Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory

 Aside from this prenup-ish shot, the photo above is another one that never fails to make me smile, laugh even. Our Cebu trip is wonderful, no questions to that, but our Ilocos Getaway is a beautiful memory I won't easily forget. Not in this lifetime. It was a concoction of priceless just-the-two-of-us moments, bonding with a new set of friends, rural life experiences, picturesque sceneries, laid-back hours, crazyyyyyy adventures -- all captured in Facebook-worthy snaps!

Geez, made me miss J even more :-(

Hoping for more memories as awesome as this,

Ilocandia Tour: The first 24 hours after

Let me start sharing with you our Ilocos Adventure by writing about how I felt AFTER it.

We got to J's office in Cainta at around 5AM. We just sorted our stuff then he brought me home. He wasn't able to sleep the entire 12-hour drive because I was sleeping in his arms so I asked him to take a nap first when we got here a little shy of 6AM. We savored our last few hours together, had breakfast then it was time for him to go home. I walked him to where he'll get a ride and then it's official -- our weekend is over.

In my previous post I said that the hardest part about a vacation is preparing to go back to work the next day. But I was sooooo wrong. It's nothing compared to going back to reality that we again have to be apart. Spending almost 5 days having him by my side 24/7 was just pure bliss. Exactly the reason I was feeling low since yesterday. I got so used to seeing him all day and cuddling with him all night that I had a difficult time adjusting to our normal routines again. It was an emotional rollercoaster, I tell you. 

I was okay the first few hours, in fact I was even able to post an FB status and a blog about how happy the weekend was. It was when I'm already in the office that it sank in: No more holding his hand whenever I want, no more sharing a plate with him during breakfast, lunch and dinner, no more sleeping in each other's arms and seeing him every waking moment. In my head was a flashback of the past 4 days and without me noticing it, my eyes were welling up with tears. Actually, It's been a day now but I'm still crying as I type :'(

I, myself, feel that I'm being a little too emotional but I can't help it, really. This morning, waking up next to pillows just made me cry again. I know this has got to stop. Question is... how? :(

I was MIA because...

I just got back from an out-of-town trip with the love of my life! Guess where we went?

Yes, Ilocos it is! :D

Remember how I had a dilemma on where we'll go for our anniversary? Also, remember last week I shared that I already had booked a flight to Cebu? Well, life truly has a way of surprising us because just when I am convinced that an Ilocos tour had to wait (for the mean time), J tagged me along to their company outing and we had the bestest 4-day vacay of our lives!

I will try to squeeze blogging snippets of the trip into my sched but for now I gotta deal with the hardest part about getting yourself a vacation -- preparing to go back to work! :P

I hope you all had a great time with your loved-ones this weekend as much as I did! :D

Cheers,

Cebu vs. Ilocos

Three months and a week left until our 6th Anniversary and I'm still undecided where to celebrate it. When it comes to stuff like this, Jhay always takes the back seat and gives me full control. Well that's a no-brainer because he knows that I plan getaways... with a passion. Our 2011 getaway, however, is a tough one because after about a hundred web pages visited and a handful of comments from friends, I'm still torn between two local destinations: ILOCOS and CEBU.

I've always wanted to visit Cebu. It boasts of a lot of tourist spots, Magellan's Cross, Taoist Temple and Bantayan Island among others. And when I heard about the Skywalk Adventure, my eagerness to set foot on the Queen City of the South skyrocketed. Just thinking of exploring a city far from home, just the two of us, makes me wanna book the soonest flight out.

Here are some photos of Cebu attractions, so you'd understand where the excitement is coming from :-)

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And then, thanks to a cousin who recently went there and brought home nothing but good words, Ilocos came into the picture. It's undoubtedly rich in culture and history and natural beauty. Calle Crisologo, Marcos Museum, Malacanang of the North, Bangui Windmills, numerous baroque churches and the famous Pagudpud Beach are more than enough reasons to fall in love with the province. It is, however, still in Luzon thus defeating my desire to expand my horizons.

Nonetheless, join me as I marvel at what the northern part of the country has to offer:

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Here's the deal. Based on my research, a 4D3N trip to Cebu would cost approximately Php15000 while that to Ilocos is more or less PhP12000.

Have you guys been to both provinces? Considering the distance, the itinerary and the budget, which is the better choice? I have to decide soon so I'd really appreciate some expert advice. Let me know what you guys think :-)

Thanks in advance!