Tag Archives: travel
The Way - Pilgrimage Travels
When I saw the movie The Way, by Emilio Estevez, I was moved by character development the man played by Martin Sheen. The movie follows Tom, a Crabby doctor who goes to France to claim the body of his son after a tragic accident. Tom decides to take a journey on a path his son never finished through beautiful northern coast of Spain. The journey he takes is a famous christian pilgrimage known as “The Way of Saint James” or “The Way”. Tom meets some companions and on his journey and on his this path learns more about himself.
This reminded me of why I love traveling. When you travel, you learn more about yourself. Even more so, you learn more about a culture and other people, even more so if you experience a pilgrimage. In my travels I have experienced a few pilgrimages including the holy city of Rishikesh, India, climbing the Trikuta Mountain in Katra to Vaishno Devi Shrine in India, found myself at the Krishna’s birthplace in Mathura, India, and climbed the steps of Hanginan in Maasin, Philippines. All of these being spiritual journeys, and much like Tom, they landed on me at the last minute.
This got me thinking, Tom meet some interesting people on his pilgrimage, and so did I. I also realized that pilgrimages are great way to inspire travel, meet amazing people, and learn more about cultures of the area.
Always wanting to travel is dream of many. But where does one decide to travel to? And how do you decide? A pilgrimage could be the answer to such a thing. Many buddhists see the four holy spots of Buddha in India and is an inspiration for me to return to India. Many Christians walk “The Way” or “The Camino” like in the movie The Way and explore Spain. There is also the 88 Temple Pilgrimage in Japan. All of these are great reasons to want to travel and great inspiration for anyone to want to travel.
It is always amazing when you are doing something, and someone shares that same idea with you. That is great about a pilgrimage, you are surrounded by people who share your same ideas. My pilgrimage in Katra to Vaishno Devi I really got know my good friend, and meet some other great pilgrims, young and old along the way. In They Way, Tom comes across companions all walking “The Camino” all looking to find themselves, or just something. As one walks to lose weight and another is trying to quit smoking. They stumble upon writer with writer’s block who is finding his way. They all become friends on their common journey. Journeys like these are a great way to meet new people.
Tapas or Pinchos? Which do you order when you are in Pamplona? Well you could always be like Tom and find out the hard way. Something you always seem to learn about a pilgrimage is the local customs and culture of where you are at. Nothing like trying samosas for the first time and falling in love with them forever. Food is a great thing to experience on a pilgrimage, as you are forced to eat the local foods. You are also learning about the villagers in the area when talking about them, and finding similarities and differences, like whether to order tapas and pinchos.
So why go on pilgrimage? Well you do not have to do it to be spiritual, it is a great reason to be inspired to travel. You can make new friends along the way as you try new foods and learn new cultures. Pilgrimages are just a great travel experience. Do not forget to check out They Way on BlueRay now.
So if you could take a pilgrimage where would you go? Perhaps you would like to share an experience of a pilgrimage with us? We could use some good ideas of where else to go. Are there any other movies out there that have inspired you to travel? Write a comment below and feel free to follow us on twitter and Facebook and follow our feeds.
Indie Traveler Manifesto - “Dynamic Possibilities over Static Goals”
I sit on the airporter looking down at the rows of empty seats in front me, bare and naked; me being the only passenger on a long and lonely two hour ride to SFO. It is quiet and uncomfortable; a foreshadow of what may come on my future trip. You see, my friend that I was going to meet in Bucaramanga, Colombia had some unexpected circumstances occur and will not be able to meet up and travel with me as we had both planned. This would mean that I would be going into a trip as a solo traveler; an experience that that has never happened to me before. I have always had some one I was meeting or I flew with a travel mate. My stomach feels a bit queazy for the first time (Either that it was the chili cook off that occurred today at work). As I think about this on the way to another adventure, I think about why it is I travel.
The website indietravel.org, a new website that has a Traveler’s Manifesto, reminds myself why I like to travel. On the website are many comments on why any traveler would love to travel. There are two of the statements there that ring true to what I about to face now, “Discovery over Escape” and “Dynamic Possibilities over Static Goals”. I look at these with contemplation and fear starts to settle in a bit as slowly start to fade.
