a passion for travel

The exploration of new places and taking time to pause and marvel at the magnificence of nature has always fascinated me while I was growing up. Most of my hours were spent in going around farms close to our home, climbing trees, collecting bugs from bushes, catching sleeping birds at night, and catching fish from rivers in our small village.

While I was in my elementary years of schooling, my parents gave me a bicycle. I was overjoyed and would spend a lot of time with it to be more skilled in biking. When I was able, I would spend my free time and weekends biking and venturing to the villages close by. I discovered more amazing sights to see – rivers, farms, watersheds, hanging bridges, and many more.

When I entered high school, I began learning how to drive a motorcycle. After I got my license, I explored the towns next to our city and visited their unique highlights – colorful reefs, historic sites and churches, and the awesome and beautiful landscapes. With other opportunities to travel, such as visit to relatives, I was able to visit all the coastal towns and cities in the two provinces of our big island plus a number of major cities and towns in nearby islands of our region.  

While I was pursuing a degree in college, my passion to seeing new places was not put on hold. The university I was enrolled in was located on a different island more than a hundred miles away from home. I was on a new place. There were new sights to discover and new adventures to be pursued. The school was located in a remote town. It was far from the urban centers so visit to malls were not that frequent. Instead, I spent it visiting far-flung barangays situated a few mountains away and were only accessible by motorcycle plus a few hours walk. My other escapades gave me a chance to swim in the middle of the sea (during nighttime) with a depth I dare not measure. I was also able to enjoy a spectacular sunset in one of the world’s superb white sand beaches. In the nearby province, I had the opportunity to trek a rugged trail then hiked through a dried river bed and concluded it with a bath in a cold pool near a marvelous waterfall.

There are many more wonderful and memorable adventures I have been to. Even as a working professional, I am glad to have not been confined to a cubicle in an air-conditioned office. My work has allowed me to travel to a number of destinations and see new places. I never cease to be excited and look forward to every trip because it has always been my passion to travel.