#thegalaz

We woke up early for the second day. Excited ako kasi eto yun trek na hindi natuloy the previous travel because it was raining sooooo hard.

Since El Union opens an hour earlier than Little Cat, we grabbed our coffe from there. Haba ng pila, walang cold brew but it will do the trick.

We travelled for about 20 minutes and arrived at the tour guide spot. Someone approached us and said that it's Php 1,500 minimum fee for 5 pax, wala pa yun bayad pala sa tricycle nya (Php 300) and others that I will share later. Dalawa lang kami so we didn't care na about the fee and continued on. Whether nadaya kami or not, it's fine... we always think on such instances that it's their source of living and as long as they do the job, we'll pay.

It was a 30 minute-ish tricycle ride to the starting point of the trek. The guide says it's 1 hour, but hindi ko alam anong pace nun mga ganon. Haha. It actually took us around 1 hour and a half, with stops for photo taking. I gained 7 kilos so it was indeed an experience getting used to this new body while I trek after 2-3 years since my last.

But, the view is so fucking worth it.

Every photo I took and the videos I had for a reel I made are filter-free. Hindi kailangan. Sobrang namiss ko yun pawis, hingal, akyat, baba, gapang... it was relatively an easy trek but because we were wearing shoes, scaredy cat ako sa dulas. LOL.

Going back, we were recommended to just take the habal-habal. It's Php 400 per person, and you need to pay for your tour guide's ride as well so total of Php 1,200. Dahil super nakakatakot yun 40-minute habal ride ... as in malala pa sa roller coaster... napa-tip kami. Kasi we survived it and buhay kami. LOL. Aside from that, may environmental fee pa na Php 60 isa.

After that, we grabbed a VERY LATE linner (lunch & dinner) at Seawadeeka. Legit Thai flavors, awesome staff. They adored Fofo so much na nun kakain na, they asked if they can take care of him para makakain kami. Tapos ayun, kinidnap nila papasok sa kitchen at pinanggigilan haha.

Share ko na din pala yun hindi planado but turned out to be quite a looker na outfit ko.

We then went to the beach so Fofo can enjoy a bit of the litter sand. LOL. Ates came up to us asking if they can take photos with him. Nakakatuwa lang kasi we adore how Fofo can also share some happiness to other people.

We then brought Fofo back to the hostel to rest. And for us to also recharge energy a bit, before going to La Kantina... again.

Love their cocktails, while the beer is husband's usual order... same sa Sarsa kasi. We got complimentary pizza.

To be honest, it still feels like a dream how much our travels have improved. Same travel buddy, but ngayon, hindi na kami about budget. We can eat and hike without thinking so much about expenses... though, sa totoo lang... hindi din naman kasi kami magastos or luxurious. We don't do steaks, or high-priced wines and we sincerely love being muddy and dirty and walking when we can.

I've retreated into my privacy cocoon, but hello hello. We went on a 3-day vacation, just like we always do every December or January to wrap up the previous year and get ready for the coming year.

Personally, on these trips, I take a moment to read, relax, reflect and just bask under the sun, with the sound of the waves and the leaves. I used to take it as a strategic planning session of sorts, but 2022 was such a grit and grind year that all I wanted to do during the trip was relax, let go and send multiple thanks to the Universe.

I called it the Annual #TheGalaz Core Group Planning and of course, Fofo is with us. He's his usual behaved litol boi self. He was too excited he woke us up hours before leaving and won't stop until I packed all his stuff (i.e. vitamins, poop pads, clothes, food).

First stop over was the hostel, but immediately after that, we went to grab some coffee. Mas bet talaga namin yun Little Cat over El Union. Our fave is the americano (for me) and latte (for husband) both with the yum nitro foam. We also prefer the mood of Little Cat.

After we spent some time by the ocean side, we went back to rest and bond a bit at the hostel.

We were lucky enough to get a hostel that's pet-friendly, as well as very chill when it comes to the mood. There's books, guitar and some games to use. You can also have breakfast cooked by the Ates & Kuyas. It's our second time na sa hostel na ito and we'll keep coming back.

The first night we capped off with an early visit to Port San Juan. Last time kasi, we went to Flotsam and Jetsam for drinks pero ewan ko, di namin trip yun vibe. A bit snobbish yun atmosphere and then talagang pang-inuman. Maybe it's just the Tito and Tita in us, but we decided to just check out other "inuman" spots. Port San Juan is owned by Rico Blanco, we sabi namin doon baka chill. Truly, chill nga with lots of food options. May vegan pa and Thai.

After that, we saw La Kantina and got curious. We liked the vibe so we decided to drink there. Their burrata is soooooo good! Actually, yun buong platter mauubos ko sana since yun foccacia lang kinakain ni husband, but busog na busog na din talaga kami.

We ended the night relatively early (for the place) since we will do some trekking the following day.