Onshore Thoughts of a Surfer's Nonsurfer Girlfriend

"Guys, this is Pau, my... girl."
"Hey, do you surf too?"

"No."

Weak smile as a response, and they go about talking how glassy the waves are earlier that day and how good the waves are going to be tomorrow according to the forecast at another spot.

No one even bothers to ask what I do for fun. Heck, I've been to a lot of adventures than a normal person and I thought my life has been pretty interesting because of my travels until I got to know him. Then I realized how boring, comfortable, and normal my life is. Also, how antisocial, old-fashioned, uncool and unstylish I am.

Chasing Sunrise in Bagasbas

"Yesterday's failure is redeemed at the sunrise” - Todd Stocker

Bagasbas Beach is a tricycle ride away from Daet, Camarines Norte. It is known as one of the top surfing destinations in the country. In fact, it is the home of one of the best female surfer in the Philippines but what made me fall in love with this place is not in the water. 

Mt. Batulao: Celebrating Life and Embracing Freedom

“A man is not where he lives, but where he loves.” - Latin Proverb

I have never been a fan of Valentine's Day, partly because I've never experienced anything memorable on all my Feb 14s and mostly because of the consumerism that comes with it. But I thought I'd do something better this year than hate on the overflow of love and its corporeal things so I took four of my lovely, single, and unattached friends out on a date that they will never forget. 

Baler: The Uncombed Story

He never looked nice. He looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.

He is not a standout. His beaches are not as pristine as Palawan and Boracay. His sceneries are not as picturesque as the Cordilleras. But she found herself back to him a month after her last visit. 

Yearender: It Comes and She Goes

"Even though I took a step back from things that the metropolitan world would describe as success, I could say that it is one of the best years of my life. It is the year when I discovered my love for the mountains, my affection for the waters and most importantly, my passion for traveling." - Paulakwatsera in Baler, December 2013 

My first job (2009 - 2010) allowed me to become a Mabuhay Miles elite member and be up in the air almost every week but even though I constantly travel during that time, I had the littlest appreciation of the places that I'd been to. Going back home is the first thing that I have in mind the moment I set foot on a new place back then. 

But 2013 is the year when I have discovered a comfort in dislocation. This is the year when I started to enjoy traveling solo, the year when I conquered my first summit, the year when I fell in and out of love in a week, the year when I almost died doing the thing that I love, the year that I experienced my highest highs and my lowest lows, and the year when I developed my love for travel blogging. 

Baler: Coming of Age and Uncovering That Secret Spot

I had planned to be somewhere extra special in celebration of that day when my parents screwed up their lives. I was thinking Batanes or Bali in Indonesia just so I could have bragging rights of being somewhere significant on my day. But just like most of my travels, out of no cognitive reason I ended up in a place east of Nueva Ecija.

If you do not already know, Baler is best known for surfing. I am no surfer nor am I a swimmer, and my surfing stint in La Union was probably out of pure luck or weak waves so there is no real reason why I choose to be here for my birthday. But I guess it is the mindless decisions that always lead me to the most blissful moments.

My First Not-So-Couchsurfing Experience

Couchsurfing

A global community of 7 million people in more than 100,000 cities who share their life, their world, their journey. Couchsurfing connects travelers with a global network of people willing to share in profound and meaningful ways, making travel a truly social experience.
With Couchsurfing, you can stay with locals in every country on earth. Travel like a local, stay in someone’s home and experience the world in a way money can’t buy.

I first heard of this website while researching an itinerary for the South Korea trip. I came across the blog Chronicles of Marianne and I've read about the author's couchsurfing experience in Korea. I thought it was interesting to get free accommodation whilst getting to experience a place on a local's perspective, safely away from the tourist traps.

I immediately signed up and was surprised with how massive the Couchsurfing community is in the Philippines. It turned me off a bit though because most of the meet ups in Manila are in a bar on a Thursday. Being that geeky introverted person that I am, I knew for a fact that it is not my kind of crowd.

The Cordilleras: Seeking Serenity in the Clouds

All this time I thought I was traveling to find myself, I didn't realize that I am just using it as an excuse to escape who I really am.  
It is not always about meeting truckloads of new people and ticking off a new destination out of your list every week. Sometimes living life to the fullest means appreciating the relationships that you already have, bringing joy to whichever place you are always in and being thankful for that awesome person that you already are.

The Cordillera Series
The Cordilleras: Baguio - Sagada - Banaue - Batad Itinerary, Expenses and Travel Tips
The Cordilleras: Seeking Serenity in the Clouds

The Cordilleras: Baguio - Sagada - Banaue - Batad Itinerary, Expenses and Travel Tips

DAY 1 - 11/14	Time	Price (Php)
ETD Manila via Victory Liner Caloocan	9:00 AM	450
ETA Baguio, take a taxi to AJ's Pension House	3:30 PM	50
Check in at AJ's Pension House	4:00 PM	1100 / 3 pax
Walk around Baguio City	5:00 PM
Dinner at Ganza Restaurant in Burnham Park	7:00 PM	700 / 3 pax
Walk around Baguio City some more and appreciate the night lights	8:00 PM
Back to AJ's Pension House, Lights out	9:30 PM

AJ's Pension House

10 Things To Do in South Korea

If you think watching Korean dramas all day everyday is enough to get to know the land of fermented cabbage and epicanthal folds,  I must tell you that are wrong. There is more to South Korea than kimchi, BB creams, insanely unblemished pale people and KPOP.

Below are the list of the things I did to get to know South Korea and eventually fall in adoration with this amazing country.

1. Visit Jeju Island.
Jejudo a.k.a. Jeju is one of the most magical place I have ever been to. No trip to South Korea is complete without a stop at Jeju. If I am going to visit Korea again, I will skip Seoul and head straight to this breathtaking place. The following are the must visit places in Jeju. 

Jusangjeolli Cliff