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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider Where to next?

Where to next?

Published May 9, 2023 04:02 pm

OFF THE BEATEN PATH


As the world returns to a reinvigorated normal, we find ourselves eagerly looking forward to trips long missed but never deleted from our must-go-to list. We revisit travel plans and plot new ones as we eagerly escape the heat and traffic of Metro Manila.
I often find myself enviously staring at my IG feed, flooded with beautiful photos of travels, from friends who recently embraced the joys of sea, sand, fun and all things frolicky. To make matters worse, even Facebook found a way to remind me of where I’ve been ages ago, where I haven’t and why I remain stuck inside an airconditioned office even as revenge travel is in full swing.
About two weeks ago, there was an interactive map on Facebook where you could tag each and every province into the following categories: Level 5 – Lived there; Level 4 – Stayed there; Level 3 – Visited there; Level 2 – Alighted there; Level 1 – Passed there and Level 0 – Never been there. After a few minutes of trying to recollect all the places I’ve been to, I got a total score of 289 and it came out that there are only six provinces that I did not yet step foot on. Not bad, considering that there are 82 provinces in the Philippines.  38 provinces in Luzon, 16 in the Visayas, and 28 in Mindanao. Thanks to cross-country driving, I have managed to stay, visit, alight and pass by numerous areas that are not as prominently featured in the tourism roadmap such as the ZamboPen or the Zamboanga Peninsula.
I always get the incredulous ‘why drive when you can fly’ question but cross-country driving is a passion that I thoroughly enjoy despite the obvious challenges (quality of roads, safety and security issues here and there). Through the years, I’ve learned a few travel hacks that somehow make it more comfortable such as minimalist packing, liquid toiletries vs dry ones, using a designated travel card, the “shoulder season,” bringing a busy bag for kids, offline downloading of TV and movies, traveling solo vs joining a group and many more.  This list deserves a separate and detailed discussion and I welcome suggestions from my traveling readers. You may want to take the FB interactive map challenge to determine where you’ve been and discover where else you may want to visit. As for me, it’s back to driving soon. Kita kita ta!
\* \* \* Off The Beat: Speaking of drives, sharing below a playlist/mix I did last week.  Listening to ’70s songs is a nice way to enjoy driving to your next adventure.

Playlist/Mix:

1.  He’s The Greatest Dancer – Sister Sledge; 2.  Never Knew Love Like This Before - Block & Crown; 3. Broadway - Block & Crown; 4. No Way - Audi Block; 5. Comin’ Out - Block & Crown; 6. Without You – Nicolas; 7. Love X Love - DJ Fudge; 8. If I Can’t have You - Block & Crown Visit to listen: [https://www.mixcloud.com/goyolarrazabal/tuesday-tunes-230502-70s/](https://www.mixcloud.com/goyolarrazabal/tuesday-tunes-230502-70s/)

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OFF THE BEATEN PATH ATTY GREGORIO LARRAZABAL
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