[Pundaquit, San Antonio] : Beach Again, Finally!

January 22, 2015 teng correa Leave a comment

For an introvert traveler, this weekend is precious. – 09.06-07.14

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Weekend that Allen finally got his dose of beach and that customary 24/7 booze when in one of our favorite places (and yes, while it was always RockOn that was in the photos, he wasn’t one who drank it all). It was a quick but recharging a day and half of talk, drink and eat (yep, even for Allen) with friends new and not-so-new as well as bipolar weather that kind of matches, well, (ahem!) our tendencies.

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Korea

TripAdvisor Reviews : South Korea 2014 Trip

January 22, 2015 teng correa Leave a comment

While working on my travel entry backlogs for last year’s travel, thought I’d share some links to some of my reviews first :

Enjoy and hope these inspire you to go see Korea!

Malaysia

[Kota Kinabalu] : Not Your Typical Sunday

January 21, 2015 teng correa 2 Comments

For misadventures on what could be an easy Sunday are not necessarily a bad thing. – 08.24.14

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My second to last day in Kota Kinabalu far from chill and easy but quite an adventure. It started early from being at the Gaya Sunday Market while the booths were being set-up until some waiting time at the bus stop which turned out longer than the actual Ruhma Terbalik upside down house tour. An unanticipation of the ease in transportation from the house back to the center made me go local, riding a van destination of which unknown to me. Such traumatic bus rides then led to me finally giving up on possibility of a commute to see monkeys somewhere not too faraway (Lok Kawi Wildlife Park) in the afternoon. Highlight would have to be when I crossed the street across my hostel (Borneo Backpackers) barefoot as it was raining hard.

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Malaysia

[Kota Kinabalu] ~ From Sun-Up to Sundown

January 19, 2015 teng correa Leave a comment

For that day was my first with a foreign sea. –08.23.14

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Though I cannot swim, beach and I have this relationship that only in its presence do I find the calm, some kind ‘it’s-ok-to-pause-from-life’ reassuring hug (wow, someone’s in romantic tone of writing haha). So when I listed down my to-do’s this year, going to one in another country inevitably there. It was not thoughtful but ended in one in Kota Kinabalu – one that is touristy but accessible and not so pricey for a solo traveler.

Not bad for a first time at a foreign sea, followed by a romantically thrilling glimpse of an intense sunset and a surprise find of a Murakami book, this 23^rd of August turned out one hell of a day.

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Malaysia

[Kota Kinabalu] ~ Around Town in Half-Day

January 13, 2015 teng correa Leave a comment

A town so small everything was walkable. – 08.22.14

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It was a day of a must in every trip – hours of feet abuse (yes, even in countries with unforgiving heat). What was different with this town is how I found myself in one charmingly small one it amused me that I unintentionally was at places I set out to see. There was too many “oh there it is” moments from that graffiti building to that clock tower to those markets, food plazas and drink places. Also, for someone with a terrible sense of direction (if any), it was another relief that as long as I know where the sea is (and the sea in its bigness, is quite a landmark, right?) – there is always a place to go back to whenever I find myself lost somewhere.

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Cambodia

[Siem Reap] ~ Temple Hop and World Gone Shut on Day that’s Last

January 13, 2015 teng correa Leave a comment

For it was both a day of rush and slow motion. –04.20.14

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It was a day when I was supposed to go visit what they say one should not miss when visiting Siem Reap – the Angkor Archaeological Park. It is solely for this reason that I decided to give this a go because having gone to temple grounds in some previous country visits, I realized that my heart belongs little to such compared to aimless wandering and ‘immersing’ myself in the mundane and ordinary. I was mainly prepared to tons of unwanted walking, water loss and crowd but had unexpected appreciation of this touristy attraction. A day I thought would be all-rush also ended with quite too much chill in the afternoon. Thanks to that happy (or since I already tried one the previous day, happier) pizza. Well, it was 420 Day after all.

I always say that my last day in every trip involves some kind of heartbreak as it most of time felt like breaking up with someone you had a hell-of-a-ride passionate short-lived affair with. Strangely for this trip, tourist busy-ness at such early time of day and grogginess a few hours before end of day that ‘saved’ me from that heartbreak.

P.S. And forgive the title. Seriously, there has to be some rhyme?

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Philippines

Get Local!

December 27, 2014 teng correa Leave a comment

A C- traveler! I rarely plan ahead PH travels but maybe I should. There is so much more to see at home!

Credits go to Lakbayan – apparently an old website (it said there it was way back in ’07) yet very useful enabling this mapping of places in the Philippines one has been to. It interestingly separates places been to often vs once or a few times and even places you have lived in. Link here : forge.codedgraphic.com/lakbayan/ . Enjoy plotting and going places!

Cambodia

[Siem Reap] ~ Streets of pubs, happy pizza, fish tickle and happy people

December 10, 2014 teng correa 1 Comment

Varied kinds of happiness all reachable by feet. – 04.19.14

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It was a day in this city I did not expect to be memorable as it is more an interim to an expectedly long day at the temples the following day. Little did I know that wandering in places near my hostel could bring out different kinds of happy.

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Cambodia

[Phnom Penh]~ Why was it just a Day?

November 16, 2014 teng correa Leave a comment

—- There is a trite saying that “forever is not enough”, what more a day? – 04.18.14

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Each city in this trip has its own lovely but it is Phnom Penh that I fell in love with immediately. It was a city/town that reminded me a lot about Dumaguete, not only because of the tuktuk which I find similar to latter’s pedicab, but more so as it seemed a quiet town filled with more than enough interesting small shops and places where could hang-out. Despite some bad points in its history, there is this warmth and trust that I instinctively felt from the locals despite sadly limited encounters. Nonetheless sharing with you some stories and pictures of that almost one day in a place I would definitely go back to.

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Elsewhere

A pile of unsaved memories

November 11, 2014 teng correa Leave a comment

Sigh.

When I started having opportunities to go places independently, I have committed to writing about a trip in detail not more than a month since – but recent busy-ness (and sometimes, lack of ability to overcome laze) has been making me lack integrity with such commitment. Quite an exaggeration, and I am not sure whether other travel writers could relate, but — that is breaking my heart these days.

For two reasons really – one, I write to remember; two – while I know that there are not much people who get to read what I write, but my writing about travel publicly is my simple way of sharing my stories in words and pictures to people as an unimposing buddy as they create their own.

To date though I have more than a week’s worth of uncaptured and to that, I quite feel ungrateful. (Yet, instead of working on that backlog, here I am ranting, babbling.)