Fourteen Days After

Ma’am dito lang po ang pila…

That was in Diosdado Macapagal International Airport on the 24th May, 2015. I queued for the immigration, dropped my bags and let out a big heavy sigh of relief. After almost two months I can recognize what everyone was saying. We are so finally back.

Cebu - Kota Kinabalu - Bali - Yogyakarta - Yangon - Bagan - Mandalay - Bangkok - Chiang Mai - Pai - Chiang Rai - Luang Prabang - Vang Vieng - Pakse - Vientiane - Kuala Lumpur - Melaka. 55 days, 5 countries and 17 key cities – #ASEANSummerLoop, the most epic trip I’ve done so far.

Day Two: We are so ready to conquer Southeast Asia
Cebu City, Philippines

Three shirts, two tank tops, two shorts, one pants, few undies, swimsuit, one pair of slippers, one laptop, two cameras and a few hundred dollars – that’s my life inside my backpack for two months.

Day Three: Kilometer Zero
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Day Five: Yes, it was my first time to dive
Bali, Indonesia

With the most limited budget in the world, me and my buddies went out and explored our neighboring countries doing what we do best – to have fun (scrap intensive research and itinerary). It was AisAsia’s ASEAN Pass, the visa-free policies of Southeast Asian member countries and the spirit to move forward that pushed us further until we almost ran out of reasons to continue. But as a friend says, Laban lang Carla, we succeeded and accomplished our target – to unearth the essence of a place, doing it our way.

Day Twelve: We almost didn't make it to Borobudur Temple
Central Java, Indonesia

Day Fourteen: A mesmerized monk at Shwedagon Pagoda
Yangon, Myanmar

I've been fortunate to have the luxury of long holidays and vacations. With the most meager salary I have as a public school teacher, it is truly unimaginable to pursue long-term trips such as this. But with our burning passion to move forward (plus the fact that I traveled with two of my most favorite persons in the world), we managed to pull off this trip which conspired three weeks before our scheduled first flight (over some bottles of beer).

Day Seventeen: Free food, free booze and free dance at Thingyan Water Festival
Bagan, Myanmar

Day Nineteen: Braved the 40-degree heat and the sandy paths by bike
Bagan, Myanmar

Day Twenty One: U Bein Bridge at sundown
Mandalay, Myanmar

I felt ecstatic, furious, elated, exasperated, enraged and contented all throughout the journey. It was an assortment of raw and strong emotions, it’s as if I was on a postpartum period every day (not that I experienced it already). It was extremely fun one moment and then torture the next, it was agony on one day and ecstasy the next. I was always trying to manage my moods and feelings for I am not the most relaxed person in the world. But with the perfect travel buddies, I learned to be calm and just ride with the hustle.

Day Twenty Three: Chill day all day
Bangkok, Thailand

Day Twenty Six: There's my pot of gold
Pai, Thailand

I left my iPod in Bangkok. The hotel immediately sent it to me in Chiang Mai and for whatever reason it was returned to them. They sent it again to Chiang Rai, which was successfully received by the hotel. Unfortunately, we had already checked out (that same day) when they received it. They sent it to Kuala Lumpur (my next destination) and the iPod was sent back to Chiang Rai. Apparently, the battery should be removed first before it can be flown, which is impossible for my iPod. They sent it to a friend in Chiang Mai who will hopefully come home this year. Well, that’s my iPod having its own itinerary. I accepted that I will never be reunited with my iPod early on, but when I realized that my music will be forever gone, I was devastated. I just went on with my ‘mantra for lost things’, Use things not people, Love people not things.

