Born and raised in a humble home in Laguna, Philippines, Rochelle didn't grow up having summers in nice places abroad, not even outside Luzon, the biggest island in the Philippines. She had a passion for traveling from a young age though so when she got the chance to work abroad, her mom happily sent her off to the UAE as an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) in 2014.
Her first taste of another culture, the UAE, opened her eyes to endless possibilities, both in her career and in travel. Fortunately, her desk job grants her (and most expats in the UAE) a 30-day vacation leave per year, which she can use as she likes.
As her full-time career progressed, so did her trips. An avid hiker with a boundless desire to explore the world, she began documenting her weekend trips around the UAE. The aspiring travel writer and blogger within her finally gave birth to PinayHakawati.
Make no mistake, after ten years of work in Dubai, she's not rich. All her trips (and this blog) are funded by her savings and occasional freelance projects.
Haka-what?
The blog name PinayHakawati is a blend of two languages, Tagalog and Arabic. "Pinay" is a Tagalog word that means a woman from the Philippines, while "Hakawati" is an Arabic word that means a storyteller.
Why Arabic? As her second home, Dubai, Rochelle has developed a love for the sound of the Arabic language (though she lost the will to continue studying it). She decided to etch at least one Arabic word into her soul, hence the inspiration for the name as a tribute.
PinayHakawati's Ikigai
Nope, PinayHakawati isn't a blog to inspire you to quit your job and travel the world. Nah uh. But she has a big love and admiration to those who do, like Trisha of P.S. I'm On My Way & Alex of Lost With Purpose. She's a fangirl of these two women!
She's currently at a crossroads, exploring ideas and options on how to maintain her desire of routine and balance, but the blog's purpose remains the same: to share and pay her hiking and travel adventures FORWARD.
Oh, especially the hiking part!
PinayHakawati has been collecting hiking trails since 2012. How to go, when to go, who to go with, what to expect—these are the questions she's eager to find answers to whenever she's researching a new hiking trail. To her surprise, there's only a few detailed resources out there. She decided to become a blogger and write her own hiking guides in PinayHakawati. She plans to write a lot more, so feel free to use it to your heart's content.
Photo taken by Dilmurad 🙂
Enhanced photos will also be found all over the blog (mostly her own photos unless stated otherwise) as part of her documentation, but no Instagram-able poses like an influencer here. She doesn't want to be called an influencer either—just no, please.
Rather, you will find her candid, haggard, awkward and ordinary self posing from time to time. Last but not the least, you will find her in her trekking pants, a lot!
Travel Style?
Rochelle's travel style varies depending on the circumstances but there's a certain travel style that speaks to her: traveling solo on a budget with an occasional splurge when it comes to an adventure and a sauna.
During her trips, you probably notice a lot of selfies (solo travel), use of public transportation and hostels (backpacking), lots of walking and hiking (of course, it's an adventure!), and some rest days to even out her energy (slow travel).
Over the years, this style has worked well for her and she might continue to do so unless her circumstances change.
Photo taken by Ramazan 🙂
She also loves to interact with locals and foreigners (hello to all the beautiful people I met along the road!), learn the local language (she's progressing with her broken Russian at the moment), and even cross borders by land if possible.