In 2014, I began a birthday tradition of climbing mountains by climbing Mt. Pulag, the second tallest peak in the Philippines.
To this day, I’m not sure what prompts me to take on the challenging conditions of mountain climbing on my special day, but there’s a sense of euphoria I experience while hiking that I can’t find in any other activity.
Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, is a modern metropolis with Japanese colonial lanes, busy shopping streets, and contemporary buildings. The skyline crowned by the 509m-tall, bamboo-shaped Taipei 101 skyscraper.
Taiwan was never in my bucket list of places to visit only when I saw pictures shared by my friends online; it made me think twice, and why not visit it? Filipinos are granted a free visa until next year, and that is an excellent opportunity to visit Taiwan.
There are many things to love about Taipei, like its night markets and many museums. But beyond its attractions, what makes Taipei so alluring for me, is the city itself. With conveniences like a cheap but incredibly efficient metro system and its overabundance of well-maintained public parks, it’s a city that puts its people first.
We had a late-night flight via Air Asia, which is around 11:15 PM. The travel time will be approximately one and a half hours.
When we arrived at Taoyuan Airport, it was not that cold or hot, but it gave us a welcoming vibe. Because it was around 2 AM when I arrived, MRT is closed, and the only way you can go to Taipei is either hire a taxi or wait for the bus, which comes every hour.
What programming languages do you code?
Me: Python, VS, PHP, and so on.
C: OMG! That was my first time asking that question on a date. Gad, this is awkward.
Me: Wait, is this a date? Haha
C: Kind of? *smirks*
Many of us have that deep desire to travel. Once the travel bug gets to you, your wanderlust drafts a huge bucket list of new places to explore. Last weekend, was the craziest and fun adventures I had.
Baguio City has always been my comfort zone whenever I feel down, stress or needed time to relax.
Last weekend was such a memorable and fun one because I roamed around Baguio using a motorbike. It was always in my bucket list to bike tour around this place but I never had a chance because I’m afraid to drive along steep slopes.
I am supposed to travel with a friend on Friday night but I am caught up with work plus I need to meet people on Saturday afternoon. It was a long ride for me going to Baguio. I ended up reaching the hotel at 2:30 in the morning.
My friend and I woke up around eight to have our buffet breakfast before touring around Baguio using motorbike! Ah! excited! Thank you Holiday Inn Baguio for having us.
I eat rice and heavy meals during breakfast so my plating was not that good to share.
After breakfast, we head to this place called Autobarts where we will rent the motorcycle. We rented it for only Php500.00 (9.5USD) for 24 hours. We toured around and indulge ourselves in every scene we passed.
Stunning views that kicked out my stress and made me realized how this world we live in is such a beauty.
One particular memory I will never forget about Baguio is, we had an encounter with a policeman because we were about to violate rules. I don’t want to expand this story but, Dear God, we were so nervous and afraid at that moment. After I calmly talked to the police officer and made things in proper, I felt so relieved. We hurriedly drive fast and laughed about this funny experience.
This Lion’s Head is the reason we got caught. LOL. I do not recommend using Google maps when you tour around Baguio – giving you unwanted directions. It is better to ask the locals.
We meet new people every single day but not every one of them creates memories with you. I thanked this friend who’s with me and let me experience this kind of tour.
This experience gave me that uplifting feeling and includes this list:
I will add this weekend to my list of memorable ones.
Have you tried the motorbiking tour? What was your memorable experience?
From the group of islands in the Pacific, there lies a famous long stretch of white sand beach. Blessed with beautiful coastline, surrounded by turquoise seas and rolling hills of grasslands – this is Calaguas Island.
“Piliin mo ang Pilipinas
Kapuluang kwintas ng perlas
Piliin mo yakapin mo
Kayamanan nyang likas
Piliin mo ang Pilipinas”
I was singing this song all day when I laid my eyes on this beautiful creation–Manjuyod White Sands Bar.
A group of bloggers invited me to join them in exploring Camarines Norte. It was an unforgettable and fulfilling experience. Exploring a new place gives you a good vibe–learning their culture, exploring unknown spots and meeting the locals.