That moment when your whole life flashes before your eyes? It happens. Nothing could have prepared me for it. It was a balmy September evening, and like all September evenings in the tropics, the air smelled of a brewing thunderstorm. There were clouds, but I could see the moon. A drizzle smudged the purplish-orange horizon, blending it into the black sky, creating […]
Asia
Battle Scars
As the sun peeps through the mountains, piercing the early-morning fog, the entire village of Buscalan wakes up. I force my beaten body to rise and greet the day like any villager would—a cup of freshly brewed coffee and a quick chat with the folks and children who came to see the “visitors.” The aroma […]
The Long Road to Old Fang-od
I adjusted my position in between the steel tubes, enough to give Pinky and nine other men room to wiggle on top of the overloaded jeepney bound for Tinglayan. At 8 o’clock, Kalinga was already ablaze with sunlight, sterilizing our skin, preparing the canvass for old Fang-od. Even with sunscreen, the sun stabbed sharply into […]
The Wanderer Grows Up
“Je t’offre un verre?” (Can I buy you a drink?) The old guy in the heavy cream pullover and oversized scarf spoke to me in a hushed tone as he patiently waited for me to get what he was saying. I quickly glanced up, flashed him a sympathetic smile, and gently said, “Oui.” If that […]
Calauit: A Safari Like No Other
“This better be worth it.” After sleeping for less than 3 hours, I found myself dragging my feet like a drunken zombie at 3:30 AM down the stairs of Coron Ecolodge as we wait for our tour van to arrive. Everybody in the dining area was having their caffeine fix and chatting like it’s 11 […]
Travel 2012: A Yearlong Love Affair
If 2012 were my lover, he would be the bad-boy, dare-devilish type who would whisk me away on adventurous weekends in a Harley. Our affair would be described as thrilling, spontaneous, dangerous, but nevertheless, romantic and life changing. From braving hippos and crocodiles to riding elephants through the jungle. From dodging rocks thrown […]
Pablo Swept Me to Coron
Busuanga in my mind. It didn’t look promising a few days before. Typhoon Pablo unleashed its fury in Mindanao, Negros, and Southern Cebu that the chance of the trip coming to fruition was naught. But like a miracle, the sun shone, flights resumed, and Coron beckoned us with promises of rainbows and clear blue skies. […]
Paradise in the Mist
As you cruise along the winding mist-covered mountain path to the hidden paradise as a first-time visitor, even then you will know the potential of what you see. Perhaps you will feel a little curious as you peer at the sprawling hills and turquoise sea of the Tanon Strait below. Or maybe mystified about how […]
Sumilon Glamping: A Family Affair
The beautiful shifting sand bar. “Are you sure you know how to paddle?” Basty glanced nervously at me while clutching tightly at Dale’s arms, droplets of sweat soiling his bright orange life vest. “Why are we headed to the trees?” Okay, so I haven’t really kayaked in a while, and the mangroves seemed to mysteriously […]
A Thousand-Peso Thrift Trip
“Come, visit us!” Sometime in the past, a fully loaded word came into currency: “backpacking.” It signified one of the most terrifying forces for luxury travel agents and high-starred hotels, but it heralded the birth of a new breed of travelers—the backpackers. I am one myself. And what do backpackers do? We satisfy our itchy […]