Relishing Solo Travel in Si Phan Don, Laos

lazy boats by the Mekong River in Si Phan Don, Laos

My own bungalow of USD5 is on the other end of Don Det, away from where the crowd and parties are. It’s still early in the night but I decided to just lay here in my hammock. The only sounds I hear are the faint music and laughter of the hippies back in King Kong, dogs barking, and my bungalow neighbour snoring in his own hammock.

Sarnath and Buddhism: A Peaceful Respite from Varanasi

the Dhamekh Stupa in Sarnath, India

It’s been days with this flu or virus, or whatever it was that took over my energy and my voice. I feel mostly weak and so I sleep, but I feel so groggy the next day because of way too much sleep. I’d love to run but I couldn’t, and the monsoon season has been hovering in my country.

Given my normal job and the extra work I took for additional income for my travel fund, I feel like my mind has been loaded with too much numbers and excel files. Which I’m not complaining, by the way, because I love numbers and excel file, and of course the extra money. But also with this flu that’s been zapping my energy, I feel like I need to go into my creative side. I feel like I need to write.

And so I remember the time I felt so down during my travels, physically and emotionally. It was Varanasi, the one place I was so excited to see and experience. But it proved to be too much for me – the burning ceremonies by the ghats, the claustrophobic and confusing alleyways, the men who insistently follow you, the dirt and smell that didn’t use to bother me but were magnified during our stay in the holy city. And at the end of our third day there, I started to get sick. A stomach flu that slowly got me dehydrated, feverish, and weak.

Phnom Penh : Surviving and Healing

bracelets that people have left behind, 
probably to tell those who lay in the fields that people were there
and that they will always remember

My first trip in Cambodia was back in 2010 with a group of friends exploring the temples of Angkor Wat. I remember meeting Mr. Sam, our tour guide who was a survivor of the Khmer Rouge Occupation. He told us his stories of the Occupation and of the loved ones he’s lost. I remember trying to stop, or at least hide, my tears as he told us his tragic and inspiring story. On our last day in Siem Reap, he took us to a Buddhist monastery where skulls and bones of the victims were put into a memorial. I told myself that someday I would have to visit Phnom Penh and maybe have the courage to visit the other memorials.

Love With A Chance of Drowning : A Partial Book Review

Dear Torre (and Ivan),

My kindle e-reader says 80%. I’m almost finished with your book Love with A Chance of Drowning. I can go and finish the remaining 20% before writing this to you, but I feel like I need to do it now.

Mt. Pinatubo Trek

*Trek was done back in 2010.

The volcano that changed my life.

Something Random : On Looking at the Bigger Picture

*This is not travel related. Just some random thoughts. I've been feeling down the past few weeks until this. Maybe you are too, maybe this can help you too, in a way at least. ;)

Remember when I said that nothing is permanent? Both the good and the bad? 

Lately this mantra of mine hasn’t been working. A message and a forgotten reminder on my phone kind of caught me off guard, and threw me off balance. Again. I was reminded of the days when pain overpowered me. I was reminded of a side of me that I never knew existed. 

The Cordilleras : On the Joys of Trekking, New Ink, and Meeting Fang-Od

rice terraces nearing the village in Buscalan

There was the famous Chico River and the lower Cordilleras. Taking a photo of it was a bit challenging given that we're seated on top of the jeepney. Yes, we wanted to start this 4-day adventure the right way - by toploading! After a 12-hour night bus from Manila, our Cordilleras adventure started in Tabuk, Kalinga. It was going to be a 3-hour jeepney ride to Tinglayan to meet Kuya Francis Pain, our guide for Buscalan, .

A Walk Through the Streets of Kathmandu : Durbar Square

one of the palaces in Durbar Square

We had a few days left in Nepal before we made our way back to Southeast Asia. I was getting used to my daily routine in Thamel – waking up at around 9am; having breakfast under the morning sun at Hot Breads’ rooftop where the crew already knew my name, walking around the streets of Thamel, writing, reading more books, sometimes having a night out with my friend, Paul, or meeting our German friends from the trek. This happened for almost a week straight. So when Paul asked me to see the Durbar Square, I initially said no. I was just way too lazy and comfortable to even walk around just a few blocks. Yes, I was that lazy. But eventually, Paul was able to convince me. And I’m glad he did.