After a seven-hour travel time from Manila to Baler, an exciting city tour, and a heavy lunch at Chef Jerry’s Picnic Buffet Restaurant, we now headed to Bebel’le Beach Resort to check-in and to rest for an hour or two before we engage to water fun.
At my age (yes, I’m 43!), a certified mom and definitely not a mountaineer, was a bit hesitant to join the Mt. Pinatubo challenge headed by my office mate Phil. But I’ve been waiting for this adventure for quite some time and I’m not getting any younger. With the encouragement of these two sporty girls, Joyce and Janice, I whisked off all the negative thoughts in my mind, took a one-week regular body workout, and braved this exciting getaway with my colleagues.
the beautiful and serene crater of Mt. Pinatubo
In our 2015 Volleyball tournament, the Blue team defeated the Violet team for second place (which was US. Huhuhu). Shiela, being one of the star players of the Blue team was teased by my teammates, Joyce, Arriane, and Rose for a treat. It was so early to celebrate for they have to beat the White team in the championship. But surprisingly, she did. I was told by Joyce, it wasn’t the winning, but the friendship. I was deeply touched for I was included and was thanking in advance.
the Angels on Friday night, thanks Shiela for the treat
My hubby’s office mates from CSD-Makati and ESS departments organized a summer beach getaway in Canyon Cove in Nasugbu, Batangas. I got so excited when he told me that our two kids and I are included in their activity. Summer has not ended yet, and here we are for another sand and sun adventure. Yahoo!!!
one of the beautiful spots at Canyon Cove
In celebration of Mother’s Day today, we will spend the night with a boodle feast at Blackbeard’s Seafood Island North Shore or simply Seafood Island at SM Bay the Bay, Mall of Asia. And another reason to hype up the evening is the birthday celebration of my youngest brother Choy who is on a two-week vacation (he is based in Singapore). This is his treat. Thanks, bro!
the menu
Audit season has ended, and so for us the Finance team, this is the time to unwind, chill and relax. Time to whisk off the pressure and stress we had for the past few months. We’re not the finicky type of office people, as long as we are all together in one long table (at libre hahaha!) we will surely get in. And now, we will glut our appetites at Charaptor Charcoal Barbecue Bar, the Barbecue-All-U-Can restaurant situated at Kamagong Street corner Aranga Street, San Antonio Village, Makati City.
happy together
We couldn’t get enough of our swimming escapade in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte and wanted to stay for one more day at Casa Victoria Resort. But we have to move on to our next exciting activity this Lenten season. We will ride the waves of San Juan in La Union, the Surfing Capital of the North.
friendly waves early morning
We were mesmerized by the beauty of Calle Crisologo last night and before we bid goodbye to Vigan, we went back today to see this prime tourist attraction in broad daylight. It was another surreal feeling to see the cobbled pathway with less crowd compared to the other night. As the continuation of our Ilocos escapade, we will visit today Paoay Church, Plaza del Norte, and the Malacañang of the North.
the imposing Paoay Church with the massive buttresses
Can’t hide my excitement while we were on our way to Bangui Windmills, the prominent trademark of Ilocos Norte. I was here five years ago with my former colleagues, awed and astonished looking at the swirling giants stood firmly like a military army protecting its base. Now I am back with my family and our favorite travel buddies, Froi, Marie, and Abu.
The group
From Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, we now proceeded to the most anticipated part of our Ilocos Norte adventure, into Kapurpurawan Rock Formation. This is not included in my former company outing in 2010 because the road leading to this stunning rock formation was rough and bumpy, not accessible yet to visit. But now, there’s a lot of development done. The reason why I was so thrilled to see Kapurpurawan this Lenten Season.
the iconic head
