Wisdom from the Road #41

On weather

Check the weather forecast.

Including the little details.

Living in the Philippines more years that I can count on my fingers and toes, I don't remember ever being concerned about the weather. It was either sunny or rainy. Either way, I can go out in shorts, shirt, slippers; just bring an umbrella when it's the latter. Knowing the weather forecast climbed 10 rungs up my to-do ladder when I started traveling. But sometimes, old habits die hard, and I simply take the weather for granted.

Exhibit #1

Beijing, China

I figured I'd leave my waterproof hooded jacket in the hostel because it looked sunny and, the day before, it was just light rain. That was my basis for the decision. I did not bother to check the weather forecast. The day went on fine without the need for the jacket. It was at night, when we were leaving Beijing 798 Art Zone, the bus stop still miles away when it started pouring cats and dogs. (The bus stop was maybe just one mile away, but seemed like 10 miles when caught in the rain.) It was either run like The Flash or find shelter. We decided on shelter and waited an hour or so for the rain to calm down before venturing out to the bus stop.

Exhibit #2

Seoul, South Korea

On a spring day in Seoul, I checked the weather forecast and the temperature. It would be sunny with a temperature of 13°C. I wore a light jacket. The wind blew throughout the day and I was shivering whilst shuffling along the streets. I had neglected to check for winds, gusts, and real feel temperature.

For more lessons from the road, please visit Go Learn.

Wisdom from the Road #36

On energy

Do not tire yourself out, else you get cranky.
Have proper sleep before a long day of wandering.

Do not let yourself go too hungry, else you get hangry (hungry+angry).
Have some snacks handy; food is fuel for the body.

If you get too tired and too hungry and transform into the evil travel buddy, pray your travel companions have the patience the length of the Great Wall of China, else they dump you in the middle of nowhere.

For more lessons from the road, please visit Go Learn.

Thank You 2015

Grateful for...

• my travel financer (disguised as a job)
• waking up every day so I could earn my travel fund (salary)
• my manager for approving my leaves and for not kicking me out for taking too much time off
• getting sick when I was close to my own stinky bed. I don't like getting sick, but at least when I did get sick, it wasn't when I was out gallivanting away from home.
• getting invited to eat, eat, eat at Ramen Sora, Family Mart, Marissa's Kitchen, Tatang's Boneless Lechon, and Salinas (and to other events that I had to turn down because of work. So, you know, I could fund my travels.)
• my friends from the piggery: Justinne of Babe for Food and Brennan of Baktin Corporation. Pigging out is not something I am ashamed to do with you!
• travel companions who researched, made itineraries, negotiated rates, booked accommodations/van transfers/tour packages when I was too lazy to
• travel apps
• cool heads of tired and lost travel buddies
• perfect timing: reaching the bus/train station five minutes before the bus/train is scheduled to leave or reaching the jeepney/bus stop as the jeepney/bus approaches (especially in areas where jeepneys/buses don't come by often)
• the boat captains who took us on the roughest boat rides of our lives
• my friend for treating me to some Treat Street treats
• a nice sunny day during our impromptu uphill hike along transcentral highway and then getting rescued by a jeepney an hour into the impromptu hike
• JJ Express for responding so quickly to my request for bus ticket reservations
• Mr Phone for his kindness and hospitality: for welcoming us into his home, letting us have a nap in his living room, feeding us lunch, and letting us take a shower in his house
• my friend for feeling sleepy so early that he volunteered to go ahead to Dalaguete town proper (while we frolicked in the beach) to find our group a place to stay in for that night
• the owner of St Therese Beach House in Dalaguete for the discount
• the chance to revisit Moalboal, Gilutungan Fish Sanctuary, Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary, Kawasan Falls, Mantayupan Falls, and Osmeña Peak
• first time visits to Balabac, Guimaras, Camiguin, Carnaza Island, North Sandbar, Tumalog Falls, Obong Spring, Dalaguete Beach Park, and Mt Manunggal
• seeing more bird species than was expected during our off–season birdwatching session in Olango
• El Ideal Bakery for turning itself into a baggage storage while we strolled around Silay
• my cousin and his wife for driving us around Iloilo
• the lady in Nelly's Garden for accommodating our request for a tour on a Sunday (her rest day!)
• honest tricycle/habalhabal drivers and boatmen for not overcharging
• a friend's birthday boating treat in Moalboal
• the pod of dolphins that showed up when we weren't looking for them
• meeting the awesome sea turtles and sardines of Moalboal
• strong swimmer–guides for towing us lazy snorkelers
• the very helpful boatman in Moalboal who volunteered to take underwater photos and videos because I wouldn't sink thanks to the built–in flotation device round my middle (in truth I am a very bad swimmer)
• the cold, cloudy, windy day we hiked Mt Manunggal
• hitching a ride on an open–bed truck from Manunggal to Balamban town proper
• China and Japan for granting me entry
• my close friend from highschool for the free ride to and from Mutianyu
• crowds missing from the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China
• never give up attitude: this is how we found DaDong Roast Duck in Beijing
• my legs for not surrendering when it had to walk 15x more than its lazy daily average
• free use of pocket WiFi from our Tokyo and Osaka Airbnb accommodations
• the brains to understand the subway system in Tokyo and Osaka
• deciding to splurge on a farmhouse stay in Ainokura...it turned out to be the best part of our trip
• Yamamoto-san for the half English (me) half Japanese (him) chat while on the shinkansen to Himeji
• Ryo, a Japanese I met in a bus in Cambodia in 2012, for traveling two hours from Kobe to Kyoto to meet me, for treating me to some street eats, and for the omiyage
• the people who sent me emails to ask questions, to ask for recommendations (making me feel like a fake expert), and to send words of appreciation. Your emails made my day.
• the readers of this blog. Thank you, thank you, thank you. All the hours and sweat (it is warm in the corner of the room where I have my PC... uh, yeah, I don't have a laptop.) I have spent on this blog weren't for naught because of you guys!

Wisdom from the Road #34

On Gut Feel

Trust it.

We arrived in Beijing Capital International Airport tired, sleepy, and four hours late. It was at least two hours until the first bus out to downtown. We just wanted to get to the hostel and sleep.

I followed my friend out of the airport to the taxi stand. The first cab guy showed us a card listing down the rates: 450 to 580 RMB for our destination. We said no. (We had already been informed by the hostel personnel that it would only cost around 130 RMB by meter.) As I was telling my friend that we should go back inside the airport and ask around, another guy approached us saying that his is a metered taxi. He put our bags into the trunk and we got in. Once in, I checked if there was a meter, but there was none. He was busy getting something on his left side, then turned to the right and connected that something to some wires. After some seconds of tinkering, he showed us his "meter." I had a bad feeling about it and wanted to get out of the taxi and get our bags from the trunk, but was stupidly too tired to persuade my friend. True enough, it was a scam. His "meter" ran up to more than 300 (and on the way, when we passed a toll booth, he said that toll is 80 RMB).

He did take us to our destination but stopped a few meters away from our hostel. It was a little after 4AM and the street was deserted. There was nothing else we could do, but pay up.

Lessons learn: Trust your gut feel. Walk away when you can. If you have failed to do so (like we had), learn from it, but don't let it ruin the rest of your day (and the rest of your vacation).

For more lessons from the road, please visit Go Learn.