Top 5 Blissful Surprises of 2017

Same Same Summer Trip 2017. Grade 12 teaching load. Approved visas. Winter. Autumn. India (finally). Beach. Snow. Naked trees. Surprises. Those four little words. Yes!

2017 was a year of surprises. It started with my first solo trip abroad and my first winter, with snow luckily. The second quarter was consumed with our two-month summer trip with a shocker of the year right by the end of it. Balancing my life as a public school teacher and traveler went by on the third quarter. And then me and my favorite travel buddies did some impulsive trips to Japan and India on the last part of the year. Not young anymore, not dumb and not so broke. Living life like it's my first (yes, not last but first.) and never lose my sense of wonder, and wander.

I wouldn't enjoy my vacations as much if I quit my job and travel full time. For me, traveling is love, but teaching is life. Photo by @lakadpilipinas

A post shared by blissfulguro (@blissfulguro) on Feb 18, 2017 at 5:47pm PST

80 posts. 3 new provinces in the Philippines. 3 new countries (although I don’t really count provinces and countries, only memories, nhuks!). 5 approved visas. 1 bling. 1 dead toenail. 2,339,201 page views (whoa!). 13,595 Instagram followers. 574 Twitter followers. Less than 10 new real-life friends (I ain’t good with mingling). A year of surprises, indeed.

And with that, here are the top 5 blissful surprises of 2017.

Five

Tokyo, Japan

October 2017

Woke up a li'l more cheery today in spite of the gloomy weather. I dunno if it's just me but I love drizzly mornings. Kinda romantic noh? ☔ Photo by @lakadpilipinas @wiredhotel #wiredhotelasakusa #wiredhotel

A post shared by blissfulguro (@blissfulguro) on Oct 19, 2017 at 5:15pm PDT

Surprise trip. Supposedly autumn. Super typhoon. Outrageous prices. Phenomenal food. Lovely people. 10-hour delayed flight back home. Instant sunny Tokyo stroll.

Four

Linapacan, Palawan

December 2017

“To some, it’s just water. To me, it’s where I regain my sanity” Maosonon Island, Linapacan, Palawan Photo by @lakadpilipinas #PalawanPlanB

A post shared by blissfulguro (@blissfulguro) on Dec 4, 2017 at 3:16am PST

Plan A failed. Plan B was much better. Rough boat ride. Clearest waters. Untapped islands. Incredible beaches. Stunning underwater world. Best island in the world.

Three

Kerala, India

November 2017

Hiked a bit to reach the rocky stream bottom of Athirapally Falls. One of the best waterfalls not only in the state of Kerala but in the whole of India 😀 Photo by @lakadpilipinas #ASEANSummitExit

A post shared by blissfulguro (@blissfulguro) on Nov 21, 2017 at 2:45am PST

ASEAN Summit Exit. Impulse trip. E-visa. Buddy bluff trip. No itinerary (as usual). Newest favorite food. Nice people.

Two

Seoul, South Korea

January 2017

I did it! I conquered South Korea on my own. Woohoo! ☃ My first ever winter and solo trip abroad. Thanks to my friends and family who cheered for me. No more four layers of clothing and struggling with my hands getting numb with minus something degree weather plus the challenge of setting up a cellphone tripod for a nice selfie shot. And while I'm defrosting, me thinking about a beach trip this weekend for I really miss the Philippine heat. Tara?! On that note, I challenge you to try traveling solo. It feels, uhmm, very liberating 😀 #BlissfulSeoul

A post shared by blissfulguro (@blissfulguro) on Feb 8, 2017 at 5:06pm PST