My hiking days felt long gone. My legs would be the first to stage a protest if I took them on another long-distance trek like I used to during my college mountaineering days. However, I’ve been working on getting back into shape, as I still have my sights set on climbing Mt. Apo and Mt. Kanlaon. On this particular day in Cebu, I reckoned hiking to the island's highest point—the iconic Osmeña Peak—should be done the easiest way possible.

While it is a relatively easy trek when started from the Mantalongon Market, and a bit more strenuous if traversed all the way to Badian and culminating at Kawasan Falls, I opted for a shortcut: hiring a local habal-habal (motorcycle) driver to take me directly to the base of the 1,000-foot peak.

I've always wanted to visit Dumaguete City because my friend Dee, whom I originally met in Bacolod, raved endlessly about it during one of our travel conversations. The idea simply stuck in my mind like a fish bone desperately waiting to be plucked out. The undeniable charm of this University town and its famously laid-back environment perfectly fits my ideal description of a city for future residency.

It was also a massive plus when, even before I officially set foot in Dumaguete, a brand-new friend was already happily waiting for me at the airport—complete with a handwritten "Welcome Marky" sign scribbled boldly on a used COMELEC secret ballot folder.

"The first I heard of the beach was in Bangkok, on the Kao-San Road..." read the opening page of Alex Garland's "The Beach". I first read the book about five years prior, and I saw the movie immediately following it. Since then, I had always been fascinated with Khao San Road. A few people I knew had been there, reporting back how it had lost its charm, while some still perceived it as a place to really kick-start one's backpacking trip across Asia. Romanticism aside, Khao San was nothing but a stretch of short road circling toward another street that housed hostels, hotels, restaurants, souvenir and tattoo shops, food carts, and almost everything that catered to a backpacker's needs.

We arrived on foot at the banks of the Chao Phraya River early in the morning, and on the west bank, opposite the small dock where we were standing, the tall, imposing prang of Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn) stood proud and mightily against the blue skies. We had to cross the river in small passenger boats to get there. We paid the three-baht fare to an elderly woman working at the seemingly inconspicuous ticket booth. We arrived on the other side a few minutes later, and the temple was just beginning to open; we watched as the guards lined up and prepared to listen to their commander's instructions for the day.

Ariadne and I awoke around 5:30 a.m. at our lovely hostel, the Shambara Boutique Hostel on Khao San Road, eager for our day trip to the ancient city of Ayutthaya, located about seventy-six kilometers north of Bangkok. We took a cab from Khao San Road to Victory Monument (eighty-one Baht) and then a van (a spacious and comfortable Toyota Commuter - sixty Baht) for the hour-long journey to Ayutthaya. We arrived in Ayutthaya around 8:30 a.m. and began our temple hopping aboard a motorized three-wheeled Tuk-tuk driven by the middle-aged woman who approached us as we exited the van. Prior to that, we agreed on a deal for her to take us around and show us at least ten temples for 500 Baht.

I heave a sigh of relief when the guards asked us if we have any reservations to Antonio's Restaurant, to which Eileen Campos answered with a negative. Earlier on the car, Lauren was saying "Ang cute, we shall have lunch at Antonio's" and I was like thinking "yeah read online that the average meal costs 1,500 pesos". I could not complain since I'm just a passenger on the car and these two lovable crazies might ask me to buy a pack of black Marlboro on a random highway store and might speed off the moment I get off. So I stayed put planning to order only a glass of iced tea and chips, if ever they serve some. We primarily went to Tagaytay for a food trip, but not necessarily to splurge. To think, it was a trip that started when Lauren texted me about a 1,000 peso Pampanga food trip challenge.

I took my traveling to a whole new level in 2010, to say that I've grown content with that is an understatement as I've taken my wanderings to another height this year. Though I'm still unable to do long-term traveling because of my job - which serves as my source of income to finance my trips. I was still able to maximize whenever I can, doing so on long weekends and holidays, plus the smart usage of our company's vacation and sometimes sick leaves. While I still wait the day where I would wake up every day and treat it as a Saturday and travel continuously, these short bursts of travel experiences has taught me and afforded me to meet gregarious people along the way. Reasons why I had gotten deep into the beautiful depths of travel addiction.

I went to Malabon a few weeks ago to cover the La Imaculada Concepcion de Malabon fluvial parade, which also serves as a thanksgiving feast for the city's fishermen, in behalf of the popular "Travel Time Magazine" of Susan Calo Medina. Though, I have already written four articles on another travel magazine, the "Republic of 7107 Island Travel" this one is different, since it was my first time to go to a place and a festival with the assignment of writing about it. During my previous published articles, I just wrote it and submitted it as a contribution article and was fortunate that the publisher liked it, thus its inclusion in the previous issues.

After settling into our place for the night at You Khin House in Phnom Penh, we hurriedly went out to explore the city. We planned to check out the Genocide Museum first, but our tuk-tuk driver misheard our instructions and instead took us to the Phnom Penh National Museum. We did not mind since we would still have another day to spare in that city, on the way back to Saigon from Siem Reap later in the week.

The streets of Hong Kong is a combustive collaboration of people from all over the world. Its bustling and filled with energy so robust it'll make you set aside foot pains and aching knees brought about by hours of walking. I spent most of my five days stay walking around as much as I could. I would hop on trains and disembark on random MTR stations and come out each time with splendid anticipation at what kind of human parade awaits me at every stop.