I missed my flight, but Maya saved me!

As someone who travels a lot, I tend to overlook things, even the most basic ones, like my airline itinerary. So when I booked my flight to Bucharest, Romania, things took a downward spiral when I missed my second layover.

Firenze, or How I Learned the Hard Way That Cappuccino Has a Curfew

I remember being fourteen, seated in a classroom that smelled faintly of chalk and humidity, listening to a history lesson about the Renaissance, the so‑called rebirth of the world. It sounded grand, almost theatrical. Names like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Sandro Botticelli, the Medici, and Caravaggio were spoken with a kind of reverence usually reserved for saints or national heroes. Italy, we were told, had once erupted with art and intellect, as if the entire peninsula had collectively decided to outdo itself.

At fourteen, I believed it. At my age now, I wanted to see if it still held up.

Twenty‑two years later, I got the chance to fly to Italy.

Firenze was next.

Top 10 Travel Moments of 2024

2024 has been my most well-traveled year yet, filled with a beautiful mosaic of adventures woven together by spontaneity and delightful surprises. Even though some of my trips had a work aspect, they all provided wonderful opportunities to explore off-the-beaten paths, turning side trips into the beautiful highlights of my journeys. In this blog, I’m excited to share the vivid moments that made these travels so special—the unexpected encounters, the stunning views, and the delightful meals that linger on the palate long after the journey concludes. I’ll skip over the not-so-glamorous parts, though: the long airport layovers, the immigration lines, the traffic jams, and those frantic dashes to catch nearly missed flights. While these moments were part of the adventure, they didn’t overshadow the joy of creating beautiful memories. So, let’s dive in together!

Dangerous Crosswind

They say the less, the better.

Being an air traffic controller and a frequent traveler is not a good combo at all. You see, when your flight suddenly halts in the middle of the taxiway, you'd groan, "Oh no, give us some ample spacing for each arrival. I need to fly ASAP!" or, "Why aren't we taking off yet? There is no inbound traffic at the final approach runway 06?". Then, you'll check FlightRadar24 to monitor the traffic around the aerodrome traffic zone. But, I stopped doing it because it's stressing me out, to say the least.

The Bangkok Traffic Story

The news about the death of the highly revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand swept across the world. As a sign of respect, the entire nation of Thailand was in a state of mourning. The famous night clubs and entertainment strips were closed, and almost all the locals wore black. As the country plunged into what it seemed to be the darkest moment of their modern history, it got me thinking if I should still push this trip with my friends.

Scam City: Saigon, Vietnam

One thing I learned about traveling is that you can't control everything. I am going to share a story about my bad experience in Saigon. Don't get me wrong, I love Saigon, but it's just the fact that not all things you see and read on my travel blog are pleasant.

It all started with a crazy weather disturbance in Manila. My flight to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) from Manila was scheduled to depart at 10:30 PM (PH time). The storm had just intensified after passing the capital, forcing airlines to cancel most of their flights in the domestic sector. Luckily, our flight pushed through, albeit the five-hour delay. We finally left Manila past three in the morning and arrived in Saigon a little past five in the morning, local time. Little did we know that our ordeal has just begun.

Exploring Laki Ashi of Kanagawa Prefecture

Last night was a blast. I was awake for almost 24 hours, but that didn't stop me from enjoying our first day in Japan. I can vividly still remember my first meal (a tonkatsu ramen), my first subway experience in Tokyo (which is, by the way, the most efficient and the most expensive mass transportation system I have ever ridden), and my first time crossing the most photographed intersection in the world. It felt surreal. Japan already gave me a very nice impression, and I can't wait to explore more of it!

On our second day, we explored the neighboring Kanagawa Prefecture to see Mount Fuji in person.