If 2012 was the year when I rediscovered this repressed wanderlust, then 2013 was when I pursued it.
I went to more places in a year than I did for a whole decade prior. I went on a road trip with my family and passed through Maguindanao, Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat, eventually ending up in Lake Sebu. I went swimming with whale sharks in Donsol.
I went to Palawan and finally saw ethereal El Nido and the wonder that is the Underground River. I saw fireflies and bioluminescent plankton on Iwahig River. Not a week later, I finally went to Ilocos Norte and Vigan.
I went straight to Thailand. I went to crazy Bangkok and saw the ruins of Ayutthaya. Then I rode on an overnight train to Chiang Mai, perhaps my favorite city of the lot, and bathed some elephants there.
Then I went to Myanmar, a place with the nicest people and the most golden of all pagodas, and finally fulfilled my dream of seeing the sunrise in Bagan. I went to Malaysia afterward and hopped from Kuala Lumpur, to Melaka, to Penang, and back again to KL.
A week before work for the new school year started, I went touring Dumaguete, Siquijor, and Apo Island alone. I also went scuba diving for the first time, and I still feel that it was such a life-changing trip.
In August, I went to trek with my friends in Daraitan, Taytay, Rizal. I conquered my first mountain — Mt. Samit — here, in the middle of monsoon rains! It was the most challenging trip I’ve ever done, and this is going to sound cliched, but I couldn’t have done it without my friends.
In October, I went to see my first “legit” festival — the MassKara Festival in Bacolod. A week later, during the semestral break, I went to Surigao del Norte and Siargao and saw the beautiful Sohoton Cove. And I learned how to surf!
Sadly, a trip to Camiguin was dropped at the last minute (no thanks to PAL Express, but that’s another story), so there were no trips for me this Christmas break, aside from a day in Enchanted Kingdom. But considering the fact that I’m smack dab in the middle of the Filipino middle class, that I have a permanent job that requires me to be energetic (read: busy) for the most part of the year, and that I had a thesis proposal to present (and I passed!), I sure did go places.
So what did I learn in 2013?
I learned independent travel. It sounds too late to say this as I turned 29 in 2013, but I only recently learned how to interact with strangers in a strange place when I’m alone. I learned how to trust them with my life, while at the same time keeping my wits about me. As a daily commuter in Metro Manila, I had learned to always be on the safe side of things; as an independent traveler, I learned to be open to experiences, even when alone.
I learned about money. I learned how much a thousand pesos is worth in other parts of the country and of Southeast Asia. I learned that I can steel myself from buying a piece of clothing because it could translate to two days in Chiang Mai (though to be sure, I did buy a lot of clothes this year…during sales). I got myself a credit card, and I learned how to use it wisely.
I learned that I can make my dreams come true. I wish I could say that all I needed was to take a deep breath and go, but it did take some planning and a lot of guts. And yes, a bit of money didn’t go amiss. But mostly, I just needed the guts.
I don’t think I’ll travel as much in 2014, especially in the summer months, as I have some things I have to take care of as an “adult”. However, I consider this as a year of saving up for grander travels to come. ;)
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Filed under: Personal, Travel Tales, Two Cents Tagged: 2013, personal, travel
