When did it all start?

The first time I rode a ferry to Cebu when I was in third grade, I had this dream of visiting other places in the Philippines one day. It partly came true when I was in sixth grade. I had a chance to visit Metro Manila to represent Eastern Visayas in a competition. I did not win, but the experience of meeting other kids from all regions in the country made me want to explore my country more. Several years later, I went to the University of the Philippines Los Baños to study Biology where I used to visit Mount Makiling Botanical Gardens. The Philippine Raptors was still there. I was able to see a few of the critically endangered Philippine monkey-eating eagle. We visited them with my Ornithology professor and classmates. My Mammalogy class was also held not far from the Botanical Gardens. During my undergraduate years, I used to visit Metro Manila, especially the south when my grandma was still there. I went to Subic several times to visit Ocean Adventure before its opening as well as to study bats and observe birds in its forest. I had fun in Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro for a Zoology trip, Matabungkay in Batangas to observe a seagrass ecosystem, the islands of Calauit and Busuanga in Palawan for my Wildlife Biology Field Practicum, Angono in Rizal for an Ecology project, Metro Manila zoos for our Wildlife class assessment, Pagbilao in Quezon for its mangrove forest, the National Museum in Manila for a History class trip, and the Museum of Natural History in Los Baños. Meanwhile, my Humanities class in senior year brought me to several places in Laguna and Quezon including the Japanese Garden near Lake Caliraya, the artistic stronghold of Paete, a unique community in Mount Banahaw, and the Villa Escudero Museum in Tiaong. During breaks, there were times I rode buses from Cubao or Pasay to Tacloban for more than 20 hours. Return trips were only up to Turbina in Calamba, Laguna from Hinunangan. It means traveling from the National Capital Region to Southern Luzon then to Bicol before reaching the islands of Samar and Leyte and back. It was easier and faster to fly but riding a bus then a ferry in Sorsogon was like having a tour. I was in awe the first time I saw the beautiful Mount Mayon in Legazpi from my bus window. Before returning home after graduation, I took a trip north to Baguio and visited the strawberry farm in La Trinidad, Benguet. Several years later I went back to Laguna with my parents and younger brother for my postgraduate diploma graduation. We then took a family trip to visit my cousins in Central Luzon. From Pampanga, we visited the WWII Memorial Shrine in Mount Samat, Bataan. Two years later, I went home for three days to attend a wedding in Boracay. It took me several years to explore the Philippines again after that. The Batanes trip finally pushed through after a few years of planning. What made this trip to the northernmost part of the country extra special was having my own family with me. Later we also explored Bohol and my own hometown. I may not be able to visit all 81 provinces but at least I visited those I can. It was worth it. The Philippines is so diverse. It is beautiful in its own way.