Chungking Express: Hong Kong and Macau

I make it a point to travel internationally once or twice a year after I did Indochina. So December last year, I was planning to go on a solo trip and I was thinking Singapore or Hong Kong, you know, let's stay on the safe cities in Southeast Asia if I were to be alone, hah. I opened the idea to Hannah and she said she can come with me to Hong Kong and ask Fong to come with, too. That's how this trip was born.

They flew in from Dubai with a little side trip to India and I came from home. I was really nervous going to the airport alone since I'm used to having my family and friends for trips but I as soon I stepped inside, my mature, 26-year-old self told the ever-doubting me, "Hey, you got this, you want this." As always, I then realized that it's always good to be alone. You handle your own time and this is an opportunity to prove to yourself how you have your shit together. Mama and Chianne were proud of me for flying in and out solo though so that's a plus. ;)

Yay for #InternationalTravelFriendshipGoals!

So what do we know of Hong Kong and Macau... Well, it's not China, let's get that straight. But still, there are a lot of Chinese people in Hong Kong though they prefer to be called Hongkongers. It has a Disneyland, and it can get really cold so it's basically the easiest place to go to for Southeast Asians who wants out of of the heat.

Speaking of, being in Hong Kong made me a little weather conscious, as in commanding Google "weather in Hong Kong" every morning. I was scared I'll die of itchiness but I enjoyed and loved the cold weather. I was surprised people knew what to wear as the coldness isn't the same each day, like they know when it's going to be super cold and bitch-you're-going-to-be-an-ice cold. But then, it's not like here in Manila where it's just sunny and hot almost the entire year. You really have to check out the weather before you go out unless you want to die cold in the streets.

Hong Kong National Museum of History.

Victoria Harbour.

Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower.

The walking surprised the hell out of me. I didn't think I'd do 18,000 steps per day as it's a city for crying out loud. I think I lost a layer of fat and grew a vein but it was all good. Walking is an exercise, right? Their MTR is really accessible though. You can go anywhere with that little Octopus Card which will save you a lot of money instead of taking a cab. We still took cabs, haha. It can get pretty tiring after a long day of walking.

Tian Tan Budda.

Yup, we decided to be spiritual that day.

Po Lin Monastery.

The Peak Tram.

Hong Kong, you're so beautiful.

Table sharing is common in Hong Kong. We were pointed to a room full of tables and Hannah was like, "Where? Saan tayo uupo?". It was kind of awkward at first but we learned not to mind and even talk about people's food. Looking at what they're eating can help you eat the best the restaurant can offer, haha.

Chicken, ham and Pekiiiiiiing!

Water. Lol, no. It's milk tea.

Having W-Fi everywhere, as in literally (I am not exaggerating this) everywhere is one of the best things in Hong Kong. In a bus, MTR, in the middle of the street, you can have an internet connection. Not that they need it, though, people there probably have phone data but you can never get lost in Hong Kong as again, there's Wi-Fi everywhere!

3rd day in Hong Kong is Disneyland day. Oh man, I cannot even begin to... I'm so lost for words! That day is for the books, seriously on of the best days of my life so far. I saw a part of my childhood in one place. And no shame in my Disney game as I am a grown woman who cried at the parade and fireworks display. I cannot believe I'm saying this but Disneyland is truly the world's happiest place.

Me love you loooooong time, Disneyland!

Ocean Park, babyyyy!

Fong and the yumo rice roll!

We did a day trip in Macau, too. It was on a Sunday so the Senado Square's packed but it's all right, it's okay as there's egg tart every step of the way! We enjoyed the Portuguese vibe of this little city and it made us feel we're in Europe. Huge casinos are everywhere in Taipa Island. We went to The Venetian for the Canal but it's didn't wow me that much. If you're not too big on gambling and have very limited time in this part of the world, I'd skip Macau, tbqh.

Ola, Macau!

Fisherman's Wharf.

Feliz Natal de Macau.

Ruinas de San Paulo.

PORTUGUESE EGG TART!!!

At The Venetian.

This trip just solidified the fact that I am a city girl at heart. I felt at home in Hong Kong and Macau. I kind of imagined living there and feeling totally okay with it. I loved every bit of the rich history, the urban jungle-ness, the diversity of culture, the movement of people and yes again, the weather. Or maybe just because it's November, who knows, lol.

