Epic 3rd Blog Anniversary and Beach Party

How can you blog about an epic weekend when you have still that “happy hangover”?

Northern Road Trip + Cool Company of Friends + Boodle Fights + Filipino Games + Mini-Bonfire + Summerish Weather + Camping by the Beach + Hammocks + Awesome Raffle and Give-aways + Happy Hangover + Surfing Sessions = 3rd JourneyingJames Blog Anniversary Party and #Projectjomalig Thanksgiving Party.

How can you blog about an epic weekend when you have still that “happy hangover”? The hangover that doesn’t give you a headache but one that says at the back of your head, “that was one weekend well-spent” and would probably be missed forever. Nope, I’m not trying to overdo this happy out-of-town-trip just because it was organized by #journeyingjamestours, I’m just so HAPPY and tipsy and amped that I wanted to make things play in slowmo so that I have more time to enjoy the people around. The games were so fun even Leroy join the sack race.

Before everyone plays Green Days’ “Wake me up, when September ends…,” I with my close friends Mitch and Emm organized a party to celebrate my 3rd year of being a full-time blogger and of course the successful outreach we had in Jomalig Island, Quezon where we helped a small baranggay with their malnutrition problem. We wanted it to be an avenue where volunteers, tour participants, blog readers and friends would meet and become friends not the Facebook-type of becoming “friends.” So we pegged the date- September 28-29 and started posting invites.

We are actually dreaming of 50-60 participants but because I was too busy I wasn’t able to consistently promote it add to the fact that PAGASA forecasted a typhoon that weekend, most of those who said they would come stayed at the comforts of their homes (I will tag them on the photos later to call it quits). Anyway, the final count was 40 (including Tiara’s playful dog- Leroy) which is not bad at all.

Cebu Pacific Air (one of the best airline companies in Asia), Avenue Plaza Hotel (one of the best hotels in the PH) and R.O.X (the biggest outdoor shop in Southeast Asia) joined the celebration by providing give-aways.

I did a 20minute speech sharing how the blog came to be and why we have tours. Ending it with a statement that should be reflected upon by everyone, “Getting rich is so easy and overrated, try something more challenging like being free and touching people’s lives.”

Mitch prepared the awesome program of Filipino games like pukpok palayok, calamansi-relay, sack race and apple-eating contest (are the last two games Filipino?). We missed Emm in action because she was sick. 🙁

Arvin our resident chef during our tours prepared his best dishes- grilled Tuna, steamed veggies, inihaw and adobong liempo, potato wedges (in various flavors walang sinabi and shake shake ng McDo), fried frogs, grilled talakitok and ginisang hipon. Add to this the smores we made from the mini-campfire we did during Saturday night’s time if bonding over Emperador and Coke. I almost forgot, he also brought lotsa rambutan (tuklapin variety), 50% of it were eaten bu Cheril who said she likes the supsupin variety better.

Even if the waves were choppy and southswell current was strong, we surfed anyway and first-timers felt how it was to be stoked. I guess the days when you preached on your blog saying “spend less, travel more” is about to end and “creating tours that encourage people to spend less, travel more and somehow change the world (eco-friendly tours, meeting new friends and helping communities)” is at hand.

Just like the other tours I organized, most of us met as strangers with apprehensions but we got home friends and buddies and our friendship goes over Facebook and social media.

Thank you so much for coming to the beach party, now I’m thinking how to top this one next year for the 4th blog anniversary.

To all my blog readers and followers, let me just say this- “I won’t be enjoying freedom and living my life without you, much love and gratitude for you.”

Cheers to more adventures!

 

PS. Save the date- 11.12.13: ISANGDAAN JOURNEY BOOK IS COMING!