CLAVEL 2016 THE TRAVEL ISSUE
There was nothing that ignited the spirit of travel in me more than talking with Anil Serpin and Joyce Pring, our main features for the 2016 Travel Issue. At the time, I was desperately overworked and under-traveled, but their stories lit a fire in me. Granted, I didn’t get to travel as widely as either of them, but their stories opened up my mind to what I was missing.
And maaaan was I missing A LOT.
Learn a thing or two about travel but mostly about life in general as you walk a mile or two (or should I say 1,800) in the shoes of Joyce Pring and Anil Serpin. Enjoy.
NOMAD YES HAPPY:
A WALK OF JAPAN
STORY BY Angela Jed Silvestre
PHOTOS BY Anil Serpin
I first heard about this man through a friend (Hi, @jessmilner!). A nomad, of sorts, who was walking Japan.
“Walking Japan?” I said out loud.
Yeah, walking Japan. From one end to the other. On foot.
Although if you ask him (which I did), he’ll say, almost completely on foot.
“I took a ferry from Hokkaido to Aomori,” recalls Anil Serpin.
Anil is a 23 year-old native of Brooklyn, New York. An amazing city in itself that many consider as the city where dreams are made of, made from, and made in. Why would anyone want to leave?
But that is the beauty of growing up and living in a place like New York City. The possibilities are as endless as the diversity of people you meet on the street. A city with crowds so different, teeming with people so unique they can’t all be from one place. And they aren’t. It’s people like Anil, whose parents are Turkish immigrants, who add to the vibrance and character of a city like New York City because like any place, it’s the people you meet who make all the difference.
In today’s world, it’s funny (in a fortunate or unfortunate way) how you don’t even have to leave the house to meet people on the other side of the world. Social media is a two-word blessing and/or curse. You decide. But for this instance, we’re taking it as a blessing because, without social media, we probably would never have met Anil Serpin A.K.A. @nomad_yes_happy on Instagram. Never would we have seen the amazing images he captured on his inspiring journeys. More specifically, his walk of Japan.
A journey which took 110 days via the scenic, adventurous route beginning at the northernmost tip of Japan called Soya Misaki (Cape Soya) and ending at the southernmost tip, called Sata Misaki (Cape Sata). It wasn’t just the incredulity of Anil’s story that made me seek him out, follow him on Instagram, and talk with him about his journey. It was mostly due to the awe and the wanderlust his story inspired in me. You can read through this feature, read about the struggles and the rewards of a journey of a lifetime, and realize that it’s not something you can only do once but maybe a hundred times over as long as there’s a country to cross, a path to walk on, a beginning and end, and maybe take away from it what I and many others did.
Or, you can not. You decide.
All nomads came from somewhere. Where did you?
I'm from Brooklyn, New York. My parents are Turkish immigrants. Growing up in NYC has clearly had, I think, a major influence on my identity—in terms of the kind of exposure I received to the many different cultures of the world from a very young age. I feel I've always been the way I am now (a "nomad," although I use the term lightly). I don't recall a time when I didn't have the bug—that itch for adventure and the curiosity about what else is out there.
What or who inspired you to begin your travels? Was there a defining moment?
I recall sitting in the library and flipping through travel books at around 11 years old, and finding a photo of a location in Luoping, China now known as the "Ocean of Flowers." It was just a breathtaking image and I knew I wanted to go. Over time, I'd come up with a handful of places I'd always fantasize about being in. It wasn't until my older cousin Nilly went traveling for 6 months and told me about it upon her return home that I realized it didn't have to just be a dream. I could actually go to these places. So I credit her with opening my eyes to such possibilities. I did eventually make it to the Ocean of Flowers, after a 38-hour train ride from Beijing and a fair bit of hitchhiking. Seeing it in person was…overwhelming, to say the least.
Was this the first place you traveled to solo?