So this wraps up my 2015 travels plus hello, #InternationalTravelFriendshipGoals. Abby told me once, "Layas ka ng layas, ang dami mong pera!" I don't, FYI. But if you really want something, you'll go for it. Doesn't matter how hard or whatever people may think or say about me, I'll go. That's what traveling is about, I think. It's about the destination and of actually going. The important thing is that you move.

I love you, Hannah and Fong. :)

Fast Kwebang Lampas

I was on a quick trip to a beautiful beach near Manila with my new friends (I'll talk about them and more soon, haha!). Ianne and her small family loves going around the country in search for pristine beaches. They've been to the famous ones the Philippines is known for and the hidden ones which I'm really excited about. They try to go out once a month and they let me tag along to Pagbilao, Quezon for Kwebang Lampas last August.

I shall flood you pictures now. 

So nice to be back on the road after months stuck with my new job.

I wouldn't go far as to saying that camping is easy, 

FYI, it's not, you just get used to it. 

And Ianne's so used to it, she made us feel at home in an island. 

Kwebang Lampas, Pagbilao, Quezon.

Booze, cigs, friends and the beach.

What I always want - quiet mornings.

It's always good to discover new places one can simply drive to away from the busy city. It was a nice getaway. Well, I'd take any getaways at the beach, that's for sure. Looking forward for more trips with my new family. ;)

Bliss in Calaguas

Last weekend, to celebrate Drew's birthday, Florie, Vivi, Randy, of course, the birthday boy and moi decided to go south to Camarines Norte for the beautiful island of Calaguas. I've always wanted to go there, it's on my list actually, so yeah, it's hitting two birds with one stone kinda thing. Florie booked us a spot at Lakbay Kay Saya Pilipinas so everything was all set, we just had to go show up.

The Manila to Daet, Camarines Norte drive was 8 hours long so we just slept, ate and talked loudly inside the van. We were with other people but we didn't mind. With almost everything, we never really mind anyway. After the long drive, it was a 2-hour boat ride to the island. Okay, I didn't forget how rough Camarines waves were. What I did forget though was to bring meds for it. A few years back, during my trip to Caramoan, which is at Camarines Sur, the 2-hour boat ride gave me an insane anxiety attack that I cried when we got off the boat. Good thing I was with my family then and they were geared up with lots of meds and even had a pulse fingertip oximeter. Now, it was a huge mistake to forget even just a single medicine for this trip, but thankfully, I survived it. Vivi hugged the shit out of me and let me smoke 3 cigs straight when we got on land. If ever I go back to Camarines for any remote island, remind me of my meds, alright?

Calaguas is magical. Scorching bright sun, white and smooth sand and the water is clear as crystal. No blaring music but the sound of people having fun and the waves hitting the shore. Calaguas is, again, magical.

So what did we do? Nothing. We just frolicked all day. We soaked up nature's finest - the sun, sand and water. It was perfect.

We hiked up this 20-minute trail to see the island from the top. 

Almost killed me, of course, 

but I'm happy I did that climb.

When the day turned in to night, I was floating in the sea. I let the water hug and carry me as the sun descended from the sky and the canvas of the earth changed from bright blue to a mixture of red, orange and purple. It was there when I asked myself, "What am I doing here? Do I even belong here? Why am I here?"

When all the colors seemed to be eaten by the darkness, I let those questions linger, had dinner and commenced the obligatory alcohol sesh with the rest of the group. Great place, food and people, what more can I ask for?  We played lasing bobo loudly while drinking and it was one of the best lasing bobo games ever. Drinking and getting wasted by the beach with my friends and the new ones elevated that moment from happy to the best. And we all know what happens to best memories, yeah?

I was 2 bottles of Red Horse away from getting drunk but luckily, the alcohol gave up on us first. I decided to go skinny dipping with Florie and Drew and it was beyond crazy. Crazy in a very good way, of course. It's liberating. We didn't have any light except what the moon provided but the laughter with what we're doing was music to my ears. It was a night of pure laughter, I have to say.

I let myself float again under the black sky, unreal bright moon and tiny stars shattered everywhere as if pieces of broken glass. I always appreciate moments when I can get to see stars. Being a city girl, I hardly see stars anymore or most of the time, I'm way too comfortable with the city's dashing lights that I forget that stars exist. There, surprisingly, I got the answer to my very emotional questions earlier. It's as if the the moon, stars and the cold sea whispered it to me... "You're here to see this. Exactly this. Because you are a part of all this. You're right where you're supposed to be."

Floating in the dark, instead of being scared, I was smiling. I am smiling now as I type this. That moment made me feel more than good. More than human even. It made me feel one with every fiber of my being. It made me one with everything. I felt sheer bliss.

