SENIOR BYAHERO
I recently visited the Calvo Museum in Escolta and saw one room dedicated to Philippine newspapers at the turn of the century (1900). They are either in Spanish, Tagalog or English and had titles like La Ilustracion del Oriente, La Oceania Espanola and Bagong Buhay. I was looking for an old copy of my newspaper, Manila Bulletin (Manila Daily Bulletin at that time) which also started in 1900, but could not find any. Most of these newspapers sadly did not survive, but my newspaper did. As Manila Bulletin celebrates its 123rd anniversary, I feel proud to be part of the long list of writers who have written for this prestigious newspaper.
Funny how I now count myself as a travel writer and refer to Manila Bulletin as “my” newspaper. All I ever wanted was to travel around the Philippines, visit places outside the usual tourist trails, do unusual adventures, meet simple people, and listen to their interesting stories. I never imagined that one day I will be writing my travel experiences for one of the oldest newspapers in the Philippines.
I was actually a bookworm before I became a traveler. I spent many summers during my college years reading two to three books a week. But my search for bargain books ignited my thirst for exploration. During my university years, I would often walk from my school in España, Manila to my bus terminal in Plaza Lawton, passing though university belt, the curious shops in Recto, the old houses in Quiapo, the book shops and panciterias in Avenida before crossing McArthur Bridge to get on a bus to Cavite. Readings also took me to exotic places, quenching my thirst of someday going there for adventure.
When I started working, I also started travelling around the Philippines. But with my minimum wage salary then, I can only afford travelling on a shoe-string budget. I travelled using public transportation, slept in cheap hostels and ate at carinderias, but I visited and explored Sagada, Boracay, Mt. Pulag and Palawan before they became hip and popular. It was backpacking at its best.
I brought these travel experiences when I started working as the head of marketing of Isuzu Philippines Corporation. When we were planning for media events then, I felt the usual road trip destinations like Tagaytay, Subic and Baguio were all too common and boring. And so I suggested on taking the media to extraordinary adventures to capture the durability and efficiency of our products, and so we went to Mt. Pinatubo, Mt. Pulag, Chico River, Banaue, Sagada, Siquijor, Guimaras, Samal Island and many more destinations outside the usual tourist trails.
It was during these media events that I met Ms. Pinky Colmenares of Manila Bulletin then editor of motoring section and Cruising Magazine. Ms. Pinky also loves to travel, and we often sat together during the long road trips exchanging travel stories. “Why don’t you write about your travels for our magazine?” she asked me one day. I told her that I had no writing experience. “Just write the way you tell me those travel stories” — was her advice.
And so began my career as an accidental travel writer. I simply followed her advice, wrote my first story the way I tell my friends about my travel experiences and submitted my first article to Manila Bulletin’s Cruising Magazine. That was in September 2009, and my travel story made it to Cruising Magazine’s October 2009 edition, even landing on the cover (I was so excited I bought several copies). I still remember the joy of getting published for the first time. My travel stories finally got to reach more travel enthusiasts like myself.
The first writing experience inspired me to explore more and share these stories to more people. Whenever I have free weekends, I would often go out and visit many unexplored places. I do my writings on weekend nights at my Tagaytay house, and never allowed it to disrupt my day job. There’s always a thrill of doing stories about backpacking, about riding a jeepney as "top load," about conquering a peak and a beautiful sunset that always remind us of the promise of a new day.
Cruising Magazine stopped publication a few years ago but I never stopped travelling. I even wrote an article for Manila Bulletin’s Panorama in 2020 titled “Getting Ready for 2020” even landing on the cover.
But things didn’t work well that year: Taal erupted which covered my house in ash, and then Covid.
After I reached my senior years and retired from work, I now as contribute to Manila Bulletin as Senior Byahero. I still travel whenever I feel like travelling even on weekdays but to places that are safe for people my age. I feel that time is now on my side unlike before when I was still working, and there are still so many places that I wish to go to, food that I wish to taste and adventures that I wish to experience.
And I will do that, write about it and share my story with Manila Bulletin readers.
(The author is a senior who recently retired. His taste for adventure has not kept him from travelling, usually via not-so-usual routes.)