the one with thoughts on summer's end

Parang ilocos empanada na may longganisa ang entry na ito.. SPECIAL!

Day 1 - the one with agyamanak

Day 2 - the one with 10 stops in ilocos norte

Day 3 - the one with thoughts on summer's end

It was a happy but tiring Day 2. 


Kaya naman pagbalik namin ng Vigan, kumain na lang kami sa labas ng hapunan. Sa sobrang pagod, hindi na nakasama sa amin si Cho. Pagod din ako pero mas marami akong gutom kaysa sa pagod kaya sumama parin ako kay Fred at Chie papuntang Cafe Uno..

Inside Cafe Uno
G/F Grandpa's Inn, 1 Bonifacio St Cor Quirino Vigan City

Apologies for the crappy photos because I just used my camera phone. I guess I was really tired that I forgot to bring Lulu with me.. Pero hindi ko palalagpasin ang foodams sa bawat travel!

Balatong with Bagnet. Ilocos' version of Monggo.. My kind of monggo!

Rice and Kare Kare. Hindi naman talaga sya ganun ka Ilocano. Nagcrave kasi si Seaman Fred ng Kare Kare kaya pinagbigyan namin ni Chie. Mahirap na, seaman to.. hehe

I had brewed coffee like the one below (from baffledchichi's blog)

Sobrang sakto ang kape na ito! As in pwedeng ipalit sa 3 in 1 pero parang signature coffee ang effect. Ok fine, OA lang ako sa pagka enjoy ng kape but I seriously enjoyed it together with the balikutsa. Too bad I was really tired and the coffee was so comforting, the next thing I know, I finished it all before I could take a picture.

Sabi ni Cho, bakit daw kumain kami dun. Being a local, she considers it on the pricey side for an ordinary dinner. True enough, we spent around 600php. But the place was welcoming. No it is not a tourist trap, the food was great pero syempre lumabas lang ang pagkamatipid ni Cho kaya ganun. Bakit nga ba kami napunta sa Cafe Uno? Ah.. gusto ni Fred kumain sa may aircon! Haha..

So ano naman ang nangyari sa huling araw ko sa Norte?


DAY 3


I decided to chill on my last day in Vigan. Cho, Fred and I had lunch at Marsha's where I also bought my pasalubongs. No photos mainly because I forgot. Oo ganun lang kasimple, nakalimutan ko. Bago bumalik sa bahay nila Cho, I decided to pay the Vigan Cathedral a visit. Sabi nila pwedeng mag-wish kapag first time sa isang simbahan. My wish was for Cho and Fred. Hindi ko sasabihin kasi baka hindi magkatotoo. Yes, I am superstitious like that.

Inside the cathedral..

Chillin' is enjoying. I spent my last hours in Vigan playing Monopoly with friends. Hindi man ako nanalo but I definitely had a good laugh.

Sana ganito nga ako kayaman sa totoong buhay.. Nyahaha..

Maraming maraming salamat sa mainit na pagtanggap. Refreshed and full of energy ako sa darating na sem dahil sa inyo! J

Agyaman ak Vigan!

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I had braved zigzags and expressways at different times of my life but my Ilocos visit was the first time to ride a bus and take the trip to the far north all by myself. What I just wanted to do when I got there was to be a bum, let the Ilocano sun burn my skin while I do a lot of thinking on what’s next on my life. Instead, a lot of things happened. Thanks to my friends Cho and Chie, they showed me the beauty of Ilocos and let me feel the beauty of the province. With that, instead of contemplating on and planning life, the place gave me a new perspective. 

The whole trip taught me to...

• Never stop fighting back. The past couple of months I was sulking for reasons I could not remember. Nakita ko na lang ung sarili kong nasa pangit na sitwasyon, putikan ang kaluluwa, patung patong na problema.. napabayaan.. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang tawag sa effect na yun, pero sa hindi maipaliwanag na paraan sinabi ng Ilocos sa kin: Magpatuloy ka lang sa pakikipaglaban sa sarili mo.. para sa sarili mo..
• Share more. Pakiramdam ko kapag nagbahagi ako o naibahagi ko ung sarili ko parang napatawad ko na ung mga tao o pagkakataon na nakasakit sa akin. Ewan ko. Maybe one of the reasons why I was not moving forward was because I didn't really know how to share.
• LET GO. Ito ang laging nasa isip ko sa unang pagtapak ko pa lang sa Vigan. I can't explain the feeling. While I was enjoying the view in Maira ira beach, it felt like it was the waves telling me to let go. I don't know why I should let go or what to let go. It was after the trip that I learned what Letting Go means. My friend Kea cleared this one for me. With the passing of his father last week, she told me: Alam mo Ye, with all that has happened, I learned not to argue with the force of the universe.  Ayun pala yun. Masyado daw kasi akong praning sa buhay. Nadama ng mga alon sa dagat ang kapraningan ko. Hence, let go, ride the waves and prepare yourself. 
• Be contented.  Be happy with what you have. Cho and Chie, though not directly, made me realized I already have a LOT and with that I am blessed. The two chuckle heads made me realize that life dreams need not be extravagant. As long as you are happy with what you have. Yez, just figured that one now that I am close to my 30s! It does not mean that I will be giving up on my dreams. I just need to keep my feet on the ground.
• Be SIMPLE. Mas madali ang buhay kapag simple.

Me at summer’s end

Loving the waves. Riding with the waves...

Last but not the least, I learned to appreciate summer. I still don't like swimming and water sports but now I can say I love summer food (except halu-halo), summer places, feeling the beach, summer sunshine on my skin.. having a summer version of me.. 


It may not be the best summer but hey I learned a lot.. Surprised that I learned a lot..


merci merci


***PS - wala talagang kupas ang learning new things is my passion