I am a well-traveled person. I’m proud to have visited a lot of countries starting at a young age. Being a performing musician sure has its perks especially when it comes to representing the Philippines in overseas conventions or events. Of course it didn’t start like that, my first trips were as a tourist with my family. It’s always great to travel and mingle with other cultures. Every country I visited has its unique character, but I have my favorites as well. Find out after the jump!

1987
Nuernberg & Frankfurt, Germany
My mom brought me along with her as she attended a conference. I was 7 years old. The conference was at Berlin but because she was going to be busy there, she left me to under the care of her Fil-German friend and former classmate’s family, the Dürrs. Nuernberg has a more provincial setting as opposed to the big city that is Frankfurt. They have strict laws on biking lanes and pedestrians. It was fun to travel around town and to the city biking together with the Dürrs. Wearing a leather jacket or thick sweatshirt was a requirement. The cold weather can get nasty especially when night falls. When the conference was over, my mom came to pick me up and we went straight to Frankfurt, to tour this time.

1987
Hong Kong
After leaving Germany, my mom and I stopped over at Hong Kong for a few days before going back home to the Philippines. We stayed at Windsor hotel and made trips to a lot of botiques and of course, Toys R Us! I got my first GameBoy (bought several and lost a few) here! I got to take my first subway ride here in Hong Kong. There were no MRTs in Manila yet and I never set foot at the LRT back then. Oh and we were able to see Victoria’s Peak!

1989
Xiamen, China
When my mom was still working with then congresswoman Nikki Coseteng, she brought me along on their trip to China to produce a TV show on Filipina domestic helpers working in this country. I was 9 years old. We were greeted with a barrage of fireworks at almost every major stop. The Chinese believe that fireworks drives away evil spirits and since we were travelling with a government official, they wanted to give extra protection to her entourage. I was hoping to see the Great Wall of China during this trip, but sadly it wasn’t part of the itenerary.

1989
Hong Kong
And again before going back to the Philippines, my mom, along with then congresswoman Coseteng’s entourage stopped by Hong Kong for some days also to interview some Filipina domestic helpers working here.

1991
Hong Kong
My grandfather at my motherside brought all of his sons and daughters along with all grandsons and granddaughters to Hong Kong. He shouldered all airfare and hotel fees. It was the best and most memorable family event abroad that I could remember. A few months after we came back home to the Philippines, my grandfather passed away due to colon cancer. I guess it was a farewell treat for the family and he knew what was to come. God bless his soul!

1999
New York and California, United States of America
This is my first trip abroad as a performing musician. I came with the touring group of the Kasarinlan Philippine Music ensemble as the resident guitarist/violinist and production designer. We performed in 3 universities, 1 theater show and several mini performances in a span of 1-2 weeks. I was also able to visit Disneyland and watch Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. I must say, walking along the streets of the Big Apple for the first time is certainly breathtaking.

2001
Kuala Lumpur and Pasir Salak, Malaysia
I was handpicked by the National Commission on Culture and Arts along with seven other Filipino delegates to represent the Philippines in the 2001 ASEAN Youth Camp which took place in Kuala Lumpur. All other ASEAN countries had their own delegates as well and we got to interact and collaborate with them. My favorite delegates were the Thai delegates and especially the Malaysian delegates for they bear so many resemblances in Pinoy culture. Even some words have the same meaning. For example, “silaw” which means ‘to get too much glaring light’ means the same in Malay. This is one of my favorite trips.

2003
Berlin & Frankfurt, Germany
I never expected to return to Hitler’s country but there I was, together with my band Makiling. We were selected by the Department of Tourism as part of the performers for the International Tourismus Borse, an international convention for tourism. We were to provide the main entertainment for the Philippine showcase night. Among the other performers were Gary Valenciano, Grace Nono and Jenine Desiderio to name a few. There were 3 major shows and we stayed here for around 2 weeks. However, a slight problem arrived when we were about to go home. There was some jumble in the flight tickets and we were all forced to go home in separate flights. Some of us even had to stop over another country before boarding the plane back to the Philippines.

2003
Bangkok, Thailand
We were one of the lucky ones who had to stopover somewhere else before going home to our mother country. We stayed for 2 days at Bangkok, Thailand. Luckily, I had the contact numbers of my Thai friends who I met in Malaysia. Two of them toured me around the city and treated me with exotic Thai food. The morning before our flight, we took a boat tour and saw the huge ancient temples and palaces.

2007
Stockholm & Helsingborg, Sweden
This is my most recent trip abroad. I was once again invited by the Kasarinlan Philippine Music ensemble to perform as guitarist and hegalong player. We stayed for around two weeks here. I was able to meet Fil-Swedes who have lived and worked here since the 1990s. They say it’s much harder to survive here compared to other countries such as the USA.

Well there you go, these are the countries that I’ve visited. Word of advise to all, if a once in a lifetime opportunity arrives at your doorstep, especially if it involves travelling abroad, take it at once. You never know, a rare opportunity may never happen again and you might regret it for the rest of your life.