We have more than enough days to enjoy the island but I don't think I'm ready to leave just yet. Not when I know that a shitload of work is waiting for me.
I also worry my friends back home won't be able to recognize me anymore because I am ten times darker. But I would not have it any other way. I think I am born for the ocean. And if the kiss of the ocean breeze meant a sun-kissed skin, then the sun can have me anytime.
I had an amazing long weekend at my favorite beach in Dahican. But laziness reared its ugly head in and, as usual, I didn’t take any interesting photos.
Well, except for this:
This Mati trip is just the first of my many beach getaways this 2018.
Well, except for this:
Dahican is love. No filter needed. |
Yesterday was our baby's string of many firsts.
First, we named our baby, Bill. I know Bill doesn't have anything to do with a car. Unlike others, I didn't name it after its color, it's performance, or whatever's under its hood. I could come up with Silver Bullet, Speed, Sasha (because it is grey haha), Lil Beasty, or even Sasuke because it almost sounds like the car brand. But I like Bill Parish from Meet Joe Black. It doesn't really have to have a significance and I don't need a reason to name it Bill. But Bill sounds good and that's good enough.
I know naming a car is not an uncommon practice. I think, if not all, almost every car owner does it and I think I know why. Mike Wazowski once said, "Once you name it, you start getting attached to it." Once you get attached to it, you take good care of it and I would like to believe that would make you a better driver.
First, we named our baby, Bill. I know Bill doesn't have anything to do with a car. Unlike others, I didn't name it after its color, it's performance, or whatever's under its hood. I could come up with Silver Bullet, Speed, Sasha (because it is grey haha), Lil Beasty, or even Sasuke because it almost sounds like the car brand. But I like Bill Parish from Meet Joe Black. It doesn't really have to have a significance and I don't need a reason to name it Bill. But Bill sounds good and that's good enough.
I know naming a car is not an uncommon practice. I think, if not all, almost every car owner does it and I think I know why. Mike Wazowski once said, "Once you name it, you start getting attached to it." Once you get attached to it, you take good care of it and I would like to believe that would make you a better driver.
Anyway, it was also yesterday when it had its first wash. Bill needs to look good because we had it blessed.
We also took bill on its first out of town trip. We went to Sarangani Province to celebrate my lola's birthday. But before that, we took it on a road trip.
And a rough one at that. I never really intended Bill to go through such an ordeal. I never expected the road to be unforgiving. Since it was a spur of the moment getaway, the lack of research has taken its toll on the car. But it survived the steep and rocky roads just to get us to this:
We also took bill on its first out of town trip. We went to Sarangani Province to celebrate my lola's birthday. But before that, we took it on a road trip.
And a rough one at that. I never really intended Bill to go through such an ordeal. I never expected the road to be unforgiving. Since it was a spur of the moment getaway, the lack of research has taken its toll on the car. But it survived the steep and rocky roads just to get us to this:
I've never been to a theme park before. I've never been to Enchanted Kingdom nor Star City. But there are carnivals that come to our city from time to time which made me a sucker for extreme rides. And by extreme, I mean, those dodgy and rusty roller coasters that clank and screech at every turn with the possibility of the safety harness coming loose or, worse, bolts and screws break and go flying around while you hang on to your unsecured over-the-shoulder restraints for dear life. So if you really think about it, any theme park's extreme rides do not come close to that. Haha.
Universal Studios Singapore is the first legit theme park I've ever visited. And it is nothing short of amazing.
Universal Studios Singapore is the first legit theme park I've ever visited. And it is nothing short of amazing.
But that is not always the case. Sometimes, choosing convenience and comfort over spontaneity is the best choice.
You see, exploring Taiwan would have been easy if the bus routes and directions were also written in English. Not that I'm saying it's difficult, but we simply want to relax and not stress over boarding the wrong buses, getting lost, and chasing bus schedules that we chose to book a guided Yehliu-Shifen-Jiufen tour from KKDay. And I never thought traveling could be this easy and hassle-free (this is not a paid endorsement and also, I think we're just getting old).
