Michi Photostory

My husband was back in Bangkok Thailand last week and he stayed in Four Points by Sheraton Hotel which is also a sister company of Sheraton Grande and part of Starwood Hotel and Resort so you can still earn points here if you have SPG card.

It is located in Sukhumvit area which is a few minutes walk away from the subway, skytrain and Terminal 21 Shopping mall. Though it is just a walking distance from the mall, they do not have a connecting bridge to Terminal 21. This is one thing that my husband likes in Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Hotel because they have a sky bridge so going to the mall is easy.


This is the room, this room reminds me of our stay in Crimson Mactan Resort and Spa. The room is quite similar because you can open the divider of the room and bathroom.



There are desk table and couch. There is complimentary water but no complimentary fruits. My husband appreciates complimentary fruits because you have something to eat after your flight or work.


There is a bathtub so +1 for those who have kids in tow. According to my husband, they have free laundry per day but one piece of cloth only. So if you run out of clothes or if you will swim and you don’t want to bring wet clothes, you can take advantage of this. Though my husband did not avail this offer since he stayed for few days only.






This is the restaurant where you can eat your breakfast buffet. It is not that big and the spread is just enough, medyo konti daw compared to Sheraton Grande Hotel. But they have honeycomb in their buffet spread. It may not be grand but it is enough to satisfy your morning breakfast.



The hotel has swimming pool and gym too. This is the pool that my husband saw when he stayed in Sheraton Grande and Westin Grande, as you can see in the picture, tabi-tabi lang sila. You can check my review of other hotels in Bangkok below.

Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Hotel
Westin Grande Sukhumvit Hotel
Louis Tavern Transit Hotel

Update November 2017 



My husband went back to Thailand and he stayed again at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel and he was surprised when he saw this complimentary snacks in his room.

Four Points by Sheraton Hotel 
4 Sukhumvit Soi 15,
Sukhumvit Road, Wattana,
Bangkok, Thailand

Time flies so fast when you’re enjoying and we did not notice that our summer vacation in Norway was about to end. Seven weeks seems not enough, I stayed for 3 months when I was still single. I did not mind my one month leave in school, feeling ko madali lang habulin yung lesson. But now that I’m a mom, I don’t want my son to miss school, sayang ang tuition so we have to go home 1 week before classes resume and of course, we miss our daddy.


And because we're going back to the Philippines, my aunt invited us again for dinner in their house. She has no work after 17th of May so she has time to prepare foods. Knowing my aunt, she always prepares a lot of foods kahit konti lang bisita. Hindi ka papayat if you stay in my aunt’s house. For a group of 7 persons, here are the foods.




My aunt used to plant different kinds of berries so she makes fruit jams and even juices like these. Now that she is busy with work, wala na siya time mag garden.


Of course, cakes and ice cream for dessert. She prepared a different kind of Pavlova, a mini version. 




Ang dami food di ba? My aunt also invited her Filipina neighbor + husband who is also a co-worker so napahaba-haba ang kainan and kwentuhan. This is one thing that I miss, get together with my family and relatives. Yung kumakain lang ako and hindi tagaluto or tagabake.  Check the food here, when we visited her during our first week in Norway.

If we still have time, mapapalakad kami sa Svartholberget para lang mabawasan ng calories but we went home straight since late na rin. We will go to Nursing Home the following day, our last day in helping my mom in her work.

Read: Svartholberget 

After visiting Grandefjaera Nature Reserve and Kjeungskajaer Lighthouse, off we went to Sjøgata. Sjøgata or sea lane is the last place that we visited in Norway because after this trip, we became busy preparing and packing for our Iceland and of course, going back to the Philippines. 


I’ve already seen this place because my mom has a painting of this historical place. But I’m glad that we were able to see it, up close and personal. Sjøgata is located in the old port area of Uthaug which is near the sea. 

Instagram Lola

It is considered a historical place because you can see fishermen’s houses which were built in the 1800s. It is good to know that they are trying to preserve this place. The place is indeed relaxing so a lot of artists are going here to draw or paint their own masterpieces. We did not stay long at nilalamig na kami and we’re going to attend the fellowship.

