I’ve always been fascinated with the intersections between music and nature, especially as someone who’s dabbled in all sorts of musical instruments over the years.

Spotify has tons of music + nature playlists, and every single one is an absolute gem. Here are some of my favorites:

• Forest Bathing
• Dreamy Forest Music
• lofi garden

Sometimes, I prefer listening to nature sounds alone, and Spotify is a treasure trove of that, too. I love Birds in the Forest, Night Rain, and Gentle Waves, among so many others.

Aside from Spotify, there’s also YouTube. My favorite sub-category is musicians who make music while they’re in the great outdoors—it’s exactly what I imagine when I juxtapose nature and music. There’s something so spellbinding about it; something so… pure and human. It’s like getting in touch with our deepest, most natural instincts. Make music; get lost in the melody and be one with your instrument. Be in nature; feel the wind caressing your skin. Hear the birds sing back and the leaves rustling.

I play these videos in the background while I’m doing something else, and I love that each time I look up, I’m graced with a glimpse of a stunning landscape.

Malte Marten Music has been my go-to channel lately. Life has been hectic, to say the least, and sometimes I just don’t want to bombard my brain with yet another onslaught of words. His music is so healing and magical—there’s just something about handpan music that speaks to my soul on a profound level.

And since I’ve been in my mountain era (not to mention that I’ve always adored instrumental guitar music), I found this guitar meditations video particularly endearing.

It’s on my bucket list to play an instrument while in nature.

One day.

Maybe it’s time to get back to the lyre or kalimba?

I’ve been dreaming—and daydreaming—about the mountains lately. And mossy forests, with the damp forest floor littered with leaves and debris, and all the flora and fauna I might see for the very first time. I’m sure it would feel surreal, and that I wouldn’t have the words to describe it all.

There’s an unfamiliar yearning inside me. It’s strange, this kind of nostalgia, given that I’ve never actually been to the mountains before—at least, not in the truest sense of the word. I’ve never witnessed the mountain’s wildness; never gazed at its beauty in its unabashed rawness. I’ve always just been a passive observer, enjoying nature from the comforts of a vehicle traversing paved concrete roads.

My first ever hike is in a few days, and I’m thrilled and scared at the same time. A part of me is worried I’m not physically or mentally fit for it, even though many people describe hiking Mt. Pulag via the Ambangeg trail as a “walk in the park.” I exercise pretty regularly—nothing too intense, but I always try to move. That should be enough, right?

I’m mostly nervous about the cold. I’m from a tropical country that’s inhumanely warm and humid for most of the year, and the lowest temperature I’ve ever experienced was around 13°C in Taipei. I’m pretty sensitive to extreme temperatures: I get warm and cold more easily than most people do. I’ve already purchased all the necessary layers, but I still feel unprepared somehow.

I guess I can never be fully prepared for this. I only had a few days to research and get ready. And since this is my first hike, I have no idea what to expect. Like, at all.

What I’m really bummed about, though, is that I’m catching a fever, only because I didn’t drink water quickly enough after enjoying a glass of sweetened red iced tea and chocolate-filled pretzels two nights ago. I’m not good with overly sweet treats and drinks anymore, and my throat is the first to take the brunt of it. And when I catch a sore throat, it almost always ends up becoming a full-blown fever. It starts as a sore throat, progressing into a runny nose, an itchy throat, then a fever. I know the cycle too well by now.

I still have a couple of days. I’ve been doing my best to stop the illness in its tracks, but there’s just so much I can do.

Here’s to hoping that things go in my favor.