Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts

Top 15 Philippine Travel Blogs

There are gazillions of travel blogs out there, maybe in the Philippines alone there are thousands, no, maybe hundreds of thousands of travel blogs. And realistically we can only follow a few.

Here’s my Top 15 Philippine Travel Blogs (and I recommend that you should follow them too)

Justwandering

Justwandering is full of useful information about places, accommodations and almost everything about the travelling world. The pictures of the places with her dolls will surely captivate your attention. Nina wanders around the Philippines and around Asia as well. She also shares her travel expense after a trip which will definitely be useful for those who are planning their next big adventure. Check out Flip's short interview with Nina.

Langyaw

Langyaw is one of the most awarded travel blogs in the Philippines. Estan writes about his adventures in the Philippines and some other places in Asia. What fascinate me about his blog are the pictures. I was just blown away with how beautiful his pictures are. You should check it out to see what I mean. Check out Flip's short interview with Estan.

Ironwulf

Another multi-awarded travel blogger/photographer in town is Ferdz. His blog chronicles his journey around the country and in Asia too. His pictures are awesome and the details of his journey in his blog will definitely be helpful for those who want to go to the places that he’s been to. Check out Flip's short interview with Ferdz.

Byahilo

Byahilo seems to be one of the longest running blog in the Philippines and this guy would probably have written everything about the 7107 islands. I like his blog because he features festivals in the Philippines which are an important part of our culture.

Backpacking Philippines

Tutubi is another anonymous blogger who writes about his journey around the country and Asia. I’ve been following his blog for the longest time I think. And up to now I still find his articles useful and fun to read.

Out of Town Blog

Out of town blog provides a lot of useful information about places, food, transportation and about travel blogging itself. Melo also intiates some online contests. Lately, Melo writes about tips about blogging that I think newbies would find very very useful. He also provides an online review about the hotels/hostels that he stayed in.

Escape Islands

Escape Islands would also have covered almost all the islands in the Philippines. Some of which are places that i haven’t heard before. If you’re looking for a blog that will help you go to the off the beaten path then this one is for you. Check out Flip's short interview with Dong Ho.

Journeying James

Why??? He travels with a ridiculously low budget and I love it. He proves to anyone that if there’s a will, there’s a way. I also like how he chronicles his expenses down to the last Coke he drunk. Way to go man!!!

Pinay Travel Junkie

This girl proves that yes a Filipina can! She ventured to Europe on her own and travelled across Southeast Asia. Fear seems to be not included in her vocabulary. She’s such an inspiration for all the independent female travellers out there.Check out Flip's short interview with Gay.

Fliptravels

Monette and Ron’s blog would surely entertain you not to mention that their posts are very useful for those who are planning to explore Southeast Asia. Fliptravels is one of the youngest travel blogs that is bound to be big and very popular in the future. Did I mention that Ron takes f*cking awesome pictures too!Check out Flip's short interview with Ron and Monette.

The Pinay Solo Backpacker

This girl is destined to see the world. The first time I read her blog I felt that she really wants to explore as much as she can. The author, Gael, writes really well and you could actually feel her emotions in her posts. I don’t know why, but I’m very much drawn to her blog even if I haven’t seen the writer yet.

No Spam No Virus No Kiddin

Chyng’s blog is one of the lightest and fun to read blogs out there. She writes about her travels in and out of the Philippines and she includes a lot of recommendation about the food she had tasted and the places that she stayed in. Check out Flip's short interview with Chyng.

Nomadic Experiences

Marky juggles his time between his full time work and travelling. For those who are looking for the long-weekend escapes, this blog would definitely be very very useful. Check out Flip's short interview with Marky.

Pinoy Boy Journals

Jerik documents his trip around the Philippines and around Asia too. I like it when he talks about his realizations while on the road. This blog is for those who enjoy solitary travels and occasional partying with strangers. Check out Flip's short interview with Jerik.

Our Awesome Planet

Travelling will never be complete without food! And this is why Our Awesome Planet is on my list. Anton shares with us the experience of dining in different restaurants in the Philippines. This is for all the foodies out there.

Update: Matt Long of Landlopers included this list to his Top Ten List of Top Ten Travel Blog List

How about you? What are your favourite travel blogs?

How Travel Changed My Life

I was just a 22 year-old corporate player almost six years ago. I dreamt of having it all. I thought promotion would be the only way to do it. So I chased it. I got it, every year. I was such a lucky bastard. It’s almost unimaginable for me what I was able to accumulate in such a short period of time (coming from a family that has nothing... literally nothing).

