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Johanna Michelle Lim Travels Across the Philippines in Her Upcoming Book

Johanna’s eight years of traveling across the Philippines birthed her desire to write her first book, What Distance Tells Us: Travel Essays About the Philippines.

When you ask people about their goals and desires in life, chances are you’ll receive a lot of responses related to travel. Whether it be a trip to one of the thousands of islands in the Philippines, or an exodus abroad, travel is one of the things people have in common. And they travel for a variety of reasons–to explore, to learn, to experience, among many others.

If you’d asked Johanna Michelle Lim why she began to travel, you’d get an interesting answer. It’s an impulse that paid off though. Her eight years of traveling across the Philippines birthed her desire to write her first book What Distance Tells Us: Travel Essays About the Philippines.

What Distance Tells Us: Travel Essays About the Philippines is Johanna’s first book

“All of it, I think, stemmed from a suffocating need to escape,” Johanna shares in retrospect. “I had come from such a sheltered upbringing, and was already naturally introverted, and so there was always that emotional curiosity to find what’s uncomfortable and unrecognizable, what lay beyond my own milieu. I clamored for material and stories that were vastly different from mine.”

When she had the chance to travel after graduating from college in her 20s, she made sure to take whatever opportunity she could. Most of these travels were for social development organizations that Johanna was involved with, those that tackled issues like education in rural areas, poverty alleviation, and fisherfolk livelihood.

Johanna biked 60 kilometers from North Bataan to South Bataan in Batanes

“In that sense, this might be why most of my travels are less touristy, less sparkly. A lot of people might even call them mundane,” the 30-year-old adds. “But I’d like to think I tackle what Joan Didion called ‘the ordinary instant,’ stories from people that are misunderstood or underrepresented.”

On some days, Johanna says that she finds travel hedonistic and unnecessary. And on other days, she finds true purpose in it. She’s been to far-flung provinces of the country, but says she’s never been in the habit to count just how many she’s visited. “For me, it’s never been about the numbers as travel, more than its physical manifestation, is about the internal miles,” she divulges.

Johanna in South Bataan, Batanes

Johanna is a fan of slow travel, saying that she’d rather see less to see more. To her, traveling is like doing a personal ethnographic study where you more or less know how different everybody is, but essentially how everyone is the same.

Her most memorable trips are the quiet, nuances ones from Mindanao, including Tawi-Tawi, South Cotabato, Zamboanga, Siargao and Misamis, among others. She’s seen firsthand the suffering and discomfort in these areas, but she’s also seen extreme joy.

“I like places that are multi-layered and unapologetic,” she states. “Places like these have the capacity to be inclusive and generous with their joy. They share it with travelers like me who have far more comfortable situations than they, and yet it’s often these places that have a bigger threshold for diversity, a bigger heart for humanity.”

Waiting for the sunset at Magsapad, Biri

What Distance Tells Us was curated in a way that represents the North, South, East and West of the Philippines. Each compass point has three essays; the North tackles Batanes, Sagada and Benguet. The South tackles Tawi-Tawi, Lake S’bu, and Zamboanga.

“More than the physical distance though, the book tackles my tracing or retracing the route from where I started this very act of estrangement to my here and now,” she says.

What does distance tell us? Johanna says we’ll have to read the book to find out.

What Distance Tells Us: Travel Essays About the Philippines is available in bookstores nationwide.

Related Topics:Johanna Michelle Lim travel What Distance Tells Us

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Featured

Bringing businesses together: Lalamove paves way for SMEs across the globe to “Make a Winning Move”

The local episode #LalamoveItToWinIt to support MSMEs across PH

To inspire businesses around Asia and Latin America, Lalamove has launched a regional branding campaign “Make a Winning Move” to showcase its various B2B services, strong driver-partner network, and wide-ranging fleet for fast and reliable delivery solutions. Locally, the on-demand delivery platform has kicked off the campaign by inviting its patrons, old and new, to #LalamoveItToWinIt.

Now more than ever, businesses are focusing their efforts on an experience-led customer journey. With deliveries as undeniably crucial for businesses to fulfill their services and win over customers, the central creative idea behind the regional campaign revolves around such scenarios where Lalamove’s services and B2B features help entrepreneurs stay ahead of the intense competition.

Lalamove, as the trusted delivery partner, has been servicing businesses of all sizes in the Philippines. Lalamove’s corporate clients can enjoy the on-demand delivery platform’s variety of business solutions, such as multi-stop delivery, API integration, real-time GPS tracking, a wide variety of fleet for on-demand, same-day, long distance, and last-mile delivery, and a dedicated account manager.

“The Philippines has more than 900,000 businesses, over 99% of which are MSMEs. What Lalamove offers businesses of all sizes is faster, easier, and a more seamless delivery experience to help them save time and costs. Our dedicated partner drivers, the economic frontliners of today, are here to deliver to an even wider reach across Luzon and in Cebu. This campaign is the visualization of what we can do to help businesses jump over hurdles – simply put, just ‘Lalamove It to Win It!’” remarked Dannah Majarocon, Lalamove Philippines Managing Director.

First-time users of the Lalamove mobile delivery app can get up to Php 150 off when they sign up and use the code LALAWINIT. New corporate clients, on the other hand, can also receive a welcome bonus of up to Php 1,200 when they sign up and top-up their Lalamove corporate wallet. Moreover, with Lalamove Rewards recently launched, each delivery for every user is now made even more rewarding.