I’m pretty sure that most of us have our own medicine kit at home. I cannot stress enough having your own first aid kit because it is really important especially for emergency cases. We have our own home medicine kit but there was a time when my son had a fever and when I checked the fridge, our Paracetamol syrup is only good for two intakes. My husband was out of the country and I don’t want to bring my son to the drugstore at masama na nga pakiramadam. Good thing that my friend volunteered to buy the medicine for me.


And because of that, I really make sure that I have stock of vitamins and medicines at home. One friend even suggested, have at least two bottles of Paracetamol so I don’t need to go out anymore if ever maubusan. Di bale na maexpire kaysa mamoblema ko sa pagbili at maghanap ng open na pharmacy.

I’m not saying that you need to buy all the vitamins or medicines that you think you might need. In my opinion, just buy those vitamins and medicines that you most likely use in daily basis or emergency cases.

What inside my home medicine kit? 

I have two boxes of medicine kit, one is for oral medicines and one for topical medicines and wound care supplies. Some medicines are inside the fridge. :)

1. Pain medications
2. Fever medications and fever pads
3. Stomach medications
4. Antihistamine medications
5. Decongestants for colds
6. Cough Medicine
7. My medicine for psoriasis
8. Antiseptic Solutions
9. Topical creams or ointments for burns, itching, insect bites.
10. Wound Care Supplies

Don’t forget to check your medicine kits regularly. Always check the expiration date, throw expired products and replace it. My husband has his own medicine kit too that he always brings whenever he travels. The company nurse is the one who put the medicines, he just needs to return it after the trip. Whenever we travel, I also bring medicines, I just put it in a pouch.

Anyway, if you are looking for affordable vitamins or medicines that you can put in your kit. Check the following products of United Home, these are pre-natal medicine, non-acidic vitamin, fever and pain medication and cough medication.

1. Women’s Health

United Home Fersulfate Plus 

Ferrous Sulfate + Folic Acid
For pregnant mothers
It is used for prevention and treatment of iron deficiency anemia and prenatal hemanitic. It promotes healthy pregnancy for the mother and baby health blood and avoidance of birth defects.
SRP P3.50 per piece

2. Vitamins 

United Home Ceetab Premium

Non-acidic vitamin C supplement
It is used for prevention and treatment of Vitamin C deficiency. It increases the body’s resistance. SRP P4.50 per piece

3. Prevention and Cure 

United Home Broncho 

It used for relief of cough characterized by excessive or sticky sputum or phlegm. It helps treat respiratory tract disorders such as acute or chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
SRP P4.50 per piece

United Home Fevertab 

It is used for fever reduction and relief of minor aches and pains.
SRP P1.50 per piece

How about you what is inside your medicine kit?

We’ve been to Uthaug a couple of times already but I have no idea that there is a lighthouse there. I showed my mom the flyer and she said that we would visit it someday. So after we went to Grandefjaera Nature Reserve, my mom drove us to Uthaug where we could see the lighthouse. 


From the parking, we trekked on a small mountain where we can see the Kjeungskajaer Lighthouse. It is the only octagonal lighthouse in Norway, which is situated on a tiny island in Bjugnfjorden. It is 3.5km away from Uthaug so you need to ride a boat to reach it. It is too far so we can’t have a good picture of it kahit super zoom na camera ko. Hehehe! 



The red brick lighthouse was built in the year 1880 and the lighthouse keeper and his families at the lower floor of the lighthouse until the year 1987. From 1987, it is already automated so the last keeper moved out already. 

There is a Lighthouse Association named Kjeungen Kystlag which has restored and maintained the rooms of the lighthouse since 1999 while the government protects and maintains the external part of the lighthouse. The light is lit from July 21 to May 16 so from May 15 to July 20, there is no light because of the midnight sun. We all know that Norway is known as the Land of Midnight Sun. 

We were not able to visit the 68-foot tall lighthouse because it is only open from May 15 to August 31. You can tour or rent the lighthouse which is good for 20 people. I can't imagine staying in the lighthouse, I bet it would be a good experience. 