I was paying for my own condominium unit as well. I’m earning enough for myself. I travelled within the Philippines, in places that I could only dreamed of when I was a kid.

And on my 25th birthday, I’ve decided to travel outside the Philippines, another dream that I wanted to fulfil. I created the itinerary and I invited my friends. And then I flew, not knowing that my birthday trip would change me forever.

Suddenly almost everything seemed to have no value anymore to me. The things, the material things that I thought I wanted, that I thought I needed, that I thought would define me as a person... were just nothing. And so, I lost all the things that I accumulated in the past.

Travelling taught me that life is more than having this and that. Travelling taught me that there is life beyond my cubicle. Travelling burst my small bubble on how I see life, how I see MY life and how I see the world I live in. Travelling taught me that there’s so much goodness in this world despite of all the bad things that happened to me.

Travelling taught me to become human, in all its essence.

How about you? How did travel change your life?

Top Three Fictional Destinations

There are some fictional places that intrigue me a lot. And sometimes I just so wish that they were true so I could visit and explore them.

Here are my top three imaginary destinations:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogwarts at night

Pic by popculturegeek

The architecture of the school is amazing. I’m fascinated with the moving staircase, the hidden rooms, the paintings and everything else in Hogwarts. Not to mention that I could learn some magic tricks too.

Neverland

Pic by roaringdesign

There are probably alot of interpretation of Neverland. Some of the things that got stuck on my head when I saw Peter Pan (cartoon) was the islands of mermaid, the Pirate’s cove and of course the area where peter Pan, Tinker Bell and the Lost Boys live. And of course, I want to stay young forever and have a grand adventure every day.

Konoha

Pic by narutovilllage

I’m not sure if this rings a bell, but I’m a big fan of Japanese anime and I’m a big fan of Naruto. I want to see where they live and train. I want to be a Ninja too.

This entry is part of the Pinoy Travel Bloggers' Fictional Destination Tagging Game. I'm tagging James to share his fictional destination post.

How about you? What fictional place do you want to see?

Scariest and Weirdest Trip Ever

I don’t know if I believe in ghost or any other supernatural beings. I have experienced a lot of “weird stuff” in my own home and in some places that I travelled to and I always try to find the logic behind those “scary moments” that I encounter although sometimes there really is no explanation.

My scariest and weirdest trip would probably be the one in Baguio City. This happened a couple of years ago. Me and my friends went to Sagada for a couple of days and went down to Baguio to meet up another friend.

As soon as we arrived in Baguio, we started hunting down some hostel or cheap hotels within the city. We found one near SM Baguio and the price fitted our budget perfectly.

The four of us were resting on our beds watching TV when we heard some knocks on our door. Since I was the one near the door, I opened it and to my surprised, there was no one there. So I just ignored whatever it was.

I went back to my bed and tucked myself inside the cozy comforter. I continued watching TV when I felt that the comforter was like being pulled from below. I just pulled it up again and continued watching.

And then, it happened again. I didn’t move and I held on to the comforter, and f*CK someone was really pulling down the comforter. I glanced at my friends and all of them were glued on the TV show that they're watching. "Who the hell is pulling down the sheets then?"

WTF!??!?

I got off the bed and looked. The comforter was neatly tucked. Maybe it was just my imagination. I untucked the comforter and put everything on my bed. My friends were puzzled with what I did. I didn’t bother to tell them about it.

And then we heard some knocking again, I opened it again, and there’s no one. The knocking happened repeatedly until we just gave up and concluded that maybe it’s the neighbouring rooms that we kept on hearing.

The following morning I talked to the receptionists and asked if they had a lot of guests last night. She said that there were no other people in the entire floor where we were staying except us. WTF!??!?

How about you? What’s your scariest travel moment?

Flick Creative Commons Attribution Pic by Nikko Russano

I’m not Nationalistic but...

I often meet people who have this prejudice against Filipinos. I don’t know why because I know that there are more nice Filipinos roaming the planet than the "not so nice" ones, although I couldnt blame them if they had a bad experience with some of our fellow Filipinos before. And I also don’t know why I always end up defending my countrymen. I’m not nationalistic but sometimes I find it just too offending and I just couldn’t sit tight and keep quiet.

