AFTER a week, I called up Manuel and told him that I couldn't go back to Batangas this weekend. I also sent a message to Celestine and Elena informing them that my family planned out for a Pagudpud getaway and I wouldn't want to miss it for the world. They understood me and decided to put off our outing the following weekend.
However, there are some changes in plan. Instead of staying in a resort, we are going to have an adventure at The Sandbox inPorac, Pampanga. Well, I guess that is better since my family's outing will be on the beach.
Anyway, the Pagudpud getaway was planned out by my youngest brother, Phillip. My companions were my parents, my other brother - Edgardo, and Phillip's girlfriend - Bea. We rented a van so we could save from the fare expenses; Phillip and Edgardo agreed to take turns in driving.
As early as 06:00AM, we had arrived at the place. We proceeded to the nipa hut that Phillip had reserved beforehand. Since the kitchen is complete with utensils and the stove is working, our parents decided to cook what Edgardo had bought earlier in the market.
Dad and Mom prepared sautéed prawns, tapsilog (fried pork, rice and egg), and tortang talong (eggplant omelette) for our breakfast. The foods were mouthwatering, and we ate on a banana leaf using our bare hands.
We all walked along the shore. After some time, we headed off to the Bangui windmills; it wasn't too far from the place. We took photos in there and even when we were already bathing at the sea. We didn't go back to our cottage until lunch time. Since there was no enough time to spare in cooking, we ate our leftovers from our breakfast.
Afternoon rest was spent at the small veranda of the cottage. Dad and Phillip played chess, while the rest of us played scrabble. We wanted to get the most out of the moment, so we didn't take a nap. We all went at the business center of the place, and looked for souvenirs. Dad and Mom chose to go to the market to buy something they could prepare for dinner.
In all the souvenirs I've seen in the stalls, what truly got my attention was the miniature of the Bangui mills. They are of different sizes, but I got 5 pieces of the 2 feet tall woodcarving miniature and 2 pieces for the 2 meter tall windmill.
When we had roved all over the place, we waited for our parents where we had parked the van earlier. I was amused with what Bea had bought. It was a small-scale nipa hut mounted on a wooden board. The nipa hut was surrounded by white fine sand glued on the board. What makes it more beautiful was the coconut tree miniature towering over the nipa hut.
We visited the municipal plaza once Dad and Mom got from the market. And before we got back to the cottage, we dropped by Hannah's Resort to see a clearer view of Pagudpud. We took photos from the different gigantic characters from movies like Avatar and Hulk. We were all smile in the photos we took despite the exhaustion from moving to different places. We also tried the resort's zip lining amenities. But when it's way past 7 in the evening, we decided to leave the place.
What we had for dinner was sinigang na baboy and Dad had cooked it deliciously. Edgardo and Phillip set up a bonfire in front of our cottage. We talked to one another like we were buddies. I had also asked permission from my parents for my next weekend's another visit to Batangas.
Dad allowed me. He advised me to go home in La Union from Baguio on Friday night and travel from La Union to Batangas on Saturday so I don't have to travel quite a distance.
We came to a decision to nap before midnight.
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We had planned last night to leave the place at 2AM so we could also visit Vigan. Edgardo and Phillip were a bit tired in driving, but still they were both enthusiastic as we strolled around the place. Our travel won't be complete without taking photos from the different sceneries in Vigan.
