On Traveling

Travelling was just an option for me, when I took this long vacation from work. My priority was to revise my PhD dissertation paper. As to travelling, I first thought of going to the US and Canada. However, my first vacation trip to the Mountain Province got me bitten by the local travel bug – to discover and explore my country.

My cousin asked me once if I was on a mission. I replied yes, and that is to travel the Philippines. I know I can’t do it in my four months vacation. But that is one worthy goal. With the cost of commuting, lodging, food and fees to see the attractions in the many islands and provinces of the Philippines, I can’t crunch my time and money in that short vacation period. Yet, travelling to me has become a passion.

Travelling is an experience that awakens the human senses to appreciate nature, society and culture’s beauty. Going outdoors gives me a chance to commune with nature and so regain strength for my tired body and soul. It allows to learn about people; of their heritage, their beliefs and their way of life. It connects me to my very sense of being a Filipino.

The farther I go, the deeper does the love for my country grows in me. Missing out some sights in one place makes me feel like going back another time. Getting lost in the way makes me see what others miss. Finding my way to a place teaches me geography. Being there in a new place thrills me as a stranger, but never an alien in my own land.

While not everyone have this opportunity to travel, I feel blessed that I have time and little resources to do so. I am taking each trip as a challenge to discover my country, and find my self in reflection modes. Such time for myself is something I am deprived of when I am at work at home. From the trips I take, there are memories which photographs cannot capture, and from which I weave the travel stories I could tell.

Travelling makes me feel like a child. Amazed, amused, and awed by the wonders that unfold before my eyes. I feel free to walk, climb, swim, dive and play around. Being there in the sceneries, which I could just draw from looking at pictures back when I was a child, gives me that sense of fulfillment in life. With many firsts, I feel so wonderful having been able to travel.

I am nearing midlife. While I still have the leg strength to do those physically straining activities, I would. I don’t want to wait till my retiring years only to envy those who have spent their life in meaningful travels. For what do I work, when I can’t spend some amount for some little perks? Why prevent myself from going places given the opportunity, when there 7,107 islands that I may not be able to set my foot on in a lifetime?

Because travelling graces me knowledge, memories and discoveries, I won’t like to remain like the deadsea keeping those learnings from my wonderful experiences only for me. Instead, I am devoting this blog to post more about my travel experiences. Maybe through these travelogs, I can be of help to others and inspire them too. In this way, perhaps, I could show how grateful I am for such a blessing to travel. I may not be able to take everyone in my family or friends with me, but I am sure to share them and to everyone the stories of my travel experiences.

I travel for my own pleasure. That’s a part of life to say that I have lived it and enjoyed it well. Then, I write about my travel. That’s for others to read about, in the hope that I can help the country’s tourism and as my sign of gratitude to the people I’ve met in my trips.