Travel: San Agustin Church, Intramuros

I work in a Catholic school which means it requires a lot of praying, attending mass, novenas, and a whole lot more.. :)

Days before the actual of the Feast Day of St. Augustine, a chosen few (from our company) were asked to attend a Novena Mass at St. Augustine Church in Intramuros, Manila. 

This is what the facade looks like. It's the oldest stone church in the Philippines founded in 1571 and it was declared by UNESCO as World Heritage Site in 1993 (considered as a Baroque Church). Awesome ❤️

When you go in, this is what you're going to see! The church is huge and the details on every angle is beautiful! There are pretty chandeliers, saint statues and relics all around the church.

I've yet to see more of its details and beauty when we get back ❤️ For now, I'm lucky I got the chance to squeeze a visit on this wonderful church but looking forward to seeing this beauty again :) God really is the most talented ❤️

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TOKYO, JAPAN (Day 3) SHIBUYA

Okay, so this is probably the last post from my Tokyo trip since we only had very little time there :) We started our third or our last day by eating in one of the hotel's buffet. They serve all Japanese food and the experience was fun (although) the line was long because we're going to eat by sitting down on the floor without slipper or shoes on. Just how mostly Japanese eat :)

I'm guessing this sign says Welcome? :) Hehe!

My niece and my sister. Look, we're sitting with our legs crossed on the floor :)

Today, we're heading to Shibuya to do some last minute shopping :) And while waiting for the train, we found St. Marc's Cafe! Yey, even though we're still so full because of our buffet breakfast, we just NEED to try the Chococro (but there is in PH already) because this is extremely legit from Japan! Yey!

And let me show you their comfort rooms in the trains stations also. You really need to squat to pee or poop. So hard.

Okay, so after several train transfers, we finally reached our destination!! :) Shibuya! We got lost because the train station has a lot of exits and it is really huge so finding where we need to exit is a struggle.

Welcome to the very busy crossing of Shibuya :) This is the busiest city around Tokyo and the busiest crossroad too! Approx around 100,000 people cross this per day (according to the info by the street). 

Of course, my obligatory crossing shot! Hahaha! 

Anywhere you cross, you'll end up in streets full of shops!! There are F21, H&M, Pull & Bear, Daiso and many many many more!! You'll go crazy cause it is so much cheaper there compared here!! :)

There are also a lot of restaurants along the streets! Ramen, Katsu and Sushi all over the place! you'll never get hungry!! :)

Since I wanted to try Ippudo here in the Philippines but lining will really take a long time, I tried it here in Tokyo instead! :)  You need to order through a vending machine before you can sit down on the chairs :) 

After a long tiring whole afternoon full of walking and sight-seeing, we decided to go back early to the hotel so we can pack our luggages already and prepare to go home early the next day.

See you again soon, Japan! I know there are still a lot to discover in this country and I can't wait to go back! :)

Missed my Day 1 and Day 2 in Tokyo? Click the links below! :)

TOKYO Day 1 (Tokyo Disneyland)

TOKYO DAY 2 (Tokyo DisneySea)

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TOKYO, JAPAN (Day 2) SHIN-JUKU and TOKYO DISNEYSEA

See Tokyo, Japan Day 1 (Disneyland) and Tokyo, Japan Day 3 (Shibuya)

Okay, so let us start Day 2 in Tokyo by eating breakfast buffet in our hotel, SunRoute Plaza Tokyo. I enjoyed the food especially the unlimited bacon, croissant (with butter) and the unlimited corn cereals! Ahh <3 This is me and my mom while eating :)

The we headed to Maihama train station. We went there by free shuttle the hotel's offering. The train lines are CRAZY! There are so many lines connecting so many places and it is really hard to understand especially Japan doesn't use the alphabet that much. 

So while my sister and brother-in-law are figuring everything out,  I asked my niece to take a picture of me in the station. That is what Maihama station looks like.. a lot of people go down here because this connects to Disneyland and Disneysea.

                           

So yeah, I almost forgot.. We're heading to Shin-juku and it's located in the main city. We took 4 train transfers before we finally set foot in our location. Now, let me take a selfie. 

                          

You might be wondering why did we go to Shin-juku?.. Well, merely to take pictures of the streets! Haha, kidding. We went there to visit different Japanese shops. 

                                       

Stuff in Japan are way more cheaper compared here in the Philippines. I promise!! So if you are going to Japan, make sure you have lots of yen so you can shop til you drop! Hahaha!

So yeah, we had long walks and visited a lot of shops! :) I enjoyed but walking is really tiring!! Good thing Japan has a cold weather so we did not become sweaty plus we get to explore the streets of Shin-juku.

Then we had lunch at a katsu-vendo-shop. Haha! It was weird cause we have to order with the use of a vendo machine. I had fun though because it is a different kind of experience for me! After having lunch, it is time again to go back to the province of Tokyo.. We went back to Maihama station because our next stop is.. DISNEYSEA!! Yehey!

Okay, so this time it will be 5 transfers. When you go down at Maihama station, you still have to ride the Disney Resort Train Line in order to go to Disneysea.. But if you're only going to Disneyland, you can just take a walk.

