Meet the Nomads: Edcel of Soloflighted

Edcel or Ed is the author of SoloflightEd (this is just one of his blogs) that chronicles his adventure within and outside the Philippines. His recent travel to Macau really caught my attention because he bungy jumped from the highest bungy jumping facility in the world. What an awesome feat that I know I might not be able to endure hehe because Flip is so afraid of heights.

Get to know more about Ed and visit his blog at SoloflightEd.

Here’s Flip’s short interview with Ed.

How did you discover your passion for travelling?

“I started travelling back when I was 10 years old due to my father’s line of work. We’ve lived in different places and I’ve studied in 8 different schools from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. At first, I didn’t like the idea of having to go to one location to another and having to settle and start over but I realized that it has been an asset knowing that I’ve gone to a number of locations even at a young age.

My passion for travelling started when I joined the Business Process Outsourcing industry. I was able to join a number of outings with different teams in the company where I work. It’s very cost-effective as we all just have to chip in a minimal amount. I realized that instead of posting those team adventures in Facebook, Multiply and other social media sites, I’d rather post them in my blog where I can also write a better description on the things that we did for other people’s reference.”

What’s the most horrible experience that you’ve had on the road?

“It’s not really horrible but there was a time when I was waiting for a boat ride in Dumaguete back to Cebu. I still had an hour to burn and since I was a bit groggy, I dozed off at the terminal. When I opened my eyes to check the time, the boat had already left and I looked like a fool for being so complacent. It’s a good thing I knew my way around town so I just made the most out of the terminal fee and slept on one of benches in the port terminal; I took another route the next day.

Also, I was on a boat ride back to Dumaguete from Siquijor. In the middle of the sea, we saw some smoke that emitted at the back of the fast craft. The boat halted and we were getting panicky since we didn’t know what was going on. At the back of my mind I was thinking that we were stuck at sea and the boat was going to explode any time soon. What’s worse was how the crew handled the situation; they just smiled and laughed at the situation when other passengers were already in distraught. It turned out that a screw or bolt was missing that’s why they had to stop the boat. All the while people were getting seasick and anxious.”

What’s the best travel experience that you’ve ever had?

“Bungy jumping from the world’s highest bungy in Macau! We dropped by Macau on our 6-day Hong Kong trip and I was able to bungy jump from a height of 233 meters. The trip was memorable because it cost me an arm in order to jump and attempt suicide (harhar). Really, a friend told me about her experience doing the bungy and I couldn’t wait for my turn to do the same. I had a year’s worth to save up for the jump and when I arrived in Macau, everything just fell into place.

Here’s my bungy jumping experience post at the Macau tower.

Aside from the travel, it’s more on the feeling of visualizing yourself to be where you wanted to be. When your vision has come to fruition, there’s a feeling of accomplishment that you can’t help but be proud because it has materialized.

The first trip abroad was very memorable because it opened my eyes to see that there are places that I haven’t explored. It’s totally different when you’re actually at the spot itself. When I stepped foot on foreign soil, it made me realize that I can actually go to places outside the country; with my own hard work.”

What’s the biggest realization that you’ve got out of travelling?

“The world is big and I’ve already wasted a lot of years not being able to explore it.”

What keeps you going? What keeps you motivated?

“I used to hate traveling because of the need to wait for a number of hours before I could reach my destination. We all know that traveling is expensive, even if you’re on a budget as you’re still paying for the fare, food, lodging etc. A lot of people think that traveling is a luxury. However, I don’t go to bars a lot and I don’t collect cars; everyone has a vice, traveling is mine.

I am motivated to travel when I see other people travel. If others can do it, why can’t I?”

This is a silly and hypothetical one. If you would be given a chance to travel with a popular person or a celebrity, who would it be and why?

“Haha, can’t think of any; so long as the person doesn’t have any reservations — no high-maintenance attitudes please.”

Where’s your favourite place in this planet and why?

“The Philippines is still the best because we’re rich with natural resources. But I can say that Macau is beautiful – and I hardly use the word ‘beautiful’.”

What do you think about yourself?

“There is a need for me to always do something and keep myself busy. For now, I have a number of old acquaintances who have started to settle with families and homes but I’m still at a point wherein I CAN’T stay put and I have to get out and explore.”

“My blog was a personal journal that evolved into a travel blog. I share my experiences of places I’ve been to so people may see the world in my eyes. It helps a lot that I’m able to provide tips and things to do in the places I go for added information. I want my site to be as useful as possible; the same way that other blogs have been helpful in giving me tips to the places they’ve been.” – Ed

Next: James Betia of Journeying James. Previously: Josh Summers of Far West China. For more interviews with travel bloggers, check out the archives of Meet the Nomads.