When we were kids, summer is always memorable for me because brother and I would always spend it in the province - either in Pangasinan or La Union. As we grew old, we would just be at home during summer vacations, until summer of 2006.

At that time, brother was based in La Union, and since sister was the only one going to school that year, she hoped to make this summer worthwhile because she just finished her 1st year in college.

Multiply was the well known site that time (well, next to Friendster, of course), and a friend of mine from there posted pictures from Vigan and suggested we travel there, too. Talking to dad about it, he liked the idea and gave us enough money for us to do an "extensive" summer trip.

We first went to Vigan City, while we still have "lots" of money. Armed with brother's map of the city, some bottled water, my umbrella or our own set of legs and feet, we roamed around the city in one day. Although we weren't able to see some spots, it was a very great trip for us, and it was the time I fell in love with Vigan's charm. Up to this date, it still is my most favorite place I have ever seen.


We also took the time to check nearby beaches - the one in the town of San Juan, and the one in Paratong, just walking distance from where we live. I normally don't go out exposing skin (because not only am I fat, I also had scars I got when I was a kid), but because I was with my siblings, I decided to wear my only swimwear and just covered my big hips using a wrap-around cloth. Not only was it a liberating moment, I also had fun being with my siblings.

Our aunt had a copy of a souvenir magazine the local government publishes every foundation day, and through it, we got to learn about the Botanical Garden in San Fernando, so it was our next place to visit. It was very, very, far from the city plaza, and the not so good experience with the jeepney driver (he let us pay for the whole ride - giving other passengers a free ride) made us decide to not go there again, though writing about this article, I sure want to go back there, just to check the difference.


Last place to visit in our summer vacation was a day trip to Baguio City. In a way, it was some sort of a pilgrimage tour as well, because we visited different shrines and churches, namely: the Grotto, St. Vincent Ferrer Church, Baguio Cathedral, Grotto Church, and St. Joseph Church. Of course, we also checked out the well known Baguio spots.

Sister and I had about two weeks vacation, and even if the digital camera brother borrowed only allowed us to take few pictures in 640x480 pixels, the memories and the experiences will be something so memorable, because it was basically this vacation that sparked our passion to discover places.

*** Jenn ***