Kruhay! Top Destinations Around Antique Philippines

Continuing my quest to explore my home country, I went on an exploration round the province of Antique.

ALSO READ: El Nido Palawan : Island Hopping in Paradise

I packed my bag not really knowing what to expect ( like most of my PH trips, I haven’t really researched on the things that we will be doing ---- not recommended ok!). So, to be safe, I packed my board shorts, light shirts, a jacket, aqua and also semi-hiking shoes (not the boots type).

Along with some travel bloggers, the Tourism Department of the Local Government Offices per district hosted us. The task ( yheap a good task haha), was to cover attractions from the north to the south of the province. We also went to places that are not yet open to the public to see how to improve and set regulations before tourists can start to visit.

So here are the top places (and memorable ones) that we visited.

Note:

*A more detailed blog per place will be up soon ( link will be provided once they are up).

* Some of the places covered are still not yet ready for visitors so better contact the town’s local government office. (will give contacts at the end of every attraction).

LIBERTAD

[caption id="attachment_4520" align="alignnone" width="800"] ENROUTE TO MAANGHIT CAVE[/caption]

Straight from Kalibo Airport, my first destination was the town of Libertad (North most town of Antique). Because my flight was around 9 am, I woke up pretty early to get an Uber from Marikina to the airport ( early meaning 4am). This was to avoid the rush hour traffic. I love commuting when everyone is still sleeping hahaha (the best way around Metro Manila).

Without enough sleep, I was just in snooze mode inside the van pick up in Kalibo. Because I was asleep most of the time, I can say that the drive went smoothly. It took us around 2 hours to reach Libertad proper from Kalibo.

[caption id="attachment_4521" align="alignnone" width="800"] SHARING LUNCH WITH THE VERY JOLLY LOCALS IN LIBERTAD[/caption]

From the hotel, I dropped my bag, hopped on a motorcycle and went to a small village where I met up with the group of bloggers and the LGU (local government unit) of Libertad.

I was welcomed with a superb boodle-fight kind of lunch. YEY. I love the locals there, they were very cheerful and fun. I guess they were laughing at me because I arrived late (more on why I got late on a more detailed blog).

Here are my top picks on what to do (that we did) in Libertad

MAANGHIT CAVE

Straight from Bungan-Bungan Spring, a few meters walk, you will reach the Maanghit Cave. The name itself got me curious. Thinking of being polite, I avoided the question on why it is called Maanghit ( maanghit in Tagalog, means body odor). I was thinking that, in Karay-a (local language of Antique), it has a totally different meaning, a sacred meaning perhaps.

[caption id="attachment_4523" align="alignnone" width="800"] THE MOUTH OF THE MAANGHIT CAVE[/caption]

Lo and behold, when we entered the cave, a weird stench welcomed us. This was when our guide explained why it is called MAANGHIT! Hahaha… now it make sense! It is more of a urine smell than a body odor.

The smell was caused by the huge deposit of guano (bat droppings) which you will discover that it is what you are basically walking on inside the cave.

I did regret dropping my bag at the hotel before changing in to my hiking boots. I was wearing only my flip flops inside the cave and it was really hard. Imagine, your sandals, sliding on a wet mud and your feet sliding from your sandals. It was really challenging. At times I want to go back---but I pushed through (almost crying). So please learn from my mistake.

The sound of the bat wings flapping together mimics the sound of rain. Imagine, thousands of bats flying above you. Aside from bats, there are also, cave crickets (huge), tarantula (scary—I saw maybe 5), and tailless whip scorpion (thank you for being tailless).

[caption id="attachment_4522" align="alignnone" width="800"] A TAILLESS WHIP SCORPION DEVOURING A COCKROACH[/caption]

This trip is really for those who are looking for a semi-adrenaline rush kind of trip.

ATI VILLAGE

Visiting the Ati Village, was last in our set of itineraries around Libertad. It was a sort of heart-warming visit. Seeing a whole family of Ati (the Indegenous People of Antique) touched my heart. They were so engaging during our visit. I felt like part of their family. The welcome was indeed genuine and warm (see my photo with them—right?).