Watch the video here

We’ve been walking to Bruholmen for three consecutive days because my mom was not allowed to drive but after a few days of resting, she finally decided to drive again. After breakfast, she was persuading us to go out but I told her to rest at baka mapagod na naman she kept on saying na okay na daw siya so we gave in. 


After lunch, we went to Grandejaera Nature Reserve, it is one of the wetland systems in Ørland which has been under the Ramsar Protection since 1983. Other protected areas are Hovsfjaera, Innstranda, and Kråkvågsvaet. This place has a shallow marine and tidal landscape which attracts local and foreign birdwatchers and bird lovers.

There are a lot of birds and even migrating birds from Iceland that you can see in the area. They even have photos of birds that you might see all throughout the year. The peak season is spring and autumn season. If you want to visit the place you can go to the cultural center to get some maps or rent telescopes, binoculars, or a bike. 



But if you just want to unwind, you can just go to Grandfjaera. The place is open to the public and FREE. There are tables and benches if you want to have a picnic too. We did not stay long because it was so cold, ang nipis ng jacket namin. We’re hiding our hands inside our jackets. 

Watch the video here. 

During our vacation in Norway, my mom was confined in the hospital for 5 days so we just stayed at home while she was in the hospital. You can read the story here,  so when she came back, I told her that we no longer have bread in the pantry. Bread is very important because we ate bread every breakfast and even dinner. 

She was not allowed to drive as per doctor advised so I told her that I will just go to the grocery. Since I don’t know how to drive, I will just walk to the grocery but my mom did not like the idea so she suggested that I should bake pandesal na lang. I haven’t tried making pandesal but since she has the recipe, I said yes. It’s been a long time since I bake my own bread, sayang naman pinag-aralan ko sa Baking Class. 

Read: The Day I Learned How To Bake My Own Bread



So the following morning, I woke up early so I can start making the dough and I was surprised when my mom already made the dough. I told her, bakit siya nagbake, pinagpapahinga nga siya ng doctor. She said, she is not used to doing nothing. Since the dough is already okay, we all knead, roll and shape our own bread. No rules to follow, basta kung ano gusto mo shape. hehehe! We put some fillings too like cheese, ham and green onion. 



It was sunny so while I'm baking the bread, my mom and son went out para magsunbathing. Sunbathing na balot na balot pa rin kasi malamig pa rin sa labas. Hehehe! #wheninnorway



I also made a strawberry and banana smoothie to pair with our pandesal with filling. 



Here is the finished product, don’t judge the photo because our pandesal tastes good and we enjoyed making it. After our hearty meal, we went out for a walk. As usual sa Bruholmen ulit. As of this writing, namiss ko bigla bonding namin tatlo. Hehehe! 


Watch the video here.

Yesterday, I was doing my newsletter for my email subscribers and I noticed that I only posted one article about my Summer in Norway series. Anyare! Hehehe! So now, let me continue my series, I still have a few posts in my draft before I start the Iceland Trip series.

If you remember my post last month, we went to Svartholberget and because of that, we went home very late. So the following day, as expected I woke up late and I did my usual routine. I was a bit surprised when I did not see my mom in the living room and kitchen.

She always wakes up early for her morning devotion, so nagulat ako na hindi pa siya gising. In my mind, baka napagod sa lakad namin sa Svartholberget so I checked my emails, messages and blog while waiting for my son na magising. Then out of the blue, my stepdad called me and he said, my mom was in the hospital. I was shocked, akala ko natutulog lang sila.


He explained to me everything. I wake up my son so we can prepare for our hospital visit. We ate breakfast, took a bath and we’re waiting for my mom’s update so we can go to the hospital. While waiting, ang dami ko naiisip.

- ganun kahimbing tulog ko at hindi ko namalayan na umalis sila ng bahay.
- kahapon lang naglalakad pa kami sa Svartholberget and mukhang okay naman.
- we’re supposed to have family lunch that day so canceled na.
- bakit ang tagal ng update.
- bakit mag-isa lang mom ko sa hospital

I don’t understand why we’re at home and we need to wait for my mom’s update. I thought my stepdad will just get something at home and we will go back to the hospital right away. Kaya nagmadali kami ng anak ko magprepare. My mom is in the hospital so we should be there.