I was 19 [years old] and on a 3-week study-abroad program in Tokyo. After the program ended, everyone got on a train to the airport for the flight home except for me. Once they all left, I found myself alone in one of the world's greatest cities and for the first time, I felt the sense of freedom that comes with that. "Freedom" is perhaps not sufficient for describing that feeling, but it's the closest word I can find.
When you first decided to travel, how did you decide what to bring with you and what to leave behind?
I had a big-ass luggage with me when I was on that program, but quickly realized once I was actually on the move that it wasn't going to work out. So I got a backpack and stuffed it, and chucked the rest. This backpack got gradually and significantly lighter over the next few months (I returned home with maybe 20% of what I'd left with). So I'd say, no, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing at first. It's not a big deal though. Things always worked out, and there were countless people that helped me along the way.
What’s one piece of traveler wisdom you wish you found out sooner?
That there is no "right way" to travel. There are travelers who like to see sights and do "touristy" things, and there are travelers who would say that isn't real travel. There are people who like to visit a country and spend their entire time reading a book on the beach, and others who would rather go on a trek or a dive. Some people stay in 5-star hotels, others in 5-dollar hostels, or in a tent. There are people who like to move from a place after 3 days and others who stay somewhere for months, getting to know locals and forming a bond with the place. To me, these are all valid—as my definition of travel is going somewhere you want to go and doing whatever the hell you want to do there. It took me a while to realize this and I definitely let other people's opinions of what "real" traveling is influence my own travel decisions early on, even if it wasn't necessarily what I wanted to do.
How many years have you been traveling?
On and off since January 2013.
How many countries have there been in between those years?
On my first trip, I found myself increasingly obsessed with this number, jumping from country to country as soon as the opportunity presented itself, just to be able to say a higher number when someone would ask. I eventually found that I was leaving places before I wanted to and that nobody gives a shit. I realized I'd never actually be satisfied with the number, so I stopped counting completely. So how many countries? Enough to lose count, but not enough to have quenched my thirst for more.
Which country was your favorite?
It's between Hungary (mainly Budapest), Thailand, and Japan. Budapest was where I was introduced to how great hostels can be; Carpe Noctem is easily the world's greatest, especially for a 19-year-old me, and resulted in my working in various hostels afterward. Like any other backpacker, I've since dreamt about opening my own someday, except I actually fully intend to do so. Thailand, because I had almost all my things stolen, including my money and cards, and it led to me living on a couple of islands for almost a month on the beach, which turned out to be one of my favorite experiences ever. And Japan, because it was my first country, and I recently went back and had a pretty wild time there, which is what we're talking about now.
Yeah when we first heard about you, you were walking Japan from one end to the other end, on foot. The first question would have to be, WHY?
Because I lost a bet.
Just kidding. I struggled with this question quite a bit and my current, usual answer is that I was looking for something (no, I didn't find it). I suppose I'd always wanted to do a very long walk, to clear my head a bit. I've always loved hiking, exploration, nature, and adventure. Also—on the long list of things I am an enthusiast for, travel and languages sit at the very top. Japanese happened to be the language I was focused on at the time, so I took the walk as an opportunity to improve in that area; it worked out even better than I'd anticipated. Finally, and above all, I just felt that it was something I needed to do. I had no choice in the matter, if that makes sense. It's the same reason dancers dance, and painters paint.
Is this a thing you normally do, walk a country from end-to-end, or was Japan your first?
It was the first. I've hitchhiked and done long distances without planes before, but this was the first journey almost completely on foot (I took a ferry from Hokkaido to Aomori). It's been half a year since I finished, and I do have the craving to do something similar again—don't tell my mom—but it doesn't currently sit high on my priorities.
Next question would be, why walking? What does walking give you that riding a bicycle or a car through a country does not?
It's just the natural speed I feel we were meant to move at. When I walk, my mind is in its most relaxed state. I can enjoy what's around me at my own pace, and although it is incredibly taxing on the body overall, I never find that I'm completely exhausted. I think a journey on bicycle is just as good, but on this trip I really wanted to take it slow. Also, Japan is like 90 percent mountains so a bike on all those uphill slopes sounds like straight torture to me. I don't think I can adequately explain just how important doing the trip by walking was, but in the end, it was simply abundantly clear that the decision to go on foot was the only way for me.
