Tag Archives: philippines

trouble at puka beach, boracay

anecdotes

After the awesomeness that was the Boracay Open, we hung around on the island for a few days of relaxing (from our super-stressful life of ultimate, adventure, and travel) with some of our favorite ultimate players and backpackers. One day, we headed to Puka Beach which claims to be one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in Asia. That’s like me claiming to be one of the 10 funniest, most awesomest Lisa’s in existence, but maybe there’s some truth to their claim. It is really pretty:

Puka Beach, Boracay, Philippines

Puka Beach, Boracay, Philippines

Unfortunately, after a few hours of relaxation on the beach, we had two of our most negative tourist experiences of our trip.

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favorite drinks

trip reports, , , , ,

I love sweet drinks and, fortunately, Lisa is usually quite excited about them as well. It has become something of a routine for us to find our favorite drinks in each country and then partake in them endlessly. In the states, I usually accomplished this with unlimited coca cola during at least one meal a day. When I travel, it is rare for me to buy soda as I prefer it from a fountain, loaded with ice and free-refills, something you just don’t find often outside of North America.

Here is a recap of some of the better drinks I’ve run across. Unfortunately, I don’t have photos of all of them, as I was usually too excited to just start drinking.

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boracay open 2014 (and the importance of ultimate)

existential ramblings, ultimate

We weren’t supposed to make it to Boracay; we’d already been to the Philippines in November and didn’t want to loop back when there’s so much else to see, and the cost of getting to and playing in the tournament on a touristy island was way out of our budget. But we did it anyway, and it was one of the greatest times of my entire life. #sorryimnotsorry

puka beach, boracay, philippines

ultimate friends jumping on puka beach, boracay, philippines

Sadly, not all events are fit for public consumption and online perpetuity, so this is a PG-13 version of our week in Boracay.

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lessons in hospitality

people, trip reports, ultimate, , , ,

A huge part of why our journey thus far has been so amazing is the kindness and hospitality that we’ve been shown by others. Whether it be by chance, old friendships, ultimate, or couchsurfing, our trip has been blessed by other people who have been our travel angels.

Perhaps the greatest traveling lesson I’ve learned thus far is how helpful it is to explore a new place with a local. They can help you avoid getting ripped off, find all the best food spots, and give recommendations on all sorts of things from how to get around, sights to see or avoid, and what the craziest local dish to try is. They’re also useful for learning about a place’s culture and understanding what life is like for them. And, greatest of all, having a friend in a new place makes traveling so much better.

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two months in!

existential ramblings, trip reports, , ,

Matt and I have made it two months on the road! It feels both like an eternity and the blink of an eye since we were back in Denver. Our trip hasn’t turned out as I had anticipated, but all in positive ways. I didn’t have any specific expectations for this adventure, just some vague goals about self-growth. I thought we’d see some cool stuff, eat some good food, and meet a few people. In all those ways and more, these last 60 days have far exceeded what I had thought possible. We’ve had so many amazing and incredible experiences that it doesn’t seem possible that we have only been at this for two months.

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the people you don’t want to meet

anecdotes, people, trip reports, , ,

My favorite part of this trip so far is all the awesome people we have met. The locals who have shown us around have been incredibly hospitable and helpful, and the other travelers have been fascinating and adventurous people who quickly become friends.

best_friends

Sometimes, though, we run into people we aren’t so excited about. Enter: snarky Lisa.

obvi

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nomnomnomnom

trip reports, ,

I love eating. It’s one of my favorite activities, which is convenient since I’m almost always hungry. I’m known for consuming obnoxious amounts of food and then being hungry shortly after. I’m also known for being hangry, but perhaps that’s a post for another time. Or not.

For something that I spend an inordinate time doing, I have a very poor vocabulary around eating and food. I also don’t have a very discerning palate and rarely know what is in a dish, only whether or not it was delicious. In spite of all this, KK asked for a post on food, so here we go…

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anecdotes, episode 1

anecdotes

There are so many little things that happen each day that I don’t want to forget. Anecdotes are a collection of these mini-stories or adventures. Also known as “filler material” for when I don’t have anything else to blog about.

the nalgene chase (this one’s for Nate) 

I brought one of my favorite nalgenes on this trip. It is covered in stickers from home: Get Hazed from Boulder Beer, a USA Ultimate sticker, a sticker from The Spot, and, most importantly, a sticker in the shape and colors of the “C” from the Colorado state flag. Nate brought this sticker to me at one of our going away parties so that I would always have something to represent where I’m from. This came in very handy as I have already traded away my Molly blue which is my favorite Colorado-themed item.

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I snorkeled!

trip reports, ,

I know what you’re thinking: “Whoop-de-friggin-doo, Lisa. Is this now a blog for all the mundane things that normal people do every day?”

For most people, snorkeling is not a big deal. For me, it’s a huge deal because I can’t swim. It’s an embarrassing character flaw that I occasionally bring up when I’m concerned that new acquaintances are too enamored of me.

Acquaintance: Wow, Lisa! You are really awesome! Can we be friends?
Me: Yes, but… I should tell you… I can’t swim.
Acquaintance: Oh. Nevermind on that friendship thing.

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