Hottest Philippine Tourist Attraction

I received an email from one of the people I work with in the office. The whole Manila Bus Hostage Taking incident has created quite a number of reactions from people all over the globe. I know that the horrible incident is something that we should all feel sorry about and learn from.But, at the same time, we should also learn how to move on.  The person who sent the email wrote:

"as you all know as well, i am an avid fan of facebook, i just discovered yesterday na someone from germany created a page, an "i hate philippines" page.. it was just created a day after the hostage and as of yesterday, thousands have liked it. fortunately, that german guy posted nudity on that page which gave us a reason to report that page.  actually, even if he did not do that, racism is still prohibited at facebook so sorry na lang sya..
wish ko lang matigil na, pwamis!!!
and to think 3 Filipina DH's were fired in Hong Kong just because of this.  Aba, hindi na tama yan!!!"

I'm not sure if this "someone" from Germany ever heard of Hitler or the Gestapo or the Holocaust. The genocide of six million Jews is the worst in history. The point is, the Jews have moved on. They're not wasting precious time creating stupid fan pages on Facebook , e.g., " I Hate Germany". The evil of one man, i.e., Hitler, does not transcend to all Germans. Therefore , the person who created the page " i hate philippines" is a moron, as well as the thousands of Facebook users who liked it. And if any of my Facebook friends liked it, I'm going to delete them.

Paranoid HK employers randomly firing Filipina domestic helpers. I don't know. I think it's absurd.

Moving on. Let's now meet the people who decided to move on after the horrific event:

These members of the Philippine police force were so proud of their of their rescue efforts, they decided to pose for souvenirs. Great job on recovering the Bus, guys! LOLZ.

Not to be outdone is our Scene of the Crime Operatives. If you think this isn't right, that's because you've seen to many CSI episodes. Don't believe everything you see on TV. This is how you investigate a crime scene.

The reason why our policemen did not have such a hard time recovering the bus from the "bus-napper" is because they all take training seriously. On top of that, we have state-of-the-art training equipments. Look at them as they practice target shooting.

 This bus has now become a tourist attraction.(above: local tourists posing for souvenir photos). This is truly a great photo op for local and foreign tourists. Don't miss this chance to look stupid.Smile, look happy or wacky, how about some jump shot? Innocent people died in this bus, you know.

But, seriously, every Pinoy is sad about what happened. The Philippines is not a nation that condones violence. People of this country know how to learn from mistakes, feel sorry, apologize when necessary, and move on.

And, like what the email said:

"pero aminin mo, natawa ka dun sa mga nagpipicture! ganyan ang mga pinoy!!!"

So, true.

Black Travel Alert

The Hong Kong government issued a top-level ban against travel to the Philippines on HK nationals after the tragic Manila Tourist Bus Hostage Taking, here in the Philippines.

Ex-cop and  former Police Senior Insp. Rolando Mendoza, after being discharged from the police force, two years prior to retirement, on charges of extortion and grave misconduct, held tourist bus, carrying at least 20 HK nationals, hostage for more than 11 hours, releasing at least 9 hostages during the early part of  negotiations, eventually, leaving 9 wounded, and 8 dead, including himself, after negotiations bogged down.

This is a sad and tragic incident that puts blemish on the already tainted image of the Philippines as a tourist-friendly country. This country is already notorious internationally as a nation full of Muslim rebels accustomed to kidnappings and violence, and an incident as horrific as this simply puts a stop on the Philippines' hope of becoming a major tourists destination.

The extra  media millage being given to the Philippines' Ms Universe candidate,Venus Raj's 5th place finished--who came home a loser, anyway, being 4th runner-up-- is not enough to save the country's badly beaten image after this tragic hostage drama.

Now is not the time to point fingers at anyone.Whether or not the Manila Bus Hostage Taking was mishandled is beside the point. We can blame the police for lack of better training and equipment, or the negotiators for their ineptness, or, even the media for for their full and in-depth coverage, while the hostage taker sat comfortably at the bus and watched everything unfold on TV. 

Should we now tag channel 7 and channel 2  as accessories to the crime since they were feeding live info on TV, fully knowing that the hostage taker was watching?

Remember, this whole thing would not have been possible if not for a derange ex-cop who had this stupid infantile notion that the best way to clear his name of all charges thrown to him is by taking hostage and killing innocent people. 

No matter what, the Philippines is still a great country. This is one unfortunate tragedy. Not an everyday occurrence. And although I feel  the lost of those people who lost their loved ones on this tragic incident, I hope that this doesn't stop people from other countries from discovering how beautiful and amazing this country is despite it flaws. 

On Hong Kong's Black Travel Alert against the Philippines? It's understandable, but a little bit unfair.