Where in Japan did you begin your journey and where did it end?
The northernmost tip of mainland Japan (the four big islands), is called Soya Misaki, or Cape Soya. Beyond it is the sea, and then Russia. I started here and made my way down to the southernmost tip, called Sata Misaki (Cape Sata). I am certainly not the first person to do such a trip, as I've read about others who did the same, and even crossed paths with a few as we were headed in opposite directions. It is about 3,000 kilometers (1,800 miles) from one tip to the other. It could be less, but I did not take a very straight path. It took me a total of 110 days to complete.
What did you enjoy the most about walking Japan?
I slept in a tent a vast majority of the time as it is completely legal to do so there. Just spending a majority of my time alone in Japan's abundant nature, with a huge variety of animals and the overwhelming scenery, was perhaps my favorite thing. Also, the amazing people who showed me kindness that I cannot properly repay in a hundred lifetimes—I was given food multiple times a day, almost every single day, and a place to stay more times than I can remember. Oh, and also being able to eat ice cream and chocolate without consequence, as I walked 30 kilometers a day and needed every calorie I could get.
What did you enjoy the least about walking Japan?
The blisters.
Of the many colorful people you met on your journey, who made the most profound impact on you?
I can think of about ten people just off the top of my head, which I think speaks volumes about how amazing the people were to me.
I suppose I'll go with these three guys, all my age, that run their own hostel/guesthouse in Sapporo City, Hokkaido (the north island). It is my favorite place I've stayed at, called WAYA, and I just found it amazing that a couple of years ago, at only 22 years old, they decided to chase their dreams together. I have some very big plans of my own so I find myself drawn to big dreamers and feel a big spark of energy when I meet them. The reason I mention these three guys, in particular, is that they became very good friends of mine after the walk, and they play a large role in my next chapter in life.
Also, a man named Nobumi Takahashi, who I think is the single most humble and kind person on the planet, and who has devoted every minute of his life to helping others.
Did you encounter many difficulties on your walk of Japan?
The aforementioned blisters, along with rashes in inconvenient places, and various injuries to muscles, tendons, and bones throughout my body. The legs do get stronger and, by the end, I could go 50 kilometers without feeling the slightest bit tired. But the overall price the body pays is immense. I still deal with some of that today, over 6 months later. A steady stream of adrenaline helped to deal with it during the walk. Also, various encounters with some not-so-friendly animals, including a fox that tore up my boot, and a wild boar attack. Somehow an encounter with a bear did not fall under this category, as the bear was pretty chill, and decided not to bother me.
People ask if loneliness was an issue, but I thoroughly enjoyed the solitude. My main difficulty was fear of just about everything, but namely the unknown. I'm a city boy so spending a vast majority of my time out in nature, especially at night, was new to me. Somehow, this fear only got worse as I got further along. I learned a very important skill from this trip though—the ability to acknowledge fear, rather than ignore it. To be able to say “yo, I am afraid right now”, and to then be able to go ahead and do it anyway.
If you could list down five places one must see or go to when in Japan, which places would you mention?
I'll take this as an opportunity to mention some lesser-known places, as you can find all the main attractions of the country with a simple Google search or something. They are not "must-see" locations, as I kind of don't think anywhere is (for me it's more about the individual experience in each place), but they are beautiful.
Akaigawa, Hokkaido Prefecture: A basin town in southwest Hokkaido, not very easy to get to, as it's surrounded in every single direction by mountains, but that alone is the reason it's worth going to see. It would be worth stopping at on the way from Otaru to Niseko (two popular destinations).
