Travel to the End of the Earth

Explore the Hidden Gem of Philippines- Calaguas Islands

alwaysontheway — Sun, 2 Feb 2014 06:57:00 GMT

Lies in the Pacific Coast of Camarines Norte, Calaguas Islands are a few of the hidden paradise on earth. From unexplored scenery, pristine seascapes, rolling hills, laid-back atmosphere, and diversified marine creatures, this island rivals Boracay with its untamed beauty and natural wonder.

The white sand beach comes into our focus. This is my first impression of Calaguas Islands. They do not call this ‘paradise’ for nothing. The beach stretches out miles after miles with powdery white sand and azure water in Tinaga Island. Beyond the breathtaking ocean view, everyone on the island has a happy-looking face.

Just take a look at the water. How could anyone not enjoy such a fantastic view?

The island is undeveloped and unspoiled, and there are non-commercial establishments and electricity. For me it is preferable as I enjoy my vacation destination with no crowds and less noise. Just a simple lookout on the white sand and turquoise water made me feel revitalized. Additionally, I enjoyed the feeling of having the whole island in the palm of my hand.

Our cottage, an alternative sleeping place, is prominent on Tinaga Island. It is an ideal place for dinner as it is also a vintage point for a glimpse of stunning landscapes.

The sunset peeked through the clouds and disappeared under the tumble sea. We cannot wait but jumped into the ocean immediately after finished our dinner. We laughed and splashed the water towards each other.

The night time in Calaguas Islands is definitely something everyone is looking forward to. There are no phone and internet service on the island so I did not see anyone check their works on the phone or look through the facebook updates. Instead, we all bond together, partied around the bonfire, felt the gentle ocean breeze, and slept under the stars. It was exciting to travel to such a secluded island like Calaguas, because I felt very far, far away from the rest of the world.

We do not need to pay exorbitant fees for a hotel room with an ocean view. At Calaguas, we slept alongside the ocean, and woke up to such a gorgeous view. This is the picture taken at 6:00 am, when the lights are out and the sun has not risen above the horizon yet. Such a breathtaking vista is avaiable for all of us,and the best part of all: it is free.

The white sand beach became my gym for the entire morning. After an hour strolling along the shoreline, we hit the rugged side of the island with the extensive jagged rocks on our right side. Standing on one of the rocks, one can have a panoramic view of the white sand beach.

Rain and storms ravaged the islands several times in the morning. This is how the beach looked like during the rainfall. I am glad that the rain washed the sting of the sun away, even it is just for a while.

It is time to leave the island and back to reality. My escape to Calaguas was short, but I had a grand time.

This is the travel group I met in Calaguas, they are based in Manila but we met on the road and traveled to Canalgaus altogether. We rode the Banca together, dined together, partied together, and beach combed together. In the end, we bonded together. Solo trip to isolated Calaguas Islands is definitely an adventure out of my comfort zone, but I felt so blessed I can met so much nice and warm people, and they made me feel like a part of their community.

It is the people that make the place, and together, we made Calaguas a newly happy place.

(The end)

Photos: Calaguas Islands

alwaysontheway — Sun, 2 Feb 2014 06:40:00 GMT

7 Life Lessons I Learned from Living in Hawaii For Four Years

alwaysontheway — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 16:25:00 GMT

They call it paradise, but I call it home.

Over six years ago I rejected my first job offer and decided to pursuit my Master’s degree in Hawaii. Living in Hawaii was my childhood dream came true and to make this dream I worked day and night for nearly two years. Of course, I have not been able to stay there permanently, but relocating to Hawaii is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

In the past four years of living in paradise, I learned many life lessons, how to live happy, and how to enjoy the life. Many of those things cannot be learned from anywhere else. While returned home, someone asked me what did I learned from studying abroad in Hawaii. At that time, I did not have a fixed idea. My stories in Hawaii can be transformed into a saga and it may take econs of time to write about them. However, my desire of documenting my island life will ever fade.

If you have lived or are living in Hawaii, you might understand what I am talking about. If you are intent to move to Hawaii, you may get some tips and advice from an insider’s perspective.

1. “Living in Hawaii” and “traveling in Hawaii” are different.

Travelers simply enjoy their island experience. They stay on the beach, embrace the world-class landscapes, hang out in the bars, entertained by the water activities, and leave all the burdens behind. To them, Hawaii is their destination of choice.

I used to imagine this kind of life before moving to Hawaii, but what we actually do sometime was to stay in the library working on our class projects, or sit at our office desks finishing our daily assignments. Our schedule was too hefty and that we did not have time to pay attention to the breathtaking beauty and natural wonder.

Sometimes we play tourist, but that does not change the fact that we enjoy living in Hawaii.

2. A fancy career path is a delusion

Most my family and friends believe that I have spent enough time in paradise and wonder when I could start a real life. By real life it means to take on a nine-to-five job, own a house, get married and have kids.

