As seen on ANC / GMA News To Go / TV 5
I’m writing this blog post before Day100 ends…
#ISANGDAAN Journey- the most EPIC and EXCITING travel challenge in the Philippines is a success! Wooooohoooo! Parteh! Parteh! According to my rough estimate, I traveled 9,001kilometers (or 5,625miles) around the Philippine archipelago. That’s how far Jerusalem is from the Philippines.
If you want to learn know what #ISANGDAAN is check out this post: 100 Days of Backpacking the Phillppines, non-stop, the cheapest way possible
Just WARMING-UP
I tweeted earlier that, “#isangdaan is not yet finished” and “that i’m just warming-up” for a BIGGER challenge. What is that? Well, keep posted…
So here I am from where I started my journey 100 days ago, in my humble abode sitting on my chair sipping from my tea cup trying to remember everything that happened the past days. A lot has been flashing on my mind- Butanding, Pawikan, Kalinga, Cebu, El Nido, Tawi-Tawi, Jolo, beautiful ladies I met along the way, different foods I ate, new friends I’ve met and the list goes on…
Tawi-Tawi’s highest peak- Mt. Bongao (2012)
THANK YOU in different dialects
I just want to thank everyone who helped me while I was on my planning-stage, during the trip and all those who tapped me on the back by texting, calling, DM, FB comments, tweets, e-mail, etc. Daghang salamat! The journey will not be a success without you.
I want to thank all those who have journeyed with me along the way, those who offered a place to stay, a couch to crash or a bed to lounge, a food to eat or a beer to drink, people to contact and places to visit. I will be forever grateful for your help! Agyamanak! The journey will not be a success without you.
To those who faithfully followed the journey thru facebook, twitter and the blog, Sukran/Magsukul! The journey will not be a success without you.
To my God who strengthened and guided me along the way, maraming salamat po! This will not be a successful journey without You.
TRAVEL NOW OR NEVER!
To everyone out there- I want to tell you plainly that “Traveling is not only for the rich and money (or lack of) is never a hindrance to explore a new destination. You just have to be out there and ready to grab the opportunity when it presents itself to you. So get your backpack ready, travel now or never.”
To those who are still afraid of traveling solo, I encourage you to take smaller steps- I remember my first solo “backpacking” trip for 5 days in Cebu-Bohol-Dumaguete then back to Cebu four years ago. I wasn’t blogging back then. I don’t know anything about itineraries or cheap accommodations or a single Visayan language but I came back home fulfilled and wanting to explore some more.
Bohol’s most photographed landmark- The Chocolate Hills (2008)
YOU ONLY NEED TO TRY.
So there, I hope that I have encouraged, inspired or sparked a little interest in you to try backpacking and exploring the Philippines.
Should you want to see my actual route, I have embedded it below (just click the play button):
Days 1-50 (Manila-N.Luzon-Manila-Bicol-Samar-Leyte)
Day 51-100 (Mindanao-Visayas-Palawan-Manila)
In the following days, I will continue to recount my experiences, upload videos on Youtube, publish my expenses and post photos of where I laid my sleepy head.
I hope you continue to support this blog by sharing it to your friends. Thanks! :-* !
___ ___ ___
I wrote this in my humble home in Los Banos, Laguna during Day 100 of ISANGDAAN Journey.
If you are keen to back-read you can check out UPDATE 1 / UPDATE 2 / UPDATE 3 / UPDATE 4 / UPDATE 5
Thank you also to the The Little Red Dot in SG for the continued support!
#ISANGDAAN is a personal journey and challenge to backpack around the Philippines the cheapest way possible for 100 days.
U are truly an inspiration James! Hats Off! and more travels
Congrats James! Glad to meet you (for the first time) kahit sandali lang during your isaang daan journey. Hope to do the same in the future. 🙂
nice to see yah in dumaguete, haha at sabi mo nakita mo ako sa siquijor.
go, you can do it!
kuya, kudos! conquer europa! i still have 13months here. so far!
hmmmmmmmmmmm…..
You are such an inspiration, James! Sayang, di tayo magkita! May promise pa akong beer, haha! 🙂
haha! magkikita din tayo, inaasahan ko parin yang beer na yan.
Congratulations, James! And thank you for inspiring us to see the Philippines more! 🙂
congratulations James!
congratulations james! 😀
Congrats, James.
I have followed you during this isangdaan journey and have shared your blogs/photos with friends. Keep on! You have encouraged a lot of us to travel and visit the different places in our beautiful country.
Natawa naman ako sa route mo, kasama ang Palawan Pawnshop. Hihee.
thanks ate berns! i hope everyone would try to travel solo once in their lifetime
haha, i already edited the palawan pawnshop.. haha
A resounding success! Cheers! 🙂
This was really an EPIC!!! 🙂 Congrats! More travel to come! Thank you for sharing your adventure. It keep us more inspired to explore Philippines. Its more fun in the Philippines right?!?! 🙂
Congrats on your epic journey James! You’re really an inspiration to travelers to go out of their comfort zone and explore the Philippines.
thanks Kara! hope to travel with you again..
