#FearsNoMore #MapThatAdventures
The anxiety arises when the unknown creeps out of nowhere and surprises us. Caught off guard, losing balance, then it’s a choice between falling or to redeem that being. Or falling then comes redemption. The choice is yours to make, more than that, reveling in the moment engender the experience. Ready to take that leap?
Say YES and regret not. And yes to anything that does not counter the non negotiables of this life. Yet, don’t be too insensitive and act with responsibility. Face that fear with caution. Life is short, and it’s bound to be cherished every given instance but this is not a reason to suicide. Though at some point I felt I did. What’s there to do while on the road?The usual, selfies taken in all the interesting areas listed in the lonely planet guide book. Break free.
The Eternal Optimist (Martin) and the eye witness (Ella) after that crazy bike ride to the Killing Fields
So here I am, non swimmer, sports enthusiast and just this ordinary human trying to get some adrenaline rush going. And a little bit more as I wander around the unfamiliar territory.
Bicycles are my friends, thanks to my childhood spent in learning how to ride and enjoy it. Growing up, more and more vicious terrains became the challenge to me and my brothers. Add to it the dogs that would run and chase us. Not in my wildest imagination that I would experience cycling for 25km in the roads of Pnom Penh with trucks, buses, tuktuks and motorbikes everywhere. Imagine being squeezed in the dusty road under the heat of the sun. Not to mention taking the road less traveled and still being discovered. I was about to kill Martin, and Ella was there as my witness. All we had were our courage and smiles that lured the Cambodians to give us the direction back to the city center. There he was smiling like insane, the eternal optimist Dutch! While me and Ella had to wash our feet and legs full of mud and dust. Not to mention, the hunger sinking in as if our body was about to float (which actually prepared me for another cycling adventure in Siem Reap around the temples of Angkor Wat). Or at least fly like how cycling in the dark with a sh*tty road was such a miracle in Vang Vieng. Along with three guys, braving the road from the Blue Lagoon back to the city center, with just the moon as the guide, pedaling in total darkness paired with fear of hmmm unwanted beings slowly appearing, my soul started praying for greatness. Lo and behold, imagine that feeling upon seeing the light post in the bridge just before the left turn back to the city center. Sigh, relieved to survive the ride. More to say, the adventure never stopped. What about making it bigger like taking a bigger bike? More than ten times heavier than the human body? All matic, just a little bit of balance and body strength to hold it. Motorbikes. For sure anyone have taken a plunge to this but not maneuver the ignition and brakes. It has to happen. Transpired, finally with no scratch and damage. With a professional motocross rider as a teacher and three gorgeous roommies as cheerios, with a bit of peer pressure, it was breezy ride in the island of Koh Phangan. Good stuff 🙂
Teacher Adri in KP
Photo by: Noy Lavi
Non-swimmer wanderer trying to paddle and ride the waves of the Philippines and Indo. Oh, taking it to the extreme by going under as deep as 30M (almost 100ft). Plain insane. The first ride was at home, just a few blocks from Gram’s place while watching my cousin Aggie Boy practice his moved to the upcoming surfing festival. I was with a chaperon, yep, was not allowed to go to the beach alone (Gram’s order). Just there to watch my cousin, not to play with him. Unfortunately, that order became null and void. Since that day, it had been a rhythmic, dance with the biggest playground on Earth, the ocean. From Lanuza to Elyu to Baler to Zamba and just recently to Bali. Every paddle and dance became a testament of strength and weakness. The body being constantly challenged and treated with so much passion by Poseidon. The death-defying trips that allowed me to experience momentary weakness due to panic and stupidity, a.k.a drowning story! Who would get drowned with a surfboard attached to the ankle? ME. The ME who forgot to pull the leash to get the board. The same ME who did not try the survival float to get to the shore. But nevertheless, nailed it, otherwise, you won’t be reading this story lol. Though drowning doesn’t just happen to non swimmers (being defensive).
Baler surfing that almost killed that wrist
La Union Surfing trip
Photo by: Janine Jose
From riding the waves to taking the cavernous home of Nemo and Ariel. Okay, I once dreamed of being a mermaid and thought that it could be real. Who didn’t sing the songs Part of this world or Under the Sea? Such a cliche. Thanks to an old friend I met in Cebu who introduced me to scuba diving. He believed that I can do it, even without swimming skills. Tried and enjoyed through the services of My Boracay Guide and its Manager Ms Jennilee Luces who happened to be my BFF and was forced to do it with me. As all scuba divers would agree, the underwater world is far better than the upland. No traffic, pollution and almost everything is real. What the eyes see, the heart and the mind feel.. It’s like being one with the residents of the place. Knowing and respecting these beautiful souls as if having a mutual understanding with each other. Mermaidness to infinity. Finally, after years of evaluating and (re)thinking, the mermaid ME took the shot to be an Open Water Scuba Diver through the knowledge and supervision of Jeroen Elout. After seven-skill-dives, PADI theory videos and long exam discussion with classmate Julian, my license has been approved. Whew! But it didn’t end there. Crazier, it became PADI Advanced Open Water Course, a week after getting the other license. This…unimaginable. Night dive with the plankton, appreciating the bio-luminescence glitter, seeing through the darkness and defying the creepy images formed by the brain cells. Or occasionally getting a doze of “stoned” feeling manifested by underwater coma (or slow reaction) . Or the peacefulness of self through mindful breathing to control buoyancy so as to avoid damage to the coral reefs. And to top it all, the scary dark idea of going deeper than the usual without even noticing it (until the ears tells the brain to go up a bit). Beautiful madness.
Hello Nemo!
Photo by: Jeroen Elout Diving
Is there such thing as fear of gravity? That nauseous feeling up there seeing the image of Earth swallowing a dense body? or seeing the blood and broken bones just below the summit? Yes, the fear of falling. I know what you’re thinking. Yes it’s both. So what do you call a person who tried to take a free fall ride from Lotte World (Seoul, SK), or zip lined in Danao (Bohol, Philippines), or the cable car in Sentosa (Singapore) or jumped off a dive board without life jacket in one of the islands in Palawan and a tree in Vangvieng? Nonsense. It’s a liberating feeling of being human. Tangible and fragile. It did not come easy, more to say, it came with the urgency to do it because, for once, it has to. It’s like the future, you know it will come but the element of surprise keeps it more unfamiliar. And about falling…in love? It’s about the same, face it and let it be.
Puerto Prinsesa, Philippines
Photo by: Ate
Fear made me do the unimaginable. Sometimes its a happy ever after but other times, its worse. However, this is not a reason to stop taking action and making things happen. The mind is limitless, not to mention that faith strengthens what the mind cannot conceive. Realizing that the universe becomes smaller and smaller in every leap and step.
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