Dubai's Hatta Water Dam Short Day Hike

​20 October 2017 Friday in Hatta, Dubai Emirate of United Arab Emirates

This is my 3rd short hike in United Arab Emirates during winter season following the Jebel Jais in Ral Al Khaimah (Feb. 2017) and Jebel Hafeet in Al Ain (Feb. 2017). Hatta is an exclave of Dubai, high in the Hajar Mountains. At the nearby Hatta Dam, the Hatta Reservoir Visitor Point overlooks the pools of striking green water.

How to Go to Hatta Water Dam;
From Dubai Sabha Bus Station, there is an every hour departure directly to Hatta Bus Station (Bus # E16) for 10 AED on a 2.5 hour journey. No registration needed and free admission to the dam. Dubai Bus Schedule can be checked on this link...

http://wojhati.rta.ae/dub/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en

QUICK DAY HIKE ITINERARY TO HATTA DAM OF DUBAI

0600H ETD Abu Dhabi Bus Terminal 25
0815H ETA Al Ghubaiba Terminal, Dubai; RTA Card load and snacks (50) + 6
0841H ETD Al Ghubaiba, C7 bus 5; Drop-off to Deira Gold Souq bus stn
0930H ETD Sabkha bus station 10
1215H ETA Hatta Bus stn
Start walking to Hatta Dam; sightseeing; Lunch 22
1330H ETA Hatta Dam
1430H ETD Hatta Dam; Trekked back to Hatta Bus Station
1530H ETD Hatta Bus Station 10
1800H ETA Sabkha Bus Station; metro from Banyas Square to Al Ghubaiba Terminal 3
1900H ETD Al Ghubaiba Terminal 25
2115H ETA Abu Dhabi Bus Terminal

Total: 100 AED

Dubai's Hatta Dam Short Day Hike

2 Days Solo Trip in Rainy Phuket Last Part: Windy Phi Phi Island Day Tour

sightseeing the Phuket, Thailand best tourist attraction

September 21 to 23, 2017

2 Days Solo Trip in Rainy Phuket 1st Part: Patong Beach and Bangla Street

PHI PHI ISLAND DAY TOUR ITINERARY (September 22, 2017 Friday)
0730H Hotel pick-up
0845H ETA Sea Angel Pier
0930H ETD Sea Angel Pier 
Sightseeing around Phi Phi Lay Island by big boat. Due to strong winds and huge waves, we had only a very quick look to western side of the island. 

1200H ETA Tonsai Pier, Phi Phi Don Island; buffet lunch; beachbumming
1430H ETD Phi Phi Don Island
1630H ETA Sea Angel Pier
1800H ETA Hotel

Phi Phi Islands are some of the loveliest in Southeast Asia. The two main islands are Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh. The larger and inhabited Phi Phi Don attracts hundreds of visitors to stay on its lovely shores while the smaller uninhabited Phi Phi Leh hosts stunningly beautiful bays and beaches, including the world-famous Maya Bay, which was the set where The Beach (with Leonardo Di Caprio) was filmed.
http://www.phiphi.phuket.com/

2 Days Solo Trip in Rainy Phuket Last Part: Windy Phi Phi Island Day Tour

2 Days Solo Trip in Rainy Phuket 1st Part: Patong Beach and Bangla Street

sightseeing the Phuket, Thailand best tourist attraction

September 21 to 23, 2017

"When people have compassion, friendship, and unity, they speak and think in a constructive way to ensure national independence and prosperity." - Bhumibol Adulyadej

My 54rd solo backpacking trip, 29th country to visit in Asian continent, total of 62 countries visited so far and of course, usual budget do-it-yourself itinerary from arrival to departure. This trip served also as my 3rd visit to Thailand following the transit to Myanmar (2014) and 1st international solo trip (2010).

timezone - UTC +0700H
capital - Bangkok         language - Thai             currency - Baht (THB) 1 USD = 33 THB
visa - Philippine passport holders are visa-on-arrival and visa free-of-charge for 30 days

