Almost 26 And About to Fulfill One of My Greatest Travel Dreams

October 30, 2015
1:53 AM (Philippine Time) 

Exactly 29 days from today, I'll be celebrating my 26th birthday. In less than ten hours, I will find myself stepping foot on a new continent—one that has been floating in my travel dreams since I was a teenager.

Tales of the Haunted: A Different Kind of Chill in Baguio City

As we opened our van’s windows to take a peek into the abandoned, locked property in front of us—the former site of the infamous Hyatt Hotel that was devastated in the 1990 earthquake—we knew it was not just the famed cold Baguio City weather that made the hairs on our skin go up and our spines chill a little. It was something else—something unexplainably and eerily ominous. After all, this was no ordinary stroll around the summer capital of the Philippines.

Girl Chasing Sunshine: The Sisterhood of the World Bloggers' Award

Photo by Julia Caesar 

You know what I like best about blogging? I get to connect with like-minded people from halfway around the globe who share the same longing and eagerness to explore the rest of the world! They are also some of the most hardworking and supportive people I've ever met. 

About a month ago, Jackie from the Globetrotting Teacher surprised me with a nomination for The Sisterhood of the World Bloggers’ Award. If you want to learn how to use miles to travel more miles, go and indulge on her travel stories. Thank you so much again, Jackie!

The Sisterhood of the World Bloggers’ Award, which recognizes the unique voices of women bloggers, is usually peer-nominated, given by a female blogger to another female blogger, as a way of getting to know each other.

Exploring the Night Markets in Taichung: Fengjia Night Market and Yizhong Street

When the last rays of the sun blur the skies, Taiwan transforms into an outrageously bustling city filled with endless streams of people, infinite culinary wonders, and affordable shopping finds. 

Welcome to the night markets in Taiwan!  

Anyone would tell you that a trip to this island country would never be complete without visiting its infamous night markets. If you are after a truly authentic experience, head over to the night markets in Taichung. Home to the largest night market in Taiwan and the original bubble milk tea, you’ll surely go crazy, like I did, over the variety of cheap yet quality choices—both in fashion and food—in the night markets in Taichung. 

30 Reasons Why Traveling with Your Best Friend Is One of Life’s Most Amazing Experiences

Editor's Note: This post is for one of my best friends and best travel buddies of all time who celebrates her 25th birthday today, July 10. To you, Eury, here's to chasing your sunshine! 

One of the most astounding and exhilarating trips that you will take in your life is a trip with your best friend. Traveling brings an entirely new wonder into your life; you journey through various cultures, new places, strange faces, and distinct tastes. It’s true what they say: it matters who you take those journeys with. 

Indeed, travel takes on a deeper meaning when shared with someone who feels exactly the same way you do about seeing the world. After all, there’s a reason why we call them our BEST friend. The best adventures must be taken with only the best people in our life.

Fortunately, there’s this girl I can always travel with and have fun with despite the mishaps and misadventures. 

I call her my best friend.

30 Wanderlust-Inducing Travel Picture Quotes to Inspire You to Just Go

Every once in a while, we need a sweet reminder to spark our wanderlust. And there’s nothing as inspiring as and more powerful than reading the perfect quote that seems to leap out of a page, as if it had been written especially for you, beckoning you to see the world. 

Often, these quotes resonate with us because they stoke our inner longing to travel or they bring back fond memories. Whatever it is, certainly it is one of life's simple joys to find the right words that our wandering hearts and restless souls exactly feel about life, adventures, travel, and experiencing the world. 

So here you go: Coupled with some of my favorite photos from my travels, here are 30 wanderlust-inducing travel quotes to inspire you, once and for all, to just go.

Sweet Serenity: Staying at Buri Resort and Spa, Puerto Galera

Updated 07 July 2017

You would be surprised to know that despite having been to various provinces around the Philippines and some countries in Asia, I have never been to Puerto Galera.

Puerto Galera is one of the most-visited beach destinations near Metro Manila. It’s touted as a mini-version of Boracay not just because of it overdeveloped beaches but because it’s also notorious as a wild party destination. That reputation has stuck on me and that’s why I’ve never longed to visit Puerto Galera.

Not until I came across Buri Resort and Spa.

Travel Thoughts: Possibilities

Make it happen. Chase your sunshine. It’s now or never. Close your eyes. Inhale adventure. Exhale passion. Dream THE dream. Let it flow from the deepest of your imagination to the core of your being; bursting from the heart and traversing through the marrow of your bones. Feel your heart pulsating to the beat of your wildest dreams.  Let go and dive deep. Take a leap of faith. Here we go. It’s now or never.

Breathtaking Batanes: 25 Photos That Will Make You Want To Visit Batanes

It is easy to be swept away by Batanes, the so-called “Land of the Winds.”

Batanes is the smallest and the northernmost province of the Philippines, found at the tip of the archipelago. It is comprised of ten islands and only three are inhabited: Batan, Sabtang, and Itbayat. The capital, Basco, is found in Batan along with three other municipalities.

8 Basic Etiquette and Tips for Bus Chance Passengers

It’s the most perfect time of the year again to go on vacations, weekend getaways, and road trips.
Have you ever experienced preparing to travel out-of-town, your bags already packed with the essentials, and your mind already drifting to images of yourself exploring yet another new place; you get to the bus terminal to buy a ticket then the attendant behind the counter drops the bomb: “Sorry, we’re fully booked for the next three days. There are no available seats anymore.” 

Sunny Rays and Happy Days Are Here: Hello, Summer!

Summer has always been my favorite season (Sidenote: akala mo naman kumpleto ang seasons sa Pilipinas! Haha!). I have always associated this sunny time with vacations—a means to get away from all the hustle and bustle of life. Often, when the distractions and chaos of our daily life drain us of moments and energy, we are quick to give up the one fundamental thing we need the most—quiet, sacred, and reflective time. Time to pause, time to think, time to escape, time to dream, time to evaluate our life and the course we want to take. 

Of Blooming Blossoms: The Taichung Sea of Flowers Festival in Xinshe

Updated 16 September 2017
This 2017, the Xinshe Sea of Flowers Festival will run from November 11 -26, 2017. 

Everywhere we went, there were splendid hues. Everywhere we looked, there was vibrance. There were wild flowers swaying with the autumn breeze and blossoms bursting with colors made even brighter with the kiss of sunshine. Somehow, visiting the Taichung Sea of Flowers Festival in Xinshe was like seeing a piece of heaven. 

Your Year In Moments: The Daykeeper 2015

She is full of life, of unswerving passion, of careless adventures. 

Every page of hers is a sight to behold. 

I told myself, “I have finally found THE ONE.”