And I got sucked in.
In 2012, we were armed with all sorts of excuses: Extended honeymoon stage. A break from the mundane. Discounted airfares for tots. “Still saving up for a house (and/or still haven’t decided where to buy)“. Backpacking while young. Living in the now… The list went on and echoed through the beginning of 2013. 2012, no doubt was a wild child.
2013 on the other hand started out quite prim, then morphed into some bad arse that broke out of its cage named ‘settling down’. The call of elsewhere was much too strong and we ran free. Directionless, that we eventually found ourselves in a black hole that is long termish travel (again).
I could make up a bunch of reasons why we’re postponing domesticity. But for today I’ll use portraits and landscapes to back me up.
Eriyadu Island Resort, North Male Atoll, Maldives.1.
Australia
Clockwise from top left: 1. Bro-in-law’s beautiful wedding in Curzon Hall, a sandstone manor built in the 1890s. 2. Bondi Beach, finally, after so many New South Wales visits. 3. Luna’s third birthday at ze Persian in-laws’ house. 4.
Selfeet with my Bensimon sneakers, Sydney Harbour Bridge.
2. Philippines
Clockwise from top left: 1. Thunderbird Poro Point, San Fernando, La Union for the hubby’s birthday. 2. T’nalak Festival, South Cotabato. 3. Tattooed by one of the (there’s a protégé) last mambabatoks in Kalinga. 4. Hapao Rice Terraces trek, Ifugao.
3. Myanmar
Clockwise from top left: 1. Consulting a map at Yangon International Airport (photo by Ron of fliptravels.com). 2. Luna vs. angry birds. Yangon city center walking tour (photo by Ron). 3. Sunrise at Old Bagan. 4. Bare feet and templed-out (photo also by Ron).
4. Singapore
Clockwise from top left: 1. We love Hotel Re! Nope, not a sponsored post. 2. Catching up with sis. 3. Supertrees Grove. 4. Marina Bay Sands.
5. Laos
Clockwise from top left: 1. Wat Si Saket, Vientiane. 2. Vang Vieng. Party central no more. 3. B-52 bomb crater in Xiangkhouang Province. 4. The mysterious Plain of Jars, also in Xiangkhouang Province.6.
Turkey
Clockwise from top left: 1. Blue Mosque, Istanbul. 2. Goreme Open Air Museum, Cappadocia. 3. Oldest temple in the world, Gobekli Tepe (older than the wheel, they say). 4. Pamukkale or “Cotton Castle”. Calcite-covered mountain in Denizli Province.
7. Armenia
Clockwise from top left: 1. One of our afternoon walks around Armenia’s capital, Yerevan. 2. Khor Virap, an Armenian Apostolic Church monastery in Ararat valley. 3. UNESCO World Heritage Site Monastery of Geghard, partially carved out of a mountain. 4. The Armenian Genocide Museum.
8. Georgia (Yes, it’s a country!)
Clockwise from top left: 1. Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Georgian Orthodox cathedral, Mtskheta. 2. Crossing the border by foot to Azerbaijan for Davit Gareji Monastery. 3. Ancient rock-hewn town Uplistsikhe, Eastern Georgia. 4. Former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin’s house in Gori.
9. Nepal
Clockwise from top left 1. Climbing Fasidega Temple, Bhaktapur Durbar Square. 2. Luna sits in a kindergarten class/day care center for two days. 3. View of Himalayan peaks from our room’s balcony in Nagarkot. 4. UNESCO World Heritage Site Boudhanath, Kathmandu.
10. Malaysia
Clockwise from top left 1. Hotel Puri, a Peranakan ancestral home housed in a gorgeous structure built in the 1800s. 2. Nyonya Laksa. 3. Christ Church, 18th century Anglican church. One of Melaka’s well-known landmarks. 4. Walking tour around UNESCO World Heritage Site Melaka.
12. Maldives
Clockwise from top left 1. Artificial Hulhumale Island. 2. A Maldivian ‘bench’. 3. Eriyadu Island Resort. 4. Chili patties. Or something like that. If your black hole is this bewitching, will you try to crawl out of it?
This year-ender post is my entry to the Pinoy Travel Bloggers’ Blog Carnival for December 2013 with the theme “The Pinoy Travel Bloggers Closing the Curtains on 2013: Love, Learn and Living”, hosted by Brenna Bustamante of The Philippine Travelogue.