Phuket Island, is Thailand's largest at 48km in length and 21km at its widest. It's in Southern Thailand, on the west-facing Andaman Sea coastline, suspended from the southern tip of Phang Nga Province by a pair of short but substantial road bridges. Phuket has a busy nightlife, second only to Pattaya among Thailand's beach resorts. Patong is by far the busiest, and seediest, of the lot, but in addition to go-go bars there are also plenty of other bars, discos and clubs.
https://wikitravel.org/en/Phuket_Island

2 Days Solo Trip in Rainy Phuket 1st Part: Patong Beach and Bangla Street

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar Family Budget Overnight Tour

September 9 to 10, 2017 Saturday - Sunday in Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

My 22nd family outing initiated and of course, usual budget do-it-yourself itinerary from arrival to departure. This trip served as my 5th tour-visit in Bataan province, following the Mt. Mariveles Traverse Day-Hike (May 2016).

FAMILY BUDGET DIY OVERNIGHT TRIP IN LAS CASAS FILIPINAS ITINERARY

(composed of 1 adult, 1 senior citizen and 2 children (11-yr old and 5yr old)

Preparation: Advance booking made (with 25% discount) 3 weeks before the arrival schedule, paid online PhP 605.

​September 09, 2017 Saturday
0700H ETD Home Grab Car 380
0745H ETA Genesis Bus Terminal Cubao;
0800H ETD Cubao; a/c bus - 3 senior/student, 1 adult 160(3)+200=680
1015H ETA Balanga Bus Terminal; crackers / drinks 95
1100H ETD Balanga Terminal (Bagac); direct jeep - 2 adult / 2 children 70(2)+80(2)=300
1200H ETA Las Casa Filipinas de Acuzar; lunch 1,000
Payment for one night 6,895 + 3000(deposit)
Overnight Stay Package Inclusion: Set Breakfast at Marivent Cafe, Walking Heritage Tour includes hearing the historical and cultural significance of the heritage houses, Complimentary Wifi, Free Hop-On Hop-Off Jeepney Ride Within Las Casas area, Welcome drinks and cold towel, Beach Area, Swimming pool
1300H Room check-in
1430H Walking Heritage Tour; Snacks 275
1630H Carabao Race
1800H Cultural Dance Show; Swimming; Dinner 880
Total: PhP 10,505

September 10, 2017 Sunday
0800H Breakfast (2 kids) 650
0930H Hotel Check-out (3,000) claim deposit
Tricycle to Bagac Terminal 150; Jeep to Balanga Terminal 35(2)+30(2)=130; Snacks 65
1100H ETD Balanga Bus Terminal 760
1330H ETA Cubao; Grab Taxi Home 380
Total: PhP 2,135

Grand Total Budget: PhP 605 + PhP 10,505 + PhP 2,135 = PhP 13,245

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar Family Budget Overnight Tour

​Budget and Safety Tips in Solo Traveling Russia

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

Moscow City Day-Tours Last Part; Side Trip to ​Sergiev Posad

​1. Russia is very, very safe to travel especially the entire Trans-Siberia journey. Locals are very friendly too. Even there is too much language barrier, i.e. English-translation and English-speaking is rare, locals will try to assist you by action language, calculator and mobile applications. Don't be intimidated if they are raising their voice if they can't understand you, it's just normal and nothing personal. I even asked also roaming policemen frequently on my subway adventure, they are all approachable.

2. Russia Tourist Visa application is easy in the Philippines rather than in UAE as Philippine passport holder due to number of embassy requirements.

3. Book only your accommodation, train and plain tickets if you already received your confirm visa.

4. On my arrival in Moscow Airport (DME), Lady Immigration Officer did not ask any questions to me. She just give me Immigration card and stamp my passport and within 5 minutes she returned my passport. On my airport departure, again no questions asked except by the roaming Immigration Officer while I'm queuing. The Immigration Officer asked how much cash did I brought, I just told around 1,000 USD with Debit Card. He asked again "Less than 10,000 USD?", "Yes Sir" I replied. I thought he will asked about my visa registration. On my entire journey inside Russia, no one asked about my visa registration to police station.

