Thoughts on Solo Backpacking: The 'Solo-Traveling-Jitters'

How I actually got into this craziness?

Sunday, February 9, 2014, it was past midnight (1:25AM), but here I am, still awake with plenty of thoughts running through my mind. This has been the case for a few days now. I am two days away from getting on that plane to Bangkok where this craziness was about to take me. I’ve been having sleepless nights, wondering what will or will not happen to me, thinking if should go or not go on this trip and weighing if this is the sane or insane thing to do. So how did I get into this mess?

Wondering where my next destination will be! Czary 101

Let me take you back on the day I booked the plane ticket. It was late night on July 12, 2013; I was a little groggy from the bottles of red horse (a local beer) I drank during my friend’s birthday celebration earlier that day. As usual, I went online to check my Facebook, Instagram and other social media accounts before going to bed. That was when I came upon the “piso fare” promo for all domestic and international flight of Cebu Pacific Air posted in their Facebook account. I randomly search for international flights bound to anywhere. I did not have any plans of purchasing a ticket anyway, since I have a scheduled trip to El Nido, Palawan on July 26, 2013. But when I checked the travel period; it was from January 1 to June 30, 2014. So on a second thought, the trip will not be happening in the near future and that will give me enough time to plan and save for my trip. I immediately booked a roundtrip ticket to Bangkok for 10 days thinking that the trip will be easy peasy since Thailand is a backpacker friendly country.

CARAGA Northeastern Mindanao – Siargao (Day 2): The Three Islands

Island Hopping is one of the many activities you can try at Siargao Island aside from surfing. There are three islands included in the island hopping activity. The Big, Small and Naked Island, each have its own beauty that will surely captivate you!

Our first stop for the island hopping was not really an Island, it was a snorkeling site. The boat stopped in the middle of nowhere and the guide told us that there are colorful fishes and corals in that area. I forgot to take a picture of the underwater action though because I was busy playing with (following) the fishes.

Naked Island! You have to be naked to enter!

First island for the island hopping tour was Naked Island (Time to get Naked! LOL). The island is called "Naked" because it is a dome of sand in the middle of the lagoon. The local name of this sandbar is Pansukian. We were really lucky when we went there because we had the island for ourselves. There were no other people during that time.  The island was really bare and only a small coconut tree was present. The best time to visit Naked Island is in the morning when the sun is not too hot and still not harmful.

The only one present when we went to Naked Island! LOL

CARAGA Northeastern Mindanao – Siargao (Day 2): The Boardwalk at Cloud 9

Waking up and finding yourself in a different place is really a delight to me. Watching the sunrise and the locals’ early morning routines excites me. So when I went to Siargao Island, I made sure to wake up early to catch the sunrise at the famous “Boardwalk at Cloud 9”. The boardwalk is a walkway which allows surfers to get near the Cloud 9 (Siargao’s famous waves) and where onlookers watch the surfers ride the big waves.

From Ocean 101, the Boardwalk at Cloud 9 is just 3 to 5 minute walk. To enjoy the walk from your reserved accommodation to the boardwalk, I suggest that you walk on the shore rather than the main road. One needs to be careful though when walking along the shore since there are pointy rocks on the way to the boardwalk. Even if it was still dark, you should not worry since there are few people on the shore, specially fishermen taking care of their catch from the previous night.

View of Boardwalk at Cloud 9 from afar!

The sun started to show as I was approaching the boardwalk. The reflection of the rising sun on the crystal clear water of Cloud 9 beach was enchanting.