Snorkelling at Tenggol Island in Terengganu, Malaysia

One of the perks while working in Tanjong Jara Resort was that during my days off, I could experience the activities that the resort offered. I couldn’t wait to sign up for a snorkelling trip at Tenggol Island in Terengganu, Malaysia when I found out about the adventure. I wanted to spend a day in the water and this was a perfect opportunity to unwind.

Snorkelling at Tenggol Island by Tanjong Jara Resort
Dungun, Terengganu
Malaysia

fishes tenggol
swimming with fishes

nemo tenggol island
clown fishes

I’ve been longing for a beach escape in my backpacking adventure and I was only able to do that during a trip to Bali, Indonesia. But even then, I didn’t get to swim as much as the water was much fit for surfing. That’s why I’m so glad to experience the snorkelling adventure at Tenggol Island twice. Yes, I went to this island twice!

tenggol island dungun
the beach

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Tanjong Jara Resort Review in Terengganu, Malaysia

During my 9-month Southeast Asia backpacking adventure, I was able to live in a five-star luxury resort in Terengganu, Malaysia. This was one of the best experiences I had because I lived very comfortably.

Tanjong Jara Resort: Unmistakably Malay
Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia

beach tanjong jara
Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia

I was in the hotel resort to help out in the daily operations and when I arrived on my first day, I was escorted to one of the villas. I was to spend the next few nights in a huge room because they ran out of rooms in the staff quarters!

tanong jara malaysia
Entrance to Tanjong Jara Resort by YTL Hotel Group

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Backpacking Southeast Asia for 9 Months

I resigned from my corporate job last January 2012 because I wanted to go on a long-term travel adventure. I was able to accomplish it by backpacking for nine months in seven countries in Southeast Asia. Vietnam-Cambodia-Thailand-Indonesia-Singapore-Malaysia-Philippines I haven’t exhausted all the places in Southeast Asia which I could’ve done simply by hopping on a … Read more

Cycling to the Town of Dungun in Terengganu, Malaysia

I always enjoyed cycling to the town of Dungun when I stayed at Tanjong Jara Resort in Terengganu, Malaysia. How come? Aside from biking being already a great exercise, I also have a marvelous view of the eastern coast of Malaysia!

Tanjong Jara Resort: Cycling to the town of Dungun in Terengganu, Malaysia

dungun bike
Tanjong Jara Resort bike tour

I was living in the resort for two months and I always looked forward to this physical activity. A perfect time since it was also Malaysia’s summer season.

I would start by borrowing a bike (thanks Peter!) and head my way out. On the left side, they have a smaller road where you will be greeted by pine trees as you begin the journey.

biking dungun
heading to a small road safe for cyclists

bike road malaysia
bike road

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Jungle Trek to Chemerung Waterfalls in Terengganu, Malaysia

I’m so glad to have finally participated in the jungle trek to the Chemerung Waterfalls in Terengganu, Malaysia. It was my last week at the Tanjong Jara Resort and this nature adventure was one of the activities I wanted to do right away. I stayed in a five-star resort for two months, but I was … Read more

How I Lived in a Five-Star Resort for Two Months

After almost six months on the road, I travelled to the northeastern part of Malaysia for an opportunity to live in a five-star resort for two months. I had an amazing time working as a waiter during the summer season, and this break has been one of the best experiences in my backpacking adventure! bussing … Read more

One More Week in Dungun, Malaysia

I haven’t blogged for quite some time. I became busy with other types of work that I failed to update this site, even just with short stories on what I’ve been to lately.

What’s up then? I’ve got one more week to stay in Dungun, Malaysia. I can’t believe I’ve been here for two months! I’ve become comfortable with the environment and with this welcome change.

Tanjong Jara Resort, Dungun
Terengganu, Malaysia

tanjong jara resort
Tanjong Jara Resort, Malaysia

I joined a jungle trek to the Chemerung Waterfalls yesterday. Tomorrow, I’ll go on another snorkelling adventure at Tenggol island. The next days, I’ll be biking to town and I’ll also relax on the shores.

jungle trek
jungle trek to the waterfalls

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More Fun in the Philippines in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I passed by Kuala Lumpur after about a month’s stay in Dungun, Terengganu. I was on my way to Singapore for personal reasons when I dropped by this capital city of Malaysia. I met with travel blogger couple Joey and Summer for a few hours and during the trip, I noticed a familiar advertisement shown on a large screen in one of the railway stations. These were those “More Fun in the Philippines” commercials played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!

philippines malaysia ad
More Fun in the Philippines Ad in Masjid Jamek station in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I remember that there’s a huge campaign back in the Philippines to hype up tourism in the country. The social media community was swamped with so many meme’s of people who support the campaign. I was amused because I didn’t imagine that they’d play it in this side of the world.

more fun philippines malaysia
It’s more fun in the Philippines!

