'What items can't you leave behind when you travel?'

The Sole Sisters have been asked this question many times so we decided to reveal what's in our travel packs. In fact, the Travel With-it Thursday series was started because of this. 

Aside from this series, we want to share our ultimate 5 travel essentials (We're addicted to lists). After revealing our top 5, we looked at each other and laughed. We just realized how totally different we are from each other!

Sole Sister Lois can't travel without...

We meet a lot of strangers while traveling. The guy sitting next to you on the bus, the couple you keep on running into at the temples, a fellow traveler who just happened to be going in the same direction. It’s always up to you if you dare strike up a conversation and even more so, if you want to keep in touch. I've found that travelers do indeed cross paths at one time or another. And if you’re lucky enough, it happens more often than you think!

Every now and then, I'll be writing about the people I’ve met while traveling and keep running into whether intentionally or by kismet. 

The first is about a couple I met while I was traveling solo to Koh Samui:

I'll find out tomorrow when I trek up to Sierra Bullones in Bohol, Philippines .

Catch up with you later,
Sole Sister Lois

I love my fierce heels. I love my 4inch-heel boots. I revel in the instant confidence I get when walking on my pointy, white pumps. I currently have 15 pairs of shoes in rotation. Oh ok, make that 20. Yep, you guessed it. I am a shoe-a-holic.

I am also a backpacker at heart.  This creates a conundrum because pointy shoes, 4 inch heels and budget travel just don't mix.

I was on the hunt for the perfect travel footwear, not just for myself but for the other Sole Sisters out there too. A shoe that's cute&chic (to wear with shorts or a dress) yet comfy enough for a day of sightseeing. Also, it should be light and won't take up too much room in our backpacks.

The Full Moon Party is a beach party in Haad Rin on the island of Koh Phangan, Thailand on the night of every full moon. I was told by it would be epic with around 10,000-50,000 people partying depending on the season. There would be fire dancing, exotic shows, booze by the bucket and even fire jump rope! It was certainly something I didn’t want to miss. Until I learned about the Black Moon Party, Half Moon Party.. It’s pretty much a party every night on these islands.

After booking tickets to get to Koh Pangan from Koh Samui, I still wasn't sure what to expect. Nothing could have prepared me for Full Moon Party night. It's as crazy as they say it is. I’m sharing a few things every sole sister should know before going.

(Warning: Please use discretion when viewing the next photos.)

Ayutthaya was a city founded by King U Thong in 1350 and was proclaimed capital of his kingdom. It was one of the world's largest cities at that time. But by 1767 it was destroyed by the Burmese army and now the city lays in ruins. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

* This is the 5th post in the series: Chichi's 7k Extreme Challenge.

5 days. 2 Palawan cities: Puerto Princesa and El Nido. 7k budget - inclusive of  accommodation, food&drinks, island hopping tours and all land transportation. That was the Sole Sister challenge.

Last week, I revealed the results of my challenge. Read about it here.


P7,282.00 for a 5-day Palawan vacation wasn't too bad when you consider that:

• Palawan is big. In fact it spans 5,656.3 sq mi and is the largest province in the country according to my friend Wiki. Therefore...
• Travel in between regions is NOT cheap. We had covered 2 regions in this trip: Puerto Princesa and El Nido.
• The Underground River tour costs upwards of P1,500 per person
• El Nido island hopping tours are in between P1,500-2,000 per day for a group of 4pax

How did I manage to spend less than P7.3k ($166) for a 5-day trip?

After my EPIC Failure on the Thailand challenge, I wrote down everything I've learned from the experience so I can share it with you guys. Travel need not be expensive. In fact, it can be pretty affordable especially for tightwads like the Sole Sisters.

Here are a few things to get you started:

Back in April of this year, I was in Thailand for the Songkran water festival in Chiang Mai. Less than 5 months later, these itchy soles are back again with new places to explore. This time, I explored Bangkok and the island of Koh Samui for a 9-day trip. Why do I keep coming back? Check out the things that made me go AHHHHH in Ah-mazing Thailand:

1 The Food

I'll sum it up in 3 words: delicious, cheap and spicy! This is just a quick bite.I'm posting more photos of food in a separate entry. Great food was in abundance and that warrants its own post.

We're taking a break from regular broadcasting and touching on a totally unrelated topic from traveling. For 3 main reasons: first because we're Filipinos; second, because we're women and lastly, because we're pissed.

By Anna

For the longest time, Senator Edcel Lagman has been trying to pass into law the Reproductive Health Bill of the Philippines. The RH bill  is a national and comprehensive bill that aims to promote natural and modern family planning methods for sustainable human development. For the longest time, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippine (CBCP) is constant in it's stand against the RH bill stating that it is pro-abortion and that artifical contraceptives are against Church teachings.

Carlos Celdran has always been vocal about his support for the RH bill. He's even known to hand out condoms at the end of his 'Walk This Way' tours.