1. COUNTRY OF BIRTH

 

Philippines (hi sir! Hello ma’am!)

 

2. GREW UP IN

 

Chicago <3

 

3. STUDIED IN

 

San Diego State University in San Diego, California and studied abroad in Amiens, France (I bet you just asked yourself where that is…)

 

4. NUMBER OF COUNTRIES VISITED

 

52 countries across 6 continents. Antarctica, I’m coming for you!

 

5. LANGUAGES SPOKEN

 

English (questionable). French (fluent in faking conversation in cafés if I see someone REALLY attractive). Spanish (been really good at asking the direction for the bathroom), and Tagalog (more like English with random Tagalog words thrown in there).

Language wish list: Brazilian Portuguese (so sexy), Japanese, and as of yesterday…German (random).

 

6. AGE AND FIRST INTERNATIONAL TRIP

 

Hong Kong at age 7 with my mom!

 

 

7. FAVORITE AIRLINE

 

Majority of Asian and Middle East carriers, primarily Cathay Pacific, JAL, Thai Airways, ANA, EVA, Qatar (have yet to fly Singapore and Emirates… WHAT?!)

 

8. GO-TO IN-FLIGHT APPAREL

 

Basic t’s + joggers + slip on athletics, eyeglasses for long haul flights (contacts during a flight are so uncomfortable!)

 

9.GADGETS I CAN’T TRAVEL WITHOUT

 

iPhone obviously, bluetooth speakers and headphones, and jump rope!!

 

10. FAVORITE COUNTRY

 

I’m sure it can and will probably change sometime in the future, but no trip gets me more excited than going to Japan.

I absolutely love the cuisine, people, the sights, the multifaceted culture between old traditions and contemporary modern – all of it has such an impression on me. I can’t wait to go back!

 

 

11. FAVORITE CITIES

 

I have a few:

Paris – It sounds cliché, but I feed off the vibe, energy, and flow of Paris. I’ve developed quite a relationship with this city and almost feels like a second home to me with the amount of time I’ve spent in Paris. The city I studied in was only about an hour away from Paris and I used to travel quite often here for work.

Istanbul – I only spent four days here, but I wish I spent an entire year. The cuisine, the sights and architecture, the energy, all of it left an impression.

Sevilla – I can’t think of a European city as chill as Sevilla. This is a city I can see myself living in … perhaps the ridiculous cheap tapas may have something to do with it.

Kyoto – I’m slightly more obsessed with old Japanese traditions, and Kyoto has it all.

Guatapé – Random and did not expect this tiny colorful town in Colombia would steal my heart! I miss it already!

Sydney – Reminds me so much of San Diego where I spent my University years. I can definitely see myself living here!

 

12. FAVORITE CUISINE

 

Japanese, Filipino, French, Thai, Persian, Korean, and Ethiopian. YAAASSS

 

13. HOTEL, HOSTEL, OR AIRBNB

 

I’m all three.

Hotels – I use to travel quite often for work and would stay in hotels. And as a travel blogger, I collaborate from time to time with hotels who are gracious enough to accommodate me.

Hostels – No better way to meet other travelers on the road (besides certain apps, ahem…) and sharing a room with complete strangers (am I too old for this…?) than staying in a hostel!

AirBnb – I like the feeling of being in a foreign city and having the impression that I’m one of the locals.

 

 

 

14. MOST MEMORABLE TRAVEL EXPERIENCES

 

Some that pop in my head….

– Having my backpack stolen at Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro. My phone with all my Rio pics was in that bag (and no, it didn’t save on iCloud). I’m still pissed about it!

–  Being denied boarding in Cairo Airport back to Paris because of Visa restrictions (what do you mean I can’t board…?!?!)

– Falling off a scooter in Cebu. I could have actually easily fallen off a cliff so I’ll take this fall and nasty road rash (I’m looking at the wounds right now and it’s so gross…) over being six feet under.

– Hooking up with an international news anchor in Kyoto (bet u wanna know who it is) and seeing that anchor all over the airport tv screens the next day…

– Almost drowning in a private beach in Bali (I’m a grown man who can’t swim)

–  Thinking that the Berber were going to kidnap us in the Moroccan dessert during our camel trek.

– Amsterdam as a first timer. Enough said.

– Boarding a 14-hour flight from Manila to Frankfurt at age 9 – I remember it as if it were yesterday.

– Missing the last train back to Amiens from Paris and ended up sleeping on the grpunds of Trocadero. We woke up bright early to the sight of the Eiffel tower in front of us.

– Seeing an actual Geisha for the first time.

– Having a panic attack while climbing down inside the pyramids in Giza. It was a VERY narrow pathway on a 45-degree angle with temps 30+ Celsius/ 100+ Fahrenheit.

– Being on the same Cathay Pacific flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong with Venus and Serena Williams (!!!)

– Missed luggages in way too many flights

–  Missed flights because I was late or didn’t wake up early enough. More recent ones: Paris – Vienna, Hong Kong to Chicago, San Francisco – Chicago, Osaka to Shanghai.

– Losing my wallet in Paris with 350 euros cash inside and getting a call from the metro station saying they have my wallet. No credit card nor any cash were taken.

– The question I ask til this day is how the metro station knew where I was staying (I didn’t have the business card of the hostel in the wallet or any contact whatsoever!)

 

15. WTF MOMENT

 

Switching airlines from Royal Air Maroc to Atlas Air for a flight from Paris to Tangier. I got an email from Royal Air Maroc notifying of the switch. I checked if they have any affiliation, and they don’t.  So…??

 

16.BUCKET LIST

 

– Seeing the northern lights

– The cherry blossoms in Japan

– Riding the Trans-Siberian train from Moscow all the way to Beijing

– Cappadocia

– Learning how to swim (lol)

 

17. FUTURE TRAVEL PLANS

 

India, Eastern Europe, bit of Africa, and more of South America.