HELLO. I’m Atom, and you’ve received my Travel Notes:
→ On the weeks I travel, I share stories, reflections, and lessons.
→ On the weeks I stay home, I share tips, tools, and templates.
I wish I could tell you I kept my last four weeks free to spend time with friends and family—to say goodbye.
But really, my priority was to visit as many provinces as I could before I left. And then spend time with friends and family in those provinces.
In the first week, I visited six provinces in Mindanao with Aedric.
In the second week, I visited Capiz and Antique with Mama and Joshua.
With a very long weekend coming up in the first week of November, I figured I could visit my last five provinces of Luzon: Kalinga, Abra, Apayao, Cagayan, and Isabela. This way, I would leave for Australia having visited 71/82 provinces. Not bad!
I could already visualize the road trip: the logistics, the accommodations, the itinerary. I could even do it alone if no one were free, as I figured commuting between provinces wouldn’t be too difficult. But in planning, I noticed I was only becoming more anxious and stressed. If my travels have taught me anything, it’s not to force an itinerary, especially if it means sacrificing my last few days with friends and family.
So, with extreme reluctance, I let go. On the third week, we climbed Mt Pulag (Aedric, Joshua, Mama, Papa, and Joanne’s first time). Then, on my last week, we celebrated my dad’s birthday by going to Magalawa Island in Zambales. Looking back, although I’ve already visited both provinces, I would do it again if it meant being complete. After all, weren’t we just talking about the significance of knowing when a last time is a last time?
I always imagined that before I left for Australia, I would post a compilation of photos from all 82 provinces of the Philippines (and it going viral hahaha). Instead, here is a compilation of photos from my last four weeks in Manila. Going viral will need to wait.
Thank you to everyone who visited, messaged, and prayed. I’ve never felt so loved!
See you all soon,
Atom
Are you interested in exploring the Philippines too? Here are some ways I can help...
Travel can be expensive. Here is my list of hacks to spend less on PH travel and a spreadsheet template to help you budget your next trip.
I make a spreadsheet for every trip. Here’s the guide to my Google Drive with all the spreadsheets.