This isn't part of our itinerary. Honestly, I didn't know about this until we realized that we still have more than eight hours to spend before our flight back home. And I'm glad I came across TripAdvisor's Top Ten Things to Do in Taichung because it would be a bummer if I missed something lovely as this.
Zhongshe (also spelled as Chungshe) Flower Market is one of Taiwan's attractions located in Houli Township, Taichung. It is a vast six-hectare land filled with beautiful and vibrant flowers that bloom all throughout the season. I would have loved to see my favorite flowers - the tulips - in bloom but we were there during the wrong season. Different season offers you different flowers. As for the tulips, you will see them around February to March.
But still, even if I didn't see my favorite flowers, even if some flowers were not in full bloom, it is one of the most beautiful places I've been to. The pictures will speak for itself.
Zhongshe (also spelled as Chungshe) Flower Market is one of Taiwan's attractions located in Houli Township, Taichung. It is a vast six-hectare land filled with beautiful and vibrant flowers that bloom all throughout the season. I would have loved to see my favorite flowers - the tulips - in bloom but we were there during the wrong season. Different season offers you different flowers. As for the tulips, you will see them around February to March.
But still, even if I didn't see my favorite flowers, even if some flowers were not in full bloom, it is one of the most beautiful places I've been to. The pictures will speak for itself.
When we extended our travel dates, I know that a visit to Sun Moon Lake is a must. Two hours by bus from the city of Taichung, Taiwan lies the beautiful and breathtaking Sun Moon Lake.
Sun Moon Lake offers a lot of activities. You can do a round-the-lake bus tour, or board the boats and sail some areas of the lake such as Lalu Island and Ita Thao, or try the ropeway (a.k.a. cable car), where you can see a fantastic view of the lake from above.
But of all the activities that are offered, I only wanted to do one thing: go cycling. Sun Moon Lake has been dubbed as one of the most scenic cycling paths in the world.
And it did not disappoint.
Sun Moon Lake offers a lot of activities. You can do a round-the-lake bus tour, or board the boats and sail some areas of the lake such as Lalu Island and Ita Thao, or try the ropeway (a.k.a. cable car), where you can see a fantastic view of the lake from above.
But of all the activities that are offered, I only wanted to do one thing: go cycling. Sun Moon Lake has been dubbed as one of the most scenic cycling paths in the world.
And it did not disappoint.
I've got to say, this is one of the most memorable trips I've ever had. And I bet Jan would say the same.
We booked our Taiwan trip from November 16 to 19, thinking that 3 days would be enough for Taipei. But since the airline cancelled our flight on the 16th, we had it moved to the 14th. Coming from Davao, international trips can be steep because we also have to fly either to Manila or Cebu since the only international flight available from Davao is going to Singapore and vice-versa (soon to Kuala Lumpur). Fortunately, we were able to book an early flight to Cebu because we also planned to go to Bantayan Island before the Taiwan Trip.
So apparently, the Bantayan trip has to be scrapped to give way to Taiwan. And even with the extended travel dates, 5 days is still not enough to experience Taiwan. And one blog post will not be enough for that. So for now, this post will only be about Taipei.
We booked our Taiwan trip from November 16 to 19, thinking that 3 days would be enough for Taipei. But since the airline cancelled our flight on the 16th, we had it moved to the 14th. Coming from Davao, international trips can be steep because we also have to fly either to Manila or Cebu since the only international flight available from Davao is going to Singapore and vice-versa (soon to Kuala Lumpur). Fortunately, we were able to book an early flight to Cebu because we also planned to go to Bantayan Island before the Taiwan Trip.
So apparently, the Bantayan trip has to be scrapped to give way to Taiwan. And even with the extended travel dates, 5 days is still not enough to experience Taiwan. And one blog post will not be enough for that. So for now, this post will only be about Taipei.