[caption id="attachment_4524" align="alignnone" width="800"] FAMILY PHOTO[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4525" align="alignnone" width="800"] THE FUN FAMILY SELFIE[/caption]

We were introduced to Nanay Mayak (Mother Mayak), she was 98 during our visit but now she just turned 99 (I know right?!--amazing). They said her healthy diet of eating just vegetables and rice were a big factor why she’s still very healthy for her age.

I might plan a visit on her 100^th birthday! Any joiners?

Tourism Office Contact Person:

Galahad G. Garcia

+63929-7694753

PANDAN

From Libertad, we drove southwards and went to the town of Pandan. The main attraction here is their famous Water Tubing along Bugang River.

MALUMPATI / BUGANG RIVER

[caption id="attachment_4518" align="alignnone" width="800"] THE CLEAR WATER OF MALUMPATI RIVER[/caption]

Bugang River is known to be the country’s cleanest river (a hall of fame awardee).

It is surely one of the clearest bodies of water I have seen. In fact when you go towards the head spring, a place called the Blue Lagoon (because of the color of the water), you can scoop a handful of water and drink (known to have medicinal effect—I did and I am still alive and well).

[caption id="attachment_4519" align="alignnone" width="800"] THE BLUE LAGOON[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4517" align="alignnone" width="800"] WATER TUBING....WEEEEEEE[/caption]

The best thing to do here is to experience their water tubing. You’ll get to trek inside the lush forest (we saw snakes --- you’ve been warned), and hop on a train-of-life savers (salbabida). Imagine rafting on individual life savers. Believe me, this is FUN!

Tourism Office Contact Person:

Bong Venus

+63918-4489348

 

SEBASTE

The same day, after our swimming trip in Pandan, we went to the town of Sebaste to hike and visit their famous waterfall. The trek itself is moderate, the only challenging part was the part where we needed to cross the stream as the area was very slippery and the water current was strong.

Going down, I was dragged by the current and fell ( it was not a hard fall though but I can imagine what would have happened when I was not too alert and continued being washed to a bigger ridge/drop.

IPAGSUNGAW FALLS *

[caption id="attachment_4528" align="alignnone" width="800"] @ADRENALINEROMANCE DOING SOME ROMANCING AFTER SOME ADRENALINE RUSH[/caption]

We saw 3 of the nine falls in the area. I think these are the ones that you can really visit (not really sure about this fact though). The best was the big one from the bottom because of its size.

WARNING: This is not for everyone.

After our trip, we found that canyoneering in the area is still very dangerous and you need to have at least a good enough mountaineering skill to consider this place a safe place to visit.

Before even thinking of going on a trip here, I strongly advice to connect with the local government to see how they can assist you.

[caption id="attachment_4526" align="alignnone" width="800"] THE START OF THE LONG TREK[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4527" align="alignnone" width="800"] ONE OF THE FALLS IN THE AREA[/caption]

Tourism Office Contact Person:

Nilo Paulino

+63912-6600067

CULASI

Culasi is a cute developed town north of Antique. We were welcomed generously at the municipal hall where we met the mayor and the tourism officer. They were kind enough to keep our bags as we hopped on a boat and explore the island of Mararison (also known as Malarison).

[caption id="attachment_4529" align="alignnone" width="800"] THE VIEW FROM THE TOWN HALL VERANDA[/caption]

MARARISON ISLAND

This place caught me by surprise. Probably my favorite in all of the places we have visited in Antique. The boat we hopped on was a small one, so those who are a bit of scared (on boat rides) –> you’ve been warned.

It is famous for its beautiful beach covered with pristine white sand and clear blue waters.

Aside from swimming and snorkeling, one of the best things to do in the island is climb the Lantawan Hills where you will be spoilt by the beautiful scenery. Imagine being a human drone.

