Home is where the heart is
October 7, 2005 | 12:00am
I love to travel. I love strapping on my backpack and going wherever the wind may take me. I’ve been doing my best to get more writing assignments that require me to go to places I’ve never been before to learn more about our beautiful planet and to satisfy my insatiable wanderlust. One of my best friends actually used to comment that wanderlust ran through my veins. I never really used to be a homebody and back in college, when I found myself stuck in the house for more than a few hours, it would drive me crazy.
Much has changed over the years though. Nowadays, I relish time spent at home doing nothing. Some of the best Friday night gimmicks I’ve had consisted of popcorn and a stack of DVDs to watch. When it comes to being in the city I no longer need to be out to have fun and that suits me fine.
Recently, my suitcase has been getting its fair share of use as I’ve hauled myself to various travel destinations throughout the Philippines and Asia. I’ve been white water rafting in Davao, shopped ‘til I dropped (literally) in Bangkok, re-visiting a childhood vacation spot in Laguna, and discovering the beauty that is Malaysia. I’ve had a blast seeing new things and learning more about our culture along with the cultures of our neighboring countries.
More than just seeing breathtakingly beautiful sights I enjoy learning about the different kinds of people that inhabit our diverse and interesting planet. Even as close as going to Cebu, Baguio, or Davao here in the Philippines we can learn something new about our own countrymen that we may not have known before. And that’s just hitting the tip of the iceberg. Here in the Philippines we have an endless supply of places to see and people to meet. After all, with over 7,000 islands we’ll never run out of things to learn about our country.
It is equally exciting learning about people from other countries. For example, the more time I spend in Bangkok the more I grow to love the Thai people and their culture. Perhaps it’s the Buddhist influence but the Thais are truly warm and open and possibly some of the most peaceful people I’ve met in Asia. I was transfixed watching them go about their evening ritual of praise to the statue in front of the mall offering juice boxes and fruits to the Buddha while saying their nightly prayers. Not to mention, the monks in the various wats (temples) around the city really stop to take the time out to chat with the tourists and invite them to join in the meditations. It’s really quite heartwarming.
Another thing I love about traversing the globe (or Asia, in my case recently), is finding these little out-of-the-way places not mentioned in any tourist books. Some of my favorite places have been found by treading the road less traveled and I’ve marked them down in my own "must-do" lists for when I return. In Langkawi for example, on my last night there while I was roaming through the street market at Pantai Chenang beach, I started looking for a place to eat when I happened across this small green sign advertising TeeJay’s Italian Eatery. Thinking it would be interesting to try Malaysian Italian food (and since I’d kinda had my fill of spicy Malay cooking and fresh seafood) I followed the sign down a small dirt road and found myself in an adorable little Italian restaurant, completely invisible from the road, run by a charming couple from Europe.
It was one of those places you know tourists are delighted to find when they travel and the type of place you know they’ll always come back to. I was actually disappointed that I only found them on my last night, but nevertheless, I ordered a wonderful Italian meal and enjoyed every bite all the way down to the scrumptious peach fantasia dessert of peach Italian ice cream with a frozen Ferrerro chocolate in the middle… heaven! I even chatted with the amiable couple before heading back to my resort and as I signed the small guestbook I could see that several other travelers had enjoyed my little Italian oasis as well. A guest from London had even noted the couple’s kindness in cooking him a hot meal even though he stumbled in way past closing time.
It’s these small pleasures that I love the most. Don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy seeing the humongous awe-inspiring tourist attractions as well, like the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok or the larger-than-life eagle statue in Langkawi, but in addition to these well-known tourist destinations, I think it’s important that we all take a little time to take the road less traveled. After all, sometimes we find that some of the best adventures start just as we’re getting lost.
