Love for Nature and Challenges of Traveling
As a travel blogger, admiration for nature and its beauty is almost synonymous specially for a scenic country like our beloved the Philippines.
I’ve been around the archipelago from north to south – from the sandy beaches of Pagudpod down to the pristine natural wonders of Samal in Davao. The world-renowned beach and tourist-hotspot called Boracay surely cannot be left out together with neighboring paradise islands of the Visayas in Cebu, Iloilo, Bohol, Negros, and the less-commercialized Samar and Leyte.
However, in those trips I had through the years, dangers of the unknown behind some beauty is a fact of life. From wild animals to small insects, from roses’ thorns to plant bacteria.
Challenges of Travel
In the aspect of personal safety, a first aid kit is always necessary to cleanse unavoidable scratches and bloody wounds.
I still remember how hard it is to organize trips. Two major of which I led in the last three years are the bloggers’ surfing activity in La Union and mountain trekking in Mt. Pinatubo in 2009 and 2011, respectively.
Aside from the challenges of organizing the tours such as the weather, available transportation, and an efficient itinerary, the participants’ safety has always been a major consideration. From utilizing the 2-buddy system to extra tour guides, indeed safety is of utmost importance.
Food, Water, and Bacteria
As much as food is a close relative of traveling in leisure, eating strange food in a foreign place has its risks. For that matter, it’s always good to pack basic medications for constipation and diarrhea, just in case.
Food contamination is no joke as bacteria like salmonella and E.coli are just two of the many bacteria that can contaminate our food.
Bacteria Contamination in Medicine
I’ve recently seen a television commercial (TVC) of a medicine brand revealing that bacterial contamination can also be found in certain ‘leaf-based’ medicines.
It is quite surprising but I hope manufacturers can ensure that their manufacturing practices conform to standards to guarantee that the public has access to products that are free from contamination. At the same time, we as consumers, must also be wary about the quality of products we buy.
Ingestion of high levels of bacteria can cause a number of potential adverse effects, ranging from an upset stomach to more serious symptoms such as fever and gastrointestinal symptoms.
It really becomes more challenging, specially when the danger is invisible to the eyes.
