I am grateful for the many opportunities God gave me once again to travel in 2012. I was able to travel to the three main islands of the Philippines--Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao for leisure and for work. I was on the road by car, by bus, by jeepney, and almost on top a carabao. I was on air via planes several times, and at one time, the turbulence was so bad that I fervently prayed for our plane not to crash. I rode small to medium-sized boats to traverse seas.
I visited historical places, bought goods from the public markets, haggled for souvenirs, posed beside landmarks, tasted the region's delicacies, stayed in hotels, pension houses, and transient houses. (Many times, I wished work would soon be over so I can tour the place!)
I met friendly locals and picked up a few basic phrases in their dialect. I heard their thoughts about local politics and their personal accounts of calamities that made it to the national headlines.
Many times, I found myself marveling at the natural beauty of the Philippines--its sands and seas, the hundred islands, the underground river, the bay, the lake, the gold and green rice fields, the limestone cliffs, the mountains and valleys, the ridges and the volcano. Nature is God's work of art; to not enjoy it is to ignore the Greatest Artist. That's why I love traveling. I like to enjoy nature and be closest to its Maker.
It's the start of 2013 and I'm excited for my next trip. But first, I'll try to write about my travels last year which I wasn't able to share with you. See you next blog (or maybe, see you on the road!).
Comments
Post a Comment