"No time like the present."
Sounds wise, doesn't it? I thought so.
We ran into a small bump on the day after the prayer gathering for my brother, requiring a last-minute change to our itinerary. It called for an alternate plan as it shook up the order of the day. When I thought we had it all together before jetting off, we were wrong.
Lesson learned: There’s a reason why there is such a thing called “Plan B.”
Honestly, dismay is often the initial reaction when things don't go as we had wanted.
I’ll let you in on some of the details—
Monasterio de Tarlac was on our itinerary, then dining at some fancy restaurant. Vacations are the perfect time to check out restaurants to see if they live up to the hype, and also some of the dishes you haven't tried.
One problem: No ride accommodations due to an unexpected situation. This equated to not being able to do much, if at all. What to do then?
Well, the problem-solvers that we are, we did not give up just like that. My husband was determined to have fun that day. We cannot be glued to the television all day because we were stuck in our room. That will not cut it.
After breakfast, we walked up to the front desk and arranged for a shuttle ride. Well, here comes dismay #2— the hotel does not have shuttles to take tour-seeking guests to points of interest. Speaking of our hopes crashing because rental cars were not an option.
Back to our room, my brain traveled at high speed, figuring out how to turn it around. Then came God's intervention. No, we still didn't checked Monasterio off the list. But, what I later figured is that God had us in mind that we stayed put that day even if we had a ride because we learned that morning that the bus terminals near the hotel are not what we thought were the typical bus terminals where you could walk up to a ticketing window to buy your ticket and wait to board the bus.
Here is the thing, it mattered that we had this information because we planned to take the bus to Baguio City the next day. To not be elsewhere that day is one thing, but to run into another issue the next morning going to Baguio City would be another.
I called the bus terminals I recognized by name. My niece also made long-distance calls on our behalf because I ran into an issue with my phone’s sim/data. Imagine our disappointment, and that was for the lack of a better word when it dawned on us that we would be chance passengers. Yes, chance passengers! That meant seating on the bus was not guaranteed. It is common to see passengers standing in buses—but no, that was not the route (no pun intended) that we were willing to take.
First off, I imagined myself sitting by the window and taking in the sights. I knew for sure it would flash back some fond memories. Wouldn’t that be fun? And, to see if the landmarks I recall were still there. I am thinking about the “then” as opposed to the “now,” kind of thing, having wondered what could now be standing on those long stretches of tranquil countryside.
Since stepping foot on US soil in 1992, I’ve only been home five times, including this one. Of course, I can’t get my hopes up that everything remained the same. The Philippines is morphing along with the rest of the world constantly evolving. My nephew mentioned the government partnering with Japan to bore underground tunnels for bullet trains.
It is so beautiful to hear how the country progresses. Now, it is easier to believe the write-ups and the projections that the Philippines will be among the top countries economically in the not-so-distant future. So I say, “Go, Philippines!”
I just digressed, didn't I! ☺️
Anyway, so back to the calls to the bus terminals, in a way, gave us the heads up. We were advised to call the Victory Bus Liner for travel updates for the Baguio City-bound bus/es the next morning. This way, we do not arrive too early or miss the bus.
I floated the idea to take the bus so we do not inconvenience siblings. First off, they dealt with our brother’s emergency. Then came the wake, the funeral, and then the 40th-day prayer gathering. I thought it was selfish to impose, although I knew it wouldn’t be an issue with them as they had previously indicated they would show us around like we were tourists.
All things considered, had there been no issue with the ride to get to the Monasterio, it would’ve taken us off guard and grappled with a setback come next day because we didn’t have all that entails catching a bus.
We were conditioned to consider a bus ride to Baguio City because of the unexpected turn of events. It was necessary. God saw this ahead of time. Another God-incidence moment. With all honesty, I realized this just recently.
Anyway, as the saying goes, “When life gives you lemons, make some lemonade.” That we did!
There was still plenty of time to do what we thought was fun, so we hustled to get ready for the day. No, we didn’t think outside of the box but moved things around on the list. So, off we took a tricycle ride to the mall. We watched a movie. I fell asleep halfway into the movie.
First, when I realized I dozed off, I thought the movie was boring. Now, I take it differently. It probably was boring but that was beside the point. I guess that was my body going overdrive. I needed the rest. And I needed to listen to my body because, after the movie, we did our little shopping. That required energy, right? All the walking it entailed and standing in line sure could easily drain me out. And, I’m the type who wants to snag a sale. To do that, I should comb through the different levels and departments which could take hours.
And yes, glad we did our shopping that day because that was the only time we could do it and not feel rushed. It was on our to-do list after all.
God knows I love mall shopping. He set us up to shop on that day for that was the perfect time we could do it and not rush through it. We didn't have a ride to get to somewhere far that day so we could do this and then some. I just didn't realize it right then and there.
And, as for that setback that changed the agenda for that day, and is still being worked out, God knows how it’s going to end, for nothing comes as a surprise to Him. As the scriptures say, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Amen.
Now, the journey to Baguio City begins.
Things took a turn. The Baguio City-bound bus was full. That was such a bummer! Glad that not a minute later and another bus came, however, it was a Dagupan City-bound. A Baguio City-bound bus was to arrive in another hour or so, but with no guarantees that there would be room for two more—thoughts over! We boarded the Dagupan City-bound bus. It was an air-conditioned bus anyway, with the plan to transfer buses when we get to Dagupan City.