​Budget and Safety Tips in Solo Traveling Russia (matryoshka dolls in Izmailovo Market)

Moscow City Tour Last Part; Side Trip to ​Sergiev Posad

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

Moscow City Tour 5th Part; Wooden Palace & Other Tourist Spots

I made my side trip from Moscow to Sergiev Posad for the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is a unique, a monastery complex and the spiritual center of Russian Orthodox Christianity which is included to the UNESCO Heritage Site. Admission is free and open daily from 0900H to 2100H. You need to go to Komsomolskaya Metro Station the take Yaroslavsky Suburban Train to Sergiev Posad for 160 Rubles ($3) and takes around 1.5 hour. Photography is allowed inside.

The Golden Ring of Russia is an itinerary that runs along a series of cities of tourist interest, located on the northeast of Moscow. There is no official list of all the cities included in that route, with the exception of the 8 main cities: Sergiyev Posad, Rostov Veliky, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Vladimir and Suzdal.
https://www.reg.ru/domain/shop/lot/russiaau.com

Moscow City Tour Last Part; Side Trip to ​Sergiev Posad

Moscow City Tour 5th Part; Wooden Palace & Other Tourist Spots

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

Moscow City Tour 4th Part; Izmailovsky Kremlin and Cosmonautics Museum

I went to a quick visit to Wooden Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich because of its unique architecture. Opens daily from 1000H to 1800H, admission fee of 400 Rubles ($7), photography is allowed inside. Tour can be finished in less than an hour, nearest subway is Kashirskaya Metro Station. Followed by very quick glimpse to the Moscow's Triumphal Arch located near Park Pobedy Metro Station. Church of Christ the Savior is just walking distance from the Kremlin for about 400 meters. Arbat Street is where you can find cheap souvenirs especially the Fridge Magnet.

Wooden Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich with 270 rooms decorated with paintings and carvings was built in 1667 without using any fasten materials, nails or hooks. It consisted of 26 buildings connected with each other by passages and halls.  The whole complex was divided into male and female parts. The male part included ceremonial chambers, chambers of the Tsar and of his sons, while the female part belonged to the Tsarina and to the Tsar’s daughters.
http://www.russiaeguide.com/wooden-palace-of-tsar-alexei-mikhailovich.html

Moscow City Tour 5th Part; Wooden Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich

Moscow City Tour 4th Part; Izmailovsky Kremlin and Cosmonautics Museum

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

Moscow City Day-Tour 3rd Part; Inside the Kremlin

I did a brief visit to Izmailovsky Kremlin and Cosmonautics Museum. Cheap matryoshka dolls (russian nesting doll) in Izmailovsky Kremlin Market as low as 150 Rubles ($2.5). Photography is allowed inside. Opens daily from 0900H to 1800H, no entrance fee, nearest subway is ​Partizanskaya Metro Station (blue line 3). For Cosmonautics Museum, entrance fee is 480 Rubles ($8.5) including the photography/amateur video permit. Opens daily from 1000H to 1800H, nearest subway is VDNKh Metro Station (orange line 6).

Izmailovsky Kremlin is another Moscow Kremlin located out of the mainstream tourist path. Here one can find Tsar`s Palace; the Church of St. Nicholas, the highest wooden church in Russia (46 m/151 ft in height); museums, cafes, souvenir shops etc.
http://www.russiaeguide.com/izmailovsky-kremlin.html

Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics is a museum dedicated to space exploration. It is located within the base of the Monument to the Conquerors of Space in the north-east of the city. The museum contains a wide variety of Soviet and Russian space-related exhibits and models which explore the history of flight; astronomy; space exploration; space technology; and space in the arts. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Museum_of_Cosmonautics

Moscow City Tour 4th Part; Izmailovsky Kremlin

Moscow City Tour 3rd Part; Inside the Kremlin

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

Moscow City Tour 2nd Part; Celebration in the Red Square

What makes me fascinated about the Kremlin is that I always heard or see this place in a Spy Movie which treats the Russians as villain. Even though there is a challenge of language barrier, Russians was never a villain all through-out my journey. Kremlin is another signature tourist landmark of Russia. Opens daily from 1000H to 1700H, admission fee for Cathedral Square of 500 Rubles ($0.9) and The Armory of 700 Rubles ($12). Photography in The Armory is not allowed. Tour can be finished around 3 hours.

