Dean Genesis Terrible

ILOCOS ADVENTURE As we traveled to Ilocos several miles, I did not sleep leaving my beloved hometown of Asingan going there at midnight. I cannot sleep well although I have worn a little pillow around my neck and my companions onboard were sleeping. I was only one awakened. I saw billions of shining stars in the sky. The starry dawn sky looked so beautiful it appealed me to hover, but the heavy-hearted left for home. Fortunately, I slept after we came to the historic Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Manaoag. The family van set foot to the city of Urdaneta, the towns of Manaoag, San Jacinto, San Fabian, and we reached out to the province of La Union, in the municipality of Santo Tomas. First, we took a stop-over in Petron gasoline station at Aringay town located in that province. I went to their comfort room and vomited because I felt a headache after a three-hour first trip. We have partaken our breakfast while we were there. We ate many pieces of longganisa I only took two of it because I do not want to suffer stomach-ache for the second trip, but the saddest thing was I gradually feel the pain of my stomach. When we were approaching the city of San Fernando in the early morning and again took another stopover at Oasis Hotel and Restaurant. I had to wonder why I am feeling abdominal pain since I did not eat too much breakfast. We went across the province of Ilocos Sur as I first saw the welcome arch located beside a rocky mountain full of trees. Several kilometers away before reaching Vigan City, we took again the stop-over for the third time at Shell gasoline station in Santa Lucia town. After we passed through by that place, we came over at Candon City. We were able to try getting down in the van to explore the city proper. I did not expect that we would go to St. Joseph Parish. Entering the church can be amazed by the visitors of its classic architecture and I saw a lot of Christmas decorations especially on the altar. I had also look up the ceiling where the religious paintings are being showcased like the masterpiece of “The Lord’s Supper”, the nativity of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, and the Risen Christ. After exploring the said pilgrimage site and traveling for four hours, we were now drawing near at the place of our destination. I saw the very clean blue beaches and big rocks on the bayside. “Wow! It’s so very beautiful and nice to see and imagine,” I said. Looking at it for a long time reminiscence some good and bad memories in life and it feels a person worrisome for the good memories would repeat. “I think I’ve achieved a lot of goals because I have so many dreams ever since my childhood. Everything that I have is in me.”, I lastly told myself. Finally, we reached the heritage of Vigan City at 2 in the afternoon. The driver of the van we boarded was lost in finding Hotelinda Suites where we are going to stay and he found it eventually. After taking a rest, we went to Baluarte where we saw big wild animals like a tiger, camel, giraffe, and other animals and I bought Vigan t-shirts and a mug. Looking at those animals was seeming feels me terrified due to their appearance. On the night of December 26th, I and my little cousins went to the prestigious Calle Crisologo. I bought t-shirts again and also tried to visualize the old houses built by the Spaniards many years ago. “I want to live here in Vigan than to Pangasinan because there are so many scenic places to explore”, my then 5-year old cousin said to me while walking. My uncle decided to travel with us in Ilocos Norte on December 28, 2015, since it might take only a few hours of travel. Therefore, we traveled for approximately two hours due to road repairs. While on a journey, my older cousin and I saw names of some barangays are too funny especially in some towns after traversing Vigan City like barangays Pilat and Baliw. My cousin shared an untrue but funny story about it. “Perhaps the ancestors named it because a long time ago there were many insane or else inhabitants before were “pilats” or tadpoles,” he said. We were laughing aloud at my cousin’s jokes inside the van. The funniest one was the driver of the van farted continuously while driving. The first stop of our Ilocos Norte trip was Batac City where we took a tour to Marcos Museum and Mausoleum. I saw various artifacts about Former President Ferdinand Marcos inside his ancestral house. In my visit to Marcos’ mausoleum, I was horrified when I was the wax figure of his body and I thought at first that it was his real remains but my mother said his body lies at the bottom of the wax figure. “President Marcos was so clever, loving, and brave and he did a lot of accomplishments. Even though many Filipinos say he was a dictator but for us Ilocanos, he was a very good man and indeed the best president of the Philippines we ever had.” my aunt said to me while exploring at the museum. We have searched for a restaurant in Batac City. The driver of the van which we are on-board was asking someone where we can take our family lunch. I forgot the name of the restaurant then I ordered a bagnet meal. Bagnet is a very delicious Ilocano food that smells and tastes so good. Aside from eating bagnet, I bought a longganisa burger. It was savory with much spices, made my mouth cold water in the hope of the first bite. Ilocano cuisine is yummy and has good gustatory sense. When the van approached Paoay, I saw the bell tower of the famous St. Augustine Church or otherwise known as the Paoay Church. The façade of the church is so classic and well-preserved whatever it was destroyed by massive earthquake hundred years ago. Outside the church, I saw some goats are being pasteurized. As a matter of respect, I did to bow after entering and prayed solemnly. After going to Paoay, we went to Malacanang of the North where we explored other antique home items of the Marcos family. I saw the clean and bluish Paoay lake that brings fresh and cool air. We went to Fort Ilocandia in Laoag City and I felt the breeze of the sea. Other itineraries we explored were the Ilocos Norte Provincial Capitol and the Museo de Iloko. We were supposed to go to Pagudpud but my uncle cut the trip short because it was sunset when we arrived at the city and it was due to lack of time so we were unable to go such place. We came back to Vigan City on the night of December 28th.  We finally left Ilocos on December 29th, two days before New Year 2016 and we came back at 6 in the evening. While going back to Pangasinan, my young cousin vomited several times and he probably drank seawater. My mother tried to rush him at the hospital when we arrived in Urdaneta City, however, the doctor on-duty never confined him but he gave only prescribed medicine for him to take thrice a day and it eventually cured. The mother of my cousin did not join us but she scolded him and got mad when noticed that he suffered minor digestive illness. Likewise, my cousin doesn’t like adventure over a long time especially in far places. So that is why we finally arrived at home for 11 hours. We spent our vacation time insufficient but I still enjoyed even being tired. There are so many popular wonderful places in Ilocos although the two provinces are small but culturally rich. It was my first time to go there after so many years. I hope that my uncle’s next adventure list would be an international journey at the time of their next vacation in the country. I was dreaming before that our family has a tour in London, Paris, Milan, New York, Dubai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Seoul. I was smiling alone while sleeping and dreaming that. My uncle is so brilliant when it comes to travel anywhere. He is also resourceful in money so every adventure we have is much affordable. I was abundantly thankful to my uncle, Robert, and my aunt, Vanessa, for the extraordinary opportunity to be with them every time for this marvelous endeavor. With them, the entire family of ours enjoy and are glad of unforgettable moments when they are here in the Philippines. “Uncle and Aunt, thank you very much for the adventure and it was superb, memorable, and enjoyable at all,” I said to the lovely couple. They simultaneously left the country on January 17, 2016, bringing the joyous memories last Christmas 2015. At last, that was the best experience I ever had when I was in junior high school.