I had not written in this blog for two years. Let me explain why there was a long period of not writing. Besides getting in and out of a relationship, I suddenly had an explosion of traveling to many different places. It was more of experiencing so many things and not taking the time to sit down and write about them.
And that is a shame. So below is a summary, an attempt to encapsulate what I had seen these past 2 years and hoping, here’s hoping it inspires you.
- Travel is not just a dream. It can be reality.
There is no excuse for you to just continue sitting on your couch and moaning how boring life is. We live in an awesome world. Think how many things you could be experiencing right now if you just go out and get it.
I have a Philippine passport. That restricts me to traveling to a 100 or so countries. I need a visa to travel to most of Europe, US, Australia, Korea, Japan, New Zealand and other places. I need to do a lot of paperwork and they make it difficult for us to apply for a visa to travel to those places. I also don’t have a very high monthly income. Did that stop me?
Nope.
I’ve now been to those countries except for Europe and New Zealand (coming soon!). What drives me to visit as many places as I can is seeing my grandparents unable to climb the Great Wall of China because of their age. Sure you can save money and finally get to visit your dream place when you retire – that is the safest option and that’s what everyone tells you- and it might happen. But what is inevitable is that you won’t be able to enjoy it fully with your 70 year old bones. Heck, my 40 year old office mate keeps complaining about climbing the stairs to our office—and yes, she did skip the Great Wall in China and bungee jumping in New Zealand.
Achieving my dream of seeing Taj Mahal, India
Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, Japan. This is where I got the best sushi ever!
- Travel can open up your mind. You think you know the world? Think again.
A Hindu community lives in this chilly part of Bromo, Indonesia.
I took a photo of these lovely kids in Xinjiang Province, China. They look Central Asian but no, they’re Chinese.
Cowboy culture in Moron, Mongolia. One of the last and few places that totally captures the free spirit of the Wild Wild West.
Strolling aimlessly by the road, I found this Che Guevara establishment in where else but in Yangon, Burma.
Seeing and touching snow for the first time in Minnesota, USA. I had no idea it would look like shaved ice.
- Experience over buying things. Iphones come and go, computer models go obsolete but memories? They last forever. Would you rather stay in your house and watch your brand new plasma T.V. and play your Xbox or would you rather –
– scuba dive the world’s largest coral reef system a.k.a. Great Barrier Reef of Australia?
– paraglide amidst the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal? (My guide and I took this photo of my friend Shirley while we were riding the air currents from above. Terrifying!)
– go on a camel ride on the sand dunes of Mongolia? (here’s my friend David with the prettiest camel of the bunch).
– catch a beautiful sunrise amidst 2,600 temples in Burma?
- It’s about meeting new friends and spending time with the old. It’s about forming memories and friendships that would last a lifetime.
my best friend, Dbau and I in one of our best trips in Burma
This is our tour group shivering in front of our Russian van in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia. Spending all those days in the desert without mobile phones, T.V. or internet gave us more chances to talk about our lives and spend time with each other.
5. And finally, just live life. We live in a beautiful world.
Whitsundays in Australia
Swim with the biggest fish in the world- the whale shark in the Philippines (photo from Lovely Adventures)
Marvel in the glitziest area in the world- Times Square, New York City.
Be awestruck in one of the most beautiful monuments in the world- Hagia Sofia in Turkey (Bucket list!). Photo from Istanbul Tours
Skydive in New Zealand (photo courtesy of Scoop)
See the glaciers in the Roof the World, Tibet
See the world’s largest mirror in the Salt Marsh of Bolivia (photo from Beautiful Places). I so badly want to see this.
For “the World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine
Free your wanderlust. Happy Travels!
Except for pictures I provided a link to, all photos are from my album. Please kindly link to this site if you want to use them. Thanks!
You might like to read:
How to Make an Easy Travel Itinerary
How to Prepare for your Trip the Lazy Way
Live Out of the Box 
Being with no 1 is better than being with the wrong 1. Sometimes those who fly solo have the strongest wings. WMC
Agree. But I learn later in life, it’s often fun to have a good travel buddy. But yeah, I’d rather travel by myself than have an awful travel partner