VI021 Reunited

Ok, this is about my volunteer memoirs.

Last September, one of my weekends was with the people I have not met for months. It's the first time for our batch to be completed since the RV weekend last year, so it is a bit nostalgic.

Apparently, one of our British counterparts was able to join us, her name is Amy, she came all the way from Scotland to do Development work in Leyte. Her coming is the reason in organizing the group's dinner. Everyone catched-up with each other, threw jokes, laughed, took pictures and a lot more. I actually enjoyed being with everyone again. And as usual, I had to get used to the attitude of some people. Well, now I'm getting used to it.

Funny hahaha

So I'm funny. Some of my friends say so. But I guess there is a deeper burden that lies on being funny all the time - people think you are always happy and its your sort of duty to shower them with that happiness. I would be glad if there's a job like that - to play a part in people's lives with a good cause for there is no such thing as a happy world? Right?

Personally, it delights me when I make people laugh. The compliments they give is enough for the effort I put on those punchy jokes,  but I think it is the same for all of us, making people smile give us that light feeling because you've done something good. Doing good things is innate in all of us, its just not that fully recognized in some ways.  For me there is no true laughter than from an informal conversation you have with friends.

Gaia Cafe

Cafés are one of those cute establishments that we see everywhere. They are always artsy-craftsy which guarantee a very nice ambiance for customers. So this one café that I've been to was the first one that I liked so far. Considering that I never really go to cafés that much, comparing it to other cafes is less likely to happen. Hahahaha. You can say that I may have a not-so- high standard yet when it comes to cafes.

So what brought me there? A friend and I was just passing on this signage when we were on our way to a cave.

It says…

 It is one of those you see on Korean series that it caught so much attention from me. We didn't went through at first but it was really tempting so when we were on our way home we finally dropped by.

  Another signage that welcomes guest as we approach the entrance door.

  The café looks like a tree house made of pine trees. And pine trees also make good  furnitures, right?. 

 

 It offers snacks, drinks and meals; and even pastries like muffins and cookies.

 

 What we had were the homemade malunggay chips with a dip of black beans, tomatoes and garlic and blueberry muffins.

   Blueberry muffins.. Nom NomXD

 

For my drink I had the lemon grass tea with honey.

I took random pictures when we were eating. The malunggay chips was a must have, it's some kind of  nachos when we were eating it and a very healthy food for those on diet.

And that's how to eat it. hahaha. Since the dip bowl is just small, I think it wasn't enough for the two of us but they don’t really do refill unlike the dips in Jollibee. Hehehe

 That's the view from where I was sitting. That pine tree was really nice. It is very similar to those pine trees sold at malls during Christmas. 

 When I look to my left this is the view that I get. Inside that window are souvenirs and those pinned pieces of paper are some quotable quotes that are in support to women empowerment which might be the owner's advocacy.

 And that's the owner's house. Well looks like the owner was really artistic and rich after all to have a cute café and a very fancy house like that. :D

A Place in the clouds

Oh yeah, I walked on clouds when I went to this place. Hahahaha. No I'm just exaggerating.

 

Going to this place felt like we were near heaven because the clouds are just about our reach. And the best thing about our travel is we were all on topload rides, so the view, majestic mountains, rice terraces and vast rainforest were very much appreciated. I didn’t regret me soaking wet because of the rain and shine weather in that 3-4 hour bus ride. It was all worth it.

Above is one of my friends. I wasn't intentionally taking a picture of him. I just wanted to capture that cloudy and foggy road we are passing. I admire how the bus driver maneuver the curves. Riding on top of the bus is both terrifying and fascinating.

Sagada. One of the most touristy sites in the Philippines though has been long existing was my first time to set foot on. And it was a 'fall-in-love' sort of impression that I had when we arrived. What I love most of the place is first the weather, second the food in affordable price, and third the very cute restos, café and bars found in every street corner of the town. This place is definitely a must go to.

Unlike in Bohol, where most foreigner own almost all types of business, in Sagada, most locals manage/own the businesses. A friend of mine explained to me that the place is an ancestral domain, no foreign people nor a fellow Filipino can own a land unless they get married to one of the locals. They consider their land sacred and should only be given to their descendants. And I can see that most of the people have benefitted from its touristy asset.  Since their land is theirs and no one can take it away from them. Locals have ventured into business to cater tourists' needs, from food and lodging, to souvenirs and travel tours - I think locals have provided them all.

I think for the whole trip I almost had nothing to worry about since most of my friends have been there several times already so they pretty much know all the must go places to eat and site -see. Even the cheap places to stay in.

When we were there we stayed in this P250 per night lodging house which is not bad.

Above is the building we stayed in for a night. My friend said that it is one of the cheapest place to stay in.

Sea of Clouds. Since Sagada is situated in the mountains, cold morning welcomed me when I woke up.  I woke just in time to see this "Sea of Clouds". One of my friends took me to watch the sea of clouds up close but we ended up taking pictures of the cavalry hill because we were late when we got there.  I might write something about it later.

More posts will ensue after this one for I took a lot of pictures which is worth sharing I guess.