A traveller's diary

Great things starts with a dream. We dream of having an equally presentable abode for our family. We dream of a fat savings in the bank. We dream of managing a business of our own. We dream of a luxurious living. We dream because we believe that something positive will reverberate within us, which pushes us to strive to reach the dream of ours.

I have always been a traveller by heart. I love to travel and explore the wide opportunities at hand. Back then, I travel with the aid of books and periodicals. I was hooked on reading interesting places and sights to satisfy my itch for travel. It was costless. All I have to do is to extend my patience to read and enjoy the company of non-living things-reading materials.

My interest grew fonder every time I flipped each page of the dream travel which I always believed will come into realization.

Dreams do happen. With work, I've got to travel to different places within the archipelago for free. Let me name few of my exhilarating journey for the past years.

Our first stop is Baguio City. It is considered the summer capital of the Philippines. You will enjoy the cool weather. The winding roads, the flowers, the pine trees and got to try wearing the traditional clothes. I have conquered the strawberry fields and feasted my eyes on the works of artists' from the locality.

The Burnham Park, a must-see point of interest in Baguio.

Tagaytay City. An equally rustic place which you cannot get hold of your camera because of its picturesque nature. Cool winds, clean air and laid back community without much noise and pollution is a good vacation haven too.

The mist and the smell of Swiss chalets in Tagaytay.

Puerto Princesa City. Another tourism hub worth visiting. A different flavor of experience awaits you on this place. More remarkably, it's known to be the home of the Underground River which recently was included as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. What surprised me is the use of sun energy-solar panels of the households in one of the areas of the island.

The mouth of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean Underground River.

Boracay Island. Every traveller would leave in awe with its powdery sand stretching some kilometers shoreline. The sunset amid sailboats is stunning. This is a place where sun, sea and fun meets.

My lens sighted these lads playing off the Boracay shoreline.

Davao City. It is the home of the Philippine eagle. The city is popular for the varied species of flora and fauna. I tasted the local fruit- durian. It smells bad but its tastes like heaven.

You'll gonna love me not because of my smell but of my taste.

When strangers meet

In our childhood, we were always told to stay away from strangers and never talk to them because a danger waits ahead once your broke the house rule.  You probably had one or several unforgettable experiences that puts you into risk, as well as good happenings when interacting with strangers. We understand its for protection and safety.

Nowadays, the traditional perception has drastically changed, especially that we live in the computer age where everything is possible in a simple click of the mouse. We meet a lot of strangers in the information superhighway. We interact with them. We share common ideas and interests. We make good relationships with the faceless people.

We have joined groups or invited by our friends to join them. We meet a lot of people whose beliefs are contrary to ours but we respect what they believe in. These people that we interact somehow influence us in one way or another. Not until, we meet these intangible individuals they still remain as our strangers.

What happens when two strangers meet?

Let me share you amazing experiences which I had with people I initially meet online.

My blogging past time brought me to this individual who is also a blogging addict. He had lots of interesting works that could tickle the reader's. We did had discussion on several issues from business, social, moral and even psychological in nature. It turned out that he was a retired medical doctor and is into online counseling to keep himself busy and sane. I meet the Filipino doctor together with his wife in their hometown. They cook the local specialty which I tasted for the first time. They were very hospitable. I had the chance to tour their ancestral house with them both telling stories about their siblings who are all successful in their chosen fields.

She was very straightforward on her comments. She shares intelligent suggestions and posts to the group. She suddenly vanished for no apparent reason. Everyone was surprised because she was very active in group interaction. We had a lot of interesting discussions. One day, she informed me that she and her American boyfriend with be coming for a vacation. Fast forward. I meet them both in a local fast food chain. I guided them to several spots and points of interest in the city. We dined and shared amazing stories.

I bumped his book online on Philippine cuisine and novels on travel. He is a Filipino author and food enthusiast based in the US. But he seldom talks about it during our interaction which focuses on life in a foreign country and development in the Philippines- social, economic etc.. Just recently, he flew in for a vacation and dropped by to meet me personally. I became an instant tour guide and treated him the hospitality that every tourist should experience.

The actual face to face encounter with all of them was memorable and amazing. They were strangers back then but now, they are real people that I have built good relationships.

I am looking forward to meet some online friends in the coming years. A Japanese fish monger. A Malaysian editor. An Australian novelist. A Filipino entrepreneur. An American facility director.

In God's time.