Backpacking Landscapes

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Mt Ijen Blue Fire Banyuwanggi sidetrip from Bali

After some trip to Bali and Lombok with high school friends, I am back to my solo exploration of my second home country. One of the sights I have been wanting to go to is the Mt Ijen Blue Fire in Banyuwanggi, and this time, I just can't let it go since I am quite close to it already - an island hop from Bali, and I shall be there. It was a little after lunch when I left Bali en route...

TIEZA Travel Tax Exemption for Scholarship Grantees

Travel tax is one big Sh*t for Filipino travellers especially when you bought your ticket on Sale only to pay it later for travel tax. Today I am flying back to Indonesia, and again, as expected, I had to be on a bout defending my rights for exemption. Among those that are exempted from paying travel tax are scholarship grantees. Unfortunately, nowhere, not even in the TIEZA website, show...

ASIAN Moviefest in Universitas Andalas, Padang, West Sumatra

Part of what I have learned out of my travelling these past 2 years is extracting the value of things to their utmost usage. Not working for 2 years, and going through emptiness in remote places made me quite conservative in my use of resources. This, I can't elaborate further to the understanding of people of the cities living by the concept of capitalism and consumption: the more you...

#SULOngSULU: Supplies for schools in Patikul, Sulu Year 2

More than that war between the rebels and the government in Patikul, Sulu, an even more frustrating battle of not defense but deferral; Over the stinking air and garbage, dirt roads and poor pavements, well water that runs only a certain hours of certain days, traffic of no rules after a random parade of army tanks, over beggars who are on every street and corner, over the telecommunication...

#SULOngSULU: Tandu Bagua Primary School in Patikul, Sulu

Tonight, as I was updating the distribution plan for the #SULOngSULU project this May, I happen to browse pictures of one of the primary schools there in Patikul, Sulu. This school sits next to a road with a jungle around it, that looking at it from a distance, you would just think it is an abandoned structure. But yeah, most of them look like this anyway. I have been to a few schools in Tawi-Tawi...

Bahay at Yaman Orphanage in Bustos Bulacan

Recently I have thought about offering my domain for online presence of those small groups, families, circle of friends, etc who do their share in nation/social building. As someone who is doing outreach through circle of friends too, it is difficult to solicit and pass a message when there is no reference. But with the internet cutting out distance, and materials, I thought offering to host information...

Mara Balayan's Hand Lettering class for #SULOngSULU

At one time as I was backpacking southeast asia, I decided to deactivate my facebook because posting has been so compulsive. While driving around Vietnam, there were times I pulled over my bike just to update my status about the road, the weather, my bike, the dust; All sort of things which later I wonder what it is for, after all. That time, I put my facebook inactive for a week...

While working on the renovation of the Tandu Dagmay PrimarySchool in Patikul, Sulu, I was told Badjaos don’t normally go to school because they are being bullied by the Tausugs. Then, one of the classrooms in that primary school is vacant in the afternoons, and so I asked if we can hold classes especially for the badjaos after mid day. Through some support from friends, we can probably fund a...

SULOngSULU: Chemistry Lab materials for Boloboc National High School in Tawi Tawi

Earlier this year, we have received a request through friend Khen Kaming, a resident of Bongao, Tawi Tawi for the provision of Chemistry Lab materials for Boloboc National high school. I have visited this school more than a year back, and surely, they have a room called Laboratory, but back then, it was but dust inside. After the call on facebook for the lab materials, we have received response...