soloflighted.com

Let the Delusions Begin

Note: This post was written prior to my departure, I didn’t have the opportunity to publish it right away.

It’s 9pm and I’m waiting for my flight at 10:50. A flight that marks the beginning of my journey which according to my friend, is my biggest adventure so far. The initial plan was to stay for two weeks and go through the Indochina route. But with the recent turn of events, I’ve decided to stay longer and travel to more countries.

Everything is falling into place yet I’m having mixed emotions. Should I push through with the trip or am I just carried away?

typing thoughts

I was hoping to publish a couple of entries while travelling to different places in the North. But every time I checked in the hotels we were assigned to, I was more excited to hit the sack to get some much-needed rest. The Lakbay Norte 3 trip has ended but I’m still getting a hangover from all the activities we did.

Lakbay Norte is a media tour set up by the North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB) to introduce different media groups about travelling and the places to visit in North Luzon. With the banner “Rediscover the North”, NPVB and its partners (Manila North Tollways Corporation, Mcdonalds, Robinsons, Smart Communications, and Victory Liner) helped each other in showcasing that there’s still a lot of places that are undiscovered in the North.

Let me just say that the bus was really attractive!

Travelling on a Victory Liner bus for 8 days in North Luzon (Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Cagayan, Kalinga, Ilocos Norte, La Union, Baguio, Pangasinan, Tarlac Subic Bay, Clark, Pampanga).

Adventures

I’m so glad that the theme for this year was “Outdoor Adventures in North Philippines” which mean that I had time to try out different physical activities. Spelunking, sport fishing, white water rafting, surfing, paddle boarding, airsoft, kart racing, offroad adventure, jungle survival; not to mention the karaoke night and a day of pampering.

jam-packed adventures during the trip!

Spelunking at Pinagrealan Cave, Bass Fishing at Cabanatuan, White Water Rafting in Kalinga, Surfing in Pagudpud, Paddleboarding in Paoay, Trekking & Tree Planting in Holcim Ecotrail, Airsoft in Baguio, Dawell Reivercruise in Dagupan, Go Karting at Kart City in Tarlac, Jungle Survival at Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Spa and Massage at Ritz Spa, Offroad Adventure at Puning Hot Springs in Greater Clark

The 17th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark will be happening on February 9-12, 2012 at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.

I’ve been wanting to attend this event since last year with so many hot air balloons being showcased. It’s a photographer’s treat to witness so much color in the air. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to drop by this year due to a trip that I’ve already planned. So I gave away two of my tickets to friends who’ll be able to join this festival.

A Weekend of Everything that Flies!

photo source: Jep

This is a four day activity and below is the schedule of the balloon festival from February 9 to 12:

I was so overwhelmed by the responses I received from my previous blog entry that I don’t know if I can come up with another ‘share-worthy’ post. But based on the comments, a lot of people have but a slight idea of my plans after announcing that I was going to resign in order to start a location-independent lifestyle. In reality, I don’t really have a clear idea on what I’m going to do. All I know is that I have a few tickets booked and I’ll pursue a freelance career online. Slow travel is what I aim to do. But before going on that trip, here’s an event that also helped me decide to resign earlier than expected.

Lakbay Norte 3 Adventure

I was chosen by the North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB), along with five other travel bloggers, as part of a media group to tour Northern Luzon dubbed as Lakbay Norte 3: Outdoor Adventures in North Philippines!

Note: Photos were taken from the bloggers’ profiles without their permission. Peace guys! 😀

I wake up, take a bath, go to the office, work, clock out, go home, work online, and sleep. On weekends, I travel to let loose and stay sane. This routine has been going on for a couple of years and I’ve grown comfortable with my surroundings that I feel the need for change. Somehow, … Read more

Beyond Comfort

2012 will be a year where I’ll go out of my comfort zone and test the waters. I’ll be travelling to different countries in Southeast Asia and if all goes well, I’ll be able to live like a nomad. I know a few people who have already done this backpacking journey and I’m inspired to take the same route since I’ve been prolonging this travel adventure for quite some time.

But I couldn’t just pack my things with me and go on a trip until I’ve settled a couple of financial setbacks. Even up to now, I’m still working on a few items that I should’ve completed a long time ago. Mapping out the locations, figuring out the itineraries, computing the budget, and basically coming up with a plan – all of which I haven’t really done yet and I’m ready to hit the panic button. I’ll probably just throw caution to the wind and make those decisions when I’m out there.

