It's the beginning of the Holiday season. You feel the cold December air, wearing sweaters and jackets. You finally had the time to relax and just have fun. Its a holiday vacation, i'd say. So, just last week, a Sunday, December 20th, I started packing my things and fixed my bags and stuff for I am heading towards a new place, yet to be discovered. It was a Sunday evening, my relatives started coming into my house one by one. We all had a great chitchat. Until it hit us. We all must leave at 1am for the Ilocos trip. It wasn't all that easy. Problems arose, but in the end, all of us went to our respective vehicles and fled on our way to a province known for its various beautiful itineraries. They told me: "the family that stays together, are happy together" and so it happened.

Despite the blurry plans, we all headed to Ilocos. Left home at 3:30AM, we had to count the hours that went passing by. (Because, we went to Ilocos by car, and thats something very serious because of the longevity of the time on the road.) Basically, we were on the road a Monday, December 21st. And, to be honest, its a very tiring day. Why? Would you imagine yourself sitting in your place inside the car for like, 18 hours straight? From Manila to Pagudpud. Thats like ohmygosh i'd rather take a plane instead.

Imagine this, from Manila to the northern most tip of the Philippines, you'd be driving all day? Thats torture. So, my first day was literally on the road until we finally reached our destination in Pagudpud. Time check? 9:30PM. Monday, December 21st. Its been 18 hours on the road. Literally. And i just got the taste of bed and sleep when 10PM struck. First day on the road- not so good. They say: "Pagudpud= Pagod (tired) + pudpud ang pwet (butt sitting too long aching so much)" that was supposedly a joke shared by all of us cousins just so we could cheer ourselves up.

Dawn is approaching. The night is about to end. I was awakened with a chill in my body. I felt cold. Its still early. 6AM. Went out of the house and noticed my cousins went to discover the place and the ocean for themselves. I followed them and i was very much fascinated with the view that i saw. God's creation. A new day. What a beautiful sunrise. I took photos. I just couldnt risk myself not being able to take a picture of the beautiful horizon. My favorite part of the trip. Looking at the sky. The pretty sky. The wonderful sunrise and the fantastic sunset. Its been a great Tuesday morning, indeed. December 22nd, 6:00AM. After all the photoshoots and whatnot. Time for breakfast. Scrambled eggs and coffee. Mmm favorite. 😌 then, hours passed by. We went for a swim *me and my 3 cousins and my sister too* at the most beautiful resort i have ever seen. Hannah's was the name. I thought to myself: "man, i am literally at the northern most tip of the country. Relaxing and just swimming." The water was freezing cold i'll tell you. But it was great. My relatives looked for a new place for us to stay and this time, we came to a more private beach resort. Peaceful and quiet.

We stayed there for another night, and we took photos (yet again) and appreciated the view once more. After moving to the new place, for us not to waste time, we toured around Ilocos. Went to Kapurpurawan Rock Formation, with some Windmills around it. And what moved me the most was when sunset came. It was the most beautiful sunset i have ever seen. You dont usually see those sunsets in Manila because the sky is mostly covered with buildings and such. God's creation. Again. It was so beautiful that i had to take so many photos of it for it moved me and it became my favorite part of the whole trip. Just watching the sun set through the horizon and in the ocean. After my Day 2 adventure, night came. Slept peacefully, time flies. Dawn came again. A Wednesday this time, December 23rd. 7AM wake up call. First things first. We went for an early swim, took a while though because of photoshoots and such. Went back to the house at like, 9AM. We need to be hurry today. Before lunch, *11AM* we were all done and finished, ready to leave. And so we left Pagudpud this time, went to the La Paz Sand Dunes.

Took a while because of the longevity of the travel on the road. But we made it. Lunch time. It was definitely a thrilling experience. Super extreme and epic failures while sand boarding lmao. After the Sand Dunes thing, we went to President Ferdinand Marcos' museum and I also saw his real body in a masoleum. I was so curious about his figure. I kept asking the guards if that body was his real body- they all said yes. I learned so much about Marcos' presidency during the 60s until late 80s. Last stop for the day is Vigan- the most popular place in Ilocos. They say "you havent been to Ilocos if you didnt visit Vigan- the ever famous "Calle Crisologo". We went there when night fell. Roamed around and took photos of the beautiful Calle Crisologo. And ate dinner within the vicinity of the famous street. Its been a very tiring day, yet again. And our plans to go to Baguio went into a blurry one- again.

So, we found a new place to stay in Vigan- near Calle Crisologo and its a convenient one. Another day passed. Waking up to a cold Thursday morning. I was freezing cold. I got up at 4:30AM. Fixed myself then all of us attended a worship service in Vigan City. After the worship service, we went back to our place, ate breakfast, then took a rest for hours. All we know was that we will be going back to Manila that time, a Thursday, December 24th. When night fell, we stopped by a gas station. They all decided to continue going to Baguio at that time of the night. And so we did. We reached Baguio after an hour and a half, feeling the cold air finally. And found another place for us to stay. Its been 13 years since i last visited Baguio City. I was only 5 years old that time. And now, i'm 18. And i came back after so many years. The place itself changed. Its overpopulated. Crowded. Full of people. Unlike before. But, its been a great feeling coming back after all these years.

We strolled around Burnham park at 2AM on a Friday morning, December 25th. (We dont celebrate Christmas okay) its so cold out there, but i enjoyed it. Took some sleep later on, then the sun shines through the curtains of our room. 7AM. December 25th. We went to Minesview park and the PMA as they call it (its Philippine Military Academy). After a tiring day in Baguio, we went home. (This time, we found another new place to stay.) Notice here that we kept moving places, its kinda frustrating too but we don't have a choice. After a hard day's adventure. I had a chitchat with my cousins until 12AM of December 26th, a Saturday. After the chitchat thing, we had to prepare now because we are headed home to Manila now. And so we left Baguio at estimately 10AM to 12NN. We went back to Manila at exactly 4:45PM. Traffic on the way thats why. But, with all honesty, i'd say i didnt enjoy my vacation that much although i loved the photos i took. Lessons learned. But, overall, its still a good vacation. Next year, hopefully, we'll go abroad na. Haha.

Oh, almost forgot. Here are some of the photos i took from my recent trip. 

Thank you very much for your patience in reading my very long adventures in Ilocos and Baguio. Haha. Until next time. And a Happy New Year to everyone who's reading this!
If you like to see more of my photos from my Ilocos and Baguio trip, you could see it on my Facebook account, don't worry, my facebook account's here on the blog, you can just see it right away. ☺