February 26th, 2017 Dili, Timor-leste

12AM I thought about getting the luggage now instead of at Bali because I only had 2 and half hours there. But then I already paid and risk paying again if Singapore decides to stop me for the tripod. I eventually decided against that and then went to the Premium lounge to take a shower. This was like the 5th time at Premium Lounge by the same owner. They all use the same furniture. I had a Singaporean Lhasa noodle. It wasn't anything to write home about.

5:20AM My plane left for Bali, Indonesia.

8AM I had to exit and reenter through customs because of the luggage. I sat in the lounge until my plane left for Timor-leste at 10:40AM.
2PM I reached Dili, East Timor. I tried to get away with just a transit visa. They wouldn't let me have it since I'm coming from and going to Bali. I paid 30 USD. I befriended a couple of youngster doing a diving project here. I got a ride to Diving Timor. I couldn't negotiate anything and paid 45 USD for a shore dive. It was surprisingly good actually. There was sea moth, sea horse and sea slugs. I saw cuttlefish and lionfish. There are like ten that I cannot remember. I took a cab to the Dili Central Backpackers for 2.5 USD and then got a ride from the owner to have dinner at Victoria.
7PM I had a snapper, I think, for 7 USD and an avocado shake for 3 USD. The shake was not good at all. It was more like a jelly which didn't even taste like avocado. At least I made sure they made it with clean water. They took 30 minutes to grill the fish and it wasn't anything special. I haven't had diarrhea for several days. It has been pleasantly quiet.





9PM I got home and listened to the owner talk for a couple of hours before I went to bed. She joked one of the most negative person she's met. Haha.
11PM I went to bed. I bought my neighbor's water for 0.5 USD.

February 25th, 2017 Taipei, Taiwan

12:18AM I got back to take what I think was the second to last train this morning. I walked tot he Chiang Kai-shek Memorial. The gate had no lights on and it was still raining so I walked back and slept.

7AM I guess I was never determined enough to go to Xiangshan. At dawn. I left around 7:30AM. It rained pretty hard. I don't think it was at all worth it and I was about 2 blocks away from Taipei 101 but stopped because I thought it wasn't worthwhile anyway.

9:30AM I took the train back to Yongkang Street. The first Dintaifung is here. I had 5 cucumber dumplings and a side dish for 240 TWD and they charged 10% service tax, cash only.

11AM I took the next MRT to Danshui. There was going to be no one singing in the rain, so I was told. I walked toward the water and it really did seem so and I took the next train to Taipei main station.

1PM The airport MRT actually didn't require getting a paper ticket on Saturaday, in contrary to what I was told yesterday. I took off straight to Sun Yat-Sen memorial. There is not much here either- only paper duplicates and a big statue. I stayed here until 1:30PM and rushed back to the hostel.  I got back at 2 and ran back and got in at 2:10PM, one minute before 2:11PM, when my 24 hour pass expired.





2:30PM I had a tofu pudding and 66 TWD left. So I bought a deluxe 手抓饼 for 45 TWD that had ham and eggs and skipped the cheese, which would have been 50.

4PM I took the last MRT to the airport and stood in line until 6:15PM for over an hour. I was soaked still and it was very cold here. At security they wanted me to check the tripod and I tried again at another line. They stopped me again to make me check it. The airline said I should drop the tripod because the check in fee was too much. Are they stupid? Do they think tripods are worth only 30 dollars!? I paid with visa and sat in the premium lounge until the flight left for Singapore at 8:20PM.

February 24th, 2017 Taipei, Taiwan

6AM My plane left for Taipei and I got there at about 9AM. Their airport MRT just opened and this is their first month and it's free during this period. I found when I was leaving that it was 80 TWD in March and 160 TWD thereafter. People are very, very polite here. It took me a while to walk to UInn from the MRT Chiang Kai-shek Station. I'm dropped off my stuff and left for the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial.







2PM I bought a 24 hour MRT pass for 180 TWD and left for the palace museum, which is open until 9PM on Fridays  You had to switch to a bus for an addition 15 TWD. I was in there until I felt I saw everything. I stayed until 8PM and took the bus to the MRT station to goto Xin Beitou.





























9PM I looked around for something around 300 TWD for around 1 hour. I couldn't get anyone to take a single person for a 2 person room due to safety concerns. I finally just went with one that took me for 540 TWD. Honestly,  hot spring doesn't even impress.

10PM I got on my way to Shilin night market it was 11:30PM. I grabbed some chickens skewers from the owner who said she was closing. I had some tofu pudding for 35 TWD.  There was more night market in underground floor. I had some of the nicest abalone I have ever had. I also had a beef noodle soup, which unfortunately didn't impress either.

February 23rd, 2017 Cebu, Philippines

12:30AM I arrived at Cebu. I took an Uber to Dee Guesthouse, which was in a gated community. It took us 15 minutes to find this place. I knocked really loud to wake the owners. He then kicked me out because I didn't have reservation and he said I was too loud. We drove around for another 15 minutes and I told him to stop as soon as I found there to be a few shops with lighting on. He wanted 100 extra PHP. I gave him 40 PHP and 2000 INR that I had left.

1AM I found this Guesthouse and hassled down to 400 PHP for five hours until 6-7AM.






7AM The man working at the Guesthouse went to look for dive shop friend. I looked around but a man who owns boats wasn't going to the islands today. I went back to the guesthouse. We agreed on 63 USD for the night's stay and 2 boat dives.

