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| Lake Mainit |
One of the happiest days of my childhood life, and the longest ride I had was back in summer 1999 with my family and relatives traveling from Davao City to Manila through our own jeepney. A public type jeep that was improvised with a folding bed in between to accommodate more space to sleep, with our bags and stuff just underneath. There were about 16 of us on board; half were children, including me at age 11, so we were the only ones who could lie back straight to sleep but alternatingly on our heads and feet. It's funny one would wake up with another one's foot on your face. My mother, aunts and uncle remain seated with their legs straight up that sometimes it gets numb. We're always driving day and night; my father as the driver, with Uncle Bebe who was a good navigator to sub him so he could get some rest, and we only stop to eat, to pee and while on the sea to cross the islands.
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| Mt. Mayon, Albay |
It's pretty exciting to drop by beautiful places like the Lake Mainit in Surigao del Norte, San Juanico Bridge in Visayas, Mayon Volcano in Albay, and the stopovers we took for our meals. We brought us portable stove and cooking wares, enough food and snacks for 3 families, and most especially our drinking water. It's more like having a camp but we're on the road. A lot of passerby would look on us while we're happily eating alongside of the road, and my uncle would just nod and lift his coffee mug to them as a sign of invitation...or maybe as a respect...but more likely a greeting.
We arrived in Manila on the third day, and we got lost in the city. We went this far by the way to pay visit our relatives whom we haven't seen for so long. I forgot to mention this is the beginning:) My mother and her sisters planned this trip with the whole family instead of just them siblings thru plane, and it turned out to be "the more, the merrier" and less expensive trip. For one week, we stayed in my Aunt Neneng's house and we were like a bunch of Bisaya rascals intruding their modern Tagalog life but in a good way, and then we're back on the boulevard.
We didn't have a lot of pictures of this past, or even a video that could describe the experience I got with his tour. It was surreal for my age, yet unforgettable I could agree that the best moments in life are not just captured by the camera. Also, destination doesn't matter for me that much until now because its the journey that's worth keeping.
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| Quezon City Circle |
And one day, I'll be doing this again soon...
[ I was too young to remember much detail of this trip but I can recall my mother wrote a lot of hers on a journal, like the exact date and time when we got in a particular place, but I didn't get an access. She must've lost it too long ago. I guess I got the writing-down-memories skills from her.
This is all I know to cherish my travels. ]
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