Here are some of those scenarios:

1. I was once in Guilin sitting down and watching people as they pass by with my Spanish buddy when I overheard two guys talking about Filipinas.

Guy 1: “You should go to the Philippines man. It’s so easy to pick up women. “

Guy 2: “Oh wow, yeah I’ll try to.”

Me (talking to my bud): “Push the taller guy and I’ll take care of the shorter one.” (Our conscience told us not to pick a fight though).

2. I was enjoying the scenery of Halong Bay onboard the small junkboat when another tourist approached me.

Tourist: “Where you from? “

Me: “Philippines. And you?”

Tourist: “Hong Kong. So you’re a Filipino, Tsk tsk tsk, do you know some stuff about Filipinos in Hongkong... there’s a lot working as household help and they...“

Me: (Cut him off coz I got pissed with the “tsk tsk tsk” gesture.) “Do you know that a couple of years back, a Filipina working as a nanny died because she saved two kids from getting hit by a bus in Hongkong.”

Tourist: “Oh, I didn’t know that.”

Me: “She died and now her own kids don’t have a Mom. She died saving those Hongkongese kids she treated as her own.” (I just remember it from an old news story I read somewhere.)

Note: (Although now I dont know what to say after the hostage tragedy that happened a couple of weeks back.)

3. My friend went to Bangkok and she was chatting with other tourists over some beer. The tourists were chatting over how easy it is to pick up girls in Manila. She got back after the two week trip and told me about it.

Me: “How’s the trip?”

Friend: “It was fine. I have a funny story to tell. I was chatting with some other travellers in Khao San and they were talking about how easy Filipinas are.”

Me: “What did you say?”

Friend: “Nothing.”

Me: “Huh!??!?”

Friend: “What would I say... another Filipina was sitting on the lap of the old white guy we were with.”

Do you have a similar experience?

Happy 1st Birthday Flipnomad

Exactly one year ago, I was a bummer who just got back from a six month backpacking trip across, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Nepal and India. I wasn’t planning to go back yet but because of the death of my beloved Grandma last September 2009, I’ve decided to come back home.

I’m a broke, penniless and disoriented person since I came back and the only thing that I can think of is how to go back on the road. I started scouring the internet on how to travel for free or how to travel without a job or how to earn money without a job.

Luckily, I came across numerous blogs that talk about alternative sources of income, cheap travelling, and lifestyle redesign. I thought, if I they could do it, maybe I can too.

And that was October 25, 2009, when the idea to become a blogger was born. It was the day when flipnomad, out of the countless names that I’ve thought about just popped into my head.

And a year forward, Flip is still up and running, continuously sharing some of his stories, some travel tips and tricks and sharing some stories of other great travellers too.

Flickr Creative Common Attribution Pic by 1la

Since this is Flip’s first year... I’ll share with you some of flipnomad.com’s first...

1. Gary Arndt of Everything Everywhere, one of Time Magazine's Best Blog for 2010, graced the first Meet the Nomads' section. Thanks Gary!!!

2. Blogging?!? is the first article I've written

3. Robbert, my Dutch room mate in Kathmandu gave the first comment in my blog, Where are the Pinoy Backpackers? Thanks Bro!!!

4. Nina of Justwandering is the first blogger who left a comment in my blog, just right after Robbert. Thanks Nina!!! :-)

5. Gaye of Pinay Travel Junkie is the first blogger that I kept on bothering about my blog and the first person I told about my own domain (even if I dont personally know her). Thanks Gaye!!!

6. Ron Cruz of FlipTravels is the first Filipino that I've featured in Meet the Nomads. Thanks Ron!!!

7. How to Find the Cheapest Airfare is the first travel Tip that I shared in flipnomad.com

8. The Philippine's Hidden Gem is the first contributed article written by Lagaw Thanks!!!

9. Why You Should Explore the Philippines is my first campaign to invite tourists to visit the Philippines

10. Do You Believe in Horoscope? is probably the first (or maybe not) stupid post I've ever written, it's followed by a more stupid post Do Traveller's Need a Financial Goal? Thanks Anil for still leaving a comment despite of my horrendous writing.

For those who are new to my site, welcome and feel free to read about me and my past musings by checking out the archive. If you wanna read about my previous slumbook style interviews with great travellers, please check out Meet the Nomads.

And before I end this post, a big big thanks to everyone who have read, shared, commented on my posts. Big thanks to everyone who have linked me up even when I was just a newbie in the blogging world.

