If I counted my days right, April 9th would be the 100th day of 2008. My, has it been one hundred days already? Summer is already in full swing, and soon, the rains will come and it’d be Christmas again. The year has been pretty good so far. I didn’t get to travel as much as I hoped, mainly due to schedule and budget constraints, but I do know that I had fun the past 99 days.
Unlike last year, I ushered in the new year in Manila. I made it my goal to see more of the Philippines this year, and I like to think that I have made some progress. I’ve also made plans to see a couple more places in the coming months.
Something I never thought I would ever do in 2008: go clubbing. And get drunk.
2008 Travel Goals
I listed six places in my travel goals for 2008: Donsol, Legaspi; Tagaytay; Bauan, Batangas; Corregidor, Bataan; Camarines Sur, and; Palawan, Dumaguete or Davao. I pushed through with my Donsol butanding watching trip last February despite the heavy rains, flash floods and landslides that scared off my other travel companions. It was a good thing I still went because I was able to swim with the whale shark.
I was also able to finally go to Tagaytay last February, though I never got around to blogging about it yet. We went to the Tagaytay Picnic Grove, then did the touristy thing and went to the Taal volcano. We finished off with an awesome bowl of bulalo at Leslie’s overlooking the Taal Lake.
With Tanja and Owen at the Amor Farm Beach Resort restaurant in Donsol
I’ve yet to go to Bauan, Batangas, but thanks to Columbia Sportswear, I ended up going up Mt. Daguldol in San Juan, Batangas. I’ve been wanting to go to Laiya beach, since I keep on reading about it over at the Girltalk forums. Well, I’ve been there, and I doubt if I’ll go back to that beach.
Four months into 2008 and I am feeling a bit tired about traveling. I don’t know why but I seem to be lacking the passion I felt when I was researching about the trips I made in 2006. I still get excited about the prospect of a new adventure, but I am sort of missing the fervor I had studying each information I can get about the places I plan on visiting. I guess I’m more relaxed about traveling now? Maybe, maybe.
Dimsum lunch with CouchSurfing Manila members Florian, Zara, Rebi and CS Manila Ambassador Ronnie at Chinatown
Highlights of 2008 so far
The definite highlights of 2008 are the people I met. I am really quite anti-social, and I’m surprised that I am making an effort to connect with people. If 2006 was about traveling solo, this year it’s about traveling with a group. I went with my family to Tagaytay. Owen organized the Donsol trip where I made friends with Tanja from Germany, Patrick from France, Barry and Luisa from the Netherlands. Then there was the Angono tour courtesy of Havila, where I was able to spend the day with Eric, Arpee and Noreen, Markku, Ivan, and the Our Awesome Planet family, Anton, Rache and Aidan. Then there’s my most recent trip with AJ, Ferdz, Phoebe, Jayvee and Dino.
Kalye Pinky members having too much fun with a Polaroid
Though not a trip out of town, one of the memorable interactions I had this year was that lunch at Market! Market! with Eric, Fritz, Jeff, Benj, Karlo and Juned, where Fritz, Eric and I wallowed in shared misery and indignation over our very bitter defeat. There’s also that Chinatown food trip, my first CouchSurfing Manila meet up with Ronnie, Zara, Rebi and Florian. Not to forget my fabulous doll friends: Rotch, Khursten, Yue, Kaoko, Cla, Chris and Joey. Then there’s that very salty party at Ming’s place when Paul came to visit on Chinese New Year with Mela, Anna D, Amanda, Argee, Peter, Ryan, Max and Jason. And all those Puri Kura moments…
Puri Kura is love
What’s to come
So what’s to look forward to in JustWandering? I might do one more post on the hiking trip, then move on to the Angono series, which I skipped. I would also be writing about our Taal Volcano experience. Then a couple of guest posts, which will take us out of Asia and into Africa.
As for my life offline, I’m going to keep on exploring Metro Manila. Maybe I should do what AJ did and ride around without any definite destination. Hmmmmmm… I’m also making sure I get to visit at least ONE place I listed in my poll. Boracay, Palawan or Basilan? Maybe all three? We’ll see 
Posted on April 9, 2008
Filed under Word Vomit
Tags: first quarter review, kalye pinky, puri kura, travel buddies, travel plans
Visited 2622 times, 2 so far today
I’m looking forward to your Mt. Taal post! I learned about Taal last year when a group of kids at school put together a presentation about it as part of our science unit on volcanoes.
“misery and indignation over our very bitter defeat,” still breaks my heart my heart every time *sniff*
OLOLOLOLOLOL. More power lunches please!
I’m sure there will be more travel for bloggers in the coming months so be prepared! Mag-ipon na ng VL at SL. Hehehe.
David: I’m not actually looking forward to writing that because it wasn’t such a positive experience.
Fritz: Ah, I can still remember his prize winning photo. *cringe* I swear, that contest turned me off the organizer forever
Markku: Really? *channels Mr. Burns* Excellent. Mwahahaha!
Travel fatigue? But it’s just summer!
Maybe a you oughta go somewhere that’s really undiscovered.
That does the trick most of the time.
Cedsaid: Well, considering that I spent practically half of 2007 out of the country, I am quite content staying at home. Don’t get me wrong, I have a couple of planned trips this year, but I feel more relaxed about it, instead of worrying endlessly about each detail of the trip. Maybe it’s just old age. Haha. But yes, I need to go somewhere exotic and new. Any suggestions?
Hi Nina! Di ka nag enjoy sa San Juan? Why? I’ve been to Laiya too and satisfied naman ako. anung resort pinuntahan nyo? sa blue coral kami
nandun pa nga ibang stars ng gma 7 eh heheheh 
Basilan sounds exciting ! ;-)
Indeed, you can’t complain… looks like you spend those 99 days traveling around the Philippines.
“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.”
- Bill Bryson-
i thought i was already reading a year’s summary of travels. even with the first 100 days, it seems, dami mo na na puntahan.
Dyanie: Actually we didn’t stay sa resort, dun lang talaga sa beach. We went to the area near La Luz (dun sa may malaking bato). Well for one thing, yung sand nila was mostly pebbles and yung unang area na pinagswimmingan namin was full of big rocks na may sharp edges so sugat sugat ko
Sidney: Indeed it is! My friend and I already have plans to go there this June
Estan: Madami na ba yun? Onti pa yan!
Well if its any indication of what’s coming ahead, I think the first 100 days looks great. Dami mo ring naging activity at lakad. Tama ba narinig ko ke Markku? mas madami pang lakad? hahaha
Looking forward for the next 265 days then
Kamusta naman ang bitter defeat! hehe
Happy 100!
Ferdz: Hehe, mukha nga! Looking forward to our next trip Ferdz!
Benj: Nyahahaha, eto, bitter pa rin. I totally forgot to ask Jester to pose “the pose” dun sa Haiku during the Spot.ph food tour
[...] seemed at the beginning of the year that I’ve lost the desire to travel. Well, it’s there, it’s just that unlike the previous years, I was more laid back. [...]
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