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Blue Soil Hills Wasn’t Instagram-Perfect, But It Was Unexpectedly Beautiful
The photos made it look like a fantasy movie. The online reviews called it iconic. But when I finally got to Blue Soil Hills in Sagada, it just didn’t live up to the hype. Maybe it was the weather. Perhaps it was the endless flocks of tourists, wearing down something that once felt untouched. But most likely, it was just me. I guess I’ve seen too much in recent years to be easily impressed. I didn’t feel awe. So, I just stood there, quietly, while tourists waited in line and struck poses around me. I let the crowd move around me. But ironically, I didn’t even feel disappointed. As unremarkable…
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White Water Rafting In CDO: Why It’s The Most Epic Adventure You’ll Have This Year
Do you believe in the power of a single, reckless decision? Most of my life, I played it safe, thinking it was the secret to a long, meaningful life. There were no risks, no surprises, and definitely no death-defying feats. Every day felt like a routine of safe decisions and small, steady steps. But one day, I realized I was stuck in an endless loop. I felt trapped in a life with no direction, growth, or fire. So I did something crazy and reckless. I said yes to chaos, adrenaline, and insanely fun adventures, like white water rafting in CDO. And somehow, that reckless decision turned out to be the…
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Mount Manunggal: Why Getting Lost Is Never A Waste Of Time
There’s a fine line between adventure and disaster. Lost in the middle of nowhere after our Mount Manunggal climb, I was walking that razor-thin line with a heavy backpack and two other hikers. There was a time in my life when being lost felt deeply uncomfortable, like I was completely out of my element. Yet, here on this hike with my new friends, I feel oddly at home. Instead of panicking, I felt calm. I looked at my companions, and I saw panic written all over their faces. And who wouldn’t be? With the sun beating down on us, our water bottles were running low, and unmarked trails, it had…
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Musuan Peak: The Humble Volcano That Secretly Teaches Why Change Is Beautiful
The day they find you dead, they’ll write the sweetest things on Facebook. They’ll gather in comment threads, writing the regrets and love they never spoke. But when you’re alive, there will always be those people who quietly torture you for building a life without them. They’ll gaslight you and make your happiness feel like betrayal. They’ll turn your success into their wound. These were the strange, uncomfortably true thoughts running through my mind as I hiked toward the top of Musuan Peak. And this isn’t a story about a mountain. It’s about everyone I had to leave behind to reach it. You see. Hiking and travel aren’t all about…
