3 Regions. 16 Days. 400 Pesos. 1000 Followers. 2000 Likes.
EXCITED BUT NERVOUS. This would describe what I’m feeling today…
After a successful 14-day Solo Backpacking Challenge in Western Visayas last year, I will be on the road again, this time in the beautiful land south of the archipelago- Mindanao. Dubbed “Mindanano Challenge 400,” this is the longest trip I would ever embark and to tell you honestly, I’m quite jittery as I don’t know anyone in all the places that I will visit.
I plan to visit 3 regions: SOCSKSARGEN (Region 12), DAVAO REGION (Region 11) & CARAGA (Region 13) for 16 days starting June 6 until June 21. Itinerary is still unpolished am I’m looking for CouchSurfing hosts or friends who are willing to let me stay in their (or their relatives’) houses for a day or two. Would-be host should not worry about accommodating me, I just need two posts or two trees where I can hang my hammock/duyan and maybe some hot water for the morning coffee. Should this is unavailable, I would check-in at the cheapest pension house/inn/dorm in the area.
Planning to use this as often as I can to cut cost of accommodation.
I would love to meet new friends while on the road, so if you are within the area, let me know and maybe we can chill over a cup of coffee/booze, stories on me. 🙂
Provinces I wish to visit are the ff:
South Cotabato – Sultan Kudarat – Saranggani – Davao del Sur – Davao City – (Samal Island) – Davao del Norte – Compostela Valley – Davao Oriental – Surigao del Sur – Agusan del Norte (Butuan)
My fly out ticket is MANILA – GENSAN (June 6) and going back BUTUAN-MANILA (June 21). Bought the ticket last year and got it for only Php350.00 (promo fare).
TWITTER UPDATES
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As usual, I will be tweeting the activities I’m doing or food I’m eating, so do follow my adventures via TWITTER. It’s fun and as someone said, “it’s like I’m traveling too when I follow your tweets with a map on my hand.” I will also tweet how I manage to live within my Php400 budget (all-in, transportation cost, food, accommodation, etc). Please use #mindanao400 if you are tweeting about this. 🙂
LIVE BLOGGING
To make things more exciting, I would like to do live blogging, I will be blogging how the trip went out every day from Day 1 till Day 16, people I met, places I visited, learnings, reflections and of course expenses incurred. I just hope that I will be able to find an internet shop every single night where I can blog my travel story. Show some love by sharing it to friends. 🙂
ENCOURAGE ME!
Aside from a place to stay, I would like to enjoin readers and friends to this journey. This is a practice for my 100-Day Backpacking Challenge which will happen soon.
You can show your love in two ways: Help me reach
(1) 1,000 Twitter followers (@journeyingjames) and
(2) 2,000 Facebook LIKES (journeyingjamesFB) before MINDANAO CHALLENGE 400 ends on June 21, 2011.
Game?!!
I still have a month to research, plan and ready myself. I’m nervous but excited about this trip and hopefully I can live up to the challenge.
Lastly, do pray for a safe trip and a healthy body. Daghang Salamat!
Start reading Day 1: Surprises at Gen.Santos City
Good luck James!
Gow lang ng gow James! Let me know if you get to Davao City. I think my parents will be happy to host you. Ingats!
I’ve got family in Surigao Del Norte – it’s a shame you’re not going up that far it’s only a couple of hours north from Butuan. Good luck with the challenge!
hi kieron! my IT is flexi so if there’s still time i would love to go to surigao del norte. thanks a lot!
Good Luck James, kayang-kaya mo yan! I’m already looking forward to your 100-day Backpacking Challenge.
suportado kita kahit wala akong Twitter! ^_^
be safe, and enjoy!
Hey James, that is just so cool! Really liking the things you come up with- mga challenges mo. I would definitely be following this. I haven’t traveled anywhere in Mindanao except Siargao so I’m curious to see new places and faces!
Hey Grace, thank you so much! i appreciate the tweet and the moral support. hope i can do justice on my travel stories about mindanao
PSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTT…. kumatok ka lang sa pintuan ng aking tahanan at ikaw ay aking papasukin. 🙂 SEE YOU THIS JUNE. 🙂
naks! bosing olan, i will make a CS request na para formal 🙂 hahaha salamat ng madami. davao city right?
opo. 🙂 davao city!
Good Luck James! Keep safe and enjoy the trip! =D
go go go james! idol! napakaganda ng mindanao! gusto ko din marating Tawi-Tawi at bumalik sa 7 falls sa South Cotabato.
thanks izahdora! i agree na napakaganda ng mindanao. ruggedly beautiful 🙂
makikita ko din yang 7falls na yan
Wala na akong masabi. Good luck na lang james.:-).
Wow! Good Luck James!
