The Backpack Adventures

Bicol Road Trip 2021: Day 1 Intro After 3 years, my family and I got the opportunity to travel back to Albay - my father's hometown. What's special about this trip was that it was my first time to drive solo to Albay which is an 11-12 hour trip. My dad and mom were already at Casa Nicerio , our home/farm in Barangay Bariw in Camalig.  Although my siblings will be joining us on our trip, we still decided to bring only one vehicle instead of going on a convoy. Aside from that, we will also bring our pet ducks, Maya and Chick-Chick to their new home. Luckily, all our luggage and ducks fit at the back of the pickup.  As part of the travel requirements to enter Bicol Region, we had an antigen test a day before our trip.  Day 1: July 17,2021 Off to Albay As planned, we left at around 3:30AM to avoid traffic and also to reach our destination early. According to Google Maps, our 445-kilometer journey would take around 11+ hours.  Zigzag Road Stopover at Atimonan Zigzag Park Of course

Thank you for the 365 days that we've shared together. It was really a memorable one. Despite the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, there were numerous blessings and trips that came into my life. I also got to spend the majority of the year with my wife and daughter and to cap off this year, I got to visit Japan again, not as a tourist but as an Assistant Language Teacher in Rumoi City, Hokkaido Prefecture. What a perfect way to end the year.  Let's look back and see what milestones we've crossed and achieved this year. 1.  This year, there were 60  published articles (3 articles fewer than last year 😢).  2. I have reached 2.6 million views (That's 400K new views this year).  3. We got a new car - a Nissan Navara. We named it  OSAKA . 4. I resigned from PAREF Southridge School where I worked as a Grade School teacher for 13 years. 5. My family and I got fully vaccinated against COVID 19. 6. I got to travel back to Japan late this year as part of the JET Programme. Speaking