34

Dear Portia,

While looking for something in my email (which is the alliteral translation of the needle in the haystack), I was able to find this: My places to visit for the Year 2010:

1. Corregidor
2. Sagada
3. Camarines Sur
4. Vigan
5. Palawan
6. Bislig, Surigao

Nearby Areas:
1. Camotes
2. Bantayan
3. Pandanon Island
4. Nalusuan
5. Moalboal


I had this stubborn notion that I could visit one place every month. But then I also realized I didn't want to conquer this list for the experience but for the prestige. How artificial. Sometimes it's better to digest things slowly.

I'm sad to say that I haven't made a substantial cut to this wishlist yet, but I am happy to note that I am now nearer to my authentic feelings of why exactly it is that I want to travel.

As Jim Paredes once said, 'Tama na yung pagpapa-pogi'. Let's experience things because we want to experience things, because it makes us more substantial in our own eyes, because we just want to.

Still, I'm happy to note that Camotes and Moalboal are closer than I thought. A distance between today and next week, in fact. In travel, let us choose to count not in distance but in time, and when counting time, it's never the quantity but how we choose to use it.

Be well.