October 16, 2016
Living in Cebu translates to random road trips that often culminate in beaches. That’s why I think we travelers must be the easiest to please. Just give us something that feeds our wanderlust, and we are already the happiest creatures on earth. As a traveler, here are some things I gifted myself, here are […]
October 7, 2016
DISCLAIMER: This first appeared on my column Down South on TV5’s Interaksyon.com. Included a lot of photos here! This is a personal experience. Corruption in Laos is real. Corruption in my own county is effing real. A glass wall divided us. That must be sufficient as a border for the […]
October 6, 2016
DISCLAIMER: This first appeared on my travel column Down South on TV5’s interaksyon.com last January 2015. I recently saw it again, and surprisingly this list remains a plan. This is a personal reminder. All photos are mine. How about you, are there places that you want to visit again? For […]
October 5, 2016
Britain is an ideal country for backpackers. It is a small island country with lots to see and do. Traveling to a different city will open up a new part of the country with different cultures and often varying dialects. The cities are only a few hours apart if traveling […]
September 13, 2016
VARKALA, KERALA, INDIA—“If we are going to live together, our kitchen should not look like that,” said Tobi. The kitchen downstairs repelled him. What could we expect from a kitchen we borrowed for some hours from two hippie men? They played the guitar, one taught yoga upstairs, while the other […]
September 12, 2016
Ma’am Hope asked me if there is a travel narrative I could include in a book on creative nonfiction she is working on. I had “Tales from the Lake” (a narrative on Lake Sebu) or “We Are Called Langitnon” (a narrative on Dinagat Group of Islands). I labored a lot […]
September 7, 2016
EASTERN JAVA, INDONESIA.Mt Bromo is a beguiling and mysterious sight. The town is both dead and living. The mountain spews out ashes every now and then. Here are Mt Bromo photos, an evidence that a living volcano is both beauty and beast. As we faced heavenward to admire the constellations […]
September 1, 2016
A week ago, I sent a version of this to the subscribers of Backpacking with a Book. Dear, I found it awkward to write a newsletter. A romantic, I found it more charming to write a letter instead. The word newsletter sounds so formal and business-like and personally I am […]
August 31, 2016
CEBU, PHILIPPINES—I cannot write without facing a window, vain it may sound. If not a window, then by open spaces—facing the sea’s vastness for example. The air thick with salinity. The wind teasing the ears. Perhaps it is my way to conquer the wall that scares any writer’s wit: the […]
August 29, 2016
So here are 20 words from the Philippines to show off how varied our languages are. It is country gifted with many languages. Check here if you are looking for a travel guide to the Philippines. *** I drew a map of the Philippines on the board (it was a […]
August 15, 2016
This post first appeared on my travel column Down South on interaksyon.com on June 12, 2016. Included more photos here. 😉 I grew up climbing trees, hunting wild guavas, assigning names to animals to pass them off as friends, and wishing there was a living river nearby. Life would have […]
June 22, 2016
When I’m traveling abroad, finding the cheapest flight deals can be an ordeal. Flights take the biggest cut in overall travel expenses. And for a budget traveler like me, I sometimes cringe for the money I spend on flights. Here are some personally tested flight deal hacks! Best Flight Deals […]