On The Road Again

El Nido is a place I’ve wanted to travel to ever since I saw stunning photos of the Philippine island a year ago. It’s bright blue and turquoise waters with jagged rock formations jutting up from them had me mesmerized and reminiscing about the time I went to Ao Nang, Thailand . But El Nido, and the Philippines in general, never seemed like a place I’d be able to afford. It was mostly because I thought flights would be too expensive, and also because I thought El Nido would be more of a luxury resort destination than a place I could easily afford on my own. That being said, you can probably imagine how stoked I was when I went there and realized it was DEFINITELY an easily affordable place to travel to! I say that also as a late twenty-something-year-old, and as a somewhat particular traveler too; meaning I’m 28 and not down at all to sleep in a mixed-dorm hostel or carry a massive backpacking backpack rather than just rolling a small carry-on, but I still like to keep an extreme ...

Frozen air crept through the night as I snuggled deeper into the blanket wrapped around me like a shroud. I was the first awake and the camp only just beginning to stir. Hiking Mt. Pulag in The Philippines was a great unknown to me…  It had been an uncomfortable night, I had barely slept as the temperature had plummeted and my feet had turned to blocks of ice. Would it be worth it? I had no idea what to expect on this epic Philippines backpacking adventure. I stood, transfixed, the stars above me twinkling brightly in the darkness. Another minute passed as I soaked in the skies above me before fumbling for my head-torch. I was joined by an eager Pinoy backpacker in a bright blue down jacket and an English couple backpacking around Asia. Together, we set off into the darkness in search of Mt. Pulag. Soaking grass pulled at my trousers as I followed the rough path out of the camp and into the hills. I could see the outline of Mt. Pulag ahead, blocking out the sky and ...