[caption id="attachment_4530" align="alignnone" width="800"] THE VIEW OF THE MAIN ISLAND OF ANTIQUE FROM MARARISON[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4531" align="alignnone" width="800"] MARARISON'S TOP INDUSTRY IS FISHING[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4532" align="alignnone" width="800"] ............FRESH FROM THE OCEAN[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4533" align="alignnone" width="800"] LOCAL NET WEAVING[/caption]

What I love most in this visit was observing the locals. I love the simplicity of life being displayed in front of us.

Fishing is the main livelihood of the town, so you will see a lot of boat makers, fish vendors and net weavers.

Before leaving the island, we were serenaded by the Mararison Children’s Choir. Composed of children ranging from the age of 5 to 13. They gave a beautiful performance of songs in Karay-a language (with matching dance steps). It was heart warming. Love love love it.

[caption id="attachment_4535" align="alignnone" width="800"] THE VIEW FROM LANTAWAN HILLS[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4534" align="alignnone" width="800"] HOBBITON?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4536" align="alignnone" width="800"] THE MARARISON CHILDREN'S CHOIR[/caption]

Tourism Office Contact Person:

John John Sumanting

+63916-3246068

TIBIAO

Probably my favorite town. I love this place because you have a sense of order of a big town but you can also experience the isolation and peace of a small village (haha, don’t know if my explanation justifies my thoughts).

RIVER KAYAKING

From the town center, we drove uphill where the Tibiao River is located. This is also the place where you can experience Antique’s famous White Water River Kayaking.

The owner of the Kayak Inn boasts that he was the one who brought white water kayaking in the Philippines (we need to validate this claim ---- but this is really cool). In fact, this place hosted the first (and only) International Kayaking Cup in 1997.

[caption id="attachment_4513" align="alignnone" width="800"] GETTING READY TO HOP ON THE KAYAK[/caption]

It was my first time, saying that I was nervous was an understatement. Seeing how the river looks during our short trek was scary. Trusting on our gears and our guides, we hopped on a solo kayak and paddled on.

The key is just let go and don’t panic and let the guide save you if anything happens bad. LOL. Once I started paddling, it was not that scary after all. They only challenging part was stopping and also following the guides on maneuvering left or right. (the guides were standing in the water like a traffic policeman pointing to the direction where you need to go---and will make you panic haha).

I love it! Truly an adrenaline rush moment.

KAWA BATH

If you google antique or even clique on #Antique #ExperienceAntique in Instagram, most probably, 90% of the photos you’ll see are people being cooked in a big sauce pan. Nope, they are not being eaten afterwards, it is a form of warm baths developed in the province using old sugar saucepan from the sugar factories around the province.

When the sugar industry died, instead of throwing, these saucepans transformed into hot tubs and became an iconic symbol of the province, especially in Tibiao.

[caption id="attachment_4539" align="alignnone" width="800"] PERFECT HOT BATH AFTER A COLD KAYAK ADVENTURE[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4540" align="alignnone" width="800"] .....YOU CAN ALSO PLAY AROUND WHILE BEING COOKED TO PERFECTION[/caption]

You can see several places where they offer this one of a kind bath. The best I’ve see so far was at Kayak Inn where you have the view of the Tibiao River and rice fields and also at Kawa Inn where you can partnered the experience with a fish spa.

Tourism Office Contact Person:

Junneth dela Cruz

+63915-0925751

Kayak Inn: Edwin Endrico, +63921-5702947

Kawa Inn:  Julie Fate Pineda, +63917-4503121

BUGASONG

BUKO BATCHOY

This stop is for those foodies out there. Heard about buko batchoy? Yes! COCONUT NOODLE SOUP!!

I was shocked and excited at the same time when I first heard that we will be stopping for a snack in a restaurant famous for this dish. I look like a kid at the backseat repeating the phrase.. please please let’s go..please!

We where served a big coconut shell filled with soup (batchoy) using shredded coconut meat for its noodle. YUMMMMMMMM!!!

