Hello Again! Welcome to My About Me Page!
If you’re here to get a quick idea of who I am, here’s a rundown:
Name: Manoling Martinez (also called Pawi for being “opaw” [bald] when I was young)
From: Cebu City (the best place in the world!)
Goal: Travel to ALL 81 provinces of the Philippines
Why I Made This Site: Because I love this country, and I want YOU to love and experience it too!
Favorite Food: Not cheese pizza
Favorite Color: Dark blue
Contact Me?: Over here!
What do I Look Like?: This
Welp, that’s about it.
Goodbye!
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Okay…
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So you really want to learn more huh?
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Well alright then, if you insist.
But I have to warn you here, this is going to be a long one, so buckle up!
Let me take you back all the way to the very beginning:
“THE FIRST TIME I’M LEAVING CEBU!!!”
6-year-old me exclaimed as we rode a pump boat from Mactan to Olango Island.
I was wrong.
Olango Island is still part of Cebu Province, so I technically wasn’t “leaving” Cebu.
But for me, just the sight of a new island getting larger on the horizon filled me with a deep thrill I never felt before. Back then, I felt like I was discovering new lands.
You see, I LOVED geography (and still do!).
I spent all my time engrossed with maps, atlases, and encyclopedias.
I quickly memorized ALL the flags and could pinpoint any country in the world.
My heroes were from history books. And I always dreamt of what it would be like to be an explorer like Ferdinand Magellan or Christopher Columbus.
I would take a stick, pretend to be a conquistador, and spend hours in our garden navigating new lands and fighting imaginary natives.
Ironic, since the Philippines was colonized by Spain. So I was basically killing Filipinos in my little game (I was 6 years old okay??? 😂)
But even way back then, I knew very early on that my dream was to travel and explore.
WOW!!! Magellan’s Cross!
You know what’s funny?
For someone who loved geography and the idea of traveling so much, I BARELY traveled at all during my younger years.
Cebu, Leyte, Manila.
That’s it.
And I didn’t even get to explore those places.
You’d think that being from a tourist hotspot (Cebu) means that you get to visit all the attractions of that place.
Not quite.
In fact, I never even saw Magellan’s Cross (which is just right there in the center of my city) until my cousin from Manila came to visit.
I was definitely more excited to see it than our guests (and was acting like I was the tourist, which our guests must’ve found amusing).
Sister, sister, cousin, me, brother
We also visited Fort San Pedro that day (also in the center of Cebu City), which was a big WOW for me.
But after that?
Nothing.
Stuck at home once again.
Even though I knew about all the wonderful things to do and see in my country (or even just my province!), I just never had a reason or the means to go and visit them.
CrossFit to Travel???
What comes to your mind when you think of CrossFit?
The fittest people on earth?
Injuries and incorrect “reps”?
Or maybe being completely out of breath and feeling like you’re about to die – but somehow enjoying the experience?
Whatever the case, one thing you probably don’t think about when it comes to CrossFit, is travel.
When I was 18, my siblings and I got into a CrossFit mania.
Team CrossFit Sibs!
And, among other things, one of the things that I LOVED was this actually opened the door for TRAVEL.
You see, local CrossFit boxes would host competitions, and invite athletes from all over the country.
What a PERFECT excuse to travel!
It was the first time I got to visit places like Ilo-ilo, Davao, and Dumaguete.
And whenever we got there, we would ALWAYS go on a side-trip to the tourist spots.
In Davao, we had a side trip to Mati to see the Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Ocean! Mati is in the East, meaning from there, it’s the open sea!
In Dumaguete, we climbed up the mountains to see the Balinsasayao Twin Lakes.
These lakes are extremely beautiful and tranquil
And on Ilo-ilo? We went on a massive food trip!
Ilo-ilo’s food is on another level! Here’s some La Paz batchoy from Netong’s.
For the first time in my life, I was seeing the country! And I was more excited than ever before.
Yes, the competitions were few and far between. The most was twice a year.
But I didn’t mind too much.
That actually meant that we got to save up, so we could really make the most out of every trip!
And Then… 2020 Came
Yup!
You know what happened.
2020 – the year travel died.
Like everyone else, we were stuck at home for a long, long time.
But the ONLY thing that I was sad about?
Our twice-a-year trips!!!
Those were completely gone.
With no competitions, no reasons to visit places, and with flying being super difficult – I once again returned to staying at home all day, every day.
But that time was not wasted.
No.
In fact, if it wasn’t for the lockdowns, I probably wouldn’t be making this website at all.
Why?
Because focus.
Work Like CRAZY
For me, the lockdowns were a blessing in disguise.
As far as professional growth goes, I’d say the years 2020-21 were the BEST years for me.
With ZERO distractions, I got to sit down and focus so much on improving my work.
Work in the time of Covid
From a lousy writer who didn’t know what he was doing at the start of 2020, to managing NINE websites at the end of 2021, it was a HUGE growth spurt.
It was also during that time that I met my business partner and friend Mike Rogers. I won’t get into the details, but as far as work-life goes, I couldn’t have asked for anything better (meeting Mike is one of the main reasons I get to travel and work at the same time!).
I was in a FAR better place.
And by the time the lockdowns began to ease up?
It was time for…
REVENGE
We were kept away from traveling for TWO, WHOLE, YEARS.
I wanted revenge.
At who?
I don’t know!
Covid???
But at the start of 2022, I bought a BUNCH of tickets – anywhere and everywhere, from Ilocos to Surigao!
It was time.
Everything was perfect.
We were held back for way too long, it was time to start my mission to visit ALL the 81 provinces of the Philippines.
For the first time in my life, I could finally travel and experience my country!
And so now, with a bunch of flights to catch, I’m FINALLY LIVING THE DREAM!
The end!
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Just kidding, there’s more.
Now, you might be wondering:
If I’m already “living the dream”, then…
Why Create This Site???
Three reasons:
- I LOVE talking about the Philippines and my travels. And I get SUPER excited when people try out my suggestions.
- I want my travels to be sustainable. Visiting ALL the 81 provinces is going to be expensive. That’s why I eventually want to find a way to monetize this site – be it through affiliate marketing, sponsorships, or something else. Who knows?
- I want to promote the Philippines! I love this country. And on this site, I’m going to do what I can to get YOU to love it as well!
Then maybe you can come and visit?
If I can inspire people to travel and experience the Philippines, that would be SUPER fulfilling for me.
Or even if I just get you to appreciate this place, I’d be VERY happy with that already.
Okay, next question:
Why The 81 Provinces of the Philippines?
As I’ve mentioned before, my ultimate goal is to visit ALL 81 provinces of the Philippines.
Yes, I know some provinces aren’t as “exciting” to visit as others. And yes, some of them have a reputation of being dangerous to visit.
But I fully believe that every place has a unique experience to offer. And I’m out to get that. I’m out to experience ALL of it (yes, even you Sulu).
Getting to visit all of them is the ultimate badge that I want to have.
And That’s About It!
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading my little story here.
This is probably going to be the only page on this website that’s about me.
Everything else?
Everything else is going to be about the Philippines, what it has to offer, and how YOU can experience it!
So if you want to learn more about this beautiful country, then hop along, and let’s travel from Abra to Zamboanga!