No, I’m not back in the Philippines yet. And no, I’m no way near Batanes. This trip was supposed to be “aimless”. One weekend, I was just thinking of train-station-hopping. I just needed an escape! But then on second thought, I might end up disappointed and that would mean wasting some bucks. So I hurriedly … Continued
This may not be the only reason but, I climbed Mt. Pico de Loro because someone (let’s name him Tsadiktus) requested me to take a picture of him atop the mountain’s summit. And so we invited Ronn, the friend that we met during our Talamitam-Batulao twin hike last December 2012, to be our guide for … Continued
“Sometimes you want to go for a walk and you don’t want to be watched. You just want to be anonymous and blend in…” –Madonna Ciccone So I took a time off after some busy days (or weeks shall I say), just spending one Saturday away from home—away from the small town of Reading, UK. … Continued
Anticipation built with each step. The straps that were once a constant reminder of the weight of my pack, could no longer be felt. Perspiration penetrated my skin. My feet wore the wounds of the 9 mile treacherous incline of the Muliwai trail, but my heart begged me to continue forward. My senses told me … Continued
My leaden legs plod beneath me. They scream for rest but my mind is resolved to keep moving. I fear that if I stop I may collapse irrecoverably. It feels as though someone has placed a boulder inside my backpack and my body is strangely sluggish. I have only trudged this path for a few … Continued
Ever since I was a little girl, I held this dream that I would move to Aspen, Colorado. It was in my twelfth year on my first trip out there, that I had found a sense of discovery in the mountains, I was given a taste of the high life. And from that day on, … Continued
Montana: Shimmering Still The light in the mountainous bowl shifted so tenderly, dusk seemed to last for most of the afternoon. After three months of being on the road, putting on my backpack for a trip into the subalpine terrain of Glacier National Park felt like a welcomed break. The hours of yellow and white … Continued
Vietnam: When Monkeys Attack We set sail for the mystic pillar-shaped islands of Ha Long Bay on a wood-crafted junk boat. I was surrounded by good company; a small group of worn yet ambitious travelers who were ready to karaoke by night and anxiously sought out the next great adventure during the day. On … Continued
To me, feeling free means escaping the daily struggle of life in America. The daily expenses, the daily stress at work, the daily drama. But curling into a ball, hiding inside, or going ‘crazy’ spending money on materialistic nonsense is no escape. My particular escape is when I find myself breathing heavy, feeling my legs … Continued
It’s odd to think of being free in a country that is still recovering from civil war. When comparing the highly developed, technological culture of the United States to the under-developed subsistence farming culture of Burundi, however, there is a kind of freedom. Freedom from returning emails because the Internet is down. Freedom from returning … Continued