This is scary sh*t but ever since I was able to go out of the country, I’ve also been taking a step higher to see how far I can go in staying out of my comfort zone and travelling beyond boundaries. I’m an adrenaline junkie and I plan to go for those moments that get me all pumped up.

Every time I hear somebody complain that they don’t have enough money that’s why they can’t travel, I refer them to James and his blog. Being able to backpack for 14 days in the Visayas with only 250 bucks as his budget per day, it’s evident that this guy is out to prove things wrong; extremely wrong at that.

Episode 9 of my Podcast Interview Series

James of JourneyingJames.com

Blogging at JourneyingJames.com, James is one of the more hardcore backpackers that I know because of how he maximizes his trips. In my case, I make it a point to squeeze my budget when I travel, but James takes budgetting to a totally different level. He’s the guy who sleeps in a hammock!

It’s funny that even during our interview, we met up at a lobby in a cinema house which shows that true to his ways, the podcast didn’t have to be conducted in a lavish setting. Listen as he shares his thoughts when he got held up in Malaysia and his vision of promoting his way of travelling to dispel the notion that “travelling is only for the rich”.

Interview Location: Gateway Cinema Lobby, Cubao, Philippines

journeying james

I hurriedly finished my work and delegated tasks to my peers. I also made sure that all my client sessions were in place before I left. I clocked out early so I could meet up with my friends outside. We were going to see the whale sharks (butanding in Tagalog or tuki in Bisaya) in Oslob, Cebu!

Whale Shark Sighting in Oslob, Cebu, Philippines
December 23, 2011

Butanding or Tuki Encounter
photo by Doi

I’m really lucky that my day job has a little flexibility when it comes to special requests whenever the need arises. So long as I don’t compromise the deliverables, then all is well.

We arrived at the South Bus Terminal station around 3:30am and the bus left after 15 minutes. It was only a 3-hour ride – a quick nap that wasn’t even enough since I didn’t have any rest.

Entrance to the resort in Cebu’s Tanawan, Oslob, for whale shark watching

As a tradition that started in 2010, I’m recapping the highlights that happened this 2011. This year was a good run for me. I’ve a lot to be thankful for as the blessings just keep on arriving.

Trips

January: Siem Reap in Cambodia, Bangkok in Thailand and Davao City
February: Anawangin, Nagsasa & Capones in Zambales
March: Sagada in the Mountain Province
April & May were spent at the home & office writing about my travel adventures
June: Palaui Island in Cagayan
July: A free trip to Hong Kong courtesy of Airphil Express
August: Started my Podcast Sessions
September: Salay Cave & Moalboal in Cebu, Manila travel talks and meet-ups
October: got hired online
November: Osmena Peak in Cebu, Dumaguete & Siquijor, Siargao Island
December: Cagayan de Oro, Bantayan, Oslob & Boljoon in Cebu

15 trips that totaled 63 days of travels (including weekends and holidays) and most of the ones during the second half of the year were unexpected at all. After reviewing my leave credits, I have NOT consumed my Sick Leaves (15) and I still have 5 Vacation Leaves left!

I’m truly lucky but here are some travel tips you can practice in order for you to understand how I was able to do it:

Good Health

I’ve never really thought about this but after being sick on the road during a recent trip to Siargao, I realize that I don’t often catch the flu. With my day job, freelance jobs, blog assignments, and my travels, my body does not get the rest it deserves. But I’m glad that I don’t easily hit the sack because of some illness. This makes me appreciate the experiences that I’ve gained just because I’m healthy. I get exhausted at times, but it hasn’t reached a point that I stopped wanting to travel altogether.

For a month and a half, I spent my weekends out of town on different travel adventures with various people. The surprising thing was that these weren’t really planned at all.

I thought all my travels for the year were over and I was going to stay put in order to finish writing articles and other freelance tasks. I had unexpected trips but had a great time in the process.

Weekend 1: Boljoon, Osmeña Peak, Kawasan Falls, Moalboal

November 12-13, 2011

Boljoon Church
Trek to Osmeña Peak
Swimming in Kawasan Falls
Chilling at Basdaku, Moalboal

Doi, Edwin and I went with travel blogger Dong Ho to Boljoon to visit the church and climbed Osmeña Peak, which is the highest peak in Cebu. Then we met up with another travel blogger, Jerome, in Kawasan Falls in Badian and chilled at Basdaku beach in Moalboal. We slept at a barangay hall, climbed down a mountain with hardly any light, took a dip in the waterfall, relaxed at a beach and visited our friends, George & Isa, at The Outpost.