Big thanks also to my non-blogging friends who supported my blog right from the start. Thanks for continuously listening and thanks for all the inputs. And more than anything else, thanks for believing in what I can do.

Flickr Creative Common Attribution Pic by Pinkstockphotos

Happy 1st Birthday Flip!!!

Birthday Wish: Secret!!! LOL

Three Places that Made me Cry

Travel is all about fun and laughter, right. That’s what I thought. I travel to have fun, to enjoy, to meet people, to party and sometimes to get drunk... until I get to these places that slapped me in the face and woke me up.

Hiroshima, Japan (Peace Memorial Museum)

As you walked inside the museum, nothing seems to be special. It’s just an ordinary museum that showcases some relics of the past. I followed wherever the crowd was going, and tried to read everything that was posted on the wall. Until one particular poster hit me. I could not exactly remember the exact line but it says something like, ‘For we shall not repeat the evil.” I was overwhelmed. The statement is not nationalistic, doesn’t bear any hatred, might have a little regret but most importantly there’s a conviction that the place where one of the biggest tragedies in the world happened will serve as the same place where peace would flourish.

Varanasi, India (Burning Ghats)

This was the first time ever in my life where I saw many people grieving (silently) over their departed ones. They burn one body after the other. Families waited for their turn to bid their final goodbyes to their loved ones thru the process of burning. And ironically, the place where I always see and feel death, would be the same place where I was when my grandma died back home.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia (S21 Genocide Museum)

Murray, the guy that I told you about in my previous article asked me not to miss S21 when I go to Cambodia. I didn’t know about this place back then. I only knew about the Killing Fields. I entered the museum which used to be a school turned into a prison during the Khmer Rouge era, and just went through the rooms one by one. I read the notes on the wall and took a lot of pictures. And the more posters I read, and the more pictures I looked at, the heavier the feeling became, until I wasn’t able to hold myself together anymore. Tears fell off and I immediately went out. I lit a cigarette and I burst into tears. I could not believe how cruel man can be. I calmed myself and continued on.

Travel is not just a medium to get drunk, laid or whatever. Most importantly, it’s a medium where we can all learn who we were, who we are and who we want to be.

How about you? Have you been to a place that made you cry?

I’ve been asked a lot of times on why I travel a lot. And I tried to define it for countless of times.

Here’s a list of the usual answers that I’ve given those who asked me:

1. To see stuff

2. To experience stuff

3. To escape stuff

Looking back, I think I wasn’t able to give them a clear answer on why I travel... because to tell you the truth, I travel just to travel and that’s it. I can’t think of any reason why I love travelling. The only reason that I can think of is that it’s the only activity in this whole world that makes me feel FREE and ALIVE.

How about you? Why do you travel?

Escaping the Insanity of Cubicled Life

I have been working since April this year and so far it was tolerable. Not until stress and fatigue got me down last week. There had been a lot of changes lately and a lot of people seem to be very demotivated at work. I try to perk things up by acting as a clown and providing motivational chats with my colleagues but it just became too much to bear for me.

So I ran away.

Not really for good but at least for three days. I ran away from the city and hid on one of the nearby islands in Luzon.

I went to Sabang, Puerto Galera since it’s just a four hour away trip from Manila and there’s a decent snorkelling area that won’t require additional boat trip to boot.

A brief history

Nine years ago when I was still with the first company that I worked for, someone promised or made me expect that I would be promoted to a higher position (which during that time mattered to me a lot). I was only 19 and to be promoted as an office manager seem to be a very good deal. And then it didn’t push thru. The reason given, I can do the job but I’m too young for it.

Bullsh*t!!!

I filed for a vacation and started hunting online the nearest island I can go to.

It was, Sabang, Puerto Galera.

This was the first solo trip I did in my life.

History Repeats Itself ?

Well not really.

The reason behind I was here again is not because of the promotion I wanted (because I don’t care about it anymore) but rather because I got tired as what I have said awhile ago and wanted a brief escape from everything.

I took this time to do some improvements in my blog and at the same time test my new snorkelling mask (which is actually very nice).

Blogging while Pigging out

P.S.

Just quitted my job a week ago!

Do We Really Get To Save on Airfare Promotions?

If you’re from the Philippines, chances are you always get to hear about the airline promotions. Sometimes the price drops to zero, yes you heard me right, sometimes the base fare is zero and you just have to pay for the taxes and some other surcharges.

