A Day of Adventure and Leisure for P 1,000

Desperate times call for desperate measures. As travel is a part of my life which I cannot let go, I will travel even when faced with the challenge of having to do it with a limited budget. In this case, I challenge myself to limit it at P 1,000.

Even with a mere P 1,000 budget, I will do the things that will make me happiest. I am going to climb a mountain, and the best part of it? I will be able to indulge in my favorite food on a very scenic location. What's the game plan?

Allow me to share to you my idea of a perfect trip if ever I only have  to use P 1,000 to travel.

I will head to Nasugbu, Batangas, and pursue a dayhike at Mt. Batulao. Since we had been there before and since the three of us are used to climbing mountains without a guide, we will just pursue the dayhike on our own.

Mt. Batulao, Nasugbu, Batangas

After the climb, we will head to Tagaytay and dine at Josephine Restaurant. I will have to convince my two friends to do it with me on a KKB basis but I will pay for the bulalo, my ultimate favorite, worth P 480.00. Since we just recently experienced dining at Josephine Restaurant, I can make accurate cost details should we dine here again.

I could still indulge in my favorite Josephine's bulalo even if the budget is limited!

Following is the summary of the expenses for Mt. Batulao dayhike + dining at Josephine Restaurant

Fare computation:

• trike - P 8.00 (assuming there's no flood in our dear Venice err Valenzuela)
• jeep - P 14.00
• LRT - P 15.00 (Monumento to EDSA)
• bus - P 106.00 (Pasay to Evercrest)
• tricycle - P 20.00 (Evercrest to jump-off)
• jeep - P 20.00 (Evercrest to Josephine Restaurant Tagaytay)
• jeep - P 8.00 (Josephine Restaurant Tagaytay to bus terminal)
• bus - P 77 (Tagaytay to Pasay)
• LRT - P 15.00 (EDSA to Monumento)
• jeep - P 14.00
• trike - P 10.00
• TOTAL  FARE = P 307.00

Mt. Batulao Hike Expenses:

• registration fee = P 20.00
• use of CR (in front of Evercrest) = P 20.00
• TOTAL HIKE EXPENSE = P 40.00

Josephine Restaurant Expense:

• bulalo = P 480
• mango juice = P 80
• steamed rice = P 70/3 = P 24/head
• 10% service charge = P 58.00/head
• TOTAL FOOD EXPENSE = P 642

GRAND TOTAL = P 989.00

Hence, I will be successful in having a day of adventure and leisure for P 1,000. Since I am a thrill-seeker, the thrilling part here is not to lose even a wee amount of money in the process. With P 1,000 plus prayer and vigilance, this mad combination of adventure and leisure could be accomplished. Think positive! P 1,000 could still have a long way to go!

Notes:

1. The fare expenses could further be cut depending on where you're coming from. This might be an extreme scenario because I'm from the Northernmost part of Metro Manila.

2. Should you choose to avail of a guide in Mt. Batulao, prevailing guide fee is P 300/group.

3. Bulalo is one of the most expensive items in Josephine Restaurant's menu and the serving is good for 3 persons. Rice serving is also good for 3 persons.

Added Tip: If you want to challenge yourself further and set an even lower limit to your travel budget, you could just pursue a day hike and dine on Mt. Batulao's summit with take-out food from the carinderia fronting Evercrest. This would only cost you P 400!

This is my entry to the "Pinoy Travel Bloggers' Blog Carnival" with the theme "Where Would You Travel Given a P 1,000 Budget" hosted by yours truly. Please do check it out and see more helpful and creative tips from your dear travel bloggers.