[caption id="attachment_4541" align="alignnone" width="800"] BUKO BATCHOY!!!!!!!...SPECIAL WITH EGG PLEASE[/caption]

Contact Person:

Boyet Zerrudo

+0926-4000751

VALDERAMA

It felt as if we stayed in this place the longest as we’ve done a lot of adventurous (and challenging things) here. From singing karaoke (haha adventurous) to hiking in a newly discovered rice terraces. This place is really memorable (both in a good and seemingly bad ways)

VALDERAMA RICE TERRACES

When I first saw that one of our trips around Antique is to explore the newly discovered rice terraces in Valderama, I got so thrilled. This was one of the reasons why I said yes to this trip. I remember reading about its discovery online, that this was accidentally showed up in google maps. How cool is that right?

[caption id="attachment_4510" align="alignnone" width="800"] HABAL-HABAL SANDWICH ON OUR WAY TO THE START OF THE TREKKING SITE[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4544" align="alignnone" width="800"] HOPPING ON THE BOAT (PEOPLE + MOTOBIKE)[/caption]

So the moment has come and we started our journey. In order to go there, we needed to ride a habal habal (motorcycle) and cross the river on it and with it. It took us almost an hour long motor ride to reach the start of our trek. From the base, the supposedly an hour of trek became almost 2 hours for us.

The rain kept on pouring which made the already dangerous trail slippery. Imagine, hiking on a slippery trail (good thing I was wearing a aqua shoes with a good grip), but some of my friends wore their flip flops and endured the muddy challenged. When it started to go dark, with the absence of a proper torch (flashlight), we started using our phones to light our path (my phone didn’t turn on for the next 5 days after this haha----again, you’ve been warned).

[caption id="attachment_4551" align="alignnone" width="800"] CONQUERING THE DANGEROUS HIKE TO REACH OUR HOME STAY[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4547" align="alignnone" width="800"] THE CHALLENGING PART WAS THE WET (MUDDY) TRAIL[/caption]

One thing I appreciated during this trip is that me and my friends became closer. You can see how everyone helped each other. And reaching the town proper, where we will spending the night became an achievement (bearing in mind that we will have to do the trek down the next day….waaah).

We slept at the home of the town’s captain as a form of a home stay. There was no proper shower and going on a visit to the toilet means that you’ll need to do a little more trek in order to do your number 2 (I tried to control it the whole time).

With wet clothes and an almost impossible hike, there are still parts of me that tried to appreciate my surrounding. Thinking that we are one of the first – non local visitor of this town. That is something really cool and amazing. Sure we don’t have the 'hotel' amenities that we were used to, but seeing the people around us ( in the morning), brought a smile to my face and making this moment precious.

[caption id="attachment_4548" align="alignnone" width="800"] THEY MADE THIS TRIP SPECIAL.[/caption]

WARNING:

For non experienced mountaineer, this can be a very challenging hike. Make sure if ever you plan a visit here, to check the weather and also hike with enough day light. As what I have observed, the place is still not ready for mass tourism, it is very dangerous and can create a shock to the community. I am hoping that the LGU will have a solid and strict regulation for tourists at the same time, train more people to properly guide visitors.

More on this trip on a more detailed blog.

[caption id="attachment_4552" align="alignnone" width="800"] THE VIEW OF THE TERRACES[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4553" align="alignnone" width="800"] TRULY BREATHTAKING[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4546" align="alignnone" width="800"] THIS WAS THE VIEW DURING OUR TREK[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4549" align="alignnone" width="800"] THE VIEW A FEW METERS FROM OUR HOMESTAY[/caption]

Tourism Office Contact Person:

Tim Ledesma

+63917-5075409

SAN REMIGIO

San Remigio is located at the highest point of Antique. This is the reason why you will feel a sudden drop in temperature (yes, to bringing my jacket). We stayed in a homestay and I was able to interact with the owner of the house.

