Lately, all you can hear from me is Wala na akong pera (I don’t have money anymore), Mura lang ba yan? (Is that cheap?) and almost all permutations of me having a financial difficulty.
This is because aside from the monthly bills that I get (credit card, house, water and electricity) the recent splurge on my birthday trip to Hong Kong and Macau had a toll on my non-existent savings.
So here is an accounting of what I spent during that almost 5 Days and 4 nights overseas trip.
Plane Fare – Thanks to CebPac’s cheap flights, I was able to get a relatively cheap air fare to an overseas destination. These tickets were impulsively bought last November:
Php 2,200 – Manila to Hong Kong
Php 4,300 – Macau to Manila
And since we’re living in the Philippines, of course, we need to pay for all of these taxes/fees:
Php 1,620 – Airport Tax
Php 750 – Terminal Fee (for International Flights)
I’ve alloted HKD 3,000 for my whole trip (HKD 1 = Php 6.24), so here’s what I spent there:
Octopus Card: HKD 150 (this is their MTR/Train card)
2 Nights @ Yui Fai Guest House in Kowloon, HK: HKD 350
HK Disneyland: HKD 350 (I suggest that you buy the tickets at the airport because it’s cheaper. They sell it for HKD 295 there!)
Other Spendings in Disneyland: HKD 295
The Peak Tram and Madamme Tussauds: HKD 180
Ngong Ping 360 (The Cable Car Experience): HKD 90
Other Ngong Ping 360 spendings: HKD 65
H&M Shopping: HKD 446
HK-Macau Ferry: HKD 140
1 Night @ Ole London Hotel in Macau: HKD 350
Pasalubong from HK and Macau: HKD 579
And so I spent it all out there and left nothing for myself. I know not to ask where did all my money go… I know! But no regrets. There are just some things that I missed tho: I didn’t had a cake on my birthday and I wasn’t able to go food tripping in Hong Kong! Still, I had a blast there, and if given a chance, I would really, really, really love to go back! But, I would lessen all the tourist attractions, as it costs more. And I’ll try to do what The Evil Martian of justwandering.org did (she’s one of my favorite travel bloggers, btw). Her latest travel to HK was really cheap! Maybe I’ll visit Ocean Park and and still go back to Disneyland. 🙂
One thing I realized, this isn’t a budget trip. Maybe not a “splurge” trip for others who have something to splurge, but it really is a “splurge” trip for me. Now I’m poor but happy to the nth level. 😛
Hehe, the first trip is always the most expensive. I’ve learned so much from my first few trips and now, I’m more conscious about how I spend my money while traveling.
Dati sobrang haba ng listahan ko ng pasalubong that I have to buy. Ngayon, magnet nalang XD
LikeLike
Posted by nina | March 5, 2009, 1:32 AM@nina: i was amazed nga at how much you spent in HK! 🙂 siguro, next time I go out, no pasalaubong na talaga! hahaha 🙂
thanks nina for the travel tips ^_^
LikeLike
Posted by joyceee13 | March 5, 2009, 9:12 AMthe stories and experiences are priceless. kaya mo naman ulit kitain nya. pero hindi mo kayang kumita ng stories. hahahaha. isama mo ko next time 😉
LikeLike
Posted by Che Caparas | March 5, 2009, 9:57 AM@che: sasabihan nga sana kita na sasama na ako sa mga lakad mo! 🙂 grabe, bigla akong na-inspire na mag-travel galore!
LikeLike
Posted by joyceee13 | March 5, 2009, 10:13 AMjpo, what’s money compared to the great wall of china? hahaha ang importante masaya ka 🙂
let’s c’mown, i’ll buy u cake la pa ko birthday gift sau! tara! 🙂
LikeLike
Posted by jill-o | March 5, 2009, 1:56 PM@jill-o: yey, i’ll expect na the cake ha? ^_^
i know, ang importante masaya. Tulad mo, ang saya saya! hahaha
LikeLike
Posted by joyceee13 | March 5, 2009, 2:17 PMdearie, it’s okay. alam mo ang maganda nga nyan, naenjoy mo ang birthday mo kesa andito ka nga, wala nang pera malungkot pa. hindi pa kita natitreat TP, pag nagkita tayo libre kita (kahit kape lang. yihee!)
LikeLike
Posted by ferns | March 5, 2009, 7:07 PMOla! Jpo
I envy you. haha
Ayos lng maubusan ng pera masaya naman. 🙂
LikeLike
Posted by ivyhoneylou | March 5, 2009, 7:41 PMang saya pala ng mag-post ng ganito, maraming post-birthday gifts! hehehe
LikeLike
Posted by joyceee13 | March 5, 2009, 8:18 PMI wasn’t able to go food tripping in Hong Kong!
THEN WE SHOULD GO BACK TO HONGKONG! Lami ilang food swear. ^^
LikeLike
Posted by KZ | March 6, 2009, 7:50 AM@kizay: we shall, we shall! later this year? ahaha or early next? I liked it there eh… except for the people who has “No English” hahaha
LikeLike
Posted by joyceee13 | March 6, 2009, 8:12 AM