Thank You 2014

Grateful for...

• having a steady source of travel funds...aka a job.
• my two legs for taking me places; they tire and complain but it's mostly the footwear's fault.
• maps and strangers who helped me find my way when I lost my sense of direction.
• pig out sessions with Babe for Food and Baktin Corporation.
• Babe for Food for picking me as her sidekick to Lubu Filipino and Seafood Cuisine, Isla Sugbo Seafood City, Kuya J Restaurant, and 10 Dove Street.
• free adventures in gastronomy and otherwise at Canso X, J Park Island Resort and Waterpark Cebu, Brique, Texas Creamery, Planet Grapes, and Cebu Cardinal Bakeshop.
• Anang Balay Turista for dumping us in El Nido...and throwing us into Jhanna's Inn which turned out to be a better place to stay in.
• being in awe of some of my country's gems like Snake Island, Tinago Falls, Limunsudan Falls.
• the persons who took charge of the El Nido and Batangas trips. All I had to do was show up with my pocket money.
• the people behind WAT 3.0 for letting me chase waterfalls with them.
• Iligan Bloggers Society, the 4th Mechanized Infantry Battalion of Iligan, all the WAT 3.0 sponsors, and the Higaonon Tribe for the unforgettable trip to Limunsudan.
• tour guides who love their job:
• Neil of Rizal Memorial Library and Museum for his enthusiasm and for answering all our questions, including stupid ones.
• Ka Bino for the funny impromptu stint from SM City Cebu to J Park Island Resort and Waterpark Cebu.
• the lady in Seokguram Grotto in Gyeongju, South Korea for patiently explaining to two little Filipinos the significance of the grotto.
• wrong ice cream flavor choices of friends at Bohol Bee Farm...I got to finish their ice cream! Thank you also to my bottomless pit!
• Fred of The Exaggerated Zeal and Zhequia of FTW! Food, Travel & Whatevs for contributing to my Business Name collection.
• Mr Teban for saving this stranger from melting under the scorching sun by letting this stranger hitch a ride.
• Chang of Klick–Klock Homestay for inadvertently leading us to a gastronomic treasure hunt around Melaka by telling us about the must–not–miss eats.
• a never–give–up attitude during the Melaka gastronomic treasure hunt—we found Tanjung Mee Goreng!
• my pants not falling to my knees when we raced through NAIA 3 to catch our plane to Taipei.
• Taiwan travel buddy who couldn't live without getting connected...her smartphone and data plan became our savior when we weren't too smart to find our way in Taipei.
• the kind Korean manager of Fun Taipei Backpackers for letting us kill time at the hostel, letting us use the shower and toilet at the dorm, and helping us get a cab.
• on–time flights.
• finding the cookset that got stolen by a dog in the nighttime when we were camping in Burot Beach.
• Taal town's travel–back–in–time feel, thanks to their effort in preserving old, beautiful, historical houses.
• the muscle power of two friends who dragged a sack of rice (aka Mustachio) over boulders in Buhisan.
• the person who answered my AirAsia facebook message for changing my ticket back to the original route when their phone customer service agent would not do a thing.
• the ability to laugh at myself especially during stupid times.
• magical communication skills even without having a common language.
• the man who was on smoke break who took the time to search for the address on his mobile map when we we could not find the airbnb house that we booked.
• hope in the form of free WiFi on the street when we were about to give up looking for the airbnb house.
• GaEun for telling me about the KTX to Gyeongju—switching plans from bus to train cut our travel time in half but doubled our expense. A welcome splurge nevertheless.
• arriving in Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal just in time to catch the bus to Busan.
• SangCheol for clearing his weekend to show me around his city, Busan.
• my Busan friends. How can I ever repay your kindness and hospitality?
• Ji In for paying for our subway fare. She insisted!
• being reunited with my favorite island. So good to be back.
• the two people in Malapascua who remembered my face.
• the Cebu Happy World Museum receptionist for the discount.
• everyone I crossed paths with this 2014.
• and always, always, to everyone who has taken the time to read this blog.