The Ordinary Becomes Extraordinary When Travelling

Most of us spend many hours of planning to make our travels memorable. Travelling is after all a treat that usually does not happen every day so we want it to be special and fulfilling. That is why we pack our daily travel schedules to the brim, not wanting to miss anything, and we set our minds to try everything—from thrilling rides and unique adventures to exotic food and strange worlds. We list many exciting things to do, often straight from our fantasies and dreams, and promise ourselves the time of our lives. We go the extra lengths in ensuring that every moment counts, or that we need to have a photo in just about every corner we go (I’m so guilty of this haha).

The goal is to make the trip exceptional, the best so far. It is a holiday that should stand out from the rest of the days in the calendar. The trip should be extraordinary, as travels ought to be, we say. There are times, however, when by some unplanned twist or streak of fate, we end up doing just the opposite—the ordinary—and surprise ourselves at how we deliciously relish and even welcome them when travelling.

These are items that we barely notice in our everyday lives, more so during the special days when we roam the world. In our minds, these things are so ordinary they should not have a place in our extraordinary itineraries. Yet sometimes, these seemingly dreary routines prove to be priceless gems during our travels, even becoming one of the highlights of our journeys.

So common are they that we usually fail to take note of the pleasure they bring to us, travelling or not. Take for instance the long walks that we often dislike doing on our ordinary days yet oddly enjoy when we travel to other places since walking our way around is one of the best ways to explore a locale. Or how about the wonderment we feel by looking at the sunset at the ocean’s horizon while blissfully sitting on a beach somewhere; it is the same sun that sets outside our office window on a regular day, isn’t it? And then there’s the sunrise. Almost always, we try to start our day early when we are travelling, to cover more ground, so to speak. That’s fortunate because watching the sun slowly rising and showering colors in the sky, whether on top of a mountain, from the window of a plane, or wherever we are, is always magical. I myself have waited for the sunrise quite a few times at home, with hot coffee and pandesal (or toast) to boot, and the anticipation is the same as doing it elsewhere.

It maybe true that we hardly take pleasure in the ordinary. Our routines, the daily grind of things, the world's rhythm, regular conversations--these are customary. But they are also an integral part of our being. They make up our comfort zone, which consciously or not, we take with us where ever we go, our travels included. So even if we plan and enjoy doing uncharacteristic, invigorating and daring actions when we travel, we also take comfort, and happiness that is reassuringly familiar, when we engage in these so-called typical, ordinary things. That makes them extraordinary, too. 

And when we think about it, what is ordinary to us is actually extraordinary to those who in turn visit our hometown or country, and vice versa. Travelling then allows us to become witness to both the ordinary and extraordinary, ours and those of others', and to find out that the difference between the two is quite insignificant.

What is important is how we value not just the grand and big items on our travels but also the simple and mundane but no less satisfying events. That and discovering what is extraordinary in these ordinary moments when we resume our regular lives. Becoming less neglectful of the joys that we can get from our everyday experiences will bring more enjoyment and satisfaction to us, whether we are far and away or just comfortably nestling in our cocoons.

Here are some of the ordinary things that I found extraordinary on my travels. Care to tell me about yours? J

Ordinary in Extraordinary/Extraordinary in Ordinary: Watching sunset (above, Boracay, Philippines) and waiting for the sunrise (below, at the author's home in Manila, Philippines) 

Finding a comfortable seat in the middle of nowhere to witness extraordinary sights from ordinary characters: Shown here are the locals of Hanoi, Vietnam occupying the whole periphery of Hoan Kiem Lake as they do their early morning fitness regimen of aerobics, badminton, tai chi, meditation, and dancing as a community, complete with blasting music and government propaganda from a public address system.

Many of us who are working in the city find the towering buildings and skyscrapers as ordinary. But take a closer look and find yourself marveling at the extraordinary architecture and story behind these landscapes. (Singapore)

Forget fancy dining for snacks. Eating ordinary ice cream while on the move is extraordinarily filling both for the body and the senses! (Hanoi, Vietnam)

Sometimes you need to step back and just sit still to see beyond the ordinary moments. One of the most extraordinary nooks I found in my travels was this balcony of a coffee house in Hanoi, Vietnam, wherein through its clear glass walls, I saw time and the world (or at least that part of the world hehe), passed by.    