I wish I had a picture, even just a single picture of the sun, moon, sky, sea, the colors, of that moment, all in one frame. Not just to put in here but for people to understand what I felt because of those elements. But I guess what I got there is only for me.

And for that, I am forever thankful of you, Calaguas.

Of 2014 And To More

It's as if it was just 2 weeks or so when I wrote about 2013 (dramatically, I might add) and now, I'm about to talk about how 2014 was to me. Time really does fly.

I've actually been putting off writing about 2014. I'm just not in the mood maybe, or like, I really don't know what to say. I find myself catching up with my thoughts when I'm down and at a lost for words when I'm happy. Can we file that under #writerproblems? Haha. It's pretty obvious that I've been struggling to keep up this blog with my life as it's happening too fast and yeah, you guessed it, I'm having fun. But I'm challenging myself now to write about the good stuff. It's much better, isn't it, to write about what's good in your life. I like the fact that it's in me until I die or probably even after but it somehow makes a lot more sense when I write it down and share it.

In my 2013 yearender post, my end note was 'Happiness is a choice'. And that's exactly what I chose for 2014.

This blog and my Instagram are fully aware of how things happened this 2014. I was out a lot. I usually don't like going out during weekdays but I learned not to mind that. I mean, it's always nice to spend time with people who matter, though, I think I kind of went overboard, but again, I didn't really care. It is exhausting but at the same time feels good. No one remembers their days at the office. No one. Well, except for the good days but I'd choose the movie nights, tambay/coffee catch ups and concerts (I was at 3 concerts this 2014, ccchyeaaah!) over that any time. 

Then there were my travels! It took my brothers, Chianne and I, almost a year to prep for our Indochina trip but it was worth it. I mean, come on, 4 countries in 10 days, that's something. Backpacking taught me a lot, as expected. It taught me to walk for how far just to save 2 dollars and appreciate my brothers and Chi more. It taught me though there's a language barrier, you can be understood with a smile and a simple nod. It taught me that the world is the home and that I should put more effort in to seeing it more. There was also the El Nido trip where it became evident that beautiful places are much more beautiful if you're with your friends. With traveling, I really believe that you can learn so much -  of the places, the people and of yourself. 

As for my yearly list of books and films, I was able to read 7 books and have watched 80 films for 2014. Honestly, those are bad numbers for me. I wanted to read and watch more but again, I was out a lot. Haha. I also became a part of something really cool and creative this year - BookBed. So far, I've written 3 articles for it and I'm excited to continue my part this 2015. 

Like I said before, this is the life I've always wanted, this is the life people get jealous of, everything that's happening at the moment is meant to happen and 2014 made me live that life more.

So for work, well, I have no work now. I don't see it as a downer though. Yeah, I have to find another job and that can mean I'm back to square one but I'm kinda relieved on being laid off. Don't get me wrong, I loved being there and I miss Pat, Joyce and Ate Rox everyday. I can do whatever and whenever, but it has to, at least, fulfill me. That job wasn't really doing that anymore. It has been disheartening and have been all about the money. I am, however, so far, handling funemployment pretty well. I've done interviews and just taking my time. 

As for the entirety of my friends, I feel like we're really growing up, though sometimes we question ourselves if we are really growing up. We're being adults, in a way, like as far as what what we've been through or what we're going through individually, it not foolishly easy anymore. Like with love, we would have conversations and experiences about it over and over and now, we're realizing that it's not just about that, but more on having a commitment to someone. Hell, some of them are even married now and having kids. It's sad in a way that a mom would say play time's over to a child but exciting cause maybe we're ready for the big things.

To my friends, thanks for growing up with me. The coming years may give us heaps of those big things but we all have each others' backs, that's for sure. I love you. 

My family also experienced a huge change this year as my youngest brother went to Dubai for work. We are a very close-knit family and I think with Red leaving, of course it's sad but it just brought us all closer, you know, to compensate the space left behind. I am proud of him for taking that step. And proud of my whole family for going through this change still strong.

Mama, Papa, Gian and Red, I love you. Thanks for always believing in me. Thanks for always being there.   

I'm really not a New Year's resolution type of a person but I was drunk last year when I made that post and have mentioned a couple of things. Just to recap...

1. I said I'll lessen my smoking. I did, kind of, but on the latter part of 2014 when I got sick so, mini check for that. 

2. Lessen time on Facebook and Twitter. I think I did well on this one. I go online everyday, sure, but it's mostly to message my friends and that's it. So, check!

