Robert and Jetro

 
They were followed by Roel Chan, ROX’s main guy, who taught us the basics of packing. He showed us different kinds of luggages, organizing your things using packing cubes, what to pack depending on the type of trip, the duration and the weather. Most of the stuff he featured in his talk are available at the Travel Club and at ROX.

Roel demonstrating North Face’s trolley bag that converts to a backpack and has a detachable daypack. And did I mention it has shiny red pole thingies? I want.

 
Back to backpacking, during their 3-month trip, Robert was kept busy sketching everything he sees, while Jetro does the same, only with a camera. The scenes they captured can now be seen through their book, Robert Alejandro’s The Sketching Backpacker and Jetro Rafael’s Backpack Photos (which is a nifty postcard book). Each book sells for Php 395 and Php 295 respectively, available at The Travel Club and ROX.

Backpack Photos and The Sketching Backpacker

 
The session at Trinoma continues this afternoon with a Travel Sketching workshop for beginners and a Travel Photography workshop for beginners headed by the two intrepid travelers, starting at 4pm at Trinoma’s Cinema Lobby. The same round of session repeats the next two weekends, the 18th & 19th at the R.O.X. store at Bonifacio High Street and the 25th and 26th at Alabang Town Center. To register, send your name, mobile number, e-mail address and workshop date to pinoybackpacking@yahoo.com or you can SMS it to 0926-6933783. For inquiries, head on to the ROX Multiply site. Oh, and if you’re going, be sure to pick up a copy of their printed schedule. There’s a good packing list at the reverse side.

These books can be yours.

 
Want an autographed copy of Backpack South East Asia and Some Parts of China by Robert A. Alejandro or Backpack Photos by Jetro B. Rafael? Stay tuned, because Justwandering.org will be launching a contest real soon!

Leo Oracion Everest Expedition Slideshow
The first Filipino on Everest is sharing his story of triumph atop the world’s highest peak at the Recreational Outdoor Exchange (R.O.X.) in Bonifacio High Street on June 19 at 7 o’clock in the evening.

Admission is free. More details available at R.O.X.’s multiply.

Dialogues at Starbucks
Conversations and coffee go well together, don’t you agree? Starbucks is starting their Dialogues series next week. Enjoy coffee-fueled (what?) discussions on relevant topics facilitated by noted key-speakers.

June 21, 4PM : Starbucks Coffee Silver City (near Tiendesitas)
(featuring Anton Diaz and the WeeWillDoodle team)

June 28, 4PM : Starbucks Coffee Harbor Square (CCP Complex)
(featuring Dr. William Oliver of Fauna and Flora International)

July 5, 4PM : Starbucks Coffee 6750
(featuring Ivan Henares, Kidlat de Guia and JP Tanchanco)

Source: flipflopping my way around town

During last Saturday’s sneak preview of the Dialogues, JP Tanchanco discusses what makes man (or woman) happy. He and four other people traveled around the Philippines looking for the answer.

For the first time, diverse Pinoys from around the country unite in answering the ultimate life question: “Are you Happy?” The film answers this question as it opens us to the greatness and beauty of the Philippines through the diverse lives we live. It tackles tourism, nation-building and empowerment from a personal, fresh, adventurous and spirited perspective.

The travelogue is an up-beat MTV-style-take on tourism showcasing the regions through the very people who make the popular destinations of the archipelago what they are, carrying the slogan: “The Beauty of the Philippines is found in the life and heart of each individual Pinoy…”

First to speak are newlyweds Gabby and Mench Dizon. They are both avid travelers, and to finance their upcoming Morocco trip, they decided to make a different kind of wedding registry. Instead of setting up a registry with Rustan’s, they put up their honeymoon itinerary in their wedding site, www.manilatomorocco.com. Friends and family can just pick out the activities they want to pledge for as wedding gifts to the couple.

Gabby and Mench have so far been successful at getting their activities pledged for!

Nice idea, eh? So far they were able to raise 75% of their trip budget, and looking forward to raising the remaining 25% before the trip in October.

The next speaker was student and travel blogger, Ivan Henares. Ever the true traveler, Ivan has just arrived that day from Spain, and is preparing for his next flight out of the country. He shared his tips on how to save money on airfares: sign up for airline’s mailing lists to avail of heavily discounted fares. When choosing a destination, he recommends going to the Unesco World Heritage Sites. There are five in the Philippines: the Baroque Churches (San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila; Church of La Nuesta Senora de la Asuncion in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur; Church of San Agustin in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, and; Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva in Miag-ao, Iloilo), the Historic Town of Vigan, Ilocos Sur, the Rice Terraces of the Philippines in Cordillera (Batad, Bangaan, Mayoyao, Nagacadan, and Hungduan), the Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park and the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park, both in Palawan.

The last two were Robert Alejandro and Jetro Rafael. Both Robert and Jetro went on a backpacking trip a couple of years ago through Southeast Asia and China. Jetro wasn’t really happy with his job anymore, and as fate would have it, an e-mail came in that (sort of) changed his life. The sender asked if he wanted to go to 9 countries with only Php45,000. Together with Robert, they met with the original writer of the e-mail, a guy who turned out to have already done it, and just wanted to do it again. For three months they traveled from Manila to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Luang Prabang, Vientiene, Siem Reap, Phnom Phen, Ho Chi Minh, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hanoi, Nanning, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzen, Macau and Hong Kong. They took all forms of cheap transport: budget airlines, trains (in lower class cabins), public busses, and slow boats. They slept in hostels, and made friends from all over the world. Traveling cheap IS possible, and fun to boot.

Now R.O.X. asks, How do we create a backpacking community? There are established online communities of backpackers online: Thorn Tree forums, Bootsnall, CouchSurfing. In the Philippines, however, there’s none. Ivan says it’s because there’s no established backpacking trail in the Philippines.

I guess it’s because we’re still in the process of realizing that we can travel without spending a lot of money. Years ago, traveling has pretty much been the realm of the rich and the overseas worker. Nowadays, thanks to budget carriers, it’s easier and cheaper to travel domestically and even internationally. Thanks to the internet, it’s also so much easier to research destinations and book transportation and accomodation ahead of time.

One of the attendees remarked that when you say backpacker, the image is usually that of a male traveler. She asked Mench for tips on backpacking as a woman. Having traveled solo, and having meet other solo female travelers, it’s surprising to hear this statement. Actually, from experience, when locals learn that I’m traveling solo, they become more concerned about my safety than I am about my own. Well, whether you’re a guy or a girl traveling, always be alert and use your common sense. You don’t necessarily have to distrust every local you came across (they’re not all trying to scam you), but at the same time, be mindful of where you are.

Back to the question, how do we create a backpacking community? The talk is actually a great start. Another would be to provide information of possible places to go, as well as itineraries and estimate budget. Another would be to organize group trips, where people can sign up and get a first hand experience on how to travel on a shoestring budget.

I’d think of a couple more ways, but my head is now filled with thoughts of backpacking through Asia I can’t concentrate. Have to plan for next year!