Traveler Profile: MichaLola

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Berlin, Germany

Berlin Zeitgeist

New York, United States

New York, New York, U.S.A.

Screen name:

MichaLola

Age:

Gender:

Female

If you must know:

It's none of your business ;-)

Travel status:

Traveling now

Hometown:

Manila, Philippines

Expert Philippines

Growing up in the Philippines gave her a thirst for the unexpected. Through her travels, she has met many fellow travelers who were curious about the country she was born into. Her goal as the Philippine travel expert is to shed light about her diverse, dynamic and intriguing homeland made up of 7,107 islands. She aims to dispel the inaccurate stereotypes that have been attached to this nation and would be more than happy to provide tips, suggestions and answer your every query and travel concern regarding the Philippines.

Favorite places I've been:

Philippines, New York, San Francisco, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Canada, Morocco, Spain, The Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, London, China, Burma (myanmar), Cape Town

Places I want to go to:

INDIA!!! Iceland, Poland, Czech Republic

About me:

“Are you paralyzed with fear? That's a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.” ---Therefore, JUMP IN AND LET GO!

I try to remember to live like this quote by Salman Rushdie:
Go for broke. Always try and do too much. Dispense with safety nets. Take a deep breath before you begin talking. Aim for the stars. Keep grinning. Be bloody-minded. Argue with the world. And never forget that writing is as close as we get to keeping a hold on the thousand and one things--childhood, certainties, cities, doubts, dreams, instants, phrases, parents, loves--that go on slipping , like sand, through our fingers."

I...
am striving to live without regrets
am trying to not be afraid
don't want to think about safety nets
am a writer
am a traveler
love films
am trying to get back to the basics
voraciously read books
am trying to figure it out
love dried fruit
wish there were more hours in the day
like canned mushrooms
like bananas and yogurt
love yogurt
am trying to be better
am addicted to coffee
am trying to learn German
want to travel more
love time bubbles

Profile URL:

http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/michalola

Read more about MichaLola

I'm fired up on:

anything that pushes boundaries...

Tunes I rock out to:

During this trip zeppelin, dylan and nick drake have guided me through. My absolute favorite songs are "Tangerine (Zeppelin)," "Shooting Star (Dylan)," and "Pink Moon (Drake)." I also like..no...love the whole Garden State Soundtrack, Counting Crows, the Wallflowers, Deathcab for Cutie, Postal Service, Travis, the Guillemots, David Gray (the song Babylon is phenomenal)

Travel style:

Just me and the open road!

Quote:

Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe. ~Anatole France

"Traveling tends to magnify all human emotions." — Peter Hoeg

What you've done becomes the judge of what you're going to do - especially in other people's minds. When you're traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road. ~William Least Heat Moon, Blue Highways

Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen. ~Benjamin Disraeli

Sports I do:

backpacking (?)

Favorite artist(s):

Maxfield Parish, Waterhouse, Picasso, Van Gogh, Amnsel kiefer (not sure if I spelled it right)

Favorite books:

Buddha of Suburbia, Tender is the Night by Fitzgerald, Travels in the Scriptorium by Auster, Kerouac, Ginsberg (his poetry completely inspires me), WHitman, Paul Theroux, Fukuyama, Kira Salak, Edward Said, Strangeland by Tracy Emin, Carlos Bulosan

Who I'd like to meet on my travels:

Kira Salak

I want to make a difference by:

Staying open-minded and promoting free thought and creative thinking

Languages spoken, other than English:

Tagalog (Filipino), Spanish (Beginner), Deutsch (Beginner)

I felt the most immersed in a foreign culture when:

While discovering something completely new, meeting people (fellow travellers and locals) and realizing that despite different cultures, ethnicities, religious beliefs, at the core of it, we are all more similar than we think.

Why I travel:

I dont know...its just such a part of me that being 'somewhere else' feels so natural, whilst being at home feels UNnatural. Strange and hard to explain

I guess I'm also trying to live in a "fearless manner" as Mary Renault states, "Every moment free from fear makes a man immortal."