I love moments like this.

(unfortunately, I only took videos of the town and our homestay, so wait for my upcoming vlog ^^)

[caption id="attachment_4554" align="alignnone" width="800"] OUR SUPER SAVORY LOMI[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4555" align="alignnone" width="800"] LUBID LUBID, A KNOWN DELICACY OF THE TOWN.[/caption]

If you are driving in the evening, keep on the lookout for fireflies hiding in the trees and you might get a big light show welcome. I missed this, while some in our group witnessed the spectacle.

IGBACLAG CAVE

Wishing that there will be no more hike on our next destination, I was wrong. But this time, it was just a short trek to reach the Igbaclag Cave. It is a small cave with spectacular rock formations (I forgot the proper term for this---I will edit this out once I remember haha).

[caption id="attachment_4511" align="alignnone" width="800"] HANGING BRIDGE TO ACCESS THE CAVE[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4512" align="alignnone" width="800"] ADRENALINE ROMANCE (YHEAP DOING WHAT THEY LOVE BEST)[/caption]

Tourism Office Contact Person:

Christine Charity Sanchez

+63908-5663379

ANINI-Y

The last town that we visited was the town of Anini-y. It is situated at the southern tip of the province.

We stayed in this town overnight before we officially end our trip. The sun did show up when we arrived in our hotel, perfect to hang our wet clothes (believe it or not, our clothes from the terraces hike were still not dry) --------- but-------- you guessed it right, it rained again while we were in Nogas Island haha

NOGAS ISLAND

A boat ride away from our hotel in Anini-y. We crossed the ocean to go to Nogas Island. A marine and bird sanctuary, Nogas Island is perfect for a day trip.

[caption id="attachment_4556" align="alignnone" width="800"] WE WERE THE ONLY ONES EXPLORING THE ISLAND[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4557" align="alignnone" width="800"] THE KALACHUCHI PATH[/caption]

If ever you will visit this place, you will see a beautiful collection of kalachuchi (jasmine) trees forming a long arched corridor going to the lighthouse.

We also visited a 300 year-old balite (banyan tree), and it is creepy and beautiful as expected. I was hesitant to take photos as in the Philippines, a banyan tree is known to be a house of engkantos (environmental spirits— I am not really sure if this is the correct translation but almost), eventually I took some photos and murmured “tabi tabi po” (please excuse me).

[caption id="attachment_4515" align="alignnone" width="800"] 300 YEAR OLD BALITE TREE[/caption]

Tourism Office Contact Person:

Edsil Villamar

+63916-8782604

---

Can’t believe that we have explored this province in a span of 7 days. Antique is indeed a place that can easily be overlooked as it can be overshadowed by its neighboring provinces like Iloilo and Aklan (heard about an Island called Boracay?). Aside from that, it has a reputation of being a home of witches, which made some of the Filipino travelers to be afraid to even stepped on the province. But during our stay, Antique proved that it is a place worth visiting.

You can experience almost everything your wanderlustful heart is looking for. Mountains, beaches, rivers, waterfalls, time for relaxations and also amazing food.

True that there are still a lot of things that the local government needs to improve, as some of the destinations are clearly not yet ready to accept visitors. This part is understandable as compared to other provinces, Antique is still a baby in terms of tourism.

I was happy to know that most of the places in the province are being ran by community based tourism organizations. Meaning, increasing visitors and more attractions being developed will result to more jobs for the locals.

As a Filipino, I am proud to see the beauty of this place and I can’t wait for other people to experience it as well.





 

Photo of The Day: MUSEUM SQUARE, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

If you want to see the Museum square empty, visit this place as early or as late as possible. However, it is still fun to see people climbing each letter or stretch out their selfie sticks to capture the best angle possible.

