelona and Paris, lugging around the camera was such as hassle because of so many reasons! It was heavy, and it was around my neck all the time. Imagine having the camera around my neck, my bag hanging from my shoulder, and the shopping bags hanging from my arms. There was a time when I thought I lost the lens cap - thank God I found it in my bag. Aside from the camera, I had to make sure my bag was secure, since many friends warned me about pickpockets and snatchers - so many things to think about!

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Travel Journal

Posted by Carambs

At the start of the year I decided to get a travel journal. Fully Booked offered several notebooks and I ended up choosing the Lonely Planet Travel Journal. I liked the color of the sheets, and the bonus sections such as the time conversion, world maps, and trivia on popular destinations.

It’s really very helpful. In most trips, I do not have time to go online. So when the time comes for me to blog about it, I forget some details. The travel journal helps me remember the places, prices, small details, and even the duration of the trips. At first I tried to write my thoughts in paragraph form, but it was hard to maintain. Then I tried to just include bullet points - this is so much better. It’s still quick to write entries, but I don’t get tired writing. This is important because I usually only have the end of the day to write about what happened during the day.

Packing Cubes

Posted by Carambs

I’m done packing! Thank God for my packing cubes! I recently purchased a set of medium packing cubes from Amazon, and these babies are worth it!

I first owned a packing cube 2 years ago, when I was given a travel set. There was only 1, which I didn’t use right away. The most useful item in the set was the toiletry bag, which I can say has already visited quite a number of destinations. Just a few months ago, I decided to try out the lone packing cube, and lo and behold - it was so useful! My travel bag was more organized, and more things could fit! This prompted me to search online and eventually purchase the eBags Packing Cubes for $24.99. In my opinion, this is a must-have for travellers.