Moscow Kremlin, usually referred to as the Kremlin, is a fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River to the south, Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square to the east, and the Alexander Garden to the west. It is the best known of the kremlins (Russian citadels) and includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. Also within this complex is the Grand Kremlin Palace. The complex serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_Kremlin

Moscow City Tour 3rd Part; Inside the Kremlin

Moscow City Tour 2nd Part; Celebration in the Red Square

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

Moscow City Tour 1st Part; Best Metro Subway Stations

When I arrived in Moscow on my entire journey, there was a celebration held in the Red Square which is the Moscow's 870th anniversary (held at the back in-front of Teatralnaya Metro station in green line 2) and the Spasskaya Tower Military Festival (at the entire Red Square itself). As such, the crowd is too much and the security is tight everywhere with lots of police roaming around, I did not have a good shot of the St. Basil's Cathedral at far. St. Basil Cathedral is the signature landmark of Russia for its colorful onion-shape dome architecture. Open daily from 1100H to 1800H with admission fee is 500 Rubles ($9), photography and amateur videography is allowed. Tour can be finish in less than an hour.

Red Square is a city square (plaza) that separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod. Red Square is often considered the central square of Moscow since Moscow's major streets, which connect to Russia's major highways, originate from the square. The name Red Square neither originates from the pigment of the surrounding bricks nor from the link between the colour red and communism. Rather, the name came about because the Russian word krasnaya, which means both "red" and "beautiful," was applied to a small area between St. Basil's Cathedral, the Spassky Tower of the Kremlin, and the herald's platform called Lobnoe Mesto.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Square

Moscow City Tour 2nd Part; Celebration in the Red Square (St. Basil's Cathedral)

Moscow City Tour 1st Part; Best Metro Subway Stations

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

St. Petersburg Day Tour Last Part; Church of Savior on Blood & Kazan Cathedral

One of the best photography enthusiast places in Moscow is its subway station which looks like in a palace or in a 5-star hotel lobby. The best catch on that is you can visit those for only 35 Rubles ($0.6) on any lines. The Moscow Metro was one of the USSR’s most extravagant architectural projects with the intention of building palaces for the people. Built when Stalin was in power, the metro’s artists and architects went about designing stations that were to epitomize the Russian word ‘svet’, meaning radiance & brilliance and ‘svetloe budushchee’ – a radiant future. With their reflective marble walls, high ceilings and grandiose chandeliers, many of Moscow’s Metro stations are likened to famous European palaces.

Moscow City Tour 1st Part; Best Metro Subway Stations (Novoslobodskaya in brown line 5)

St. Petersburg Day Tour Last Part; Church of Savior & Kazan Cathedral

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

St. Petersburg Day Tour 3rd Part; Inside Hermitage Museum (Winter Palace)

Finally, walking along the Moyka River from Hermitage Museum to Church of Savior on Spilled Blood (St. Petersburg version of Moscow's St. Basil Church) to view its awesome colorful onion-shape dome architecture. Opens daily from 1000H to 1800H with admission fee of 1800H, photography and videography is allowed inside. Also, cheap souvenirs are available at the back of the church beside  the river. On the other hand, there was an on-going mass during my visit to Kazan Cathedral (free entrance).

SAINT PETERSBURG DAY-TOUR ITINERARY (September 02, 2017 Saturday)
​0539H ETA St. Petersburg Glavny; Rent Locker & Buy Metro Card 815
Bound to Gorgovskaya station (M2); Peter and Paul Fortress to Troitsky Bridge
Subway breakfast 383; walk to Palace Square then to River Pier
1000H ETD Hydrofoil to Peterhof 800
1045H ETA Peterhof Pier; Peterhof Lower Park Fountains 750; Peterhof Palace 700
1330H ETD Peterhof Pier 800
1415H ETA Hydrofoil; Snacks 160
St. Isaac's Cathedral Museum & Promenade 400
Hermitage Museum / Winter Palace 700
Church of Savior of Spilled Blood 250; Souvenirs 300; Diner meal 1,077
2304H ETD St. Petersburg
Total: 7,135 Rubles

St. Petersburg Day Tour Last Part; Church of Savior on Spilled Blood