7 Things Young Filipinos Can Learn from Traveling the World

On my very first trip outside the Philippines, I met two Scottish men (three years my junior) who traveled from England to Asia non-stop within a span of three months. In my mind, I was thinking if they are crazy? (Hmmmm... how can they afford this?... Maybe they are rich and their parents are the one spending for their trips?) After having a chat with them, they told me that all their travel money were hard earned. They worked serving in a coffee shop after classes and during school breaks. They planned on doing a long trip to know exactly what they want to do in life, to discover things and learn from this adventure. After that brief encounter, I realized that as Filipinos, our notion of travel is fairly different from the rest of the world.

I grew up dreaming of traveling, but never have I thought that it will create a huge impact to who I am now. I haven't traveled as young as the Scottish men I met, I wish I did but my first ever flight away from the Philippines still changed my life.

[caption id="attachment_3082" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Autumn in Kyrgyzstan[/caption]

Several years on the road, I have learned a lot of things and as a young Filipino, I am sharing several things we can learn from this so called adventure.

1. Learn that you don't need to be rich to travel and survive while traveling.

I was not born in a rich family and I can say that we are still not rich (according to Forbes standards) and with this reason, I am still amazed that I have been able to travel and visited several countries in Asia, Middle East, Europe and North America. Of course my job as an OFW helps a lot but thinking about the very first time that I was preparing to travel abroad, I can say that my mind was still very closed with all the possibilities of traveling on the budget.

Whenever I started planning for a trip, I always ended up not pursuing it because I don't have money to go for a cruise, or book a 5 star hotel. It is simply out of my budget. As Filipinos,  we grew up with a perception of traveling as full leisure, therefore not practical. In fact most of us, even though you are dreaming about it or not interested at all, it is at the bottom of our priority list. The biggest factor is money. We thought that traveling equates to cruise ships, 5 star hotels, top restaurants and expensive theme parks (yes, I am talking about your dream Disneyland trip). However, the more I travel abroad and research about alternative ways of traveling, the more I discover that we can travel without blowing our savings out into oblivion.

In most of my travels, I stayed in hostels (once, I booked a hostel in Florence for only 11 euros/night), I used Air Bnb, and recently (because I met a lot of new friends on the road from different countries) I stayed at friends' house for FREE, (Yes, free lodging and most of the time free breakfast and dinner too).  In big cities, I was able to find free walking tours which are guided by locals and free bikes (I found one in Copenhagen). Also, one of the best things that happened in our generation is that low cost airlines are a thing now.

[caption id="attachment_3073" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Free Walking Tour in Stockholm, Sweden[/caption]

While on the road, a Filipino backpacker told me that she was able to work in hostels in exchange for accommodation and food while some worked as an English teacher or a yoga instructor in order to finance their travels.

As Filipinos, I know that we can find many things to finance our travels and keep it on a budget ( we are trained to enjoy streetfoods which is a plus already). If you are now part of the work force and dreaming of traveling, please don't ask your parents to finance it. If you are a student, taking a part time job is a good option. Work hard and save.

2. You will discover yourself more (your talents, passion and skills).

I often wonder that if I was able to travel first and spent a few months on a backpacking trip in South East Asia or in England will I still have the same career as I have now, probably not. I have discovered that more than Architecture, I love relating to culture, learning the history of a place, capturing it in photograph and also translating it into a hand drawn sketch. I also discovered that I have the skill to be an entrepreneur.

I have a Norwegian friend who thought she wanted to be in the Military after high school and have that as a career, after traveling for 5 months around the world, she realized that what she really wanted is to be a journalist. I heard someone decided to be a chef after a trip around Italy and another gave up her corporate job for a luxury brand in Dubai and became a professional yogi after trip in Goa....and yes, they are all happy with their decisions until now.

As young Filipinos, we (normally) don't have the privilege to take a gap year and discover what we really want as a career like what our counterparts from the west are doing. Yes they can afford it and we can't but if there is an opportunity for us to travel and discover what makes us happy, let's start saving and have our bags ready (and don't forget to bring an open mind and heart).

