Archive for the ‘Thoughts and musings’ Category
Bicol express returns
The train service to the southern region (from which the famous spicy dish was named after) is back. Chugging and snaking its heavy metal body through a 10- to 11-hour track ride, the Bicol Express makes a formidable competitor to the lazy boy bus rides and the quick plane trips.
Offering three types of service, commuters to Naga City can choose to ride in a reclining seat (Php548.00), a family sleeper (Php665.00) or an executive sleeper (Php998.00). Seeing that it was cheaper than a bus ticket (for the just-concluded CamSur International Marathon weekend), we tried the reclining coach going to Naga and the regular or family cabin on the way back to Manila.
It did not disappoint.
It’s never too late to dream
When I am old and gray, legendary adventures will still appeal to the wanderer in me. But a thrill-seeker at 70 or 80 may not be allowed to jump off the Eiger in a wingsuit anymore, let alone descend to a volcanic crater with an active lava pool.
No. And so I start planning for my future escapades. Okay, fine – dreaming then (constraints considered).
Culled from my regular browsing of the National Geographic’s (NG) colorful and awe-inspiring website, these pictures partially reflect and reinforce my lifetime travel checklist.
Stunning shots from the very impressive photographers of the NG. From left: 1. summitting Mt. Everest; 2. wingsuit flying off the Eiger; 3. free-climbing a mountain; 4. swimming with dolphins; 5. cave diving in the Bahamas; 6. entering a volcanic crater; 7. lazy outdoor dining (Eat Pray Love-style) in Italy, and; 8. walking across the Sahara.
Like this:
Mad About Travel
A number of my friends get their high from running or climbing. Most ladies I know get theirs from shopping. While some from a quick caffeine or chocolate fix.
I go mad over travel.
From scouring the best beaches to discovering adventure travel. From spending a lazy afternoon perched on the hotel balcony to getting that insane rush off daredevil what-nots. From the side streets to the main thoroughfares, from the flea markets to the big shopping malls, from the recesses of the underground to the peaks of mountains.
I go mad over travel.
Indulge your inner wanderer. Go on and hop on your friend’s ride to anywhere. Go on and board the next bus trip to anywhere. Go on and get those fingers working on the latest promo flights to anywhere.
I just did. 
Credit: Photo owned by fellow lakwatsera Sarah Palmero.
A mountaineer’s verse
I tread the soil of the earth,
And sway with the trees.
I smile at the bright sun,
And watch the rolling clouds.
I savor the moonlit night,
And lie under a blanket of stars.
I whisper with the cold wind,
And welcome the dance of raindrops.
I am one with all the elements.
I am a mountaineer.
Don’t tell my mother
Photo taken by PhoenixPol
Neither should you tell my father. Especially my father.
1. That I rode a motorcycle (habal-habal) for the first time. It lasted for a good 30 minutes over a really rocky stretch of road going down Makiling.
2. That there were three of us on that motorcycle. None of us had a helmet on.
3. That I stood on a rock more than 800 MASL. With a steep drop in front, to my right and to my left.
4. That there were bloodsuckers itching to get their fill. Three on my face and neck. Two on my chest. And more than five on my legs and shoes.
5. That the Makiling Traverse is a major climb and a level 6 (out of 9).
6. That I knew I had a good chance of busting my knee again.
7. That I went in the first place.
My parents love me. And I love them. They just think I go away too often and get into risky activities. Yes. For them, traveling alone and trekking a hill is classified as hazardous already. 
Note: Don’t Tell My Mother is a National Geographic program hosted by the handsome Diego Buñuel. He travels to dangerous places and asks the viewers one favor – “don’t tell my mother.”
Like this:
A badge for my misadventures
What started as a fun ”study” trip ended on a reckless note and misfortune of a weekend.
The highlights of my overland travel with friends were not the food trips, the walking tours, and the cities’ architectural wonders; rather, the loss of my Sea-to-Summit pouch with cash and cards, and the trip to the Ho Chi Minh police station.
