Tra-Abel En Route: First Time Solo Wandering in a Foreign Land

Angkor Wat with Mr. What?

Early morning of February 11, 2014, I was at NAIA Terminal 3 preparing for my departure to Thailand. I was in front of this Miss Minchin (in Sara: A Little Princess) looking immigration personnel. She looks so strict with matching tight lips and eyebrows stretching as high as it can go (Ang iyong kilay na mapagmataas at laging namimintas!). I gave her my passport and she asked me the following questions:

Her:      Is this your first time to go out of the country?

Me:       Nope, this is my third time. It just so happen that I have renewed my passport recently.

Her:      Do you have your old passport with you?

Me:       [I handed her my old passport, I was lucky to have brought it with me]

Her:      What is your work? And how much do you earn?

Me:       Senior Internal Auditor, Php(!@#$%) monthly

Her:      Why are you travelling alone?

Me:       [I just smiled at her (but at the back of mind, I wanted to tell her “I was also asking myself the same                    question”)]

Her:      Why are you alone?

Me:       [I smiled at her again (I was about to sarcastically tell her “why don’t you come with me, so that I won’t                be alone. LOL”)] Hmmmm... I just want to try it.

Her:      [Stamped my passport and gave it back to me]

Me:       [Got my passport and left her without saying thank you]

My encounter with the immigration officer was something I personally find aggravating and at the same time funny. I was a little nervous and at the same time excited. Nevertheless, it was still an experience and a part of this adventure I was about to partake.

Coffee while waiting for the boarding time!

While impatiently waiting for the boarding time, a lot of thought was running through my head. The doubts which I was having a few days before my trip (please read my entry on Thoughts of Solo Backpacking: The Travelling Jitters) turned into anticipation and excitement. A moment later after drinking coffee and smoking 5 sticks of Marlboro, the Cebu Pacific Air personnel called all passengers for flight 5J929 bound to Bangkok to board the plane.

Wat Arun, The Temple of Dawn! It's more beautiful at night!

In spite of my excitement, I was able to sleep throughout the duration of the flight. I just woke up when the stewardess announced our arrival at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand! After going through the long queue at Thai immigration, I immediately went to Bangkok Airport Link going to Phaya Thai to start my Tra-Abel adventure for 11 days!

Finally after a month of planning, I found myself mingling with other backpackers in Bangkok, Thailand. Although my 11 days backpacking trip to Thailand and Cambodia was not enough to really experience what these countries has to offer, the time I spent there was really a time well spent.  

Thailand will always hold a special place in my heart, not only because it was the perfect setting for my first out-of-the-country solo backpacking trip but also because it made me realize the meaning of what is traveling for me.

Fly to your dreams!

So what is travelling for me?

Staying at the Khao San Road, the Backpackers ghetto, I met a wide range of travelers from different parts of the world. Some of them are travelling for leisure (short period of time) like me, but most of them made traveling as a lifestyle. It was really inspiring to hear their stories and tale as they fulfill their dream of travelling around the world.

And as for me, my solo backpacking trip gave me a lot of time to ponder on things I want to do with my life. It created an opportunity to rethink my plans and the direction I want with my life. Like most of the travel bloggers who left their employed life in exchange for years of adventure around the world, I also want to do the same. Yes, full time traveling is very tempting and I am so close to quitting my job to live travelling as my lifestyle. BUT given the current situation I am in right now, which is - I still don’t have enough savings and passive income to support my dream; I believe that my dream will be put on hold for the moment.

Anyway, I am still enjoying my current work and I am still learning a lot of things from it. I also believe that traveling as a lifestyle is not something that you can immediately get into. It requires proper planning, enough preparation and lifetime commitment. I salute all those who have been full time travelling, but who said that one needs to quit their job in order to fulfill their dream of traveling around the world. So for now, I will still continue with my corporate work and most of all continue travelling anywhere my foot brings me!