However, after spent years around azure seas, majestic cliffs, awe-inspiring valleys and brilliant sunset, it is really difficult to get back to what is so called the “real life”. It is not that I lost my passion or motivation to be successful; it is just my definition of the career path becomes different. My goal has more to do with nature immersion and adventure and less to do with money and stability. A fancy career and a job title become insignificant when comparing to the awesome feeling of riding the waves.

3. You will never get Hawaii out of your system

If you have lived in Hawaii once, you will soon realize that it is a torment to take Hawaii away from you. You bite by Hawaii bug and it is certainly not going away.

I actually freaked out when I found out I have to depart Hawaii, but what I did not understand that time is why it is so difficult to take Hawaii out of my mind.

Two years later when I looked over the Detroit River in Canada, I finally got the answer. Hawaii is not just a paradise; it is a unique lifestyle that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world. I believe another way of interpreting the word relocate is that you have to change your life style everytime you move into a new locale. This is one of the hardest parts of moving, especially when shift to a different life style after falling in love with the one you used to have.

People back home felt my obsession with Hawaii is tiresome and the whole story of living on a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is unreal. However, living in Hawaii allows me to look at the life and approach them in a differently way. There are no other places where friends can get together so easily, where people feel so invigorating every time they step outside and catch a glimpse of the warm sunshine and unspoiled seascapes, and where you can enjoy sipping Mai-Tais on the oceanfront while listening to a live music. You just fall in love with the breathtaking natural beauty and the laid-back life style and you just want to stay there for lifetime.

It has been two years after I left Hawaii, but Hawaii has ever left me. If I had another opportunity, I would give everything just to catch a glimpse of the Aloha state. Life in Hawaii is just too beautiful to not fall in love with.

4. Appreciate what you have, because you will miss it when they are gone

People take granted for what they have, and this is not uncommon.

I hated Hawaii more than once, mainly because I was irritated by the daily issues I have to deal with and the problems the Aloha state have impact on its residents. This may sounds unbelievable but those reside in Hawaii do have some hates. Also, seeing tourists spend thousands dollars a day just to enjoy the place where we are suffocating by running the errands is just not as fun.

Then I started reminding myself, how much effort I have made to finally made it to the place most people only dreamed of visiting? There are people in the world cannot afford overseas traveling, let alone staying in Hawaii for years.

Surely, the 50 state do have its own problems, but if you start complaining about Hawaii, you may want to think that if today was your last day on this tropical island, you might wish you could do something different. I started missing Hawaii a week before I left. I fought for my stay but there is nothing I could do about my departure.

5. Living in another country at least once in your lifetime.

You may worry about your budget and you future, you may get swamped by school projects or work assignments, you may feel guilty of leaving your family and friends behind. Whatever you do, living in another country once in your lifetime. Living overseas will teach you more about yourself, your homeland, other parts of the world, and make you realize what you really need to be happy. When you in another country with different people speaking different languages, you will be amazed by how diversity and beautiful the world is, and you may find the things and the people you love that you will never known their existence otherwise.

Living overseas can teach you more than almost anything else. You may return home with a new perspective, or you may want to stay on the road, but one thing is certain: living abroad shapes a part of your personality, and changes your life.

6. Water cures all.

I remember the beach is just few minutes of bus ride from home. I was there every afternoon after work. I felt lucky that I lived in a place where the top-notch beaches are everywhere and easy to get access to. One thing I love about the ocean is the feeling of tranquility, inner peace and the freedom it brings along. The blue sky, azure seas, the force of nature flow and the gentle ocean breeze makes you feel so relaxed and free.

We had lived in the water for about ten months before born, and we are drawn back to it. For us, water is our life, our best friend; it makes us feel delight, and set our soul free. If the stress is the disease you want to get rid of, the beach is your best doctor. Just having a cold beer while watching the sunset on the ocean, and the rest of the world becomes non-existent. It is magic.

7. The best things in life do not come free

The best things in life do not come free, and living in paradise is definitely the one amongst them. This is because the most beautiful things in your life require commitment and sacrifice.

“You live in Hawaii? I am so jealous”.

Right. This was the typical reaction from my friends the moment they got to know I roam around in paradise. However, guess they miss the part that I actually had been apart from my family for two years, my rent busted over 1/3 of my monthly earning, and let us not forget that exorbitant gasoline price, tedious gridlocks, and the constant rainfall during the winter time. Not to mention traveling out of Hawaii will cost you an arm and a leg since your only choice of transport is airplane.

School and work also requires huge amount of time and effort. Most downtime spent in Hawaii when not exploring, beachcombing or sightseeing is basically sucked up in working on the school projects or work-related assignments, or going through dreadful budgeting process to figure out when you will be able to get off the island and start “exploring” other parts of the country.

However, all the sacrifice and downsides do not matter, because we are rewarded by:

Enjoy your island life a select few will ever get an opporunity to experience, that’s it.

Photos: Hawaii

alwaysontheway — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 16:13:00 GMT