Click here for the Filipino version.
Robin Jorge Gapuz, 22
I didn’t save as much money on my first cruise since it was my first time to travel to different places like the Caribbean, Australia, Japan and the States. We were given the option of resting during shore leave, but we younger guys opted to find adventure on land – and we did!
I wouldn’t realize how much I spent until I was back aboard. It’s hard to keep thinking in terms of Pesos when you’re holding a wad of dollars. I bought some pretty cool gadgets – an iPhone, a GoPro. Lots of souvenirs for the family. And beer. Beer with the guys.
I’m from Nueva Viscaya, a mountainous region which has sent more than its share of seamen abroad. My uncle inspired me to become a seafarer because he was rich and shared many of his travel tales with us.
Now I’m about to go on my third cruise. Just finished my medical check-up and I’m shipping out this week. I’m saving up to make my parent’s house look great. Maybe get a house of my own. Even if I didn’t save too much the first time around, I wouldn’t trade that trip for anything. My bank account may not be huge, but you should see my Instagram account. IG-worthy
A new visual series by Seafarer Asia, Kumusta, Kabaro? Kumusta, Kaibigan? gives viewers gritty glimpses into the lives of Filipino seafarers and their kin. True tales of love, pride, sacrifice, failure and success weave a living tapestry and an oral history of life at sea. The subjects are given free rein on what to share and how they wish to be photographed. The series is inspired by the popular photoblog, Humans of New York.
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Gregg Yan
Gregg Yan is an award-winning writer and photographer who covers marginalized groups and environmental conservation issues. His work has been featured by National Geographic, Discovery Channel, CNN plus over a dozen books – including Into the Wild, his first coffee table book. He also has a monthly magazine column on wildlife.