#25AdventuresTo25Years Calaguas Island: Are We There Yet?

“This beach better be worth it,” we keep on muttering to ourselves, cramped in a 40-seater banca along with other strangers on our way to Mahabang Buhangin in Calaguas. Calaguas is a group of Islands located within the jurisdiction of Vinzons Town in Camarines Norte. Over the years, it has gained popularity for its long-island beaches. 
 

For this trip, I was with my college friend and roommate, Ela, her sister, Ate Tin, and some of Ate Tin’s colleagues. 

You cannot blame our bickering. We just spent sixteen freaking hours on the road going to Camarines Norte.

And that was only the beginning.

#25AdventuresTo25Years: The Rural Rawness of Gibitngil Island

#25AdventuresTo25Years is a salute to the people who and places that matter. As I celebrate my 25th year this month in this beautiful world, I remember the most memorable places, blissful memories, and amazing adventures that left an indelible mark on my existence.  Here's to more travels! See you on the road! :) 

Let me tell you of one of life’s cruelest ironies I have ever seen: a land surrounded by the vast ocean where residents don’t have access to water. Does it even make sense? 

I’ve come to realize that while there are breathtaking places that would leave you awed and thankful, there are also some that would open your eyes to the harsh reality that life is, sometimes, really unfair. 

Gibitngil Island is one of those. 

#25AdventuresTo25Years: Sagada: Where Broken Hearts, Lost Souls, and Extreme Adventurers Go

#25AdventuresTo25Years is a salute to the people who and places that matter. As I celebrate my 25th year this month in this beautiful world, I remember the most memorable places, blissful memories, and amazing adventures that left an indelible mark on my existence.  Here's to more travels! See you on the road! :) 

It was like taking a free fall. Without knowing how high the jump is; without knowing what’s waiting for you down there; without knowing when you would be pushed. It was just about embracing the leap along with the consequences it would bring.

Rice Terraces of Sagada

That glorious sunrise up north

I Saw the Sun in Nacpan

So, you already know that I’m clearly obsessed with this little corner of paradise in the Philippines called El Nido, right? Think of your idea of an island paradise—turquoise, glistening waters, white sand, limestone karsts and cliffs carved to perfection, amazing beaches and lagoons—yes, that’s El Nido!

Just when I thought I couldn’t be floored even more, El Nido surprised me (yet again!) on my third visit.

Travel Taiwan: How to Apply for a Taiwan Tourist Visa

If my special someone was not deployed to Taiwan, I would never thought of visiting the country this early in my life. In my travel priority list prior to him working in the land of milk tea and night markets, Taiwan was nowhere to be found. Today, I have visited the country twice (first time in November 2013 then on May 2014) and currently planning my third one (set on Chinese New Year 2015). Hurray for seat sales!

Well, the wanderlust fairy must have something in store for me and I’m just glad that I discovered the many thrills of traveling in Taiwan—lots of unique yet cheap finds, places teeming with culture and tradition, the beauty of nature, one of the most hospitable people in the planet, and the culinary wonders. Oh joy!

But before setting foot in Taiwan to experience all these, we, Filipinos, have to go through the hurdles of applying for a visa.

Travel Truths: The 15 Truths I Know About El Nido

 Travel Truths is a series about facts, practical tips, awesome advices, and plain truths I know of a place based on first-hand experience.

Judging from the love letter I have written for El Nido, you must have known by now how crazy I am for this little corner of paradise. Simply put, this place wowed me to the core!

I was blown away the first time I went there in 2012. Fast forward to 2014, on my third visit, nothing has changed—I’m still completely awe-struck about El Nido. That thing they told you about a place losing its magic after your first visit? This holds no truth about El Nido (at least in my case and that of many others).

A Love Letter to El Nido

Dear El Nido,

As I write this, I am in my office desk, in front of my laptop and piles of papers, about 260 miles away from you. I may be here physically but my heart is beating for you.

No one and nothing prepared me for your breathtaking beauty. I first laid eyes on you in 2012. Two years, two succeeding epic trips, four butt-numbing, 6-hour bus rides and a thousand infinite moments after, I’m still on a high about you. You blew my mind like nothing else did.

Two different moments. One fleeting feeling. Photo on the right was taken during my first visit to El Nido in November 2012. The other one was in July 2013.