Sounds like a good deal right???

That’s how I think of it as well, until recently when I realized that I wasn’t able to use a lot of those tickets.

Booking Addiction

Most travellers became so addicted with buying air tickets. I was one of them. As soon as I know that there’s an ongoing promotion, I panic and most of the time I sweat. My fingers tremble as I type my personal information and credit card number in the booking form.

And the tension subsides once I see the confirmation of my booking. I used to think that I was able to save a lot with that act.

Overcoming Addiction

I’m not sure if I already overcame my addiction. Maybe just a little, because now I can control my impulse to buy some new tickets.

Maybe becoming conscious with the cost helped me. I realized that yes I was able to save a lot from those cheap airfares that I bought and was able to use but at the same time wasted a lot of money with tickets that wasn’t used.

Advice to Fellow Addicts

1. Be Strategic with Dates: If you have an employment, make a better estimate in booking the flights so you will have a better chance of using it. For call center folks whose schedule changes every month, I suggest that you file your leaves ahead of time.

2. Stop Look and Listen: Do not book all the promotion that you see online. A P100 ticket left unused is still a P100 lost. Avoid booking a year in advance, there are still a lot of things that could happen in a year right? There are now promotions that can be used as early as two weeks. Or only book the uber-cheap promotions such as the zero fare.

As of the time I’m writing this article, three local airlines have domestic sale and one regional airline have an international sale and I haven’t booked any yet. I still have a few tickets for the coming two months left unused.

Are you addicted too?

On a Leash

It’s been awhile since I’ve shared my thoughts with the audience of flipnomad.com. It has been a pretty tight month to begin with. I just started my job last April, and I’ve been staying in the office for long hours to get my job done.

I’m not ranting nor raving about anything. I just want to share my thoughts with fellow travellers who are reading my blog.

I’m grateful that I have a job. I’m happy that I earn some money every month and I could pay for some stuff that needs to be paid. But at the same time, there’s a part of me that feels like I’m a dog on a leash.

Is it because I’ve experienced freedom for a short time and now I’m craving for it? Is it because I got exposed to some things in the world that’s more important than making an office document? Is it because I met great people who don’t worry their life away and I miss having great conversations with them?

I know the answers why I feel like I’m on a leash... the road is calling me back. But I have to stay put, well at least for a while. My reality is different from other travellers. I support my immediate family other than myself.

I have to find a perfect compromise in living the life I want and being a responsible provider for my family. I need to start revisiting my priorities, the way I spend my time and resources, to make sure that I don’t waste every single part of it.

I’ve decided to take full ownership of this life.

I’m gonna take that LEASH off myself.

Flickr Creative Commons Photo by greenkozi.

An Employed Nomad

Oh Yeah it’s official, after vagabonding around Asia for six months and bumming around at home for another six months and two weeks I finally got a job. I’m having mixed emotions with this decision but nevertheless it’s still a blessing that I should be grateful with for the time being.

I’m Excited

I’m excited because I want to see how I will react with the same things that I used to deal with before I backpacked. I feel that I have changed a lot because of my experiences on the road but at the same time I also feel that I’m still the same person in some ways.

And I’m also excited because I’m gonna earn some money again. Hurray!!!

I’m Nervous

I’m nervous because I’ll be placing myself in a place or environment wherein I’ll be following a lot of rules and restrictions. I’m nervous because I’ll be mingling with the corporate people again and I might not be able to distinguish real relationships versus superficial “I-need-you” kind of relationship.

I’m nervous because I’m at the mercy of my schedule again, without the freedom of just doing anything at my own pace.

My Direction

I’ve decided that I’m gonna take a path away from mediocrity (I hope). One thing that I’ve learned from my travel is to be the best wherever I may be and give the best effort in every endeavour that I’d choose to engage myself in. This is to avoid having regrets in the future.

I’m also going to continue blogging about my travels and my thoughts and maybe some other stuff in the future. I’d like to have a location independent kind of job that some travel bloggers have so I could continue living my passion.

Wish me luck!

I'm just a boy trying to find my way back 'home'.

-Flip

Flip’s First Pit stop: 100th Article

Time flew so fast and I barely noticed that I already have written 100 articles. You might not see them all because a few of them are scheduled to be posted on a future date. This would technically be my 101st article to date.

