Pieces of Paradise

Funny how things can turn out sometimes... how something you'll think will be bad turn out to be good... how something you don't expect much from can actually turn out to be better... It was a real bummer when our original vacation plans never materialized. Palau became Thailand, then Thailand became Hong Kong... due to budgetary constraints of some friends. I'll be leaving for Hong Kong in a few hours, though I'm not really excited. I've been there a lot of times, and I don't really like shopping. What else can we do there? There's not much to see, except for that new Disneyland--- which is nothing to write home about, according to many who have been there. Also, our trip to Bohol didn't materialize because the hotels were fully booked for weeks. I opted to go to Cagayan Valley instead where a few of my relatives lived. It's basically a free vacation, so who am I to complain?

At first, I wasn't really expecting much. A few days of rest at least, during my last few free days. I wanted to make the most out of the remaining days of my vacation. Plus I've been searching for sites about the place in the internet, and the things I saw didn't excite me. Apparently, the place had a lot to offer--- things those internet sites don't show. I've seen beaches on the internet that sucked... then I saw magnificent beaches on those isolated islands. My jaw practically dropped! Paradise would be the word to describe those beaches. I've been to many beaches, but none were as spectacular as the one i saw there. The fact that the island was practically devoid of other human life besides us added to the beauty of such serenity. The region also had great caves which were a joy to explore... though we didn't have a tour guide then, so we weren't able to fully explore the chambers, which were said to be snake infested. I wasn't able to take very good pictures also, because the caves were so dark, and the camera I brought had a weak flash. I also took a swim in the river. The water was so clean! The only drawback was I had to change my clothes in the bushes, because there were no amenities. lol. good thing no strangers were around at that time... or else scandalous pictures of myself could be floating around the internet by now. haha. There were a lot more things to do, but I had to go home earlier because of affairs back home. There were more caves and forests to explore, and I wasn't able to try white water rafting, which is a favorite tourist activity there... Maybe when I come back after 5 years. :)

Oh yeah, pictures are worth a thousand words right? So here are some pictures i took. They don't justify the beauty of the place though, you have to see the place with your own eyes. Who cares if my Hong Kong vacation will suck? The great time I had in Cagayan is enough to mask any bad memories of a number of future vacations. :)