Well, Philippines and Norway are different when it comes to hospitals. You don’t need to accompany your family member to the hospital. When my mom was not feeling well, dinala siya ng stepdad ko to the nearest hospital in the wee small hours, he was informed that my mom needs to go to another hospital for more labtests. The hospital is more or less 1 hour and 30 minutes away from our place. So my stepdad went home and we waited for an update if my mom goes home or needs confinement.


Ang tagal ng paghihintay, nagbreakfast, naglunch at nagmerienda na kami. Finally, while eating our merienda, my mom called so off we went to the hospital. The doctor advised my mom to stay in the hospital for more tests so we need to bring her clothes. Actually, on our way out, my mom messaged me na kahit hindi na daw kami pumunta sa hospital kasi mapapagod lang kami but I did not listen, we wanted to see her. Nagmamadali kami so we won’t miss the Ferry.

We need to ride the boat for 30 minutes and from the port, one hour drive to St. Olavs Hospital in Orkanger. Though Ørland has its own hospital, there are times that they send the patient to Orkanger or Trondheim if they need advanced tests or operations.


This is a public hospital so free lahat. The hospital is not that big if I will compare it to our hospitals here in the Philippines. My mom stays in a semi-private room so may kashare siya. We did not stay long because we need to catch the Ferry boat.


My mom was in the hospital from Saturday to Wednesday. We only visited her once, akala ko nga babalik pa kami before my stepdad goes back to work. Pero hindi rin, so my mom was in the hospital, my stepdad went back to work and my son and I were just at home waiting for my mom.

After 5 days, my mom finally went home via taxi. She underwent a lot of labtests and thank God okay naman ang test results. But since she still feels dizzy, she was advised to rest for few days, do some walking and light exercise and no driving yet. And because of that, ilang araw kami naglalakad sa Bruholmen.

Watch the video here.

At first, nawiwirduhan na wala kami sa hospital when my mom was confined. But my mom told me that when my aunt was terminally ill, they were not allowed to stay in the hospital room too. They reserved a room in a hotel where they can stay for few days.

Now, how I wish we have the same hospital in the Philippines when you don’t need to worry, when you don’t need to file a leave, when you don’t need to be absent in school and when you are at peace that is someone is taking care of your family. You don’t need to be in the hospital kasi may nurse nga naman.

I posted in 2011 that I wanted to finish this Viaje Del Sol list or at least visit most of the places listed on the map. Viaje Del Sol means “the way of the sun”. A map has a list of places that you can visit in Batangas, Laguna and Quezon. Viaje del Sol is like having an educational tour because you will learn more about food, art and cultures. Not only that, you can also relax and stay in different bed and breakfast.

Read: Viaje Del Sol List



We used to visit my grandmother in Victoria, Laguna every month and during our trip, we try to visit the places in Viaje del Sol map if we have extra time. But it’s been two years since our last visit in Victoria because my grandmother already moved to my aunt house. 

Natigil na yung Viaje del Sol trip namin. There are more places that I wanted to visit in Laguna, Batangas and Quezon but for now, let me share the places that we have visited so far.

Arabela Restaurant 

Arabela is the famous restaurant in Liliw, Laguna so if ever you will buy affordable slippers, shoes and other products in Liliw, don’t forget to try this restaurant. They serve pizza, pasta and salad. 

Read: Arabela

Villa Escudero

If you are looking for a place where to relax and unwind, I can recommend Villa Escudero. It is near in Metro Manila so having a day trip is not a problem. This is good for family trip. We have visited the place twice, check my review below. 

Villa Escudero 2010
Villa Escudero 2011

Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery 

Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery is one of the unique cemetery in the Philippines. We only saw this cemetery outside the gate since it was closed when we visited it, sarado siya nung Holy Week. 

Read: Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery

Lake Pandin 

Lake Pandin is also a nice place if you only have a day to relax. You will ride in bamboo raft, you can swim in the lake, drink coconut juice and have a feast if you avail their food package. 

Read: Lake Pandin

Cafe Lago 

Cafe Lago is a small restaurant near Sampaloc Lake. Parking is very limited, good thing we had an early lunch here so may nakuha pa kami na parking slot. 

