I stare hard at the long wall of loose gravel, then shoot a look at our guide, waiting for him to say that he was just kidding and that this isn’t a part of the trail. Except that he wasn’t. And yes, this is the trail. A light kick sends a rain of pebbles tumbling down. Yup, that’s a long slide from here.
Geirmundur, our guide, patiently holds my hand as I shuffle slowly sideways, facing the wall. Deep breath, baby-step. No, don’t look down. Deep breath, baby-step. All my wits are funneled into this delicate dance, until we finally make it to solid soil after what seemed like forever. Lucky me, I live another day! And this was only Day 1.
You know you’re up for adventure when the buses around look like this. We saw a tiny SUV trying to cross from the other side of the river; I could only shake my head.
One big perk of living in an archipelago is that surprises ALWAYS await. A new island, a new beach, a new destination comes out of the blue, daring you to call into mind another place that is as breathtaking as where you are now. It makes you shake your head in disbelief, as you ask yourself, ‘How could I have not known this before?’
Song: All Smiles All Day by Dexter Britain
Dumaguete is an excellent home base to explore the jewels of Negros Oriental. Here are links to some of my trips wherein Dumaguete was the jump-off point:
Apo Island – where you can swim with giant turtles and laze away at tranquil beaches
Oslob – where you can swim with the whale sharks, snorkle at lively reefs and enjoy a majestic shower from a waterfall
Siquijor – where you jump off and dive from a waterfall, scour peaks, and chill to the island’s pace of life
Have you ever had one of those days when you already knew everything was going to be epic, and then the day turns out to be even better for reasons you didn’t see coming your way? This was one of them. Continue reading Adventures in Oslob→
Glorious. That’s how I shall remember everything that went on that day. From my first step on Apo Island’s rocky surf, to my first peek underwater, only to see a giant turtle casually snacking at the aquatic greenery. Simply glorious. Continue reading A Day Trip to Apo Island→
1.) Bloom where you are planted.
Whether fate takes you to a beach, a mountain, a bustling city, or an isolated shack in the middle of nowhere, make use of every opportunity thrown your way to be an even better, stronger and more enlightened person than when you first came.
2.) Travel light.
Leave behind as much belongings behind as you can; packing is a good lesson on prioritization and improvisation. Also, leave behind your prejudices and grudges. Every destination has a lesson to teach you, and it doesn’t help if you let your past disappointments get in the way of meeting your future happiness.
3.) Sometimes, destinations will disappoint. Have fun anyway.
That rustic, peaceful paradise you were looking forward to might not have been as isolated as you’ve hoped. Timings might suck. Loved ones will bicker. Having a sense of humor might just make the difference between what could have been a total disaster or what could have been your best travel story.
4.) It’s always about the people. Always.
It’s great to check off seeing the Statue of Liberty, and other famous landmarks in the world. But one sure-fire way of missing out is to close yourself off to making new friends, or maybe even to getting to know your loved ones in a whole new light. More often than not, your go-to travel stories will mostly be about the funny experiences you’ve had with wacky personalities you’ve bumped into, and the enlightenment you didn’t expect them to share with you.
5.) Learning a bit of the language goes a long, long way.
That teeny bit of effort into learning how to say even just ‘Hello’, ‘Thank you’, and ‘Delicious!’ in the local tongue has a mighty pull on the heartstrings. It has the power to instantly put a smile on a person’s face, and that could pave a way to a warmer welcome than you had expected.
Have you ever seen something on TV or in a movie that made you instantly go, “I wanna go there!”? Remember when you were a kid, when you would actually dash off to unknown places, climb trees or rocks without even knowing what’s up there, because after reading and hearing all about adventure, you were dead set on finding your own one too?
Countless travel videos — whether in Vimeo, Youtube or Tripfilms — have often made me go, “Whoa!”, “No s**t!”, “That’s crazy! We need to do this!”, and variations of other expletives. On many occasions, these adventures shook me back into a relentless pursuit of adventure, at times when I start to feel lazy and begin to settle.
Drooling over travel videos has always been one of my guilty pleasures. It’s a love-hate relationship, really — as much as I detest how I didn’t get to join their exploits, it’s really hard to hate something so beautifully made. Join me and indulge your inner fantasy-chaser, as we go through 30 epic travel videos that will inspire you when you’re home-bound (or at least, tethered to somewhere with wi-fi).
May your thirst for adventure be endless!
1.) I Love People:5000 miles, 930 people, 162 secs by Benjamin Jenks
Made years before ‘selfie’ was Oxford’s Word of the Year, this video went viral and captured the hearts of everyone everywhere who genuinely wanted to meet people and make lasting memories while on the road. Here’s proof that there are more friends to be made out there than foes.
2.) The WatchTower of Turkey by Leonardo Dalessandri
Watching this was like seeing my own dream while awake — not that floating, peaceful sensation, but vivid and fast-paced flashes of what could be memories from a past, or maybe even future, life.
3.) Music Video: I Can Be The One by Avicii vs Nicky Romero
I award this one with the Best Use of Music Video Budget for Infinite Wanderlust Inspiration. Watch out for her epic to-do list — I bet that’d be your sole focus from now on too.
In a month, I’m turning 30! To celebrate three decades of delight, heartbreaks, and most importantly, adventure, my goal is to churn out as many Top 30 articles as I can to share the bits and pieces I’ve learned and realized for the almost-thirty years I’ve been blessed with. This is the first article of the series; if you have ideas for brilliant and funny topics I should write about, feel free to let me know through the comments. I’m really excited to kick things off — I hope you enjoy reading these!
Love, Ish
Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go. — T.S. Eliot
The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.
–- Samuel Johnson
The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, but with the people you meet on them.
–- Amelia E. Barr
You don’t choose the day you enter the world and you don’t chose the day you leave. It’s what you do in between that makes all the difference.
–- Anita Septimus
Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore. — Andre Gide
The temple of Bayon is often outshone by the mighty Angkor Wat and alluring Ta Phrom, but it was the one that drew me in. Bayon’s towers are studded by faces on each side, and I remember standing agape, trying to study each expression, each smile. It might not be not as celebrated as the other bigger temples, but this was the definitely the one that the Khmer engineers had fun building.
The myth has been busted — apparently, I am capable of showing up at the break of dawn for work. Today, though, work doesn’t mean putting on a frock and a pair of heels. Instead, I panic-packed several shorts, tops, and of course, our office’s official volunteer T-shirts, all before rushing madly to the airport to make my 6:15 am flight.
Ever since I stumbled on the Holstee Manifesto, it has been my beacon for when I’m lost, or for when I lose sight of my real dreams. What’s so striking about it is that it speaks of things that you already know true, but also things which you just need help being reminded of every now and then.
If you want to learn more about the story behind the Holstee Manifesto, or if you want to download your own Holstee wallpaper (like the one below), you can check out their site at www.holstee.com.
.: ishcapades 