Last June 12, 11:30 PM (Vietnam time), upon alighting the cab at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport for our return flight to Manila, I realized my pouch was not in its usual place in the inside pocket of my camera sling bag. A few flashbacks later, I remembered sitting on the hotel’s lobby couch nursing a headache and an uncomfortable tummy. I remembered taking it out one last time to pull out a dollar for a service tip. I remembered putting it on top of the bag. But, I did not recall placing it back in the bag as I leaned back on the couch and as we hauled our stuff to the waiting cab. With the claim of a friend who thought he might have indeed seen it on the couch, the realization hit me. I left it. On the couch. For the first time, I left something valuable. For the first time, I did not check and recheck.
A deeper experience
Manila Ocean Park
For someone who found the Underwater World in Sentosa just okay, please take my comments about the Manila Ocean Park with a big sack of salt.
I think it’s delightful for kids. I think it’s expensive (regular Oceanarium admission rate is Php400.00). I think it’s awesome to see and read about the diversity and variety of species thriving in Philippine waters. And I think an adult can finish a self-guided tour in one hour.
The Manila Ocean Park is a modern complex that houses an oceanarium, an open water marine habitat, a mall, a restaurant row and function facilities. Other attractions are the Oceanarium’s undersea tunnel, Aquanaut Voyage, glass-bottom boat ride, Mermaid Show, Jellies Dancing Fairies exhibit and fish spa; Aquatica’s pools, Musical Fountain and Water Ball.
I look at you and my mind goes on a trip
I wander, I wonder
Presenting – my lifetime travel checklist:
1. biking around Batanes and the Marlboro Country
2. going for a mythical, monumental and timeless walk in Paris
3. spotting wildlife in Hwange
4. going loco with the art, landscapes and cuisine of Italy
5. discovering the grandeur and architecture of Prague
6. cruising around the Aegean and Ionian seas
7. beaching and going up the Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro
8. experiencing the nomad culture and a camel ride at the Gobi
9. skiing in the Southern Alps
10.honeymooning at the Maldives
It won’t hurt anyone if I dream big, and expensive.
I’ll write separate pieces about my top ten as fillers over the next few, uhm, years. In the meantime, feel free to share with me your bucket list.
What type of traveler are you
So, what type of traveler are you? I’m a Tony Wheeler! How apt, I want to be like him. But will definitely be one about a million light years from now. Below’s a quote lifted from his profile page at The Lonely Planet website. Just for fun, why don’t you try out the quiz and see who fits your profile? Let’s go vagabonding and hit our own hippie trails!
“Tony Wheeler was born in England in 1946 but spent most of his younger years overseas. Those years included a lengthy spell in Pakistan, a shorter period in the West Indies and all of his high school years in the USA. He returned to England to do an engineering degree, worked for a short time as an automotive engineer, then went back to university and completed an MBA.
As soon as Tony left business school in London in 1972, he and his wife Maureen set off for an overland trip to Asia. Their intention was to be away for about a year, get travel out of their systems and then settle down. When they arrived in Australia with 27 cents and a camera (which they soon pawned) between them, the continual questioning from people they met – How did you travel? What did you see? What did it cost? – inspired them to turn their diaries into a book. They called it Across Asia on the Cheap.
Lessons from their travels
I would like to share with you some snippets of Queena N. Lee-Chua’s Eureka! article in the Inquirer’s Learning section. It captures the very essence of why traveling opens up one’s mind and eyes to the world.
“Lessons from our travels
… This is why we travel: To wake up to surf and sun heralding the start of an active day yet beckoning us to nap under the trees. To feel the wind whip against our skin as we kayak and jetski, grateful to be gloriously alive on this planet. To commune with schools of multi-colored fish in shallow water, a reminder that beneath us is a world beyond our ken. To gobble up watermelon and mangoes after a swim, our bodies craving natural sources of hydration. To gaze, almost teary-eyed, at a full moon so bright it sparkles on the water, casting a light so intense that we can see kilometers out to sea.