This adventure starts to remind me of another travel experience I had. A few years ago I went to see a good friend of mine in India. We were to make our way past the Himalayan mountains to the not so discovered areas of Kashmir in the city of Leh, Ladakh. My good friend had an unexpected opportunity which had her go back to Mumbai and took her away from our travel plans to Ladakh. Me, who had never left her side while in India, was scared and totally out of his comfort zone. I wondered what I was going to do.
With the help of my friend’s family we made of light of the situation and started creating some “dynamic possibilities” where we came up with the idea to get myself to the city of Srinagar. Srinagar is known for being a dangerous place (at least portrayed by the news) and also considered to be “Heaven on Earth”. This was really pushing my comfort zone even more and making myself “discover” more about myself rather than going for the “planned escape” that I had with my friend.
In the long run I am glad that I forced myself to head that way (with the help of my friend also pushing me). If not I would have not explored the gorgeous mountains of Gulmarg or the beauty of the Dal of Lake. I meet some of the friendliest people in the world and truly experience being in the Kashmiri culture as was treated like family for a few days. If I never got out of my comfort zone to explore some “dynamic possibilities” I would have not had these experiences. Instead I would have kept to my friend and never meet anyone new or explored places suggested to me by locals.
So why do I travel? Well the manifesto reminded me. I travel because I want to grow. Grow as a person. Learn more about myself and learn more about other people. If i stick to rigid plans that don’t go right, then I would not experience new things. If am not trying to discover new things rather than just trying to get way, then I am stuck with not being able to enjoy the moment I am experiencing when I travel. I look again at the empty seats and say to myself “This is why I travel”.
Follow me on my trip to Colombia, subscribe to see how it goes. Why is it you travel? If you do not, what make you want to travel?
Gogobot iPhone App
So I have favorite websites where I go to get some good advice for travel. One of my favorite websites I like to head to is Gogobot. What is even more interesting is that Gogobot just released a new iPhone App today for their website.
So what is Gogobot? It is a great website to get reviews from people who have visited the places you are interested in. Some one can write a detailed review of a place so that you do not have to go guessing on whether the place is good or not. It also has a great social networking feel where your friends, and others can add suggestions to your trips as well as give recommendations and reviews of the places they been before you go. The site also, to an extent, allow to you plan trips from the advice of your friends or suggestions of things around your already points of interest. Each user can also create city guides from their reviews, and also allows to make your own custom guides. Basically, Gogobot is the best of TripAdvisor for the trip advice and Facebook’s social networking.
This App… is NONE of that. This app is a mostly an app to help make postcards based on where are you at. It is kind of like Instagram, with all its wonderful camera filters, but not. The reviews are limited to ratings and the information of places are limited to addresses and phone number. It is rather cool how it can show you a map of where to find the place though. But there is no way to really find out detailed information about a point of interest.
A user can grab their trip plans from the app, which is great if you already made some plans on the website. But some one like me who travels with his iOS device only, would like to get the ability to add advice of places they have been; as well as see or get new advice of places around. These elements are missing from this app. It lacks the ability to add a review and also lacks the ability to get advice (one of the key features of GogoBot’s website).
I know this is GogoBot’s first attempt at making an iOS app, and I am looking forward to them developing this app to something as powerful as their website. But right now, the app is not very helpful at all and would not recommend anyone to download it, unless you want to make cheesy postcards. Personally, I will stick to the Tripadvisor App.
Trip to Japan? FOR FREE?!?!
So here I am reading my newly purchased Lonelyplanet book of Argentina. I was preparing for a possible to trip in the future. As I was doing some research, the local news happened to be on TV in the background. Something said there really caught my attention, the word Free! Yeah FREE. A word I usually take with caution.
So for the longest time one of the place that I have always wanted to travel to was Japan. The largest drawback is that Japan has a very strong economy, which means that Japan also is an expensive place to travel. A trip to Japan could cost about $70 per a day for the extremely budget conscious person, to $150 for the moderately budget conscious person. For some one who likes luxury, double that cost at least.