Find out more about what Lalamove offers by visiting www.lalamove.com/lalamoveittowinit, or follow the official Lalamove Facebook page, Instagram account, and TikTok account for more information.

***

ABOUT LALAMOVE

Launched in the Philippines in late 2016, Lalamove is an on-demand logistics company that matches drivers with customers and SME businesses to fulfill same-day deliveries. Lalamove’s mission of making local deliveries faster and simpler across North, Central, and South Luzon, and in Cebu is achieved through innovations such as instant order matching, real-time GPS vehicle tracking, 24/7 services, and a driver rating system. Lalamove also allows businesses to scale their deliveries and operations at an accelerated rate. Lalamove now operates in over 30 markets across Asia and Latin America. Visit Lalamove’s website: http://lalamove.com

Featured

King-size Treats Await Dad this Father’s Day at Seda Central Bloc

Misto Restaurant at Seda Central Bloc

King-size Treats for the King!

by Ryan Daniel R. Dablo

Seda Central Bloc celebrates the hardworking hero and steadfast lynchpin of the home with its offerings for Father’s Day weekend.

At the Misto, Seda’s restaurant, Dad gets to sample the delicious international cuisine for free when dining with five full-paying adults. If an evening dine-out is more the family’s speed, the Straight Up bar offers a dinner buffet with a continental menu and mocktails, all enjoyed amid a backdrop of excellent cityscape views from the rooftop. Staycation at the hotel comes packed with perks for the weekend as well, such as complimentary lunch at the Misto, drinks at the Straight Up bar, and breakfast for two.

Honor your number one hero and highlight the love you have for him this Father’s Day weekend. Celebrate at Seda Central Bloc!

For more information, please call (032) 411 5800. Follow their Facebook page or visit their website at www.sedahotels.com.

Fashion

37 Years of High Fashion; Arcy Gayatin leaves a Legacy of Edginess and Elegance

Arcy Gayatin: A Legacy of Luxury in Fabrication

By: Allain Dumon Fonte

The brand Arcy Gayatin gave the Queen City of the South a distinct reputation in the fashion industry. The fashion line of Arcy Gayatin sets the bar higher each year for clothing luxury and fabrication techniques.

April Duenas, Nikki Gayatin and Arielle Gayatin for Arcy Gayatin—Photos by John Paul Autor from Lifestyle Inquirer.net

Araceli “Arcy” Ancajas Gayatin is the daughter Galileo Ancajas and Remedios Zanoria Ancajas who founded Cebu’s home brand, Gal’s Bakery. Arcy went to the University of San Carlos and studied Political Science. And just like Dr. Muccia Prada, who completed her Ph.D. in Political Science and established the luxury line of Prada, Arcy also got in touch with her artistic side and started her own fashion line. However, it was not Prada that influenced Arcy. Arcy was introduced to fashion and tailoring at a very young age by her mother, Madame Remedios Anacajas whom they dearly call Mama Eme. Mama Eme was running a tailoring business back then. It was called Arabel; named after Arcy and her sister Belma. Ara from Araceli and Bel from Belma. In those years, Arcy was fascinated by fabrics and was intrigued by how to manipulate the fabrics to come up with fashion-forward designs without compromising comfort and taste.

Arcy Gayatin (photo grabbed from Space Philippines Blog Spot)

After 37 years of creating haute couture pieces for the most fashionable personalities in the Philippines, Arcy Gayatin is now laying down her sketchpads and pens to rest. As she enjoys her retirement, may be on a cruise to the Bahamas or a holiday to the Swiss Alps, Arcy Gayatin has left the fashion industry a legacy of elegant and edgy clothing ensembles that understand and define the shape of women; without compromising comfort and good taste.

Arcy Gayatin’s Pink Flamingo collection Arcy Gayatin’s Sketch on a Terno

To salute the lady who brought Cebu fashion to the world, a retrospective exhibition of Arcy’s incomparable masterpieces can be seen today at Ayala Center Cebu’s The Gallery; curated by fashion editor and writer, Clint Holton Potestas, and interior and fashion designer, Jul Oliva.

BALANCE. Arcy Gayatin is known for her perfect symmetrical lines when fabricating. She knows how to balance edginess and class; understanding well the strength and the finesse of a woman.

RHYTHM. Arcy’s expertise in draping and fabric manipulation can be seen in how she achieves rhythm between architectural lines and soft fabrics like silk and cashmere.

TEXTURE. With her thorough knowledge on fabrics, Arcy Gayatin has achieved the perfection of fabrication by working on different types of fabrics and creating a single piece of art out of them.

HARMONY. The simplicity of the silhouette plus the intricacy of the details create a wonderful harmony, making Arcy Gayatin’s design a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

The photos below show an up-close look at the intricacy and the exquisite craftsmanship of Arcy Gayatin’s fabrication techniques:

THE SPIDER WEB: one of Arcy’s genius fabrication techniques.

MATCH and PATCH: Arcy’s unique fabrication craft by patching layers of different types of lace and lace patterns

PLEATS: The perfection of symmetry in pleats on silk.

LA ROSE BLEUE: U.P. student, Danielle Alessandra Deutsch, inspired by the artistry of Arcy Gayatin, designed this midnight blue dress. The cabbage rose made from layers of silk organdy gave this evening ensemble a romantic appeal.