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The Northern Lights of my dreams

I’m an ocean girl at heart. Saltwater and sand will be my top destinations almost every time. One of the few destinations included in that almost? Iceland. Why do I want to visit? Let’s count them off!

  1. The road trip experience

Iceland Driving Road Trip

Scenic landscapes everywhere you look and well-maintained roads? Perfect. Now I just need to learn how to drive…

2. The road trip minus the carbon emissions

DSC01647.JPG

If you want to get more exercise, there’s always biking. I’m going to skip the leg-killing uphill climbs as there are enough flat plains to go around.

3. It’s great for whale watching!

whale watching VI

Iceland’s waters are home to lots of krill and fish, which means lots of whales and dolphins! Twenty-three species of whales and dolphins call Iceland home, though the ones most commonly seen during whale watching tours are minke whales, humpback whales, harbor porpoises, and orcas. Minkes are the most common though, and can be seen year-round.

4. Hot springs!

Iceland's Blue Lagoon

The most famous one is (of course) the Blue Lagoon. It’s so popular that you need to pre-book tickets. Of course, there are other hot springs that you can visit, whether for free or with a paid ticket.

5. Of course, the Northern Lights.

The Northern Lights - Iceland - Travel photography

If you don’t want to wait in the cold (no one enjoys being cold) and you can afford it, find a rental unit that has an outdoor hot tub.

Now, if only I can find cheap flights to Reykjavik.

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Why I #BlogWithNuffnang

I’ve blogged with Nuffnang ever since I started www.theislandergirl.com in 2013 and I’ve never looked back. There are a boatload of reasons why I’ve stuck with Nuffnang this long but these are my favorites:

1. Nuffnang partners with the best brands.
No sketchy dealings here. With Nuffnang, the ads that appear on your blog are from legitimate businesses. The same goes for sponsored posts. Nuffnang considers the type of content you produce and matches sponsorships accordingly. That way, your readers are more likely to be interested in what your sponsors have to say.

2. Nuffnang holds the best contests.
Seriously. Who else can partner with Airbnb and hold a contest for the best travel bucketlist with cash and Airbnb credits as the top prize? That was the best contest ever and I was lucky enough to win it. I’m leaving for Hong Kong next month and it’s all thanks to Nuffnang!

That wasn’t my first time to win a Nuffnang contest. I was also fortunate enough to win a ticket to Blogopolis 2013 and the first Restaurant Digital Marketing Conference. Winning the conference ticket was especially important to me as my mom owns a fabulous bakery and we needed to know how to promote it online.

3. Nuffnang’s staff are the best.
I coordinated with Community Manager Jamon to pick up my prize for the Airbnb contest and he was so easy to deal with. Same goes for their Help department when I needed assistance in cashing out my advertising earnings for the first time. I’d definitely work with them again 🙂

 

blogwithnuffnang

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Airbnb and Nuffnang: my travel angels!

This post is two weeks late – blame work and long commutes – but here goes: I won first place in Airbnb and Nuffnang’s #MyAirbnbTravelBucketList contest!

*cue screaming and jumping*

My original blog post is here.

Thank you so much to everyone who read my blog post and signed up for Airbnb, Nuffnang, and of course, Airbnb!

Confession time: I had a mini panic attack during Airbnb’s call to confirm that I won when their representative asked me point-blank as to where I was planning on going. The truth is that I have no idea! Hahaha! I’m thinking maybe Thailand or Malaysia since I’ve never been (and no visa requirements!), or go local with Cebu and Bohol. Luckily, I still have a few months to figure it out 😀

The prize money disappeared quickly but for a good cause. I headed to Nautilus and bought a neoprene vest, pants, and a long-sleeved rashguard. I’m leaving in a few days for fieldwork in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay and these will definitely come in handy.

Here’s to more travel and adventures in the months to come!

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The AWESOMEST day of 2012 thus far

So. What happened today that made it so freaking awesome? This:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa8j7BHax8M]

Yep, that is a freaking WHALE SHARK (Rhincodon typus) in front of Miniloc Island Resort. You can hear our excited squeals in the video 😛 Now, people have been spotting these whale sharks all around the bay starting December 2011 but those sightings tapered off in late January and this is my first time to see one. And I got to swim with it! How? I jumped into the water, not caring that I was in my full work uniform. No mask, no snorkel, no fins. Melo (one of our dive masters) was kind enough to lend me his mask so I could see. I swam with it for a good 10 minutes, treading water and realizing that I am severely out of shape. Sigh. It also wasn’t until later when I remembered that our uniform shorts turn transparent when wet >_< Raymond was kind enough not to say anything and just handed me a towel to wear around my waist until I got cleaned up.

The second part of what made this day awesome: my entry making it to the top 5 of the Philippine Travel Operators Association (PhilTOA) poster-making contest. YAY!!!! My entry:

Our company actually got 2 out of the 5 slots – our other entry featured my friend and coworker Rima’s turtle photo and my caption. Not bad for two Bio majors with no formal art-related training 😛 DOT Secretary Jimenez will be choosing the Top 3. I hope we win (and the prizes are awesome)! 😀

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When did you first hear about Star Wars?

This post is an entry to the Star Wars Moleskine giveaway by Avalon.ph

Yes, I still owe a post about the last day of our trip – more Joon time, Victoria Peak, the Symphony of Lights, and a final stroll around Tsim Sha Tsui – but I couldn’t resist entering Avalon.ph’s raffle. The prize is a Star Wars Moleskine. How freaking awesome is that? 😀

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Image via Wikipedia

I first heard about Star Wars during the summer of 1998. We were staying in my dad’s cousin’s house in Florida. My dad was on a couch, watching some movie on VHS. Being the curious/annoying child that I was, I decided to pepper him with questions while he was watching the movie.

Me: “Who’s the tall guy with the funny mask?”

Dad: “That’s Darth Vader.”

Me: “Who’s the short guy in black?”

Dad: “That’s the Emperor.”

Me: “What are they doing?”

Dad: “Sit down and watch the movie.”

The movie was “Return of the Jedi“. Little did I know that this movie (and the two more that I watched relentlessly on VHS, plus the three new movies I caught on opening day) would change my life forever.