Looking at ordinary signs, maps, landmarks—if you are like me, you will find doing this extraordinary, and more so when travelling. Let the strange names of foreign streets roll off your tongue :) (Happily perusing a travel guide in Shanghai, China)

Ordinary walks lead to extraordinary paths (At a park in Singapore)

The list goes on. Kite flying, running barefoot, feeling the sand or grass on our toes, stealing a kiss on a moonlit night, thanking the heavens, catching up with friends from other places, falling in love, dreaming—with eyes open. :-) 

On Location

I rarely go to cinema nowadays. With whole days devoted to full-time child caring and squeezing a little work in between, evenings and weekends are usually spent catching up on other chores and rest, capped by a short late night movie on TV or some reading, at best. It is always a treat when I go out for some social function; extra special when it involves a movie house. Last week, the universe smiled at me (and my husband) and sent a babysitter (our) way. My excitement was such that even though I didn’t get to watch my first movie choice, I happily poised myself for two hours of bliss from another film, “Lucy” (starring Scarlett Johanssen). It became doubly exhilarating when during the opening scenes, I immediately recognised familiar landmarks from a recent overseas trip. “Taipei!” I whispered to my date and could barely contain my excitement. I got even more pumped up upon seeing that crucial parts of the movie were shot in the same hotel I stayed in during that trip! 

That led me to thinking how when we visit or see a place that was used as a movie location, it somehow holds a different meaning to us other than just being one of our travel itineraries. Suddenly a place is not just a charming, old town anymore; for us, it is also where a charming, old movie was filmed. There’s an added attraction that we identify with. We feel more connection. Maybe because when we step into such place, a world of make-believe from movies becomes physically real, or we sense the opposite—we see an actual, real place that at one point was cinematically transformed into something else.  We sort of transcend the line between fantasy and reality, and feel an odd belongingness to both. 

Travelling to these places breathes life into an otherwise two-dimensional movie backdrop. What we’ve only seen before in the wide screen as a row of houses turns out to be a real community of real people in real life. Actually walking on a film’s street locations, dining in some of its featured restaurants, and talking to people who live there humanise these places and tell stories that enrich our journeys even more.

Meanwhile, on the occasions that we have gone to a place prior to seeing the movie, we painstakingly scrutinise the setting (as I am sure what most Filipinos did when they watched Jeremy Renner’s “Bourne Legacy” that filmed in large part in Manila and Palawan, Philippines) and feel comfort and ownership, pride even, for every familiar landmark that we see. We’ve been there, we say. Or even if we have not seen the movie and only knew that it was shot in a place we are visiting, it is still a nice trivia to add to our travel memories. 

Either way, it helps us to be more observant and grounded when we are travelling. We see a place in a different light by looking deeper into every nook and comparing notes between fact and fiction. We get to know the place a little more; if we are quite familiar with them prior to its inclusion in a movie, we develop a whole new appreciation for the place. And everytime we see the movie’s reruns, we relive our experience of going there again and again, making our travels to movie locations, whether by choice or fate, quite special. 

I fondly recalled some of my own travels on movie locations here. Would love to see the movie locations you've been to! :-)

Movie locations build up on a place’s history (above: Cambodia’s Angkor Wat complex where Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider movie was filmed) or natural features (below: Halong Bay in Vietnam, a water maze for the action scenes in one of Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond films).

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A movie shot in one’s town becomes a local pride. I remember when I first set foot in Aurora (northerrn Philippines), my then boyfriend and now husband’s home province, one of the places he pointed to me when he was showing me around was the bridge and the breakpoint (the spot where inland water meets the sea) where Francis Ford Coppola shot some of the Vietnam War scenes for his masterpiece “Apocalypse Now” in the late 70’s. This was way before the province underwent massive tourism upgrade and started capitalising on its water sports like surfing to attract tourists. The local movie “Baler” was also filmed in the province and featured the scenic cove of Baler Bay (shown here) on its title credits.

