summer is my most favorite time of the year. more than christmas. more than my birthday. it seems to me that everything is fun and nice during summer. people look more radiant. everything's bright. literally.

and so, every year, i make it a point to make my summer special and to celebrate the season by stashing my money on the greatest get-aways.

last year it was puerto galera. this year, it's ilocos norte.

jenny, jelai, harry and i met up in glorietta at around 9pm, apr30. we decided on travelling at night so that we won't waste our first day on the bus. but that was just us. due to some unforeseen circumstances, we left manila at 5am, may1, after more than four hours of waiting at the terminal. we would have avoided the bus shortage, the volume of people and the wasted time had some people been considerate enough. anyway, we arrived in laoag after 13 hours and took a mini bus to pagudpud.

the 2-hour travel to pagudpud gave us a glimpse of the paradise that we are yet to see and experience. the sunset and the coastline was just so relaxing that it took my mind away from the stress that we had the night before. you just can't help but feel good to know that you are away from the hussle and bussle of the metro. bakasyon. sa wakas.

we stayed at evangeline beach resort in saud. we arrived there at around 8pm. after washing up, we went to their resto-bar, emohruo (our home), for dinner. the accommodation was great, the food was good and the people there was the best.

we got the room for P2000 a night. it was big enough for seven people, air-conditioned, with cable tv and clean toilet & bath (two towels, two rolls of bathroom tissue and a small bar of soap were provided for). emohruo serves delicious dishes, P120/meal. the only downside is that it takes forever to be served, more than 30min during dinner. their saving grace though is their crew. you can't bring yourself to get mad at them because they are so polite. they would willingly answer all your questions about the place (even about themselves) and would constantly have to excuse themselves before they leave your table or talk to other people. the owner, lee, also has cute dogs that you can play with while waiting.:)

on our first day there, we went around pagudpud on a van courtesy of lee.

our first stop was at bantay-abot (mountain with a hole) cave. there was a short trek up to the cave which includes going around the hill, through the slippery rocks and small, splashing waves. it was safe. we went there in the morning so i think the worst thing that could happen to you is slipping and having some part of your leg bruised (lest you bump your head on a rock and have a concussion.;)).

afterwards, we went to blue lagoon at the maira-ira point. aside from enjoying the uber beautiful beach, it was nice to know na ang layo na ng narating ko, literally.:) (maira-ira point is luzon's northernmost tip, http://www.waypoints.ph/).

next stop was patapat bridge where we had a magnificent view of the ocean. then we went to paraiso ni anton. i did not understand at first what was the fuss about it and why it became an attraction until i read somewhere that people believe that the water flowing on the slopes is maraculous. okay.

our fifth stop was kabigan falls. i loved it there. the water was so cool and clear. going there would take a 1.5km walk but i did not mind at all. the 30-minute trek includes seeing rice fields and crossing shallow rivers. major nature-trip! i was also amazed on how our tour guide, manong domeng, cares for the tourists and the place itself because he was really OC with picking up relatively huge rocks on the road and putting it out of the way. he also makes sure that the rocks people would be stepping on the river are not loose. like he would step on it and wiggle it a bit to check. i love him.:)

lastly, we went to the bangui windmills. i have long wanted to visit that place 'cause i always see it on magazines. it was so surreal. the windmills were so big and you can hear the sound of the blades as they pass through. i so wished i had a dslr so that i can take nice photos of the place. di bale, next time.:D

after the tour, we spent the rest of the day by the beach then slept at around 10pm.

on our second day there, we attempted to go around laoag by commuting. but we found out that the tourist destinations there are quite far apart unlike in pagudpud so it would not be convenient to do it that way. we ended up just going to fort ilocandia resort then back to burgos to visit cape bojeador lighthouse.

day three included enjoying saud beach in the morning then going home in the afternoon. as always, it's sad knowing that i'll be going back to work and to the metro the day after. it's just so nice there. everything is so simple and the people are so kind. unlike in manila. but it's all good. i know i'll be back there someday.