Seven Destinations, Seven Weekends, One Whirlwind Local Travel Adventure

I am one of those people who wish to travel in foreign and local destinations and stay there for a week, a month or even a year. Forget all the trappings of work,  and just set off on an adventure while still doing what I love to do - to write. I long for long-term travel. And who doesn't? That feeling of freedom and abandon. That spontaneity. That opportunity to live the life of my dreams. Ah. A girl can dream.  

But because I need money to fund my escapes, and because I looove my job and I don't want to lose it by resigning or being fired, I have to make a compromise. Because life is about compromises. We can't have it all. Or can we?

So to  at least satisfy my yearning to travel locally, I availed of this airline's promo which promised that I can have unlimited travel for ten grand. Impulsive me went for it! But there was a catch, heck, there is always a catch - you can only avail of the "unlimited" travel within the period of seven weeks. Since I cannot opt for long-term travel, I decided upon the next best thing to enjoy this deal - I decided that I will travel every weekends for the next seven weeks!

The grand plan:

Dumaguete – Siquijor        August 28- September 2

Kalibo                              September 3-5

Cebu                                September 11-13

Bacolod                           September 17-19

Legazpi                            September 24- 26

Davao                              October 1-3

Palawan                           October 13- 16

So this was the plan: I'd travel every weekend, even for as short as three days for seven weeks. I told myself, I will complete the itinerary. Short vacations are still vacations. Weekend travels may be short, but it's enough to feel the vibe of the destination, to sample the local food, to connect with new people. I promised myself that I would go, even when I have deadlines. I'd bring my trusty laptop so I can write, inside the hotel, or at a local cafe. There is still something exhilirating about working in a new setting.

Plus it will be a great way to fight lethargy - all tickets are already printed for the next seven weeks. All I need is a map, moolah and myself! 

So, was I able to stick with ze plan?

I traveled solo but I think TRAVEL FATIGUE tagged along. 

I was only able to travel to four destinations out of the projected seven. Sigh. Three things, flexibility, graciousness and simple gung-ho attitude can make you brush your disappointments like yesterday’s dandruff.

And I still think that the whole experience is one for the books.

Plus, despite not being able to complete my itinerary, I realized that the four-local destination glimpse to our motherland made me state this  very important thing that I have learned: Whoever says that The Philippines is inferior to another country when it comes to natural wonders and beauty is a complete fool.

Nothing can beat that one moment - when you are riding the local habal-habal ripping the coastline of a remote island, sleeping alone in a hut in no less than Siquijor Island, riding the ferry boat traversing the choppy Bohol Sea, eating buffet lunch in Mactan Island, writing/working while having breakfast in Real Coffee, or being stranded in Bicol because of typhoon Pedring- whatever you do, that moment can come unexpectedly, when you realize that you are living your dream, you are exploring and you are happily, breathlessly alive.

Up next, the first leg: My solo Dumaguete-Siquijor Adventure! 

Eat, Pray, Love in Iloilo and Guimaras

A canceled meeting, and heavy raining in Quezon City allowed me to take a minute to blog about the recent travel. I want to get down and dirty with the details of the trip soon, so this shall serve as an overview. While it's raining in the metro, my heart is somewhere else, and it's in sunny Iloilo.

But first things first, this was my very first solitary trip.For a change. I got there with a couple of friends, but we went on our ways so I was left alone for the rest of the trip. A new thing for me since I'm generally social, I want to talk to people mostly about my opinions or about my snide remarks about nothing in particular.  Another thing why solo travel is a big, big thing to me is because I am generally a lazy traveler.I had no strong feelings about getting to a particular destination, or eating a specific food. Being away was enough for me.

However that kind of traveler changed as years passed. And I discovered there are a lot of things to see, more than the usual destinations. Also, rest days and vacations are golden ,you need to plan ahead and make trips worth it.  I discovered too that I can stick to a budget and still have so much fun.  I traveled solo basically just to be in the destination, do what I want, whatever feels right. And it's not as snobbish or loner-sounding as it appears. Try it sometime. I was skeptical but yes, it is everything it was cracked up to be. It's good to zone out from time to time, talk to strangers, get to know new people and places.It's a liberating experience and frankly, could be an addiction.

Batchoy

50 pesos oyster

So why Iloilo? Well, I chose Iloilo because I wanted to eat a bucket full of oysters you can buy in Manila for about 300 pesos, but in Iloilo, costs only 50 pesos. I wanted to compare which batchoy is better, Ted's or Deco's. I wanted to have La Paz Batchoy in La Paz and have Pancit Molo in, well, Molo, both in Iloilo.

bas relief depicting war in San Joaquin Church

San Joaquin Church

Guimbal Church

I wanted to pray in the heritage churches from Molo Church, Jaro Cathedral, Guimbal to Miag-Ao and yes, the very far San Joaquin  church, the only "military-themed" church where a war is depicted on the surface. And I did that and more. I chose Ilo-ilo because it's a province but is essentially a city, what with two SM malls and a Robinson's mall within stone throws distance.

I went there so that when I really want to get away I could hop a boat to Guimaras and be alone with the sun, see and hold a pawikan for the very first time, island hop to white sand beaches and see the most arresting sunset in the world. To be lost in Guimaras but can still come back to Iloilo city when work stuff beckons and I need to use the internet. If you plan to go on a solo trip, IloIlo can be one of the best provinces to get lost into -  where you can eat, pray and love your local island culture and heritage, your loved ones and yourself more and more.

Manila Ocean Park - the journey

Once inside the Manila Ocean Park, one will be arrested by the different sights and experiences through the seven different highlights or rather "chambers" that the local Oceanarium has to offer.

The first highlight is called "Agos", where one will begin the journey with a jungle-like trek complete with manicured gardens, crocodiles and flora. We later discovered that most species in Agos are freshwater species like turtles, crocodiles and the like.
The second highlight called "Bahura" is an attack of the senses. From daylight greens of Agos, we entered the dark alleys highlighted by beautifully lit aquariums featuring intricate coral reefs. Our family got crazy taking photos of the cute and ultra colorful fishes!

Next stop was "Laot" which featured huge fish tanks with cutesy industrial stuff used as coral substitute. My cousins had a great time playing with it.

Let me continue the next journey with another post because the next chamber "Buhay na Karagatan" deserve a page of its own!

Manila Ocean Park