While shooting rapids in Pagsanjan Falls in Laguna, Philippines, Ronnie Lazaro’s breakthrough film, “Boatman,” where he played the titular role who later became a sex worker in the city, comes to mind.

Little Hollywood. Locals will tell you that their town of Magdalena, Laguna was a favourite of Philippine movies' Da King, Fernando Poe, Jr. Several of his movies were filmed there. When you visit this town, you would know why. The place, particularly its old church, speaks of a thousand and one stories, not unlike in movies. 

Movie locations can be tourist magnets that’s why cities abroad offer tax breaks and other incentives to entice producers to film in their areas. The town of Pila, Laguna in the Philippines, dotted with old houses and a picturesque plaza, was the location of a handful of local movies and television shows. Pity I lost all my photos taken in Pila when I went there a few years ago. Well, that gives me a good reason to return someday. (Photo from the internet)

A visit to the Sampaguita Gardens (San Juan City, Metro Manila), erstwhile home of local movie pioneer Sampaguita Pictures and the family behind it, the Vera Perez clan, gives a glimpse of the old glamour of Philippine movies. The sprawling compound, the family's ancestral home, and its famed staircase, were sites of many of the productions’ classic black and white films during its heydays in the 1950’s to 1960’s, as studio shooting over location filming was the norm at the time. During filming, the stars were housed in the Vera Perez’s mansion, where they were groomed and taught social etiquette, among other lessons, by the Sampaguita Pictures’ matriarch herself. The place is now an events venue and is being rented out. Nora Aunor, the garden manager said, was among the last celebrities to sashay on this grand staircase for her debut party. 

The Bells & The Bees (Of Travels & Hobbies)

This blog's title is a play on the words travels and hobbies (i.e., homonym sounds of their last syllables), two of the things that make life more interesting, satisfying and moving. As with bells that seem to happily announce one's milestones, we likewise mark the start of journeys and arrivals at our destinations with ringing excitement. Think also of bees travelling long distance from one flower to the next for those sweet nectar that they turn into honey. We do the same when we go our way in leisurely pursuits to take in life's goodness and make filling, wonderful memories.

Travels and hobbies enrich our lives. They intensify our experiences and allow us to build connections, whether with other humans or inward ourselves. They ignite our senses: with travel, mostly a sense of adventure and the compelling urge to move and explore; from our hobbies, the feeling of solace and contentment, even when we are only sitting still, intently doing our craft. Both gives us immense pride and pleasure on where we can go and what we can do. Or who we can be.

Like the ringing sound of bells that echoes long after the last sound they make, travels leave a lasting impact on our lives that enables us to view the world differently, to connect to others, to feel more alive. Shown here are old bells on display at a museum in Hanoi, Vietnam. 

Yet many of us cannot, or would not, travel and take up hobbies as much as we want to. Maybe because of its connotations of painstaking work, arduous planning, and time devotion (or spending much, in most cases).  Truth is, it does not necessarily have to be that way. We can actually engage in meaningful travels and gratifying hobbies, with or without the huge burden and expectations that we attach to them.

The key lies on how we see joy in our everyday journeys and passions. We need not even step outside our homes to be able to go places. And no matter how trivial or silly, we best pass time in the company of families or friends. The goal is to get enjoyment from even the smallest of trips or simplest of tasks. To do that, I think we need to first change how we view travelling and hobbies. Distance covered or the magnitude of projects done should not be the yardstick. The most important things are the memories we make each and every time, their impact on our lives and on others, and how we carry on.

This blog is about those stories; not necessarily mine, mind. I will be sharing others' travels and hobbies, too. And yours will be most welcome, thank you!

So whether with the loud, pealing noise of bells or the low, steady buzzing of bees, I wish to fill these pages with common tales of finding extraordinary stories, of travels and hobbies, even in our ordinary days. Happy to have you here! :-)