...maybe I'll be in the Philippines in the blink of an eye. But I'm not Dorothy and I don't have the ruby slippers on me. So if I want to get there, I'll have to do it the old fashioned way. Too bad that costs a lot of money. Not to mention all the other expenses included in a vacation. But if money was no object, what would I do during a month long vacation?
No trip to the Philippines is complete without a trip to the beach. Every summer, it's de riguer to have a summer outing, either to a pool or to the beach, in some cases to both. Sometimes even when it's not summer, if I was staying at my sister's place in Laguna we'd go to a pool for a neighborhood outing. These outings are never fancy, more like plain and simple kind of roughing it type of thing. The only extravagance, if one can call it such, during these affairs is the food. We'd bring lots of food, either cooked or to be cooked. There's always tilapia to be grilled, pork or beef to be barbecued, sometimes pansit, sometimes squid, maybe some mangoes with bagoong to dip them in or made into a green mango salad. And of course, rice. Mmmm...just mentioning all that food has made my mouth water, especially at the memory of green mango salad. I'm not a fan of green mango per se because I don't like sour things, but the way this salad is made has me eating it until it's all gone. Pairing it with grilled fish makes it even better! Yum!!! We also do a lot of swimming, in all that lovely hot springs water. That would be so nice right now. So, yes, an outing to either a beach or a pool will definitely be part of my vacation.
Another important part of this vacation would be making the rounds of my old stomping grounds. First on the list is the neighborhood in Marikina where I lived almost all of my life. I don't know what changes have happened in the years since I left so I'll want to check everything out. I'm sure my husband will be happy to know that there is a Jollibee a block away from our house. I'll also go to Cubao, Ortigas and Makati. These areas were places where I either worked, played or both. I'll make sure to check out the old and new shops, restaurants, buildings, all the sights and sounds.
To round out my to do list is spending time with family and friends. This is actually the most important item on my to do list. Having been away for so long, I'll want to reconnect with my family, my nephew and nieces in particular. They'll be so grown up, so different from when I saw them last. I'll want to spend time with my dear, close friends and catch up on all the stories and news that no amount of chat or email can really cover. It's quite possible we'll do a few slumber parties with just us girls. I haven't done one of those in a long time.
There will be a few other things I'll do on this vacation, what I've mentioned thus far is just half the list. Hubby will surely want to see and do some things too, including a trip to Cebu and Taguig to catch up with his side of the family. But I'm sure that whatever and wherever we might be, I'll soak up everything in the Philippines that I possibly can. Because who knows when I'll be able to go back again.
Ok, now back to reality.
© Margj Castillo, Between You and Me, 2010 - Present.
© Margj Castillo, Between You and Me, 2010 - Present.
No comments:
Post a Comment