Ang Langyaw’s 37th leaf

37! And almost all those years, I have been traveling ever since I was a child. The memories are a bit fuzzy but I can still remember my first foray in Manila. While at the airplane, me and my sister were already opening our mouths to counter the difference in air pressure even if we were at the tarmac upon the advice of our lola (grandmother).

Or riding that old Impala car, wide, long, blue and with flared back common in those times in the 70’s heading our way to Boljoon in Cebu. I can still vividly remember the fear I had when rounding off that monumental cliffside with a deep drop to the sea.

Summer days during my elementary years were spent with my cousin in Tangub City, Misamis Occidental, hunting for birds and fruit bats or gouging coco meat from its shell for copra. High school, 2nd year to be more precise, marked my first travel alone, collecting butterflies in Mantayupan, Barili in Cebu by memorizing the number of towns in a map and taking the habalhabal to the waterfalls. When my mother learned about it a day later, I was reprimanded. But that didn’t stop me from traveling alone.

I’ve been to almost all provinces in the Philippines (except for 6 as of this writing, 5 by Friday). I love going on long bus rides and making my trips difficult by going all the way from Manila to Cebu by land and sea, often more than a day’s journey. The longer the trip, the better. My travel history is worth checking out too.

I’ve been to other countries too but mostly within the Asian region. I’m setting my sights this year for a monthlong holiday in Indonesia, end to end. Other than that, my travel blog has won and is well respected as well as having been featured online and in print.

Looking forward, I will still go down the path less traveled. To go and discover places that are worth visiting. Wish me luck. And I hope to travel with you one of these days too.