I started blogging last October 2009 and most of my initial topics were about my six month backpacking trip throughout Asia. I wrote about my adventures and misadventures as I hop from Malaysia, to Thailand, and then onwards to Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and China. I also made it up to Nepal and then to India prior going home.

After finishing up my travelogue, I started writing about some Travel Tips and Tricks that I have learned along the way.

I also changed my template every now and then until I found this one that I think suits me best.

Earlier this year, I also wrote about my recent trip around Visayas, Philippines. from swimming with the Whale sharks in Donsol, to trying the Zip Line and Chili Ice Cream in Legazpi, and making our way up to Boracay via Masbate and Iloilo.

I also came up with 'Meet the Nomads', a short interview section with fellow travellers/bloggers out there. I'm hoping that their stories could inspire you as it did to me.

Aside from writing and posting articles about travelling, I also came across people that inspired me greatly. Special thanks to Nina who linked me up even before I understood its importance, to Anil for providing feedback to my blog, to Jerik, Gaye, Ron, Dennis, Gael, Estan, Marky, and to all other Filipino travel bloggers who took some time to read my travelogues and even shared my articles and thoughts to their own network of friends.

Thanks also to the travel bloggers who inspired me just by sharing their stories like Dave of TLWH, and Dave of EE, Nora, Shannon, Dave and Deb, Toni, Matt, Mark, Lauren and Jack and Aye and to countless more travel bloggers out there on the road right now.

And most of all, great thanks to the readers that spent a few minutes of their time following my journey.

Moving forward, I’ll be posting more and more articles that provides value to those who want to dare to backpack the world just like myself. I’ll try to share some resources that I found online that I think would be helpful for novice travellers like me.

Until my next article.

P.S.

I finally found a job after bumming around for more than a year. I’ll still post articles weekly on Flipnomad. Now, I’m back in the corporate world, I’m also back in just dreaming about a life on the road, until I get the resources to do it all over again.

by Smabs Sputzer. (flickr creative commons attribution)

“I was born free, until they put me in a box, now I’m struggling to break free and live.”

P.S. Again

Kindly share my site to your friends. :-)

If I Could Turn back Time

If I could turn back time I would probably travel when I reach the age of eighteen and...

...I would go to Cambodia and live there with the Khmers. I would study their culture and history and work with them and maybe volunteer so I could appreciate the life that I have in the Philippines.

...I would travel in Mindanao, Indonesia or the Middle Eastern countries and befriend Muslims all over the place so I could have a strong conviction that Muslims are our brothers and sisters.

...I would go and stay in Africa or South America so I could have a chance to live closely in nature with the other great living beings of this planet.

...I would go to India and Tibet and study their kind of spirituality and faith that baffles the world.

...I would study languages so I could communicate with people other than those who speak Filipino and English.

...I would never surround myself with material things but rather I would spend the money for the once in a lifetime experiences.

But I could never turn back time.

I cannot change the past, but I can do a lot with my present!

What would you do if you could turn back time?
Do you want to share you story? Contact Flip.

The Future of the Philippines

The election here is only a month and a half away. After a couple of days or weeks from the election day, we will soon have a new set of officials that will govern our country. Am I excited? Of course I am, and at the same time afraid. I’m afraid that the next set of government officials will be just as the same as the previous ones.

Here’s what I’m hoping could happen to our country in the next few years.

1. New Policies and Stricter Implementation for the Protection of the Environment: The Philippines is one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems in the world. The marine life is just amazingly abundant, but the survival of those places and its inhabitants is threatened by pollution. People are throwing garbage everywhere. Sometimes I think that we already have enough laws to cover every possible misdemeanour but the thing that we lack the most is the implementation of those laws.

I’ll just give a simple equation:

Philippines – (minus) Healthy Environment = Less Useful Land and Water Resources

Less Useful Land and Water Resources = Less Food

Less Food + Big Population = Disaster (hehehe how’s that for an equation)

2. Improve the Social Welfare System: We have a lot of squatters, beggars and vagrants in the city. Where are they from? What’s the plan for them? Are we educating them to be competent productive citizens? What about our health care? Do we still have enough nurses and doctors? A lot of them are working abroad already because the pay here is ridiculously low.

3. Improve the Educational System: What’s the current ratio of students to teachers in our public schools? Maybe we need more teachers and more classrooms? Maybe more chairs and books right?What about the curriculum that we're following and the teaching styles? I think it's high time to change it now right?