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Six Months on the Road

I was doing my daily routine of going online to work when it hit me. I’ve been on the road for six months. Six months! I quit my job in January and I’ve travelled to different places ever since.

Transit

Here’s a list of places I’ve been to in the past six months. Some I stayed for a few days, most I stayed longer. Duration of my stay indicated are just rough estimates.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – 2 days
Mui Ne, Vietnam – 2 days
Siem Reap, Cambodia – 1 month
Bangkok, Thailand – 2 weeks
Singapore City, Singapore – 6 days
Cebu, Philippines – 2 weeks
Boracay, Philippines – 5 days
Cebu, Philippines – 5 days
Manila, Philippines – 1 week
Cebu, Philippines – 2 weeks
Manila, Philippines – 3 days
Siem Reap, Cambodia – 1 week
Singapore City, Singapore – 4 days
Bangkok, Thailand – 1.5 months
Bali, Indonesia – 1 week
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 2 days
Dungun, Malaysia – running on my 1st month

Looking back, it seems that I’ve been to so many places in the last half of the year. It’s not that I can’t go to these places if I kept my previous job working in a contact center. Heck, I travelled to 4 countries and 8 local destinations within 8 months and still kept my full-time job. I’ve also had six consecutive trips in six weekends while juggling my part-time projects online. It just came to a point that I wanted more than the weekend trips.

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Currently in Dungun, Malaysia

So a new opportunity knocked on the door and this couldn’t have come at a better time. My trip from Singapore to Chiang Mai was cancelled since the airline company (AirAsia) is no longer operating routes between these two cities. I simply had to email them to get a refund for the money spent; quite a convenient way to handle disputes if I might say so.

transit
in transit

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Kuala Lumpur Transit

Passed by Kuala Lumpur only for a couple of days and had to transfer to another state in Malaysia. It was nice to see the Petronas Towers and see these skyscrapers again. They look better at night but time was not on our side as we were catching different trips bound for other destinations.

kuala lumpur towers
Petronas Towers again

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How to Travel to Four Countries Within Four Months

…and still maintain your full-time job.

No, I didn’t take my job with me when traveling in those months but I filed for vacation leaves in between. From October of last year to January of this year, I visited four countries within four months; all of which happened in different times. It was no easy feat considering that I have a day job in a BPO industry. I was apprehensive too, if all my plans would push through considering the number of vacation leaves that I had.

Hong Kong, Macau (Ok, Macau is not a country but just a region of China along with HK, but my passport was still stamped), Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand. I visited these five places which makes me wonder if what I did was a rare opportunity to achieve or if everybody can do it as well.

Friends would ask me if I’m still working in my current company due to my constant travelling. I tell them I’m just lucky to also have a boss that understands my needs to get away from the office environment once in a while. Sure, you may not be able to choose your manager but there are other circumstances that you can control.

kuala lumpur monorail
KL Monorail, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Here are four basic tips that you can take note of so you can travel while keeping your job.

  • Book Ahead – Check out budget airline websites for dirt-cheap promotions which they hold regularly. You’ll be able to save a ton of money because of booking in advance at ridiculously low prices.

My trip to Hong Kong cost me 1200 Php and those are round trip tickets already. (Cebu to Hongkong)
My trip to Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia cost me 850 Php; and that’s riding four planes! (Cebu to Clark to Kuala Lumpur and back)
My trip to Bangkok cost me 6000 Php; actually it’s 5200 bucks more because of a huge mistake of being late at the airport but you understand the point of booking during promo fares.

Suggested websites are CebuPacificAirlines.com and AirAsia.com once in a while to what they’re offering. Better yet, subscribe to their feeds to notify you on their next big airline ticket sales.

venetian hotel macau
Venetian Hotel, Macau

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Bungy Jump at Sunway Lagoon in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

You might’ve thought that after my bungy jumping experience in Macau, I wouldn’t dare do anything extreme for awhile. However, when I visited Kuala Lumpur a month after our Hong Kong trip, I was able to do another bungee jump at Sunway Lagoon in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I don’t really have any wishes to die … Read more