If you're feeling like Joaquin Phoenix because you are obsessed in finding your own version of Nicole Kidman, then you must be doing something wrong. Because you are looking at the wrong ones, the ideal woman do not stand long-legged nor has blonde hair and appear as a magazine cover girl - all the superficial package, but lacking the most important traits of all - The kick-ass level 9 and rising attributes. You know the girl in the "Twilight" movies who sits by the window and awaits for her man? nah-you won't read about that type in this post. Here is an impressive list of Filipina travelers who would make the Amelia Earhart's, Freya Stark's, Susan Calo Medina's and Kira Salak's of the world proud.

Not far from the reveling atmosphere of Kalibo, where the drums of the Ati-Atihan festival is starting to thud louder, hides a very tranquil place covered by a lush mangrove forest. It is called the "Bakhawan Eco-Park"—the result of the admirable efforts by various NGO's, LGU's and other Government Agencies with the supervision and management of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This almost 106 hectare natural paradise is now considered to be the biggest and most successful mangrove reforestation project in Asia. 

My friend Chie and I has just gotten back to Roxas City from Kalibo where we attended the Ati-Atihan festival, when we decided to go to "Baybay" beach, which is located a few minutes from the town and the airport. Baybay beach has a long stretch of powdery sands that rivals Boracay–ONLY it's colored dark gray. 

I can simply say "The big bell of Pan-ay Church" but no, traveling gives you the opportunity to see the vast fantastic of this world and sometimes you kind of scuttle and struggle to find the right adjectives to describe certain things and places you see. In this case, I have to channel my best Alex impersonation and throw in a couple of "A Clockwork Orange" slang to fittingly put a title to this blog post. The Bolshy Bell of Pan-ay Church is said to be the biggest of its own kind in Asia. Officially, the Sta. Monica Parish Church, it was completed in 1878 and its main materials consisted 70 sacks of coins, cast together to create such gigantic bell, which also – during that time serves as the town's warning sign whenever there's an impending pirate attack.

 "The first I heard of the beach was in Bangkok, on the Kao-San Road..." reads the opening page of Alex Garland's "The Beach". I first read the book about 5 years ago and I saw the movie immediately following it. Since then I've always been fascinated with Khao San Road. A few people I know have been here, reporting back how it has lost its charm, while some still perceives it as a place to really kick-start one's backpacking trip across Asia. Romanticism aside, Khao San is nothing but a stretch of short road, circling towards another street that houses hostels, hotels, restaurants, souvenir and tattoo shops, food carts and almost everything that will cater to a backpacker's needs.

"It's more fun in the Philippines". 

Last January 6, I was invited to the "top secret" DOT launch of its new slogan along with fellow travel bloggers; Lois, Melo, Angel, Izah and Fung Yu. It was actually my first time to enter the Department of Tourism Building and from the moment I stepped inside the room, I know that a feeling of anticipation started snowballing into what's in store for all of us that day. We all remember the highly polarized and maligned DOT slogan and logo almost a year ago, so you can't blame if people were sort of biting their fingernails on this one.

There is so much to do in three hours - as a number of sleazy motels suggests. What more in twenty-four hours times three? That's almost like an eternity for a traveler, as time like places, should not looked upon as a hindrance to satisfy a craving and a wonder for exploring previously undiscovered locations. Your job isn't your whole life, so email your immediate superior pronto and pencil out that coming long weekend for an "Amazing Race"-kind of trip, even in the farthest and beautiful countryside. Suck it all up and enjoy what the road can offer, because in a span of 3 Days and 2 Nights, you can experience a trip that will finally kickstart your desire to travel further. Give yourself a break, dip your feet into the water and taste the wonderful orgasmic feeling of being on the road. I'm betting my old wrist watch, you will be making another travel plans the moment you return back to sleep on your old familiar bed.

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 foodtrip, but not necessarily to splurge. To think, it was a trip that started when Lauren texted me about a 1,000 peso Pampanga foodtrip 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'm putting these three items for auction and 100% will go directly to the "Sendong victims" in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City. You don't have to pay me directly, rather I would want you to donate the amount to this link: One For Iligan and CDO: Help the Typhoon Sendong Victims. It is a one stop donation website set up by the Iligan Bloggers. 

Here are the steps for this mini-auction

1. Make a bid - starting amount is stated below each image.

2. Auction ends as long as there's a few bidders already. 

3. Highest bidder will have to donate the said amount to the link provided: 

http://iliganbloggers.com/events/one-for-iligan-help-the-typhoon-sendong-victims/

4. Once you donated, an email confirmation from the Iligan bloggers will be sent to you.

5. Email me that confirmation email at: markyramone@nomadicexperiences.com

6. Then the said item is yours.

* you can send your bid at my email: markyramone@nomadicexperiences.com
* Its alright to haggle, important thing is we raise some funds.

As I plan to write one long blog post about Khao San Road in the coming days or even weeks. I decided I should make one that introduces it to the readers of this blog. I'm sure, Khao San Road has been into the minds of the many, from reading the Alex Garland novel or those that has seen the Leonardo movie. Either way anybody could muster enough case for the over-romanticized build-up of this place. Which is actually a short stretch of a street that goes around to a few more and is crowded with backpacker's inns, bars, art, tattoo, souvenir shops.

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 plan to check out the Genocide Museum first, but our tuktuk driver mis-heard our instructions and instead took us to Phnom Penh National Museum. We didn't mind since we will still have another day to spare in this city, on the way back to Saigon from Siem Reap later in the week. After being awed by the vast collection of Angkorian era artifacts, lingas and other statues such as the "Leper King" at the National Museum, we took off on foot towards the Royal Palace which is located only a few meters away.

The Throne Hall

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.

Famous beat writer Ken Kessey unofficially formed "Merry Pranksters" in the 60's. It is composed of a group of people bonded by a singular thread that weaves them all together. Theirs was a choice of an unconventional lifestyle, of living communally and taking road trips across the United States (while high with something - LSD?). It was a set-up that have provided them a rich set of experiences, that somehow made it into works of literature, as most of them are writers in the said era. To know more about these gregarious people, reading Tom Wolfe's "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" should be a good start.

Our home away from home for two nights while in Siem Reap, Cambodia surprised us with a wonderful nature vibe. The River Garden was the accommodation provided for me by Roomorama months before my trip. I remember while planning my trip to Siem Reap, I told myself I would not mind sleeping on benches in a park just to visit the place at all cost. Though sometimes, surprises comes in great package and I was able to book this place courtesy of Roomorama, which is the leading online provider of "quality accommodations for the curious travelers" 

It's hard to write something about this place. It's hard enough being there with all your human emotions all over the place. More difficult to walk around and stare at the nameless portraits of those who died there. The air inside was that of modern day peace time, but the presence of the walls that surrounds you, tells of an unspoken grim and brutal past.