3. To love myself more. One fat check. I love myself. With how shit went down this 2014, it's pretty obvious.

4. Smile. I am proud to say that it has become a habit of mine to smile at people I'm meeting, I am with and even to people I secretly want to punch square in the mouth. Smiling is so good.  

Yeah, I'm done with resolutions. Haha. 

I want to go in to 2015 blind but very much willing to take in moments that are really for me. Like I said, I want to challenge myself, see what I am capable of. I want to take in responsibilities that maybe I should have taken long before. If I'm not strong enough, I want a moment where I can be stronger. Both in the mind and in the heart. I want moments to show how thoughtful I am now and moments to show me how much I can feel. I want moments. And I will create moments because there's no such thing as a life that's better than mine, so I must swim against the tide. 

Maraming salamat, 2014! You were wonderful!

Let's get it on, 2015!

The Banana Pancake Trail: Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam

It has been months since I blogged and a month since my Indochina trip. So, bear with me here, okay?

Like most of my trips, this started out at a dining table last October, talking with my brother, Red and my childhood best friend, Chianne, about her friend who backpacked Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam in 10 days. Having this thirst for new places, the adventure and just being out of our normal lives once in a while, we said we'd give it a go. Come December, we already booked our flights and the next thing I know, Red and I were always working on our itinerary. It's so easy to just walk in to a travel agency and have everything set and ready to go but I'm telling you, there's this unique kind of excitement on making an itinerary of your own. It was hard, yeah, Red and I took months to finalize it and the internet was our only resource but you get to learn things, things only for that country, things you won't ever get to know anywhere. Gathering information by reading blog posts about travelers who stayed in places and what their life was during those months, it's encouraging in the sense that I know I can do what they are doing, too.

And I did.

We started the trip at Siem Reap, Cambodia. We arrived quite late, way past dinnertime, so we just dropped off our things at Happy Guesthouse and headed over to Pub Street, basically a street full of restaurants with good food, cheap beer and everyone traveling in Siem Reap. Walking around was easy as Red has already been to Siem Reap, he knows the right places.

The gang at Pub Street

Just along Pub Street.

It was "Temple Run" the next day: Angkor Wat, Banteay Kdei and Ta Phrom. It was a hot day but really, but we weren't able to mind that as those temples are really stunning. It's really overwhelming but in a very good way, of course.

We ready, Angkor Wat!

Yep, we climbed the top of Angkor Wat!

For me, more like crawled.

Headless buddha at Angkor Wat.

Banteay Kdei.

Ta Phrom aka The Tomb Raider Temple.

We ended the ever tiring day at Pub Street, bought pasalubongs (little tip: try buying stuff on streets near Pub Street not on Pub Street, as it's much cheaper and you can still haggle), and drank beer (oh, this'll be a thing this entire trip). Pub Street can be really loud during nighttime so if you want a more relaxed feel, try the bars at the end of the street. The ones near the market. 

Cambodia's pares slash tapsi - Lok Lak.

Angkor Beer.

Cambodians are generally nice. They like to smile. I had a lot of fun at our guesthouse. They we're really accommodating, especially the owner, Ms. Phem. Most can't speak English but you can see them trying just so to make a conversation with you. I had a little trouble while shopping though. When you hold something and ask for its price, for them, it kind of means you'll get it, so if you don't, if you put it back, they get cranky.
I have this feeling I didn't make the most out of Siem Reap. There were still lots to see, lots to do. But that's just all the more reason to go back.

Early next morning, had a quick breakfast and we're set to the 3-hour bus ride to Poipet, Cambodia's border to Thailand. 20-minute lunch, Cambodia Immigration and the 3-hour line at Aranyaphratet, Thailand Immigration. I really didn't mind the time as I knew it would take almost an entire day to get to Bangkok but this was when the heat dawned on us. In Cambodia, it was just like here at home: sunny and humid. In Thailand, the heat was painful. Anyway, after forever at the Immigration, it was the 4 to 5-hour ride to Bangkok.

Two places at once.

One thing that I noticed and was surprisingly impressed with Thailand during the trip was their infrastructure, especially in Bangkok. From Aranyaphratet, which is a province, to Bangkok, the road is wide and covered well. It was weird to get on a right-hand vehicle, yes, but the trip was smooth. There's also bunch of flags and portraits of the King and Queen everywhere, living up to their motto: Country, Religion, Monarch.
For a city girl, I was really happy to see skyscrapers during that time as I was so tired of seeing faunas for hours. If you want an urban city, go to Bangkok. Everything you need is just around the corner. We stayed at Penpark Place which was 10 minutes from Khao San Road, the tourist/backpackers hub in Bangkok. After freshening up, we walked all over the area, covered Samsen Road, Soi Rambuttri and Khao San.

