Thyra Travels: Philippines 2019: Living in Paraiso

After many months (since Xmas!) I decided to take another break, stopping to volunteer in a country. I had heard the Philippines was quite expensive for transit and housing so I thought it would be the perfect place. I messaged a hostel who had availability and they accepted me right away. I booked my flight and – BOOM – all set to go! What followed was a great seven weeks full of beer, fried chicken, and lots of new friends.

Manila

I spent the first day and the last week in the country chilling in the capital. People are really too harsh on it online, I liked it! There isn’t a lot to see tourist-wise but if you just want to hang out and eat food, it is perfect! Traffic is bad but not as insane as Jakarta.

Coron

The majority of my time was spent in Coron, a town on Busuanga island, a very popular destination for divers due to beautiful coral and shipwrecks (I don’t dive hehe). Coron isn’t one of the top names in the Philippines (I think about El Nido, Cebu, etc.) but it is still well-visited. I spent my time volunteering in Hop Hostel as an ace of all trades around the place, mainly leading tours around the island (for free, what a lush job!). Accommodation was heavenly, a king sized fluffy bed in an air con room. Hello! We got free breakfast and went on all the tours for free. Tours included: night kayaking, hot springs visit, beach for the day, and island hopping! We also hosted trivia nights and did games at the rooftop parties, which happened a few times a week. I couldn’t believe my luck at what I had stumbled upon. It felt like they were paying ME instead of volunteering. It was an incredible six weeks (with far too much beer, I am now on a cleanse).

Beyond all of the great trips, hikes, and beaches, the best thing about volunteering was that I finally had a community again. During my first week I was taken under the wing of my now good friend Saahil. The dream team, as we called ourselves, it was the ideal way to start out my time on the island. The people I worked with and that I met in town were amazing and I will never forget the time I spent with them. I am already missing the island life and wanting to go back to visit. My last two weeks on the island I ended up living with my managers, a couple from the UK, because I extended my volunteering. Sleeping in their open-aired kitchen, with puppies and dogs roaming around, was fun and humbling for anyone that comes from the western world. We have so much privilege in our homes back in the states. I spent my free time visiting my doctor friends at the hospital, people watching from the tables of the local restaurant hang-out, and going to happy hour with friends at the fancy resorts. Leaving was difficult but the world is calling me…

After the volunteering, I started to really think about my future. I have now been most places in East Asia. What do I do? Do I revisit some places I have already been? Do I go somewhere new? Mongolia? China? ??????

Well, I found a cheap (330 bucks babeeee) flight to Turkey. So, I guess I am headed to Istanbul. It was an easy decision to make but a hard one to stomach. I will miss SE Asia sooo much (I get that it is still Asia but you know what I mean). This has been my home for almost a year and I am so used to the travel style here and the backpacking route. It feels like I am going a little off the path. Ah well, if I want to, I will buy a flight back here soon!

T