8AM They made me pay first and keep all my stuff with them, which I didn't like. My dive master helped and hinted that I should've have been put on a boat with motor. The first dive was fine but I complained that I should've been having a motorized boat for the two dives. They said okay and took me only 5 minutes away for the second dive site. When I got back I was looking for a island hopping group tour that I could join. Unfortunately everyone seemed to have left. I was not really satisfied, especially finding out it's 3000 PHP at another place to take you to see an airplane wreck. The other two Korean companies wanted around 40 USD per dive. But the second company's owner talked to me a little bit about his business and not to go on island hopping today because it wasn't worth it this late during the day. I had gone done twice already. He recommended food and massage. He recommended against Filipino seafood. He said Korean seafood is cheaper and better. His friend offered a ride so I went with it.






2PM I had crab here, which was passable. I ended up paying 700 PHP with 15 USD and getting 30 PHP. They didn't let me at first but I insisted with their owner on the phone that I use visa or at least the fair exchange price which is 50 PHP per USD. I think mentioning that I was referred by Cebu dive shop helped.





4PM I had given Ronny my clothes earlier and he dropped them off. I looked for this place for 45 minutes and I am being pestered from every which corner. One guy kept following me and offering women and massage. When we eventually found out from the street vendor where the laundromat was, he grabbed a motored tricycle. I paid the 60 PHP that I owed and then only gave the driver 25 PHP.

6PM I had a chicken soup from a tiny restaurant. I think the owner charged me 50, which I think is more than supposed to but felt bad at the end and gave me a "free" coke. It looked passable and we will see. I used the internet at Cafe Rico and took an Uber to the airport.



7PM I reached the airport and found my way to check in and ask AirAsia to print out a paper boarding pass for me. This was also the first time I had to pay an airport terminal tax at 750 PHP. I broke a twenty dollar bill and exchanged with an English girl at 14 dollars for 700 and used the 50 PHP I had left. The security gave me a hard time for being there 12 hours early. I sweet talked to immigration and they let me through. They ended up charging my Priority Pass 3 times throughout the night. Who cares, it didn't matter.

February 22nd, 2017 Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei to Manila, Philippines

5AM I woke up to find the AC to be off and all electricity was off. I took off at 6 to go to the coffee shop next to Coffee Beans and Leaf. I switched out the gross blended coffee they made and got mango juice instead for 5.9 BND. I walked to the Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque again for some pictures. Let me tell you, I hate taking pictures in the heat.  Everything looks blurry and horrible. I can only hope it would turn out okay. I got a blended mocha drink on the way back at Coffee Beans and Leaf for 4.9 BND. I gave him the 0.3 BND that I had and paid the rest by visa. I told the guest house that my power was off and they had no toilet paper. They offered 18 and I said 15 and they took it. The bus station wasn't far and it was only a 20 minute wait. It only costs 1 BND and I got to the airport around 10AM. Thank fortunes I am not with AirAsia this time. Royal Brunei has food on board.


2PM I reached Manila. People are relatively friendly here. I took an Uber to Intramuros, the oldest district of Manila, with my luggage. This took a whole hour to get there. A guide spotted me right away and offered to take me for a ride on his tricycle for 300 PHP for every 30 minutes. I found later that this could go down to at least 150 PHP. I ended up paying 20 USD and getting 300 back, which is equivalent to 350 PHP or 7 USD every hour. I thought it was worthwhile because I had the luggage and didn't have to walk with it.




6PM I finished the tour and used the wifi at BamBike to get an Uber back to the airport. I think it took almost 1.5 hours to get back.

9PM I got a small hot chocolate and caramel coffee for 175 PHP. They charged me 265 PHP for someone else's purchase and gave me 90 PHP back because the minimum was 200 PHP. I called a dive shop with Google voice and they wanted 100 USD for 2 boat dives. I looked it up and couldn't find precise pricing. He recommended against diving and flying within 24 hours. I looked it up and it should be okay after 12 hours. I slept an hour on the chair.

February 21st, 2017 Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

6AM I am sure I left very early to the airport.
I have proof that it was entirely empty and I had breakfast at the lounge there.

I arrived at Kuala Lumpur at 11AM and went to have lunch at their lounge before taking off for Brunei.









6PM I arrived at Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque. I was very thirsty walking in this sun at this point with no local currency. I went into this shop and exchanged by buying for someone and got back 26.31 (found later it was 26.30). I bought a couple of drinks and walked to the mosque. I was having diarrhea at this point and I used the one in the mosque twice. I took pictures for a while and then hitched another ride from a lady with a driver in a Mercedes to Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque. I didn't realize the Pasar Malam Gadong Market was very close to the Bolkiah Mosque. I missed it entirely. I had to come back to it.

8PM I reached the mosque and took pictures for around 2 hours and I ran into some Americans who were in a group tour with their guest house host. The guest house was full but the girl and the host informed me that there was a guest house next to the Burger King not too far away. I found a young kid to help me find a the guest house. It was 20 BND which is not bad for here. He offered to walk e to Pasam Malam Gadong Marketso we walked together for a whole hour. It was funny that before we reach Pasam Malam we both had to use the bathroom. I think I'm the only one with the traveler's diarrhea. We then walked to the food night market. Honestly, it was horribly oily and gross and I don't know if it's from my travelers diarrhea but I wanted to vomit after tasting the chicken. By great fortune we ran into his friends who gave us rides back so I didn't have to walk back for a whole hour.

10PM I got back to the guest house and took a shower before bed. Their water was not even warm.