July 3 – 6, 2024

After almost seven years, we returned to Ilocos Norte. This time, though, the trip felt different and bittersweet, as it was our first visit since we lost Asis’ father on August 30 of last year. We wished he could have shared this experience with us.

We stayed for six days, and I had to file a five-day annual leave. But your guuuuurl doesn’t have many paid days off left, and it’s only a little over halfway through the year.

Anyway, Asis’ family had arrived a few days before us. They took the bus, which took around 7 to 8 hours, while Asis and I opted to fly. It only took about 2 hours. But since it was a red-eye flight, we were exhausted by the time we reached the airport with barely any sleep. Once we arrived at Lola Celia’s place, we had plenty of time to relax. It’s always comforting to have a place to stay when we visit Asis’ province, and it saved on accommodation costs. We missed Lola Celia’s warm presence and the comfort of home-cooked meals, which made the visit even more special. I also found myself missing Ninang Lolit. I remember that our last trip to Ilocos Norte was the last time I saw her. I wish she could have been with us this time as well.

The weather during our stay was quite unpredictable, scorching hot at noon and then rainy with gloomy clouds in the afternoons. We had originally planned to rent a motorbike to explore but ended up with no set itineraries.

This trip was completely spontaneous and felt really homey and nostalgic. It reminded me of when I was a kid with plenty of time on my hands, just wandering around and doing nothing to pass the time. But this time was even better — no city noise or pollution, just peaceful green countryside all around. It truly reminded me of the simple joys of life and the beauty of slowing down.

I actually have a lot of photos and reels from each day of our stay, but uploading all of them would be too tiring and might slow down this post. Instead, I’ll just upload the film shots taken with my Olympus Superzoom 800 and Kodak Gold 200 film stock. ♡