on solo traveling.

yes, i am deeply in love. with whom? nah, more like with what. :)

been reading travel blogs of pinoy/pinay solo backpackers and it inspired me even more to do solo travels. just looking at their photos of the most beautiful places both in the phil and abroad left me in awe. and they're doing it alone! :)

solo travelers usually get a weird reaction from both friends and relatives about going alone on a trip. the first time someone told me, "why go there alone?! para lang sabihin nakapunta ka?!", i got depressed and frustrated. i never did solo traveling before and i thought maybe she could be right. i was so tempted to cancel my first solo travel, but guess what, i pursued my trip and enjoyed big time!

solo traveling is not bad at all. you get to plan your own itinerary without the need of consulting other people's schedule or plans, which by the way is the major reason why group travels tend to be cancelled a lot. plus, you have a higher chance of meeting new people. (when you're with someone, you have a tendency to go exclusive and not really mingle with other tourists or the locals).

solo traveling has its disadvantages, too. but i guess, i don't want to dwell on those. i'm just too excited and inspired by the backpackers and their experiences that i don't want to mind the cons. :D

it's just that, tonight, i fell so deeply in love with traveling and the idea of doing it alone. :)

the fear and the love for airports

i love traveling and going to places, this meant i have to fly a lot (i'm not a fan of bus rides). lately, the airport and its planes have been my friends , helping me go to places like boracay, home, and soon palawan and laoag.

on march 28, 2011 at 1:30 pm, i went to the airport for my flight to caticlan. i was all excited because that was my first time to go a place alone, with no friend, relative or anyone waiting for my arrival. i was all alone for this travel, more like an exploration and fulfillment of my dream destination, boracay.

that time, the airport was my friend. it helped me get to boracay and made my dream vacation and meeting new people possible.

while i was at boracay, i met some cool friends (too cool for a stranger, i guess). we had a good time hanging out with each other, learning about one another and the cultures from the countries we came from (me from the phil and them from the united states).

everyone says, "what happens in bora, stays in bora", but not our friendship. our friendship grew even as we departed boracay on a different flight on the same day. the airport was still our friend this time. we may have had separate flights but we knew that our friendship doesn't end there, at caticlan (or kalibo for me) airport.

the title of this note says, the fear and the love for airports. my love for airports grow as i continue to fulfill my dream travels and meeting new people along the way. the sight of airports give me a certain feeling of excitement and happiness.

on the other hand, my fear for airports sinks in when i see people leaving and i have to send them off at the airport. the sight just breaks my heart every time. this is the time i hate the airport the most. it looks like a monster taking the people who's been a part of my life.

the sound of the plane as i hear it take off is like a scary howl of a flying beast. it sounds like it's laughing at me and saying, "goodbye now, i'm gonna take them away from you". it's a scary sound. a scary sight.

my fear for airports grow every time. sometimes, i don't want to go and send people off. but, i care for them so much, i still go and see them leave even if it meant sad goodbyes.

today, april 11, 2011 around 3:00pm, i went to the airport again. this time, it's not a fulfillment of any of my dream travels, but one of those sad times when i need to see people go.

see, the airport can either be your friend or your enemy. it only depends on the situation and the reason why you're there. today, i just hate it. but, i'm looking forward for the day that i have to go there and fall in love with the airport once again. :)