Who I Met in Binondo

I remember years ago when Yahoo chat rooms was still widely used to search for folks with common interest. And people in these ‘chat rooms’ used to organize themselves and meet up to satisfy their interest. In today’s era where everybody has a Facebook account, everybody can reach his or her long lost friends to be reunited again. Some has twitter account to grasp some publicly divulge information of their friend or favorite celebrity. People with burning desire or passion to express their mind or to share their experiences and adventures does blogging and makes it his personal journal available to the public. Some makes this as their living too. And I do have one but not for a living.

Facebook, Twitter and Blogs makes our world so small that information is easily wired via wireless fidelity provided by for on almost any establishment including our homes. And this so called Social Network makes it easy for us to find friends with the same interest and passion that we have.

PTB meets Mr. Ube

Being with people with the same fondness as you is a happy moment. And it was a happy moment for us. I met some Travel Bloggers in Binondo to hang out and hear their stories and to say mine too. Why in Binondo? Why do you ask why? Joke… We just showed our gluttonous character and eat and eat until we said we were full. We labeled this as our version of #BinondoFoodTrip

Before we dealt so much on details about that food trip let me just introduce you to my new friends from PTB or Pinoy Travel Bloggers.

Note: All characterizations were based on my impressions during the time that I met these people. Ergo, let us consider everything being constant for now. Haha… (Eco Lang ang peg? Lol) Pardon me if it seems that I am giving a Testimonial/Comment ala Friendster style. Yuck… Nyahaha… Let me start in order of appearance in short the earliest who arrived down to the last person who arrived (may pangaasar pa!). Ok… Drum roll please… Here they are!

Angel Caronongan

Gelai is a sweet girl. Really she is. She was the one I first met because we were texting on our way to Carriedo station in Sta. Cruz, Manila. She is very soft spoken with a lot of words in her heart. In twitter where the meet up started, Gelai and I were actively twitting each other about our daily activity. That is why I knew that we will get along easily. And we did. In fact before we met, I already have a feeling that we were friends from the past (dejavu?). Gelai was the first to depart because of work but we made sure that we will meet again for an action packed adventure. For once Gelai will introduce me to climbing that will happen a week after we met and by that I will never forget her. Blog: www.gelaikuting.com Twitter: @gelaikuting

Angel a.k.a Gelai and Clair eating castanas in Ongpin St., Binondo Manila

Endeth Mendoza

I would love to travel with Endeth. I am very confident and I will bet my life on this, I will never ever get neither hungry nor thirsty with Endeth. Hahaha… I love her home made peanut butter and mango cookies she baked for us… Ahhhh… So sweet =) She’s a college teacher turned to be a traveling chef in pursuit of happiness (naks)

Blog: www.thetwobrokegirls.com
Twitter: @ka_endette

Kaiye Pellarco

Kaiye is a practical traveler. She was actually the coordinator of the meet up along with Endeth. Her Idea of chipping in Php300 covering the food we ate was hassle free and convenient for all of us. Kaiye is a leader given a certain situation. Actually I was afraid that Kaiye will unmask her face and shows to us her bipolar side as she claims to be one. Thank God, even though many are late she didn’t burst out into another being. Hehe…

Blog: www.thetwobrokegirls.com
www.kaiyepallarco.tumbler.com
Twitter: @kaiyepallarco

Endeth and Kaiye writes in www.thetwobrokegirls.com What impress me with these two not so broke girls is that Endeth was Kiaye’s professor in college. Cool isn’t? A teacher-student turned to be travel buddies. There were some instances that Kaiye calls Endeth ‘mam’ haha… That shows that in traveling everyone can be your friends. Even your teacher who failed you… (I just don’t know if Endeth gave Kaiye a red mark hihi)

Chyng Reyes

The Traveling Diva. She’s a diva on her own right. I was actually amazed to know that Cyng Reyes will be part of our Binondo Food Trip. It was a stars truck moment seeing her waiting for us in the train station! Do you get that? That’s Chyng Reyes… Whoa!!! I’ve been reading her blog before I wrote my very first post on my blog. Why I said she’s a diva? Well… Love her or hate her. She has an attitude that will surely grab your attention. Don’t get me wrong. I like ate Cyng. Her stories, her unexpected answers to our questions and her description of some famous travel bloggers makes us laugh. I knew she would be our resource of everything about PTB and traveling.

