Getaway Fever. - Northern Release.
Yep I'm back... back in the writing mode again or mood whatever suits you. It's been months since my last 'real post' and had a couple of fillers prior to this post. It's been months alright but the summer getaway was so well spent and so memorable that it didn't even sink in up to this very moment. I promised ga to give her an unforgettable birthday and I sure did. Our plans, the northern and southern itineraries were indeed followed. These were the experiences neither I nor ga could ever forget.
- Eating galore @ La Union - ga had her first taste of the native Ilocos dishes along with the traditional Filipino cuisine. The dinakdakan (pig's ears), pinapaitan, egado, pinakbet, sinigang na malaga and baboy made her drool all prepared by dad himself, manang and her associates (Hehehe). Sobrang dami na ang magluluto kung sisingit pa ako. Even one of my brother's friends who is in a discipline (no second plates) can't resist the famous egado of manang eventually breaking his rule.
- Pangga's Mahjong Experience - ga actually played mahjong against my uncles, aunts and cousins. I taught her the basics and she easily grasped it. Later, she's already screaming 'pong', 'chow', 'kang' and the 'todas' cry. Promil user ata si pangga e. Did I mention that there are pusta and money pot here? Claire beware! :)
- Trip to Baguio - we went up to Baguio to drive dad's friends and at the same time visit the city of pines on its peak season of summer. We strolled to Camp John Hay and had a great lunch @ Dencio's. Everything's great except the traffic though, tough luck since the president was @ Baguio that time for the Holy week season. Ga and I explored the haunted mansion where the caretaker narrated eerie stories and even showed us pictures of the spiritual world to his heart's content. He was really into it until the crowd began to pull away from him. The flower garden was next as the sun sets happily.
- Vigan Trip - the historical place of Vigan puts me back in time when I was @ London. Cobbled stones and gothic architecture that withstood time. You'll feel the reverberation of history around these magnificent architecture as we did. Ga loved the friendly atmosphere offered by the town's folks, the food (empaynada and longganisa) and the historical city's entirety.
- Manaoag Shrine - this place is known in the north as a famous place of worship for Catholics. It's been our family practice to visit the shrine whenever we go home for a vacation. We attended the mass and got ourselves sprinkled with the holy water afterwards. It was a week after the holy week, we do need spiritual healing from time to time not just our physical being. On our way home, ga experienced the buying of bangus (milkfish) @ the stands of Bonuan, Pangasinan highway road adjacent to the fish ponds The prices are good that lives up to the freshness of the fishes being sold @ these stands.
- Food trip @ Manila - ga introduced me to Kopi Roti, UCC, Country Style and Italliani's. I call these restaurants and cafes the Big Four. Kopi Roti offers the best combination of the local pandesal-coffee 1-2 combo, commercialized version. UCC offers my favorite mango crepe. It's comparable to Pancake House's but it really beats up the later in the creamy and mango taste meters. Country Style offers the best sausages and hotdogs I've ever savoured, from Hungarian to German franks. And Italliani's? It became my instant favorite fine dining restaurant the first time I've tried their dishes. No wonder ga always insists on the salad being served there. Loved the salad, salmon and the steak!
- Ga's Bankai - bro's graduation celebration @ La Union was never complete without the tossing of shot glasses. We had the usual drinks, tequila, bailey's and alfonso trese. Laughter was everywhere that it blends well to the videoke. After a few shots, ga and I sung songs and play billiards like there's no tomorrow. It was one heck of a night. That night, I've seen ga screaming 'bankai' (nasobrahan ata ng inom). The battle cry of Bleach anime's Ichigo that means 'second stage' of his sword's power. I was a bit surprised... but it's never a surprise that whatever she does, it always makes me smile with that feeling.
