Patchwork of Joy

This journey brought me a myriad of emotions- anxiousness, annoyance, anger, desperation, helplessness, relief, gratefulness, happiness, proudness, etc. The exposure to all that unfamiliar, the embarrassment, and the fun in the challenge; it was all worth it.  Check how I prepared for this travel and other tips I wish I knew before hitting the road.   After almost half a year of preparation, it's d-day of our trip. So bumpyyyy, we almost canceled because our mother was brought to the hospital the previous day but since she's regained consciousness family members encouraged us to push thru.   I arrived at NAIA T3 before 3PM, with more than 2 hours of buffer time before boarding. It was drizzling when I left my apartment. The rain scared me so I also asked my brother to come early at the airport. I prayed, "Rain, rain go away!" It was easy, I say breezy passing through the gates and the immigration. The PH male  Immigration Officer asked for the purpose of travel, chec...

A Fool Man's Plan It was late January, I couldn't remember why I made plans to travel to the beach, other than the 88 base fare sale. I was yearning for the sun. The gloomy days don't seem to end. It's not ideal to travel to the beach when the weather is expected to be as gray as what I have in my room. The night before, I read “Who Moved My Cheese”, and I took a note on "What would you do if you are not scared?" I was anxious and I realized I was over-preparing for my trip. I even created a "travel wardrobe itinerary" where I assigned the clothes I'm going to wear for just 3 days. The Pipe Dream I'm no stranger to traveling alone. After all, I am already always alone. It's been years since I lived alone. As I sat in the front seat of the jeep, my stomach felt weird. All I could think of was to cancel my trip and as I looked at random store's façade my mind lurked to wonder, “Was there always a convenience store and a Thai massage par...

In 1859, Fedor Jagor, a German ethnologist and naturalist, stayed in Albay during his exploration in Asia. In his book “ Travels in the Philippines ”, he mentioned about coffee and cacao trees thriving in the yard of his temporary shelter in Daraga. When he saw the overripe fruits, he had them collected and made into chocolate. He further wrote: “ so great is the laziness of the Indians that they frequently allow the berries to decay… ”  Although time has changed, these fruits are still treated almost the same way as 150  years ago. The cacao fruits are still sometimes left to overripe in our neighborhood in Albay. Unlike pili nut which is usually directly bought and picked-up by buyers from households, these beautiful fruit pods has low priority and marketability in the area. The constant rain is surely one of the reasons our folks don’t bother the labor-intensive process of preparation even for personal use.  Last year, one of our neighbors did made a cacao ca...

Few years ago, we went to Paete/Pagsanjan by commuting from Cainta via mostly R-5/Manila East Rd. On our return home, we commuted via mostly Manila South Rd/AH26. In short, we made a 360 Laguna de Bay trip. At Tatlung Kruz, overlooking Paete Town and Laguna de Bay  After visiting Bulusan lake, I started to categorize my lake travels and wondered what was the largest lake in the Philippines. I found Laguna de Bay– unconsciously included a few times in my past itineraries. I wondered why a lake was called "Laguna de Bay", pronouncing "Bay" as in the inlet of the sea that's smaller than a gulf. Laguna de Bay means "Lagoon of the town of Bay". The town Bay is pronounced Bä'ï or “Bae”, the latter is also the alternative name of the town. As I write this blog, I still say "bay" out of habit. Now, I must misnomer no more if I pass by Laguna de Bay, by the by!

This trip was a birthday climb and organized by a friend. It was our first major hike so we went for minor hikes for few weeks like Ligñon Hill, Kawa-kawa Hill, and some running at Legazpi Boulevard.  Although the trail wasn't really that hard, it was long and tiring. It was drizzling when we reached the summit and we didn't get a clearing on sunrise. There was a huge crowd of hikers and our descent was far more fruitful and scenic but I still find this trip the best that I've had. "Pulag" meant bald I was so excited for the travel that I made an artwork before our trip! Orientation before hike Camping in the fogs Colorful Plants and flowers The Mt. Pulag 2,922 MASL Marker Foggy Much! Edelweiss The Sound of Music, any-who singing that on trail? (♪Small and white, clean and bright🎵) Dwarf Bamboo and cobbled stones road... The Mossy Forest on descent Tired but satisfied...

Foraging Pili Nuts I have a blister on my thumb, and my lower chest slightly hurts when pressed. I’m in a very busy bum mode again! Today was full of accomplishment in many ways– I helped mom wash dishes. Haha! I don’t really help with house work these days. Now I find it pleasurable to do so.  We foraged pili nuts  from my cousins and our neighbors farms. We collected a lot– probably more than a hundred. That was a lot considering the few minutes we've spent so far. I wish I counted for accuracy since we love to boast about being the better “pili scavenger”. While we were rummaging around the trees, turning leaves and peeking behind the roots, a group of visitors passed by. We stopped when they took a notice of us. It felt awkward since we didn't personally know them. Accompanied by one familiar face, my mom deduced the passerbys were the landowners. There would have been lots more to collect since it rained the other day. I spotted pili sprouts, and replanted them at the tin...