Blog: www.chyngreyes.com
Twitter: @chyngreyes.com

Kat Torres

Kat was the first who commented on my first travel blog post about my Indochina Adventure. And that made me smile. That’s not actually the first but my first serious travel blog post. Just like with Cyng I was thrilled to know that Kat will be part of our group. Hehe… Kat has a strong personality as sealed by her audacious personality. Kat knew what she wants and she will pursue it. You can never go wrong with her. Though adventurous her composition of itineraries and budget are excellent.

Blog: www.excursionista.net
Twitter: @ExcursionistaPh

Nathelle Lumabad

She spoke less but said a lot. The little girl with no permanent address since she was 7 is braving her way with her “rakets” or sidelines to make funds for her endeavors in life or maybe for her travel fund. I believe Nathelle has a lot of stories to tell about her life and travels. And I would love to hear more stories from her. I think there’s a gem hidden in her that I did’t saw because we had a little time to talk during the trip. Good enough we promise each other to meet again for lunch or dinner as our working place are just 5 jumps away from each other.

P.S. I love how she writes on her blog. So refreshing =)

Blog: www.littlegirlgoesplaces.com
Twitter: @golittlegirl

Clair Madarang

Can I just say this with Claire… With all other things constant, with no malice in mind, I think Clair is my Traveling Soulmate. That, if she believes that too… haha. While everyone was rushing to look for the fried Siopao because most of them were hungry, Clair, Angel and I were busy taking pictures of the streets and everything in there. I mean we took photos, bought a street food and souvenirs. We both like chillin’ and slow travel to feel the place. Clair is the most adventurous girl I ever met in my life. Quitting her job, doing some freelancing, and backpacked in Visayas for 7 weeks was an astounding act!!! She is the definition of adventure. Clock was ticking and the heaven seems to pour out blessings and one after another was waving goodbyes to us. Well not me and Clair because we stayed as if I have no work the next day, she has no work like mine because she’s a freelancer. Actually we stayed in Binondo until quarter to 9PM. We continued the walk and talked everything under the sun. And we were not satisfied with it; we planned to backpack in Leyte and booked the ticket the next day.

Blog: www.iamtravelinglight.com
Twitter: @ClaireMadarang

Kenneth Lagana

Kenneth the bratpacker as he calls himself is smart boy working for globe. Hehehe… Seriously speaking this guy, I he is intelligent and brave. Not that others are not it’s just what I saw in him that made me awed. Coming here in the Metropolis with a month salary and trying out fate if it has something for him here was such a big leap of faith for a 21 years old guy. This “bungisngisin” guy proved to us that indeed folks from Bacolod are really sweet and always wore smile on their sweet faces =) with his friend Velerie also from Bacolod they always laugh to the point that I thought they were laughing at me… I hope not.

Blog: www.mrbratpacker.wordpress.com
Twitter: @mrbratpacker

Valerie, Kenneth and Me =)

Kenneth, Clair and Me – The Picturan Group

10 hours in Binondo with these Travel Bloggers made me feel that I am surrounded by intelligent people from different walks of life meeting for the first time to feast about their one thing in life that they cannot let in the next 50 years of life. Whenever we sit on the restaurant conversation was automatic, so witty, and questions will just arise out of the blue without the feeling for an obligatory answer because you really know in your heart what you will say. You don’t have to think twice for an answer or story of sort because you have it instantly exploded by your heart. I believe this is the first of many meet ups with people with the same passion as mine. As the real journey is by ourselves it is good sometimes that you tag along people as zealous as you.