Oh Yes, "Love Conquers All" is a Travel Blog!

the first day of my second life, Mt. Apo, Philippines' Highest Peak

I have been writing since I can remember and NOTHING CAN STOP ME.

- not even the flood that annually drowns my hometown; not even taking up an engineering course; not even sleeping on a plant floor as a territory manager during Ondoy time in a mountainous part of Luzon; not even heartbreaks that made me want to die.

The day I stop writing is the day I die.

And yet, I almost died and I have yet to start my travel blog?

As ironic as it may seem, I have been traveling for a while already before I had the idea to start this travel blog. If not for my nearest to death experience on the Philippines' highest peak, this blog will never see the light of day.

It's weird how I had to come face to face with death just to have the much needed push to begin this travel blog, and even weirder was that it took almost a year since I thought of it when I actually started it.

Inspirations for "Love Conquers All":

Where?

2, 956 meters above sea level, in Mt. Apo, via Kapatagan-Kapatagan trail.

When?

The life-changing event happened on April 21, 2011, Maundy Thursday. It was May 5, 2011 when I first had the idea to start a travel blog, but due to the very challenging task of choosing the perfect URL and blog title, the blog started just last March 13, 2012.

What?

I thought my time to leave the earth has finally come. I'll be dying in the mountain, due to the freezing cold and strong rain that drenched me and all of my belongings and did not allow me to sleep or even lie down after a straight, steep and slippery hike for fourteen hours. I had mixed emotions then - I wanted to sleep because I was dead tired from the longest straight trek I ever did in my life. I knew I needed to sleep because I must have energy for the descent the next day, which would just be equally difficult, if not more difficult, due to the ultra muddy and slippery trail brought about by the never ending rain. However, a part of me didn't want to sleep, for fear that I won't be able to  wake up once I do. I was chilling non-stop throughout the whole night; I tried everything to prevent it but to no avail, which led me to my last and best resort: to pray. And the worst thing then? None of our companions was aware that there were three girls who were struggling to survive that night.

a snapshot of my drenched and muddy self during the straight 14-hour trek (I also smelled  like sulfur then!)

Why?

Because I think that I'm already living via a gift of second life from God, and it would be such a waste if I don't get to share my adventures and misadventures to the world if ever I get in the same situation again.

This is also to make my future children know the things that that their adrenaline junkie mom did for the love of travel and adventures, as soon as they learn to read.

I don't want my kids to be as muddy as me, though.

Also, because I was not able to convince the love of my life to join The Amazing Race Philippines with me, this was the next best thing that I could think of to tell the world our Mt. Apo story. I bet none had a love story like ours, set magnificently at the Philippines' highest peak. For this reason alone, I was confident that we'd get chosen for The Amazing Race Philippines if he just agreed.

How?

I first created a blog on Wordpress last May 2011, but I never pursued it for some reasons. After 10 months, I came up with this travel blog using Blogger, and so far, I am loving it.

To thank God for this second life, I will spread the love for travel and adventure, no matter how many back posts it will take me. I will also never stop planning on my "killer" itineraries (they say my itineraries are quite stressful, I say it's just "lean"), pursuing it, and sharing it to everyone. I will spread the love each day of my life, as long as I live.

Who?

All posts are by yours truly, but for the knowledge of everyone, this blog has a daddy. He is the leading man in my still surreal Mt. Apo love story. He is the sweetest reward that I got for reaching the Philippines' highest peak. He was the reason why I believed that love conquers all. He was also the first person who showed support when I first thought of starting a travel blog (and we have yet to meet again during that time!).

one of my usual emo Facebook status during the time I thought of starting a travel blog, and his very supportive comment

I want my future children to learn that "love conquers all" as soon as they learn to read, and I could not think of a better way aside from reading the thoughts of their adrenaline junkie mom who had to climb the Philippines' highest mountain just to find her heart, and meet their dad. And yes, I can't think of, and will never think of anyone else to be my children's father than the father of this blog. :)

My Mt. Apo Experience: action, adventure, heavy drama, comedy, and a magical love story all in one climb! How can one not be inspired to blog after it?

You could view my 5-part Mt. Apo killer hike detailed memoirs here, and for our surreal love story, you are very welcome to visit The Untold Story at Mt. Apo. :)

This is my entry to the "Pinoy Travel Bloggers' Blog Carnival" with the theme "The Journey that Made Us a Travel Blogger" posted on Edmar Gu-Quibb's Blog Edmaration Etc.