Jailbreaking Danielle Alamares as
a Traveler
a Traveler
A ship is safe in the harbor, but that's not what ships are built for. - Gael Attal
Just like young birds, our life starts in our hometowns - a safe, familiar, comfortable place which becomes our entire world for quite a while. As safe as it is for us to stay where we were born, it is also a must to go out there and explore what the whole world has to offer.
Join me as I jailbreak the traveler in a good friend of mine, Danielle Alamares.
1. What started your interest in
traveling? What was your very first travel experience?
Hmmm... it all started when I traveled in Hong Kong (my first
one) with my family in 2008 which is also our first trip outside the country. It wasn't a good
experience coz it was arranged thru a travel agency so there's limited time and places to go to. It made me want to return and explore the place more. From then on, I make sure that when I travel, I plan it on my own to
see and try the best of the best.
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2. Name the places you have been to. Name your top three. Which place do you
see yourself going back to every now and then? Why?
I'm living now in Qatar. I've been to United Arab Emirates
(Dubai & Abu Dhabi), Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia (Kota Kinabalu
and Kuala Lumpur), Indonesia (Bali), Sri Lanka (Colombo, Yala, Unawatuna, Gale,
Mirissa, Hikkaduwa), Philippines (Legazpi, Camarines Sur, Bohol, Cebu, upcoming
trip to Puerto Princesa and El Nido in Palawan)
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| Udawalawe, Sri Lanka |
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| Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia |
My top three,so far, are Bali (Indonesia), Macau and Bohol (Philippines).
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| Bali, Indonesia |
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| Cirque du Soleil, Macau |
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| Bohol, PH |
The place that I see myself going back to the most (and will ensure to stay
for weeks!) is Bali, Indonesia. This place relaxes me. During my stay, all
the worries, problems, stress are gone in a snap! There's just really something
about this place. Bali is also a really cheap place to go to.
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| Bali, Indonesia |
3. From whom do you get advice on traveling? Name 5 tips you always remind
yourself of when traveling?
No one. I usually get tips on places from blogs, websites.. I
just do my own research and learn from there. :)
Tips? Always pack light, leave some space for your souvenirs
& great finds. ;-) Never forget your photo and video essentials, they're a
top priority. Make sure to visit a church in the area, I make it a point that I
give thanks to Him for my blessing of travel. Food is a MUST, I make sure that
at least I try one of the place's delicacy or recommended food. Lastly, just
savor and enjoy each moment.
4. One of my ultimate dreams in life, and maybe a part of my bucket list, is to
travel alone. Do you wish the same?
Yep, I dream of that too! I wanna travel around Europe or go to
Maldives by myself. :)
5. Part of the excitement of traveling is trying new experiences and new food. What was the bravest adventure you've done and the weirdest food you have tried. Which food makes it to the top favorite?
Oh my! For those who know me, I'm afraid of heights! My bravest
adventure was in Singapore, I did reverse bungy jumping. It scared the hell out
of me!! I was really really scared and almost cried before doing it but my
cousin really pushed hard that I try it. If not for him, I
wouldn't have had the courage to do it. It was really fulfilling in the end. I was able to conquer my fear. All thanks to him! :-)
Hmmm...Duck maybe? Haha! I haven't tried anything really weird yet. You know how I love and appreciate food. To name a few of my faves, Casa Verde's Brian Ribs and the Pink Panther (Cebu) and KFC's egg tarts (Hongkong).
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| Ped Palo (Duck) |
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| Sting Ray |
6. What was your worst mishap while traveling?
None so far. I just hate delays, I'm always on
the go. Every minute for me counts.
7. Like you, most travelers are also into photography. Which came first to
you? What is your favorite travel photo?
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| Bohol, PH Danielle's favorite travel photo. |
I guess both. It was during my first travel that photography
came to me, I was only using a digital camera then (a Canon Ixus 75). I fell in
love capturing the sceneries, the moments.
8. Traveling can be expensive sometimes, what traveling items have you
invested in to make your experience more worth it?
A Canon DSLR with a good set of lens and a GoPro Hero camera for
my underwater and adventure photos/videos. A good, light travel luggage (I use
Delsey) or a sturdy light backpack (preferably Northface) too.
9. There are places that I dream of going to like Brazil, China and a lot more.
Mind sharing your list?
I dream of going to:
1. Rio de Janeiro, Maldives, Seychelles, Cancun, Goa, Thailand
(Phuket, Pattaya & Phi Phi Islands) -- I just love beaches!
2. Spain, France, Netherlands... all over Europe. It's all about
their food and the landmarks.
3. South Africa for the real safari adventure!
4. Las Vegas. It's not the casinos I'm after but the shows
(Cirque du Soleil, concerts, etc.).
5. Japan for ramen! haha! I really dream of that. :-) And see
their Cherry blossom festival too!
6. Chiang Mai, Thailand for the Yi Peng festival (Sky lantern
festival). I just have this fascination for sky lanterns. :-)
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| CWC Camarines Sur, PH |
And so much more! My list will just go on and on and on ...
10. Backpacking, to me, is one thing every traveler should try to complete
the experience. I have traveled with you and I noticed that you are more of a
flashpacker than a backpacker. Flashpacking is backpacking with a budget and a lot of preparation. Have you ever tried backpacking? If yes, how was the experience?
If not, do you plan on doing so?
It's actually the first time I've heard of flashpacking. :-P I
haven't tried backpacking yet, not sure if I will, coz like you said, I travel
with preparation. Preparation in terms of the places to go to, the must-tries,
etc. I just got to have my "list" with me before I travel. :-)
11. What has traveling taught you?
A lot! Travel has taught me to embrace life. We only live once, right? To be honest, I don't have savings. Whenever I have extra money, I make it a point that I travel because we never know when our time is up. It's a life lesson that I learned from someone. That's why am giving a part of my life to explore the world, to see God's beautiful creations, to appreciate every little thing there is... the places, the people, the culture, the food...everything. It has taught me to live life and am grateful that I'm so blessed to experience that.
_ End of Interview_
Traveling is
more than just booking a flight, grabbing that backpack and all the travel items that go with it. It is tastier than trying new food and braver than jumping off the cliff.
I believe traveling is a journey for the soul.
It is a phenomenal opportunity to walk, fly, run and swim the world we live in. It lets us discover God's awesomeness in each person we meet and in each place we go to. It generously allows us to rediscover ourselves during the process. It sends us back home with a
grateful heart and desire to do it again. It leaves us in awe making us grateful for life and the air we breathe. It humbles us to see the dominion of God's grace over all the earth and beyond and how they all work together in harmony.
And above all, just like what it continuously does to Danielle, it shows us how little we are yet equally reminds us of how precious we really are.
And above all, just like what it continuously does to Danielle, it shows us how little we are yet equally reminds us of how precious we really are.
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