Ideal place to watch the sunrise:

After discovering a new crazy club in Berlin, driving through the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

Ideal place to watch the sunset:

After reading a book in the park in Berlin with a glass of wine, waiting for the movie to start in the Freiluftkino (open-air cinema) in Berlin, sitting by the canals in Paris with a picnic, on a paddle boat in the middle of the ocean in the Philippines

Before I die I'd like to:

Go bungee jumping, sleep under the stars in Africa, travelled everywhere

Let's collaborate:

Im a travel writer and photographer looking to collaborate with travel publications as well as be part of a global community. If you have any questions about the Philippines, Germany, travel, etc. you may also contact me at:

My links:

http://michatheperegrine.googlepages.com/

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by Sandy Huen | 2009/11/19

Hi,

I'll be going to the Philippines for a week in December. I'll be staying in Tacloban City for awhile, and hopefully finding somewhere to stay in Tanauan, Leyte, as I'll be attending their annual skimboarding competition. I have a couple of questions about the Philippines.

1) Should I expect that the locals there will speak English as I speak it? I've talked with a few girls from the Philippines here in Taiwan, and I've had a bit of trouble deciphering their accents, thought I admit, we didn't speak for long. Do most people speak Tagalog? Do you recommend that I hire a translator (as I hope to do some interviewing and reporting)? Learn some Tagalog? What should I do?

2) Do you recommend any nice hotels in Manila? I'll be staying there for 1/1 at the end of my trip, and I want luxuriate for a day. I'm willing to spend a bit more, but not willing to break into the getting-a-master's-degree-at-a-good-university fund. Any recommendations?

3) In case I couldn't find accommodation in Tanauan, I planned to bring a tent and sleeping bag with me and camp out on the seashore. Is this safe? Are there many campsites in Tanauan?

Anyway, I know these are really specific questions, but anything you can do to help me would be great!

Thanks, and happy travels!

-Sandy.

by Evan Sutterf... | 2009/10/06

Hey,
I was wondering how you begun a life of traveling and writing. I read a couple of your submissions and I became really inspired.
Thanks,
Evan

by trvlfanatic | 2009/07/08

Hi! Its nice to meet you =]

I'm planning on taking a trip to the philippines next month and will be in cebu, bohol and siargao. i'll be in cebu for about a week, and would like to check out the outlying islands as well. do you have any suggestions on where to go and what not to miss? i know a week is a tight schedule but would like to see and do as much as possible!! i appreciate all your help! =]

by halamen | 2009/04/07

Hey MichaLola,

We've started a new series over on Trips introducing Matador's destination experts, and you're our first feature! Check it out here:

http://matadortrips.com/meet-an-expert-the-philippines/

Congrats!

- Hal

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by odetomylife | 2008/10/14

Hi,

This is in response to your comment in my blog.
A very warm welcome to you in advance when and if you decide to come to India.
I think someday I will make a separate online album based (only) on the street food in India.

by wonderwonder... | 2008/10/10

i was excitedly going to comment on your salman rushdie quote, and now see that someone has already given you props for it. but there are a lot of things to give you props for -- your taste in everything, your places visited, blogs -- all very cool.

wish i could say this all in tagalog, but while i understand a little by ear, i can't read or write it for the life of me!

by Chavie Cyn | 2008/09/26

Anyone who quotes Salman Rushdie.... is an A-1 cool person!

by Adam | 2007/08/29

What are you doing in Berlin? Just livin?

by Tim Patterson | 2007/08/22

I like how you have three exclamation points after INDIA...sort of how I feel about it too. Jump in and let go - indeed.

Keep up the blogs, they're great.

by Stu | 2007/08/13

like the pics- the man and the goat like rather similar..

by Ben | 2007/08/13

Great photos... Nice to have you on Matador!

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Satisfy My Soul

By MichaLola | Location: Philippines | 01/13/09 | Pics: 1

Roaring down dirt highways on jeepney rooftops, Gero and I traveled around the Philippines and found adventure on every corner.

On the last day of the year, I was on a bus to Sagada. It was dusk and after taking four different modes of transporation as well as waiting in Sabangan for an hour, we were...

Cemetary Celebrations in Manila

By MichaLola | Location: Philippines | 11/06/08 | Pics: 7

All Soul's Day or “Araw ng mga Patay”, held on November 2, is a call to gather in Philippines. Though solemn in nature, Filipinos make commemorating the dead an event. People flock to the graveyards, the most notable of which in the capital is the Manila Memorial Park. Braving the traffic,...

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Obama for the Global Soul

By MichaLola | Location: Philippines | 11/05/08 | Pics: 0

Barack Obama has won the race. I cried my eyes out. As voting booths closed one by one and votes were tallied, reporters did their best to contain their excitement as each new State went to Obama. Even though I am currently in the Philippines, thousands of miles away from America, the buzz was...

2 comments | Send to Friend |

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