In Dagupan City, my patience got tested. Oh, God knows how to get me. It turned out, we would wait nearly three hours to board the air-conditioned Baguio City-bound bus. Three hours?
“This can’t be happening,” I said, “Why is this happening, Lord?”
I managed to keep my cool. An ordinary bus was there waiting. The Dagupan City to Baguio City trip takes about an hour and a half ride. It was logical to board that bus. We sat in the back for the elevated seats. The ride wasn’t bad, after all. It wasn’t full, and the drive went by fast, yet was a chance to see the towns that we haven’t been to. The windows were left open throughout the ride so we enjoyed the breeze. I recall back in the day that it would be difficult to comb through my hair once I got off the ordinary bus, and could still feel the breeze hitting my face long after I’d gotten off the bus. Have you ever had that kind of sensation? It was probably unique to me.
Anyway, that got me thinking, I think because I had indicated that I wanted to relive life from when I was in college, God arranged that I get to relive all that, ordinary and air-conditioned buses alike. Surprises… surprises!
So, off we were charting a course for wonder.
In Part 1, I mentioned briefly that this trip to the Philippines prompted me to work on another blog post. It will not be from my journal but inspiration from the Virgin Mary.
Yes, this is a huge assumption. I know that but stay with me because the thought came to me like manna from heaven that fell on my lap, as I have described it on a social media post. As you keep reading, I am confident you, too, will arrive at that same conclusion, which is why I started clacking away on my laptop and swyping on my phone. Call it the catalyst that gave me the momentum.
Here’s the story—
When we go on vacations, regardless of how long or short it was, we made the habit of visiting a church to attend the Mass, spend time in adoration before the Most Blessed Sacrament, or just pray by the altar. Our trip to the Philippines was no different—I planned to visit the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Manaoag.
“So much to do, so little time…”
Well, this was the going-on quote we lived by during the trip because, sadly, it became apparent that we couldn’t pay homage to Our Lady of Manaoag. Believe me, I have apologized to her more than once.
Whoa, was I surprised! The Virgin Mother of God made The Move! Although just in passing, she brought us to her shrine because Manaoag is one of the towns that dot the Baguio City-bound bus from Dagupan City. I had no prior knowledge of this. It was my first time going to Dagupan City.
We saw the back side of the shrine, too. Not only that— somewhere along was an area where the road split off to the left and the right. The bus took the left side. I had to mention this because we were seated on the right side of the bus, so when it took the lane to the left where the road bifurcated, it gave me a better view of the image of Our Lady that was at the point where the road parts.
A.M.A.Z.I.N.G to the max!
True, we didn’t get to venerate her image inside the shrine, but I got a visual of her anyway, interesting, isn’t it? If that was good enough for Our Lady, it's good enough for me!
Inarguably, God, Himself, made time for this remarkable maneuvering of His, and included in our schedule, thoughtfully—then unfolded it before our very own eyes so magnificently because only He can stage it with a 100% success rate. He owns time. That's our God. Hands down.🥰
This is what I meant previously, why picking up where I left off blogging-wise was an inspiration by the Virgin Mary. I love repeating to myself that this didn't occur by a stroke of luck but by the work of God. God-incidence, as I know it. Amen.🙏
Alright now, Baguio City, here we come!
Nostalgia took over. The driver navigating through the narrow winding road was like us walking down memory lane.🥰
We had mixed emotions about the city. We had been away for so long that many of the establishments we were familiar with had probably moved to another location or had left the City. We looked forward to eating at Tom Sawyer's, Mario's, and some other places. These restaurants were not in sight.😲
Transportation shouldn't be a problem, or so we thought. We counted on the "Grab" app specifically for rides, but it didn't work for us. The good old taxis came to the rescue!
Arriving at the hotel, it surprised us that it was not in the location we thought it would be. On a second thought though, perhaps we just lost our sense of direction. It had been years, come to think of it.
So, we got the key to our room and Whoa, I didn't like it—I LOVED IT! 🤩
It had the view I wanted, just without the snow.😁 I love ceiling-to-floor picture windows, and this hotel has picture windows. Outside are the pine trees as far as the eyes could see—YES! 👍🏻
It's the feeling you get similar to escaping to somewhere completely off-grid, yet you were in the city proper. It was having the best of both worlds. 🥰
Get this, on the first opening of my eyes, and I look out the window, I gaze out upon nature, which is what Baguio City is known for: The City of Pines, an apt nickname for this city. It was easy to step away and drown out noises.
Such were lovely moments from half a world away! Like a dream, happening in a snap of a finger. The ambiance is the medium for finding the perfect balance so I could tune out the cares of the world.
I couldn't think of anything that I'd like more when arriving at some far-off destination other than to journal and find moments for uninterrupted pondering, to do just that. Or, have my nose buried in a book, usually something to feed my spirituality.
The window bench and throw pillows also helped set the stage, inviting me to curl up and scribble—my intention exactly when I booked this hotel, and glad that it was easy to afford it. I have since visited this place in my head now that the inclination to blog returned.
Anyway, there was no time to journal during the trip, nor to read a book. To explore this now bustling city took precedence.
Still, truly grateful for the next two days, and how the days began for us as we pulled up the blind strings, and had nature in front of us. Though it was a brief stay, still could easily cost a pretty penny back here.
How fun to see things took a bright turn! I call it "Happiness Set in Stone," which is the theme for Part 3 of this post. You got that right, there is a third part to this.
So, see you in Part 3!
Many blessings!
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