Sunday, January 1, 2012

Me and my backpack

Have you tried traveling solo before? I've always wanted to try out solo travel but I always chicken out. I have a lot of what ifs and a lot of fears. Until finally, I mustered all the courage I have and dived into the unknown!  I only live once so might as well do it.

Somehow fear has its way of sneaking up on me because a week before my trip, I want to back out! I want to cancel my hotel reservations and just stay home. But when I saw the amount I have already paid for my plane tickets (though it's on sale, haha) and all weeks and weeks of researching for my itinerary and months of saving for this trip, it's too late to back out now.  I have to be brave! I have to believe that I can do this.  So in the early hours of November 12, I dragged myself and went to the airport to catch my 4am flight!

Destination: Bacolod, Guimaras and Iloilo.  I chose these three places because they are relatively near each other.  Perfect for the first time solo backpacker.  I only have to ride a boat to get from Point A to Point B and travel time is only an hour. I also wanted to be able to taste the authentic dishes that those three provinces are known for. Bacolod is known for its Chicken Inasal, grilled and cooked to perfection.  Guimaras is well-known for producing the sweetest mangoes in the world.  I have read that it was even being served in the White House and in Buckingham Palace.  Iloilo, on the other hand, is famous for its batchoy.  Batchoy is a native dish which consists of noodles, pork and chicken innards boiled and served in steaming hot broth.

I booked the 4:20 - 5:30 a.m. flight going to Bacolod City.  I took the first flight because I wanted to photograph the sunrise while aboard the aircraft.  I wanted to capture shots of the horizon changing its colors from black to orange to blue.

Mistake number 1: research on the time of sunrise otherwise you might not catch the sunrise after all. On that day, sunrise happened 30 minutes after my plane touched down. I guess no sunrise pictures for me.

My seatmate at the airplane was an old man from Bacolod. When he saw that I was alone, he politely tried to talk to me.  He asked a lot of questions. Why am I traveling alone, do I know anyone there in Bacolod, where will I be staying, and how long will I be in there? The old man volunteered to accompany me to the city proper. At first I was afraid because what if he takes me somewhere else or does something bad to me.  We rode a commuter van that took us to the city proper.  He gave me directions on going to the famous landmarks and bits of information regarding Bacolod.  Since, he will be alighting ahead of me, he told the driver to drop me off to my hotel. The old man even paid for my fare!

Mistake number 2: Don't be too paranoid.  Learn to trust, not all people are out to harm you.

I arrived at Bacolod Pension Plaza at around 6am.  Lucky for me, they were able to give me a room even if it's way too early for their standard check in time.  I saw a couple of American backpackers.  I was happy to see people with whom shares the same passion as I have in traveling. The receptionist told me that my room would have two beds since all rooms with a single bed have already been fully booked.  Oh great (confused expression verging between thank you but the only one who's going to use that extra bed is my backpack!).

My room has a street view, two beds, two towels, two glasses, everything comes in two.  I dropped my backpack, rested for a while, looked at my itinerary, sighed, gave myself a pat in the back and said - Go girl!

18 comments:

  1. hi che! like you, i was afraid at first. praning and all. for all we know, the hardest part is taking the first step out of our house. everything will flow easily and normally afterwards. hehe
    true. learn to trust others. strangers on the road are the best teachers in a trip. :)

    of cors you may add me in your blog roll. thanks ha :)

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  2. Thanks a lot Chyng. :-)

    The solo trip was truly a rewarding experience. I plan to do it again this year! Haha.

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  3. Don't be afraid, come on! we always believed in the power of providence!
    We had our best experiences when we were traveling alone... not that we hate each others' company (LOL) but sometimes you get to easily meet people on the road when you're solo!

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  4. That's what I love (and hate) about solo travel because we encounter many mishaps and get to learn from our experiences. Another thing I learned, that you're not alone most of the time even when travelling solo ... we decide if we want to do the journey alone or open ourselves up to people around us ;)

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  5. @Fliptravels: Thanks for the support Ron and Monette. It's because of people like you that other travelers are inspired to take that step and pursue their passion.

    @Marcos: It's inevitable that there will be mishaps on the road but I tried to deal with it and just enjoy the rest of the journey. Mishaps are a way for us to look into ourselves and find strength to do things which we thought we cannot do. And one eventually realizes that he is not really alone but there is a whole world of good and honest people who are going to make the journey so worth it. Thanks so much!

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  6. Looks like you're off to a great start, Che!

    More travels in 2012! :D

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  7. I've travelled solo for a few times and even though it's a bit expensive, the experiences that you gain are priceless. Nice, Guimaras, Iloilo & Bacolod pa ang first solo trip mo! Would love to go back in those places even for the food trips alone!

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  8. Thanks Nina. God bless on all your travels too.

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  9. Thanks so much Ed. I had a great time in Bacolod, Guimaras and Iloilo. Through your blog, I was also able to get the tour guide you had on your Guimaras trip.

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  10. Congrats Che!!! More travels to come.. Your new to -do list this 2012.... To Save!

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  11. Thanks Alma. Yeah I need to save and to look out for ticket sales para mafulfill ang mga travel plans for this year. haha.

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  12. Wow! Si kuya Jun din pala! :D Natutuwa ako cause I didn't expect Kuya Jun to have clients after I posted my blog! He texts my friend every now and then and he sends his Thanks to me for my blog entries. Di ko alam na marami pala talaga ang nagtetext sa kanya! Appreciate it Che! :D

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  13. You're welcome Ed. Ang bait nga ni Kuya Jun, kahit na tinext ko lang sya the day before ng trip ko, naaccommodate pa rin nya ko. Sa Iloilo pala sya nakatira and sadya pa syang pumupunta sa Guimaras pag may tour. It's nice na we are able to help uplift the tourism in Guimaras, kasi sobrang ganda talaga dun.

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  14. Che, I really admire your courage to travel alone. Fulfill your dreams thru travelling, we will be your follower on your next adventures. Goodluck!

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  15. The first step is always the hardest but once you overcome it, everything goes well afterwards. Thanks for the support Ja.

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  16. Hi Che, I admire you. I once went to CDO alone (though not really a solo trip) to meet friends who I have never seen yet! It was scary and exciting at the same time. I remember I was so nervous that to make them wait at the arrival area for a few more minutes. haha

    I'm happy for you! :-) More solo trips!

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  17. Thanks for visiting my blog site Paula :-) One thing that I realized from this solo trip is that we have to really overcome the fears and usually everything works out fine naman in the end.

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  18. That is correct Che! I was really a nervous wreck then but when I finally saw the shoreline of CDO raking shop from my plane window...gosh I was mesmerized that I have finally been to Mindanao after just soaking up the information from text books! :-).

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