3. Learn and embrace cultures and beliefs different from yours while discovering that everyone is still the same.

During my trips, I have stayed with several families with different cultures and beliefs as I do. Simple things as 'beso beso' (kiss on the cheeks) is a normal greeting for some countries while for some it is a violation of one's personal bubble, giving your seat in the metro for a lady and an elderly can also be a very sensitive matter. These are just petty and simple examples, let's not even go to religion and moral standards. Traveling will open your mind that the world is a collection of cultures and along with these cultures, there is one universal traits that we will discover, that is RESPECT.

Respecting one's culture and beliefs will make you understand that this world is big enough for us to argue on what is right and wrong, what is moral and immoral yet in all cultures, LOVE, KINDNESS and RESPECT are always present (it can be in different forms as well).

[caption id="attachment_3075" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Tooth Temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka[/caption]

After my trips, I became more open to people different from who I am. I relate more to different nationalities and found myself not judging people based on the color of their skins, their way of speaking in English, and even the type of food they are eating.

4. Learn that you are just a very small part of this world yet you can do big things

Sometimes (or maybe most of the time) we Filipinos think that we are the best in everything, deny it or not, we are all living in the #PINOYPRIDE mentality. Yes, as a nation, we are full of ourselves. What I learned from traveling is that the world doesn't revolve around ourselves alone. We are just part of this world just as the other person next to you, or the person in a long bus trip in India. As one of the developing countries, we Filipinos should understand more on how  it feels like to need something that we can't afford, yet most of the time we play the superior card to those who are different from us.

Traveling can make one humble. You will see the world that you don't normally see in the pages of Travel and Leisure Mag. Yes the world is beautiful but not perfect. Instead of judging people on the clothes they wear or even the way they smell, once you stepped out of your comfort zone, 100% of the time, it will touch your heart and know that we can do and contribute something to make this world a better place.

5. Your nationality is never a stumbling block

In relation to point number 4, it feels ironic that I mentioned about Pinoy pride yet often times we have an inferiority complex. We thought that because we are only Filipinos we can only do so little things and that and will never achieve anything. We thought that because of our nationality we can't go head to head with different nationalities (especially those from the first world). We are shy to approach people who doesn't speak Filipino or with a different hair color as ours.

What I love from staying in hostels is that you'll get to meet new friends from different parts of the world. Although you call each other as 'the German', 'the Filipino', 'the American'...you still treat each other the same way as you will treat the person on the other table. People who travel understands that we are all unique but we can still be friends and be part of a community.

[caption id="attachment_3078" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The friends I met in my trip in Los Angeles. All of them were also backpacking and until now we are still in communication and I was able to visit them in their homes in Germany and Norway. They became three of my travel best friends to date.[/caption]

Until now I am still connected with most of the friends I met on the road. In fact some of them even became my best friends.

Check out my blog about the people I met on the road

6. You will appreciate being 'kayumanggi' 

The color of my skin and the shape of my nose, these are the parts of my body that I want to change during my pre-travel days. I always thought that being fair skinned and have a higher nose bridge are the only standard of beauty.

Like most of the Filipinos out there, I stocked up boxes of papaya soap in the hopes of turning my brown skin into milky white (I will definitely need a lot of that soap). Believe it or not, during college, one thing that I never forgot to bring was an umbrella, and this was not for the rain.

Meeting different nationalities and being friends with most of them made me realized that for people who travel the color of your skin (even the shape of your nose) doesn't really matter. You are beautiful for what you are and for who you are.

We Filipinos are fixated on achieving that beautiful fair skin when in fact the rest of the world are envious on our perfectly tanned complexion.

If you think about it, most of the people (not only Filipinos), who are boxing the standard of beauty are those who are still caged in their own box.