Congrats – a true blooded traveler and you visited all 80 provinces without a “sponsored” trip – everything was done and planned and spent for by your lonesome and help from strangers who became your friends – that made it more inspiring.
meron ding sponsored trip like when i went to batanes.. hehe
pero itong #isangdaan, no one sponsored me. thanks marky!
No one sponsored you? you said that ur (MNL-CEBU and CEBU-MNL is a sponsored trip and here is the url http://journeyingjames.com/2012/05/gma-news-to-go-interview-about-isangdaan-journey/ and 3 hotels gave u free accommodation. ISN’T THESE SPONSORSHIP, RIGHT?
Now you are telling us here, during the isang daan, wala kang sponsors? Your travel insurance is being paid by a donor, is this not sponsorship?
WHICH IS WHICH?
what i mean is that i wasnt sponsored by a big company. the insurance is less than 500pesos and i can pay for that anytime, its just that friends want to take part on the project, how can i say “no”?
with the hotels, it came along the way, again who am i to say no. and those are just 3 times, meaning 3 nights, 3% of the journey. anyway, thank you for taking notes! finally someone is really reading closely. thanks!
oh, how would you call those friends and strangers who let me in their house or treated me food? i dont call it sponsors, i call it good souls who wanted to help and be part of the journey.
Congratulations!!!!!!!!! Saludo talaga ako sa’yo……..
Congratulations for the job well done! it is one great journey that brought you back to my humble home and it was a great honor to host you again and our friendship is one that binds us as we travel. It is with great pride that I see you safely home and back to where your heart is well rested: your home though I knew deep inside you, your home is on the road, your hammock and the many faces of new friends with you.
Cheers to the successful Isang Daan James! I knew by heart too that yours is hard to do and no one can do better in it than James!
cheers bosing wends!
of course, my home is on the road! haha
thanks for offering your home in pagadian!
congrats james for this successful project. astig! =)
so, asan ang parteh na yan?
naks..congrats james! hindi nman talaga nkktakot mgtravel mg’isa..i’ve tried it!! hopefully tawi- tawi and batanes naman aku pgbalik ku ng pinas..laagan jud ka! =)
those 2 provinces should be on everyone’s bucketlist. its like visiting in a different country
a feat that you’ll remember for a lifetime!
this is really priceless..
congratulations james! and continue to inspire a lot of people with your travels 🙂
yep, thanks jeff. i will
Congratulations! i’m excited for you knowing na warm-up palang to. :))
Congrats! clap clap clap!
congrats dude… i really admire your courage and passion. kudos to you!!!
Congrats on your successful journey! I follow your story on fb, I was really inspired by your site and your adventure, looking forward to here more stories of travel from you! more power and more travel!
thanks rodel for following the journey on fb!
nice blog site you have there!
this is a great summary of an epic journey indeed. Congrats James for the success. I look forward to your future post and will back read those I missed – I believe I have followed and checked all the UPDATE 1 to 5 so I’m happy to be a part of the journey…
thanks atty! thanks again for sponsoring the travel insurance.
yes, you area a big part of the journey
see you have sponsor, in your previous comments you said there were no sponsors, your insurance is shouldered by a sponsor. your statements are inconsistent.
finally, someone is talking notes and is actually interested on the details. thanks francis!
Congratulations James! One big achievement! And truly inspiring.
I checked the map and you journeyed from Dumaguete to Cebu to Iloilo although you have dropped by several places. May I know how you traveled, mode of transport you used. Thanks
dum-cebu (via pumpboat)
cebu-iloilo (via ferry then bus to bacolod, from bacolod to iloilo, ferry and van)
i only used the plane twice: tawi-tawi to zamboanga and palawan to manila
ambilis ng 100 days ah, patapos na agad?
tapos na bro! haha
Congrats James! 🙂
Good job…
More travels to go… *wink*
Awesome! Congrats! 😀
Congratulations…:) we are truly inspired by you…
Congratulations James! angaling! 🙂
Congrats James. Liko liko Kaw Ra. Ikaw ulit mag hugas ng pinggan. Hehehe. You are truly an Icon of a Budget Traveler. Thanks also for the advise and lots of tips.
haha! i enjoyed washing the plates kuya bon.
thanks for being a friend in bukidnon
Congrats James! Victory Party na!!! Cheers!!! ^_^
Great job James… 🙂 CONGRATULATIONS traveler!
