No regrets –  just growth.

— The Travel Zen of Cai

Latest Posts


  • I Call It Belonging

    Met him in 2023,Engaged to him in 2024,Married in 2025. I went to Thailand without knowing I would eventually meet someone.I had a plane ticket home.I had jobs waiting for me.But I stayed. A month later, I met him,In an… Continue reading

  • Sundays on Session Road

    Session Road on a Sunday feels like Baguio breathing out. What is usually a noisy artery of buses, horns, and hurried footsteps becomes a wide, gentle path where people are finally allowed to linger. No engines pushing you forward, no… Continue reading

  • Unbridled Memories

    Of all the animals, I feel closest to the horse. Something about them never really left my heart. Maybe one reason is that horses were already part of our lives when we were kids, long before we grew into teenagers… Continue reading

  • The Quiet Language of Customer Service

    Customer service says a lot about a place. Not in grand gestures or scripted policies, but in the small moments like eye contact, tone, and acknowledgment. The way someone looks up when you enter. The way they say good morning,… Continue reading

  • Tappo, My Far-Flung Beginning

    My hometown, Tappo, was the exact definition of a far-flung place. When we moved in the year 2000, getting there felt like an adventure we did not choose but had to survive. We crossed mountains and a river, with our… Continue reading

  • December Travels to My Hometown in the Philippines

    December tugs at me differently this time.. No matter where I am, this time of year always takes me back to the Philippines. Back to the province, back to the familiar ritual of going home. December there isn’t just a… Continue reading

  • Why Happiness Should Be a Daily Choice, Not a Future Reward

    Many of us tend to believe that happiness lives somewhere in the future. That it’s waiting at the finish line of a dream we’re chasing, in a place we’ve always wanted to visit, or in a version of ourselves we… Continue reading

  • Moving, Marriage, and Building a New Life

    This year-end feels like one of the most pivotal stages in my lifetime. Looking back, it almost seems unreal how much has shifted in just twelve months. To begin with, resigning from the job I had for two years in… Continue reading

  • 13th Month Pay: A Blessing and a Reminder

    The year is almost over. And yet, the buzz conquering every conversation for many Filipino workers is the same: the “13th month pay.” If you’re working in the Philippines, you might be shouting, jumping with excitement, or already planning what… Continue reading

  • Eating Clean in a Greasy, Tempting World

    You walk into a restaurant with a plan. You tell yourself, “I’ll eat clean today.”Maybe a salad. Maybe grilled fish. Something green. Something responsible.Then the menu lands in your hands. Big glossy photos. Bold fonts. Descriptions that don’t just list… Continue reading

The Travel Zen of Cai

Travel with intention; live with style.

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