A Talk for Atok

This trip was a spontaneous one. A week before this trip, I was informed that my friends had already booked their flights and tour at Atok, Benguet. It has been ten years since I visited Baguio. From NAIA 3, we went straight to PITX, the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange. It’s a centralized bus terminal with numerous bus networks from Manila to any points within Luzon. We took the first class bus to Baguio City. It has a reclining chair, an entertainment system, and a lavatory. We left PITX at around 10 PM and arrived at Baguio at around two in the morning.

As we meander around the street, we got lost while looking for our hostel but eventually found our way after several minutes.

The following morning, we had a hearty breakfast at Good Taste, Baguio’s famous family restaurant. The food was delicious and very affordable! The van terminal to Atok was just right across from the restaurant. Honestly, I don’t know what’s in store for us, but I guess we’re off to an exciting part.

We Grow

The more I learn, the less I know. Through every high and every low, I grow.

That song, Grow, hits hard. It's a shame that the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 got canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. That song could've been an easy top ten finish.

The Sky Is Full Of Stars

Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash

As day turns to night, the blue sky fades, revealing the night sky. On a cloudless and moonless night, the stars light up the sky like snowflakes. It never occurred to me how big our universe is until I had basic knowledge about astronomy. For instance, the fastest speed in the universe is light, traveling up to 300,000 kilometers per second. From our perspective, that's really fast. A trip to the moon would take at least a second. A trip to the sun takes more than eight minutes. But a trip to the nearest star, Alpha Centauri, takes four years, and a journey to the nearest galaxy, the Andromeda galaxy, takes at least two million years. Needless to say, the light we see from the stars was emitted at least tens of thousands or even millions of years ago. Ten thousand years ago, there weren't any human civilizations or even settlements founded in any part of the world. Two million years ago, the first humans emerged in Africa.

Some people tend to doubt and mock us whenever we dream big; it will never happen. But, the stars constantly remind us that they shine and glisten under the night sky, even if it takes their light to reach us for a very long, long time.

2021 - Still A Work in Progress

2021 was indeed a rollercoaster ride. I know it sounded like a year-end cliche, but it's true. I have so many things in my mind right now, but this year was more like a series of life lessons. 

A Short Staycation At K Lebrix Lakehouse

Since last year, it has been a tradition of my close colleagues to organize a getaway somewhere far from the metropolis. You know, it's one of our ways to destress aside from discovering new coffee shops, restaurants, and bars around the area, as self-proclaimed food adventurers we are.

And off we go to the place I've never heard of before. I was excited because it's been a while since I've embarked on an adventure, especially in this crazy post-pandemic era.

Four Years Ago

Okay, hear me out. I know it's hard to update this travel blog regularly for obvious reasons. Heck, I have written more posts on my (personal) blog this year! Today, before I went to work, I found my old external hard drive. It's where I store all of my raw photos and videos from my travels beginning 2014 until late 2019. Since I believe I still have unpublished and unedited photos, I started browsing the 2017 folder. 2017 was so special to me. It was the year when I got transferred to Davao, finally got tenured at work, and got the chance to visit Sydney for the first time, one of my favorite places in the world. Man, I miss my old life. 2017 feels like four decades ago! Those were the days when I'd message my friends and alert them about an ongoing seat sale, read all the travel blogs to formulate my travel itinerary and watch some travel vlogs on YouTube.

These are some of the photos I've salvaged (LOL) from my old hard drive and post-processed on Lightroom. I am 100% that I haven't published these on any of my social media posts.

COVID-19 Recovery: The Outlook of the Philippine Aviation Industry

In 2019, the aviation sector of the Philippines was at its peak. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) recorded 737,812 aircraft movements in that year alone. It was attributed to the increasing flight frequencies to both international and domestic sectors as more airports cater to the needs of the flying public. As an archipelagic country, it added connectivity around the Philippines and made it even smaller. The aviation sector was gearing towards a brighter and promising future, full steam ahead.

Ilocos Region: The Adventure to the Great North

Ever since I started working, I have traveled to various countries–South Korea, Australia, Canada, Japan, and Indonesia, to name a few. It gave me a broader perspective on life. I got introduced to unfamiliar cultures, met new friends along the road, and explored the underrated cities. But, I'm going to tell you a secret. I haven't explored my home country that much, and it's such a shame.

You see, the Philippines has a lot to offer. From highlands to islands, from the towering verdant landscapes to the turquoise and cerulean waters. It was a personal choice not to explore my own country because I thought I had already known my home country. The truth is, I barely scratched the surface. Every region is unique–culture, language, and food. Years after years of traveling abroad, it felt I had become a stranger in my own country. Now it is about time to get reacquainted with my motherland. Together with my friends, I traveled to the north to visit the Ilocos Region, the hometown of my paternal grandfather. It's such a shame I don't speak their language, and my knowledge of this region is limited. Welcome to Ilocos Region, the best of culture and nature, and the heritage village of the Philippines.