Travel
From travel tips to inspiration, I have a plethora of information to travel junkies as well as those who are looking for ideas for their next trip.
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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…
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Sumaguing Cave: A Journey Through Darkness, Doubts And What-Ifs
They say you can’t change the past. But somewhere between the ice-cold waters and slippery rocks in Sumaguing Cave, I kind of wished I could travel back in time. It started with a phrase uttered by a Caucasian tourist after exploring this underground labyrinth in Sagada. “I saw my life flash right before my eyes,” he said. I admit. That’s not exactly the most encouraging and comforting thing to hear right before a Sumaguing Cave adventure. Yes, I was once a fearless hiker and thrill seeker, with years of experience in hiking and exploring caves. But I no longer had the confidence and the athleticism I once had in my…
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Cagsawa Ruins: A Powerful Story Written In Ash And Rain
You don’t expect to feel haunted on a bright Saturday morning. And yet, there I was at the Cagsawa Ruins, standing under a dark, cloudless sky, with the past rising quietly from the ground. You’ve seen it on postcards, calendars, and fridge magnets. But no one tells you how quiet it gets when you’re standing there. And that was something I didn’t expect from one of the most popular and iconic tourist attractions in the Philippines. Of all the places I’ve visited, this one surprised me the most. And it was not because of how it looked, but because of how it made me feel. They say over a thousand…