So the flight is not usually the main cost to worry about. A a matter of fact, it usually costs the same as other flights I have paid to other countries. But, what if flight was not a factor at all? What if all you had to worry about was a place to stay, food and money for things to do? All of a sudden a trip to Japan seems like an option.
To drive tourism in Japan the country is offering 10000 free tickets to Japan. Imagine if you did not have to worry about a $1250 - $1500 airfare (according to farecompare.com leaving from SFO or NYC in May). Suddenly a trip to Japan seems a bit more affordable. The flight is equivalent to about a weeks worth of spending in Japan.
Why is Japan doing this? Well Japan has seen a decline of tourism ever since the earthquake disaster followed by the disaster at the Fukushima Power Plant. The fear of radiation and another disaster has really made a huge down turn in tourism, even in placed not even close or effected by the disaster. 10000 free airfare flights seems to be a great way to get people in, and only at a cost of 10% of the national tourism budget.
Now this plan has yet to have gone through. It is still subject to board and government approval. More information can be found here http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/. If the plan goes through, would you go to Japan? Why wouldn’t you? I know I would. Where in Japan would you go? What would you visit?
Prajnaparamita & Gyeongju
So I was watching my last DVD that was sent to me via Netflix before it switches to the new Qwikster service. The movie was a Korean film by the name of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring. The movie is about a two monks who live on a lake. One monk is very young and the other is an older man. They go through different stages of the younger monks life as seasons. The movie is surrounded by the Mayahanan, Prajnaparamita Sutra. The sutra is basically states:
“Gate gate pāragate pārasamgate bodhi svāhā”
which translates to:
“Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone utterly beyond, Enlightenment hail!”
The movie it was a rather interesting movie, and how the young monk in the movie follows this same idea.
Why I really wanted to talk about though was that the scenery in the movie was very stunning. There were many mountains, hills, forest and a nice lake, all of which great visuals. These great visuals took me back to my trip to Korea back some time ago. On my trip to Korea we came across a city known as Gyeongju, a very similar environment to the movie.
Gyeongju is on the easter side of Korea just an hour north of the city metropolis of Busan. Busan is a tourist port for many Japanese and has amazing beaches. The city of Gyeongju is the complete opposite. It is consider the cultural hub of Korea. It has a lot of history, including the Tombs of Kings, many excavated archeological sites, great hills, and Buddhism. Gyeongju is the home of Seokguram Grotto.
Seokguram Grotto is a grounds of a two buddhist temples. It is a nice hike and greatly surrounded by nature. It is a great place to visit. The movie, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring and Seokguram Grotto both had the similar look and feel. But don’t not trust me. Go and see it for yourself. Check out Gyeongju on our next trip to Korea. I will love the cultural hub of Korea.
Philippines: Recap - MacArthur & Monbon Beach Resort
After finding out I had just returned from a vacation in the Philippines, people ask me “Where did you visit?” At that point I tell them I was in the town of MacArthur. People they look at me with a strange face and say. “Where?”
Before knowing my friend, I had no clue of where MacArthur, Leyte was. After meeting my friend, I want to return. MacArthur is not a place anyone would think of to visit on a vacation, as there are no tourist attractions around. Most small villages that become tourist spots are usually fishing villages offers good cuisine around. But MacArthur does not eve have a huge fishing population (but it does have a good amount of fishermen).
So what is there to do in MacArthur? Well, nothing. And that is the point, do nothing. That is what I did there. It was a great place to sit in a nice beach house and relax.
Now the MacArthur is a small village with not a lot of luxuries. With that said, there are no large extravagant resorts around, well not quite. The place that allowed me to stay for 3 1/2 days was a place I fell in love with. A small resort known as Monbon Beach Resort. This blog here tells more about the resort than I could.
The price was right for this place. For 1500 Pesos (about $33 USD) per a day I had an air-conditioned room with access to a kitchen and living room in a house. Also had access to a large living room area where the view was a the beach. The beach had places to eat and there was always some one there.
eyte
That beach was amazing. Every day I went there, there was some one who was eating, relaxing and just having a good time, usually a local. Almost every time they invited me to come and sit and enjoy some drinks and food and some laughs. It is hard to not want to leave a town where the people are so nice.