4. Help Local Industry Flourish: What kind of support do we give our local entrepreneurs? Are they receiving enough support from our government and from us (consumers)? I’ve seen a lot of products that have really high quality and are being exported overseas. But I know we can do more.

5. Highly Competent Staff: There are some positions that are appointed by the palace instead of voted by the public. I hope that we could have more competent staff after the election is done. I’m personally a big fan of people who acted and made big changes to the country. I’m sad to say that they might not win now that they’re running for some higher position because they’re not as popular as those who made big marketing campaigns.

The change that we need and we want will not come to us unless we act. Whoever wins the most coveted power is based on the choices we will make as a group. And whoever gets seated will never be successful regardless how competent he or she is unless we all support them.

The change that we want starts from us. If we want to change our country, we should start by changing ourselves.

The only way to assure our good future is to be at our best on our present.

by repolona.(flickr creative commons-attribution)

My Top Ten Travel Mistakes

As travellers, we make decisions, before, during and after our trips. These decisions may or may not help us prolong and enjoy our travel more. Here’s a list of my personal travel related mistakes.

10. Drinking from Tap Water: I did this a couple of times in Kathmandu. Although it didn’t cause me any sickness, I still risked myself on being infected from any water born bacteria.

09. Travelling without Insurance: I’ve had a couple of accidents when I was travelling. I fell off a bike twice in China and broke my smallest toe (right foot) and had a bad bruise on my torso. I didn’t go to any hospital because I didn’t have money. The good thing was that the wounds never got infected. It could have been nice if I had a travel insurance that would cover the cost.

08: Spending too much Money on Cigarettes and Alcohol: I promised myself not to spend too much money on alcohol and cigarettes (especially because I have a ridiculously low budget). But promises are made to be broken anyway hehehe. But after realizing it, that money could have gone somewhere else like food and transportation.

07. Calling Friends and Family using your Home Sim: I sometimes call my friends and family back home using my Philippine sim card. The roaming charges were ridiculously high. I should have opted to buy local sim instead because the call rate is lower. Or better, I should have utilized Skype or Yahoo Messenger instead.

06. Spending too much Time with my Ipod: I should have spent it chatting with the locals or other tourists that I met. I have plenty of time to listen to music when I get back home.

05: Frequent Late Night Outs and Getting Drunk with People I don’t know: There were a few times that I got drunk with people that I don’t know and walked my way back to my hostel alone. That could be a potential risk of getting myself hurt. Luckily, nothing bad happened in any of those occasions.

04. Over-thinking: There were times that I spent a lot of time thinking about bad memories that haunted me wherever I go. Sometimes, I spend a great deal of time worrying and getting myself scared about the future. I should have spent those times enjoying the present moment instead.

03. Not Blogging while I was on the Road: I should have done this while I was on the road because now it’s hard to recall all the details that I wish I could have written.

02. Not Eating Healthy Food: I was trying to minimize the expense by eating cheaper foods and my choices back then were not good. I should have made better choices because there were many healthy options that wouldn’t cost that much. I got sick a couple of times and spent some money on medicines. I could have prevented it by eating healthier foods.

01. Being Too Shy Sometimes: There were times wherein I wanted to join a conversation but was too shy to do so. It could have been an awesome moment if I just let my wall down and enjoyed the moment with fellow travellers.

by frozenmist.

What’s the Future of the Travel Agencies?

I've read an article last week in the local newspaper about an upcoming meeting of the travel agency association here in the Philippines. They're gonna talk about the effect that the low cost carriers has on their business. They seem to be losing some money because people are now booking directly to the airline companies.

The travel agencies seem to have a lucrative business back then when airfare seemed to be out of reach and hotels were the only choice, especially before the era of the internet. But internet has revolutionized the way we purchase travel needs such as tickets and accommodation.

The internet has provided all of us all the information that we need to book everything ourselves. The airline industry also has changed with the presence of low cost carriers that serves different continents. Cheap hostels also abound now anywhere we go.

Independent travellers turned bloggers also provided information on how to travel cheaply on our own. Packaged tours seemed to be the last option for some travellers. More and more travellers seem to prefer the freedom of going to places and doing different stuff on their own pace.

The travel agencies still have their corporate accounts though to profit from. Most companies are still outsourcing their travel needs from those establishments.

But for the independent and leisure travellers, what else do we need from a travel agency?

Hopefully, they could provide more affordable packages that would surely give more value to our money.

