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Mt Tuwato: Deadly Ridges, Raging Rivers, And Remarkable Life Lessons
Life, as we know it, is hard. It’s a never-ending teleserye of setbacks, problems, and headaches. And sometimes, we take on even more challenges that make us question our life choices. Want a perfect example? Me, hiking Mt Tuwato, a mountain rated 9/9 in difficulty, on a rainy Saturday after barely getting any sleep in the past couple of days. I know. It had disaster written all over it. Even so, I wasn’t about to cancel this hike in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur. While the odds were against me, I knew I could survive whatever Mt Tuwato threw at me with grit, focus, and a veteran hiker’s instincts. So, what did…
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Batad Rice Terraces: A Dream 10 Years In The Making
You probably think you know how this ends, but I promise you haven’t guessed the half of it. Yes, the Batad Rice Terraces photos you’re seeing are stunning and dreamy. But this wasn’t exactly a picture-perfect trip as you may have imagined. On the contrary, it almost didn’t happen. To make matters more interesting, the rain poured relentlessly the weekend I explored Batad and the rest of Ifugao with a group of complete strangers. So, was Batad worth the long wait and the heavy journey from Cebu? Was it as beautiful as the postcards and textbooks promised? And did I find myself on this solo journey in the Cordilleras? My…
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Mt Tenglawan And The People Who Have To Die On The Climb
Someone dies every time I climb a mountain. I’m responsible for every one of them. And I’m also one of them. I have climbed so many mountains across the Philippines, and I have never come down as the same person who went up. On my climb to Mt Tenglawan, I saw all those ghosts. They were the versions of me who no longer exist. And here’s what nobody tells you about hiking. You don’t just climb a mountain. You also leave someone at the bottom, or somewhere along the trail, or at the summit, staring at a view he thought would fix something. Have you ever come back from a…
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Paoay Sand Dunes And The Forgotten Empires That Time Erases
One day, I will die, and strangely that thought has made life feel lighter. Since graduating college, I had been stuck in the rat race, chasing milestones and moments I thought would define me. But when I realized none of it would matter in a hundred years, something changed. Suddenly, the pressure to constantly achieve loosened its grip. And that shift is what drives me to explore places like the Paoay Sand Dunes. At the Paoay Sand Dunes, that realization takes shape in front of you. The wind pushes back. The sand gives way. You climb, slide, laugh, and try again. Nothing cooperates. Your tracks vanish almost as soon as…
For anyone who’s felt a little lost or tired.
101 Letters to Juliet
I wrote this book for you.
101 Letters to Juliet is a philosophy book disguised as a love story — shaped by places, distance, and slow days on the road.