Ang Dabawenyo

Ang Dabawenyo will be flying to Manila again, and the trip will be related to blogging again. Only recently I was in the nation’s capital for iBlog4, but I didn’t stay long enough to enjoy the respite. This time I’ll be staying for a few extra nights.

I’d expected that a friend of mine in Makati would put me up for the week, but that’s not going to happen after all. So, I thought I’d just look for an inexpensive hotel or inn. Come to think of it, it’s a whole lot better to not have to impose on anyone — and to avoid having to adjust either.

My flight is this Monday, and I found out about my sudden lack of accommodation only today. As I’d never had to stay very often in hotels in Manila, I had no idea where to book. Well, I got my airline ticket via the Cebu Pacific online reservation system, so why not do the same for a hotel room?

Seeing TripAdvisor and Kayak.com come out all the time on my Google Ads, I decided to check them out for ideas of hotel rates and accommodations facilities. You see, I didn’t want to go to big-name hotels, because I’m on a budget here. Both online travel-agency-type sites, however, couldn’t find a suitable place for me.

There’s another one, HotelsCombined.com, which I’m now using to try and look for budget hotels in Makati. I like their interface, and the fact that they have online booking. Sadly, though, they only list “Manila” and all the properties fall under that. I find that I can’t do a more refined geographical search over there.

But I did find an inn in Quezon City through HotelsCombined, and I didn’t see this in the other sites.

I haven’t decided yet, though. I just might end up staying with relatives…

Anyway, the purpose of my Manila trip is to set WordCamp Philippines in motion. I’ll be meeting with collaborators and sponsors, as well as do a visual inspection of the venue.