Like a lonely little dog

It's been a week since he left. Wow a week, 7 days, 168 hours…It as been a whirlwind on trying to get back to both our regular programming: Dodong working in the desert while Inday works in the Philippines. We miss each other so much and I've learned more about us these past days.

I know that I've shared a few of those signs how he shows he misses me. But I really just want to share more signs (which I've observed in the past 7 days) how I know that he does miss me so much…

He replies lengthily to our daily journals

We're on our 7th daily journal entry today and he has replied to 6 of them already! Each of his reply entries is not just the usual 2-3 sentences but a good long 5-7 paragraphs. He really takes the time out to write (or rather type up!) about his itinerary for the day and his thoughts and his feelings. Don't you just love reading long "love letters"?

He made a Pagudpud pic as his phone's wallpaper

He couldn't get enough of staring at our Pagudpud getaway photos on Facebook, so he uploaded his favorite Pagudpud photo on his mobile phone. I must admit it isn't our photo together but just a landscape photo. Dodong told me he couldn't bear looking at our photo every single time as it would really make him sadder than he already is. Awwwww ain't that just heartwarming at the same time heartbreaking. Sigh.

He always wants to see me on the webcam

Aside from our daily journals, part of our everyday routine is to chat with each other. Now he always (I do too!) wants us to chat with the webcam mode on. It really is different seeing each other in a pseudo face to face setting. It is a relief at the same time painful. Lots of ironies here right?

He wants me to spend my last pay on a roundtrip ticket to Dubai

I recently got my last pay from my previous company. The money is actually enough to get myself a roundtrip ticket to Dubai, but since I have other things to pay like day-to-day expenses, bills and more. So this idea is like HELLO!  But Dodong is really sweet for saying "Hey you can buy a ticket and stay with me…" Maybe he would be buying me my ticket soon? Hehehe!

Last but not the least…

He already is seriously talking about OUR FUTURE PLANS

I won't expound on this much. I must say I am really excited and so looking forward to it

You think Dodong really misses me?

Love the distance,

Inday I. Nagintay

Part of Dodong's bucket list is to take a picture at the Bangui Windmills in Ilocos Norte. This is actually the main reason for the whole roadtrip, and not Pagudpud. Hehehe.

So on our way back to Manila from Pagudpud, we did make the stopover to check out the GIANT windmills of Bangui, which is around a 30-45minute drive from Pagudpud.

Aside from the perfect photo opportunity place, here are the other things you can expect from Bangui windmills…

Strong winds!

DUH. That's why they built those giant electrical energy generators in that spot. Hehehe! The strong winds are more reason to give your honey a nice tight embrace like what I did A nice tight embrace meaning "please don't go…please don't leave me…"

Flying grains of sand!

Because of the strong winds, grains of sand to dance along to the wind. Just make sure to protect your eyes from any of these flying particles. Dodong had his cyclops shades on to protect his eyes, while I just squinted to avoid them getting into mine eyes.

In case a grain gets in your eye, just ask your honey to blow on your eyes to relieve the sting Sweet!

Seaspray!

The waves are just so huge and strong because of the winds. Dodong and I got sprayed by the waves even if we were 10-15 meters away from the shore! Too bad we did not have any wet wipes to wipe off the salt residue on our faces.

In case, you'd be visiting the Bangui Windmills, make sure you have wet wipes in your car Wouldn't it be sweet if you'd wipe off the salt residue from your honey's face? Awwwww…

I'd love to go back to Bangui to take better pictures since my camera is not functioning in tip top form. Of course, I will go back with Dodong again

Would you stopover at the Bangui Windmills too?

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!