Backpacking Your Turf

What better way to start a travel blog than  by exploring a place you're so familiar with, yet, you've so taken for granted-- your own country

I am a Pinoy traveler who backpacks all over the Philippines. The travel blog I will be launching will basically chronicle my out of town trips all over my country. And, although, I will be backpacking  to other countries, as well, I am in no hurry to get out of this country, yet. There are so many wonderful  undiscovered places to travel to in the Philippines.

I know how tempting it is to post out of the country trips, especially, for newbie travel bloggers. Imagine how great your blog would look if you posted travels outside of your own country. And, if you're a Pinoy traveler, I know how tempting it is to go out to neighboring countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, or Singapore, especially  since most of these countries are just 3 hours away by plane from the Philippines, and, really, there is nothing wrong blogging about trips outside of your own country. But, wouldn't it be better if you started promoting the Philippines-- if you're a Pinoy blogger-- first, making sure that you've been all over, and have discovered everything there is to discover about how beautiful and great the country is, instead of posting random ramblings about a country you've only been to for 3 days?

By starting with a place you are already familiar with, a place so accessible, yet, undiscovered,  the chances of posting richer and relevant contents are better. Avoid using travel blogs to brag  about your travels. I am not saying that I will not travel outside of my own country unless I'm  pretty sure I've covered every square inch of its land area.  I would, if the opportunity was there. My point is, do not rush into traveling to other countries simply because you already have a blog and the only things posted there are your out of town trips. Lakwatsera has traveled out the country twice and has backpacked to three different countries in SE Asia. And the only reason I did not go with her is I didn't have a passport. She went  because she wanted the experience, and not because of a blog. Travel if the opportunity is there, do not, if you just wanna compete with others who have posted out of the country trips on their blogs.

Lakwatsera said to me after her trip to Thailand that she felt sad for the Philippines after seeing how far it is lagging behind from its neighboring countries as far as attracting tourists is concerned. Now, this is already a fact, so, what better way to help boost Philippine tourism than by touring our own country first. It is bigger and has a lot more to offer compared to some of  its SE Asian neighboring countries. How many Pinoys can claim that they've been to all the great places here in the Philippines? Not a lot.

Have an enriching travel experience by traveling and learning more about your own country first. Have a more meaningful blog by promoting something you're more familiar with, something closer to your heart.Your home.

Travel Blog, Just a Romantic Idea ?

I travel because I love traveling, not because I need to come up with travel stories for a travel blog which doesn't even exist yet. And even if I have a blog, I will not travel for the pure and simple reason that I need to regularly come up with travel-related posts to keep it updated. I will continue to visit places I've never been to yet, and might revisit places I've been to already for the love of travel, with or without a blog.

I travel, not as much as I like, but, as much as possible. I keep a regular nine to five that pays decently enough for me to be able to spend for some of these out-of town trips.

Lakwatsera  flew to Cagayan De Oro yesterday morning and wont' be back for three days. I would have loved being on that trip with her, but my regular job keeps me tied up from traveling anytime I want. My next out of town will have to wait for another week-- I will be going to Legazpi with Lakwatsera and mommy Lakwatsera (Lakwatsera's mother).

Having a regular nine to five is not a bad thing, especially if you're a newbie travel blogger like myself.  Reading a successful travel writer or blogger who live a life of continuous travel by the money he or she earns from blogging may seem inspiring, but, if all you have is this romantic idea that the travel blog you have or  plan to have will put you on a path of non-stop travel and vacation, think twice, because monetizing your blog is not as easy as it seems. Out of several thousands of  personal travel blogs in existence, only a few really earn or is steady source of  income. My advise: DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB.

A steady source of income is what you need to keep on traveling as much as possible. And if that means working odd hours on a very stressful dead-end job, then be it. Just keep in mind that at the end of each working week, you can be someplace else, out of town, out of reach, out of sight, and out of stress.

You don't travel because you have a travel blog to maintain. You travel because its refreshing and fun. An opportunity to discover new places, meet new people, and see amazing things. Never travel like it's a job.Also, leave everything behind when you travel. Get away from it all. Forget about deadlines, people you hate, and unpaid bills. When you're on vacation, make it feel like one, because at the end of each trip, we all go back to the same place-- reality.

I keep an open mind about this blogging thing. It may or may not lead to other opportunities. If  my travel blog becomes unsuccessful, then that's fine. I will continue traveling, regardless. The benefits, if any, are just secondary.

If you like traveling like I do and is able to do it as much as possible, be thankful.

If you would like to blog about it then do so, but be realistic. Don't worry so much about  monetizing your blog yet. Just stay committed, come up with helpful, inspiring, and insightful posts. Work hard, research, make it better, and worry about the benefits later.

