the super delayed holy week post.

got off early from work. taxi-ed my way to mactan airport. hopped on a plane for manila. picked up by pos-b oliver. jumped on a 15hr bus ride to some northern luzon city for the holy week. it wasnt that "holy" at all. when i was in my childhood to early teens, when my mom still lived with us, holy week meant: no tv, no shouting, no meat, all those religious catholic rituals... and i envy those (cool) people who would spend their holy week lounging in boracay or elsewhere. now that i do get to fund myself for a mini vacation every now and then, i miss those times when i seemed to have no choice but stay at home and get bored with my family. times do change. we all grow up. part of that change, i got to enjoy the (not so holy)-week with good friends and lovers, diego and wendy! in one of my dream Pinas destinations: vigan, laoag and pagudpod. <and no, they joined my plan, MY PLAN, mine> :)

PARIS... The Laoag Belltower at night.

 in broad daylight

 



getting on with our tour, exploring laoag to pagudpod via manong's jeepney. here's wendy and i, munching on some local biscocho. my prob: i don't eat a lot on trips. i kinda have a weak stomach for foreign tasting food, so yes, i practically jolibbee-d my appetite the whole trip.



scarves. scarves. scarves. it's a must. we didn't want burnt faces after.

Beach fronting the Bangui Windmills.

Vigan City. notice that a space is on my right is strategically left empty?

 

i never dress up during trips, in fact, i think i never dress up at all. but Vigan is an exception. i don't wanna look back and look at scenic picture with a crappy, "baduy" looking me. so i kinda mixed and matched a few pieces from my closet. so let's do it like how the fashion bloggers do it...

dress: Cocoon. bag: Longchamp. flats: Suelas



 WENDY: my gradeschool to forever buddy. and notice the guy to her left, making the entrance? that's her supah hot boyfriend, Diego (not!). she sort of organized the whole trip, i just tagged along. well, i did the calling of hotels for reservations since she's close to zero-tagalog.

DIEGO: our super brave, gwapo and macho baby boy!!! scared of heights, deep waters and the dark. seriously??? yes, he skipped sand surfing! but i'd still go with you guys on your next trip, Bicol?

 

if it's not that overrated, id like to have my pre-nup taken here, in Calle Crisologo. i guess most of what Vigan is to tourist and maybe for the locals also, happens day and night in this kalye. structured old houses which are utilized as inns, hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, souvenir shops, furniture display and all those other side walk knick knacks.

see? i kinda dressed appropriately. i haven't been to any foreign land (not lately), but this picture can be mistaken somewhere outside the PI. agree? very touristy!

 

 

La Paz Sand Dunes. it's the only dessert in the country. this is our local version of Dubai's Dessert Safari. you hop in one of those 4x4 land cruisers and they roughly drive you across the mountains of sand. for adventurous girls like me, you might really want to try this out. plus those big babies are cool.

i've got this framed on my bedside table. to remind me that i can be as big as life! :) :) :)

here's the actual thing. no, i didn't try the standing position. i tried the sitting down twice and that same number, i failed! what more with the standing? it's actually kinda scary though i know the sand is smooth and i wouldn't have bruises after. i guess it's the adrenaline rush! a must try.

 

it's a must to have a chick pose! :)

 

this post is over 5 months delayed. i just couldn't find any inspiration to write these days. boom! but well, here it is. and what can i say? i might not be able to visit the north anytime soon. there are still a lot of places to explore elsewhere. but it's definitely one of the places that i will visit again, maybe to relax or show someone around. and during a different time, the holy week is just so jam packed with a lot of tourists!