Every night my friend and I took a short walk down to the town central market where we got some fresh vegetables to cook and some fruits to eat the next morning. The place was just a wonder to me. It is no wonder why I want to go and visit the place again some time in my life.
I would also invite everyone else to visit the small friendly town of MacArthur. Enjoy the relaxation and the people there.
Philippines: The Recap
So when ever traveling there is always something to be learned. My trip to the Philippines was no different. It all started with Manila.
Manila:
- I learned this from my very first trip to India, but completely forgot. Do not trust those at airports. On my first trip I got conned into getting a room and paid 5 times the normal price. In Philippines I was kind of pressured into giving tips (that unwarranted in a country that does not give tips) for a large amount compared to the Philippine peso.
- People say to leave Manila quick and see the other sites. I say that is boo-hockey. I found I did not have enough time to see Manila. I did not get to see the “university belt”, only barely saw Intramuros, and never got to see the sunset or sunrise of Manila Bay. Not to mention the other things I didn’t even get to do.
- Visit Divisoria, and Wagas Market. Wasag Market you have to worry about at late night, as I was warned that there are snatchers around. But I had the most fun eating in a small shack of a home with people from the streets. I learned a lot.
General:
- Wander around the beach. Many times I walk the beach and locals would just invite me over to eat and enjoy sometime with them.
- Enjoy some Tuba. It is a great way to meet some people. When people are getting drunk off of some tuba it is always a good time for everyone there. If you are the kind who doesn’t drink, drink some slowly and take your time.
- Leyte I was told was no big deal to see. I say the opposite. I visited a springs, enjoyed the beach, climbed up a mountain, went on a pilgrimage, and that was a fraction of what I could have done.
- Although Bohol is a tourist trap, run with it. I usually do not do tourist traps, but it was actually fun for a day, at least. Do the Chocolate Hills, the tarsiers and all the other touristy things. It was actually fun for the day.
- Make new friends. Do not be afraid to go out of your comfort zone, it is a great way to meet some people and have new fun things to do.
- Stick to your budget. There are times where I was told A when I heard, or expected B. But sticking to my budget, B worked out, A would have costed me more money.
- Book your flights online. It is cheaper.
- Eating vegetarian is hard, but if you keep looking around you can find vegetarian options. Usually have to avoid the fast food/chain restaurants. Especially the chain restaurants may say vegetable/veggies, it mostly still has meat in it.
- A size Medium Tshirt from the Philippines does not fit the same as a size Medium from the USA.
Edit: 9/25/11 8:15AM
- I forgot the most Important thing I learned. That I am now thankful for what I have. There were conditions I saw that I never have been in. My friends live in way poorer situations than me. I am very lucky for the things I have in my life, and it makes me realize that I have almost too many things in my life. That is the most important thing I got from my trip.
- I also learned that the Ferry in Maasin to Ubay no longer leaves at 8:00 am, but instead at 7:30 PM.
- My friend Jess is an amazing cook.
There was a lot I learned. I hope this helps others in the future. Or you can just explore and let us know what you have learned as well. Happy future travels to all.
Philippines Days 13: Street Food
Yeah, so when you travel they say to avoid the street food. Who knows what kind of diseases you can get and not to forget the diarrhea. But to tell you the truth, I try only to eat street food when I travel. OR if I am lucky enough I have who I am staying with do some home cooking. Today, it was street food. My place in Makati was close to a great place to get some street food. At the corner of Don Chino and Malolos my travel mate and I found a lot of good eats. I am not talking about the McDonalds or the Joliebees there, I am talking of the amazing finds of all the street food stands. For once I found street food stands that are vegetarian safe, serving tofu and meatless (for once) vegetables and a rice porridge known as lugow, which is usually served with beef tripe, but mine was not.
It is always nice to to eat some good food and enjoy it.