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What an awesome year!
Once again, amazing destinations covered by the Pinay Travel Junkie! Next time I see you baka pwede nang magpa autograph? LOL. Kidding aside, I wish you (and your awesome family) another amazeballs travel rundown next year! 🙂
love this! such a cool family. I don’t think I ever really want domesticity. Alternative/untraditional lifestyles please!
Turkey, Myanmar, Laos and Maldives are already calling us. Whew! It was a fantastic year for you and the fam. Hope to see you on the road! and Happy New Year!
Dreaming of Turkey. Whoa, what a year! Here’s to more awesome travels next year 😉 Hope to see you soon.. <3
Oh I hope to see you also soon 🙂
Maldives would be the perfect romantic getaway destination for you two. Hihi.
Alternative FTW!
LOL. Nahiya naman ako sa autograph :p Happy New Year and Happy trails!
Inspiring! You’re so blessed! Cheers to more incredible journeys & happier memories to cherish!
Wish to meet you & the other fellows too (I was about to take my feet to that PTB meet up last Sunday -lapit ko lang kaya sa Cubao, well, a few MRT stations away, but still stuck in something not holiday-ish), perhaps soon!
Happy 2014! 🙂
Just. Too. Cool. Gay! I always love reading about your adventures. Very, very inspiring! Makes me work harder so I can visit more countries. So curious what 2014 will bring your family. But whatever you guys end up doing–whether it’s settling down or more traveling–I’m sure it will still be pretty awesome. Happy New Year, Travel Junkie 🙂
That is one big, beautiful black hole hehe.
More adventures in that black hole this 2014! 😉
AWESOME YEAR!!! Gawin ulit natin to this year!
Naiiyak parin ako sa cancelled Maldives hahaha
~ROn
Hahahaha! Ipush yang Maldives na yan this 2014!
I believe all us travel junkies have our respective beautiful black holes.
Haha!
Happy New Year, Marj! Hope to see yah again 🙂
Yes please, Mai! Let’s meet up!
Sayang, doc! Next time na get together sana you could join us. Happy 2014!
Hi Gay! If your 2013 looked like this, who knows how more awesome 2014 will be? 🙂 I hope to meet (or bump into) you and Luna soon! 🙂
Hi Gay, your
list is like a bucket for a life time :D…I’m always a follower of your
travels and Luna. I wish to meet you soon hehe nung 29 sana yun kaso anunahan
ng hiya. Anyways good luck po to whatever path you take sa 2014 and beyond!
Hi Christeen! Aww, you shoulda joined! You just gotta get past that first time 🙂 Sana this 2014 we could meet na.
Hope so toooo, Natz!
Lovely Luna is now stealing the show 🙂 Happy new year Gay and cheers for a prosperous 2014. 🙂
What an amazing year. Your trips last year are like a lifetime’s worth of trips. Luna is one lucky kid!
Gosh! So adorable ni Luna!!! Looks like you guys had an awesome 2013! I too will postpone settling in just to go to those beautiful countries. Always a fan. 🙂
Bondi, the Tat and Myanmar! Drool! Haba ng list, may hyperactivity disorder nga. See you somewhere sometime, Gaye…and Luna.
Cheers!
ayoko naman ng solo maldives. ang sad
Do you only have one post on Georgia? Want to find out whats the internet connection like over there? Loosely planning to stay there for a year.
Hey dear, yes isang post pa lang 🙁 Reliable naman internet.
Hahaha! I’m happy being backstage. Happy New Year, Oman!
Haha! Apir sa lahat ng may disorder!
Big yes to postponing settling down! Haha! Cheers to more adventures!
What an amazing year for you too, Kara/girl crush 🙂 Hope to do a trip with you this year.
Fantastic year! 🙂
Ikaw ay isang inspirasyon, Gay! haha
One of your best trips was Maldives! But I enjoyed reading all of your 2013 adventures. May you have more inspiring travel stories to share this year… Happy 2014!
Wow! Dami mong napuntahan… ano plano for 2014?
It is! Especially cause of the, yah know, glitch. Hahaha!
No concrete plans yet. We’re looking into visiting South America again but still saving up. Hehe. And you?