What’re your thoughts about this?

by Kossy@FINEDAYS.

The Day I Thought I'm Gonna Die

I was browsing through my email trying to free up some space by deleting old messages when I came across this email that I sent to my family and friends last August 2010.

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August 10, 2009

Chengdu, China

I almost had a freak accident two days ago in the mountains of Sichuan . I was riding this bus from Xiangcheng to Kanding, up and down the mountain slopes and then we came across another truck. It’s a little misty and visibility is not 100%.

The driver of our bus tried to steer away, the same as the driver of that truck. I thought both of us will fall off the cliff… it happened very fast.

I closed my eyes, I hold my breath and I told myself… “It might hurt a bit and then it will be over, don’t worry.” I felt peaceful after I gave up holding on to my dear life. I felt that life and death were embracing each other, looking me straight in the eye.

Life and death were together like Yin and Yang, they have always been part of each other. They don’t despise one another, it’s just only us that separate them. Death completes the cycle of life and so on.

I opened my eyes, and I was surprised… I am still alive!

To my family and friends, I may not be the best son, brother or friend because I cannot express it in words and sometimes I have a weird way of expressing it in actions. And also sometimes I act without thinking or act with too much thinking. But I sincerely like all of you. We may have had some misunderstandings in the past, maybe sometimes due to my fault, please forgive me and let’s all forget about it and move on with our lives.

Life moves on same as when the sun rises on the east. It doesn’t care what we keep in our thoughts or memories. When death kisses you gently on your cheek, you would understand what I mean.

I will continue my journey and hope to see you again in this lifetime… or perhaps on our second lifetime (who would know right?)

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For all of the people who are still on the road... Take care and keep on doing what you're doing. We only have one shot in this thing called 'life'. We might as well enjoy it and live it to the fullest. :-)

-Flip

Reintegrating Myself

It’s been six months already since I got back from my backpacking trip and yet, it seems that the trip was just yesterday. I didn’t bother to do anything on my first two months.

I started making this blog last October and I also started sending out resumes around the same time. I also tried applying online for some job even if I wasn’t really seriously looking.

Today is March 18, 2010, I’ve been officially bumming for a year! Oh yeah, one year. I left my last job last March 2009 and I’m not missing it at all aside from the very nice people that I met there and of course I miss my salary (because I’m dead broke right now lol).

What have I learned so far?

I’ve learned that I don’t want to put up with difficult people. I’d like to just stay around people with positive attitude (as much as I can).

I’ve learned that reality may sometimes be harsh but its reality and I should deal with it.

I’ve learned to trust my gut feel a lot.

I’ve learned that my mistakes and my achievements don’t define me as a person.

I’ve learned that security cannot be given to you by anyone or anything. You have to give it to yourself.

I’ve learned that life is just an experience that I have to go thru.

I’ve learned that difficult situations don’t really improve your character. But rather it brings out your true character.

I’ve learned that even if I hate money and the idea of money, I still need money.

I’ve learned that success is a decision and not a product of any external circumstances.

Now that I’ve fully decided to work and be part of the labor force again, I’m quite excited with how I will react with the same stuff again.

In a couple of days, or maybe weeks, I’ll be wearing my long sleeve shirt and sit in front of the computer for hours again.

Life’s journey seems to be not all about moving from one place to another. Maybe it’s also about the decisions that we’ve been making and the actions that we’re taking that lead us to another chapter in our lives.

Ten Travel Facts about Flip

Let’s play the list game. Here’s my top ten travel facts.

10. Flip has eaten disgusting stuff like deep fried meal worms and grasshoppers in his trip in Thailand.

09. Flip has always tried to avoid spending too much money on booze and ciggies, but failed to do so.

08. Flip can sleep anywhere like buses, sidewalks, trains, lounges, waiting areas, planes, etc.

07. Flip has tried eating dog meat in Manila and hated it.

06. Flip always falls in love with someone whenever he travels, or maybe he’s just drunk.

05. Flip hates cold weather because his nose always bleeds.

04. Flip loves to hang out and party on the beach.

03. Flip loves having a conversation with a stranger.

02. Flip had seen a floating body part in the Ganges River. (eeewe!)

01. Flip thought he’s gonna die in Yunnan because of a vehicular accident.

One out of the ten things that I’ve mentioned is a lie.

Which one do you think it is?

Flickr Photo by Karindalziel