Oirase Keiryu (gorge) and Lake Towada, Aomori Prefecture: It is the combination of a gorge/stream that flows down a mountain, into one of the biggest lakes in the country, that makes this, I think, completely worth a visit. It is not "unknown"—many people do make it all the way up there—but it is well worth the reputation, and more people should consider visiting it.
Sata Misaki, Kagoshima Prefecture: I did mention that this place is special to me, but it is well worth visiting even if you didn't walk there from the other end of the country, especially if you are a nature lover. Just watch out for the boars.
Yamaguchi Prefecture: I don't have a specific place to visit here, but the famous Koyo (autumn colors) are at their most beautiful when seen blanketing the mountains of this prefecture while walking through its deep valleys and many tiny villages. Just pick a spot on the map here, find a way to get there, and then take a hike in any direction.
Nagano Prefecture: I know this is kind of cheating too, as it's a whole prefecture, but it was my favorite one. In terms of natural scenery, I think Nagano takes the cake and in terms of actual destinations, it has them in abundance. Don't miss Jigokudani (the snow monkey paradise), Matsumoto City (with the best castle in the country, even better than Himeji), and a trip along the post-towns of the Nakasendo highway.
But honestly, you can go anywhere in this country, armed with only an open mind, and some sort of adventure awaits you. I promise.
Where are you now, how long are you staying, and what have you been up to?
After Japan, I went to Europe, where I spent a few months in a handful of countries, the last one being Spain (mostly in Barcelona), and then returned home a couple of months ago. Since returning, I've spent my time bartending and spending time with my family and friends. The reason I came home this time, was to get some quality time in with the people who matter before making my next move. That time is almost up, as I'll be moving back to Sapporo City for the foreseeable future to join the team of dreamers I mentioned earlier. We are opening a new hostel in Sapporo together, called Yuyu Guesthouse. It is only the next step in many that they intend to take—including starting their own village in the near future. I'm excited to work with them and about the opportunity to get paid to do what I love. There is also an amazing carpenter there that I now have the chance to learn from, which is a major step in another major dream I've got, but that’s for another discussion entirely.
If someone were to come up to you and say they would also like to walk Japan (or any other country, for that matter) from end-to-end, what’s one piece of advice you would give them?
You can always, always, always, take just one more step.
THIS STORY WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN CLAVEL MAGAZINE “THE TRAVEL ISSUE” (2016) AND EDITED FOR BREVITY AND CLARITY.
JOYCE TO THE WORLD
STORY BY Angela Jed Silvestre
We were on the road heading to a private cove all the way in Zambales for this cover shoot. We stopped at a gas station to regroup with the other car, stock up on snackage, and stop for some ice cream sandwiches. There, we met Joyce. Well, we’ve met before. This isn’t the first time—nor the last, I dare say—Joyce Pring finds her way onto the pages of CLAVEL when in 2013 she was The Girl in our Adventure Time Issue, her name once again synonymous with adventure and braving the wide, wide world. And a lot has changed about the world since then. Including Joyce.
Walking up to Joyce means walking into a big bear-hug which she so warmly hands out despite (or maybe because of) the hour when we met up (11 o’clock at night), the distance we’d traveled reaching the stop-over, and the distance we had yet to travel to reach the beach. And on a Thursday night when everyone had just come straight from work, we were all pretty much huggy all around.
“Hi, I’m Joyce,” she says matter-of-factly as I introduce the rest of our team who have yet to meet the powerhouse that is Pring.
A host for all seasons and reasons, Joyce leaves no stone unturned, no medium left unconquered as she expands from hosting events to television, to hosting her own web shows and podcasts. Even more than that, Joyce has also found a home as one of Magic 89.9’s radio jocks for On Demand (every Mondays to Thursdays from 9:00 am to 12 noon).
An artist in many art forms, Joyce creates as much as she inspires creativity. From fronting her own band aptly named Group Hug, to singing at music festivals alongside some of the country’s top DJs, to writing poetry and prose with an almost unfathomable breadth of insight, to sketching, drawing, painting her innermost thoughts and feelings; personal works of art that allows you to look from the outside, in. But the aspect of Joyce that has us all smooshed together on a bangka for half an hour on the way to a peaceful yet not entirely untouched but still pretty low-key cove in Zambales is her affinity for travel.