Philippines Days 11 & 12: Bohol Bee Farm and Divisoria
So my plan before leaving Bohol was to do nothing. And Bohol Bee Farm is a good place to just sit back and relax. With a rustic cottage and an organic farming experience, it was a great place to do nothing but eat good food. If you are a foodie like I am, then I would have to recommend Bohol Bee Farm for at least eating. It has wonderful fresh vegetables, which are all locally and organically grown on the farm.
For lunch I ate a fresh lumpia with a wonderful honey peanut butter sauce. I also tried a tomato soup, which was nice and fresh. And my main entree was a vegetarian pasta. Bohol Bee Farm was my paradise, being a vegetarian.
For dinner I enjoyed some chips, the lumpia again and a spicy eggplant with ginger called kinilaw na talong.
The next morning my travel mate and I ate our breakfast and headed off to the airport. We arrived in Manila into a guesthouse known as Makati Apartelle, and then wandered off to find some food, which included peanut M&Ms and Toblerone. Then to Chowking. At that point my travel mate’s cousin called her and invited us over to her place and that is exactly what we did next.
Now I had originally wanted to visit Divisoria area in Manila the first round I was in Manila, but rain and time was against me. This time, all the right things were working for me. We went to Wagas Market, a poorer area of Manila, where we met Donna, Jess’ cousin and then headed off to buy some food to cook. Donna’s home was a small little spot in an alley where convenient items were sold, like cigarettes, candy, water, soda pop. It was nice to be with everyday filipinos. It was also sad to see children sleeping half naked in the streets as the rain came down. It really was an experience. The only regret I had, was that I did not bring my camera to document it all.
After some amazing torta (eggplant similarly cooked like chile rellaños) and rice was consumed, we thanked our hosts and went on our way back to our guesthouse. The next day we are to fly back home.
Philippines Days 9 & 10: Bohol
When coming to Bohol, I was a bit hesitant. From what I heard, the place was a tourist trap. To tell you the truth, it is. But it is a fun tourist trap. There is a lot to do here including seeing the world’s smallest primates, seeing mini hills made of “chocolate”, and adventuring down a zip line.
It started after being early 12 hours for our ferry ride to Bohol into the port town of Ubay. Since it was late we decided to get a place to stay for the night. We got up early and made our way for some breakfast and then to the city of Tagbiliran. After 3 hours on the van we found ourselves in the city of Tagbilaran, the main city of Bohol Island. We checked into the Dao Diamond Hotel and headed off via trike to the Chocolate Hills.
But before that we wandered around the Tarsier Conservatory. Tarsiers are the world’s smallest primates, with big bugged eyes. There were a lot of tourists, both foreign and domestic. It was fun to see the cute little buggers.
Afterwards we made our way to the famous chocolate hills, which are a lot of hills look like chocolate during the right time of the year. They have been around for a long time. Afterwards we made our way to the Butterfly Conservatory.
At the Butterfly Conservatory was… well, butterflies. I learned a lot about butterflies, the creature I have always despised and now have come to respect. They aren’t so bad after all, they are not just for girls.
We made our way back and went to the Island City Mall to eat and do some shopping then slept for the night. The next day we would head off to Danao for an adventure Park.
EAT Danao, was recommended to me by a Korean friend, not a Filipino friend, as a place to visit when in Bohol. It was a good recommendation. The 3 hour bus ride paid off when my travel mate, Jessa, and I took a zip line across a canyon. Jessa screamed her head off the whole, time. And I was the one afraid of heights. I can say she made me not so scared knowing she was more scared than me. The second line back was a bit more fun as neither of us closed our eyes or screamed and just enjoyed the view.
We also went kayaking on the river in Danao, a nice peaceful journey, and painful on the arms. Not to mention kind of wet for my friend Jessa, as I could not resist the chance to splash her with some of the cold river water.
We then proceeded to head back to Tagbilaran and on the way we meet to Canadian girls who were coming back from EAT Danao. Was some good touristy stuff we did. Today we make our way to another tourist area, Panglao Island, Aluna Beach, at the famous Bohol Bee Farm Resort. Today’s plan, sit on the beach and do nothing. If the rain doesn’t hit us.