14 Years of Just Wandering

It seems just like yesterday that I wrote about the blog turning 11 years. Here we are, three years later, still wandering, but not quite the same way as before.

In 2018 I registered Just Wandering Tours, my tour business based in Bulusan, Sorsogon. I had it in my mind to settle in Bulusan, and this cemented it. I specialize in offering customized tours of Bulusan and around Sorsogon, highlighting the province’s natural beauty and patronizing community-run tourism enterprises.

However, I still divide my time between Manila and Bulusan. This was the year I was planning on staying there longer, but COVID-19 happened and here I am, stuck in Manila.

To be honest, I’m not minding it that much. My family needs me here during this time, and I’m honestly not minding my better internet connection here.

Still, it sucks. I’ve just listed my kubo on Airbnb and was looking forward to touring friends around this summer, but that’s not happening. My sole travel plan this June is not happening either and as much as I want to travel by November, I’m not confident of that happening either.

We underestimated the coronavirus. There’s just no beating around the bush about that. The low mortality rates reported from China holds true for most part, but the highly contagious nature of the disease was something that we didn’t fully understand until it was in our community.

So now we’re all not traveling. To say I am feeling cooped up is an understatement. I really miss going out to meet with friends and enjoy delicious food, but this quarantine shows us that we can still connect with people online and the great food we miss? We can either order them online and have them delivered. If not, we can learn how to cook them. So far, I’ve learned to bake bread, cook a new noodle dish, discovered the secrets of cooking with coconut milk. I even begun to start craving cookies and even bake them.

We are living in a new normal where we maintain physical distance with people when we are outside, where our movements are limited to our neighborhood in the meantime, where we are not sure when it will be safe to travel again.

But this is also the time that we can recalibrate, do the things we’ve also put off for not having the time, for learning new skills and attending online seminars that are usually scheduled when you have other plans.

This is testing our will and it’s definitely taking a toll on our economy. But life continues and it’s up to you how you want to rise up to the challenge. Do you just complain endlessly about the situation that you have no control over or do you do something that you have control over?

Just like this blog that is still up and running despite the sporadic updates, I will keep on. If you are still following this blog and my ramblings, thank you. I really appreciate all of your support throughout the years. My most recent updates are over on Instagram, if you want to keep following.