Every time I stand in front of this departure board, my heart is composed of mix feelings, and before every different trip the feeling differs. I blame it on my first trip (on the 31st August 2014 I took my very first trip across the Pacific Ocean and landed myself in the land of opportunities: U.S.A. to work under my cake decorating idol- Maggie Austin) 2 years (well almost) ago for everything else I did after: pursuing my dream as a full-time career, challenges-seeking adventures, and any possible hideous screw ups in my pursuit of pleasure. Those many doors of opportunities opened. I blame it all on my unknown courage stemmed from that trip. In a nice way of course.

I always loved to connect with the people I meet during travel. What I really love about traveling is we get to connect with people on a different level and platform, the perspective is wider, and the space really hits beyond. I noticed this trait that Asian families do things together, at least that was what I was doing before my very first trip to the U.S. That's where I realised I could also accomplish things on my own without having someone to be constantly by your side, and by doing that I open myself to more people and I became happier talking not only through screens, we talked a lot more.

I am beyond thrilled to be step foot in Philippines, a country I have heard so much from my uncle's helper (Liza) but knowledge only constantly fed through photos. Traveling, always allows me to understand myself better, most trips usually steer away from the initial plans, but I would say most of the times, it pushes boundaries. Definitely you will not be smitten by every culture but I must say the experiences are all pretty sweet. You always come back home understanding yourself a lot better, what you like and what you do not really prefer.

Comfort conceals creativity.

Manggahan Festival

Manggahan Cultural Competition
Mango Eat All You Can
Agri-Trade and Tourism Fair

We met amazing Vloggers from Philippines and they documented iloilo so well it is beyond words! Haley & Will Dasovich are brother sister duo- It started with just some casual chats during the Cultural Competition and then we learnt that Haley was there on a travel host role and Wil shot it, it is petty amazing!
Wil Dasovich- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HU-_EPMFYFs

The atmosphere is unbelievable. From my vantage point of view I see everyone in their most engaged, enjoying the sweetest harvest of their province- Guimaras Mangoes. Everyone celebrated this the Maggahan Festival with so much pride, and it is so laudable. Everywhere, is, Mangoes. Am I a huge mango fan? Honestly, I am not, but being able to experience the vibe & an overwhelming amount of mangoes everyday, i must say it was quite an experience, ha! They're really sweet, that I can vouch.

Philippines is definitely known for their many beautiful islands. Here in Western Visayas there lies a whole load more hidden beauties. We sailed along straits of Nueva Valencia, did island hop and snorkelled in the clear blue waters- the genial hosts and our guides, the serenity are totally award-winning factors; enough to allure any peace-seekers. Being disconnected from the wifi at times during the trip, I find myself looking for diversion- anything to break boredom during silent traveling times in the car, at the resorts and me-times. I absolutely love this idea actually, being disconnected. Never did I realised my life has depended on and revolved around a wifi connection so badly.

Serendipitously I manage to capture the beauty surrounding me, I get to enjoy watching kids play catching when tides are low at Magic Island Resort (and thats where the name was born, you could actually cross over to neighbouring islands when there are low tides). I am so jealous at their simplicity and freedom at times, but we all live different lives enough for more than the number of people you can imagine to be jealous at you. The world is sometimes overly-unnecessarily competed by people who amass some great deal of power and wealth to influence. I'd like to think simple if the world allows.

Anyway I enjoyed reading my book a lot & bonus is I've had quiet times to myself, entirely uninterrupted by flooding emails from work- this trip was a total energy charger!

This trip would not have been made so enjoyable if not for Philippines Department of Tourism (Region VI) & Rosie (!!) our lovely tour guides, especially Pam! Thank you for keeping us safe and sound, trying to get all our needs well-covered and for sharing with me so much about Philippines, I really appreciate that and I am happy to learn so much more about Iloilo- for people who love the waters and some magic, Pam shared with me Tangke Salt Water Lagoon. I was blown away by the majestic beauty & appearance of the Lagoon, uplifted by the primeval rock formation standing proud beside it.
Big thank you to Cebu Pacific Air for sponsoring this trip & adventure. We were beyond satisfied with the welcoming services during the flights & I can't wait for the next! xx

Accommodations
Jannah Glycel Beach House
Magic Island Beach Resort Guimaras

Island Hopping
Ave Maria Islet
Floating Cottage
SEAFDEC
Suba Malawi Mangrove Eco Tour
Talking Island Marine Reserve (TINMR)

Food
Pitstop Restaurant
Mc Nester (Food Products)

Philippines’ largest airline, Cebu Pacific Air flies from Singapore to Iloilo thrice weekly.
Lowest year-round fares start from SGD 142 each way.
W: www.cebupacificair.com
T: +65-315-80808.