Congrats, James…. 🙂
nice meeting you along the way james. congrats for the success of your epic journey!!! travel now or never…love that phrase bai!
thanks for fetching me at malaybalay terminal, touring me and bringing up to the mountain.
it was nice to share the journey with you! regards to everyone in bukidnon
Congratulations James! Parang kelan lang pina-plano mo ‘to 😀 Hihintayin ko yung libro 😀
oo nga, glad i came back home safe and sound. thanks!
Parang ang bilis matapos yung 100 days when you are on the road. Did you suffer from any ailment during your journey?
i almost died of dehydration in el nido, story will be posted in the blog soon
woah…
Congrats james! Continue inspiring us to explore 7107 islands;)
Congrats for the success James! Thank God for keeping you safe all the time. You are truly an inspiration! Keep soaring high. I am already excited for the tv interviews and for your next travel escapades. Thank you for touring us to the entire Philippines for 100 days.:)
God bless you always.
thanks julai! God bless you too!
congrats james! both for finishing your 100-days travel and for completing the visit to 80 provinces! Galing galing
Kudos to you! You’ve inspired a lot of us to travel! 😀
thanks joann! we are inspirations to many, travelers are.
hope you have more trips too
Hey James,
Congratulations!
Thanks also! I would say that your experience and your determination inspired me to complete my first solo trip! I made it too!
thanks geoffe! glad you were able to pull that northern mindanao trip off!
congrats James! kudos 🙂
Congratulations again Kuya James! Looking forward to more posts… God bless! =)
thanks krystle! thanks for sharing the blog to your friends. it was nice to meet you in iloilo
Winner ang tripline videos for this trip! 😀
Congrats James! 🙂
Will be looking forward for the next one 🙂
thanks eileen! haha, nest is the book
wow, cant believe you’ve traveled 100 places in 100 days. cool. but why have you odd-out on the western Phils? Anyway, next time try Zamboanga!
100 days around the philippines po, i guess more than 100 places.
what do you mean on the western phils? i have lots of zamboanga posts sir. i love that peninsula!
I just watched you in News to go w/ Ms Kara David, Im really inspired with your travel adventure. Galing! Congrats!
thanks junel! thanks to GMA news to go too
Saludo ako sayo, James! Congratulations!!!
Glad you got back safely…more travels to come. More power!
thank God im safe! i almost died in el nido, day 97
Congrats James! Saludo!
winner!!!!! i think nasa 60days or less ka na when i started reading your blog! 🙂 asteeeegggg!!!
at least umabot ka. thanks aileen!
hi sir, nakita kita sa tv nung nag-guess ka. actually doon ko lng nalaman na meron pla nagtravel whole phils in 100 days. bago pa rin ako nagtratravel, gusto ko rin mapuntahan lahat ng magagandang lugar dito sa phils. thats my dreams 🙂 im from cebu sir james, next time you can back here sa cebu, visit mo ako dito kahit sandali lng, u r welcome. congratz!!!
hope you visit the places one by one. cebu has so much to offer. i will definitely be back! thanks bryan!
the last time i dropped by here, planning stage pa. now, the 100 days journey is over. ang bilis! will browse over past posts. nice one, james!
haha! that was 100 days ago, glad you visited back.
thanks, hope you enjoy every post ceblogger
wow…congrats…sir james…astig ka talaga pagdating sa super budget travelling…in fact isa ka sa inspirasyon ko pagdating sa budget travelling…i do hope i could meet you on the road or anywhere else…god bless always to your trips…^_^
salamat po! hope to see you too!
We watched your interview on TV and we are very inspired on your epic travel na super budget… My husband together with our 5 yr old son are planning to travel Luzon-Visayas-Mindanao by land… We are still planning for it and we are truly inspired by your travel… Congrats and hope to read more of your travels… God bless! 🙂
wow! that would be exciting! keep me posted on that trip.
have fun doing the itinerary
Now I’m getting more interested to be a certified “BACKPACKER.”
Padayon Sir James!
salamat kaayo jerome! backpacking is a lifestyle.
Congratulations to you James!!! Your journeys are constant motivations and I hope more Filipinos are encouraged to travel the Philippines before the world 🙂 Cheers to #IsangDaan
thanks pie! i really wish more filipinos would explore more of their country than abroad.
Kahanga hanga ang ginawa mo, tuklasin ang kagandahan ng Pilipinas sa halagang abot kaya…
Mabuhay!!!
thanks dearne! spend less, travel more
ang cute lang nung tripline. bongga sa pag record ng mga napuntahan mo James. di ka naman masyadong busy the past 100 days noh? hehehe. I can still recall na naging tour guide nyo pa si Ivan Lakwatsero tapos tapos na pala ang 100 days? ang bilis lumipas ng panahon! but Congrats for this successful challenge James! will await for your next epic adventure 😉
yep, haha day1 yun doi. hope you get to use tripline too!
waaaaaaaaaaaah..sobrang amazing talaga!!!!
salamat po, you are such an inspiration to us who are afraid to travel..hihi… congrats sa success mo on this challenge!!! ^__^ me is soo hapee 4 u
thanks hana, and for believing and following the journey. apir!
