In celebration of my 25th birthday today, here is a list of my most unforgettable “first” travel memories.
1. My first out of the country trip was to Singapore when I was in Grade 5 so I was 11 years old?
2. First airline I went on was with Singapore airlines and it still is my favourite airline to fly with. Next in line is Korean Air.
3. The first time I saw penguins and flamingos was at Jurong Bird Park in Singapore.
4. First time to go to a Disney Park was at Hong Kong Disneyland when I was about 15 years old. From then on, I had made it my mission to visit all Disney parks in the world. I am only missing Disney in Tokyo and Paris.
5. First time to eat at a restaurant where English was not used in the menu was in Hong Kong and our options were limited to the pictures as we do not understand Chinese and even the servers cannot speak English.
6. My first time in North America was when I migrated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada on June 20, 2009.
7. The first time I celebrated my birthday outside of the Philippines was on July 2, 2009 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
8. My first time to the United States was when I went to Orlando, Florida for my then-boyfriend’s martial arts competition.
9. The first time I missed a flight was when the family was to go to San Diego, California, USA but I was stuck in university doing my presentation and my professor kept on blabbing and we got to the airport late. Thank god, the person at the airport was kind enough to rebook our flights at no cost. We had to go back the next day for our flight and our trip was cut short.
10 .The first time I tried surfing was at Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
11. The first time I went helmet diving was in Hundred Island, Alaminos City, Pangasinan, Philppines.
12. My first time snorkeling was at Hundred Island, Alaminos City, Pangasinan, Philippines.
13. I swam with dolphins for the first time at Ocean Adventure in Subic, Philippines.
14. The first time I saw fireflies ever was at Ihawig River, Puerto Princesa, Philippines.
15. My first time trying skim boarding was in Boracay, Philippines.
16. My mermaid dreams came true for the first time in Boracay, Philippines. Thanks to the Philippine Mermaid Swimming Academy.
17. My first time spelunking was in Sagada, Mt. Province, Philippines.
18. My first time to use my brand new Canadian passport was when I went to New York. I became Canadian a few days before I had to fly to New York and I left on Canada Day. Way to go eh? 😛
19. My first time traveling solo was when I went to New York City to celebrate my 24th birthday on July 2, 2014. I was there from July 1 to 9.
20. My first time to bump into a celebrity was while I was wandering aimlessly in Times Square.
21. My first Broadway show was Matilda the Musical. Matilda is my favourite childhood movie.
22.The first time I went on a short roadtrip by myself was from Grimshaw to Grande Prairie in 2014.
23. First time to go inside a zorb ball was at the North Peace Stampede near Grimshaw, Alberta, Canada.
24. The first time I get to watch a rodeo was in Drayton Valley just this year.
25. The first time I went hiking by myself was a few days ago at the Rotary/Pembina Nordic Community Trail but I did not even finish the trail. 😛
