The Secrets of the Thrifty Travellers

After I went through some tasks today, I tried to elevate my feet to have good venous return of blood and somehow relieve my aching extremities. Then I came staring my feet. Funny but I just felt like those 2 pairs have gone through a lot and there's just so much stories to tell. Then here I am, starting to blog and try as much as possible to tell the stories my traveling feet have been through with my favorite traveling partner, my friend (Janet).

I never thought that I could do those things (traveling)  for a not-so-well-compensated-nurse-like-me, who always have a tight budget for everything.
In fact, when I was a kid, I thought that going to places is just a luxurious thing for people who are super duper rich. Then things just happened like a genie in a bottle appeared and made things possible for a wishful girl like me...

Then I met this friend of mine, Janet. She's also a nurse whom, I never thought I could share a lot of my traveling memories with. We started to click when we went to join the company outing in Palawan in 2009.

I remember this day when she woke me up and said, "Jen, sobrang ganda sa labas." Gaddd, we were hopping for joy and we did not even realize that exage na kami kung makapagreact. Palawan was just the first start of our adventure. It was then we realized that we indeed would click when it comes to traveling...

That's when we started to plan our next trip. With our very tight budget, we decided to go to Jakarta, Indonesia, where my sister was working. First, we would be having a free housing plus the food. Well good for me, my sister sponsored my plane ticket and gave me an allowance. That was so awesome!

There we were at Dufan.... Enjoying every bits of our first time abroad. The people, the dialeact, and oops the smell (of the Indonesians-that-smells-like-onions), the customs, and of course the stares of the people that seems like we were the finest creatures on earth. haha Feeling foreigner lang eh...

We could not help ourselves taking pictures from all over.

 Then finally, we ran out of budget already that we just spent our time at home doing silly things.... Okay. low bat na!

Next stop: Hongkong and China!

I was really super hesitant when I knew that the next company outing would be Hongkong and China. My two close friends were so excited convincing me to join. Then again, I told them that I had some priorities and I don't have enough money for the allowance and food, since the accommodation and plane ticket would be c/o the company. I took a few "No" til I ended up with Oh noes, I made it!

Before the trip happened, we already planned our 3 meals for the 3-day tour. We bought a lot of noodles, canned goods, bread, and bottles of water. We just like having our panic buying... Takot lang magutom ang mga puritang turista.

Truly, for again first-timers in Disneyland, we were like the happiest kids alive. I could not explain or describe the happiness we had. We were so amazed with everything that we almost tried all the rides. What made it fun was we were both not scared of the rides!!! Weeeeeee....

Then I shared a little secret to them. I said, "when I was a kid, I told myself, Lord, makapunta lang ako ng disneyland, pwde nakong mamatay". Then I realized, this is it, and ayoko pang mamatay! lol

After few days, feeling namin, nangangayayat na kami sa kaka de lata. And we were insanely doing nothing but to crave for food.

So ganito ang nagagawa ng mga taong gutom... We just played around our room as if we were still happy... Tuloy lang ang ligaya... Picture fever!

Okay then, 3 countries in a row!!! We just took few months to rest and of course to save again, not for the rainy days but for the next trip ahead...Okay, what's on our mind? This time, my greatest wish for my 25th birthday was to spend it with the special people in a beautiful place. And since not all the special people are all not around, I just spent it with my favorite few....Syempre, present ulit si Janet.

Okay, that's was a simple but happy-almost-wish-come-true-birthday-wish!

Fastforward to the next trip! let's go South!
When I knew that my friend in Davao will be getting married, I was wishing I could attend but I got few problems. First, the budget again, then whom to go with? Okay, so the ever helpful friend and her very useful credit card came to the rescue! I didn't expect that Janet would agree to accompany me to a wedding of a friend she never knew.

So here we go, Davao!

Davao is indeed a place for adventurous and extremist people.. Well, it's us! We tried almost everything as far as we could. Sadly, we had so little time to do so... Well, we had to maximize our time and as much as possible, try everything we can.

The Davao specialty: Durian, the zipline, etc.

After all, na solve din ang aking dream to go to Davao.

Summer is fast approaching, and hmmmmm...looks like everyone's looking forward for our beach get away. Syempre mawawalan ba ng lakad? Thriftwise, we chose the Anawangin Island for our next destination.

Well, it was a wise pick, I should say. The island was heavenly! And as usual, as much as we could make tipid, we did it! We cooked our own food, and minsan, nabubuhay na din kami sa mga libre ng mga ateng galante...

I guess we already had a blast from the Philippine tours...
Boracay:

Of course, we tried the water activities...

Then, Subic!

I am much guilty of being so "brave wannabe" when I once dreamed to try the bungee jumping. That wish just vanished like a flash when I tried the treedrop from a 100 feet tree... My golly, I thought I would not wake up alive since I closed my eyes and dropped off from the tree... Hell yeah, I survived but never again!

After all these things, we always end up being guilty of splurging so much. But at the end of the day, babawi nalang kami with the thought of, "we are just treating ourselves after sweating from a tiring nursing job of changing diapers and linens and cleaning shits of our patients. We certainly deserve this". After that, plano na nmn... Saan tau sunod? We both agreed to go out of the country. so si Miss "promo fare", went browsing the net to find for cheapest flights....

Hello, macau, got yah!

That's the RUINS at our back.

THE VENETIAN! (which we both dreamed to try the Gondola, but we were too scared to know how much was it. Then the regrets happened when we knew that it was only 500 pesos and we did not even grabbed the chance. Oh, crap!)

So far, so good... We just had a good start touring around the Philippines, and now ASIA. We were still in the process of creating our dream to go to Europe. As for Janet, she's already on her way to achieving it soon as she will be visiting her family in Europe. And as for me, I am looking forward to working abroad, to God knows where (will be revealing soon).

As for the realizations for both of us, it is indeed not impossible to make your dreams come true. And dreams and good things are not just for rich people. We just need to be determined and wise enough to use our resources. Life is journey that we need to fulfill with good memories. We are all entitled for our own happiness. So make the best of you life too!