Looking forward to this series of yours! 🙂
thank you tina! 29days to go..hahaha
i’m excited sa south cotabato, sultan kudarat and saranggani trip mo at diyan ako madalas magbakasyon. Do visit Lake Sebu James! 🙂 http://saggi-space.blogspot.com/search/label/lake%20sebu
really? i saw your blog archives about SOCSKSARGEN, thanks for that. will read it as the trip comes close 🙂
i will visit lake sebu 🙂
Goodluck James! contact me pag naligaw ka ng Surigao City.
Safe travels!
sure! if i still have time, i will go to surigao city.
if by any chance, you happen to be in basilan, i have a friend there. just tell me..:) go james!
i’ve been there na 3 years ago. next time nalng siguro, gusto ko rin kasi bumalik dun
wow.wow.wow. goodluck po. susubaybayan kita 😀
wow, tough journey pero kaya yan! good luck! 🙂
thank you so much sir! kakayanin para sa mga pinoy na gusto bumiyahe pero wala gaanong budget 🙂
still up to the challenge well vl ko next june 11 to 18 pwede sumama ? contact ko 09062496683 or 09214160179 newbie ako willing to be a traveler partner kung ok lang
go James..good luck..
thanks ning! see you sa mga events ha 🙂
wow, first time here.. kung saan ka masaya suportaan ta ka.. see you in davao…
hello vernz! yup, hope to see you in davao 🙂
Hi James!
I’ve got you covered in GenSan!
Find time to meet me and the Soccsksargen Bloggers, oK? (http://www.soxbloggers.com)
Ayo-ayo!
You can stay at my place in Davao, James and you need not worry about internet connection as we have a Smart Bro Canopy subscription at home. See you soon!
thank you sir alan! PMed you thru CS 🙂 see yah in davao
daghang salamat bosing avel! see yah in gensan. 🙂 the soxbloggers meeting would be great, exciting!
Blaze some amazing path James, the route is very promising you’d come out of it a really changed man – coz, the experiences on the road is where humans get its finest lessons in life. Who knows people will be talking bout this someday as the “Journeying James Diaries” just don’t turn into a Che Guevarra afterwards hehe
hey man, with all honesty, i really like the way you write your comments.
indeed, i agree. im hoping that more than the party and fun there will be more times of reflection of getting to know myself and the path im treading.
i hope to travel with yoiu sometime pre! i still believe that travelers can change the world (for the better)!
Good luck bro. Will follow your journey thru tweeter cause me and my wifey will backpack mindanao in Jan 9 – 25, 2012
as always, thanks sir eddie! thanks to the CSers down there who signified interest.
wow, i hope i can chronicle my jauntings properly.
Tell me kung papunta ka na ng Davao. Will inform my friends there! 😀 Goodluck sa iyong journey, James 😀
Kuya.. This is Ian.. Wow your conquering mindanao? hehe.. Good luck to your trip. ^_^
would i have known of this trip long before, i could accommodate you at home in Tupi, South Cotabato. i love what you do….Goodluck ……
wow, thanks a lot! dont worry po, i will be back to check on that tarsiers malapit sa area nyo.
…nice!! gudluck.. ^_^
come and visit here.. ..Island Garden City of Samal. u’ll luv d many adventures here 4 sure… gudluck 2 ur journey.. =)
I like to read your site a couple times a week for new thoughts. I was wondering if you have any other niches you write about?
thank you so much! yes, sports and running: http://running.journeyingjames.com
hi james. june 6-21 – on those very same days i did my first ever solo backpacking trip here in the philippines. inspired by your budget backpacking style (brought hammock too), i did west v plus cebu and negros oriental.
btw was it all in (including your stay at pension houses?) at 250 (west v) and 400 (mindanao)?
you keep on inspiring me and i thank you.
i was wondering bec a night stay at a cheap pension/hostel/lodgecost you 25-350 already :>
hi joan! that’s nice to know.. did you chronicled it or something? i want to read about it.
400php and 250php is all-in, most of the times i was couchsurfing.
hey james! thanks for your reply.
nope, i haven’t. i’ve been telling my international friends i’d blog about my backpacking trips (to keep them posted about the goings-on in my life), but i’ve been procrastinating (laziness, busyness, no-reasonNess haha).
when i finally do i’d send you a link.
you keep inspiring me, and like you, i’d do the whole philippines like a real drifter.
more power!
ohhh, don’t mention it! i like to interact with fellow travelers!
naks, and when do you plan to do that whole philippines things?
can’t wait to read about you adventures, please do write about it. hope to see you on the road!
bec backpacking the whole phils is undeniably a Herculean task, i need to do a lot of preps. my previous backpacking trips were a little random and done on the spur of the moment (which is also cool because i always tell my friends “in the uncertainty lies the real excitement!”) perhaps sometime within 2013 (i still need to work overseas for quick dough haha). “can’t wait to read…” – is this true? i’m honored and yeah i’d do next time.
and yes it’ll be cool when our paths cross!
+1 on this “in the uncertainty lies the real excitement!”
yep, i love to read accounts of solo travelers in the Phils. for now, get your quick dough while i travel. haha have a happy be year joan!
any updates po dito sir?