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Friday, May 17, 2013

el encuentro: paul y flip

it has been a while when i last had this feature and just in time to return as here's a head to head encuentro to two great travel bloggers who explores beyond the usual travel spots. both has an interesting weekly special post. paul has his "why travel tuesday" while flip has his "photo thursday". i haven't met both of them but their blog reveals the Filipino's heart for adventure and finding new great places.

                                                    "el encuentro" 
paul xymon garcia                              blogger                                              flip nomad
walkflypinoy                                          blog                                                  flipnomad

beijing, china                                 farthest north                                   beijing, china 
singapore                                       farthest south                                  bali, indonesia       
bukidnon, philippines                     farthest east                                   tennessee, usa
india-pakistan border                     farthest west                                       paris, france

mui ne to hoi an, vietnam             longest road trip       beijing, china to hanoi vietnam
paracale to calaguas, camnorte     longest boat trip                             manila to caticlan
kuala lumpur to delhi                    longest plane trip                                  manila to usa
varanasi to delhi, india                 longest train trip                          udaipur to chennai

annapurna base camp, nepal            highest point                                           khardung la
el nido, palawan                              deepest swim                       kayangan lake, palawan
annapurna sanctuary trek, nepal      longest trek                            mt banahaw traverse
annapurna sanctuary trek, nepal      hardest trek                                          klbber to ki

umbrella, lost 4 so far                   item/s lost in a trip          belt, money, credit card, atm
tibetan prayer flags                      item given on a trip traded a watch for a metal bracelet
tiny silk worms and crickets         worst food eaten        crocodile, snake and grasshopper  


travel feature questions:
dong ho: An unexpected travel experience where you thought would be a bad day but turned out to be a great experience.
paul: We waited for our train to Jaisalmer in the New Delhi Railway Station by queuing to buy all our other train tickets in India that we would need. Twenty minutes before the train departs, train station porters informed us that trains to Jaisalmer leaves not from New Delhi Railway Station, but rather from Old Delhi Railway Station, a few kilometers away.
We had 15 minutes to get there and it was evening rush hour in the fourth most populous city in the world. Our Indian host drove us as far as a few blocks outside Old Delhi Station. We strapped on our bags and ran through Delhi's chaos only to find the train has already left and we were 15 minutes behind it.
Contingency plans made and we headed up to Dharamsala, the Tibetan enclave in the Indian Himalayas where his holiness the 14th Dalai Lama fled 50 or so years ago to escape Mao's persecution. We discovered that his holiness, who for the better part of the year travels the world keeping a candle burning for the Tibetan cause, was actually in town and he was giving a lecture open to the public.
It was his holiness after all who said in his writings, “Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck." He is right.
flip: An unexpected travel experience where you thought would be a bad day but turned out to be a great experience. My trip to Nubra Valley, I was so grumpy because I got dizzy and sick sitting at the back of the car but it was one of the most amazing places I've ever been to.

dong ho: Why people should go beyond the usual path/route/trails?
paul: It is because the real magic of travel happens not in the places you mapped out in your itinerary. What leaves a lasting impression on you are those you discover along the way. It all has to do with the limitless possibilities being on the road offers. Knowing that tomorrow is going to be a lot different from today should be reason enough. It is for me.
flip: A lot of off the beaten path destinations are cleaner, cheaper, less touristy but at the same time less convenient because of the lack of facility that caters to visitors. It's both challenging and rewarding to go to an unpopular destination, but it's always worth it.

                                                        
note: 
1. farthest places reached are referenced from Manila (with Manila to Europe as West and Manila to Guam as East).
2. records here are subject to update. as we know travelers break their records from time to time. records here are updated as of this posting

previously featured:
lois yasay and monette fernandez
jerome baluyot and marky ramone

8 comments:

Manong Unyol said...

sir maiba lang ako ng tanong si flipnomad ba may nakakakilala sa kanya na personal sa mga travel bloggers? saka yung mga pict niya kc d kita ang mukha...

escape said...

Manong Unyol, yes. some travel bloggers already met Flip.

flipnomad said...

Thanks for the feature Sir Dom

@Paul: I bookmarked your posts about Annapurna, I hope someday I can do it too.

Photo Cache said...

hardcore backpackers tong mga to no Dom?

paul | walkflypinoy said...

I really appreciate this feature, Dong! Glad to be part of the series.

Yo, Flipnomad, no problem! Hope the guide is useful!

Glen | Escape Manila said...

cool! nice one Dom. I agree with the off the beaten path. It's really more challenging and rewarding :) Good job Flip and Paul!

escape said...

>Flipnomad, my pleasure to feature you. i also included annapurna in my bucket list and of course kibber.

>Photocache, yes. among the most inspiring and consistent.

>Paul, is actually my pleasure to have you featured in el encuentro.

Glen, agree on that too. magaling din talaga si Paul and Flip maghanap ng mga ganung lugar.

Oman said...

Flipnomad has been one of my favorite travel blogger, now I am adding another great one on my list :)

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