As was the customary way of commuting in Myanmar, upon our arrival at the bus terminal, we boarded a Japanese pickup truck they called a "lain-ka" (line car) that would deliver us to our respective hotels and hostels. Having already found my seat in the spacious twelve-seater back of the truck along with four other Western travelers, the driver pointed a finger at me and recited aloud, "You will be the first." I reckoned Hotel by the Red Canal—my accommodation in Mandalay—would be the first destination along the route. I nodded my head as I looked forward to taking a short rest before meeting in person a Filipina expat I had met through Tinder.

No thanks to filmmaker Eli Roth, Hostels have become a popular choice of accommodation for backpackers in the past several years – largely due to word of mouth from seasoned travelers, who have sworn about its homey ambiance. I remember my first ‘hostel’ experience during my first trip abroad in 2007 wasn’t nowhere near any good. Bed bugs, dirty linens and snoring dorm-mates had me and my brother awake most of the night. That however, didn’t discouraged me from staying at other hostels as I amass miles on the road. Doing so, also helped stretched my travel budget and I’ve come to experience the best of what a lot of these establishments has to offer aside from economical accommodation. Hip and trendy interior, a lively common area where I get to hang out with other travelers and most of all; travel advice I get from the staff – who in some cases are experienced backpackers too. Wanting to learn if I share the same love for everything ‘hostels’, I asked fellow travel bloggers about their most memorable hostel stays.

Bunched in with other passengers inside a cramped van, I woke to the sight of blue waters edging the shorelines of Western Leyte. I could feel myself inching closer to my destination. I sent a text message to my friend Gaye: “I think I’m 20 minutes away from Pamplona.” Dizzy from the ride, I had meant to write “Palompon,” a thriving municipality blessed with a fertile coast and serving as the primary jump-off point to Kalanggaman Island.

It was during the fad of phony Facebook events such as “Suntukan sa Ace Hardware” and “Bardagulan sa National Bookstore” when I received an invitation to cover a cycling competition called “Padyakan sa Bataan”. I thought it was too good to be true, but it turned out to be completely legit. Bataan has been holding this cycling event annually for the past few years as an activity to accompany the Araw ng Kagitingan celebration every month of April.

I was first introduced to the great outdoors living from one tent to the next, hiking from one mountain to another as a member of the UST Mountaineering Club during my college days. To this day, I can still clearly remember the sight of the cloudless sky at night inhabited by glittering stars, and hearing nothing but the buzz of insects around us. I became hooked to that kind of life that it comprised all of my wonderful college memories more than my academic endeavors itself.