Day Twenty Eight: Yes, I jumped
Chiang Mai, Thailand

Day Thirty One: Wat Rong Khun (WhiteTemple)
Chiang Rai, Thailand

Our camera bags got soaked during the Thingyan Water Festival in Bagan. We were so fortunate that our scheduled trip to Myanmar coincided with the yearly water festival. On our first day, we got wet inside the cab from the airport in Yangon. On the second day, we were soaked while walking around Mandalay. On our third day, we were drenched in Bagan from the train (yes, they throw buckets of water on moving trains as well) and on the way to our hotel. We thought that we were so waterproofed, but no, our camera bags were drenched. Luckily, our cameras survived the misfortune and for the next days, we were more waterproofed than ever.

Day Thirty Four: Alms giving ceremony at dawn
Luang Prabang, Laos

Day Thirty Eight: Hiking, trekking and caving - not our usual thing
Vang Vieng, Laos

We had a flat tire in the middle of nowhere in Pai. I have the best skills when it comes to two-wheel drives, well, that was ten years ago. I got reacquainted with motorbiking in Pai, Thailand because renting one is the cheapest way to go around town. My buddy wasn’t confident with his driving skills which left me with no option but to drive a scooter with my buddy as backride. The first few attempts were not that great but as we navigated along the uphills, downhills and sharp curves of Pai, we got into the groove easily. And then flat tire. We were heading to a remote waterfall when I felt that our rear tire was deflated. With no one to help us, I dropped off my buddy somewhere and drove away, running flat. I reached a workshop and had it fixed just for when my buddy arrived (after walking for nearly an hour, it was noontime). We had to splurge on our lunch that day.

Day Forty Five: Still moving forward minutes after the motorbike crash
Pakse, Laos

Day Forty Nine: There's a buddha relic inside Pha That Luang
Vientiane, Laos

And then another motorbike mishap in Pakse. It was inevitable for us to hire a motorbike again in Laos for it was the cheapest option to go around. It wasn’t a scooter this time but a 100 cc. automatic clutch which should be a better option when navigating this part of Laos. We were chasing waterfalls that day and I was starting to love the smooth 43km. ride on our way to our first stop. And then it went rocky, muddy and slippery. We were on a downslope and I was on the first gear while slowly pressing on the brakes. I noticed that I was having a hard time maneuvering and then boom, we toppled on the ground. I immediately got up and checked on my buddy and the bike. I had few scratches all and my buddy was spotless. I was emotionally shattered at that time but still had to go on with the day on a very slow pace. A refreshing liter of Coke was our treat afterwards.

Day Fifty Three: A quick stopover
Melaka, Malaysia

Day Fifty Three: Room with an amazing view
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Cashless in Kuala Lumpur. With only four days to go before heading home, our cash ran out (we always bring cash). Our plan was to withdraw some Ringgits from the ATM machines at the KLIA2 Terminal and after numerous tries, we failed. Apparently, we needed to apply for the activation of international withdrawal from our banks beforehand. A friend tried calling my home branch and they activated it, but sadly, we needed to wait for 24 hours before we could use our plastics. And then a friend suggested that he could send some money through a money transfer agency, and after an hour we had Ringgits and renewed spirits. I love my not-so-many but real friends.

Those were just five of the countless mishaps we experienced on the road but we always try to look on the brighter side of things and believe that everything will be fine afterwards.

Two hours of uninterrupted sleep at Don Mueang International Airport

Fourteen days after and my handwritten itinerary with my flight details and stuff is still on the fridge (this is for my mom). Fourteen days after and my room’s still a mess (knickknacks, souvenirs, and stuff) but I ain’t complaining for I need not to unpack and pack again and again. Fourteen days after and the comfort of not converting currencies all the time still amazes me. Fourteen days after and my pair of battered Beach Walk slippers is still itching to go to the beach and just chill.

Souvenirs. Mementos. Kalat.

June 1, 2015 | 5:45 a.m.

It was the first ever flag raising ceremony for the new school year. I could smell the excitement from the young bloods that were spread out at the quadrangle. I let out a big sigh and smiled as I went to my first ever class that day. And they were all just staring, waiting for me to utter a word. I couldn’t be any happier.