• Wat Saket And An Alter Ego’s Bangkok Exploration
    Travel

    Wat Saket And An Alter Ego’s Bangkok Exploration

    I never knew what I hit me. Stunned and edgy, I felt like I was pretty much f*cked up. With all eyes on me, I was on the verge of a meltdown. How did I end up here? A few minutes earlier, I was in a jovial mood, dreaming of seeing Ayutthaya and the gleaming Bangkok temples, like Wat Saket. And, just as we were to embark on our flight to Bangkok, I ran into a little hiccup that could have cost us our Bangkok trip. It was every Filipino traveler’s nightmare. For months, we’ve been preparing and planning non-stop to make our international getaway a breeze. Then, on our…

  • Tuyukon Peak And The Universe’s Healthiest Addiction
    Travel

    Tuyukon Peak And The Universe’s Healthiest Addiction

    We were all guilty. As my eyes wandered around, I saw a bunch of people blithely indulging on their addiction. Ecstatic and thrilled, we sniffed and inhaled a natural mixture that would lead us to our “paradise”. A rush of chemicals, then, flowed throughout our systems, giving us a high and a feeling of contentment.  We were all addicts. And, we were drifting in a sea of sensory stimuli, from nature’s sound symphonies to the shades of greens in Tuyukon Peak. This is our addiction. This is our escape from reality. This is what we call hiking. And, this is our drug of choice. It was a beautiful Sunday morning…

  • Basdaku Moalboal And The Requiem For A Dream
    Travel

    Basdaku Moalboal And The Requiem For A Dream

    Sunsets are bittersweet. With their picture-perfect glow and irresistible golden shades, they are truly the epitome of nature’s beauty. On the other hand, they are also a reminder of the saying “all good things come to an end”. And, normally, I see sunsets from an optimist’s perspective, fascinated by its colors and enticing view. But on a fine summer Saturday in Basdaku Moalboal, the gold-and-crimson sunset felt like the requiem for my dream, and a fitting end to a colorful era of my life. For the first time in a long while, gazing at a stunning sunset was a bittersweet moment for me. We were soaking up the tropical charm…

  • Manutu River: Memoirs Of A Que Sera Sera Adventure
    Travel

    Manutu River: Memoirs Of A Que Sera Sera Adventure

    Was it simply luck that had caused me to turn down this street? Or, was it a fabric of the grand tapestry that the universe had in store for me? As I walked down this street in Gaas with my friends, I wondered what the eventualities are for this random, unplanned hike. Will it end with a breathtaking view from an untouched mountain? Are we going to see the photogenic boulders and waters of Manutu River? Will we get wonderfully lost again in the middle of nowhere in Cebu’s highlands? Just like everyone else in the group, I was completely clueless on how this hike was going to end. As…