Not a stranger to discovering the wide, wide world, Joyce not only travels for work (as resident host of travel web show, EscapeTV, and her hosting gigs taking her all over), she is basically a staunch advocate of traveling—on your own or with the ones you love, locally or internationally, it doesn’t matter. Joyce insists so much on experiencing more of the world that she jumps at every opportunity at a journey. One such instance worth jumping into would be Oxford University, where Joyce is heading (as of writing) to study philosophy.
A whole day of shooting in the sun, swimming in the sea, hiking up hills, and chugging down beers to aid the stimulating stream of conversation helped us discover more about Joyce Pring and the things that make her so. And here is what we discovered: a woman of means and meaning, Joyce has grown to be more than the sum of her parts. The limit—as they so infamously say—does not exist.
First off, we know you’re heading to Oxford to study philosophy.
Last year, I went to London to take a short course on Digital Marketing and Strategy at the University of the Arts London. After that, I fell in love with the U.K. and the friends [and] new adventures I made there so I decided I wanted to go back and try to take another short course. I was browsing through some universities and saw Oxford Summer Courses that offered 2 or 4-week summer school on different subjects. It’s always been a goal of mine to continuously travel and study, so I took a chance, submitted my last transcript of records, and wrote an essay for the entrance. (And passed. Cool.)
Why philosophy?
Para kunyare may sense akong tao.
Of your many travels, what ‘philosophies’ have you picked up or discovered on your own along the way?
Some stuff always pops up in my head whenever I travel to new places, like ‘being kind to everyone we meet because all of us are fighting battles of our own’, or basically, realizing how big this world truly is and how everything that’s around us is interpreted majorly by how we process things from the inside out. Certain basic principles like the constant character of kindness, love, and a keen understanding of diversity, and how we should all treat it is as something beautiful instead of something that divides.
What can you say about the current “HUGOT = TRAVEL” (pop) culture?
Traveling is always a good idea, at least basing [it] on my experiences. I’ve traveled when my heart wasn't in good condition. I’ve also traveled when it was a happy little camper. I think young people should seek to really travel more and learn about the world. A great excerpt I read before goes something like, “If you just stay in one place your entire life, it’s as if the world is a book from which you only explored one chapter.” Travel with a broken heart, work frustrations, family problems, or travel just for the sake of travel. It’s a specific form of education that will change you.
Would you say traveling is a good cure for a broken heart?
It can only be a cure for broken hearts if you travel for the right reasons—to experience new things, learn more about yourself, and explore new adventures that could prompt healing. Travel forces you to be more self-aware and understanding, and open, in general, to pushing yourself out of your comfort zone—and I think those are things that make us better, that patches up broken bits inside us.
There’s this popular idea that people travel because they seek to find themselves. Why do you travel?
I travel because there’s so much to learn and explore. My goal is always to continuously become better, for the world I live in—and I honestly think we can’t be better if [we] don’t have a keen understanding of those that surround us. So I travel. And I find myself in the random corners of places I stumble upon. And I would listen to the waves or sleep in odd B ‘n Bs and get lost in a city and ride the train then get off at a random stop, or strike up a conversation with a stranger in the elevator, and talk about Manny Pacquiao with the churros man and go to the club and dance by myself. There’s so much of the world and so little of me.
When you get to travel that isn’t for work, how do you usually decide which places to visit?
I always opt for the beach (Palawan, my top spot is Coron), or anywhere else I’ve never been to. Anywhere far if I have time, and anywhere near enough for a quick escape.
Of all the places you’ve been to, which has been your favorite or has made the most lasting impression on you?