The travel blog I have in mind is about inspiring and encouraging people to take time out and enjoy life once in a while by breaking out of their daily routines.My aim is to give readers directions and ideas about  traveling to great, amazing places the cheapest possible way. Let others know that sometimes travel is not about how much money you have, but how you make it worthwhile. I am a poor traveler, and, therefore, I always travel on a shoestring budget. Hopefully my travel experiences will teach people a thing or two about budget travel.

If you are new to blogging, there is nothing wrong if what you aim for is making money out of it. But since there is no guarantee that you'll certainly be able to monetize your blog, it is always better to blog about something that makes you happy.

Because whether or not your blog becomes successful, what's important is you get to blog about something  you enjoy doing.

Blogging 101

Although there are no fixed rules in creating a blog, it would be best  to blog about something you know and are passionate about.

Now. This doesn't mean that it's okay to blog about anything and everything you fancy or have a great knowledge of. Because, although,  you are passionate and perhaps an expert in a lot of subject matter, it is probably not best to put  all of your bright ideas about all sorts of things into one blog.

And, unless you want your blog to be something like Wikipedia, just concentrate on subjects that are within the concept and theme of your blog.

If you love traveling and would like to share your travel experiences with others, then make a travel blog and start posting travel-related stuff.  Your radical political views or controversial opinion about an office-mate belong to an entirely separate blog, if not, somewhere else.

I am no expert when it comes to blogging. I travel as much as possible  but this is my first real attempt in creating a blog. What got me interested in starting my own blog are the different travel blogs that I normally visit every time I need directions and travel tips, i.e., whenever Lakwatsera and I go to  places we've never been to yet.

There are several  travel blogs that I find interesting and inspiring.  And if you are a newbie blogger like me and is planning on creating a travel blog, visiting some of this blog sites will help you get a general feel of the travel blogosphere . Some of these travel blogs will give you a general idea on how to develop your own site.

There is nothing wrong in shaping your travel blog based on one  you particularly like, as long as you don't plagiarize someone else' work.

At this point, aside from gathering materials and collecting ideas for my travel blog ,

I regularly visit some of these sites.

By looking at different travel blogs, I am able to see what works and what doesn't on a travel -blog reader's point of view.

If you're on the same stage as I am of still gathering ideas for your travel blog, these sites may teach you a thing or two about travel blogging:

Nerdy Nomad by  Kirsty henderson

One of the many things I like about  Kirsty's  blog is her posts about her travel to the Philippines.

Nerd's Eye View  by Pam Mandel

Pretty solid,intelligent writing. Not too many travel photos. But, Pam's prolific writing  gives a better

picture of  all the places she's traveled to than the photos.

Out of Town Blog  by Mello Villareal

A Pinoy Travel Blog. Lots of great photos. I'm not really fond of the site's interface, but I enjoy looking at the travel photos.

Backpacking Philippines and Asia  by Tutubi

I find this site very useful on my travels. Detailed  guides on where to go and how to get there. Provides useful ideas on budget travel.

My First Stab at Blogging

I originally thought of starting a travel blog here on Blogspot. After thinking about it for sometime, I decided to, maybe, start it somewhere else. I haven't really begun yet, because I'm still in the process of  figuring out how and where to start.

For the meantime, to practice and hone my non-existent blogging skills, I'm gonna start blogging, anyways.

I will be updating this blog  regularly and will be posting updates on a soon to be created travel blog.

My idea is to put up a blog that will chronicle my travels all over the Philippines and, eventually, the world.

I haven't fully decided on the title yet. Island Explorer is the original choice, but since I mostly never travel alone, I am thinking that maybe the blog's title should be about the travels of  both me and my one and only constant companion slash travel buddy-Lakwatsera.

The photograph you see on the header, behind the title Island Explorer, was taken by me and is a shot of Lakwatsera walking on sandbars.

Eventually, you will get to know more about us. But, for now, Just call me Lakwatsero. I travel regularly with Lakwatsera.

I am not sure if someone will ever find this blog and even care to read it. My simple plan is to use this newly created blog and share my two cents about creating a travel blog from scratch. Hopefully,  I'll get to connect with people who share the same interest and passion.

Lakwatsera and I love traveling. We also share the same passion for photography. I am hoping we get to share these two things we enjoy doing with the rest of the world through blogging.

I am still currently working on a concept for a travel blog. I haven't even decided on a domain name yet, but I am definitely planning on using a custom domain to host the travel blog, i.e., when the right time comes...

Okay, now that I got the first post out of the way, I hope it keeps me on a roll until that first post on my dream blog.