042812. Mika, Mariah and I joined Angelique and her relatives in a weekend getaway in Quezon province. We stayed at their vacation house in Pueblo por la Playa, which was a 4-hour drive from the city. We passed by two provinces, Laguna and Batangas.
I was looking out of the window the whole trip. I’m not one who likes to sleep inside the car (unless I know the usual route or what), but for some reason I was able to catch some zzz’s for a few minutes. I like seeing the outside world and exploring things. It’s something I really enjoy. Well, travel itself is joy for me. 😀
We mostly spent time at the beach or the swimming pool. My friends were mostly taking pictures of themselves while on the sand… you know, posing by the water and all? Not my thing, haha. I love taking pictures, but I don’t like posing for the camera, and by posing I mean putting your hands on your hips and sporting “duck faces”. (Lol, I was kidding about the second one) You get what I mean!
As we entered Pueblo, we were greeted by colorful and neonish-colored houses and the adobe-like soil of the place. Our adventure as a group was just about to begin. 🙂
Orchid!
As what Mariah said, “At least masasabi kong nakapag-beach ako ngayong summer!”
Angel regretted wearing jeans at the beach. It was just too hot!
How do you write Chinese characters on sand? It didn’t work for me.
Rocky beach.
The pool by the beach.
I remember reading one of the tweets of my neighbor and she said, although not in verbatim, “Bakit sa beach gusto nating magbilad sa araw para magkaroon ng tan, pero kapag nasa Maynila, sasabihin nating, ‘Ayokong umitim!’?” Makes sense… hmm.
This was where we stayed. The houses in Pueblo are inspired by Mexican-like villas.
We had our lunch in Kamayan sa Palaisdaan Restaurant located at Tayabas, Quezon.
Floating huts!
Major height difference… lol. Mika once said, “Pareho nga tayo ng birthday pero mas matangkad naman ako!” Yeah, whatever Mika!
Even up to this day, I can’t believe our birthday falls on the same day.
I am such a shallow person that I was fascinated with the faucet.
Babala: Baka may malunod (Eh, not really!)
Karioka, a delicacy made of coconut and sugar. They’re crunchy (and sticky!) on the outside but sweet and chewy on the inside. They were a little bit smaller than my hands.
Angelique’s family was really nice to have included us in their lunch. We felt like we were part of the family. One of the best feelings is being treated like you are even when you’re not. How I wish I could bring along my friends when my relatives and I would go to places.
We ate with our hands (yeah, kamayan!) which I think was the point of eating at the restaurant (hence its name). A few minutes before we were done eating, the waiter handed us utensils. I was like, “Ha?”
Second-to-the-last municipality we went to before going back to Metro Manila. We headed to Kamay ni Hesus Healing Church for a mini pilgrimage.
Yeah, I spot Chinese characters right there!
I was literally smiling when I saw this. It was supposedly “Noah’s Ark”, which was actually a dorm, if I’m not mistaken. Isn’t it cute?
I’ve never wished on a wishing pond. I wonder how much are all these?
View of the church (almost) halfway to the top.
This was how far and high we had to walk. Under the scorching heat of the sun and the steep staircases we had to climb, it really tested my patience and guts, and my will to endure. But I was guarded by my faith. 🙂
I couldn’t go up these steps anymore, really! Halfway going up the hill, I was panting and I seriously thought I was going to die. Some people my age (or a little older) were looking at me and they kind of looked puzzled on why I was tired. It was pretty embarrassing since there were kids running up the stairs like it was nothing at all! I don’t know. Maybe it was because of the terrible heat + an hour after having lunch + plainly due to the fact that I have a sedentary lifestyle, which only means I lack energy and strength. It made me realize that I was too weak and unfit (well, I really am!). My friends were able to go up and stand right beside the statue. I actually barfed, twice.
In short, I gave up.
One day, I’ll conquer it… positive thinking.
Biodegradable and non-biodegradable.
The view from the highest staircase. This picture can’t do justice for the breathtaking view of the place! Trees, trees, and trees everywhere.
What a relief.
Away from the internet, I somehow felt like I was away from civilization. For some reason the computer couldn’t disappear on my head — although it wasn’t the computer itself that I missed. Even if it was just for two days, I missed the people I talk to on the WWW. I missed my Skype. I missed my QQ. I missed WordPress. Nah, I didn’t miss FB at all.
I never forget them wherever I go, so I wrote names on the sand of those who I remembered.
But then, being away from the internet even for just a few days made me realize something — that there really is more to life!
Here’s to the endless pictures we took, hours under the sun, hearty meals (yeah, Mika, why didn’t you eat rice?), fail handstands on water, “I Have Never’s”, your first online Chinese friend (introduced by yours truly!), endless talks and simply catching up on life — simply having a good conversation.
It saddens me that this will be the last time. But as I said, Angelique, on my letter, “There are no goodbyes, just ‘see you again'”!
Thank you, besties! Hahahaha, natatawa parin ako sa term na’to! And more importantly, special thanks to Angelique’s family for being so hospitable and generous! Thanks, Tita!
Next stop: Megamall!
Movie marathon, online chats with my language buddies (my friends are their friends!), milk tea tripping. Can’t wait! 🙂
maiicha 