Red Butterfly Travel Series: San Francisco

I love San Francisco. It’s so beautiful there.

I stayed there for two days when I got transferred to another ship. I remember freaking out though when I saw that a travel size toothpaste costs around 3 USD (141 pesos). I left the convenience store with an incredulous look on my face. (I know I shouldn’t convert but I couldn’t help it at that time.)

Since I didn’t know anyone there and I was all alone, I remember having a strange compulsion to sing “All By Myself” by Celine Dion (which I now find hilarious).

I hope I can go back there with some of my friends sometime in the future.

Red Butterfly Travel Series: Miami

The first thing that came to my mind when I arrived in Miami was “Am I still in the Philippines?”. It was a little hot when I went there for my cruise ship photography training.

Red Butterfly Travel Series: Vietnam

Vietnam. The land of… motorbikes!

My friends and I went to Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon) and stayed there for 3 nights. It was so hard to cross the streets especially during rush hour because of the crazy number of motorbikes there. Out of 7 million people living in Ho Chi Minh City, between 3-4 million own motorbikes!

Red Butterfly Travel Series: Singapore

I didn’t enjoy Singapore. Maybe because I was with my mom and her friends (old people LOL). Or maybe it was because of our hotel, which was really stinky and very ugly.

We went to Sentosa and other places which I no longer remember. I became their photographer, which I didn’t mind. We bought souvenirs and ate at McDonalds (they were very scared to try the food there).

Red Butterfly Travel Series: Bahamas

Whenever I hear the word Bahamas, I think about two things: harassing cruise ship guests by taking photos of them while on the beach and Appletinis.

Yes. Harassing guests (actually, encouraging is the word my previous boss likes to use). But if I were in their shoes, I would call it harassment.

We had a certain quota we had to reach before we can go back to the ship to relax or do whatever we want. So I had to work really hard and fast so I can finish early (which rarely happens).

Red Butterfly Travel Series: Belize

For people who have no idea where Belize is,  here’s a map:

Red Butterfly Travel Series: Key West

Where the hell is Key West?! LOL! That’s the first thought that came into my mind when I heard we were going there. It’s the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys.

Red Butterfly Travel Series: Jamaica

Was able to go to Ocho Rios, Jamaica! Before disembarking, we were told not to bring any valuables outside (LOL sounds like something you would tell a foreigner here in Manila). We were also warned that someone might approach us and offer us doobie/marijuana. I was actually so tempted to try it, but was too scared to lose my job or worse… get jailed in Jamaica.

This is the port in Ocho Rios where we shoot the gangway. It was sooooo…. hot! Imagine shooting under the sun without any sort of shade for 4 hours!

Red Butterfly Travel Series: Grand Cayman

I wasn’t able to experience the beach here but was able to go to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville! Drank Margarita of course!

Red Butterfly Travel Series: Mexico

I wasn’t able to take as much photos as I want in Cozumel, Mexico. I was too busy sipping authentic Mojitos or getting drunk on Corona Beer while enjoying the beach, which by the way, in my opinion, is one of the best beaches in the world. I can’t even describe the color of the water. It was a different kind of blue. Soooo beautiful!