From Iligan to General Santos

I love to travel.  Specially when I am with my husband, Pat, hehehe.  Aside from that, of course.   I love to travel because I get to see places that I sometimes just see in magazines or in TV shows.  I get to meet people of different race and/or culture.  I get to experience new things I won't be able to in my hometown.

But, how do you manage a travel when it's about 12 hours on the road?  I had this experience last 2010 when Pat and I attended the 4th Mindanao Bloggers Summit in Zamboanga City.  It was a 12-hour bus ride.  Definitely verrrrrryyyyy tiresome and we only stopped for lunch and restroom (twice only, sheesh).  And what's worst was we had a 1-hour standby at Pagadian Bus Terminal.  And we have nothing to do but wait for the bus to get on the road again.  So, I just slept in the bus for that 1 hour.  :-(

Last year, 2011, we again made a 12-hour road trip from Iligan to General Santos City.   But this time, it was different :-D  I already have a big smile here, hehehe....  For three reasons :

1.  Pat and I were with other members of the Iligan Blogger's Society, Inc.  There were 8 of us.  It was really an enjoyable trip when you got good company. :-)  You won't seem to feel tired.

2.  We opted to hire a van (Nissan Escapade) instead of taking the bus since, when we calculated it, we could save a lot on transportation cost.   And of course, having your own vehicle when traveling long distance is definitely more comfortable.  You'd get to choose when and where to stop.   We had fun taking pictures of the scenery during some of our  short stops.   

The Nissan Escapade and my husband, Pat, during one of our stops.

Me and Pat.  Taken somewhere in Davao del Sur.

The rest of the group with the driver, Loloy (the man in blue shirt)

3.  The third reason is that I will be going to a place that I have never been too.   Well, this actually is always one of the reasons for me to travel to a place, hehehe  :-)

But. Second time on a long road trip, I really wished I already bought a mobile Wifi gadget like Globe Tattoo Super Stick.    It's a bit frustrating when I need to connect to the net and there's no connection available in the area.  :-(  During stops when there's not much scenery good for picture taking, I would have been able to check my emails (as I went on-leave from work, there might be some official emails, so I need to check from time to time, hehehe).

Even when we're not on the road.  Even in the pension house where we stayed in General Santos and in Davao City.  They claimed to have an internet connection.  Unfortunately, I could not connect.  Where are you Globe Tattoo Super Stick when I need you?  I asked my friends in the other room if they could connect.  Maybe there's just a problem with my netbook.  Not much luck either.  One said it is verrrry slow.   Grrr! 

Me, the netbook and the frown on my face. My husband had the pleasure of taking a photo of me while I was complaining about the connection.

The Globe Tattoo Super Stick would have been a great travel buddy.   I was told by a friend who is a satisfied user that  Globe Tattoo Super Stick is not limited only to one device but could also share the Wifi connectivity with up to 5 devices like netbooks or laptops, Wifi-ready mobile phones.  Meaning, my friends could have also benefited from my Globe Tattoo Super Stick.  If I had one, that is. Hehehe...

Hmmmm.... have to save for that.  Pat and I will have a long trip (as in 2 weeks) coming in October this year with his family.  :-D