just an insight

crab mentality.

ive been meaning to write about this but never got to until now.

i was in Malta walking on the promenade when i overheard Filipinos talking. i glanced and caught their eyes. i nodded, my normal reaction every time i see pinoys whenever i travel. we were walking in the same direction and one of them asks me if i was actually a Filipino just to be sure and then we started talking. they were 2 women and a man. one of the women asks me where i worked in Malta and then i said i was only on vacation and that i study in Italy.

then i hear the other lady 'whisper' (you know when people make the gesture of whispering but the sound is even louder than how they normally speak, thats how she did it)

she said, ah, mayaman ang parents...and to that i said, hindi po, scholarship po yun. and 'whispering' again she says, ah, matalino.

she whispered all of this with the air of spite and mockery. there was no winning to this lady. if it weren't for us walking in the same direction i wouldn't have continued conversation with them. it's annoying how this attitude of bringing down others is so evident in these people. crab mentality has always been a problem in the philippines in my opinion.

as a kid, i remember learning about the term with someone explaining to me how when crabs are put into a container, they all try to get out but once one is near the top, another would see it as an advantage and try to climb over it bringing them both down. sucks for the crabs having such a mentality named after them.

this is one of the reasons we get nowhere. why cant we just be happy for those who make it?

goes and wanders

ps this isn't really much of a travel entry. more of an insight provoked by a travel experience. :)

summer creatures

there are these creatures that resurface every summer in europe. they drive the locals out of their homes and take over the city. oddly misshapen with a huge hump on their backs, they crowd the cities and go around with faces full of glee and excitement for the unknown and unfamiliar they are about to encounter.

i traveled throughout all the seasons of europe and i never experienced this increased number of these creatures in any other season but summer. having been a resident of Padova, i know it is not a city that is on the list of musts of every backpacker but as summer approached, the double decker City Sightseeing bus i have seen full in any other big city slowly filled up. during the other seasons, me and my friends would see this bus with less than five people and to see it in this condition is just a sure sign that summer has creeped on the city along with the empty streets of the residential areas and shops closed for the summer.

im not used to the city's local vibe dying in this season. as a matter of fact, im not used to an empty city at all. in europe, i realized how much they value their time-offs. they take advantage of the weather even with the ridiculously jacked up prices. i guess its a good thing. everyone does need a break but for all to go at the same time is just crazy. once you travel during this period, you just get to meet travelers like you as opposed to my usual preference of meeting the locals. couchsurfing is not a good option in this time of the year too as you can imagine. looking for a couch is frustrating because everyone goes on holiday and can't host! so you end up in a hostel and follow the tourist route. and looking for a hostel isn't easy as well! in cinque terre, i was seriously afraid i'd end up sleeping in the train station with the storm keeping me moist the whole night long. my luck turned as you know and found Levanto!

anyway, all im saying is, im not sure if summer is the best time to see europe for me. the weather can get too hot or too rainy even. im not sure if this goes only for this past year when all the weather traditions got reorganized though. but spring was great for traveling and for me the best time to go around. then, autumn, winter and lastly, summer. winter was cool because i got to see the city under a blanket of snow and got to do winter sports. bad side is that it gets too cold sometimes and the coats and warm clothing take up a lot of room in the luggage. autumn with the changing of colors and spring with the blooming of flowers are the perfect seasons for me. not too cold and not too warm. and lastly in summer, as i have started out in this post, these creatures or should i say, us creatures for a few trips at least, are a bittersweet addition to an experience of traveling.

goes and wanders

15th Slovenia : Ljubljana and Bled

so, i should have posted this before the Cinque Terre but whatever.

i also added an extra night here in Slovenia. i stayed to see Lake Bled which also turned out to be a good idea. i had nothing waiting for me back in Padova, so there was no reason not to extend! plus my hosts were really nice and accommodating to me. too bad we didn't have much time to hang out. ill come back for sure anyway.

i couldn't resist asking to take a photo of this slovenian girl. i have no idea who she is but she sure had that kick-ass attitude to her.

