Page was explored times




While you are reading this, I am somewhere, monitoring a social enterprise of the indigenous peoples of Palawan. It is part of a job I am blessed with. Yes, my job brings me to different places, familiar or not. Oftentimes, however, I would have to remind myself every time I travel officially that it is not the journey that counts--it is always the destination that matters. This is not an anathema and contradiction to Ralph Waldo Emerson. With my work, it is just the way it is.

I go to places for a reason--mainly to pull off the almost (but not) cliche: "helping people help themselves." The side stories, which I happen to write about are just a by-product of my right brain in my attempt to take a relief from the humdrum of the technical part of it. Some of the adventures are just stolen moments after the official duties have been performed--may it be a dip in the pool, a walk in the beach, or a stroll in the park.

Many of my past entries, too, are personal travels--near or far. It has always been great spending some time alone or with the company of friends and family somewhere--while forgetting about work at least for a few days.

Whether personal or official, traveling is spiritually rewarding. It gives one the advantage of taking some steps away to have a better perspective on doing things. A brief sojourn somewhere in a Baguio City park or a short visit and immersion in an Iraya community gives one the freedom to relish work, to recharge, and of course to revel about the borrowed "me-time".

Though I have been blogging since 2007, it is in 2009 that I began The Pinoy Explorer--an evolution of its predecessor: Explored!  It has also gone through several facelifts and redesign. It's focus swerved from topic to another until it was recalibrated to what it is now, almost like a battle cry--culture, adventure, and nature.

Four years have passed since then. The number of years, too, ramify into infinite lessons--many of them I have taken by heart. Some of them were shrugged off. Some, still, are yet to be chewed over before they can be swallowed.

Writing about my travels has no special reason other than to share. Some people might think I am a brag. It is not something to parade about. I just write hoping that someone would read my stories on the joys of traveling.

Setting aside wanting for the most sought-after fame and celebrity status, blogging becomes just an afterglow of the pleasant experience of traveling. I am already at peace and comfortable with who I have become and what I have been doing. It is not something to be famous of, but more of discovering people and places--famous or not.

My motto: Just blog and don't brag.

With all the triumphs, failures and imperfections of this blog, I am, nonetheless, celebrating its 4 years of existence in the world wide web. Cliche as it may sound, but this blog still exists in the digital sphere because there are still readers and clicks on this site--and one of them is you!

For all these years of sharing with me the joys of traveling, maraming salamat!

______
Must read: As part of this two-part series, The Pinoy Explorer shares his lessons in travel blogging.


Tweet

Do you like this article?  Like us on Facebook, too!