Calvin’s Hub

Calvin’s Hub was originally made as a place where I can share our travels. Tia and I love to travel… a lot. You can check my Travelogue for the list of places we’ve visited.

I would say 2012 was not a good year for us in terms of traveling but there’s a good reason for it which I’m going to share in a bit. It started out really well though with a trip to Davao to start the year.

January – Davao

It was our first time to visit Davao and I didn’t know I will be going there thrice this year. It was a laid back budget-conscious travel where we spent most of our cash on food trips, and not a bad thing to do in Davao. We also tried ziplining and spent a day at this peaceful beach called Isla Reta.

February – Baguio

Baguio is not a new place to us but it was our first time to experience the Panagbenga Festival courtesy of PLDT where they also launched their PLDT WiFi Zone in the area. Went and made friends with a few bloggers in the fashion world during this trip.

March – Mt. Pinatubo

Instead of the usual summer beach thing, we climbed Mt. Pinatubo early March with a bunch of friends. For March, the weather was good, sunny but cool winds so it was a nice day for hiking. The trek was easy and fun, and the landscape going to Mt. Pinatubo is just gorgeous. We didn’t take a dip at the crater lake any more because the water was too cold.

Travel Break

Probably a week after our Mt. Pinatubo trip, we found out that Tia was pregnant. Yay! It was good news but not for traveling as we already booked our flight to Beijing in October. We were also planning to another summer trip but that took a backseat. Baby comes first.

Unfortunately after a couple of weeks, we learned that we lost our baby. :( It took quite some time for Tia to recover from it but she did. And when she did, I told her at least we can use our Beijing tickets again. I also told her to plan us a grand trip on December, better than any of our international trips before.

May – Davao

I’m back in Davao but this time wearing my Pinoy Tech Blog hat as Epson treated members of the media to an adventure like they always do every year. We stayed at Eden Nature park where the climate is cool and the food is so-so. Highlight of this trip would be our whitewater rafting as it was more enjoyable than our CDO one in 2011.

Travel Mode: ON. Destination : U.S.A.

After her recovery, Tia told me she wants to travel in California with me. I said, Let’s do it! Although I was a bit hesitant because I got denied on a US visa about a year ago. Anyway, she prepared my requirements and I went to the embassy. Keep things short, I was granted a 10-year multiple-entry visa. US is a go.

I told her I would like to spend Thanksgiving Day there, to go with my birthday, and our anniversary. It was a two-week vacation and she found a couple of cheap tickets (well not exactly cheap but you know how US tickets are) that we immediately booked. She also booked us roundtrip tickets from SanFo to LA. It was all set!

August – Davao

For the third time, I’m back in Davao but this time I was invited by PLDT to witness the Kadayawan Festival. It was just a short trip but was fun and filled with good food. Thanks PLDT!

Travel Break Part 2

God has a funny way of telling us to take a break from traveling. Mid-September, we found out that Tia’s pregnant again and this time, our parents told us to be more cautious. There goes our Fall Beijing trip, again.

October – Thailand

As a consolation prize, I was still able to go to Thailand late October, just to have my passport stamped. Hahaha. Actually, it was for a 3-day trip sponsored by NVIDIA where we stayed cooped up in a hotel for most of the time. I didn’t get to buy anything (just food at the airport), nor see any sights unless you count the massage parlors in front of our hotel as sights.

I was itching to go to the US and take part in their Black Friday Sale but it wasn’t meant to be. Tia wasn’t cleared to travel on those dates. I was tempted to go alone just so my ticket won’t go to waste but ultimately realized that I shouldn’t leave my wife’s side. The happiness on her face after hearing my decision was priceless! :)

So I guess 2012 wasn’t a year of travel for us. Will it be the same in 2013? They say that couples drastically cut on traveling when a baby is already on board. We’ll see.

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Filed under: Travel