Getting a Tourist Visa - South Korea

Philippine passport holders are required to secure a tourist or visitor's visa at the South Korean consular office. Although, Jeju Island in South Korea is a visa-free destination.

Office Address:

122 Upper McKinley Road,

McKinley Town Center

Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City

1634, Philippines

Contact Nos:

+63 2 856 9210

+63 2 856 9008 (fax)

Email:

philippines @mofa.go.kr

ph04@mofa.go.kr (consular section)

Office Hours:

8:30AM to 5:30PM Mondays-Fridays

Getting a Tourist Visa - China

There has quite some changes with the current tourist visa requirements from the time I applied 3 years ago. It has gotten stricter.  I can't blame the Chinese government when  the number of Filipinos who previously entered China as tourists and never came back home has risen tremendously. I couldn't blame our fellas as well. China has a lot to offer that this country just continuously failed to provide. Well, I could continue with those 'frustrations'  but hey, this is about how to visit mainland China, legally. 

To easily sum it off, once the following documentations are complete, that Great Wall sticker visa is within reach.

I was given 30 days on my second, I had only 7 days on my first

I Bow to Thee, Mother India!

by: Vaniedosa

12th of November 2012

"There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind." - C.S. Lewis

As I glanced at this quote on the New Delhi airport's advertisement board, I was so itching to head back to my home country and leave this country behind while its own people were partaking the celebration of Diwali, popularly known as India's Festival of Lights. Through all my senses, I know there are far better things why I keep wanting to come back home.

On this day, we were saying goodbye to India while others marked their calendars so as not to miss this traditional holiday no matter what. The simple reason we didn't opt to stay for Diwali was simple Mathematics, "others" was way way more than "two (of us)". (I and bestfriend went). We didn't want to compete against the many locals and tourists in every way on getting in, around and out of the country with the second highest population in the world. Besides, at this point before we embarked, we thought and felt that we already have had more than enough of this so called land of thousand colors. Yes, more than enough. Err, well, just for now...

Getting a Tourist Visa - India

Citizens of the Philippines are one the eleven (11) countries granted by India for a Visa on Arrival (VOA) if entering through Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata Airports along with Finland, NZ, Vietnam, Myanmar, Japan, SG, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Cambodia and Laos. VOA is only granted to tourists for purposes of tourism, sight-seeing, casual meeting with friends and business visit and short medical treatment with a maximum period of thirty (30) days. Upon arrival at the designated ports of entry, one should present:

> passport with 6 months validity plus a photocopy

> 2 passport size photographs

> hotel booking confirmation

> return airline tickets

> USD60 visa fee

Otherwise, a visa should be applied as early as 2 months before departure. For Philippines, the processing is being handled by a third-party contractor - BLS International. 

A Day in Daejeon

Daejeon is located 104 miles from Seoul and midway going Busan and is the 5th largest city in South Korea. It serves as a hub of transportation as well as administration with the National Government Complex.

And we had a day to not just see what's in there but to meet family...

We hit the subway and traced Main Station for the bullet train they called Korail KTX.  Glad to see Dunkin Donuts on the station and some other familiar food shops.

When in Seoul...

a traditional parade. @Korean Folk Village which is partly a themed park

...The subway will be your best friend. It will take you smoothly from Incheon Airport to the city (AREX, W3,900),  it will lead you to the scenic spots without getting stuck in the traffic and will bring you back to your hotel unscratched. Yes, Seoul has road congestion, in fact, its government offers incentives or discounts to those who do carpooling. This is also to lessen carbon emission. There are noise reduction walls installed in some residential areas as well to mitigate heavy roars. Their subways are buried down to 6th level under but amazingly it's no dead spot zone. Tickets can be bought in a vendo (with English texts) about W1,700 minimum fare with a returnable deposit of W500 up to you to claim on a separate machine. The interchanges are confusing a bit at the start, long walks, convenience stores present, fun stops.

India in a Snap

Few days from being lost in translation in China, we again packed our bags, hopped on a plane and immersed ourselves with yet another intriguing world. 

around the streets of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur - India's Golden Triangle

Oh, Saigon

motorists-dominated saigon
& one of the trusted taxi services

Good morning Vietnam! It was past midnight on a fair day of May, 2 years ago. Tan Son Nhat was dim and quiet and customs desk was snoozing. Our ride to the city was waiting for us outside, arranged with our hotel for $30 fit for us 9. Yes, we were 9 - my largest travelling party so far.

Our stay - Blue River Hotel 2 is a mini 6-storey hotel located inside an alley or compound within District 1 of Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City. We got a good deal of $25 a night for triple room and $20 for double with wifi access inside rooms and free breakfast of french baguette, eggs and coffee.

Being the solo planner, I did the liberty of having us booked on tours 'coz I was not only concerned with the number of heads I'd have to account at every corner of Saigon's streets rather the ease of having us all together in one place for easy transport.