I am a certified Lagalag but I must admit, the constant out of town trips are not cheap. Not even when the airlines foist low (sometimes zero) fare promos. As a budget backpacker, I try my best to keep my expenses low but there are times like this past two months when I have to hold back on trips so I can have money for my upcoming Burma trip. This got me into thinking of ways to spend the summer months without necessarily spending much or on the other extreme, waste the summer away.
• SECONDS, ANYONE? - I love books but I wish they were more affordable. Which is why I thank God for second-hand book stores like Booksale. Part of the thrill is in the browsing and the reward is finding a hard-to-find/rare/classic book at rock-bottom prices. There are also other places to get good books at low prices like the MV Doulos floating bookstore which is docked at the South Pier until month's end.
• DISCOVER REDISCOVERY - what they say is true: you tend to take your hometown for granted so much so that visitors/guests/tourists know nooks and crannies you probably heard about but haven't seen or visited. Not everyone can afford to take a formal walking tour but going on your own can be an enjoyable experience. Discover the forest near downtown manila, the Arroceros Forest Park. Or the green hub that is Sycip park just steps away from Greenbelt in Makati. Beats malling if you ask me. 
• EXPOSE YOURSELF - to culture, I mean. I must admit that over the past year or so, I've been amiss in going the rounds of museums (no excuses really as the fees are minimal for most).I n lieu of museums, churches are another source of learning. apart from places of worship, I consider them as virtual repositories of art.T he older the church, the more storied (and historied) it would be.
• TAKE A HIKE - even before I went into mountaineering, I love to take long walks. I believe hiking is not just the province of mountaineers. It's practically free and anyone who can walk can do it. If you happen to live near patches of green like the La Mesa Ecopark, hiking can be downright enjoyable even just for the refreshing view, the fresh air and the exercise. When nature puts on a show, say a beautiful-beyond-words sunrise, it beats any high-def TV experience, hands-down.
• SECONDS, ANYONE? - I love books but I wish they were more affordable. Which is why I thank God for second-hand book stores like Booksale. Part of the thrill is in the browsing and the reward is finding a hard-to-find/rare/classic book at rock-bottom prices. There are also other places to get good books at low prices like the MV Doulos floating bookstore which is docked at the South Pier until month's end.• DISCOVER REDISCOVERY - what they say is true: you tend to take your hometown for granted so much so that visitors/guests/tourists know nooks and crannies you probably heard about but haven't seen or visited. Not everyone can afford to take a formal walking tour but going on your own can be an enjoyable experience. Discover the forest near downtown manila, the Arroceros Forest Park. Or the green hub that is Sycip park just steps away from Greenbelt in Makati. Beats malling if you ask me. • EXPOSE YOURSELF - to culture, I mean. I must admit that over the past year or so, I've been amiss in going the rounds of museums (no excuses really as the fees are minimal for most).I n lieu of museums, churches are another source of learning. apart from places of worship, I consider them as virtual repositories of art.T he older the church, the more storied (and historied) it would be.• TAKE A HIKE - even before I went into mountaineering, I love to take long walks. I believe hiking is not just the province of mountaineers. It's practically free and anyone who can walk can do it. If you happen to live near patches of green like the La Mesa Ecopark, hiking can be downright enjoyable even just for the refreshing view, the fresh air and the exercise. When nature puts on a show, say a beautiful-beyond-words sunrise, it beats any high-def TV experience, hands-down.I'm sure I'll think of more ideas that are long on imagination and short on spending as the recession summer unfolds. And all I got to do is lessen the time watching cable TV and surfing the net, and go out there to explore more, spend less.
