WE have always dreamed of traveling abroad and leaving our own country for the crisp autumn and cold winter of Western countries, but have we thought of exploring our nation and its wonders that are yet to be told?
Lisly Mae Callino-Dorado, a 38-year-old traveler, took on the challenge of exploring all of the 82 provinces of the Philippines.
“I’ve been to all 82 provinces in the Philippines. I did not visit any country hantud wala naku natapos and tanang sulok sa Pilipinas [not until I finished visiting every corner of the Philippines],” Lisly told SunStar Davao.
The provinces that Lisly was able to travel to are Abra, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay, Antique, Apayao, Aurora, Basilan, Bataan, Batanes, Batangas, Benguet, Biliran, Bohol, Bukidnon, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Camiguin, Capiz, Cantanduanes, Cavite, Cebu, Cotabato, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental, Dinagat Islands, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Iloilo, Isabela, Kalinga, La Union, Laguna, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Leyte, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Marinduque, Masbate, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Mountain Province, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Northern Samar, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Quirino, Rizal, Romblon, Samar, Sarangani, Siquijor, Sorsogon, South Cotabato, Southern Leyte, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Tarlac, Tawi-Tawi, Zambales, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay.
Time and again, travelers always share this quote and Lisly reiterated it: “You do not have to be rich to travel.”
“Even though you are only earning a small amount of money, always include in your budget your travels,” Lisly said.
She emphasized that money is replaceable but the time that you have is not.
There are several budget-friendly trip packages with accommodation or transportation from which you can choose but she reminded that before going to a particular place it is a must that you do your research first and look for travel options that fit your budget and are safe.
She even narrated how the best part of traveling is not only the scenery but the friends she met while exploring. The memories that they made during their stay in a specific province are also priceless, as well as the pictures and videos that will be their keepsake of the time that they spent together.
Before having the ability to travel, Lisly was once a dreamer. She was the eldest among six siblings of Danilo and Evelyn Atabelo. Her family were originally from a small town in Bohol but decided to move to Davao for greener pastures.
Lisly already finished her elementary and high school education in Bohol when her family moved to Davao. She then pursued a Bachelor of Technology Education major in Electronics at the University of Southeastern Philippines in Obrero, Davao City.
Despite being a Department of Science and Technology (DOST) scholar, Lisly still had to work part-time jobs at fast food chains to sustain her studies. She even tutored small kids to earn extra money.
For 16 years Lisly worked as an operations supervisor at a BPO company here in Davao and later on found a second chance at love when she met her husband, Anjo Dorado. Both of them were climbing Mt. Apo but were in different groups and through romantic circumstances they met and years later tied the knot.
By 2014, they set up their own trip/climb packages in Mindanao and vehicle rental. Lisly shared that she and her husband are working together to have a peaceful and fruitful life for their family.
As of writing, Lisly is having a break from the corporate world and hopes to become a successful entrepreneur who is constantly traveling abroad. She expressed that after exploring the Philippines she went to Sabah, Malaysia to climb Mt. Kinabalu and this was her first out-of-the-country destination and this would not be the last for she is already setting up her brand new bucket list of countries that she wishes to travel to.
As a kid, Lisly has always daydreamed of the things that she wanted when she grew up but unfortunately because of financial constraints and lack of opportunity, achieving them seemed impossible for her. But she continuously believed and made her dreams a reality.
“You dream and you believe in it. Sabayan sa action ug diskarte, for sure makuha ang mga realistic na gusto sa life. Keep on dreaming. Keep on believing. Travel and live your life kay kaisa ra ta mabuhi (You dream and you believe in it. With action and strategy, for sure you will get the things that you want in life. Keep on dreaming. Keep on believing. Travel and live your life for we only live once),” Lisly said. RGP