Traveling is a Blessing

This 2011, I was able to travel to three major destinations in the Philippines--in Boracay, Bohol, and Cagayan de Oro. It was a dream come true to finally set foot on the powdery white sands of Boracay and swim in its turquoise sea. On the other hand, Bohol was a perfect place for our family vacation because it offered a lot in terms of sights to see. And CDO? Cagayan de Oro, along with Iligan City, recently suffered after typhoon Sendong but back in June, its river's whitewater thrilled me and awakened the playful child in me which I have lost in a maze of work, ministry, and other things.

Traveling brings many blessings. I especially enjoy seeing, touching, hearing, smelling, even tasting God's creation. Up to now, the thousand Chocolate Hills of Bohol still puzzle me. Why would God make more than a thousand limestone hills that turn chocolate brown during summer? I also loved walking barefoot at Boracay's beach and the taste of the prawn sour stew which my hubby cooked right after buying the fresh crustacean from D'Talipapa. And the alternating sounds of silence and gurgling waters of the rivers of CDO is a real treat to my ears. 

Another blessing of traveling is the opportunity to spend leisurely days with family members and friends. Meeting interesting people is also a learning experience. I am grateful for the people I met on my trips--some of them are truly delightful, others inspiring. I won't forget Ramil, the tour guide of Hinagdanan Cave who volunteered to take our pictures and annotated his shots with "fantastic", "stupendous" and "Pang-Facebook" comments. Bobet, our driver-cum-tour guide, was courteous and humorous and that made our whole day trip with him a pleasant experience. How I wish all drivers are like him!  Then, there's the elderly couple in their 70s whom I met at the airport. The charming couple was traveling by themselves from Pangasinan in Luzon to Davao in Mindanao. I will always remember what they said, "Don't be afraid to travel even if you're already old!"

Of course, there were other frustrations along the way, disappointments with the service, lots of waiting hours at the airport, and some reflections brought by unpleasant scenery. I guess this is how traveling becomes a learning experience. You learn about the people and the places, you see yourself in the context of the bigger world you live in, you dare to do things you haven't done before, and hopefully, you also think of how you can make things better not just for yourself but for other people too--the people in the places you've visited and for the millions of people who live in this big space called Earth. 

Traveling is a blessing. Let the journey begin for 2012!