Though Khao San is famous for having all the restaurants, bars and the night market one must try, I like Soi Rambuttri more. It's much more relaxed than the rowdy and crowded Khao San.

Crazy Khao San Road.

I love Soi Rambuttri!

We got used to Cambodia's US dollar-based policy that understanding 

Baht was kind of a challenge but really, it's just like Php.

Cocktails in cups... and in streets!

Thai Beer.

Mix your own Pad Thai!

We asked the people at our hostel where we can roam around the next day and they suggested Siam Square if you're in to electronics or Chatuchak Weekend Market for shopping. We chose Chatuchak for pasalubongs.

Walking to the bus station back to Penpark from Chatuchak.

Cabs are accessible but it was a pleasant experience to get on a Thai bus.

Allo, Chatuchak!

Lunch inside Chatuchak Park. 

They have the best Pad Thai. :)

Very colorful and creative street food, yo!

Thailand also has a pretty good railway network which makes it easier to travel around. We booked our tickets to Chiang Mai online and had it delivered to Penpark. We were so excited for the sleeper train for the Hogwarts feel and of course, for Chiang Mai. While making our itinerary, I was most excited about Chiang Mai. Yes, I am a city girl but once in a while, I do enjoy provinces and reading about Chiang Mai, it seems as if it's the perfect home away from the city. And it was.

Hualamphong Station. 

Very Darjeeling Limited feels only it's in Thailand.

Waiting and Chianne munching the best cinnamon waffles ever!

Hogwarts Express, yeah?

We had a place to stay at in Chiang Mai but we saw this board near the information desk of a guesthouse that's much cheaper plus it has a pool, so we opted for it instead. Hello, SK House! Chiang Mai's weather then was much better than Bangkok's, probably because of its location and for the 2 days we were there, it rained in the afternoon which we really didn't mind. We'd take any forceful wind at any time.

Just a peek of how messy our rooms were.

No slacking, we just dropped our stuff, took baths and we're off again. For that first day in Chiang Mai, we went to the Doi Suthep Temple. It's a park and a Buddhist temple on top of a mountain.

Naga, the snake steps.

Of course, we wouldn't miss the night bazaar. We were told there are lots of night markets in Chiang Mai but the FO pointed us to the one in Thanon Chang Khlan. That's probably the biggest night market I have ever seen. Chatuchak has heaps of stalls but that's nothing compared to what they have in Thanon Chang Khlan. I mean, nothing's really new, it's just another night market, but it's not that bad to spend one night there.

Banana and Nutella Rotee!

For our second day, we were driven to Maetaman Elephant Camp which was an hour away from Chiang Mai. Well, trekking with elephants, what more can I say?

People were taking photos of us at the back,

nice to know I ended up in someone's photo album on their trip.

Say allo to our elephant, Kasha!

I enjoyed the ride, of course, but I can't help but feel bad with the elephants. The Mahouts (elephant rider) were using a hook to direct them. And watching the elephant show afterwards didn't help ease the feeling as some of them were even in chains. I feel for the baby elephants. I mean, yes, they are trained, but for entertainment, not for life skills. It's just not right. The yells of amusement of other spectators irritated the shit of out me.

Now this is the part of our trip I was really nervous about - to Laos.
Our guesthouse booked us tickets to get to Laos and here was the plan: from Chiang Mai, there's a 3-hour ride to Chiang Rai, then another 2 hours to Chiang Khong, Thailand border to Laos. This part was easy.

We were wearing shorts, good thing the temple people 

would give out cloths for cover.

Hell.

The White and Golden Temple at Chiang Rai.

Here comes the hard part: the 24-hour bus ride from Laos border, Houai Sai to Luang Prabang. Imagine being on a rusty bus, on top of a mountain (eventually several mountains, I asked my brother Gian during the trip, how come we're still on a mountain and he said, it just keeps on coming back up), narrow and very steep roads (a pack of Oreo from the compartment landed on my face whilst sleeping, that's how rocky the road was), no road lights and NO STOPOVERS. If you need to go number 1 or 2, you have to ask the driver to stop and he will, just wherever, and you can do your business on the side. I AM NOT KIDDING. So lucky you, you just get to imagine it. Man, I have been there and well, survived it. I mean, thinking about it now, I cannot believe I did that. It's an achievement for me, really. We all deserve a medal or even a certificate, no, a medal, really, for that trip. It really is ONE HELL OF A RIDE. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I dread it, but once is enough. And I kind of recommend it for my friends, just for the sake of experience. But as for me, remind me to just get on a plane if I ever plan on going back to Laos, okay? Notice how I only used allcaps here? Feelings, I'm telling you.

