If my massive desire for travel were a symptom for some serious addiction, then 2012 would have been the year when I have become a complete junkie. Travel junkie, that is. The burning passion to be always on the road, the insatiable craving to go someplace, the irrepressible yearning to take off - they've gone very persistent this year. I had no choice but to cave in. This travel addiction isn't a sickness but at some point, it felt like one. The only cure was to simply travel; there was no other way around it.

But where has this wanderlust taken me? Were those travels worth every penny, time and effort? Did they make me a better person?

In a literal sense, this wanderlust has led me see and experience several destinations, some of which I've already been to before. Eye-opening experiences and life-changing realizations make every centavo, time and energy well-spent (I had no problem with time and energy, it's the money part that was a huge bump). I can't say for sure that these travels have made me a better person but they have let me see things with clarity and view life in a different perspective.

2012 was a year with so many firsts. It was my first time to travel solo, first time to climb a mountain and first time to go back to the same destination within the same year. It's also the year when I met friends who share the same passion as mine (traveling, what else?) both in the real and virtual world. Last year I made a list of my travel experiences, and in keeping with the tradition, I created this travel-round up, which is basically another list of travels I have embarked on for the past 12 months.

One of the things I avoid doing when I go out of town is eating in a fast-food resto. It's a travel sin in my book. But Biggs Diner is an exception. Besides, it's not your usual fast-food restaurant. (Read: not your usual Jollibee, KFC or McDonald's). In fact the only thing that makes Biggs Diner a fast-food resto is its pay-as-you-order system. Everything else - food choices, service, interior design, ambiance - hardly falls under the fast-food category. And the only thing that's mainstream about this famous homegrown diner is it's a must-eat place in Bicol. They say skipping Biggs Diner makes your Bicol experience incomplete. But does it really?

Disclaimer: This is mostly a positive post about CWC so don't be turned off by the seemingly unflattering title.

The thing about having low expectations is that there's less room for frustration. Because there's nothing to meet and almost nothing to lose, you just try and go for it without worrying about finding the whole thing a complete waste of time or money. With such mindset, you're predisposed to see the negative side so you're quite surprised when you experience something delightful.

That's more or less the case with my Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) experience. You see, I wasn't really psyched to try wakeboarding. Not exactly sure why, I guess it just didn't tickle my fancy. Or perhaps it's too mainstream for my taste and me having a tendency to be little anti-populist sometimes kind of saw it rather unappealing. Other than the fact that CWC attracts a lot of tourists and that it features an exciting activity called wakeboarding, I knew so little about this cable park.
More concerned with the possibility of being touted as a buzzkill for skipping wakeboarding, I kept my personal opinion about CWC to myself. My friends' excitement was too palpable I was afraid I'd ruin their mood if I rained on their parade.

We were kind of scrambling on Day 3 of our stay in Caramoan. Trying to catch the 9AM boat trip from Guijalo to Sabang, we had to wake up early. But even though we were running on a tight schedule, we did everything in a slow pace. We took time to pack our things and even breakfast became a sluggish affair. The sluggish breakfast was merely due to the fact that we were actually waiting for prawns to be served. Unfortunately, we were already approaching the shore in Sabang when it arrived (late delivery lang ang peg). After stuffing our stomach with protein (lapu-lapu and dilis), we finally bade goodbye to the compound that served as our home for 3 days.

Outside, the sun seemed to lure us to extend our stay in Caramoan. The weather was simply perfect for another day of island hopping. But we couldn't afford an extended stay. We had to get back to Manila where work was waiting for us, and colleagues were expecting for some provisions. And so we dropped by at a pasalubong store in Centro and bought shirts, key chains and pili candies.

Getting free access to Gota Beach, known for its expensive cabanas and luxurious island-life accommodation, was not by all means accidental. I knew for sure that we'd get in despite it being temporarily off-limits to public and non-guests. (Technically, island hoppers can still drop by at Gota Beach as long as they pay an entrance, which is Php300 per head, and that's just for swimming on its beach.) The owner of the resort we stayed at in Caramoan has connections with big shot resort owners (of Gota Beach and Tugawe among others) so I pretty much surmised that it's just a matter of perfect timing and doing some calls before finding ourselves in one of the most expensive beaches in Caramoan.
True enough, as we were having fun time at Cagbalinad Island, a snorkeling site near Gota, Ivan (our tour guide) shared with us the good news: we're going in Gota Beach, which was just across from we were at that time. As much as we'd want spending a little more time at the island, we needed to jump at the opportunity before the governor, whom they personally called to ask permission, changed his mind. So we scurried back to the boat and cruised our way to the beach, feeling excited.

There are two interesting versions I heard on the legend about the lone milk fish in a hidden lagoon in Matukad Island. The first version was relayed to us several months back during my first trip in Caramoan. I don't remember who told it to us but I suppose it's one of the boys who helped us climb the steep rock formation to see the famous, huge milk fish. In the first version, there was a fisherman who went fishing but didn't catch anything. In an act of desperation, he decided to catch fish the easy way out by taking the milk fish. He brought it home, cooked it, the whole family ate the fish and they all died - apparently from poisoning.

It's past 2 in the afternoon when we left Manlawi Sandbar and headed to our third and last stop for the day: Sabitang-Laya. The gentle rays of the afternoon sun and the cool sea breeze made up for a perfect sleeping pill which left some of my companions temporarily conked out. As I couldn't find a good spot in the boat to take a nap, I amused myself instead by gazing at the moon over a clear sky in the horizon. I wasn't being romantic or anything, I just found it a good distraction to while the time away. The moon seemed to be enjoying the attention it was getting from me that it decided to stick with us for a little while.
So it's not surprising when I found it hovering above the massive limestone cliffs as our boat finally moored at the shallow part of the shore in Sabitang-Laya. I think the connection I had with the moon affected my mood throughout our stay on the island. I didn't go crazy or anything (thank goodness), just a little weird. A little weirder than usual.

 If there's one thing that might dissuade people from going to Cotivas Island, it's its distance (from Paniman). You see, it's pretty far from the jump-off point and going there can take at least an hour. For an island hopping tour, that's quite a hassle. But I'm telling you that it'll all be worth it. Cotivas Island is a piece of paradise.

The fact that I believe in premonitions, bad omens and lucky stuff makes me a little superstitious. It's a bad habit, I know, but I just can't help it sometimes. I can't count the times I canceled or backed out from a trip just because something didn't feel right. An irrational fear that's holding me back doesn't sound logical especially to my travel buddies who are expecting my attendance. Oddly enough, most of my hunches were just simply a hunch. And I always end up feeling regretful while looking at the photos of the excursion/out-of-town getaway which I should have been part of.

Upon getting the total headcount of the people who were sure to go to Caramoan, I slightly panicked and thought about making an alibi to excuse myself from pushing through with the trip. We were 13! In my book, that's a red flag. It didn't feel like a coincidence, not to me anyway. But I had to shake off the feeling of doubt and apprehension, it's childish and counterproductive. After all, I was tasked to do the travel logistics which included doing the itinerary, making bus reservations and looking for an accommodation. If I'd weasel my way out, I'm sure my friends would have a hard time forgiving me.