One of my life goals is to travel the world. I'm glad that I married someone who has the same aspiration as mine. I have only been to three different countries, but I'm positive that I will get to travel the world with Roan someday.
My brothers and I were fortunate to have travelled to some cities in the Philippines, but we were still young to appreciate and remember most of the details from our trip.Today I will share the six (6) places I would revisit in a heartbeat:
Boracay Island (Source)
BORACAY (AKLAN, PHILIPPINES)
I was very young when I got the chance to go to Boracay, Philippines with my balikbayan relatives. My family was invited to go, but my younger brother suffered from an allergic attack a few days prior, so my parents had to beg off. Mom and Dad agreed to let me join them on the trip with my cousins prodding.
I don't remember much from that trip except for the fine/white sand and clear waters of Boracay. It was pretty eventful for me because I graduated from using water wings in Boracay; I learned to float on my own.
Several years later, Boracay was identified as one of the most-visited islands in the world. I want to go back to see how much the place has changed. Hopefully, my family will be able to join me on my next visit.
Magellan's Cross (Source)
MACTAN (CEBU, PHILIPPINES)
Our family trip to Cebu more than a decade ago is one of the first that's truly memorable.
We stayed there for a week, hopping from one hotel to another, making the most of our holiday. Cebu is a significant part of Philippines History during the Spanish colony in the country. Among the popular historical places to visit is the Magellan's Cross. It's unfortunate, however, that I failed to see this during our trip there. I got sick as soon as we landed in the city, so I stayed in the hotel most of the time on our first day.The food in Cebu was worth remembering. One piece of advice: do not miss a chance to eat at sutokil where there's a wide selection of fresh seafood and grilled food. Actually, you won't run out of things to do in Cebu.
Chocolate Hills (Source)
BOHOL, PHILIPPINES
Did you know that Bohol is only less than an hour away from Cebu? Another piece of advice? If you're going to Cebu, be sure to book at least a day tour to Bohol. That's what we did when we went there. Like in Cebu, Bohol is full of historical places to visit, too.
Aside from the famous Chocolate Hills and Tarsier, in Bohol you will find some of the oldest churches in the Philippines such as the Baclayon Church. Unfortunately, the church was among the long list of infrastructures that were damaged by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake in October 2013.
I want to go back, and spend much longer time there than in Cebu. The beaches in Bohol are very much like Boracay's, but a lot less commercial, making it more family-friendly than the latter.
Sydney Harbour Panorama (Source)
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
My trip to Sydney was my first out-of-the-country experience. My aunt was getting married there, and she asked me to be part of her bridal entourage. She sponsored my trip, but I had to go with Mom because I was still a minor then.
Aside from the wedding, I have unforgettable memories in Australia. One, while we were on a jet cruise and passing under the Harbour Bridge, something fell off from the bridge. Everyone in the deck heard this, and we all gasped when we realized that it was a big and heavy bolt that caused the distraction. We were lucky that no one was hit; otherwise, it was a mortifying experience. We only got to see the Opera House from cruising. The other memorable experience was losing most of Mom's jewelries while strolling along the beach. I had her rings and bracelets tucked in my jeans pocket until I decided to take it off and hang in my shoulder. We spent two hours trying to retrieve at least one of her jewelries, but miserably failed.
If I hadn't mentioned on the blog yet, Roan is looking into moving to Australia someday. Although he's never been there, he finds Australia a lot more laid-back than the US. Actually, there is truth in that. Who knows where the wind will take us in the future?
Singapore Cityscape (Source)
SINGAPORE
Our family's first international trip abroad was in Singapore seven years ago. Mom and Dad have booked this trip shortly after my grandmother's passing in August. We all deserved a break from witnessing my grandmother's 9-months battle with breast cancer, so we left in October.
Dad had been travelling to and from Singapore on business trips, but ours was different. Dad was able to experience public transportations which was never the case when he's there for business. It was both fun and exciting, albeit exhausting. We had a pretty solid itinerary when we were there that every day, we leave early and return to our hotel late at night.
Unlike my brothers, I didn't enjoy the food in Singapore, especially the Hainanese Chicken that looks uncooked. I want to return to Singapore to experience the new tourist attractions such as the Universal Studios Singapore and Singapore Flyer. Perhaps I'll find the food delectable in my next visit.
Ayutthaya (Source)
THAILAND
Although Roan and I went to Thailand for our honeymoon last year, we stayed in a less crowded city of Krabi. I loved everything in Krabi, and we were lucky that the hotel we stayed in was at the heart of Ao Nang. The food and the neighboring islands were the best part of our honeymoon in Thailand. The beach just across our hotel was a given major win that we literally spent most of the time sprawled under the sun or enjoying the tidal waves.
The next time I go back to Thailand, I'd like to spend more time in Bangkok. I've heard a lot of amazing things about Bangkok, most especially its notoriety in thrift shopping, but I'm sure there's more to that. In fact, the one thing that will make me travel back to Thailand is their delicious food. Just writing about it makes my mouth water in anticipation!
As aforementioned, these are the places I would return to in a heartbeat. That is, of course, if time and budget permit. I don't really mind going back to these places again because unlike in reading books, I don't mind reliving the memories in these places over and over again. Roan has never been to these places (except Thailand), so I think it's perfect excuse to go back. While there is a plethora of different destinations all over the world, one can never really travel enough. You know, nothing can stop a man consumed by wanderlust.
What are places you don't mind going back to?
This post is part of the Booked.net – Top Destinations to Go There campaign.