So as you can see, you can really tell that it is a Disney train! From the windows, doors and safety handles.. all of them are Mickey shaped! How cute!

And because the train is really photogenc, why not have my picture taken here inside too? :) 

Finally we've reached our destination! I'm hyped! This bog globe will greet you in the entrance! :) Kinda looks similar to Universal Studios? Nope because this is actually a fountain! See, there's water under the globe that keeps it moving. 

                           

We're also greeted by different Disney characters but the line was chaos so we didn't bother to join the crowd but we're lucky we had a picture with my super favorite cat, Marie!

                          

Now, it is time to go around and explore the place. Disneysea is I think bigger than Disneyland. There are a lot of attractions that involve water and other natural resources. There's a Gondola ride too! This is my favorite in the theme park because riding in a gondola was really a dream for me! Haha! Plus, you'll be seeing the very beautiful views around the park.

                           

                           

                           

And let me share to you some of the views / sceneries / things you can see in Tokyo Disneysea.

This is the 'ship' located in the center of the theme park. You can also see the 'volcano' on the side which is actually a ride.

                           

See that volcano at my back? It is actually a ride called 'Journey to the Center of the Earth'. My nece and I wanted to try that attraction because it is a roller coaster ride but when we went there, we have to line up for 75 minutes which is a waste of time and just decided to come back later that day! :) 

Personally, I like Disneysea more than Disneyland! I'm more of a water person and I really enjoy water activities / fishes / anything about sea! Haha and I have a fantasy of being a mermaid (or a unicorn) someday!!

The attraction at the back of me is called the House of Terror! :) This is similar to Enchanted Kingdom's EKSTREME wherein you'll go really high then all of a sudden drop really fast!! Of course this is nicer because it goes up and down several times and there are different things you can see in each level! There's even one time where they'll let you see the view of the whole theme park first before dropping! You'll really see how high you were!! 

Okay, this place is so photogenic especially at night. The Storyville is one of the sections in Disneysea and everything is lit up when it is dark already! It feels like Christmas but too bad, we weren't able to ride this attraction because there are so many people and we have to line up for 50 minutes :(

Oh I forgot to mention, there are a lot of flowers around the area :) Beautiful and very photogenic flowers! Haha!

Even these characters are made up of real and fresh flowers! :) How cute and how creative!! We stayed there up to 9-10pm and we waited for the fireworks but it was cancelled due to a very windy evening and it was so damn cold!!! I'm not complaining though! I love cold weather and cold breeze!

My niece and I also went back to the volcano and lined u for 30 minutes to ride Journey to the Center of the Earth. It was a roller coaster ride.. :) At first, you're gong to be toured in a very dark place and you can see aliens and stuff then the coaster will go up really fast then you're going to see the them park view again then you're gonna go down really fast!!!!! I enjoyed this attraction but it was bitin :) I hope there are more ups and downs! Haha!

After a very long day, we headed back to the hotel and our feet are all swelling already because of the long walks and long lines! Nevertheless, we're tired but we enjoyed Disneysea very much! 

Missed my Day 1 in Tokyo post? Read it here. Thank you!

Third day in Tokyo (Shibuya) here!

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TOKYO, JAPAN (Day 1) TOKYO DISNEYLAND

Since my sister and her family is going to spend 3 weeks vacation here in the Philippines, we decided to spend a few days in Japan! We stayed there for only 3 nights and 4 days and our schedule was really tight and tiring at the same time.


We arrived at around 10am at Narita International Airport and rode the Airport Limousine going to Tokyo proper. It was 1 hour drive from the Airport so we get to get some rest first before a very long day.

We checked-in at our hotel, Sunroute Hotel Plaza which is walking distance away from Disneyland and Disneysea and it is also Disney accredited hotel so going to and fro to Disney theme parks and train station will never be a problem. BUT note that we are in Tokyo's province already so might find it a bit tiring transferring one train to another if you want to go to the main city. 

There are already available free shuttle buses outside the hotel if you want to go to Disneyland or to Maihama Train Station. For this day, we are heading to DISNEYLAND! Yehey! I was so hyped because this will be my first Disneyland experience! And let me see if this really is the happiest place on Earth. 

AHHH can't believe I'm here already! The kid in me can't help but feel excited! 

It is spring time in Tokyo so it was so cold! Wearing thick scarf and coat is not enough to beat the cold breeze but it was definitely way better than the very humid air in the Philippines.  

Look at all those people o.o

There were a lot of people that time so the lines were too long :( We need to wait for atleast 30-50 minutes to ride so we only got to experience a few rides. 

I had fun having my pictures take on different sceneries and cute backgrounds around the theme park. 

The castle's very photogenic too! It looks surreal and as if it is the real thing. When you see it, you'll feel that princesses and princes are really there inside.

Aside from rides, there were also a lot of fancy restaurants around though food may be a little too expensive compared outside. 

And of course, my first Disneyland experience will not be complete if I will not watch the fireworks!! :) After a long tiring day at the happiest place on Earth, we went back to our hotel and rested because tomorrow is another tiring day! :)

Follow me on my Day 2 in Tokyo here!! :)
And lastly, Day 3 is already here!

Thank you!

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