Conquering South of Cebu

Weekend 2: Dumaguete, Siquijor

November 18-21, 2011

Motorcycling in Siquijor
Jumping in Cambugahay Falls and Salagdoong Beach
Visiting Lazi Church & Lugnason Falls
Food Trip in Dumaguete City

Headed to Siquijor with Ron & Monette, Chichi, and Doi and spent a couple of days on motorbikes while touring the island. We visited a couple of falls, jumped off a cliff, tried to swing like Tarzan (but failed), made crazy videos, and had a quick side trip to Dumaguete for food! We met up with travel bloggers, RV and Mervz, as well as chatted with a kind soul along the way.

Motorcycle diaries in Siquijor

A few more steps and I was already at the Osmeña Peak in Cebu. Actually, it was a few hundred more but it didn’t seem much as I was in a hurry to get to the top. I left my friend, Doi who was resting her swollen leg down below. I would’ve stayed with her but she advised me to catch up with our other companions before it turned dark.

I needed to deliver the tripod plate that was attached to the base of my camera. The tripod body was already with Dom but it was useless without the integral part of the device that was with me.

Osmeña Peak,
Mantalongon, Dalaguete, Cebu
November 12, 2011

Edwin already at the top

green

We’ve been trekking for over two hours and although we paused at times, I felt my legs weakening at every step. I wondered why my strength was failing on me. I realized I haven’t been doing my rounds of exercise at home so my body was caught off guard due to the sudden physical activity. However, it didn’t stop me from continuing the trek.

view from Osmena Peak

I rarely ask for anything during Christmas except for travel gears as gifts. I’ve learned to live frugally so that I can spend more on airfare which allocates a bigger part of my budget when I travel. But there are times that I wish I had a device that would help make things more convenient for me when I go on a trip. Simple items that help make the whole adventure stress-free.

Fortunately, there are companies that develop innovative products that help every traveller. Here are some gift items you can buy for your friends who frequently travel.

GO Travel and Travelon products for the avid traveller

I know the schedule of my podcasts has been erratic and I need to come up with a regular date when posting them so my apologies to those who are anticipating this series. Anyway, this is already the 8th episode and I was able to interview a finalist for the Best Travel Blog Category – National Level in the Philippine Blog Awards 2011.

Episode 8 of SoloFlightEd Sessions

Doi of TheTravellingFeet.com

Doi is one of my great travel buddies who is very game when going to different adventures. She blogs at TheTravellingFeet.com and what I like best is that she’s very good at coming up with a budget during our trips, up to the last centavo!

We also talked about her story venturing into freelancing work online in order to satisfy her thirst for location-independence. She shares a couple of tips if you are serious about building a career online.

Interview Location: Coffee Dream, Parkmall, Cebu

Eating a cup of agar-agar that I bought on the weekend Saturday market in Sagada, we rode a shuttle that took us to the starting point so we could trek down the Aguid Rice Terraces and see the Bomod-ok falls. Trekking Aguid Rice Terraces to Bomod-ok Falls Sagada, Mountain Province March 5, 2011 view from … Read more

Let the Delusions Begin

Lakbay Norte 3: Rediscover the North

Adventures

Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2012 Schedule

A Weekend of Everything that Flies!

Lakbay Norte 3: Outdoor Adventures in North Philippines

Lakbay Norte 3 Adventure

Delusions of Grandeur: Taking the Step to Location Independence

Beyond Comfort

Podcast Interview with James of JourneyingJames.com

James of JourneyingJames.com

Cebu Trip: Whale Shark ‘Butanding’ Encounter in Oslob

2011 Highlights: A Lot to Be Thankful For

Trips

Good Health

Six Consecutive Trips in Six Weekends

Weekend 1: Boljoon, Osmeña Peak, Kawasan Falls, Moalboal

Weekend 2: Dumaguete, Siquijor

Cebu Trip: Reaching Osmeña Peak

Travel Gear Gift Ideas by Travelon and GO Travel

Podcast Interview with Doi of TheTravellingFeet.com

Doi of TheTravellingFeet.com

Sagada Trip: Trekking Aguid Rice Terraces