Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

There's a certain high you get from traveling. New sights, new experiences, new found friends... These are the ingredients of stepping out from one's comfort zone and experiencing life in a different light. When we leave our usual context and step out of our comfort zones, we're rewarded with experience that will be forever etched in our memories.

Here are some of mine (from my recent trip to Banaue-Sagada), in no particular order:
1) Meeting new friends and rediscovering old ones you take for granted
2) Rediscovering my muscles --as well as how painful they can get when pushed to their limit (I have Batad to thank for this!)
3) Talking with strangers give you a different perspective on life.
4) Riding on the roof of a jeepney and savoring the view from the top is such a rush. Woohoo!
5) Doing more physical activities give you an intense feeling of accomplishment.
6) Feeling the crisp, cool air on your face can rejuvenate your senses and clear your mind.
7) Appreciating nature upclose and realizing that photos, no matter how gorgeous, can never capture nature's real beauty
8) Trying local wines, such a tapey (rice wine) and bugnay (local berry wine from Sagada), as well as the local coffee and tea really warms the body and soul
9) Riding an "open" jeepney on a dirt road and not really minding being covered with dust because of the gorgeous scenery
10) Learning to play Poker using paper balls and losing badly
11) Getting some first-hand experience on climbing in a cave (and looking like Gollum from LOTR in the process)
12) Climbing and going through rice terraces. Woohoo! What a thrill!
13) Swimming in ice cold waters of Tappia Falls and Sumaging Caves
14) Discovering home-made yoghurt is a lot better than the commercial ones in the supermarket
15) Waking up at 5 in the morning (without much snoozing and complaining) and actually looking forward to a long day of adventure
16) Having your bus break down 3 times (once in front of a funeral home!) is a one-of-a-kind experience I'll never forget
17) Striking loony/silly poses make photos more memorable than perfectly composed ones

The rewards of getting out of that comfort zone definitely outweigh the (false) security! I can't wait for my next travel!!