IT'S bucket list time. Don't stop on the list though. Go further than just dreaming - want it badly and claim it! A visual reminder will help you get there, a photo of the Taj Mahal, perhaps, on the wall opposite your bed will be the first image you see when you open your eyes in the morning and the last image before calling it a day. Picture yourself walking in the image, and voila! before you know it you're there! It's a proven method for me. Try it.
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| It's in my backyard but I have yet to scale the country's highest peak, the Mt. Apo. (Photo from www.mtapoadventures.com) |
I had an adventure-filled 2014 and I am very grateful for the chance to revisit place I love and visit new ones, bucket listed and not. It's still a wonder how kind and generous the Universe truly is. This year, I am claiming it again - travel and see more of the world!
Now where to go this 2015? First and foremost, it's the Visit Philippines year and I intend to explore this country. In our "backyard" alone, there are countless areas I have yet to visit - the peak of Mt. Apo, the Pygmy Forest in Mt. Hamiguitan, swim with the stingless jellyfish in Suhoton Cove, (shameful admission) go to Lake Sebu and hopefully meet Lang Dulay, one of the Living National Treasures, "shower" in Aliwagwag Falls and get a tan along the beautiful beaches of Surigao.
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| Beautiful place to see- Lake Sebu. (Photo from moncorpuz.com ) |
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| Explore the Suhoton Cove in Surigao. (Photo from www.vintage philippines.com) |
I am listing fifteen for 2015 and if luck would have it, I will make it to all of them. Aside form the places I have mentioned, I would like to include the places I have been wanting to be at - return to Tokyo, then head to Kyoto, Japan for the Sakura, see the old town and stay in a ryokan for a truly Japanese experience, (I am crossing my fingers and toes) India to take a teachers training course in yoga and do a side trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, which I should have done five years ago (too long, I know), and another popular weekend destination off Bangkok, Hua Hin.
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| Take my yoga course in Kerala. (Photo from 1001adventures.ro) |
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| Walk among geishas in the old town of Kyoto. (Photo from www.japan-guide.com) |
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| Walk under canopies of Cherry Blossoms in Japan. (Photo from www.wallpaperbe.com) |
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| Get a tan on a sandy stretch in Hua Hin, a popular beach resort town off Bangkok. (Photo from www.bigtreetours.com) |
More than a decade ago, long before the Underground River in Puerto Princesa was recognized as one of the Natural Wonders of the World, I said no to joining a famtour in Palawan. It's time for me to go and see it before dipping in the salt waters of El Nido, San Vicente, Coron, Honda Bay, Busuanga and who knows, even Tubathaha Reef.
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| Cruise the undergorund river in Puerto Princesa. (Photo from www.puerto-undergroundriver.com) |
Okay, I went beyond 15 spots, but the Universe works in mysterious ways and she might just take me to all these places.
How about you? What's on your list? What's on your vision board? We might have the same places where we want to go and I might just bump into you in one, some or even all. Nothing is impossible.
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For more travel & lifestyle stories, visit http://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com/ and http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com/
Published in the SunStar Davao newspaper on January 1, 2015.
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