The Beginning of a Perfect Trip

The afternoon of Saturday, June 21--the day Paula and I arrived at Casa Consuelo in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte--was spent settling down at the resort and swimming at Hannah's Beach Resort. After a hearty lunch of bagnet and poqui-poqui, Paula and I walked to Hannah's, because Casa Consuelo is an island reef resort, and fronting it are protected coral reefs. The beach area at Hannah's, on the other hand, is open to the public, so off we went.

I've always loved going to the beach, even if I can't really swim (what I do is more of floating, hehehe). On that sunny afternoon in Pagudpud, the tide was high, so Paula and I didn't have to swim far from the shore. I loved the water. It was pristine blue, so peaceful, close to being magical. I wanted to drown out all the sounds around me and just stare at the sea and take in its enchanting beauty.

I love that boat, painted in primary colors. 

A bunch of people enjoying the sea at Hannah's

After three hours of swimming at Hannah's, Paula and I headed back to Casa Consuelo. And then, it started to rain! Good thing we were already close to Casa Consuelo, or else we'd become soaked in the rain (not that it would matter, since we were already drenched in seawater). 

We stayed in our room, showered, fixed our things, and rested. And then, the exhaustion from the 13-hour bus ride kicked off. Paula and I fell asleep, while it rained outside. 

I was then awakened by Paula because the rain had stopped, and two rainbows appeared in the sky. Not just one, but two! Still half asleep, I got my camera and stepped out of my room. Maybe I was already too late, because one of the rainbows had almost faded from the sky. But the other one was still visible, and I tried to capture it in my camera. 

I believe God sent this rainbow to bless Paula and I on this trip. It was as if He's telling us, "I'm going to make your trip perfect." And He sure did. 

For dinner, Paula and I ate grilled stuffed squid and dinengdeng. I must confess that those two are my favorites among the dishes we ate in this entire trip. And being the vocal and appreciative people that we are, Paula and I ate every spoonful with compliments said out loud. Haha! We couldn't help it. We kept on saying, "Mmmm, ang sarap!" (Mmmm, this is so delicious!), while stuffing our mouths with squid and vegetables. 

We capped the night by having tea on the porch (yes, our room has a porch!) and talking. And then, we saw paper lanterns being flown at the beach. Yes, paper lanterns, like those in the movie Tangled. And just when we thought the rainbow was enough bonus on this trip, paper lanterns came into the picture. It was just... wow! No wonder Paula and I went to bed last night with smiles on our faces.