Delayed Post
I have been meaning to-- but haven't been actually able to-- update my blog with photos from our trip last April. We went around Northern Luzon, in an adventure which I would like to think was the best and longest land trip that the family has been on. We were able to witness the 2012 Le Tour de Filipinas, which followed a route that toured the periphery of norther Luzon. You can view the official Facebook page here and the official website here.
Because the start of the race would be in Tuguegarao City, and dad wanted to get there by land, we had to leave 3 days earlier. We were set to meet up with the team and all the racers in Sta. Ana, Cagayan. So, we spent the first night in Vigan. The next night, we spent in Aparri. Both days were spent on the road for a whole 12 hours. Surprisingly, the 12 hours seemed so fast because of all the sights along the way.
The whole trip in itself had so many close calls. For one, we didn't know where to find a place to sleep in once we arrived in Aparri, and it was already evening when we got there. Luckily, we were directed to a more decent hotel (because the first one we were directed to turned out to be a motel). The next morning, dad found that one of the back tires was completely flat! There were two nails on the wheel, and just thinking how that tire could have exploded while we were on the highway or on the way up and down the mountains still makes me shudder.
Another close call we had, which we only realized after the trip, was that the car battery had expired a month before the trip. In fact, when he brought the car to the shop, they discovered it "by accident" that the battery had already been depleted. Had my dad parked somewhere else before heading to the car shop, the car wouldn't have started anymore. But more than that, it's amazing how the battery didn't die during out trip. I am extremely thankful for that. Mom believes that it's because we made sure to start each trip with a prayer for protection and for a safe trip-- I completely agree.
We were on the road for almost two weeks and would leave for a new province everyday as part of the race group. Considering that this was an international race too, I am extremely proud of my dad and his team's ability to organize the race. In fact, Le Tour de Filipinas helped place the Philippines as #4 in Asia because of the results! The race was won by mostly Filipinos this year, definitely something to be proud about! :)
Because each province and each day we got to stop has its own set of photos, I'll be saving some future posts especially for this. Just thinking about the entire trip helps me relax more, now that I'm back to work and preparing for next semester. Until then, here are some food photos from the trip. And yes, I would fly back all the way north just for the food:
Because the start of the race would be in Tuguegarao City, and dad wanted to get there by land, we had to leave 3 days earlier. We were set to meet up with the team and all the racers in Sta. Ana, Cagayan. So, we spent the first night in Vigan. The next night, we spent in Aparri. Both days were spent on the road for a whole 12 hours. Surprisingly, the 12 hours seemed so fast because of all the sights along the way.
The whole trip in itself had so many close calls. For one, we didn't know where to find a place to sleep in once we arrived in Aparri, and it was already evening when we got there. Luckily, we were directed to a more decent hotel (because the first one we were directed to turned out to be a motel). The next morning, dad found that one of the back tires was completely flat! There were two nails on the wheel, and just thinking how that tire could have exploded while we were on the highway or on the way up and down the mountains still makes me shudder.
Another close call we had, which we only realized after the trip, was that the car battery had expired a month before the trip. In fact, when he brought the car to the shop, they discovered it "by accident" that the battery had already been depleted. Had my dad parked somewhere else before heading to the car shop, the car wouldn't have started anymore. But more than that, it's amazing how the battery didn't die during out trip. I am extremely thankful for that. Mom believes that it's because we made sure to start each trip with a prayer for protection and for a safe trip-- I completely agree.
We were on the road for almost two weeks and would leave for a new province everyday as part of the race group. Considering that this was an international race too, I am extremely proud of my dad and his team's ability to organize the race. In fact, Le Tour de Filipinas helped place the Philippines as #4 in Asia because of the results! The race was won by mostly Filipinos this year, definitely something to be proud about! :)
Because each province and each day we got to stop has its own set of photos, I'll be saving some future posts especially for this. Just thinking about the entire trip helps me relax more, now that I'm back to work and preparing for next semester. Until then, here are some food photos from the trip. And yes, I would fly back all the way north just for the food: