Be A Warrior

Want to be a warrior? Have you seen a rice terraces? Do you like to help? If you answered yes to all of these then here’s your chance to join a worthy cause. Probably you haven’t heard of “voluntouring” yet – for a few hours of your time in a famous wonder of the world you will get a chance to help restore a damaged beauty. Due to the recent typhoons and flash floods in Batad, Banaue, the hundred year old rice terraces has been damaged. So in an effort to restore this gem the Batad Weekend Warrior has been established. The program started last February 2012 and will end December 2012 so hurry and make your weekend count!

Long Story – it’s Short!

When I went to Taiwan some weeks back I knew I had to go back. It was only a week long trip and I was busy running around a couple of cities, jumping on buses, and catching trains. I knew very much it’s considered a big no-no for travelers to do it this way – I mean there’s just no way experiences will be deep more so it ain’t relaxing at all. But for a corporate worker like me, this is the only way I know I can. I know that already, accepted it, and tossed all my complaining at the back… after all I still need to work it so I can make the dreaming into reality even for just a tiny sip of the cup.

In these short trips we are bound to miss some things. Just like me missing Taipei Zoo and seeing the cute Panda bears when I was in Taiwan. Pandas are not native to Taiwan, they came in from China but even so these huggable creatures are definitely an interesting sight.

Taking Formosa

Remember when I said I’m a milk tea fanatic??? well a few weeks ago I came to a place where the drink is really popular – Taiwan. And yeah I wasn’t disappointed, it was like every corner has a kiosk for milk tea. The taste was no stranger to me since we have the milk tea craze in Manila already but of course having it in Taiwan makes it feel more original.

My time in Taiwan wasn’t all about milk tea. There were a lot of things to see there too. While it wasn’t such a popular destination for travelers, I enjoyed it because it means locals are not outnumbered by foreigners which makes the experience more authentic.  And may I elaborate that Taiwanese people are really friendly and approachable. No doubt they are a Chinese speaking nation with only a few people knowing outside language like English but that didn’t stop them from helping me out in directions or anything else.

Secret “Beach” No More

We all seen the movie “The Beach” – (if not then where were you during the 90s?!). It’s a film that always ends up in a traveler’s list. All the mystery, adventure and urban legend feeling is just intriguing, right. It’s no news anymore about the whereabouts of this featured paradise. The location – Maya bay in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand.

I may not be as mighty adventurous as Richard there, but once I heard about the possibility of going there with some group of people, I was like “I’m game!” I was immediately imagining how it would look in person. I am from The Philippines and while I’m already used to seeing sea and beaches, I still want to be amazed anew.