That's it... that's the bus. I have no words.

I have to say, next to Chiang Mai, I like Luang Prabang the most, too. It's a small, charming city that you can get around to with just a bike. And that's what we did on our first day. We stayed at Liberty Guesthouse.

Felt like a kid, biking around Luang Prabang. 

A happy kid at that.

The 1 dollar buffet alley.

Night Market just outside Luang Prabang National Museum.

Pretty expensive stuff so Chianne's haggling skills were put to test.

Lao Beer.

Th next day, our last day in Luang Prabang, we went to Kuang Si Falls which is famous for its natural shallow pools.

A lot were amazed with our Monopod, 

they were really staring at it while we're taking pictures. 

Guess the Monopod craze hasn't hit Indochina yet.

It rained pretty hard on our way back to the city, 

that explains my brother's wet look.

Try Joma Cafe, they have good western food. 

Obviously. And their Macchiato is to die for.

Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang are so refreshing for me. I know we have a lot of good provinces here in the Philippines and I'm not one to talk about provinces as I'm not really a huge fan, but if you're looking for an adventurous yet relaxing place, one where you can just spend a day reading a book to a spur of a moment trekking, check out Chiang Mai, Thailand and Luang Prabang, Laos. Though we're always on the go, I found solace in those quaint cities.

Anyway, we had a flight to Hanoi, which was our last stop. We stayed at Hanoi Star Hotel.
Hanoi has the most impact on me though we only get to spend an entire day there. We arrived late, and the next day, it was our Ha Long Bay Day Tour, 2-3 more hours and then we're back home. It's sad but like with Siem Reap, there are reasons to go back.

The thing I like most about Hanoi is that you can see and feel how it developed in to a city. There are the French Quarters which they turned in to a street of restaurants. There's also a street full of cafes which was a delightful surprise as I never knew the Vietnamese are dead serious about their coffees. They also have a distinctive way of al fresco dining - they use toddler chairs outside the restaurant and it's faced on the street, not to each other. So it was kind of embarrassing to walk on the sidewalks (if you can cause it can get so packed) because you can really see them looking at you. Just like their coffee, they are quite in to people watching.

I would say beware of the motorcycles but 

they are seriously everywhere and 

it's as if they don't care if they get someone killed. 

But motorcycles add flavor to Hanoi.

Hanoi Beer.

They have the best burgers! 

We had dinner here on our first night 

and a truck full of Vietnam soldiers stopped in front 

of the establishment, demanding it to be closed. 

We were so scared. 

We had to learn the hard way that Hanoi has a curfew. 

Coffee and Coconut Smoothie at Cong Caphe!

Again, our first and last day at Hanoi was all about Ha Long Bay. I regret to write this but I was quite disappointed with Ha Long Bay. For me, they kind of overused the place which got me lost on it being a UNESCO Heritage Site. Yeah, it's a tourist destination, the culture and history is there and the myth is astonishing, really, but with it being a natural site, it was upsetting to see it not being maintained well. Sure, there are lots of islets in one place but the water's not that clear and there are too many boats roaming around. Also an issue for me was the lights inside the cave. We got in to the Thien Cung Cave, also known as the Heaven Cave, and it's convenient for me and everyone for that matter, that it already has a pavement but they put on lights inside. I couldn't see the natural formation of the rocks. It looked like a theater stage. Of course, I'm still glad I was able to see it. Our tour guide's very nice and informative.

Thien Cung Cave.

And then... home. Everything starts and ends with my Manila. I never felt any bit of tiredness until I saw my bed and the reality that my trip's over until I saw my friends.

I was glad to be back, of course. But I wasn't that excited to head back which was weird, as you know me, I love my house, my box, my Manila; the comfort and convenience of my home. But after those 10 days, 4 countries and countless memories and experiences, I realized the need to travel. You travel not only because you want to but because you need to. You need to explore the world, because really, the world is the home. And that I can get the comfort and convenience of my home everywhere and anywhere because that's not something you look for, that's something you carry with you.