Favorite city will have to be Edinburgh, Scotland. Lasting impressions from Mexico, U.K., and New York. Cambodia was pretty cool, too. I traveled by myself and ate happy pizza (and regretted it). Anywhere in the Philippines—Siquijor was magical, Boracay is always a test of character, and there’s always something so special in Zambales skies.
Where was the first place you’ve ever traveled to alone?
I went to Singapore. It was expensive because I didn't know how to spend and where to spend it on. It was also very touristy. I didn’t mind.
If you could relocate anywhere in the world, where would it be and who are you taking with you?
I’d probably live in Scotland and I’ll take my dad with me. He’s the coolest. He’s also pretty chill about everything and can easily adjust to new environments. He’s not hard to be with because he can live on practically nothing else but instant noodles, water, and the Internet.
Part of the magic of traveling is also in the people you meet.
I’ve met a couple of people who grew up in Manila and then decided to drop everything to move to provinces and start over—Baler, Zambales, Anilao, La Union. Too many lessons were learned, but the most empowering constant one will have to be how liberating it truly is to adapt to change and learn to survive. The struggles will be there, but it isn't impossible to start over, whenever one decides to.
If you could impart wisdom to someone else you meet in your travels, what piece of wisdom would you share?
Slow down and look around, always—all ways. Draw passion, revelations, and inspiration from everything and everyone.
Is there anything you’re afraid of when you travel?
I’m always afraid someone will barge [into] my room and kidnap me ala Taken. I overcome it by remembering that it’s a movie with Liam Neeson killing about two hundred guys without a single scratch acquired, so…
Where would you suggest a person should go if…
…they want to relax? Coron, Palawan
…they want to party? LKF, Hong Kong
…they want to propose? London, or New York, or kahit sa jeep lang basta galingan mo brad. O kaya sa kahit anong isla ‘tas iwan mo dun pag nag no. Joke lang.
…they want to break-up? Sa Tagaytay, pag-kapehin mo. Pero separate cars para ‘di masyado awkward drive home.
…they want to heal? Sa gym. Gainz brehbreh. Joke lang. Sige na nga, punta ka sa London. Madaming good looking people. Or any (trusted) acupuncture clinic.
…they want adventure? Sa heart ko.
…they want to pig-out? Mmmm, Japan. ‘Tas sabihin mo sa ‘kin ‘musta kasi ‘di pa ako nakakarating dun basta balita ko masarap dun.
What are the most important travel hacks you’ve ever learned?
Always bring a small hygiene kit, scarf to keep you warm, power bank and snacks in your carry-on. Don’t keep all your money in one place. Web check-in whenever possible. Book stuff in advance. Google everything.
What items can you never leave home without?
My camera, lip balm, hygiene kit, my notebook, and an unapologetic, generally charming, pwede-na sense of humor.
Where is your best-kept-secret, go-to destination?
Eh ‘di pag sinabi ko ‘di na best kept yun. (Banana Island sa Coron, Palawan.)
If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you want to be and what would you be doing? Paint us a picture.
I’d be in Edinburgh having dinner with my entire family. I’ve always wanted to take them to my favorite city in the entire world and have them experience it in the same exciting light that I did, all of us, together—probably drinking whisky at Skinny Pete’s and watching some obscure band. I’ll force them to try Haggis and we’ll go to the castles and the museums (which are free of entrance fees) and we’ll count how many musicians we see performing on the streets. I’ll take my mom shopping at Prince Street and buy absolutely nothing because everything there is expensive. I’ll take a hike up Arthur’s Seat with Vic. My dad and I would eat fish ‘n chips by the East Garden.
I’d be in New York, or Palawan, or absolutely anywhere in the world. Long as I’ve got a hunger for new adventures, or I’m with people I love. Any place will only be as interesting as we make it!
Of all the things people find or discover when they travel, what do you think is one thing you can never find when traveling?
Weariness. It’ll never get tiring.
THIS STORY WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN CLAVEL MAGAZINE “THE TRAVEL ISSUE” (2016) AND EDITED FOR BREVITY AND CLARITY.