“Uwi ba yan ng matinong babae? Kababae mong tao layas ka ng
layas”
– The never ending line of my mom whenever I hit the road.
Since I was a teenager, I always have these rebellious
out-of-town plans which involved my girlfriends.
It was a challenging plan to execute for I get disappointed a lot of times by
the never-ending reluctance of my closest girlfriends.
(from left-right) Mich, Maix, Ju'an at Burot Beach
Not until I met my top-hatched travel buddies, mich and maix (younger sister of mich), I finally have someone to share my
spontaneous sometimes messed up travel plans. We start our adventure by
overreacting to blog posts and pictures we've seen in the web. It seems like we
will die from regrets and loneliness if we wouldn't be able to see it with our
very own eyes. It is just necessary, like bread
and butter or sometimes water and air
(Overreacting!).
The Flying Club at Mt. Ugo Traverse (Itogon, Benguet)
People ask me how I am able to do that, to get out of the
road and go somewhere I've never been to. And I always give them silly
responses like nothing I just went there.
Seriously, it’s the answer, just do it.
And I get bombarded by worrisome and fearsome what ifs situation. All I
could say was “I never thought of that! I don’t even believe it might happen”.
And there you go, I am always tagged as a girl who chases danger zone with open
arms.
The sorority
Trust in humanity.
This is one of my virtues which I carry with me whenever I hit the road. Always
think that people are good and please do give them a chance to be good. But
then if they made one wrong move, then show some teeth, yes the sharp ones.
I make my own sunshine by Chelsea
How to extract the goodness from everyone:
(Yes you could push
drivers, kids in the street, grumpy old man, not-so-approachable old lady, and
almost every one you encounter along the road, to be kind)
· Always
smile. No matter how tired you are from the bus ride or got pissed from
something before the trip, just wear that powerful smile with a little bit of
puppy eyes and you have the best weapon in the world.
· Never
demand, always request. Forget that queen-of-all demanding voice because
you’ll only be in trouble. Start the conversation by telling the whole story
why you even get in that place. Let them get involved in your adventure stories
and they will be willingly involved with your road problems. Always ask them
what to do best in a situation even if you have something good in your mind,
just ask them after then little by little insist your idea. Always use a
suggesting tone and you’ll definitely get what you want.
· Stop doubting,
start trusting. One thing I learned from travelling, the kindest people are
in the provinces. The danger is in the city, and city people will bite harder
than the locals. And my dears please don't act like like Divas, it doesn't mean that you have that milky complexion and wearing your RayBan sunglasses doesn't mean that people are behind you and might harm you. I know trust is a bog word, but it's worth trying.
