Downtime Down Under

Sydney has not seen the disciplined me yet. 

This is me trying. 

Bear with me and hold all judgments, my excuse would be that I still haven't really settled. (So, I keep telling myself.) I thought at my sister's place, or here in Manly at Adrian's flat, I'd get some time to get really bored and push myself to write. It worked, for now, but then I'm off Manly again today and back to the city.

So the plan was to spend this whole month in Sydney going through the mess of files I have accumulated throughout my sailing days. Write about them. Edit photographs and videos. Get busy with it and try to produce something tangible out of the memories in my head. Maybe send them out to the right people. 

Instead, I keep wandering, physically and mentally!

goes and wanders

Merlyn of Poole crew log 1

I wrote a pretty long post this morning as i woke to the rocking and rolling of the waves while on Merlyn but accidentally erased it. Oh well. News is i am in the galapagos. Left bologna and now sailing the world! Here are some pics for the meantime and ill write another piece again.

goes and wanders

bentornato

Somehow, I have bullshit my way back to Europe. 

Wandering though, has to wait. 

At least for the case of the rest of Europe. 

This town, this region, this country will be my focus for now.

goes and wanders

Strangers are people you haven't met yet

More than the sights and the food, it's the people I randomly talk to along the way in my travels that keep the travel bug in me alive and kicking. The most interesting person you may ever meet is the one beside you on the bus, train, plane or the one sitting across you in a hawker center or those you meet on the canadian rock on phi phi or those in your hostel. Talk to strangers and random people and keep your mind open to the awesome possibilities these may bring.

goes and wanders

stay hungry

Krabi altar.

Remember to stay hungry. 

Hungry to live.

Hungry for new experiences. 

Bangkok boat ride.

Get off the beaten path,

but remember the way back.

Batu cave souvenirs.

Talk to strangers.

They are a few words away from friends.

Flowers at the Batu Caves.

Keep your mind open, 

and the world will open itself to you. 

Ko Phi Phi.

Take a moment away from your camera

and live in the moment.

Penang ferry bridge.

Walk. 'Til your legs feel they are about to fall off.

The oldest way of locomotion is the best way to explore.

Ko Phi Phi boats.

Rest. 

You don't have to see everything today.

Grand Palace. BKK.

Stay Hungry.

It's what will keep you going.

goes and wanders

getting back into shape

getting the hang of it, again

There's a lot to update about but very little time. There was Japan and Hongkong which did not really count so much as "my" trips because it was for work, cisv and that i really didn't get to wander around as much. Nonetheless, though they were wanderings and they still will find their way here somehow.

For now, i am on my "recon trip" and i am just really glad to be hearing people i don't understand, having to find my way around and just being able to get out of the routine and ultimately, out of my comfort zone.

More updates soon...

goes and wanders

Air Passenger Bill of Rights

service-based companies should be on the lookout

i havent travelled much by plane since i got back from Europe and so all i know about how bad all these budget airline carriers are are from stories of friends and from whatever is trending on my feed. the few times i have flown on these budget airlines(in the Philippines), i really had no problems. i usually just charge it to experience if ever i do encounter anything and keep the story as a warning for other travelers i meet on the road for them to be on the lookout. usually, i am just on the lookout from the get-go like i always put extra sets of clothes on my handcarry luggage just in case the airline loses my checked in luggages, or that i am usually just game to explore the airport if ever my flight gets delayed and i need to sleep on the floor/luggage cart/conveyor belt. of course, i wouldn't say no to compensations from the airline. it's all about how you perceive things, i guess. this is another reason why i prefer to travel alone. not everyone is game to do the things i would do for travel. 

saw this sleeping girl in hk airport, i think i can travel with her

anyway, i do realize that i am a very lax with letting all the comforts of home be taken from me while travelling and that there are those who travel for pleasure, business or for other more urgent reasons. the concerns of these travelers are finally protected by the new bill of rights of an air passenger! the passing of this bill also opened my eyes to my rights as a passenger which is essentially a good thing! haha

read more about the Air Passenger Bill of Rights here. This Bill of Rights is for the Philippine based carriers though and I am unaware of the other passenger rights outside of the country. 

I am glad that this bill is finally passed which means more people can travel hassle-free! Let's hope for way cheaper travels in the future! Go and Wander, everyone! :)

Next thing to work on is the visa requirements for Filipinos! It still is a dream to just wake up and want to fly to Europe or some other continent without having to worry whether you have all the clearances needed. 

goes and wanders