We were magnetized by the big, bold letters posted in front of a seaside restaurant along Bacuit Bay. It said “Happy Hour.” We were just there for dinner but the idea of getting two glasses of cocktail drinks for the price of one was strong enough to add some alcohol in our supposedly sober dinner. Bacuit Grill Bar and Restaurant [...]
It first entered my head while touring Ilocos. It popped up again on the way to Casa San Pablo in Laguna. It dawned on me one more time while we were planning our trip to Anawangin Cove, Zambales. How lovely it would be to own a car. I keep three jobs to fund my travels. When I still had a [...]
From where I stood, I could see the sun paint the clouds pink as it began to kiss the horizon. The Poor Traveler was walking with friends to the beach and our excitement was just overflowing with each step towards the shore. As the sound of the waves stammering the name of the sea got louder, the thought of watching [...]
Every time my phone beeped, I prayed to see a “yes.” I wasn’t proposing to my partner; I was procrastinating. It was one o’clock in the morning, a few hours before our flight and there I was, still trying to find a hotel online. I had texted every contact number I had seen online in the middle of the night [...]
El Nido is a town in the northern part of Palawan. Comprised of 45 islands, El Nido is popular for white sand beaches, snorkeling and diving sites, and steep Karst cliffs. Although famous, reaching this tropical paradise can be quite a challenge to travelers because of its remoteness. For the Poor Traveler and his friends, however, its location is not [...]
As our boat glided through the waves into the Big Lagoon of Miniloc Island in El Nido, Palawan, I couldn’t help but think about how much I needed this break. The limestone cliffs that surround the clear, turquoise waters reflecting the sunny skies were more therapeutic than any massage or cigarette I had. It was the perfect moment. A classic [...]
“Hey, look at this!” There she was, my friend Tonet, standing motionless before a gravestone; her eyes glued to the engraving. “It’s weird.” “What is?” I walked towards her. “Look.” Her finger led my eyes to two words in particular. Last seen. Usually, a gravestone has two lines written below the name of the departed — the date the person [...]
Coffins scare the hell out of me. I said it before and I’m saying it now — The Poor Traveler is not the Brave Traveler. There are so many things out there that terrify me. One of them is death. And most of the things related to it. The mere sight of a coffin is enough to make me shiver. [...]
“I don’t know.” That was my groundbreaking answer when my friends Dane and Ces asked me where we would be staying in Sagada. We were already on the way there. “Are you serious?” Unfortunately, I was. And it was a big problem. How could a group of yuppies travel to Sagada without any hostel reservation? The guest houses I called [...]
We missed the sunrise. Although the original plan was to witness the sunrise from the Kiltepan Viewpoint on our last morning in Sagada, we still hoped we could catch the dawn as soon as we arrived. We tried to dodge the idea of waking up really early on our last day. Unfortunately, the sun was already up when we reached [...]
“Let’s go to Sagada.” More than five years ago, just before our college graduation, my friend Tonet invited me to go to Sagada. Tonet and I had always wanted to visit Sagada for a number of reasons. “I don’t think that’s possible given that we’re too busy working on our theses. Perhaps after graduation?” I suggested. After graduating, while we [...]
First times. If there’s one thing that I am so grateful about this trip, it’s that it gave me a several first times. It was my first time to board a cruise ship. It was my first time to see a cruise ship, to be honest. My first time to set foot on Malaysia. My first time at a Temple [...]
“Hey, come inside! Look!” Normally, when somebody excitedly invites me over to show me something, I get thrilled. But at that particular moment, I was not. And with good reason. My blogger friend had just emerged from the restroom and excitedly grabbed my arm to show me “something.” “Where are we going?” I asked. “Stop asking questions! Just come with [...]
Quarter-life crisis. I guess it’s starting to kick in. Almost every night since my 25th birthday I would just lie in my bed at night and think about my childhood. When I close my eyes, I try to relive the days when I would just spread my arms wide open and pretend to fly. I try to remember the day [...]
Earlier that day, when our Tour Guide announced that we had entered the city of Kuala Lumpur, I quickly moved to a window seat and started searching the skies for an imposing structure — the Petronas Towers. When I looked at our itinerary before this trip, I was familiar with these twin towers only. Prior to this trip, I had [...]
