The next time i'll travel abroad...(or just in Hong Kong)

The next time i'll travel abroad, the dos and the don'ts that i should mind before i'll leave the Philippines, when im not there for a period of time and when im back in the country.

Before:

- The moment you discovered you'll be going out of the country, don't tell everyone that you'll be travelling. if you want to open up to a friend, just tell it to an online friend or someone who is not a pasalubong whore. That way, you don't have to buy souvenirs to friends who would just throw it away. btw, a pasalubong is basically a small gift that someone gives to his family and friends when he come from abroad or somewhere, e.g my sister's Lacoste tshirt that me and dad brought in Hong Kong and my Ed Hardy Love and Luck perfume from my sister who brought it in Osaka, Japan.

Gosh, buying those pasalubongs for (not so close)friends when im abroad is the most tedious and time consuming of all the things i have to do when im on vacation, even small trips somewhere in the Philippines. If for family and close friends, then the hardships are all worth it and it's easier since you know their preferences and all.
- make a detailed itinenary of the whole trip
- make a checklist of random things in a notebook and see if you can see or experience them in the place you're going.

- Activate your "roaming mode" a day or two before you leave the country. That way, you'll avoid the hassle of limited communication back home.

- Don't wear headwear in Hong Kong International Airport.

- Learn about the weather of the place you'll be heading to. If you got to know it was rainy there, bring an umbrella and jacket. If sunny, light clothes will do. Surf the internet a few days before leaving to know about the upcoming weather on the next 10 days.
- Bring only necessary things. As much as possible, just travel lightly. Hope that you'll end up in a hotel that got shampoo, conditioner, bath gel, hair dryer, towels, good bed, cable tv, jacuzzi, free Heineken beer, complimentary BVLGARI toiletries, a personal masseuse and a lot of amenities so the only things you'll be bringing are clothes, travel documents and a few chosen things like a book, ipod, psp, cellphone, adaptor and Harry Potter.

Things to bring:

- passport

-important travel documents
-Harry Potter

- lots of money. tip: exchange your money in where the exchange rates are lower. It was Holy Week back then and there are a lot of Filipinos vacationing there so a Hong Kong dollar costs PHP7.00 while when i exchanged my money in the Philippines before embarking to Hong Kong, a HKD costs PHP 6.30

Last year, i went there on may so there are a fewer Filipinos than it was on an april. In the Philippines a HKD costs PHP5.60 while in Hong Kong, it costs only PHP5.00

- medicine. bonamin chewables for me since the first time i rode an airplane, i felt super dizzy when i got off and that dizziness lasted for three days so it sucks. Then before i left the Philippines, i took a tablet and after i got out of the plane i felt better than last time.

- bring only one book(a travel book about the place is the best)
- a pen and notebook
- your itinenary

- bring only three gadgets like ipod, cellphone and psp. The only gadget that you can add in the three is a digicam.

- small toilettries like shampoo, soap, bath gel, black nail polish, conditioner and spa salts- all contained in a tight plastic bag.

- chargers of cellphone, ipod and psp( to be put in the luggage along with clothes and toilettries)

reminder: the only things that should be handcarried are your passport, important documents, Harry Potter, money, pen, notebook, gadgets and itinerary. Bring a slightly huge shoulder bag(like the vans bag) and a big luggage.

In the airplane: (both ways)

- put your ipod and psp in your pockets and stow the cellphone away in your hand carried bag.

- take a picture of yourself and your mates before take off.

- nick out the inflight magazines as well as spoons, forks, tissues and such.

While being there:

- visit the recommended "sights"...

-Take a picture of a lot of things. like:

• The streets (like Canton road, Haiphong road, Nathan road, Ashley street, Hankow road in Tsimshatsui) capture the normal scenery of the place
  
• the recommended pictures. like the Hong Kong skyline at night time (gosh, i wish i brought my camera to take a picture of that!!!! grr...) and the Symphony of lights
  
• your relatives, if you got the chance to meet them
• the cemetery(especially the thingymagegers)
• Candid photos of yourself, random people, plants, trees, animals and superheros.
  

- Try a lot of foods. Best place to visit for a quick taster is a supermarket or 7-eleven, you might want to try:

• ice creams
• affordable fruits (like strawberry, apples and such... whatever's cheap there)
  
• chips
  
• cookies, sweets, breads and cakes
  
• what's common to eat there. Like in Hong Kong, it's a wonderful experience to try Cantonese seafood, Peking duck, dum sum and noodles.

- Play I-Spy (with the list of random things previously mentioned)
good things to spy:

• A Nokia N series phone
  
• a guy reading a history book on the subway
  
• Hersheys Chocolate
  
• Bill Kaulitz (only applies in: himself or his wax statue= Germany or any other countries he could be in, lookalikes= Russia- in the person of Mike Muller- or commonly Japan- where his style started-. In fact anywhere else in the world except for Nepal, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Dominican Republic)
• A Nimbus 2000 broomstick
  
• Wasabi flavored ice cream (only applies in Japan)
  
• A Gangsta ghetto
• An old library

- Make a video of yourself lipsynching a song... (Example: Schrei by Tokio Hotel, a Lady Gaga song, Virtues of harmony II theme song, Alapaap by Eraserheads, etc... ) things you'll need: phone, camera man and psp.

- try to surf the internet as much as possible

- visit a museum or gallery. History or Science museum

- Also, make some candid videos of random stuffs like you walking around the streets dressed up as Bill Kaulitz, kuya RC making news report, some British dudes on the MTR, Aunty Shirley dancing Pokerface, Filipinos roaming around Central, your uncle drinking heineken again, etc. Make it ala documentary- Howie Severino style or news report- Mike Enriquez style. ( like " 'Tangina, kuhang kuha sa video, si uncle Rocky po umiinom nanaman ng Heineken kasama naman si kuya RC!!")

- If given a chance to go on a Theme Park, ride a rollercoaster, go on a few rides that are utterly famous and pick up a nice souvenir or remembrance.

- tell your relatives "i love you" and hug them... Awww

- tell your crush "i love you"

- shop a lot but buy only reasonable stuffs and make sure you won't reget buying(or not buying) it. When shopping for clothes, find the exact size you want.

- before you'll leave the place, make a video of yourself saying goodbye to that place. and then when you are about to enter the plane, say a heartfelt goodbye to the boarding pass people.

When you got home:

- sleep/rest for one day or half

- upload/print your photos

- don't try to get into a fight with someone whom you're close with

- go to duty free and buy some chocolate for some well chosen and good friends as well as cosmetics, bags and perfume for yourself.