7. You will fall in love with a lot of places yet you'll be proud that you belong to one of the most beautiful countries around the world

I know that a lot of us are dreaming to visit Paris, New York, Brazil, Dubai, Japan and other top places in the world. I have been to a lot mega cities and beautiful country sides but I can say that one of the best places (nature and people wise) can be found in our own backyard. The Philippines is blessed with a lot of beautiful sceneries. It is a pity that some of these places (I am talking about you Manila) have been depleted/slowly depleting. We need to act immediately to save our beautiful cities (ok enough with my ranting). Aside from these, we still have a lot of places that we can be proud of. In fact, a lot of the people I met whenever they hear that I am from the Philippines always mentioned that it is one of the top places they have visited  and for those who haven't been in our country, they considered it as one of their dream destinations.

[caption id="attachment_3080" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Exploring Caramoan Islands in the Philippines[/caption]

Truly we can be proud of our country and the best way to do so is to become ambassadors of our own. Show the world the beauty of our country, ironically we can effectively do that when we travel abroad and meet other world explorers.

I know that there are still a lot of things that we can all learn as Filipinos from traveling, It is a never ending list. At the end, what I want to say is that although traveling can be deemed as leisure by majority of our population but it is time for us to see traveling as a learning adventure that each one of us should experience during our early years. As we Filipinos are obsessed with investments in terms of finances and education, I think we should think of traveling as a life long investment. As one quote says, "Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer. "

 

Travel Photo Journal: BARCELONA, ESPANYA

I have been planning to make a full blog about my past trips, but most of the time I ended up putting them on the shelves. Now I have a lot of backlog travel blogs that I am pretty much excited to share with everyone.

I thought that aside from a detailed itineraries and tips of every trip I did, I'll post a photo journal so I can share with everyone the beauty of each place (immediately). Agree?

For my first photo journal, I thought of sharing my summer trip in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia in Spain and home of FC Barcelona (hooothooot).

I was really looking forward for this trip as I had an impression that Barcelona is an artist town, which means that I will fit here like a bespoke glove. In our Architectural history class, the works of Antonio Gaudi always intrigues us. I cannot say that we share the same sense of aesthetics, but I do admire his brilliant mind. This is one of the reasons why visiting the colorful Barcelona ended up in my travel bucket list.

So without further ado, here's the first part of my Barcelona Photo Journal.

[caption id="attachment_2921" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Newly found friends. Carpooling from Montpellier, France to Barcelona, Spain[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2923" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Oh yeah!!! We survived the long drive. Welcome to BARCELONA[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2931" align="aligncenter" width="800"] From carpooling all of us headed in our own way. I have chosen the trusty Barcelona Metro to go to my hostel[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2922" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Barcelona Metro[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2924" align="aligncenter" width="800"] My hostel - Sant Jordi Hostels : Sagrada Familia. It was a little hard to find, I must admit[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2929" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Our clean and funky hostel[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2930" align="aligncenter" width="800"] hmmmmm lemme check ---yey there is a Philippine Peso!![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2925" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Walking distance from our hostel is the majestic Sagrada Familia by the famous Catalan architect,  Antonio Gaudi. This is the reason why I booked this accommodation.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2926" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Sagrada Familia. My view from the long line[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2927" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Beautiful interiors. A lot of details that I think only the mind of Gaudi can fathom[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2928" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Sagrada Familia interior[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2932" align="aligncenter" width="800"] I love how arts and artists can be found all around the city[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2933" align="aligncenter" width="800"] A one of a kind nativity sculptures[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2949" align="aligncenter" width="800"] As I've started with Gaudi, I went ahead to one of this 'other' famous creations. The Park Guell[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2950" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The mosaic along the famous Trencandis Bench[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2952" align="aligncenter" width="800"] I have to take a photo.. Sorry!!  This is the Trencadis Bench[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2955" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The main access to the park where you can find another famous piece, the Dragon Fountain (Salamander?)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2954" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Hello there Mr. Dragon[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2956" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Casa Del Guarda, built between 1901 and 1903. It is one of the few examples of modest dwellings created by Gaudi[/caption]

 

Check the 2nd part of this photo journal here: 

Travel Photo Journal 2 : BARCELONA , ESPANYA