Indeed, traveling has been incredible over the last couple of months, but ironically enough, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned from leaving the Philippines is that I’m always going to come back to this beautiful country. As a matter of fact, I find that I can’t even leave my home for too long. I find myself missing it along with all my beloved friends and family. After all, even for a wanderlust princess like myself, I still believe that home is where the heart is and though I’m always open to traversing our planets endless pathways, no matter where my shoes may take me, I know that in the end they’ll always take me back home.
Much has changed over the years though. Nowadays, I relish time spent at home doing nothing. Some of the best Friday night gimmicks I’ve had consisted of popcorn and a stack of DVDs to watch. When it comes to being in the city I no longer need to be out to have fun and that suits me fine.
Recently, my suitcase has been getting its fair share of use as I’ve hauled myself to various travel destinations throughout the Philippines and Asia. I’ve been white water rafting in Davao, shopped ‘til I dropped (literally) in Bangkok, re-visiting a childhood vacation spot in Laguna, and discovering the beauty that is Malaysia. I’ve had a blast seeing new things and learning more about our culture along with the cultures of our neighboring countries.
More than just seeing breathtakingly beautiful sights I enjoy learning about the different kinds of people that inhabit our diverse and interesting planet. Even as close as going to Cebu, Baguio, or Davao here in the Philippines we can learn something new about our own countrymen that we may not have known before. And that’s just hitting the tip of the iceberg. Here in the Philippines we have an endless supply of places to see and people to meet. After all, with over 7,000 islands we’ll never run out of things to learn about our country.
It is equally exciting learning about people from other countries. For example, the more time I spend in Bangkok the more I grow to love the Thai people and their culture. Perhaps it’s the Buddhist influence but the Thais are truly warm and open and possibly some of the most peaceful people I’ve met in Asia. I was transfixed watching them go about their evening ritual of praise to the statue in front of the mall offering juice boxes and fruits to the Buddha while saying their nightly prayers. Not to mention, the monks in the various wats (temples) around the city really stop to take the time out to chat with the tourists and invite them to join in the meditations. It’s really quite heartwarming.
Another thing I love about traversing the globe (or Asia, in my case recently), is finding these little out-of-the-way places not mentioned in any tourist books. Some of my favorite places have been found by treading the road less traveled and I’ve marked them down in my own "must-do" lists for when I return. In Langkawi for example, on my last night there while I was roaming through the street market at Pantai Chenang beach, I started looking for a place to eat when I happened across this small green sign advertising TeeJay’s Italian Eatery. Thinking it would be interesting to try Malaysian Italian food (and since I’d kinda had my fill of spicy Malay cooking and fresh seafood) I followed the sign down a small dirt road and found myself in an adorable little Italian restaurant, completely invisible from the road, run by a charming couple from Europe.
It was one of those places you know tourists are delighted to find when they travel and the type of place you know they’ll always come back to. I was actually disappointed that I only found them on my last night, but nevertheless, I ordered a wonderful Italian meal and enjoyed every bite all the way down to the scrumptious peach fantasia dessert of peach Italian ice cream with a frozen Ferrerro chocolate in the middle… heaven! I even chatted with the amiable couple before heading back to my resort and as I signed the small guestbook I could see that several other travelers had enjoyed my little Italian oasis as well. A guest from London had even noted the couple’s kindness in cooking him a hot meal even though he stumbled in way past closing time.
It’s these small pleasures that I love the most. Don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy seeing the humongous awe-inspiring tourist attractions as well, like the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok or the larger-than-life eagle statue in Langkawi, but in addition to these well-known tourist destinations, I think it’s important that we all take a little time to take the road less traveled. After all, sometimes we find that some of the best adventures start just as we’re getting lost.
Indeed, traveling has been incredible over the last couple of months, but ironically enough, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned from leaving the Philippines is that I’m always going to come back to this beautiful country. As a matter of fact, I find that I can’t even leave my home for too long. I find myself missing it along with all my beloved friends and family. After all, even for a wanderlust princess like myself, I still believe that home is where the heart is and though I’m always open to traversing our planets endless pathways, no matter where my shoes may take me, I know that in the end they’ll always take me back home.
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