If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you probably know that I recently embarked on a lovely trip to Sagada. It was a couple of months ago so I guess it's not that  recent. I haven't quite gotten around to blogging about the trip because I have over 900 photos to edit and upload and my sister is already bugging me! I'll probably do it in parts so it's not extremely lengthy. Just imagine me trying to fit 900+ worth of photos in one story, oh the horror. Let me start by sharing my food adventures!

While in Sagada, aside from exploring the place, pretending to be a food connoisseur was one of the things I took pleasure in doing. A lot of my friends who have visited the place told me that it's a food haven and that serving size if hefty given the price. My sister and I had a list of places we wanted to visit for breakfast, lunch and dinner but I was too tired from all the trekking we didn't get to visit all of the places on our list. Which, I think, is a good thing though. All the more reason for me to go back to Sagada. 

Dear, Future Self. I hope one day you realize that life at twenty-something isn't so terrible after all. You win some, and you lose a lot. And that's not bad. I hope when you look back at all the mistakes you've made, the only thing that would resonate on your face is a smile, the warm kind of smile. The kind of smile that makes you wonder why you did those things but feeling happy and quite content nonetheless because you learned a lot along the way. I hope that you finally understand what all the pain is all about. I hope you recognize that no matter how tough it gets, the people who love you will always be there--no matter what. Lastly, I hope you finally learn how to love yourself. 

That was dramatic, lol. But I meant every word of it. I had one of the simplest yet happiest birthday celebration a couple of days ago. I ended up going to a spontaneous beach trip and I was also able to celebrate with family and friends, yay! My phone was ringing non-stop and I was annoyed like hell but then I realized just how much these people care to let me know they remembered my special day. I also got five different birthday cakes and I don't know how to consume them all because they're all my favorites! I was also surprised three times, so I guess it does help that I blog about the things that I want to happen as a subtle reminder to concerned parties, haha! I've mentioned several times that I loooooove surprises, so, you can only imagine how happy I am upon getting three albeit looking crappy and all because I wasn't prepared. Note to self, look good at all times on my next birthday in case of surprises, lol. 

This post has been sitting in my queue for quite some time now, over a year to be exact. Yeah, I know. Procrastination at its finest. I was thinking if I should still publish this since it's been months since I last went to the place and things may have changed already, buuuuut, the place is too lovely I just have to share the photos. If I remember correctly, we went on this trip on September 2013, lol, hence the title. I almost choked on my burger realizing how overdue this post is. 

Anyway, let me tell you about this enchanting place called Islas de Gigantes. Our guide told us that it was named such because it was believed that the people who used to live in the islands were giants--and they have the bones to prove it. Our friend arranged everything for us so I won't be much of help in the organizing department. But, I'll share everything I remember about the trip with hopes of helping you guys out should you choose to embark on this journey alone or with your friends. Though I highly encourage you go with your friends since boat rentals can be quite pricey if you're alone.  Plus, everything is certainly more fun with friends in tow! Not to mention cheaper, too. 

Baguio has always been my safe haven. It may be popular to a lot of people nowadays because, duh, it's the summer capital of the Philippines. Add to that the growing number of tourists who visits it to have a view of La Presa, which, for fuck's sake, is made-up name for the place. I'm mad at these people because just like Sagada, tourists lately seem to visit such places due to their association to movies or TV shows, not because they want to be immersed in the culture. I'm not saying everyone does that as there are still a lot of tourists who go to such places to appreciate and experience the culture, and for them, I'm very thankful. 

I love Baguio to bits. If I were to put it in a song, it would be All of Me by John Legend. Love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections. I admit, Baguio is not perfect because it's now too crowded with people and filled with high-rise buildings, but it is perfect for me. Cold or not, it will always be my safe place. One of the things that made me fall in love with Baguio is the cost of living. I can live there for a week with only a thousand bucks, and I'll still have money left for drinks. In comparison to Manila, which is a hell hole when we talk about cost of living, you do get your money's worth. Especially when it comes to food. Again, I'm not saying this goes for all the restaurants in Baguio because there are some that aren't worthwhile. Which is why I'll be sharing one of my favorites, which will be worth your time and money. Guise, say hello to Canto. One of the restaurants from the amazing Ketchup Food Community.