HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Who would've thought 2016 waved goodbye already? Time does fly really fast! 2016, for me, has been the most devastating yet challenging and rewarding year. I didn't start my year right (my ex and I broke up 9th January) but I sure ended it with a huge smile on my face!
It was January 2016 when I started solo backpacking. I first went to Baguio ('cos that's where broken hearts go, duh) then visited the nearby provinces up until I reached Sagada, the farthest province I've gone to up north, and Siquijor, the farthest I've been to down south. 12 months down the line, I have managed to visit 27 out of 81 provinces of Pilipinas!
My main goal is to finish #Project81 (visiting all the 81 provinces of the Philippines). From trekking the physically demanding mountains, meeting the locals and visiting one of Unesco Heritage Sites up north, to swimming with underwater creatures, surfing and crashing against the waves of La Union, chasing waterfalls, crossing open seas, exploring the caves, down to exploring the mystical island of Siquijor, to hitch hiking with strangers and sleeping in Baranggay Halls, 2016 has been one hell of a fantastic ride!
This year, I am setting a new goal to save money to go on a 5D4N Batanes trip in 2018. I have booked several flights within Visayas and Mindanao already for 2017 so I have decided to visit Batanes next year! But with bills to pay and upcoming trips on the way, I found an easier way to save money to help me get to Batanes without breaking the bank - my new goal is to save Php50.00 per day for 365 days. By the end of the year, that will give me Php18,250.00 - enough for a super budgetarian traveler to enjoy Batanes! Hopefully, I'd get to complete this goal :)
So pano, I'll end this post here at baka umay ka na sa kwento ko. I hope you guys had an awesome 2016, and I hope you will have a good new year ahead! Ingat palagi and kita kits on the road!
All the best,
Andrei
Hi! 2017 is nearly ending and I think it'd be fun if you did an update on this post, like did you end up visiting the 81 provinces?
ReplyDeleteHello! Unfortunately, time and money did not permit me to visit all 81 provinces - but I'm almost halfway there! I've upcoming flights back to Cebu next month to visit its gem up north and a trip to Zamboanga and Basilan in Mindanao in November!
DeleteI don't want to say things are impossible but if you're a regular employee working 40 hours a week with only 12 days of paid time off (excluding rest days), it is quite a struggle!
Thanks for reading this post and I sure will update it before this year ends!
Cheers.