The Gypsygals Caravan: My First (Link) Love Edition
curated by Prime Sarmiento photo by: Garry Knight A lot of you have been asking me how I find the guts to travel on my own. Is it safe? Don’t you get lonely? How much would it cost. I’ve been answering some questions via this blog. I may not have all the answers but I...
The Power of Symbols
text by Prime Sarmiento photo by Rhaydz Barcia I spent one weekend planting trees. Ok that’s a bit of an exaggeration. What I actually did was join fellow members of the Philippine Network on Environmental Journalists, Inc. celebrate our first year anniversary by planting a sapling at a mangrove area in Bacacay...
Travel blogging starts with good writing
text by Prime Sarmiento photo by Nina Sarmiento What makes a good travel blog? Nice photos? Traveling to exotic places? Blogging every day? Hanging out in Facebook to persuade more people to join your fan page? Each travel blogger may have a different answer. But as far as this Gypsygal is...
On Postmodern Spirituality
text and photo by: Prime Sarmiento (In my previous post, I talked about the walled city of Intramuros in Manila and how it became a center of Catholicism in the Philippines. I then reflected on the fact that such faith, with its heavy emphasis on “guilt”, hurt my personal spiritual practice. In this second...
Q & A: Maya Calica talks about healthy travel
interview by Prime Sarmiento One of the main concerns while traveling on your own is how to stay fit and healthy. After all, who will ever take care of you when you're ill? In this interview with The Gypsygals, travel magazine editor, novelist and health buff Maya Calica offers some tips on how to...
Travels in Intramuros and musings on my spirituality
posted by Prime Sarmiento photos by: Nina Sarmiento (Note: this is the first part of my two-part series on post-modern spirituality) I can't help but reflect about my own spirituality whenever I find myself wandering the Walled City of Intramuros. Intramuros was the political center of the Spanish colonial government in the...
Soulcraft: My Travel Dreamboard
posted by Prime Sarmiento My mother used to say that Christmas was for kids while Easter Sunday was Christmas for adults. I was a child then and hardly understood what my mother meant. The Christians view Easter as the day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But for others, Easter is...
On Abundance: Here’s Why I Can Afford To Travel Solo
posted by: Prime Sarmiento photo by: Rowdy Kittens Whenever people ask me where I get the money to indulge on my passion, I only say that I know my priorities. Traveling is important to me – if only because I need the time and space to write. While I'm not into luxury...
Postcard Moment: Kandawgyi Lake, Myanmar
photo by Nina Sarmiento
So… you wanna be a travel writer?
posted by: Prime Sarmiento It's everyone's dream job: be paid to travel, become a travel writer! The problem of course is that people who expect to lead a glamorous life as a travel writer will learn later that…this is not a career for someone who wants to get rich (or just earn a decent living)...
Postcard Moment: Trekking in Pokhara, Nepal
photo by Prime Sarmiento
Q & A: How To Save Money For Your Dream Vacation
Interview by: Prime Sarmiento You've been fantasizing about going on a yoga retreat for years and yet until now, you’re in your cubicle, in front of your computer, and reluctant to click the Buy Now! button for a roundtrip ticket. Your dilemma can be summed up in one sentence: “Can I afford this ?" ...
Postcard Moment: Swiss Alps
photo by Nina Sarmiento
Photo Essay: St. Paddy Day in Ireland
text and photos by Nina Sarmiento St.Patrick's Day (more known as St. Paddy's day) is a religious feast day celebrated on March 17, to honor the patron saint of Ireland (Yeah yeah we hear you, we know St. Patrick is not Irish). He came to Christianise Ireland, and it's said he used the shamrock in...