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Hello and goodbye, Guam
“Hafa adai,” Ivan said as we stepped off the Continental Airlines plane that took us from stormy Manila to sunny Guam. Still shaking off the cobwebs in my head, I replied with an eloquent “huh?” “Hafa adai,” he repeated. “Ah yeah, we practically lost half a day traveling.” “No, I meant hafa adai,” Ivan said…
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My US Visa Interview Experience
On the early morning of May 3, I found myself on the side walk outside the US Embassy in Manila, bewildered by the number of people waiting to enter the embassy. It’s not the number that shocked me actually (I know there’s always hundreds of people lined up outside the embassy), it’s the suits and…
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What’s in my bag?
Yes, even more things I stuff in my already overstuffed backpack! Here are the travel gear that I try not to leave at home when I go off to wander. Sunblock Nice product placement, yes?
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My Bulusan
Bulusan is not my hometown but my parent’s. I was born in Quezon City and save for the 3 years I lived in Makati, I’ve lived here all my life. Dulipay river My first trips were to Bulusan. When I was young, the family will make the epic 14-hour journey to this small town in…
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The joys of a staycation
This is an advertorial It’s the same thing every year: while everybody is heading out of the city for some much needed holiday during Holy Week, I willingly (sort of) opt to stay in Manila. It’s more like I have no choice – I work for an American client and we follow the US holidays.…
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Around the world with 40 Lonely Planet Bloggers
One of the big things that happened to me last year was my acceptance to the Lonely Planet Blogsherpa program. Basically, we’re a pool of bloggers from around the world and our posts are featured on lonelyplanet.com. Then came the e-book… Today, 40 Lonely Planet travel bloggers come together as a group to release their…
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Five years
It’s been five years. When I started this blog back in 2006, I never thought just how far I’d take it. Heck, when I decided to travel five year ago, I never thought how far I’d go. The goal was simply to travel to Thailand on my own. I ended up going to Australia, Singapore,…
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So why travel solo?
Most of you who regularly reads my blog already know my story: hit hard by the quarter-life crisis, decided to travel instead of going up the corporate ladder (because there is no corporate ladder to climb) or getting married and settling down (because there’s no interest. At the moment.) I’m sure you’re sick of my…
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