Slovenia, to my surprise, was so easy to go to! not to mention really beautiful and not what i had expected it to be. anyway, to go there is just a simple bus/van ride from Venice Mestre which costs 22,50euros! i can't believe i postponed it for so long! their wine is surprisingly good too! and this tuna pate that i tried at my host's!

goes and wanders

Cinque Terre with fotos

here are the fotos in Cinque terre...

i was there for a total of 3 days and 2 nights. i was originally staying for one but decided to stay longer when i found out that i could surf. also, it turned out to be a better decision to stay longer since the weather got better and i got to meet Luis, my host from Barcelona as he decided to stop in Levanto before he continued on the road back to Barcelona. too bad the waves were to strong to windsurf in, we could've gone out together.

also, i met a couple of guys who travelled the night before on a VW Westphalia tricked out to become a fully functioning house! working stove and shower equipped! they checked the forecasts and took the trip immediately. amazing. this is how i want to spend my 20s. not worrying what my next move is and whether it will be a make or break for my future. i really hate that the world runs with the power of money.

anyway, back to cinque terre. i did all five towns. plus camogli and levanto.

im not a lover of too many tourists but to a certain extent it can be good to have them around. i dont want the place im in to be completely deserted. sadly, Levanto and all the other towns were swarming with them.

Levanto had its annual carnival which probably is a reason for that too. it was such a good timing for me to be there at that time with all the festivities happening all over. i could imagine being a teenager in such a place. Levanto is one of my favorite cities now!

the food in Liguria is also the best! i can live on their foccaccia alone! for one dinner i had linguine with Batti Batti( a ligurian lobster, typical only in Liguria) and Acciughe or anchovies are really fresh in this side of italy and they put them on everything! Pesto is also a typical gastronomic delight here but i opted to try the others. above, is a pic of my bag with half of my patches swen on and a slice of foccaccia with anchovies and tomatoes from Camogli

allora, adesso sono in filippine. troppo triste per le parole.

nessuno sa sono tornato e secondo me, questo e migliore per ora.

goes and wanders

Cinque Terre: stretch beforehand

okay, so in the morning, the reception told me it was dangerous to hike the paths connecting the five towns because of the heavy rains...so i decided to surf! more than a year since i last did! my body was cramping everywhere...but it was so surreal..me on a board again but in the ligurian coast of Italy! and i got good rides too!

anyway, after that i decided to see the five towns by train instead! all 5 were breathtakingly beautiful i almost wrote a poem...
to be continued...

apparently, PSP has a limit as to how much i can write.

goes and wanders

Ligurian Coast

how did i not know you can surf in levanto?!?

anyway, i never knew i could write on this blog through my PSP! so now i am but senza foto...the ligurian coast is just bellissima! today, i try to hike the Cinque terre!

and hopefully surf when i get back...

goes and wanders

LOOB-LEE-AH-NA

Ljubljana, Slovenia will be my 15th in 7 months! 10 more to go.

why did they even bother putting Js in it?

here's to a safe travel and no stupidities.

goes and wanders

weekend at the Piccole Dolomiti

i just came from an amazing weekend in the mountains of Piccole Dolomiti.

climbed 1738m to the peak of Forc. de Baffelan with Roby and Luca. my body aches a bit from the climbing and the beach volleyball the day before but it was all worth it! made me realize how out of shape i have been. my random days of jogging around Padova was not as helpful as i thought they were.

roby's house is awesome!the view of the Piccole Dolomiti plus they had a garden with vegetables we used for cooking and fruits we freshly picked for our dessert. and the weather is so much better than here in Padova. the first night, it was 13 degrees! of course, i was not ready in my shorts and button-downs.

lucky to have met this group of italians who have been instrumental to making this great year even greater.

goes and wanders