This I will definitely miss.

The sad thing about LDRs is the "Goodbye for now…till we meet again" moments, which I am in right at this very moment. In a few hours, Dodong will be boarding his Emirates flight (hopefully upgraded to business class again!) back to the land of the camels and sheiks.

I already cried my eyes out, which is quite a  surprise. I know I should be used to this already since this isn't the first time he left. BUT it's not easy to let him go…literally go. Go back to the desert. I will miss him a whole lot. I even think a whole lot is an understatement!

I miss Dodong but there are some things which change during each homecoming. What will I miss about Dodong this time around?

The mere nearness of him

The fact that he is in the same time zone and very accessible via mobile phone. Even just a 5-minute commute to his house (He does live a stone's throw away from my place) or maybe a meet-up within Metro Manila (except Makati because he hates the place. Hehehehe!).

With him back in the desert, I'd have to wait until we would come to a common ground before he'd be able to get back to me. Yes, I'm used to it BUT, of course, I'd want him to be more accessible especially when I need him the most.

The rides with Sharkface (his new Mitsubishi Lancer EX)

With our new found mobility through Sharkface, it's so fun to just go around. Though gas here costs an arm and a leg versus the costs in Dubai, car rides are great for conversations, jokes and holding hands Cheezy? But I love it Especially that this time around, we did get around quite a lot…we got to Pagudpud right?

The food trips!

Well, it has been significantly less this time around since we are both "conscious" about gaining weight now. He also did the GM diet when he saw that it did work wonders for me. Competitive! hehehehe!

When Dodong is here, I do get to eat in more places…his treat of course! I really feel like a princess

The physical intimacy (of course!)

Hugs, kisses, hugs, kisses, hugs, kisses, hugs, kisses, hugs, kisses…need I say more? I think this will appear in all of the top things I will miss about Dodong's being here.

The prayers together

This I believe is the most significant of all. We were able to pray together, on his first Sunday here, during our roadtrip (for safety on the road) and earlier this afternoon before leaving for the airport. I do firmly believe that prayer has and will play a big role in our relationship for the future. We are thankful for all the blessings…most definitely! We truly realized how blessed we are now. And we also prayed for strength, daily safety, abundance, and good health for the coming months.

Hope you'd take the time out (just a few minutes) to pray with us as Dodong and I continue through our LDR journey

Love the distance,

Inday I. Nagintay

Baby did drive his new car: Sharkface, the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer EX

Dodong recently bought himself his dream car, a 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer EX if I am not mistaken (I am not exactly into cars…they are all the same to me. Hehehe!). Of course, the timing of the purchase and delivery of the actual car was during this homecoming so that he would be able to break it in. And what better way to break-in his new Mitsubishi Lancer EX through a nice long road trip to the tip of Luzon: Pagudpud Ilocos Norte.

So last Wednesday, we took a very loooooooooooong drive to Pagudpud. The drive was around 11-12 hours through 600ish kilometers of highways and side streets from Manila.

So was the drive worth it?

DEFINITELY!

The roadtrip was the perfect opportunity for us catch up and reconnect more in an isolated setting (Yes, it was just the two of us) with such a limited time (Huhuhuhu!). Here are the things we did in Pagudpud:

Rest!

Kapuluan Vista is a really nice resort at the end of the Blue Lagoon area

We stayed at Kapuluan Vista Resort, where we originally booked only one night. BUT since we were really pooped from the long drive, we decided to extend our stay and added another night.

Dodong (the driver, of course) was so tired that we actually spent rest of the afternoon and evening just sleeping!

Explore the beauty of nature

Dodong exploring small caves and crevices in the Pagudpud shoreline

Pagudpud is not just beaches. Though it was my second time to go there (the last time was around 15 years ago. Hehehe!), I discovered so many other things we could do aside from swim.

Pretty shell found on the rocky Pagudpud shore

I personally would not recommend swimming in the Pagudpud beaches because the waves are just too big and the undertow too strong even a strong swimmer like myself can't survive. So we did take a nice leisurely stroll on the rocks and picked up nice shells as souvenirs for our respective houses.

The Hills are Aliveeeeeeee!!!

Beside the beaches are hike friendly hills, which we did explore too. It was a quick 5-minute walk from Kapuluan Vista and a 15-minute hike up the hillsssss. The climb will give you a spectacular, breathtaking view of Pagudpud! We felt so blessed by God when we saw the beauty of his creation Really! If we would have more time, we would have hiked some more. Maybe next time

Eat the glorious local specialties

When in Ilocos, eat Ilocos longganiza!

For us, who really love to eat (me in particular), the food is a highlight I was so glad that part of our package with Kapuluan Vista was free breakfast and Ilocos longganiza (sausage) was one of the choices. I definitely went for it and enjoyed every bite. YUM!

We also ate the famous Ilocos empanada, deep fried local delicacy of a flaky pastry dough stuffed silly with veggies, Ilocos longganiza and egg. Unfortunately, the picture is just crappy (it was just too dark!) so I won't upload it. Hehehe!

Take lots and lots of pictures

Dodong setting up the stage for our picture together.

Of course, there must be proof that we were there…together! The only downside of being just us on the trip is that we couldn't take as much pictures of us together. Hehehehe! Most of the pictures in my camera is of Dodong, while his camera is full of my pictures

But we were creative enough to use the timers of our cameras (well, mostly his camera) to be able to take pictures of US. All we needed was a stable and sturdy base to place the cameras on with a nice view of course.

Would we go back to Pagudpud? Hmmm…of course, since we still had a lot to explore. We missed out on one of the other rock formations, the falls, and the long hike up the hills. But instead of driving there, we'd be flying in the next time. You can actually take a plane to Laoag and have the resort pick you up from there. The drive was just too tiring. Hehehehe!

Would you go to Pagudpud as a homecoming date too?

Love the distance,

Inday I. Nagintay

P.S. So sorry for the crappy quality of the pictures. My camera seems to be acting up. Huhuhu too!