Read: Cafe Lago 

Casa San Pablo

Casa San Pablo is a bed and breakfast in Laguna. You can choose day trip package or overnight package. My family chose day trip package, this includes room, food and use of amenities. 

Read: Casa San Pablo

Sitio De Amor 

Sitio de Amor is another bed and breakfast in Laguna. If you don’t want to avail overnight or day trip package, you can still visit the place if you just want to eat but be sure to make reservation. For day trippers, you can rent a room for 50%. our family stayed in their tree house. 

Read: Sitio De Amor

 I still have more places that I want to visit. I hope I can add more on this list.

Our family loves to travel but we always travel on a shoestring. It is very important that we stick to our budget so we won’t overspend the hard-earned money. Traveling may be costly but there are different ways that you can do in order to save. You can book cheap airfare, stay in budget hotels, bring snacks, DIY your trip and many more. 

Aside from the airfare, the next big chunk of your travel expense is accommodation. We all know that people have their own preference when it comes to accommodation but for a budget traveler like me, if the money is limited I will search for hostels, budget hotels or vacation rentals. 

Whenever you travel, all you need is a place to sleep so staying in a hostel or budget hotel is a nice way to save money. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know for sure that we already stayed in hostels and budget hotels in and out of the country. 



Speaking of the budget hotel, last Saturday our family had a complimentary stay in Hop Inn Makati. Hop Inn is a network of budget hotels in Thailand and Philippines. They have 28 hotels and two are located in the Philippines, one in Ermita, Manila and one in Makati Avenue. 



After our trip to Uptown Mall BGC, we went straight to Hop Inn Makati. We were lucky that we still got a parking slot. I think there are only 7 parking slots in front of the hotel, I’m not sure if they have other parking areas. There is a staff at the parking area who assisted us. He even asked for our things but my husband said, “isa lang naman, ako na magdadala”. Then he ushered us inside the hotel. 

It was almost 3PM so there a lot of people at the reception area. I patiently waited for my turn, I gave my ID and the staff asked me if I have reservation or walk-in? I signed the form and they gave me my key card and off we went to our room. 

Hop Inn has two room options which are Standard Double Room and Standard Twin Room. As of now, the introductory rate is P1720 net per room/night. The room comes with flat screen TV with cable channels, free wifi, aircon, personal safe, desk and chair, hot and cold shower, hairdryer, clothes rack, towels and lines, and complimentary bottled water. 

There are no free toiletries so don’t forget to bring one but just in case you forgot it, don’t worry because you can buy at the hotel. 

Soap P25 
Shampoo P10 
Conditioner P10 
Toothpaste P30 
Toothpaste P15 
Bottled Water P10 

As expected, the room is just small but it is clean. One thing that I don’t like in budget hotels is the bed and pillows, madalas yan matigas so I was surprised when I checked their bed and pillows, it is comfy. My husband who always stays in five-star hotels (business trip) also agreed with me. The room is good for 2 persons pero nagkasya naman kaming tatlo, hehehe! 





The bathroom is clean too and it has a bidet. The towels are soft din, mukhang bago pa. 



The hotel only offers basic accommodation, there is no restaurant so my husband went to Rufo’s Famous Tapa for our dinner. Walking distance lang siya from the hotel, I even saw Barrio Fiesta restaurant too. The nearest mall is Century City Mall. 



The location of the hotel is near the busy road so expect that you can hear the noise of the traffic.



Check-out time is 12NN but we left early so we can eat breakfast at home. I just gave my key card, then they checked the room and informed me that I can go. 



Service is good, the staffs are all approachable and smiling. The staff assisted us from parking and hanggang sa pag-uwi namin. If you are a budget traveler, backpackers or leisure traveler and you are looking for a budget-friendly hotel in Makati, you can check Hop Inn Hotel. It offers basic accommodation at an affordable rate. The hotel is not for family staycation since there is nothing to do here except sleep and watch TV. My son always looks forward to swimming pool and kid's play area. 

Check out for some vouchers from Booking.com which would help you get more deals and discount for your stay in Hotel HOP INN.

Hop Inn Makati
7806 Makati Avenue
Poblacion Makati City 1210