Love for Travel Rekindled in Penang

Ernest Zacharevic's Murals in Georgetown

It was an early 6am flight to Singapore on Friday. There were a lot of hassles and mishaps going there –waking up late, going to the wrong airport terminal, long lines and ques, and the immigration officer who thought it was my first time to travel because of my new passport. She asked for all my flight itineraries and hotel bookings, until I volunteered to show her my old passport. I just really don’t get why they have to be so discriminating, and wondered what would have happened if I didn’t have my old passport with me. As compared to my entry in Singapore and Malaysia, where the officers were nicer and just allowed me to pass through without any questions. 

An Unexpected Detour in Hue

Citadel in Hue, Vietnam

‘Floating there, I held on to faith. Because you can’t know who might cross your path or who will take your breath away…You can’t know when there’ll be an unexpected detour that’ll take you to the place where you were always meant to be.’ – The Lost Girls 

Hanoi's Old Quarter

Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi

A Warm Welcome in Hanoi

with Ms. Ha and her family :)

We had almost two days for layover in Bangkok from Nepal, before I take a flight to Hanoi, Vietnam. We soaked up the sun and tropical weather of Bangkok just to have a sense of home. Two months spent in cold Northern India and freezing Nepal, despite all the amazing experiences we had, proved to be a little bit too much for the tropical and island people like us. We treated ourselves with pad thais, fruit shakes, beers, and relaxing thai massages. But despite all of these, I just couldn’t shake off the fact that in almost three weeks, I would be back in the Philippines and all the other things it meant – finding a job, looking for a new place, figuring out what I was going to do next. And just how much I missed Nepal – the mountains, trekking, and just the wonderful people we met along the way. 

Port Barton : Off-the-Beaten-Path Paradise in Palawan

When people say Palawan, the first thing you would hear is PARADISE. Or maybe El Nido and Coron. But rarely would you hear about a town named Port Barton.

German Island, Port Barton, Palawan 

My Top Travel Books (Part 1)

A few months before the Big Trip, Lois of the WeAreSoleSisters sent us an email on assisting us in starting/beefing up our travel funds via a garage sale. I had a few old clothes and shoes to sell, but selling my old books have been a hard decision to make. Now, in retrospect, I think it was a very good decision, as it made room for new inspiring and eye-opening books. 

My Kind of Travel : A Wonderful Day in Muang Ngoi

Muang Ngoi, Northern Laos

Yesterday I woke up quite early for a whole-day work event. Prepared my G7 black coffee (Vietnam’s famous coffee) with some cream, no sugar. Opened the sliding door to my veranda and welcomed the morning and the sunlight’s feel on my skin. It rained the day before, but yesterday the sun was starting to show itself, almost half of it was behind the tall condominium near my place. But there was still the cool breeze of the early morning. 

With my hot strong coffee, the cool breeze, and the sun’s warmth, I remember waking up in Muang Ngoi. 

Some of the Best Lessons from my Travels in India

You hear and read stories about India, how different and unique it is. But as with anything, you will never really know what these people mean until you experience it first-hand. It is huge and is considered to be a sub-continent. There’s a lot to see – the chaotic streets, the colorful saris, desert, beaches, mountains, heritage sites, forts, and temples. But more than these, the experiences I treasured the most from my travels in India are the people and the perspectives I got from observing their daily lives.