Ang bilis ng panahon. Parang kelan lang yung nag plano ka pa isangdaan trip. Astig tlaga!
You have been an inspiration to all the travel bloggers in Pinas even pinoys who are in abroad.
Congratz!
yes, i cant believe its finished. but wait, its just the beginning. hahaha
abroad? wow!
Congrats James! 🙂 Happy for you! Nice to have been part of your journey. Thanks for including Tacloban on your list. Keep it up!:)
heya chic! sayang, the meet up was so short. thanks again!
ang galing.. im inspiring.. i want.. magkano nagastos mo total? baka dyan pwede namin mabeat hehe
49,641pesos po for 100 days, all-in 🙂
erratum *Im inspired, hehe
sent this blog to meet manila, thoughtful tourism and travel life mag..
wow! great, thanks prince jayr
Nice James.. Sana maga ko rin balang araw yang mga nagawa mo… once again the wanderlust in me was awakened by this post..so inspiring.. keep rocking man…
wow, that’s great to know. glad i inspired you to travel ariel!
take some risks, you can do this!
I also want to accomplish this but I have no money and time right now..hehe
money is not a problem. you have to give time and effort.
yay!! me and my colleagues will plan a trip to camiguin soon (end of this year)! this will be our first travel together as a bonding na rin and stress free from work…we are really preparing for our trip kahit na end of this year pa kasi..kelangan mag-ipon=)
i love traveling, no tour guide the better:)
you went to bohol!hope u enjoyed ur stay here
are you from bohol? i enjoyed my stay there and looking forward to explore more of it
I LOVE TO SEE UR JOURNEY FRIEND.I HOPE U FIND ANOTHER MANY THINGS HERE IN OUR COUNTRY.
thanks marly! hope you continue to follow the remaining post about ISANGDAAN.
“Traveling is not only for the rich and money (or lack of) is never a hindrance to explore a new destination. You just have to be out there and ready to grab the opportunity when it presents itself to you. So get your backpack ready, travel now or never.”
–hmm., very inspiring quote. I will definitely do it and even if it’s just going to be me – alone. I always wanted to travel.
Thanks James. Astig ka! 🙂
😉
that’s the summary of ISANGDAAN journey. hahaha
Whoa! finally found a real “tripper” Lol! thought my 5 days lone trip to Bacolod-Iloilo-Boracay last year was a sick idea but it’s true! being alone and trying something to go out and explore places that totally new to you is absolutely exciting! no adjustment to make if there’s somebody around along the journey. It’s all pure freedom to choose and freedom to what you would want to do on a certain place! Now I’m thinking my upper North Luzon escapades (driving alone) this coming November! Kudos James! you inspired me! :p
thanks rodski, have a safe trip to the ilocandia!
Bongga ka James! I just became a fan. 🙂
thanks beverly! that’s just the beginning, a warm-up
A M A Z I N G 🙂 you’re indeed an inspiration 😀 Congratulations and Good Luck po!
thank you antonia!
I envy you! i wish I could do the same.
Congrats!
you can do it too, but you can start in a week or 2 🙂
Congratulations James!!!!! yours is really an achievement.
To the truly nomadic, traveling is not even a question of why; it is just a question of when. and yes, I agree you don’t have to spend loads of cash to travel, as long as you travel light (meaning, no excess baggage of any sort – kinakatay ang pihikang backpacker). I and my BFF did Boracay once for two months for less than 20K. So yes, budget and travel do come together in one sentence.
Are you james betia? :)))
good job james!! you inspire me a lot i also love travelling, exploring.. thank you!!! thank you!!
thanks a lot marychel! hope you see your dreams come true
astig… gusto rin nyan.. 🙂 mga magkano ang budget?
how much is the budget for 100 destinations?
less than Php50,000
Hi! 🙂 I’ve read your posts and it’s fun to read. I hope to be as great blogger as you are. Want to read mine? http://scarlettie13.blogspot.com/ it’s about relaxation and enjoyment through travels, books and movies. So far, it has a few posts but many posts to come! 😀
journeyingjames,
my little brother’s name is also James and like you, he has wanderlust in his blood too. I dearly hope he’d do something this awesome one day too…
and to quote Barney Stinson, man! this is LEGEN—-wait for it!—-DARY! LEGENDARY! You’re legendary man! 🙂
he is my tokayo, haha
thanks for the legendary quote fr barney 😉 i forst thought bart simpson, haha
Hi, I’m from Calamba! Can’t wait to explore our country just as how you did on your own. This blog would definitely be helpful for me. 🙂
this inspires me to travel more! great job james!